Archives for September 28, 2011

‘Another aspect of Fitzpatrick’s success is harder to measure. He is a natural community builder, a connector, in ways that extend beyond neighborliness.’

‘”We’re encouraged,” said Wood. “We’ve got a lot of confidence right now. We’re going to try to keep it that way. Guys have done good things. Our tackles have played great.”‘

‘So, here it is: Sunday was the most thrilling day in Buffalo sports in years. We’ll leave it at that and see what next Sunday brings in Cincinnati. Based on what we’ve seen so far, though, there’s no reason to believe it won’t be another thriller.’

‘"The last half of the season he really came on," the coach said during training camp. "It looks like in practice that he picked up right where he left off. I think he’ll go back and have a good year."’

‘My intent here is not to kill the communal vibe but to convince myself that the Bills are for real. The easiest way to gain a clear, objective view is looking at the flip side. Even then, it’s hard to say whether the Bills are that good or their opponents were that bad.’

‘When reached this evening, Bills Chief Executive Officer Russ Brandon said he’s in “constant discussion” with Fisher President Dr. Donald Bain. “Talks are progressing in a positive manner and we hope to come to a conclusion in the very near future,” Brandon said.’

‘It’s just one game, the realists noted. There are 13 more regular-season contests to be played. The Bills have started well before. True, true, true. But my heart is with the kid yelling “Super Bowl, Super Bowl.” With Tom, I’ll linger in the moment. You gotta believe.’

‘”It definitely feels good to be able to silence the critics somewhat,” said Jones, who made just six catches for 27 yards in his previous two games. “The first two games I only had one touchdown. I didn’t have too many targets, so I was starting to get a lot of critics out there. To be able to go out yesterday in a big game and come up big for the team was big for me.”‘

‘What I hope for most is a return to those glory days and an excitement about Bills football renewed. The national recognition is kind of neat. Seeing Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sportscenter every night is cool. Listening to the national media heap praise on an underdog Buffalo team is music to my ears.’

‘The Bills need Fitzpatrick, and he needs them. It’s a perfect fit.’

‘Breitbach calls Fred “hardheaded,” but in a good way. “He wouldn’t shy away from a challenge,” Breitbach said. “He didn’t feel like he was done (with football after Coe). That hardheadedness applies to his running style, too. He doesn’t get tackled easily. He carries people with him.”‘

‘Bills faithful may recall that in the 1990 season, leading to the team’s first Super Bowl appearance, in consecutive weeks Buffalo came back from big fourth-quarter deficits, against Denver and Oakland. Now history appears to be repeating itself. Of course if Buffalo makes the Super Bowl, the city will want history to stop repeating itself.’

‘”We know what it feels like to be on the losing end,” Bills center Eric Wood told reporters. “We were kind of the loveable losers last year. Everyone rooted for us because we tried so hard but that’s not what it’s about in this business and that’s not what keeps you around.”‘

‘Wheatley was promoted on Tuesday to add depth to an injury-depleted defensive backfield. Veteran starter Terrence McGee is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, while rookie Aaron Williams is out indefinitely after hurting his collarbone in a 34-31 win over New England last weekend.’

‘Cornerback Aaron Williams was carted off on a stretcher with a chest injury in Sunday’s 34-31 win over the Patriots. He is expected to be out for a month.’