Archives for September 2011

‘How bad have Buffalo’s tight ends been in recent years? Before Scott Chandler caught five passes for 63 yards and two TDs against Kansas City, check out these facts: The last time a Bills tight end had two TDs in a road game was Pete Metzelaars in 1992; the last five-catch game for a Bills TE was by Derek Fine in 2009; the last time a Bills TE had at least 63 yards receiving was by Robert Royal who had 70 in a 2008 game; over the previous two seasons, the Bills’s tight ends had a combined two TDs. Yes, it’s been a dry period for that position, but the 6-7, 263-pound Chandler could break the drought. “He’s a big guy and he creates mismatches with guys because of his size,” said quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. “You can put the ball almost anywhere and he has the range to get it.”‘

‘Fred Jackson said it’s a conversation he’s had with the Hall of Famer, “He talked to me early in my career and it’s just one of the ways you have to approach this game because it is you against everybody so the only people that are going to have as much faith as you is the people in this locker-room. Nothing’s going to be handed to us and we know that.”‘

‘As far as Marcus Easley’s illness Gailey said, “It’s gotten more prolonged than we thought. We’re going have to get more evaluation on him and see exactly where that’s going to go. He won’t be ready this week for sure. I know what it is, but I’m not going to say. I think he should be the one to say if anybody does.”‘

‘His absence leaves the Bills with just four healthy cornerbacks on the active roster, which includes a pair of rookies in second-round pick Aaron Williams and seventh-round pick Justin Rogers. Rogers was inactive on Sunday.’

‘”I’ve always had faith, but now it’s 10 times stronger than it was,” he said. “The Lord is using me as a tool to inspire other people. Just because you get knocked down, doesn’t mean you have to stay down. I’m trying to show people how strong you can be when something bad happens.”’

‘"It’s not a sad story. It’s a happy story," said Dr. Andrew Cappuccino, the orthopedic surgeon who spearheaded Everett’s immediate care. "But a year down the road, two years down the road, everyone forgets."’

‘But as elated as he was with his team’s fast start, Gailey cautioned, “Where we are right now, all those people who thought we were as bad as they thought we were … we’re not. And there’s (also) going to be a lot of people that are going to put us on a little bit of a pedestal … and we’re not there yet.”‘

‘If the Bills would have lost yesterday I would have been saying the same thing. You cannot make too much out of the opening game. But the difference would be losing is what people expect out of the Bills. At some point they have to change that expectation and games like the one in Kansas City Sunday can be the start of that change. Chan Gailey had to feel immense satisfaction yesterday beating the team that fired him, but he knows how quickly things can change.’

‘”The past is in the past,” said Bills safety George Wilson. “This is a new season, a new team, a new set of expectations on our guys.”‘

‘”I wanted to get established early and kind of help Fitz,” said Jackson, who passed Antowain Smith to move into eighth place on the Bills’ career rushing list with 2,972 yards. “We feel like if we get our running game going it allows him to make more plays for us.”‘

‘”For me, it was really exciting to go out there and get a chance to play,” Chandler said after the Bills’ 41-7 blowout. “I’ve had some down times in the last four years but this really makes it worth it.”‘

‘ Gailey didn’t just beat Haley, he beat the pants off him. He and his assistant coaches made their Kansas City counterparts look like amateurs, outfoxing them in all three major phases of football: offense, defense and special teams.’

‘The Bills held the ball for 12 minutes of the third quarter to just 3 minutes for the Chiefs.’

‘Gailey got his revenge against team that fired him two years ago. Dictated to Chiefs with aggressive offensive game plan. Team was prepared and motivated.’