Archives for September 2011

‘We understand the Army rescinded its own Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell last week. But it’s our guess Bills fans will be silent no more. Except Monday morning, while they’re stinkin’ hung over.’

‘Before the New England Patriots played at the Buffalo Bills, ESPN’s Bill Parcells on Sunday said he didn’t see “how anybody in their right mind could decide to get in a shootout with Tom Brady. … That’s a recipe for disaster.”‘

‘Players like Donald Jones, David Nelson — both college free agents — and waiver pick up Scott Chandler all impressed me on tape. We are seeing now what Buddy Nix and Chan Gaily saw in them when they traded Evans.’

‘The next challenge for Buffalo, coach Chan Gailey said, is “how do we handle prosperity?” He’s right about that. The 2008 Bills started 5-1, then lost seven of their next eight and eight of their last 10. Five of their next eight are on the road, including games at the New York Giants, Dallas and the New York Jets.’

‘But forget Fitzpatrick. Buffalo’s running game with Fred Jackson has been one of the biggest surprises. The Raiders are a very physical team, but the way they beat the Raiders last week was with their ability to pound them in the second half. That surprised me.’

‘No way, no how would the Buffalo Bills have ever won this game last season. But because of last season, when the heartbreaking, narrow loss was the Bills’ specialty, Buffalo learned the kind of resiliency in the face of adversity that proved to be essential to its corner-turning 34-31 comeback win over New England Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘The chances of the Bills coming all the way back again (they trailed 21-3 against Oakland) were, you know, somewhere between slim and in need of hallucinogens. I mean, what’s next, Tom Brady throwing four interceptions?’

‘Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady completed 30 of his 45 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns, but he threw four interceptions in the loss.’

‘It doesn’t matter that the Patriots scored to tie up the game late. Just like the Kansas City and Oakland games, when push comes to shove, this team embraces and trusts one another so much that they know they can put away the game for a win. Having that mentality is half the battle. This team is for real, folks. 3-0, and it’s a different 3-0 than it was in 2008.’

‘Gailey and Buddy Nix have given you something to cheer about for a long, long time. I have no idea where this season is heading. I’m not climbing on board or jumping off. I’m going to watch the season. I’m going to watch knowing something I knew last year about this group, it’s tough and it will be there no matter what. We’re watching kids become men, we’re seeing them mature into players that maybe even they didn’t think they could be. We’re FINALLY watching a coaching staff that can change plans on the fly and be successful. For ten years you have suffered through the worst game of the week almost weekly. The one thing I think I can predict is win or lose, we are going to be entertained.’

‘”They gave us there best shot, we made some bad plays, some missed tackles, some mental errors,” said Bills safety George Wilson. “We’ve given them everything that they’ve gotten, we got to settle down, line up and play. Beat the man across from you and just take it one play at a time.”‘

‘We still don’t know what will happen as teams break down films and try to take away the things the Bills want to do on offense, but at long last we are seeing genuine, legitimate progress. It’s real, and the fun at the Ralph is back!’

‘But the Bills bounced back, driving 70 yards to set up Lindell for the winning kick. Fitzpatrick hit Donald Jones for a 29 yard gain, and Fred Jackson caught a short pass and took it 38 yards to the 1. The Bills killed the clock by havingt Fitzpatrick take a knee four straight times, leaving just :03 second left for Lindell’s kick.’

‘The fans never storm but the team did take down the field goal posts after the game because they were afraid if they didn’t, the fans would.’