Archives for November 2011

‘”It’s exciting. I’m kind of sharing the enjoyment for him, too,” the linebacker said. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime just hearing him talk about how much fun it is.”‘

‘Jets 24, Bills 14.’

‘”What I do have to say for that is — for whatever reason that was, there was fault on both ends,” he said. “There was something obviously that I didn’t do while I was there to give the coaching staff that confidence in me to go out and have more than five snaps a game.”‘

‘That hit has caused Fitzpatrick to be limited the past two days of practice. Is that cause for concern in terms of his availability Sunday for head coach Chan Gailey? “Not in my mind, or his mind, or the trainer’s mind. So those are the three most important people right now.”‘

‘”Right now we’ve kind of rested Andy a little bit,” said head coach Chan Gailey following Thursday’s practice. “We’ve had to rest Andy so really Hairston has had more reps than Andy the past two days. We’ve worked Andy at left tackle and left guard and we’ve worked Hairston at left tackle. So we’ll see how it goes Friday and make a decision on Sunday.”‘

‘Bills 20, Jets 16.’

‘After being picked in the second round of the 2004 draft by Baltimore, his first position coach was one Rex Ryan.’

‘”Any time you can get on the field and help your team out, especially on offense and help move the ball that’s always a plus,” said Spiller. “Being on the sidelines not helping, that’s really not an advantage. I feel like a professional here. I’ve got an opportunity to get on the field and gain some trust and confidence in my playing style with the players around me.”‘

‘"I don’t work any different than I did in Buffalo and I’m not any more talented today than I was yesterday," he said. "Nothing magical happened to me overnight and, all of a sudden, I can rush the passer again."’

‘ “You just look for Stevie [Johnson] and you’ll find him,” said Bills coach Chan Gailey. “That’s what they’ve shown in previous games. Whoever is deemed their No. 1 receiver, he lines up and takes him all over the field.”‘

‘”The only thing I can control is what I do on the football field,” he said. “That stuff [contract talks] comes after practice and that’s what we have agents for, to handle stuff like that so we can come out here and play football. You can drive yourself crazy if that’s all you focus on. This is our outlet when we get out here and play football, so I think that’s what everyone tries to focus on.”‘

‘”I don’t think anyone is going to say that averaging five snaps a game is getting a legitimate shot,” he said, referencing his paltry plays-per-game average in 2010. “But on my end, what I do have to say to that is for whatever reason that was, there’s fault on both ends.”‘

‘”Free agency began and the next thing I knew I was on a plane to Rochester and I’m sitting in the team meeting and I know no one,” Smith said. “It was unbelievable, it didn’t feel real. Guys like Fred Jackson and Stevie Johnson and Ryan Fitzpatrick took time to just hang out, show me around and that really helped me.”

‘”I think it’s just coming from nowhere,” Smith said. “No background with each other, learning the entire offense at quarterback and at receiver. … They were able to work me in a few times to get the Wildcat stuff in. It was never a big deal to me. It’s more about winning and both things don’t always show up.”‘

‘”I can be honest, at first it sounded crazy,” Smith said. “Everything happened so fast when the lockout ended, and next thing you know I was on a plane to Rochester and I’m sitting in a team meeting and I know no one. It was unbelievable. It didn’t feel real.”‘