Archives for November 2011

‘Ryan Fitzpatrick played well enough to win the ball game. He didn’t turn the ball over to a good secondary, he consistently found the open man and he tossed three touchdown passes. It’s a shame this one falls on his W-L record. He wasn’t dynamite, but he doesn’t figure in the top 20 reasons the Bills lost. He made his makeshift line look better in the pocket and was notably more accurate on the run this week.’

‘The Turning Point: I’ll take the Johnson penalty. He was called for a boneheaded celebration penalty on his touchdown when he simulated Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg. The play may have awakened a sleeping dog. The Jets dominated the game after the Bills botched the ensuing kickoff.’

‘Grade C: They played hard but the result was the same.’

‘A last ditch effort by the Bills to find the end zone for the win came up short as three different shots to the end zone went for incomplete passes dropping the Bills into third place in the AFC East and putting New York ahead of Buffalo by a game along with the head-to-head sweep.’

‘”We can’t get behind the 8-ball and put more pressure on the offense,” said Bills cornerback Drayton Florence. “It’s a two-for-one game being it’s in the division, and if we want any chance of making playoffs this is a game we need to win.”‘

‘"The overall effort the last three weeks, just in terms of how lopsided the scores have been, I think that’s caught everybody in our locker room by surprise," said quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. "It’s something we’re looking to fix and to stop."’

‘Jets 27, Bills 3.’

‘So what went wrong? How did a gunslinging outfit get reduced to a popgun attack? Some of it was the inevitable law of averages. They began playing better defenses. But on the whole, their own physical shortcomings finally caught up to them — along with opposing defensive coaches.’

‘Cookie’s narrative is “cleaned up,” out of necessity, because his rambling communication style wouldn’t have worked in its pure form. But the book doesn’t shortchange all the racism that Gilchrist dealt with in his career, which was an enduring hardship in his life. As Cookie says: “The fact that I was a black man who refused to accept my ‘place’ or hold my tongue gave me the title of a malcontent, uppity colored man, a reputation that followed me throughout my career.” And there are so many vivid details provided, there can be no question it’s Cookie’s story.’

‘Sky falling in? Season imploding? Best player on the team out for the year? Well, yes, yes and yes, that is certainly all happening to the Bills who have gone from 5-2 and first place in the AFC East to 5-5 and on the periphery of playoff extinction in three excruciating weeks and must now play on without injured running back Fred Jackson.’

‘New York 23, Buffalo 13.’

Schottenheimer Feels the Pressure as the Jets’ Offense Sputters (New York Times)

The Fifth Down: Bills at Jets: Matchup to Watch (New York Times)

Can get back on track vs. reeling Buffalo (New York Post)

Playoffs start today for Sanchez & Co. (New York Post)

Punter’sduds irk Westhoff (New York Post)

Serby’s Sunday Q&A with… Matt Slauson (New York Post)

Critical mistakes by Mark Sanchez continue to haunt NY Jets, who are in must-win situation vs. Bills (New York Daily News)

Marcus Dixon overcomes molestation conviction in high school and racism on long journey to NFL and NY Jets (New York Daily News)

Rex Ryan experiences indisgestion after NY Jets’ 17-13 loss to Denver Broncos last Sunday (New York Daily News)

Jets look to finish season 6-0 (New York Newsday)

Jets need to bring back ‘Tone time’ (New York Newsday)

Marv to call Jets game Marv on Jets? Yes! (New York Newsday)

Jets searching for big plays as they begin crucial stretch with Bills game (Newark Star Ledger)

Jets’ T.J. Conley is learning on the job in his first NFL season (Newark Star Ledger)

Jets Gameday: Jets host Buffalo Bills (Newark Star Ledger)

Rex, Jets expect to avoid big letodwn vs. Bills (Bergen Record)

Jets matchup vs. Bills (Bergen Record)

No more excuses remain for Rex’s Jets (ESPN New York)

‘”We’ve had a good amount of guys go down, but to be honest, the way that this team is structured a lot of the guys that have gotten the chance to play and to prove themselves had to do it by waiting their turn in line,” Fitzpatrick said, trying to put a positive spin on things. “A lot of young guys that are hungry and ready to get out there are really looking forward to the opportunity.”‘

‘Jets 27, Bills 6.’

‘”I think Mark is a great competitor,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “He’s a guy that can make all the throws. We’ve had a lot of success with him, he’s won big games for us. He plays better when it seems like the stakes are at the highest, and they can’t get much higher than we have right now. I expect him to play well. I know he’s going to be fired up and ready to go and play a home game in front of our fans, it will be big for us.”‘