Archives for September 2012

‘Down a man on offense — and a very important one at that, Ryan Fitzpatrick came out and had his best showing of 2012. It wasn’t a game in which he took over, but he was able to read the defense and take advantage of a weak secondary to help his team to victory. There were times he was a bit off on the touch of his passes and left his receivers out to dry, but there were also examples of him zinging the ball in to a spot to keep the chains moving. There’s a chance the Bills head in to their most important game of the season without their two best playmakers on offense (Spiller and Fred Jackson), so Fitzpatrick needs to have his A-game. The New England Patriots are on deck.’

‘Chan Gailey had to make some adjustments and he did that at halftime. Tashard Choice is the third string back, but he and Johnny White were up for the challenge. The two of them had 106 yards on 22 carries. Now that’s not Spiller’s 10.1 yards per carry he came in with, but it is an excellent 4.8 yards per rush.’

‘To me, the biggest play of the game came early in the 4th quarter with the Browns in great field position near mid-field, trailing by only 3 and clearly enjoying the momentum. On 3rd and 12 at the Bills 49, Bills defensive end Mark Anderson sacked Browns qb Brandon Weeden and forced the Browns to punt. Although Anderson’s off-season signing didn’t get the attention the signing of Mario Williams did, his play has been nothing short of terrific in 3 games. This play clearly changed the momentum of the game back, in part because Fitz and the Bills offense regrouped, and a special shout out goes to young rb Tashard Choice with 91 yards on 20 carries off the bench for Spiller.’

‘One guy that deserves a ton of credit is RB Tashard Choice. Clearly the injury to Spiller took the wind out of the Bills sails for a bit, but Choice did everything he could to keep the offense moving. With Fred Jackson already inactive with a knee injury, Choice filled in well and finished the game with 91 yards on 20 carries.’

‘I will stick by my opinion that I think Ryan Fitzpatrick can get this franchise back to the playoffs. After that? I wouldn’t expect much. But then again if anyone would have said to you a year ago that Alex Smith can win the Super Bowl for the 49ers you would have laughed.’

‘The silver lining in this dark cloud is that for the second consecutive week the Buffalo defense flexed its muscles, making four sacks – including the first one by Mario Williams in a Bills uniform. And Bryan Scott and Leodis McKelvin intercepted Cleveland’s rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden in the fourth quarter when the verdict was still in question.’

‘The C.J. Spiller injury is more than a little alarming, even if Fred Jackson is expected back sooner rather than later. And just when I was about to again label Tashard Choice as “unforgivable as anything more than a No. 3 running back,” he rips off 20 carries for 91 yards. He’s not a game breaker like Spiller, but maybe he can be more-than-adequate if the Buffalo Bills offensive line is turning into the turn-of-the-century Broncos lines that regularly gave 100-yard games out to guys like Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson and Blanche from “The Golden Girls.”‘

‘The Bills got off to a roaring start against the Browns and never trailed in a 24-14 win over the Browns in Cleveland, but may have come at a steep price as C.J. Spiller was lost in the first quarter to a shoulder injury and did not return.’

‘”Well, we had to rethink some things there and really we got another drive going and that’s where the ball slipped out of Fitz’s (Ryan Fitzpatrick) hands. If we could have gotten that one in there I think we could have gotten some of that momentum back and gotten it rolling there. We had to adjust a couple things and then we got (Tashard) Choice rolling.”‘

‘”Since I have been in the league it has always been a case of if you get a chance you have to make the most of your opportunities. With C.J. going down and having a chance to run was fun. It was good to get in a rhythm and get a chance to help my team out. I’m more comfortable to be in that situation now. Hopefully, him and Fred (Jackson) can both come back.”‘

‘Mario Williams had his first sack as a Bill late in the first half. Mark Anderson had his first sack as a Bill in the third quarter forcing a punt.’

‘Ryan Fitzpatrick had three touchdown passes and no interceptions. He completed 22 of 35 passes for 208 yards. The one blemish was his fumble when the wet ball slipped out of his hand. Grade A: Don’t look now but he has eight TD passes in three games.’

‘The Browns chopped the deficit to 17-14 late in the third quarter and had one possession with a chance to take the lead but could not move the ball downfield. The Bills responded with a 68-yard drive that culminated in a TD pass from Fitzpatrick to WR Stevie Johnson, who burned CB Dimitri Patterson. The Browns proved they simply don’t boast enough offensive weapons to overcome a 24-14 deficit in nine minutes. The Johnson score sealed the Bills victory.’

‘Bills officials have taken measures to curb rowdy behavior in the stands and team-owned lots. But they must be careful not to alienate this large bloc of the fan base, or the calls to “Make Mom Proud” will bounce off empty rows of seats in the stadium’s upper bowl. On the other hand, those fans need to do their part by showing up for every game, not just a select few.’

‘"We always say it’s the best play in football," Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said, "because you know if you’re in that formation you did something right to win."’