Archives for October 16, 2012

‘”I just wanted to make sure I was assigned the best receiver,” Gilmore told Buffalobills.com. “With the type of player I want to be I always want to be on the best receiver every game. I texted him and asked him.”‘

‘While there were a lot of things to like, the Bills nearly let a game they had no business losing slip away. It felt a little like the days of Dick Jauron where that happened far too often.’

‘Enjoy the win, Bills fans, but please temper it with some reality. There are better teams out there, with better offensive lines, better running backs and more mobile quarterbacks.’

‘Sunday is an absolute must win for the Bills. The Titans are not as bad as many thought and they showed a lot of pride when they beat the Steelers last week. Matt Hasselbeck hasn’t been in his prime since ARod was a hitter, but he can still make plays. Chris Johnson hasn’t been the same back since he got weighed down by all of that Bud Adams money. But going into the bye, back at home, at least in the race on paper, Sunday is a game the Bills have to have. Winning won’t prove they are a contender, but at least it will allow us to all pretend for a couple more weeks.’

‘If I had a buck for every reader who tells me Fitzpatrick isn’t the Bills QB of the future and should be cut, I’d be a wealthy retiree.’

‘”It’s good to have him back. It’s always nice when you can bring a guy back that’s acquainted and comfortable with the scheme and the system that we’re in,” Kelsay said. “He’s a guy that’s a veteran. He knows how to go about his business. He knows what’s expected, so he’s going to come right in and pick right up where he left off."’

‘Fitz is safe because nobody is pushing him from behind. He signed a big contract. He’s a nice guy and good teammate who is popular in the locker room. It doesn’t make him a good NFL quarterback, at least for the last 14 games. It merely helps cover up flaws with a right arm that rarely shoots straight.’

‘Ciccarelli, a school administrator, was raised and still lives in the Adirondacks, but some of the most beautiful scenery in the world has never been a match for the chance to have his heart ripped out once a week from September through December, half the time in person.’

‘Well, that brings us to the Bills. It’s hard to believe a team that has looked so terrible in its three losses – outscored 145-59 by the Jets, Patriots and 49ers – can be tied with the other three teams in the division, with a chance to be 4-3 heading into their bye if they can beat another mediocre team, Tennessee, Sunday at the Ralph.’

‘”We were obviously going to talk to him,” Munchak said. “Just like anything, everyone has interest. But financially, it’s a business. I don’t know if we would have been able to work out what he wanted.”‘

‘Mark Anderson is out indefinitely after he required surgery last week to repair a left knee injury. Veteran defensive line Spencer Johnson has missed the past two games with an ankle injury.’

‘Once among the most feared defensive players in the league, Merriman’s career has been plagued by injuries in recent years. He started each of the first five games for the Bills last season before Achilles problems resurfaced, forcing the club to place him on injured reserve.’

‘”Being here the whole week and being around each other every day with no distractions, just putting that ‘us against the world’ mentality, we needed it big time,” said defensive end Mario Williams, who had his best game since signing a contract worth $100 million. He had two sacks and numerous other pressures. “The biggest thing for us is it’s all about what have you done for me lately?”‘

‘The first was the wildcat throw late in the game by Brad Smith to the end zone that wasn’t even close and was intercepted. Buffalo was protecting a three point lead at the time. Gailey said, “We thought we had the chance to hit the homerun and ice the thing right there. We thought they’d be playing run the whole way and we’d seen the middle of the field open. We didn’t get it down the middle of the field which is where we planned to go, but didn’t get it there, in hindsight, bad call.”‘

‘”Shawne stopped in a sat in on some of our meetings so it’s good to hsave him back. It’s always nice to bring a guy back that’s acquainted and comfortable with the system that we’re in. The guy’s a professional, he knows how to go about his business, he knows what’s expected and he’s going to come right in a pick up right where he left off.” Kelsay added, “Shawne’s a great dude. He came in and he fit well. We don’t have a lot of egos on this team and he fit right in.’