Archives for November 2012

‘”I just hoped it would be a little bit better, what we’re doing with it,” coach Chan Gailey said. “I was hoping it would create a little more of a problem for people, but I think having it, they have to work on it and I hope that as time goes on we’ll be able to use it more and more.”‘

‘But turning to McKelvin is like replacing a flat tire with a bald, half-filled spare. You have no choice but to throw it on and hope it holds up until you can find a better option.’

‘”It’s been a long road for me and I’m just grateful for this opportunity,” Easley said. “It’s definitely been a struggle, but on the practice squad I tried to carry the mentality of ‘get better.’ You’re still being evaluated, so I tried to take advantage of that every day.”‘

‘Buffalo deserves better than mediocrity, but what coach would want to come to a franchise in such despair? With questions like where will the Bills even play after 94-year-old owner Ralph Wilson passes away looming, and not having a franchise quarterback driving away most coaches, it causes the Bills to settle for below-average coaching. Maybe they are thinking that if they throw enough darts at the board, one will have to stick.’

‘”There’s been some bad breaks, and expectations that (the coaches) had. It’s not where it’s supposed to be,” McKelvin said of his level of performance. “I’ve been up and down, up and down, and not very consistent. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish and that’s my goal. It’s not about what you did, it’s about what have you done lately.”‘

‘Coach Chan Gailey said the personnel department had their eyes on both players in recent weeks, and were glad to be able to sign them. There’s a chance that both will be active Sunday when the Bills travel to New England to play the Patriots, though Butler probably has a better chance.’

‘”I think one of the explosive parts of Buffalo’s game is that they’re able to go on runs,” Belichick said. “We’ve seen it before where it’s been 14-7 and they’d go for 21 points. They go on a run. Of course, that comes with big plays on offense, big plays in the kicking game, turnovers on defense.”‘

‘”He’s so quick and explosive that he could be going one way, then one cut, he’s back going in another direction and he’s at full speed probably his next step,” Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty said.’

‘The Bills bulked up (supposedly) in the offseason, signing bookend defenders Mario Williams and Mark Anderson in moves aimed at body slamming Tom Brady down to the ground. But after further review, nothing’s changed.’

‘The majority of this team has been here for less than three years so they do not know. They just know that they have a big job in front of them as far as going in there and winning a tough game on the road. We have been able to win on the road a couple of times this year, so that is not something that is new to us-being able to go and try to win on the road. We played pretty good for the first quarter last year, so if you can turn that into three quarters you give yourself a chance.’

‘Q: What was the talk in the locker room amongst the team after the loss earlier in the season? A: It happened like that the year before in the last game of the season when we were up and New England came back. It was just more of we have to finish. If you do not finish, this is what happens. It has been proven I believe three straight games now. That is pretty much what we need to do. We need to finish games. And maybe we will win these games we have been going up 21-7 or 21-0. Who knows what happens if we were to finish these games out.’

In new role, Devin McCourty provides a safety net (Boston Globe)

Patriots-Bills have made for wild games recently (Boston Globe)

Pats seek right mix (Boston Herald)

Tom Brady not in MVP talk (Boston Herald)

C.J. Spiller rerun a hit (Boston Herald)

Devin McCourty sliding to safety for New England Patriots? (Springfield Republican)

Aaron Hernandez returns to New England Patriots practice following birth of daughter (Springfield Republican)

Tom Brady discusses his pocket presence and phantom tacklers (Springfield Republican)

O-line still strong (Metro West Daily News)

Pats secondary sure to have some moving parts (Providence Journal)

Brady not worried about his protection (Providence Journal)

Patriots-Bills: The more things change, the more they stay the same (Brockton Enterprise)

McCourty simply waiting to be told where to go (Brockton Enterprise)

Tom Brady ducks out on a phantom foe (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

New England Patriots get boost after break (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

Rest time is over; Pats get back to work (Nashua Telegraph)

Bye-bye to bye week, back to work (Portland Press Herald)

Gregory anxious to get back on field (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Pats are well-healed (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Another first round KO for Belichick (Lawrence Eagle Tribune)

Tom Brady still looking good (ESPN)

Shuffling secondary (WEEI-AM)

Brady enjoying another strong season at midpoint (AP)

Refreshed Patriots ready to go (The Sports Xchange)

Patriots Feeling ‘Refreshed’ After Bye Week, Ready to Embark on Home Stretch of Season (NESN)

Devin McCourty Noticing Differences, But Feeling Confident in Transition to Safety Position (NESN)

NFL Players Vote Patriots as Best Organization Despite Labeling Bill Belichick Overrated (NESN)

Aaron Hernandez Back at Gillette Stadium After Missing Tuesday Workout for Birth of Child (NESN)

Gailey: Spiller has learned how to play the game (CSN New England)

Gailey: Focus on stopping Patriots run game (CSN New England)

McCourty embraces different roles in the secondary (CSN New England)

Patriots will be ready for Bills’ new wrinkles on defense (CSN New England)

Johnson plans to return to practice Thursday (CSN New England)

Johnson on Pats’ secondary: ‘They’re a good bunch’ (CSN New England)

Johnson: Patriots better than Texans (CSN New England)

Patriots changing secondary tough on Bills game plan (CSN New England)

Hernandez returns to Patriots practice (CSN New England)

Brady hopes it’s not another wild one vs. Bills (CSN New England)

Ridley on an almost record pace (CSN New England)

Gregory hopes to return Sunday vs. Bills (CSN New England)

Curran to Brady: ‘Sometimes you dress kinda weird’ (CSN New England)

Brady hands out O-line plaudits (CSN New England)

Bill Belichick Conference Call Transcript 1 (Patriots.com)

Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript 2 (Patriots.com)

Tom Brady Press Conference Transcript (Patriots.com)

Vince Wilfork Conference Call Transcript (Patriots.com)

Chan Gailey Conference Call Transcript (Patriots.com)

Stevie Johnson Conference Call Transcript (Patriots.com)

‘The Harvard graduate was among the NFL’s early-season, feel-good stories last year after getting the Bills off to a 5-2 start. He’s since gone 4-13, and has the Bills (3-5) in jeopardy of falling out of the playoff picture.’

‘Welch has been a free agent since being released by Philadelphia before the start of this season. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2010 draft by New England. Welch has appeared in eight games split between the Patriots and St. Louis.’

‘Brady is 19-2 against Buffalo, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 5,170 yards, 49 touchdowns – his most against any team – and 17 interceptions for a 103.4 rating.’