Archives for September 15, 2013

‘For the first time in Buffalo Bills history, two black quarterbacks will oppose each other.’

‘So I wouldn’t get too carried away just yet. The D can’t possibly be as bad as it was in the Buddy Nix-Chan Gailey era. But don’t fall into the trap of low expectations. Buffalo fans used to be better than that. Don’t hold them to a low standard and call it progress.’

‘Carolina 24, Buffalo 23.’

‘How important is the average age of the roster? It’s important if the average is an accurate reflection of the key core players on the team. In that sense, it’s relevant for the Bills, whose fortunes ride with younger players like EJ Manuel, C.J. Spiller, Eric Wood, Marcell Dareus and Stephon Gilmore, among others. It’s not really a problem for the Panthers, who have young stud players (Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Star Lotuleilei) at critical positions.’

‘”For a team that’s led the NFL in moral victories for the past 13 years, this team has a chance to win actual games,” Connors said. “I think that means making progress, which is a realistic expectation. If we could go somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-8, 9-7, I think with the nucleus of this team, that’s possible.”‘

‘After weeks of talks over complex provisions, the issue that developed on the evening of March 15 had the potential to be insulting to one of the sides: turns out the title of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s lead negotiator wasn’t lofty enough for the NFL.’

‘”You’ve got to try to change that mentality,” Marrone said of the fans’ ever-present and understandable fear that the Bills will always find a way to mess things up. “It’s kind of like the ‘Woe is me, here we go again’ situation and that’s not what we want.”‘

‘In honor of the occasion, here are my rankings by player and off-field contributors based on greatness at their position, “wow” factor and significance to the team over the course of 54 seasons of cheers, jeers, tears and beers.’

‘Bills 24, Panthers 20.’

‘”I think we were changing that mentality the first day we walked through the door,” he maintained. “You’ve got to try to change that mentality.’

‘The success of young quarterbacks such as Newton, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and veteran Michael Vick have encouraged teams like the Bills and Jets to adopt that style with Manuel and Geno Smith respectively.’

‘”The great thing about it is it’s very correctable,” Spiller said. “That’s the thing that we’ve been preaching, that I’ve been preached on this week. Just do the little things, take my time, tempo and when I make a decision, just go with it. (Last) Sunday there was just so much going on, I wasn’t playing free.”‘

Carolina Panthers front four making a name for itself (Charlotte Observer)

Carolina Panthers challenge: Add swagger or stagger (Charlotte Observer)

‘The Bills’ new-look hurry-up offence didn’t get very far, very fast in rookie quarterback EJ Manuel’s debut. Though Manuel completed 18 of 27 passes for 150 yards and two TDs, the offence lacked consistency. They managed just 15 first downs – five on a third-quarter touchdown drive – and converted just four of 13 third-down chances.’

‘Don’t be mistaken though, this game will be a very close one. It could even end up going in the Bills’ favor. After watching the Panthers a few separate times though, they just seem to be more talented than Buffalo where it’s conducive to pull out a victory.’