Archives for September 2013

‘It’s great. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come and we can keep putting together tough wins like that. A lot of games are going to come down (to the end) like that, so hopefully we can build off of this one and get some more wins.’

‘s the whole mentality. I mean even physically. I feel great. Everyone’s talking about this and that but I know the deal. I know how I feel. I know my mental state. I’m definitely the best mentally, the best feeling of peace, just taking care of business and going out and playing hard.’

‘With our ‘Tribute to the Wall of Fame’ this weekend, we are honoring the best of the best in the history of our organization. The mere mention of their names conjures up so many great memories while acknowledging their special talents.’

‘EJ Manuel hit Stevie Johnson for a two yard touchdown pass with :02 to go to give the Bills a 24-23 win over the Carolina Panthers. The Bills defense held the Panthers to three field goals in the fourth quarter after Manuel turned the ball over on two straight possessions leading to three points each time. Mario Williams had his best day as a pro with four and a half sacks as he terrorized Cam Newtown all day long.’

‘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.’