‘”We put a lot of pressure on ourselves every year and for an offense to succeed, the offensive line has to play well and we know that,” said the leader of the group, center Eric Wood.’
Archives for September 2013
Bills tweak gameday experience at the Ralph
‘The Bills say an additional 128 Erie County Sheriff’s Department officers will be used on game days this season to beef up the security force, and that should help continue to change the culture some unruly fans have created at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’
Q&A with Patriots beat writer Glen Farley
‘At 36, Tom Brady shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Extremely sharp throughout training camp and in two of the three preseason games in which he appeared.’
Saturday’s New England Coverage
A foot in the door (Boston Globe)
Rob Gronkowski officially ‘doubtful’ for Sunday’s opener (Boston Globe)
Arrington turns corner (Boston Herald)
Bills occupy Wilfork’s thoughts (Boston Herald)
Pats ‘D’ has a complex (Boston Herald)
Harrison in wait room (Boston Herald)
New England Patriots begin to put sordid offseason in the past Sunday against the Bills (Springfield Republican)
Rob Gronkowski listed as doubtful, Danny Amendola probable for Sunday (Springfield Republican)
Bill Belichick remains motivated in his role with the New England Patriots after all these years (Springfield Republican)
Brandon Spikes says he is not motivated by contract situation (Springfield Republican)
Belichick: I like football. . . It beats working (Providence Journal)
Chandler Jones will be on home turf in season opener at Buffalo (Providence Journal)
Patriots look to continue dominance of Bills (Brockton Enterprise)
Bill Belichick eager to get another season going (Brockton Enterprise)
Rob Gronkowski listed as doubtful for Patriots’ opener (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)
Hightower ready for Round 2 (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)
Belichick, Brady are reasons for optimism (Manchester Union Leader)
It never gets old for Belichick (ESPN)
Ten things you have to know about Patriots-Bills (WEEI-AM)
Amendola Probable, Gronkowski Doubtful For Week 1 (WBZ-TV)
Is Aqib Talib the key to the Patriots defense? (CSN New England)
How explosive will the new-look Pats offense be? (CSN New England)
Realistic expectations for Pats in 2013 (CSN New England)
Do Patriots regret losing Wes Welker? (CSN New England)
Belichick opens up on work before coaching (CSN New England)
Wilfork: Patriots must contain Bills ‘go-to’ guys (CSN New England)
New holder is no big deal for Gostkowski (CSN New England)
Spikes defensive about pass coverage skill (CSN New England)
Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript (Patriots.com)
Patriots re-sign FB James Develin (Patriots.com)
Buffalo Bills give Wyckoff’s Chris Hogan a shot
‘”It’s crazy,” Hogan said. “From where I started, to be where I am right now, it’s just unbelievable to me that I have this opportunity to play in this league.”‘
Brady eager to see new-look Pats open at Bills
‘The Bills will unveil a new-look defense under new coordinator Mike Pettine. Pettine has introduced an aggressive, attacking style that will lean heavily on star pass-rusher Mario Williams and newly acquired defensive end Jerry Hughes to disrupt the pocket.’
Pats’ Gronkowski, Bills’ Byrd doubtful for Week 1
‘Byrd, who signed his one-year tender with the Bills on Aug. 20, has been limited by a foot injury at practice.’
Jairus Byrd doubtful for Sunday
‘If Byrd is unable to dress and play his absence would certainly take a quality player out of the equation for Buffalo’s defense, but Mike Pettine’s unit has operated without him since the spring. Aaron Williams and Da’Norris Searcy have been manning the two starting roles at safety for most of the offseason.’
Scouting Report – Week 1
Another season of hope and despair for Bills fans
‘I believe the youthful Bills may be hard-pressed to match last year’s 6-10 won-lost record, but I think they are moving in the right direction.’
Mario ready to cut loose for Bills
‘”I think the biggest thing with this defense is everybody’s going to be able to mix it up a little bit and get after it,” Williams said after Thursday’s practice. “Obviously our mentality is to be aggressive. So I think most of our guys, especially up front, that’s what we want to do. It’s not a hold-back scheme. We’re definitely going to get after it and see what’s going on.”‘
Optimist club is looking past Pats’ history
‘Of course, while rejoicing over Manuel’s availability for New England, it’s wise to remember that he’s a rookie who will be playing in his first regular-season NFL game. This isn’t, say, Tom Brady returning for the ’09 opener after recovering from major knee surgery.’
Season ticket sales drop slightly from ’12
‘On one hand, the season-ticket total is respectable considering the Bills have not made the playoffs in 13 years and have started over again with a new regime this season. However, the total is believed to be in the bottom quarter of the NFL. (The league doesn’t release season-ticket rankings.)’
Patriots coach Bill Belichick facing some guesswork against Buffalo Bills
‘”There’s less information to go on in an NFL situation,” Belichick said. “We’ve certainly seen things coach Marrone did at Syracuse (University the past four years) or Mike did with the Jets or Danny did at Detroit on special teams.’
Bills Jarius’ Byrd silences trade talk rumours
‘If Byrd does wish to create a real trade market for himself, he’ll need to be on the field. Safeties don’t fetch first-round draft picks in the world of NFL trades, and a second-rounder is probably a stretch too. The Bills are under no obligation to trade him, though they are best-served to have him on the field given the fact that their secondary is considered one of the weak links of the team (Cornerback Stephon Gilmore is out for up to eight weeks with a broken wrist).’