Archives for November 5, 2013

‘There is no doubt this Bills team is better than the 2012 version and Marrone is a big reason why. There is a lot of work to be done, but it’s refreshing to hear Marrone voice his anger about losses the way he does.’

‘"They were outstanding. One thing they have done all year and we have to help them on offense," said Jackson. "Anytime we give up 14 points on offense and they play as well as they are on defense, we have to apologize to them, they are playing so well and we find a way to lose on offense … We had some success against them we just didn’t get it done."’

‘While naysayers love to throw out numbers that “prove” this year’s team isn’t even as good as last season’s struggling squad, they miss the real point. The current Bills pass the eyeball test … period.’

‘”We felt like we had the game. We controlled the game, and we ended up coming out with another loss,” Johnson said Monday. “If you’re not frustrated about that, then you shouldn’t even be in this locker room right now. You should be filled up with fire, ready to go at it next Sunday, so that’s how I feel right now.”‘

‘”I know Richie personally. That’s a weird situation and not something I want to go too far in depth on,” Wood said today. “Locker-room teasing in the NFL happens. Especially with rookies and stuff, but there is a line you can cross. I’m assuming now that there’s a suspension, they feel a line has been crossed.”‘

‘The schedule gets much easier now. Seven of the Bills’ first nine opponents are currently first or second in their division. Their most recent four opponents have a combined record of 25-9. Four of their next five games are against teams in the bottom quarter of the NFL.’

‘”We have to make a good decision. We have to get him out there and see how he’s doing from a football-movement standpoint,” the coach said. “We’ve had him out there throwing, which is something that we amped up quite a bit after the individual sessions that he was allowed to do last week. We’ll get him out there and put him in the mix and see how he’s doing.”‘

‘Any reduced attendance could cause team owners to blame the communities for lack of support and feel more entitled to move teams to larger markets.’

‘”From an injury standpoint,” Marrone continued, “he might be in a position where he won’t reinjure himself, but us as coaches, what’s the mindset of the player, is he ready to go, does he have enough reps to be accountable for what we’re asking him to do?”‘

‘Johnson was clearly irritable regarding the loss. “Yeah, yesterday was frustrating because we felt like we had the game. We controlled the game and ended up coming out with another loss. If you’re not frustrated about that, then you shouldn’t even be in this locker room right now. We should be filled up with fire and ready to go at it next Sunday. That’s how I feel right now.”‘

”’It’s feeling a lot better,” said Manuel, who added he’s been cleared for full contact. ”Definitely looking forward to getting into practice full course and taking as many reps as coach allows me to get.”’

‘Buffalo filled the open roster spot by signing fullback Evan Rodriguez. Selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft by Chicago, he had four catches for 21 yards in 12 games last season. Rodriguez was waived by the Bears in June after being charged with driving under the influence, his second alcohol-related arrest.’

‘Due to his return, Buffalo has released quarterback Matt Flynn, who spent just three weeks on the roster and did not appear in a game.’

‘Marrone has said all the right things regarding Lewis and Tuel, but the bottom line is that neither player is worthy of being a starter in the NFL. Manuel gives the Bills their best chance to win, and they need him back on the field as soon as possible if they want to keep alive their slim hopes of earning a playoff berth.’