Archives for November 30, 2013

‘”You can make excuses all you want for all of the different things that have gone wrong,” said Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. “But at the end of the day, from a player’s perspective, we need to play better. So that’s kind of the way I see it. We’ve been in some tight games. We’ve had opportunities to win a lot of ballgames. And we just haven’t made the plays.”‘

‘”I plan on playing. At the same time, if you can’t you’re only gonna hurt everybody else. We’re gonna work on it, we’re gonna be aggressive and see how it does.”‘

‘After Thursday’s games, the Bills are tied for the league lead in interceptions (16) and tied for second in sacks (37). What’s more, they rank third in opponent pass-completion percentage (57.1%) and seventh in red-zone defence, allowing foes to score touchdowns only 47% of the time after advancing inside the 20.’

‘Indeed, there are rumblings in the Toronto business community that Bon Jovi and Tanenbaum are much further down the road on a new football stadium than either is willing to let on, and that they have in fact been quietly lining things up for two years or more.’

Falcons’ offensive line has a matchup nightmare (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Injuries, Falcons’ struggles frustrate Roddy White (AP)

Tale Of The Tape: Atlanta Falcons At Buffalo Bills (WZGC-FM)

Behind the Facemask: Sean Weatherspoon (AtlantaFalcons.com)

Injury report (AtlantaFalcons.com)

‘He’s come a long way from his days with various junior and minor league Canadian teams.’

‘Williams says he woke up with spasms in his lower back Friday morning. He did not practice Friday.’

‘Just don’t try to get him to suggest the setting provides an edge to Atlanta, a team accustomed to playing indoors, and which is 0-5 on the road this season.’

‘”Yeah, they must have fixed the schedule or something out there in Atlanta,” Johnson said. “Who put the schedule together to have them come to Toronto?”‘

‘”It was fun this morning. I think I woke everybody up,” Williams said on the team’s website. “I guess I slept on it wrong and when I stepped to get out of bed it cinched up on me.”;

It’s the first back spasm Williams has ever had, and it’s affecting the lower left side of his back. “It’s just something that jumps up on you,” he said. “A lot of times when it’s getting better it’ll go away just as quick as it came. So that’s kind of what we’re hanging our hat on.”‘

””I feel a lot better, I’m actually using my left hand now; playing with confidence like I always have been,” Gilmore said. “I’m actually being myself like I was in training camp.”‘

‘”Kyle Williams will be questionable for the game,” said Marrone. “He’s 50-50. It just popped up, lower back. Those things are tough. I’ve been through those things before. I had a player when I was in New York, during walk through just went down to get in his stance and his back locked up. When you talk about backs and hamstrings and things you really don’t know.”‘

‘Buffalo’s offense has had its share of troubles converting in the red zone this season, but that cannot happen against the second-worst red zone defense they will face this season in the Falcons. Atlanta is allowing opponents to reach the end zone better than 63 percent of the time. The Bills need to have a success rate right around that figure to hand the Falcons their sixth straight loss.’