Archives for November 2013

‘I definitely feel like I can go and it’s still up to Coach Marrone as far as what we want to do as a team. But I definitely feel confident going into Sunday.’

‘”It’s ugly,” is how receiver Stevie Johnson summed up his team’s effort of late inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, before offering up a solution. “Just look for 13.”‘

‘Until further review, it’s the play of the year. You know the play. Jeremy White’s All-22 Review takes a look at Sean Smith’s 100 yard interception return for a TD, the play of newcomer Stefan Charles, and debuts KIKO-CAM.’

‘Then, the play that defined the game happened and Tuel was partially to blame. Ahead of the play, he had it in his mind that he was going to Graham on a slant for the touchdown on the third down play. Had he looked before he threw, he would have seen an additional defender in that vicinity and then a wide open Stevie Johnson in the middle of the end zone. Instead, he threw at Graham and Sean Smith returned an interception 100 yards for a Chiefs touchdown and a tie game. That play was a 14-point swing.’

‘Facing the Saints in Week 8 and the Chiefs in Week 9, Buffalo held both teams to less than 100 yards rushing. Kansas City and the league’s all-purpose yardage leader Jamaal Charles were held to a total of 95 rushing yards last Sunday. It marked the first time this season that the Chiefs failed to eclipse the century mark on the ground.’

‘Start with the Bills trip into the red zone, which has become a bit of a dead zone for the Buffalo offense in recent weeks.’

‘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.’