Archives for December 25, 2013

‘Williams’ 13 sacks are one shy of his career high, set in 2007 in Houston. The total is 2.5 better than he had last year, when he battled through an uncomfortable hand injury the first half of the season. He also has more quarterback pressures, 47 this year compared with 38 last year, according to Profootballfocus.com.’

‘”He went out there and he practiced,” Marrone said. “Again, I’m going to take a look again. We’ve got a day’s rest. He went out there and he threw well. So we’re just going to rest him a little bit and come back Thursday and see how his mobility is going.”‘

‘The first season under the new regime showed promise at times but a slew of injuries, including Manuel missing significant playing time thanks to a trio of troubling knee injuries, leaves much in question.’

‘”You can’t expect to play 20 minutes of football and win games – not at important times of the year and not against the best teams, the best defenses. [Buffalo] is a team that really challenges us in a lot of ways, and it’s going to have to be the same type of effort. It can’t be anything less than that.”‘

‘”It’s a big emphasis,” defensive end Rob Ninkovich said of stopping Spiller and Jackson. “Those guys are good players. You just have to take them very seriously. They’re both good running backs and they’ve done a lot of good things in the league. We’ve got to prepare well for them because they’re going to come out and they’re going to be fighting.”‘

‘”They’ve got a really good combination of speed and strength with Mario and Hughes, Williams and (Alan) Branch, really their whole front, you can go right down the line,” said Pats tight end Michael Hoomanawanui. “Pick your poison, they’re all good. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen them. They’ve gotten better. It should be a good game.”‘

‘”A lot of people say you are what your record is, but to us we know we’ve got a great team here,” he insisted. “We just lost some heartbreaking games. That’s the way this league goes. We just have to find a way to be able to get over that edge, and we will. We’ve got a great leadership group.”‘

Patriots’ adjustment in ground game flattened Ravens (Boston Globe)

Patriots’ Tom Brady says he is wary of Bills defense (Boston Globe)

Bills present problems (Boston Herald)

LeGarrette Blount deal a steal (Boston Herald)

‘O’ must hold line vs. Bills pass rush (Boston Herald)

A Christmas miracle: Pats get day off (Providence Journal)

Rougher road awaits next season (Providence Journal)

Patriots keeping sharp focus on Bills (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Patriots not overlooking Bills (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

Tom Brady Has Struggled More Without Shane Vereen Than Rob Gronkowski (NESN)

Patriots’ Pass Defense Has Improved Against Deep Ball, but Opposing Teams Have Not Taken Notice (NESN)

Devin McCourty Missing From Patriots Practice After Suffering Head Injury Against Ravens (NESN)

Spiller: Bills need ‘best game this year’ Sunday (CSN New England)

Brady: Bills defense is one of the best in league (CSN New England)

Belichick: Bills up-tempo offense ‘a challenge’ (CSN New England)

McCourty, Boyce missing from Patriots practice (CSN New England)

Patriots’ Carter appreciating long NFL career (CSN New England)

Pats face finale with playoff seeding at stake (AP)

Patriots’ defense overcomes challenges (The Sports Xchange)

Patriots Look To Finish Undefeated At Home With Win Over Bills (WBZ-TV)

Game Preview: Patriots close out regular season against Buffalo (Patriots.com)

Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript (Patriots.com)

Tom Brady Press Conference Transcript (Patriots.com)

‘After getting off to a slow start while he adjusted to defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s complex and aggressive approach, Hughes is closing with a flourish. He has eight sacks in his past eight games, including one of Buffalo’s season-best seven sacks during a 19-0 win over Miami last weekend.’

‘Coach Doug Marrone was non-committal about Manuel’s chances after the first-round draft pick tested his injured left knee Tuesday. Marrone wants to review the practice video and evaluate Manuel’s mobility once the Bills (6-9) return to practice Thursday following a day off.’

‘”The way you played last year is something that gets you started in the right direction going into 2014, so I think a lot of guys are focused on that and hopefully we can go out there and continue to play as well as we have and get a win in New England.”‘

‘”He went out there today. He practiced,” Marrone said. “I’m gonna take a look again, we’ve got a day’s rest. He went out there, he threw well. So we’re just gonna rest him a little bit and come back Thursday and see how his mobility is going.”‘

‘I want a Bills win because I think it will infuse the fan base with some real optimism for next year. I want it because I love it when New England loses, to anybody. I want it because winning is better than losing. But there’s one thing about a Bills win that scares me, or even an exciting loss: a great performance from Thad Lewis.’

‘”He went out there today and he practiced,” said Marrone. “And again I’m going to take a look again (Thursday). We have a day’s rest. He went out there and he threw well so we’re just going to rest him a little bit and come back Thursday and see how his mobility is going.”‘

‘Where do you want to start? We can start with being the only team in our division to have a winning record. That would be important for what we want to be able to build on. Winning three games in a row, being a Buffalo team that’s gone out there in the new stadium that can win and have the opportunity to win up there which would be a great challenge for us. Really just trying to change things. Change is, we’re going to make these little changes and we have been making them, but this is an important one. It’s our last time out and we understand that. It’s the last time the 2013 Buffalo Bills football team is going to play together as a team. We’re in a league that is constantly changing, there is change everywhere and we’re together and we want to go about and win a game.’