Archives for December 2013

‘The Bills also announced that the team has signed wide receiver Brandon Kaufman to the practice squad and released wide receiver Tommy Streeter.’

‘EJ Manuel’s four interception performance wasn’t quite as bad as it sounds. In truth when looking at the four throws that the Buccaneers were able to take as turnovers, they weren’t all horrendous throws. I’ll take you through the picks, the sacks, and some of the things that Manuel will have to work on.’

‘”You’ve got to be accountable to your teammates, but to me at the end of the day everybody is a grown man. You have to be accountable to yourself first before you’re accountable to others,” said C.J. Spiller. “If it’s not important to you then that’s you. Guys don’t want to play with guys when important things aren’t important to them. If you’re not accountable to yourself, then you’re definitely not going to be accountable to each other. We’re grown men and we’re going to make decisions and we have to live with them.”‘

‘The Buffalo Bills have activated DB Jonathan Meeks from Injured Reserve/Designated for Return to the 53-man roster and released LB Jamaal Westerman.’

‘However, for every great moment there has been – at least – an equal amount of reasons to think these really are the “same old Bills.”‘

‘Using the definition of a big play as a 20-yard run or 40-yard pass, the Bills have allowed 27 such plays (14 runs, 13 passes), most in the NFL in 2013. That doesn’t count a 38-yard touchdown pass from Mike Glennon to Vincent Jackson later in the first quarter Sunday for the Buccaneers during their 27-6 victory.’

‘How embarrassing is it that, in a week when the NFL set a record for most combined touchdowns, the Bills didn’t manage to score one?’

‘”Obviously it’s not,” said defensive tackle Kyle Williams when asked if the collective accountability of the team is where it should be right now. “The thing about it is it’s got to be everybody or it’s not good enough. If you’re missing one or two, it’s not good enough because this game is unique enough where one guy can’t make a game or win a game for you. If you don’t have everyone on the same page, you’re not going to be effective.”‘

‘So, to have it happen a second time within a month is abhorrent. One week after suffering a gut-wrenching overtime loss in Toronto to Atlanta, the Bills seemed to be experiencing the same type of post-defeat blahs against the Buccaneers.’

‘On Sunday, Buffalo looked leagues behind a 3-8 team. Manuel folded again on the road (third time), and his detractors suddenly seem louder. For this season to mean anything, one of Buffalo’s units – be it the offensive line, the defense front, either backfield, the receivers or Manuel – needs to establish itself over the last three games.’

‘He chalked it up to rookie growing pains, adding he would have considered pulling Manuel if the quarterback was the sole reason for Buffalo’s struggles. Marrone then stressed there was plenty of blame to go around.’

‘”There’s a lot of little things that really need to be fixed on and off the field with this team,” said safety Aaron Williams. “We talked about it as a team. As long as we fix the little things, the inconsistency will stop. The captains know what’s going on and they voiced it out. The losing is just getting tiring.”‘

‘The struggles at left guard, whether it has been Colin Brown or Doug Legursky getting the start, have been well-documented this season. Despite the troubles, it’s Urbik and not Legursky who is losing time on the field to the young ‘Unga.’

‘”I know this. I will say this. He will play to a point one day where I’m going to be able to stand here and say you know what, I’m proud of him. It’s awesome. He’s that type of quarterback that we all want.”‘