Archives for December 2013

‘The Bills had plenty of opportunities to win the game, but some key plays and poor performances helped lead the Atlanta Falcons to the come-from-behind victory. Before we turn the page to the team’s next game on the road in Tampa Bay, first is a look at the individual performances of every single Buffalo player that took a snap on offense or defense.’

‘As far as the draft and who could be on the board for the Bills with a top ten pick, here are some names, depending on what position you’d like to see them address…’.

‘The Bills are 3-7 in games Johnson has played in. The two he sat out: a 37-14 rout of the Jets, the Bills’ easiest win of the season by far; and an overtime loss to the 8-4 Bengals that EJ Manuel also missed. Against Baltimore, the Bills’ most important win of the year, Johnson caught one pass for minus-1 yard. Then, with the Falcons game a must-win, Johnson coughed up a likely victory. It is a fact to say that the Bills have played at least as well on offense this season without Johnson as they have with him.’

‘The Rogers Centre holds about 54,000 for football so it would be the smallest stadium in the NFL. A new stadium would cost billions to be competitive with other physical structures. But I do think it is going to happen. First would be London , second would be Los Angeles and third would be Toronto. I can only guess at a timeframe as it would take an identifiable owner of aggressive attitude to push it through.’

‘Buffalo and Tampa Bay will meet for the 10th time in the regular season this week. The Bills are 3-6 all-time against the Buccaneers and won the last game against Tampa Bay (33-20, 9/20/2009 at Buffalo).’

‘A 6-3, 306-pound Alabama A&M product, Johnson-Webb entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013 before being released prior to the regular season. He has spent portions of the season on the practice squads for the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings.’

‘The Bills multiple-look pressure defense has produced sacks and interceptions, but the last three games show the downside of dialing up pressure consistently and counting on the secondary to handle receivers in man coverage. But don’t look for Buffalo’s defensive philosophy to change much. They’re committed to creating pressure up front and looking for their defense to make big plays (takeaways and sacks).’

‘It’s hard to swallow this, but fans need to try and embrace the Toronto series because it’s served its purpose for the Bills. Rogers Communications might sing a different tune since the attendance of those games has dropped dramatically (Sunday’s game against the Falcons had the lowest attendance of the six regular season games), but the Bills are getting a huge check each year for that game, probably doubling the revenue they would normally get for a home game in Orchard Park.

‘These incomprehensible losses continue to pile up for a Bills team that has shown plenty of promise this season. There are signs that things are different and Marrone and Manuel are leading a new age. However, there are also an alarming number of signs that these are just the same old Bills.’

‘A football fan who slid down a stadium railing during a Buffalo Bills game and fell into the stands below is scheduled to answer criminal charges. Rob Hopkins is to be arraigned in Orchard Park Town Court on Tuesday.’

‘Had Atlanta fallen behind 14-0 in the first 10 minutes with the chilly temperatures and light precipitation in Orchard Park and a packed stadium in full throat, one can easily imagine the Falcons quickly losing interest in the game. Not so much in a 72-degree, windless, two-thirds-full dome with a surprising amount of fan support.’

‘”We’ve got to take that next step, and I know we’ve been saying that for a long time. I’m so tired of saying it,” Chandler said Monday. “It kills me that I wasn’t part of the solution yesterday. I want to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem. It hurts to let the fans, your coaches, your teammates down, but we’re going to move on now.”‘

‘In an age of increasing parity, there’s a narrow line between triumph and despair, between playoff contention and the dregs of the sport. That has to make it even more maddening for Bills fans to know their team has missed the playoffs 13 years in a row – and soon to be 14.’

‘They did what 4-8 teams do. They found a way to lose.’