Archives for December 2013

‘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.’

‘It’s fun. When obviously you have a chance to play period, it’s fun no matter how it comes, no matter how they dial it up or how they want to do things. If you just stay ready then you shouldn’t worry about how your opportunity presents itself.’

‘Robey single-handedly did all he could to keep the Dolphins out of the playoffs.’

‘Thus, for a good part of the game, Lewis’ wide receiving corps was T.J. Graham, Marcus Easley and Chris Hogan.’

‘”We always want to establish the run. It’s our game plan all year long,” right guard Kraig Urbik said. “When we were doing as well as we were Sunday, we just kept at it. It wasn’t anything particular like we wanted to stay away from the pass game or anything, it’s just that we were being successful, so we wanted to stick with it.”‘

‘The question is what the Bills should do at No. 2 next season. They need to do better than Lewis and Jeff Tuel, who are both marginal NFL quarterbacks. If they’re serious about making a playoff run in 2014, they need a reliable veteran to serve as Manuel’s backup.’

‘”When you say setback as far as everything that we’ve been doing, no. It’s just a part of a process and we’ll get him out there on the field,” the coach said. “We decided to rest him, for the things that we wanted to do on the field … to get the maximum amount of time and we’ll put him out there tomorrow.”‘

‘Well, the Bills are 6-9 heading to New England, so what’s the difference, you ask? It’s this: The men who have been entrusted to extricate this franchise from irrelevance have a plan in place that seems to be working, and the roster is now fortified in several areas. Another offseason of successful tinkering in the draft and free agency, and the Bills could finally, finally, be on their way to playoff contention.’

‘”I think schematically, this is one of the better defenses for me,” said Branch, who also played for Arizona and Seattle. “I’m a quicker big fellow. I can get penetration and I can keep the offensive linemen on their toes, so that goes toward my strengths a lot.”‘

‘Marrone sidestepped questions Monday about Manuel’s status after he missed a game because of a swollen left knee. Marrone calls it “a process,” adding he wants to get “a peek” at the player once the Bills (6-9) return to practice Tuesday.’

‘”I feel like the sky’s the limit.”‘

‘The 6-foot-6, 325-pound former Michigan player has 166 career tackles and eight sacks in 93 games with the Cardinals, Seahawks and Bills.’