Archives for November 2014

‘Speaking of shipwrecks, the lake’s second modern legend involves the three NFL teams spaced about its perimeter in triangular fashion: the Detroit Lions (situated 40 km, or 25 miles, upstream on the lake’s feeder tributary, the Detroit River); the Cleveland Browns (situated on the south-central shore); and the Buffalo Bills (situated where Erie empties into the Niagara River). Fans of these teams are haunted by nightmares of sunken playoff dreams past…’

Monday’s Matchup: Jets (2-8) at Bills (5-5) (New York Times)

Rex Ryan only able to do so much with weak group of NY Jets cornerbacks (New York Daily News)

NY Jets WR Eric Decker: Breaking up with Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos was hard to do (New York Daily News)

Tickets for NY Jets vs. Bills game sells out after relocation to Detroit (New York Daily News)

Why the Jets are so happy with the progress of Percy Harvin (New York Post)

Michael Vick relishes second chance at starting against Bills (Newsday)

Free tickets for Jets-Bills in Detroit almost gone, so it looks like Ford Field won’t be empty after all (Newark Star Ledger)

Q&A with Jets safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, on his big game and favorite spots in Brooklyn, still his home (Newark Star Ledger)

Jets’ defense looking up at the corners (Bergen Record)

Offense Back To Full Speed (WFAN-AM)

Quigley’s in Favor of Ford Field (NewYorkJets.com)

Jim Schwartz won’t talk, get carried off Lions’ field again (Detroit Free Press)

Avedisian making impromptu homecoming with Bills (Livingston Daily)

‘Originally scheduled to play Sunday in Buffalo, the Bills were forced to relocate after a rare November storm dumped more than five feet of snow in the Buffalo area this week. Buffalo practiced at the Lions’ headquarters for the first time Friday night, just hours after landing in Detroit.’

‘”I did yell because I did get held on that play,” Hughes said. “I made sure I yelled, ‘Holding.’ Whatever else came after that, I really don’t know. I don’t know. … I’ve never really seen a holding call missed at the point of attack like that. So I really don’t know. I’m at a loss for words right now.”‘

‘The capacity of Ford Field is 65,000, but Brandon does not expect fans to be turned away. “With free tickets, your no-show rate has a tendency to be higher,” Brandon said.’

‘”That’s what we’re anticipating,” Brandon said. “It’s incredible to think that that many tickets have been distributed in that short period of time. We’re looking forward to a robust house that night and hopefully we’ll have a lot of Bills fans in there as well.”‘

‘”I know we listed him as questionable, I think it’s more because of the type of injury that it is that something could happen,” head coach Doug Marrone said. “We’re planning on him to be ready to go.”‘

‘Rotating the defensive line, a common practice nowadays in the NFL, keeps the starters from getting both physically and mentally exhausted. It also is part of the reason why guys like DE Mario Williams, DE Jerry Hughes, and DT Marcell Dareus are having career years.’

‘Shovelers are requested to bring their own shovel with a limited supply at the stadium, and are asked to dress warmly in gloves, hats, boots and a warm coat. They may enter the Team Store overflow parking lot north of the Store itself and park in the plowed Lot 6 area. There will be workers there to help direct them to the right building for check-in.’

‘”I mean, they’re professional athletes and we’re more than halfway through the season, so we expect them to be ready to go, but obviously with those days you have to work some of those kinks out. That’s why we’re able to come out here and practice. The trainers and doctors will do a good job, and each player will do a good job of taking care of their body.”‘

‘”Especially with the younger players,” he said. “I’ve never been through a storm like this. It was just hard to believe. I was sitting in my house looking out and saying, ‘Wow! This is really going down. We can’t go in and everybody’s stuck.’ I wondered, ‘Are we really in Buffalo or in Antarctica?’ ”‘

‘All seating will be general admission.’

‘The Bills apparently mistakenly gave out an incorrect phone number for its ticket office. Information on the Bills Website instructs ticket holders to call 1-877-228-4357. But that’s actually the phone number for a domestic violence crisis center in Ohio, which has been receiving a barrage of calls from Bills fans.’

‘I do hope the stadium is playable by then and the Bills and their fans, especially those folks in the ravaged towns south of Buffalo, can revel in their resiliency. Sports is good at providing escape, and boy do these people need it. A chance to remember lives lost, but also to come together and celebrate the spirit of neighborly love that dug this town out.’