Archives for November 2014

‘”This is Buffalo weather,” said Chauncey Carter, who lives downtown in the city. “It doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve been here since 1 o’clock. I love the Bills. I don’t have a choice. I think a win would lift up the city and give people a distraction from what’s happening at home.”‘

‘”I was given an exemption for the Toronto series, because of the moral stand I took in not endorsing the Toronto games,” kidded Braun, an attorney with Phillips Lytle in downtown Buffalo. “But for this game, morality didn’t come into play.”‘

‘”Our guys were ready to go,” said Marrone, who left his home last Tuesday to go to work at Ralph Wilson Stadium and hasn’t been back since, as he was snowed in at his office before the team escaped to the Motor City on Friday. “We wanted to give the people back in our region a chance to smile by the way we played.”‘

‘Never mind the fact that they hadn’t played since Nov. 13, and spent almost as much time shoveling snow as they did practicing leading up to this game. The defense was simply dominant as the Jets couldn’t get anything established (218 yards).’

‘The Bills had so many highlights against New York it’s difficult to list them.’

‘This was a dominating performance across the board for the Bills, one that was much needed. The goal for Buffalo was to beat a team that it clearly should beat, and to give the folks back home something to smile about, and the Bills succeeded on both fronts.’

‘”The heat wave has certainly helped over the last 48 hours,” Brandon said with a laugh, referencing the unusually warm temperatures Sunday and Monday in western New York that melted some of the record snow. “We’ve had over 500 shovelers on site over the last two days and we’ve made tons of progress. Our stadium operations staff said all indications are that we’re full go, ready to practice tomorrow and get back to our normal routines.”‘

‘The Bills came in with an NFL-high 39 sacks, and they added seven more Monday, including two each by Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes.’

‘”I’ll tell you what,” Bills coach Doug Marrone said. “Our fans, they were phenomenal. When I first came out there, I didn’t know what to expect. I know there was a radio station trying to garner up a bunch of Jet green out or something like that. We heard that and obviously were concerned about, ‘Is it going to be a home field’ and stuff like that, be ready for a silent count. As soon as I came out and looked to the right and saw all those blue jerseys, I was like, ‘Holy cow, baby. Here we go.’ That was a little bit of a relief for me in the beginning of the game.”‘

‘”Afterwards, I gave the game ball obviously to the emergency response team in Erie County,” Marrone said. “I think that’s important. Pretty much too many people to thank for us being able to get it together.”‘

‘Maybe the extra time off helped the Bills figure out their red-zone issues. After failing to score a red-zone touchdown against the Chiefs or Dolphins the last two games, the Bills scored three touchdowns in three trips to the red zone on Monday and scored 38 points. Either the Bills figured something out or the Jets are just that bad. Buffalo now has 81 points in two games against the Jets this season and 156 points in their other nine games.’

‘Goodwin and Williams have been jockeying for position at the bottom of the Bills’ wide receiver depth chart throughout the season, and it appears Williams has passed Goodwin this week.’

‘The Bills’ plan is to travel back to Buffalo after their Monday night game and resume life as normal after a hectic week that included two missed practices and a relocated, postponed Week 12 game.’

‘Once it came down to a handful of NFL stadiums, Ford Field made the most sense because of its proximity to Buffalo, indoor field and the fact that the Lions were playing on the road in Week 12.’

‘The Bills didn’t look like a team that couldn’t practice because of a snow storm. Buffalo dominated in every area of the game, as coach Doug Marrone and his staff had the team well prepared. I liked that Marrone went for it on fourth-and-one even though it didn’t work. The red-zone play calling was greatly improved too. Grade: A.’