Archives for December 9, 2014

‘”It’s one thing to be criticized, but it’s another thing to be criticized by people who have no idea what they’re talking about,” Pereira said.’

‘Get a grip, people. Sure, the guys in stripes didn’t have their best day. It was a rookie crew, which usually guarantees some head-scratching calls. But are fans so deluded that they would believe the officials would celebrate one team’s score in clear view of the public?’

‘The receiver is due $6.8 million in 2015, with a fully guaranteed base salary of $5.2 million. The other $1.6 million comes in the form of a $1 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year and a $600,000 workout bonus. Given that level of financial commitment, the much more likely scenario is Williams clears waivers and the Bills place him on injured reserve. In that case, the Bills will be on the hook for $5.2 million in dead money on the 2015 salary cap if they cut him at any point before the third day of the 2015 league year (which they would to avoid the other bonus money).’

‘”The community supported us when we played here, and this is our way of giving back to the community,” said Rutkowski, who played with the Bills in the 1960s when the team was in the American Football League.’

‘his team drives all of us nuts far too often, but one thing that can’t be questioned is its heart and desire. These guys never quit the way some NFL teams have been known to do. Granted, they’re pros and praising them for their never-say-die attitude seems silly because when you’re paid as well as they are, it’s your job to play hard to the final gun. Still, it’s good that’s not a problem with this team. Down 24-3, they kept coming in the fourth quarter, and they got the game to the point where a recovered onside kick would have given them a chance to tie. That can’t be overlooked.’

‘”I’ve never seen anything like that. I mean in Chicago, I didn’t see anything like this. In Baltimore I didn’t. I mean, it’s going to be good calls, it’s going to bad calls. It’s just how it is. No one’s perfect, but it’s tough on us.”‘

‘So the yards were nice, but again Orton held back the offense for most of the game and was arguably the biggest reasons the Bills weren’t able to pull out a win against the Broncos.’

‘”You know, when you’re not that elite of a player to be jawing to our sideline, and if that’s your way of getting your team into the game, then I feel bad for your team. Just play the game within the rules and don’t come on the sideline acting like your intent is to hurt players because that shouldn’t be how it is. Players are a fraternity, and I don’t even believe he was the guy that hit him, so I don’t know what his argument was.”‘

‘”I think it’s going to be related to that and his injury to exactly what he’s actually put on,” Bills coach Doug Marrone said when asked about Williams’ status earlier Monday. “That’s what they’re going through now and we’ve already talked to Mike about it. It will be that situation but it will just be a matter of how Doug (Whaley) words it or what he has to use for it.”‘

‘”I trust our coaches to make the right decisions, and I back them up quite a bit when they make those decisions,” Marrone said, “but that’s a decision that needed to be brought to my attention which wasn’t and that falls on me as the head coach, our communication.”‘

‘The fifth-year player had difficulty playing even when healthy. Williams was inactive in four of the last eight games. His last catch was an 8-yard reception in a 17-14 win at Detroit on Oct. 5.’

‘”I don’t care if I do get fined,” Williams told The Associated Press on Monday. “I speak the way I feel, and that’s the way I feel.”‘

‘The fifth-year pro has just eight catches for 142 yards and a touchdown in nine games this season.’

‘The Bills sent a 2014 sixth-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Williams during the offseason. He had 11 touchdowns as a rookie and nine during his 2012 season.’

‘What frustrated the Bills in Denver is that the defense did a solid job against the high-powered Broncos offense led by Peyton Manning. Denver had season-lows for first downs (15) and total yards (306), and Manning threw for a season-low 173 yards. His 56.9 passer rating was his worst since 2008.’