Archives for December 20, 2014

‘The head coach, in particular, was viewed as the biggest winner from the victory against the Packers. Many observers, locally and nationally, believe it assured him of a third season at the Bills’ helm. But all of that could quickly vanish if his team comes out flat after traveling across the country to face a club that is nothing but a spoiler.’

‘”The health is there,” Bills coach Doug Marrone said. “We’ll have to make a decision on whether he gives us the best chance to win when it comes to game day activation.”‘

‘The Bills’ offense has taken a step back in 2014, but maybe a trip to Oakland is just what Buffalo needs to get on track. The Raiders’ defense is the sixth-worst in the NFL against the pass, according to Pro Football Focus. Bills quarterback Kyle Orton is coming off back-to-back brutal games, so if he can’t get it going against Oakland the Bills could be in trouble.’

‘”In terms of being interested, it’s one of those deals of right now and I’ve said this to my son, T.J., the only thing you have to be interested in is the here (and) now,” Wheatley said. “If it was to come about, I would deal with it when it came about. Right now, nothing has come about. All I’m trying to do is be the first team in, what, 14 years to make the playoffs? That’s it. Then I want to be another part of something, not just AFC Championships, but to put a championship banner in here, an NFL championship. Right now, that’s where my focus is. That’s the honest-to-goodness truth. I really have not thought about the Michigan job or going back there.”‘

‘Bills coach Doug Marrone was aware of the buzz surrounding Mack in Buffalo last season. “Obviously I saw him on film when he was in college and heard a lot of great things about him,” Marrone said in a conference call. “He’s someone that’s getting better and better. From our standpoint, we’ve got to know where he is on that field. He’s that type of player.”‘

‘”A guy of his talent who has the talents of his magnitude, we expect him to come out and hit the ground running,” Jackson said. “That’s what we want him to do, that’s what he’s trying to do. He looked good out there at practice. So as long as he comes out and does what he does, he’ll be OK.”‘

Raiders, Bills happy with top picks (Oakland Tribune)

Raiders’ Tarell Brown won’t play against Buffalo (Oakland Tribune)

Raiders must deal with return of Bills’ Spiller (San Francisco Chronicle)

Raiders haven’t needed much from Janikowski (AP)

Raiders’ Carr learning to stay cool under fire (CSN Bay Area)

Raiders coverage unit must improve vs. Bills return game (CSN Bay Area)

Bills-Raiders Matchup No. 2: Williams vs. Barnes (CSN Bay Area)

Raiders injury report: CB Tarell Brown ruled out vs. Bills (CSN Bay Area)

Practice Recap – December 19 (Raiders.com)

Coach Sparano’s Final Thoughts on Buffalo (Raiders.com)

Thorpe: “Whenever my number is called, I’m ready” (Raiders.com)

Game Preview: Raiders vs. Bills (Raiders.com)

‘”What makes it so difficult to defend those players is that they have both strength and speed,” Bills Coach Doug Marrone said. “That’s the combination where they can beat you multiple ways – with power moves or speed moves. I think that when you have that capability and when you possess that talent, you can cause an opponent a problem, just like other people we’ve played have done that to us.”‘

‘”That’s the stigma with Buffalo,” Watkins said. “That’s all you hear. They never talk about the four Super Bowls that they went to. All you hear about is the 14 years that they didn’t go to the playoffs. It’s bad and we know that as a team and an organization. We’re going to fix it.”‘

‘”Obviously everybody knows he’s an explosive player, a dynamic player, good in the receiving game and in the running game, so we’re excited to have him back,” quarterback Kyle Orton said earlier in the week.’

‘Spiller has rushed for 287 yards on 69 carries and caught 14 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown for the Bills (8-6), who are one game out of the final wild-card spot.’

‘”We believed in each other all week,” Rambo said. “The coaches, the team, the players, everybody just believed in each other. We knew that we could come in here, do the right things, and do what the coaches ask us to do, and we could stop this team. We believe in each other, throughout this whole week. We still believe in each other. This is just a huge confidence boost for the whole defense. To not allow not one quarterback, but two of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL to no passing touchdowns, this is a huge, huge confidence boost for us.”‘

‘Spiller, cornerback Stephon Gilmore (shoulder), safety Da’Norris Searcy (hamstring), defensive end Jarius Wynn (knee), safety Duke Williams (concussion), running back Anthony Dixon (chest), kicker Dan Carpenter (groin) and return specialist Marcus Thigpen (foot) were all labeled as probable for Sunday’s contest. Only tight end Chris Gragg was listed as questionable, after missing three games with a knee injury.’