Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Many of those same people, and some from other flights, wound up congregating at gate E9 in Charlotte for the connection to Jacksonville. Periodic “Let’s Go Buffalo” chants broke out as other travelers looked on in bemusement. I felt bad for the one poor guy at the gate wearing his Jaguars jacket, traveling back home with his wife and small child amid this chaos.’

‘Cowher’s forearms might hurt but it never hurts to have a coach with a Super Bowl ring on your side.’

‘An entire generation bereft of a Bills post-season got their taste of the frenzy as their team fell 10-3 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card game in Florida before what was estimated to be tens of thousands of fans clad in red, white and blue in the stands.’

‘Jaguars 20, Bills 13.’

‘The Jaguars are a mediocre run defense, even with such a dominant front line that includes Marcell Dareus, Calais Campbell, and Malik Jackson, and playmaking linebackers like Paul Posluszny, Myles Jack, and Telvin Smith. Marcus Murphy and Mike Tolbert will probably share the rushing load, and it will be imperative for the Bills’ offensive line to get the job done because, unlike McCoy, neither of those two are going to be able to gain many yards on their own if the line breaks down.’

‘The Jaguars finished with the second-most takeaways in the NFL with 33, one fewer than Baltimore and eight more than Buffalo (25).’

‘Schuster, 59 and in his 18th season as an NFL official, worked his first game on Sept. 3, 2000 in Cleveland when the Browns hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars coached then by Tom Coughlin. Coughlin, a Waterloo native and two-time Super Bowl champion as coach of the New York Giants, is now executive vice president of football operations for the Jaguars.’

‘Dareus represents a portion of the Bills’ failure as a franchise during their 17-year playoff drought. He was the No. 3 overall pick in 2011, and in his six-plus years, he did not live up to his draft status. Dareus was a good player for Buffalo, and he was selected to two Pro Bowls, but he was never the difference-maker the Bills hoped he would be, and then he became a drain on the budget when former general manager Doug Whaley stupidly gave him a $96 million contract extension that included $60 million in guaranteed money.’

‘It was a New Year’s Eve to be remembered for the usual toast of champagne, noisemakers and a lover’s kiss, but mostly for the night Bills Nation exhaled. The Drought was over. The elephant in the room grabbed its peanuts and left the building, taking the 500-pound gorilla with him.’

‘“One of the greatest things about this has been getting to know so many really great people,” he said, noting the dozens of comments and messages he has received throughout the season from people who said his videos raised their spirits in hard times.’

‘The bottle will be on display in hopes that Heroux will pop it and serve it to his guests in a few short weeks. “Hopefully this is the year,” Heroux said. “You never know. Anything can happen.”’

‘“They’re where they want to be, and I’m where I want to be,” Marrone continued. “I’m focused on my team and this game. That’s where my focus is. It’s not what’s gone on in my past, whether it be Buffalo or Syracuse or New Orleans or the Jets or wherever I may have been.”’

‘Coach Sean McDermott continues to be nebulous about McCoy’s status, saying it will be a game-time decision on whether he dresses or not. On Thursday, McDermott said it seems McCoy is moving in the right direction, so, “We’ll just see how he does.”’

‘We think our team will win, because it is impossible for us not to believe in them. It is the only option that doesn’t crush our spirits – which have been extraordinarily high since that spectacular moment on New Year’s Eve. You know, the one where our second favorite team, the Cincinnati Bengals, spent the last minute of their last game scoring The Touchdown that changed everything.’

‘“Not the fact that I’ll be playing,” he said, “but that I’ll be in the playoffs. It’s something you grow up dreaming about. I’ve never been to the playoffs, this is my first year, but now that it’s Wednesday and we’re in the week, I’m approaching it like a regular-season game. Focus on the game plan, executing, and be able to do what we need to do to get prepared for the Sunday game.”’