Archives for September 18, 2006

‘And while, as John said, Losman was ineffective in the first half, going 1-for-6 for 14 yards, he kept calm, stayed within himself and recovered to complete 10 of 12 during the final two quarters, including a 4-yard flip to Josh Reed for Buffalo’s only touchdown. This, truly, was Levyball.’

‘I am going to caution myself, and the fans to not get ahead of ourselves. One game does not make an entire season. Wins in Miami are great, but this is still a young team that will go through some growing pains.’

‘Suddenly the words “watch out for the Buffalo Bills” are popular among NFL analysts on network studio shows.’

‘Taking over the nickel corner role in Week Two was Kiwaukee Thomas who finished with five tackles on defense including a pair of third down stops that forced punts. "I think it went alright," said Thomas. "You can always improve somewhere. I saw a lot of areas where I can get better, and it’s always good to correct things off a win." "I think he did a pretty good job," said fellow cornerback Terrence McGee. "Kiwaukee has been playing in there since the spring and he’s been playing on the outside too. So he’s familiar with both positions."’

‘It might have even felt a little better today, than yesterday. Yesterday was a really big day for us. We certainly liked the way the team played and the energy they played with, how hard they played from the beginning until the end. We got a couple breaks, which we needed, everybody needs them to win. It was good, pretty good football throughout the entire game. There’s no doubt we have to improve, but it’s a start.’

‘It’s been a while since Buffalo’s leading rusher had less than 100 yards and Buffalo’s quarterback had less than 100 yards passing and the Bills still won the game. The last time it happened ironically enough was against the Dolphins. On Nov. 2, 1997 in Buffalo, Thurman Thomas had 68 yards rushing, Alex Van Pelt had 89 yards passing and the Bills beat Miami 9-6.’

‘”I think the game plan we had in place was excellent,” Bills linebacker London Fletcher said. “The coaches really prepared us for all the things they were going to attack us with.”‘

‘”Ryan had a great game,” said defensive end Chris Kelsay, who had one of the Bills’ seven sacks. “I think everybody thrived off of the success he had, and as you saw throughout the game other people stepped up and made plays, too.”‘

‘”We’re breaking through that myth,” said Donte Whitner, the rookie strong safety from Ohio State. “We’re not worried about people calling us rookies. If they want to come and test us, then let them come and test us. But we’re going to fight. We’re going to play more like veterans than rookies. We’re going to make a couple of mistakes, but we’re going to come back and fight hard.”‘

‘”[General Manager] Marv Levy came and talked to us about the lost art of blocking kicks in the NFL,” said Wire, whose block was the Bills’ first since Jason Peters (who recovered his for a touchdown) on Dec. 19, 2004, at Cincinnati. “It doesn’t happen too often anymore. That’s something that coach Levy and [special teams] coach [Bobby] April have been emphasizing because we have high standards to live up to our special teams units.”‘

‘Give Jauron & Co. credit for preparing young guys. Team looks organized.’

‘An 18-wheel tractor-trailer hit a utility pole in Lackawanna on Sunday, severing a fiber optic line and blacking out of much of the Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins game to cable viewers in Buffalo.’

‘Don’t start lining up for playoff tickets yet. This team still has a long way to go. But whether you think the Bills are rebuilding or contending, the win in Miami shows that the Bills are going in the right direction and that the Dolphins are not.’

‘”That was fun,” said Jauron after making his first victory as Bills coach an owner-pleasing 16-6 win over the rival Miami Dolphins at Dolphin Stadium. “It’s really a terrific win for us, a great win for our football team.”‘

‘Buffalo’s braintrust out-planned, out-prepared and out-executed Nick Saban, Mularkey, Dom Capers and Keith Armstrong, Miami’s more ballyhooed generals, leaving Saban struggling to explain his club’s 0-2 start. Nobody was more flummoxed than Mularkey.’