Archives for September 2006

‘I’m not sure if it was real or just the musings of a tortured mind, but I have memories of the Bills having a final shot to take the lead and getting hosed on calls by the refs, giving up sacks and failing to make a defensive stand. All I know is that the Bills lost and it’s not even worth reliving on Tivo.’

‘On Sunday after the game I was there when Willis said he thought it was 3rd and 1 on the key run , not 4th down. That would be inexcusable. On Monday he said he said he basically tired of talking about it and did not really mean that. We’ll give him a mulligan on this one. But next time he needs to get the yard no matter the down.’

‘Losman could have crumbled after the two early fumbles, but showed precisely the kind of composure and decision-making required of a starting quarterback as Buffalo built its lead. As mentioned above, he didn’t get much time to do anything thereafter, and one play he did make got wiped out by a penalty.’

‘”We drove 80 yards (actually 69) down the field, do you want us to let up on 4th-and-1?”‘

‘As Bills’ wide receiver Lee Evans wryly noted afterward, “It’s a four-quarter game … not 3 1/2, not three. We had our opportunities and didn’t take advantage of them. As an offense, we’ve got to be able to step on an opponent’s throat and put them away to win the game.”‘

‘The Patriots now have a streak of 50 games without losing back-to-back games. The NFL record is 60 games, set by San Francisco (1995-99).’

‘The Bills are pleasantly surprised by rookie FS Ko Simpson’s range and playmaking ability. He has good size (6-1, 209) and instincts, and he has the potential to be a worthy successor to S Troy Vincent, who is in his 15th season.’

‘Here’s a look at what we found after reviewing the tape of Sunday’s game…’.

‘”Watson’s first down catch, we certainly didn’t think that was worth a challenge in the course of the game and watching the tape we didn’t think it was either,” Jauron said Monday. “There were a couple, though, that we talked about at length, the fourth-down play [with Willis McGahee], the spot of that play, the touchdown catch that [Kevin] Faulk made in the corner. And in both cases the appropriate staff in the box didn’t think it was worth challenging.”‘

‘”When I did the interview, I got the question asked one or two times and I answered the right way,” he said. “If you look at it, I reached over the marker. That’s how I knew it was fourth down because I was fighting for extra yards. . . . Then two other people came and was like, “Can we talk about the fourth down play?’ And I just got frustrated. I was trying to get rid of it and get over the conversation.”‘

‘In sum, Week 1 of the 2006 regular season can be used as a learning experience for the Buffalo Bills . Nobody expected the team to hang tight in Massachusetts, but Jauron went back to his home state and hung with Bill Belichick, arguably the best coach in the NFL.’

Patriots report card (Boston Herald)

Key plays spurred Patriots to victory (Woonsocket Call)

Patriots Report Card (Manchester Union Leader)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

‘”It’s about us; it wasn’t about them,” Fewell said after Maroney gouged the Bills defense for 86 yards in his NFL debut and Dillon chipped in 73. “They were able to rush for 183 yards, so we have to scrutinize that as far as the tape is concerned. Were we in the right gaps? Were we missing tackles? We didn’t respond when it was time to respond.”‘

‘You’re right; watching the film would’ve been a lot better had the Bills actually won, but let’s be honest. You and I and probably 90 percent of Bills Nation figured this was going to be a loss. This was one tough assignment the NFL gave Buffalo for Opening Day. The Bills gave New England all it could handle, and I feel that’s good enough for now, and there are things the Bills can build on.’

‘Current players Melvin Fowler, Josh Stamer, Larry Tripplett and Troy Vincent will participate.’