Archives for October 2006

‘You’ve got to admit, though, that Losman looked pretty good.’

‘”It’s been coming, me making plays when given the opportunity,” said Price, who played in only nine games last year with Atlanta and Dallas combined. “Sunday was a step in the right direction, not only for me individually, but for our passing game, and for our team.”‘

‘Coach Dick Jauron did not have an update on Villarrial’s status following Monday’s walk-through practice. The typical recovery time for this type of injury is normally about three weeks.’

‘”J.P. performed at a high level,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “The idea offensively is to go with your reads and put the ball where it is supposed to be, and he did that well. He distributed the ball well.”‘

‘Fewell mixed coverages and used a ton of zone blitzes in the second half. He had the Bills’ mobile defensive ends – Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay and Denney – dropping into underneath zones, while adding either a linebacker or cornerback to the rush.’

‘”I think we’ve been doing that all year, just concentrating on no turnovers and managing the game,” said Losman, who finished the game with a 101.3 passer rating. “We’re being a little extra conservative in some areas on the field, but as our confidence grows and we jell a little bit more, the coaches will trust us more to maybe take a shot here or there. We have to prove that to them and make them more comfortable.”‘

‘Still, it seemed peculiar that the Vikings would abandon the run game against a Bills defense that had allowed 4.1 yards a carry, the sixth-worst average in the AFC. Instead, Brad Johnson completed 25 passes to eight receivers. By contrast, Bills running back Willis McGahee had 28 carries for 78 yards. “It starts at the line,” said Taylor, whose longest run was 11 yards. “Whoever wins at the line of scrimmage is going to win the game anyway. . . . To me, I thought we should have stuck to it a little bit more, but I’m not calling plays.”‘

‘Warts and all, it was one of the most entertaining games at Ralph Wilson Stadium in some time. It was the Bills’ first home win since November. And on a day when Andre Reed went onto the Wall of Fame – two slots to the right of the 12th Man – the fans were as big a factor as they’ve been in some time.’

‘If Price is serious about his proclamation, if the team has in fact become the thing, old No. 81 can play a valuable role in Buffalo’s rebirth under J.P. Losman. It was tantalizing stuff, Price’s 8-yard touchdown reception that materialized out of a sure-fire loss of yards. He took a knee to make the catch, rose, shook a tackle and burned wide right around befuddled Vikings.’

‘The Bills lost right guard Chris Villarrial to a high right ankle sprain early in the second quarter and he did not return. Ankle sprains of that nature, depending on severity, could take up to four to six weeks to heal.’

‘When he crossed the goal line, the senator, who is running for re-election, threw up her arms to signal touchdown. Then the former president clapped his hands to the Bills’ beloved “Shout” song, just like the rest of the 70,000-plus fans at the stadium in Orchard Park.’

‘On the last day of the clinic, July 3, it was announced that the final speaker, Bryant, had a problem with his airline connection and would not arrive until the next day, the 4th of July. There were more than 2000 coaches attending the clinic, and most of them left immediately. Levy and four others, whom he didn’t know at the time, were the only ones to stay over to hear Bryant. The four were three high school coaches, Bill Walsh from Fremont, California, Dick Vermeil from, Napa Valley, and Bobby Ross from Richmond, Virginia, and an assistant from the University of California, Mike White. When the Bear walked into the room and saw that five men had actually stayed over on the fourth, he laughed and said, "you guys must really love football."’

‘Somewhere in the back of Dick Jauron’s mind is the blueprint for a stress-free game.’

‘"They’re growing up fast," said Jauron, who could be doing a lot of gloating these days but seems to content to watch what could be the core of a very good young defense find its stride. "In certain situations we’ve been forced to play them earlier than we would have liked. We really liked all these guys. We drafted them."’

‘Coach Dick Jauron and offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild refused to let Losman make a throw into the end zone when the Bills had a first-and-goal at the Vikings’ 7-yard line in the third quarter. Instead, they called for three straight runs and settled for a field goal and a 17-6 lead when a touchdown might have put the game out of reach.’