Archives for November 2006

‘"It’s big for a young quarterback," Price said of the comeback. "It builds confidence and it builds character and it prepares him for when we’re in that situation again. J.P. was taking what they were giving, and then when he decided to take a shot at the end zone, he threw a laser, a great ball, and I did a good job of keeping my feet down."’

‘Losman’s patience in taking underneath yardage was a nice contrast to the home run ball and showed his growth. Protection was rock-solid (two sacks) but it helped that Houston DE Mario Williams, the No. 1 pick in the draft, was a shell of a player with a painful foot injury.’

‘Coach Dick Jauron, whose team is 2-1 since the bye week, on being 4-6 and finally winning in come-from-behind fashion: "It means we get Monday off. Maybe that’s part of the exuberance in the locker room. But there’s a learning curve in winning. You learn how to win. And it’s big in that respect. It gives them confidence. If you lose consistently and you get down in a game, there are times in our sport you feel you may never win again, and if you get on a roll, you feel you can’t lose. We’d love to get on one of those rolls, but it’s a step."’

‘Sour grapes aside, Robinson and Kalu were only saying what many people around the NFL, as well as certain pockets of Bills fans, believe: Losman is not an NFL quality quarterback, and the Bills – who haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999 – are still a bottom feeder.’

‘Yes, but before anybody accuses me of jumping back on the J.P. bandwagon, let me say I never hopped off.’

‘”The guy just threw the ball up there and Evans ran under it,” Robinson told the Associated Press.’

‘That’s all speculation, of course, but what’s real, is that at least this game might quiet those who’ve been calling for Craig Nall to get a chance.’

‘These Bills, who have won two of their last three, certainly don’t have the talent of an elite team, but considering the rampant parity in the league, 7-3 actually isn’t miles away.’

‘Afterward, Buffalo coach Dick Jauron, always metered in his praise, admitted of Losman, “I think he’s going to be a good player. We’ve still got a way to go, but you can see his athletic ability, his toughness and you can see his arm and his accuracy as it improves every game.”‘

‘Hopefully we are getting a glimpse of the Bills future with this line. They now have a line that’s young and may be able to develop together for the rest of the season. I liked Chris Villarrial, but I’ve always thought Duke Preston has tremendous character, and appears to be a hard-worker. It’s clear the coaches like his work ethic as well, after all they passed over Tutan Reyes to put Preston in Villarrial’s spot.’

‘At 4-6, Buffalo’s season remains alive, if only just. But if playoff scenarios aren’t quite realistic, the possibility that Losman might be around for longer than some might like is.’

‘"(The coaches) gave me a chance to spread the ball around doing some things, and the offensive line did a great job protecting me," Losman said.’

‘Evans day was the 11th most receiving yards in a game in league history.’

‘”We knew coming into the game that they wanted to put pressure on us,” said Evans of the Texans’ defense. “We knew that they took chances and went one (safety) high, bump and run coverage. So it was imperative for us as receivers to beat man coverage and make big plays down the field. We did a good job and it started with the offensive line. They gave J.P. a lot of time and J.P. stepped up and made the throws. It was just tremendous to execute down in and down out especially early in the game.”‘

‘Johnson entered the game as the NFL’s leader in catches and second in yards. But with Clements shadowing him all day, Johnson finished with 76 yards on six receptions. Not bad numbers, but not enough to make a significant impact. “I just wanted to stay focused on technique,” Clements said. “They do a lot of things with him. I knew he was going to get the ball. Whatever the defensive call was I just tried to play to the strength of the defense and go from there.”‘