Archives for December 2006

‘”The weather is hard to deal with here,” Jauron said. “It wasn’t snow and it wasn’t cold, but I’ll tell you, the wind was a real factor and maybe our guys are used to it. I thought J.P. performed pretty well in the elements. As we’ve said all year, he has steadily improved and he deserves credit. He knows he can play better and he knows that we all need to play better, but it was a big win for us.”‘

‘Offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild earned kudos for showing faith in Losman and having him throw deep into the wind. Those TD plays broke Miami’s back and its spirit. Defensively, Perry Fewell continues to work wonders with a lineup using five rookies. His unit’s three fourth-down stops to go with two interceptions allowed the Bills to control momentum all afternoon. After a 2-5 start, Dick Jauron has maneuvered his team to a 5-2 record and .500 standing for the first time since Week 2. The turnaround probably comes too late to get the Bills into the playoffs, but they’re making it interesting for the present and encouraging for the future.’

‘DE Aaron Schobel’s one sack against the Dolphins gave him 13.5 on the year and sole possession of the NFL lead.’

‘If KC wins their last two and Denver splits their last two, then they each end up 9-7 and only one can advance in a 3-way or more team tie since they are in the same division. KC has the tiebreaker and would eliminate Denver. Bills have the tiebreaker over KC.’

‘Through 14 games this season, Royal has 20 receptions – not much, but a career high for the ex-fifth-round pick from LSU. He’s been a big part of the Bills’ solid run and pass blocking, too. Buffalo’s much-improved group of no-name blockers has opened up holes for running back Willis McGahee and given Losman ample time to make proper decisions in the pocket. As a result, the Bills are 5-2 since the dawn of November.’

‘I am very impressed with the coaching staff of the Bills. To keep this team together after a 2-5 start, and win 5 of their next 7 to get back to .500 is nothing short of remarkable. The coaches believe in the players and the players believe in the coaches, and that makes for a tremendous combination.’

‘Robert Royal has a touchdown reception in each of the last three games. He’s only the second Bills tight end in team history to have a three-game touchdown scoring streak.’

‘Buffalo is averaging 23 points in its past seven games, an 11-point improvement over what it produced in its first seven. And that includes a five-game streak scoring at least 21. Losman has been the key, helped by a reshuffled offensive line with Jason Peters switched from right to left tackle. Besides being more efficient, with 11 touchdowns against four interceptions in his past seven games, the second-year starter has shown an ability to produce in the clutch.’

‘If you have small children in the room, you shouldn’t allow them to see these numbers — five completions in 17 attempts for all of 20 yards — that’s 1.18 yards per attempt — and a 0.0 passer rating. That’s right. Zero point zero.’

‘Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. said, “The high-revenue clubs are not going to give teams like Buffalo any revenue sharing. They haven’t done it. They stalled it for years, and I’m sick and tired of hearing about it. I’ve run myself ragged trying to help Buffalo stay alive.”‘

‘Even Bills’ haters can’t deny this one.’

‘Then, warming to the subject, Wilson added, “There’s a closeness, a different attitude … a different atmosphere this year, a lot of camaraderie. We’ve got a lot of really top players … they don’t get a lot of publicity because they’re in a small market. (But) I think this is a really coming team and if we just have a decent draft this year, we’ll have a possible playoff team with any breaks next year.”‘

‘Mike Mularkey made a good choice in not returning to coach the Bills. If that’s the kind of offensive gameplan he likes in those conditions, he wouldn’t have been long for that place anyway. What a wimpy gameplan. I don’t care who your quarterback is, you have to take more chances down the field, just to keep the defenders and coordinators honest. J.P. Losman didn’t have any trouble throwing out there and it’s not like he’s John Elway or anything. It seemed like the Dolphins were just content to hang onto to the ball and wait for their defense to make a play. That ain’t going to cut it.’

‘”They started off pretty good running the football against us and running well,” said London Fletcher. “We played good fourth down defense against them and that was big in the game. We made plays when we had to.”‘

‘”People kind of underappreciate the way he can throw the ball in the winds of this stadium,” Bills quarterbacks coach Turk Schonert said of J.P. Losman. “We dominated the second quarter into the wind, and we threw the ball downfield. He’s got that mentality that he can throw it through a hurricane.”‘