Archives for December 2006

‘Consistency is the Bills’ buzzword – from Losman to McGahee to the offensive line to the entire defense. Buffalo hasn’t had top-shelf talent in this decade, certainly not like the talent of the early 1990s. But in this era of free agency and parity, it is good enough to win with, providing the Bills keep mistakes to a minimum and avoid those wild swings of emotion and intensity that have been their trademark.’

‘With the Bills using their nickel package extensively during the game, Youboty saw plenty of action. He made three tackles and seemed to hold up fine in pass coverage. “It was definitely fun,” he said. “It’s fun cheering your teammates on, but it’s a lot more fun being out there and doing the work yourself.”‘

‘With three games to go, they have a chance to lead the league in the four main areas: kick returns, punt returns, kickoff coverage, and punt coverage.’

‘Notice how many blind-side hits Losman is taking now? Almost none. It’s not only Peters either, although left tackle is the key position on the o-line. Rookie Terrence Pennington is looking more comfy at right tackle, and Mike Gandy has a more natural fit at left guard. Melvin Fowler is playing his best football at center, and Duke Preston is improving game-by-game at right guard.’

‘It’s not the kind of smallish lineup the Bills would prefer to field every week. But it did the trick against a Jets team that stubbornly tried to win by passing the ball and gave Buffalo’s coaching staff a lot of valuable insight into the players that make up the team’s depth.’

‘Coach Dick Jauron and his staff could not have done a better job preparing a game plan and getting their backups ready in light of a recent rash of injuries.’

‘LB London Fletcher on Buffalo’s first road win over the Jets since 2001: “To win on the road in the NFL is a difficult thing. To win against a good team, a division rival, is even tougher. The Jets have playoff aspirations and it was a big game for them. We knew they’d be ready to play. So it says a lot about the players on this team, the coaches, and how we were prepared and how we executed.”‘

‘”From last week, of course, we’ll just have to wait and see how Donte, Terrence and John DiGiorgio are,” said Jauron. “We’ll look at those guys – they’ll be in for treatment, but we probably won’t do a whole lot with them on the field until Wednesday. Maybe a little on Tuesday but probably not,” Jauron said.’

‘In his first two years, Evans showed flashes of greatness. This season, those signs are transforming into reality for the former 13th overall pick, and they’re going hand in hand with Buffalo’s newfound football renaissance.’

‘The Jets spent Monday watching film of their 31-13 loss to the Bills on Sunday, when Buffalo had three scoring plays of 57 yards or more and damaged New York’s playoff hopes.’

‘"A lot of people thought that we were completely out of the race," Kelsay said Monday. "But I never got the sense that that was the feeling in the locker room."’

‘And, suddenly, the Bills and Jets are among 12 NFL teams at 7-6 or 6-7 and still alive for a playoff berth heading into Week 15.’

‘To which coach Dick Jauron added of Leonhard, “He had the most work (to get the start) and he’s just a real good football player. He’s real smart and has a terrific feel for the game. I suspect, for most of his life, he’s been told he was too small (yet) he’s excelled at every level. He’s a terrific athlete and probably doesn’t get credit for his abilities because he’s small.” Of Ellison and Wire, Jauron added, “We like both of them as football players, in general. They’re both tough guys and can run. In our scheme , you can be a little smaller at that position and still play and be effective.”‘

‘Willis McGahee’s first-quarter, 57-yard touchdown run was the longest of his career. His previous best was 41 yards, a non-scoring play. The TD tied him for eighth with Jim Braxton on the Bills’ all-time list of rushing touchdowns with 23. Seventh on that list is quarterback Jack Kemp (25).’

‘Miami comes to Orchard Park next week with a matching 6-7 record and equally far-fetched playoff possibilities. But given the strides the Bills have taken over the past six weeks, as well as a shot at the franchise’s second winning record since 1999, this renewal of the long-running rivalry will be far from meaningless.’