Archives for September 19, 2008

‘"We can be as good as we play on Sundays, and right now we’re playing good," he said. "We just have to continue to keep it up."’

‘It’s not a big secret that the Raiders’ running game is the driving force of Oakland’s offense. Three-hundred rushing yards last week, even against the Chiefs, is impressive. Buffalo’s run front however, will clearly be the best the Raiders have seen in the early going this season. If the Bills can slow down Oakland’s rushers and force third-and-medium and third-and-long situations, Buffalo should be in good shape.’

‘”Last year I thought I would be involved in the passing game more than I was. I didn’t get too many touches, but it was good having my fair share,” he said. “But just with the offense we’ve got going on now with me and Fred coming out of the backfield a little more and lining up at receiver. I think that’s something that’ll be good for us.”‘

‘"I don’t think there’s any way that this could be an overconfident football team," Jauron said. "We just haven’t won enough consistently to feel like we’ve arrived anywhere."’

‘”Speed is a huge part of his game,’ Bills head coach Dick Jauron said. “Speed is a huge asset. Once you have the threat of speed and you show it to an offensive lineman it set up other parts of your game.”‘

‘”I don’t think it is specifically everything I did in this offseason,” Youboty said. “I think it’s just being here, my third year. You know some guys can make the transition to the NFL faster than others and you know being here three years and being comfortable here in the system, and it’s just sinking in and making plays. Now I know what they’re looking for in certain coverages,” added Youboty. “When we press, I know what he’s thinking and what he’s trying to get accomplished. At the end of the day, I just have to do my part on the defense. The D-line is going to put pressure and we have to cover.”‘

‘Oakland is leading the league in this young season with 77 rushing attempts so far and managing a sublime 5.8 yards on average for every one of those. Super-rookie Darren McFadden, who has managed 210 yards in two games on only 30 carries, is already this year’s Adrian Peterson in a less brutal but speedier package.’

‘The Raiders haven’t had a winning season since losing Super Bowl XXXVII to Tampa Bay, a five-year drought unmatched in their storied 49- year history. Their 19-61 record since 2002 is the worst in the NFL and worse than the first five seasons of any of the last four expansion teams.’

‘”I realize that a lot of the DBs don’t like contact, so I try to use that to my advantage,” Reed said. “Get them before they get you because if we’re running a route across the middle and we don’t see them coming, what are they going to do? Take our heads off. So my attitude is I’ve got to be aggressive, get this good, stiff block on him and be a little more physical than they are.”‘

‘Lastly, what’s on the IPOD? You name it, everything under the sun from Brian McKnight to Kenny G to Norah Jones to BB King to a little classical.’

‘The Bills have the luxury of keeping him on the bench because Jabari Greer is playing well, and Ashton Youboty is displaying the talent the Bills saw when they picked him three years ago.’

‘”We have to make them one-dimensional and make them throw the football. They ran the ball very effectively against Kansas City, but as long as we can throw them some curveballs ourselves as far as the fronts we show them and different things we do with movement, we should be fine.”‘

‘1B. Edwards (Bills). He appears well on his way to becoming a solid starter for a long time. He’ll never have a Drew Bledsoe-type arm, but he already has more pocket awareness. He won’t be as durable as Favre. Who is? But he has the size and build to stay reasonably healthy. Let’s check back at midseason. It could be time to rate him alone on top, even above the 2008 Jets version of Favre.’

‘Buffalo 27, Oakland 10.’

‘”He didn’t have a lot around him, and the offense wasn’t working when he was at Stanford, especially at the end of his career,” Kiffin said. “But he’s playing extremely well. He does not look like a young guy at all with his decision-making and the way he has performed.”‘