Archives for September 2008

‘”I attribute it to two things,” said defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. “I think we understand our fits better and we’ve tackled well. We only had three missed tackles in the game last week and that is a big, big factor against a good running football team like Oakland. So when you go into a ballgame and play 51 plays and only have three missed tackles, you are humming.”‘

‘For those of you interested in all things Bills related (and you like free stuff), M & T Bank has a new Buffalo Bills Checking Package. The package includes a BillsCheck Card, Bills Checks, a Bills stadium blanket, and $50 (all free) in the account when you open it. They also added some some free Bills related items to download on the website.’

‘”Anybody can get beat on any Sunday,” said Bills defensive tackle Spencer Johnson. “Coach [Dick] Jauron says it best. Work hard every week. Work hard and prepare like it’s the Super Bowl. Take no one lightly because every Sunday you can get beat. You see it in the NFL every week. You see it in college every week. There’s a lot of talent over there on the other sideline.”‘

‘Whitner relishes the leadership role. That’s one of the reasons the Bills drafted him eighth overall in 2006. He had the physical talent. But he also had a bright, inquisitive nature and a fierce competitive temperament – an ideal combination for a young team leader.’

‘While Jauron would not specifically say who would take Parrish’s place on punt returns, it’s likely No. 1 draft choice Leodis McKelvin will take over part of the punt-return work. McKelvin returned seven punts for touchdowns during his college career at Troy. He ranked fourth in the nation as a senior with a 17.4-yard average, 436 yards and three punt-return touchdowns. Jauron said the Bills would consider using McKelvin, Fred Jackson and Josh Reed to fill Parrish’s void on punt returns. On offense the injury is likely to mean more snaps for second-round draft choice James Hardy, as well as Justin Jenkins.’

‘”Jason has played very well,” Jauron said, disagreeing with the notion that Peters is overmatched right now. “He’s had a couple bad plays. Unfortunately, the bad plays hurt us, but other than that, he’s played pretty dominant football with very little practice. It’s kind of amazing, really. It’s his second week of training camp – actually less than that because we practice a lot more in training camp than we have now to get ready for games. Our feeling is that he’s just going to get better as we move along.”‘

‘Parrish finished the game and even caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter when he made all three of his receptions in that game for 42 yards. However, team doctors said the injury needed to be surgically repaired or else there was a chance Parrish could have done more damage and possibly been lost for the season.’

‘”I would say I do,” Edwards said. “If I had a head coach yelling at me, telling me to do certain things here and there, I don’t know if I would have done the things I did these last couple of weeks. I think other guys on the team would answer that question the same way, in that it provides a lot of comfort and allows those guys to do their job.”‘

Green is full of confidence (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

CB Brown is sent packing (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

Newly signed Craft feels ready to chip in (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

At 3-0, Jauron knows there’s long way to go (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

Linehan is acting like a man who’s losing more than games (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

Green ready to take control of offense (Belleville News Democrat)

Rams tell Brown to hit the road (Belleville News Democrat)

Rams release cornerback (AP)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

Green Ready to Return (StLouisRams.com)

Rams Release Brown, Add Craft (StLouisRams.com)

‘Parrish’s injury leaves the Bills scrambling to fill his many roles.’

‘”I went 76 to 78 plays and I felt good,” Peters said of the Raiders game. “I felt like I could take three maybe four (plays) back. Overall, I did OK but you’re never going to have a perfect game.”‘

‘Jauron wasn’t too happy with SS Donte Whitner for tackling Oakland’s Johnnie Lee Higgins after he scored on an 84-yard catch last Sunday, hitting him well into the end zone after Higgins taunted him the last five yards. Both players drew flags, but had Whitner not lost his cool like he did, the Raiders would’ve been kicking off 15 yards deeper and Buffalo would’ve had better field position. It all worked out as Buffalo scored a quick TD in their comeback rally. But Jauron was making a good point. “It is infuriating (the taunting), there’s no doubt about it, but he’s just got to control himself, because it could have been a big advantage for us to get that 15 (yards) on the kickoff and add it to our return,” Jauron said. “That’s a first down and a half. In the heat of the battle, you can see it easily happening, but I’m sure he’d like to have that play back.”‘

‘Bills 30, Rams 13.’

‘It’s a paradox that helps fuel football’s somewhat eerie popularity: If you bet on your favorite team, and it’s a bad one, the odds are greater that you will win money even when your team loses, due to those pretend points. But when your heroes are winning real games, you’re more likely to lose cash, since you’re spotting the outgunned enemy points before the national anthem gets mangled.’