Archives for September 2009

‘Jackson has proved he can carry a heavy workload, but the offense will be better off if he doesn’t have to touch the ball 27 times a game.’

‘Leo: It’s always difficult to gauge the quality of a victory or the depth of a loss in the NFL. But it’s a good sign the Bills shook off the Monday night debacle against New England and took care of business against an opponent they were favored to beat at home. The downside is that they didn’t have the killer instinct to put Tampa Bay away a lot sooner than they did, don’t you agree?’

‘”We’ll meet later today in the personnel area and go over the possibilities. We will be looking,” Jauron said when asked if the team is going to sign a couple of players. “The only thing I can say is if they’re not available we might have to make some moves, but we’re still evaluating their injuries and we won’t know more before at least Wednesday and maybe beyond that.”‘

‘For example, on Terrell Owens’ game-opening reverse, Edwards did just enough to keep Gaines Adams off Owens. He certainly didn’t put himself much in harm’s way, but rather got in the way just enough to make a difference. Later, though, he put a shoulder into defensive back Albert Mack. And while he got the better of the smallish Mack, running out of bounds would have been just as efficient.’

‘Evans talked with show co-hosts Demeris Johnson and Janet Snyder about quarterback Trent Edwards, the addition of Terrell Owens to the receiving unit, and playing in Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘He knows Owens has chewed up quarterbacks in San Francisco, in Philly, in Dallas. He knows how T.O. turned on Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo. Most importantly, Edwards knows T.O.’s baggage. And his skills. The key is finding the balance.’

‘Scott started four games as a rookie, two in 2007, and then was cut by the Lions at the end of the 2008 training camp. He was signed by the Bills in December but did not play, then spent the offseason in Buffalo and made the team coming out of training camp. His progress was one of the factors in the Bills’ releasing Langston Walker.’

‘Great job by Dick Jauron and his staff for getting the team back on track after such a tough loss in New England. Bills were fired up and ready to play in home opener and jumped to a 17-0 lead. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt had an excellent game calling plays as he kept the Bucs off balance and finally brought the deep passing game back to Buffalo, and it worked. On defense, Perry Fewell schemed an aggressive plan that put pressure on Leftwich and the Bills won at the line of scrimmage, plus created two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.’

‘”I don’t know how you describe Freddy, he can do just about anything,” coach Dick Jauron said.’

‘Best of all, for the Bills, they answered some of the questions raised in the loss at New England.’

‘”Our plan today was to stop the run by using a seven-man box and obviously we failed in doing that,” a disappointed Morris said afterward. “They have a very good running back in Jackson. He came out, broke some tackles, made people miss and ran the football very well on us today."’

‘”We were put in that same situation again today at 20-14 … when we were controlling the football game. But we started the second half with three, three-and-outs (actually two plus a 4-play possession), then the offense went down and scored … so I think it built character.”‘

‘Free safety Donte Whitner’s 76-yard interception return of a Byron Leftwich pass for a touchdown was his third career pick and first NFL TD. It was also the longest interception for a touchdown since an 85-yarder by Henry Jones in 1993.’

‘Edge pressure is without a doubt the primary concern as OLT Demetrius Bell and Chambers get settled, a problem only exacerbated with No. 1 and No. 2 TEs Derek Schouman and Shawn Nelson banged up. Both are considered better receivers than blockers, but as they sit out the offense will nonetheless have to take on an even quicker tempo.’

‘Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita said Monday that McKelvin told investigators he did not want to see the boys prosecuted after they admitted being the vandals.’