Archives for October 2009

‘”I want to be part of the solution, not the problem,” said Byrd, a second-round pick out of Oregon who has provided the Bills a huge lift with four of his picks coming in the last two weeks as Buffalo has pulled out road victories over the Jets and Panthers.’

‘Right now the Bills have one win over a team with a winning record. I’m guessing that you’ll be more impressed if the Bills were to beat Houston at home this Sunday.’

‘Did Lynch not realize it’s the team’s first rushing touchdown in seven games? He’s lucky he didn’t get a helmet in the ribs. Act like you’ve been there, Marshawn.’

‘Byrd still has a ways to go in run support, but when the ball’s in the air, he knows how to go get it. On his first pick against Carolina’s Jake Delhomme, he was leaning toward Panthers star wideout Steve Smith on the left side, but he saw Delhomme throwing deep down the middle to Gary Barnidge. The ball was overthrown, and Byrd tracked it down to make the grab and then returned it 37 yards to the Carolina 7, setting up a Bills touchdown.’

‘For just the second time in his tenure, Dick Jauron has seen his team win back-to-back road games, and despite all the second-tier players he’s being forced to use because of injuries, the effort has been noteworthy. On defense, Perry Fewell’s guys are giving up gobs of yardage, but they’ve allowed just 28 points the last three weeks. Alex Van Pelt’s offensive unit still has plenty of work to do. The offense is not clicking, no matter who is at quarterback.’

‘The injuries just never seem to stop for the Bills. Against the Panthers, defensive tackle Kyle Williams left after the first series with a knee injury. He had started the day with a bad shoulder. If Williams can’t play against Houston, he would be the sixth starter on the Bills defense to miss at least a game. The Bills played without four injured starters in Carolina. Corey McIntyre also left the game early with an ankle injury. He’s the only fullback on the roster, and it’s uncertain what the Bills would do if McIntyre is sidelined, though it seems unlikely they would replace him. Tight end Derek Fine could line up and play in an H-back role is needed.’

‘Dick Jauron has not lost the team. They have played with some emotion. They have gotten themselves back to a place where they can at least see some light at the end of the tunnel without assuming the light is on oncoming train. Of course a negative person would tell you all the Bills have done is set themselves up for another 7-9 season. It is a good thing I am being positive today.’

‘The Bills, surrendering an average of 182 yards a game on the ground coming in, gave up only 116 yards to the Panthers, one of the league better rushing teams, 89 of those yards – only 15 more than his average- to DeAngelo Williams, who scored Carolina’s only touchdown.’

‘”I didn’t lack confidence … I knew that everything was an act of timing … that everything would come into place.”‘

‘The win marked the first time the Bills have won road games on back-to-back weeks since they beat Seattle and Miami in 2004.’

‘Sitting Edwards against the Texans will give him an extra two weeks to recover, as the Bills have a bye following this coming Sunday’s game.’

‘Coach Dick Jauron made the announcement on Monday, a day after Fitzpatrick helped the Bills (3-4) to their second straight victory, 20-9 at Carolina. Buffalo hosts Houston (4-3) on Sunday before entering its bye week.’

‘"Trent is following right along with the protocol for a head injury, but he will not play this week," said Jauron. "From what I understand from our doctors that’s the proper protocol. That’s the conservative approach and that’s the approach that we’ll take."’

‘With his two interceptions at Carolina, Byrd now has FIVE picks in his last three games, which he has been starting due to injuries. Byrd’s two int’s against both the Jets and Panthers, on the road no less, led directly to Bills victories in games where the offense struggled much of the time. Count on the fact opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks are going to start looking to see just where #31 is from now on, as word spreads quickly around the league about Byrd-the-ball-hawker.’

‘”I thought Ryan did a good job with what he could do. They were very talented I felt, fast up front and challenged us. We didn’t have a lot he could do,” Jauron said. “He made the plays when we had to make them. It was just a terrific win for our guys.”‘