Archives for October 2009

‘The discussion this week regarding quarterbacks is going to be a good one. Let’s pretend Trent Edwards is healthy and ready for next week against Houston. Do you want him back in there because he completes more passes, or do you want to stick with the guy who is 2-0 this year? I imagine we’ll see some vintage NFL deception this week from the Bills coaching staff. Even if Edwards is ready, I suspect they’d give him another two weeks off from getting hit in the head by whoever Demetrius Bell is supposed to be blocking.’

‘After losing ugly two weeks in a row and winning ugly last week the Bills beat a bad Panthers team but they really played much better in the second half and found a way to put it away as they have become road warriors of sorts. The bottom line is the world was caving in two weeks ago when the walked off the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium the last time. They will now be returning with a chance of getting back in the playoff race. What a roller coaster ride the NFL is.’

‘Dick Jauron has his group playing hard. They also were smarter and more disciplined as they only had three penalties. Alex Van Pelt had a curious game plan of putting the ball in the air a lot early despite the Panthers being very good against the Pass and weak against the run. They threw three times in a row on the first possession of the third quarter after Lynch had just put it past midfield with an eight yard run. They also needed to build up some time of possession and passing and not executing was putting Perry Fewell’s defense in a rough spot. The gutsy call to throw it deep while protecting a lead showed a little aggressieness. Bobby April had his unit playing well as they were flying around in coverage units. Grade B+: That’s two straight wins.’

‘Is it possible the Buffalo Bills have been involved in the three ugliest games in the NFL this year? All in a row?’

‘Rookie free safety Jairus Byrd was the hero of the game as his two interceptions gave Buffalo’s offense a pair of drive starts inside the Panthers 40-yard line. Though the Bills attack struggled for a good part of the day they cashed in with a pair of touchdowns on Byrd’s two takeaways and it proved to be the difference in the game.’

‘Williams was questionable going into Sunday’s game with a sore shoulder, but was active and got the start. He hurt his knee on the first defensive series and walked to the locker room.’

‘The Bills had starting defensive tackle Kyle Williams available after he was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. Roscoe Parrish was inactive for a second straight game after losing his job as the return man.’

‘”It’s the DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart show,” said Buffalo defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. “They just run. I can’t tell you what their styles look like, but boy they look good running the ball, and they are powerful.”‘

‘”I just basically reinforced what (offensive line) coach (Sean) Kugler was doing,” said Brown. “Just giving him an extra look at film and watching a lot of his practice stuff on offense and defense. Just a little extra work to get him familiarized because he’s relatively new and it’s his first time playing in the NFL. We wanted to make sure we covered things with him in regards to him knowing what to do. That’s probably the reason he played well. He knew what to do and he’s a pretty talented athlete also.”‘

‘A panel discussion, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, will take participants inside the locker room. Sportswriter Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News, Vic Carucci of NFL.com, former Democrat and Chronicle sportswriter Scott Pitoniak and Dave Staba, will discuss covering the Buffalo Bills.’

‘The program will follow the team from Smith’s shot of linebacker Mike Stratton’s thunderous tackle of San Diego running back Keith Lincoln in the 1964 American Football League championship game through his picture of fans tearing down goal posts to herald the four-year Super Bowl run.’

‘"They’ve got a really good offensive line, and their running backs have great vision," said Bills linebacker Keith Ellison. "They’re able to find the crack in the defense."’

‘Panthers, 23-16.’

‘"After last year, did I think someone was going to pick me up to be their franchise starting quarterback? No," Fitzpatrick said. "But I was hoping I’d have an opportunity to start games again. It’s going to be a great opportunity to go out there and build on what I learned last year."’

‘Can you image Jim Kelly and Marv Levy communicating within such rules? Or Jack Kemp not taking nor returning calls from the incendiary Lou Saban? Saban would have had to be peeled off his ceiling.’