Archives for November 2, 2009

‘Buffalo trailed just 17-10 at the time. There were 12 minutes and 27 seconds left to play. Surely this was no time to pull a rabbit out of the hat? To put your chances in the hands of a backup receiver who has a better chance of picking up a 7-10 split than splitting a defense?’

‘Buffalo’s baffling decision to fake a punt in the fourth quarter at its own 40-yard-line. No surprise that it failed, but beyond the poor execution, there were so many other things wrong. First, the decision to do it in their own territory, trailing just 17-10 with 12:19 still left to play, was just plain dumb.’

‘Jauron and his Gang That Couldn’t Coach Straight coached with desperation all afternoon, from gambling blitzes, to T.O.’s reverse touchdown run, to some Wild Cat plays, to the fake punt that blew up in their collective faces. The staff gets credit for going down swinging. No shame in admitting they were outgunned.’

‘For the first time in recent memory, the attendance at Sunday’s 31-10 drubbing started with a six. Large pockets of empty seats scattered the corners of the upper bowl. They had company in the fourth quarter, after a failed fake punt and a Ryan Fitzpatrick interception pushed the franchise closer to yet another losing season.’

‘”We especially had some problems later on. That’s the most discouraging thing. Those long drives, especially when they are just pounding the ball, we have to find a way to stop them and be more physical with the linebacking corps.”‘

‘”It’s not consistently one thing,” said Dick Jauron, Buffalo head coach. “Clearly if you’re going to be successful you have to play at a high level at the quarterback position and protect him consistently. They play hard and well in spurts, we’re just not getting it done consistently.”‘

‘”We’ve got some confidence and we’ve got a long way to go,” said Gary Kubiak, Houston head coach. “At the halfway mark we’ve worked real hard and have ourselves in the best position this franchise has been in. We’ve got to keep going and keep it in perspective.”‘

‘Injured quarterback Trent Edwards was seen on the sideline with pen and paper. After a few completions from starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to his wide receivers Terrell Owens and Josh Reed, Edwards was writing notes. I can only imagine what those notes said: “Note to self, apparently it’s OK to throw to No. 81 and No. 82. How long have those two guys been on my team? Maybe if coach Jauron lets me play again, I can try and throw the ball more than 4 yards to those guys and maybe the fans will cheer for me!”‘

‘”I never want to walk off the field and feel like somebody imposed their will on us,” Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud said. “That’s what I felt like they did in this game.”‘

‘Ryan Fitzpatrick, who gained support after leading the Bills to a pair of road wins, barely had time to drop back in the pocket for most of the afternoon against a Texans defense that isn’t exactly known for getting after the passer.’

Ryans & Co. turn into 60-minute men (Houston Chronicle)

A winning attitude emerges (Houston Chronicle)

Moats grabs chance and runs with it (Houston Chronicle)

Texans’ Daniels likely out for season with knee injury (Houston Chronicle)

Texans notes (Houston Chronicle)

Photo gallery (Houston Chronicle)

Texans – Bills game notes (Houston Examiner)

Texans lose TE Daniels, possibly for season (AP)

Moats carries Texans to victory in breakout game (HoustonTexans.com)

Postgame quotes (HoustonTexans.com)

Postgame notebook (HoustonTexans.com)

Texans beat Bills 31-10 behind Moats’ 3 TD’s (HoustonTexans.com)

Game notes (HoustonTexans.com)

Photo gallery 2 (HoustonTexans.com)

Photo gallery 1 (HoustonTexans.com)

‘The Bills (3-5) were undone by an offense that managed 204 yards and nine first downs, with only three coming in the second half.’

‘The Bills lost two starters, including right tackle Jamon Meredith, who was carted off after hurting his right leg in the first quarter. Defensive end Aaron Schobel, who got his 73rd career sack, was sidelined by a groin injury late in the second quarter.’

‘”In all my exciting years, I’ve given out some rings but I’ve never gotten one,” Wilson said before telling the fans that, “I still want to reward you with a Super Bowl.”‘