Archives for December 2009

‘”I did the video to get my name out there, but hopefully now I’m known as a heck of a special teamer in the league,” Wendling said the other day as the Bills began preparations for Sunday’s game in Atlanta.’

Gonzalez closing in on 1,000 career catches (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Falcons to make Sunday “Fan Appreciation Day” (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Ryan misses practice, likely will start vs. Bills (AP)

Winning season top of mind for Falcons players (AtlantaFalcons.com)

Fan Appreciation Day Sunday at the Dome (AtlantaFalcons.com)

Falcons provide grants to youth football programs (AtlantaFalcons.com)

What to Watch For in Week 16 (AtlantaFalcons.com)

Numbers, Notes and Colors: Bills at Falcons (AtlantaFalcons.com)

‘”It’s a great opportunity,” he said after Wednesday’s practice, in which Fitzpatrick did not participate. “Right now I’m getting reps with the ones (first team), (but) nothing I think is set in stone officially. Fitz still might have a chance of coming back, but right now it’s a great opportunity to get reps in the offense and to learn it as quick as I possibly can and get comfortable with it as fast as I can.”‘

‘Hurt against New England last weekend, Fitzpatrick walked stiffly around the locker room and, with a smile, said “Merry Christmas,” when asked how he felt.’

‘Falcons 34, Bills 7.’

‘Falcons 17, Bills 6.’

‘The Falcons are struggling defensively ranking 30th in pass defense and 28th in passing average. So, if establishing production from the passing game remains a priority with two weeks remaining in the season, the Bills might see opportunities from a secondary yielding 254.8 yards per game. For two teams also struggling on third downs-the Bills rank last converting just 25 percent of their third downs and the Falcons rank the same in defending them, dead last in league with opponents converting a whopping 46.6 percent.’

‘"It didn’t really hit me until this morning when we were installing the passing game and going through it at a rapid rate, and then you realize ‘Oh my gosh, I’m explaining training camp stuff – protection issues, when are we hot, what makes us hot, what do these protections mean,’" the Buffalo offensive coordinator said. "That’s when it hit me that we have a great challenge."’

‘"I’m going to go home and think about it and see if this is what I want to do," Schobel told reporters from The Buffalo News and The Associated Press.’

‘"The main thing is just going to have to come down to if this is what I want to still be doing, if I feel that I can do it at a high level," he said. "I don’t think I’m as athletic as I once was. I can still do a lot of things. But if I’m not as good as I once was or making the plays I should make, I’m not going to be around."’

‘"They’ll have to go back in there again," Byrd said. "It’s already set up, so I’m going in [to] get that taken care of. … I’ve been dealing with this for a while, and right now I’m just kind of thankful for the year I had, and I’m going to try to get better and come back next year better."’

‘”Any game that they were in this year — and they’ve had a lot of close games — I’m sure it’s been because of special teams,” Wire said. “They have the ability to establish good field position for their football team. They have a punter (Brian Moorman) who can punt that ball 80 yards in the air. They have a lot of guys who can run, cover and tackle well.”‘

Gonzalez ready to return for another playoff try (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Ex-Bill Wire gives scouting report on his old team (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Ryan misses practice but says he’s feeling better (AP)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

Quotable: Head Coach Mike Smith (AtlantaFalcons.com)

‘Fewell said Brohm made a good impression by learning quickly in his first month with the team. “The one thing that we noticed when he first came was that he’s a sharp guy,” Fewell said. “He’s a very intelligent guy. … It won’t limit what we do. We’ll do what Brian does best if that’s the way we choose to go. He’s already had his training camp because he’s been here a month.”‘

‘The Bills hit a dubious milestone this week with the placement of cornerback Terrence McGee (rotator cuff) and free safety Jairus Byrd (groin) on injured reserve. That lifted the number of players on IR to a team-record 18, breaking the mark of 17 established in 2007.’