Archives for October 19, 2010

‘It took five winless games to figure it out, but it appears Gailey now sees that asking so many holdover players, who had never played the 3-4, to learn new positions, new techniques and new responsibilities, was foolhardy.’

‘Gailey is realizing that the offense, which he has personally taken control of, is lacking in top-line talent, especially on the offensive line and at quarterback. As for the defense, it’s clear the staff underestimated the ability of these players to adapt to the 3-4 defense. It was an ill-conceived project from the start because the Bills were built to play a 4-3, and they weren’t bad in 2009. But they simply have too many players trying to learn new positions, techniques and responsibilities to succeed in the 3-4. George Edwards is in way over his head as the coordinator.’

‘There aren’t many other teams in the league where Steve Johnson would be a starter, but the former seventh-round draft pick is one in Buffalo, and he’s been taking advantage of it recently. Johnson has four TD receptions in his last three games for the pop-gun Bills’ passing attack. "Scoring a touchdown is great," Johnson said, "but it doesn’t mean too much when you’re scoring and you’re losing." Johnson, not Lee Evans, leads the team with 17 catches and four TDs, and his 214 yards trail only Roscoe Parrish. All of Johnson’s TDs have come since Ryan Fitzpatrick took over at QB. "We’ve always been able to connect," Johnson said. "I know what he’s doing, he knows what (I’m) doing. We’ve just got to get everybody on the same page."’

‘”I feel like I’m getting more comfortable out there every day,” said Wang. “It’s cool because it helps me learn the offense better too. When I first got here I was just trying to learn what the tackle was doing so now I’m learning what the guard is doing and I have a greater understanding of what the whole line is doing now. So I feel like it’s helped me grow as a player and it never hurts to know more than one position.”‘

‘"I think the league and competition committee has done a great job of trying to implement rules to make the game safer," Wilson said, before adding, "but at the same time, how can you take the aggression out of a game it’s built on? I think you have to judge it play by play."’