Archives for November 18, 2010

‘”It wasn’t like they kicked me to the curb and said we don’t ever want to talk to you again,” said Fitzpatrick, who made it clear he has a lot of respect for his old team. “We had a good relationship, and they talked about bringing me back. It was just a matter of a better opportunity elsewhere, and that’s why I decided to move on.”‘

‘The Bills have a good opportunity for Win No. 2 when they meet the reeling Bengals, losers of six straight games and now dealing with a rash of injuries. Job One is getting pressure on QB Carson Palmer, who is playing with a sore shoulder and without OT Andre Smith, on injured reserve with a broken foot. The Bengals would love to run the ball on Buffalo’s 32nd-ranked rush defense, but Cedric Benson is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry. The Bills have played better defensively of late, and if they can shut Benson down and get to Palmer, they can dictate the game’s outcome. Offensively, protecting Ryan Fitzpatrick shouldn’t be a problem against a pass rush that’s accounted for just nine sacks in nine games and will still miss DE Antwan Odom, out with a wrist injury after missing four games with a banned-substance suspension. And for a second week, the Bills face a team missing its top placekicker. Mike Nugent went on IR with a torn ACL this week, so the Bengals will be suiting up Ohio State rookie Aaron Pettrey.’

‘Buffalo’s tight ends are practically non-existent in the passing game, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t contributing. Buffalo is running a lot of two-tight end looks, using David Martin and Shawn Nelson to chip linebackers downfield or to pull and lead-block into lanes. The two-tight end look helped spring Fred Jackson for a 27-yard run last week. “Detroit liked to play a lot of eight in the box, and it was going to be tough to run in the beginning,” said Jackson, who ran for 133 yards on 25 carries. “We stuck with it. Our offensive line, tight ends and receivers did a great job of blocking, and I was able to go out and take advantage of it.”‘