Archives for December 21, 2010

‘Florence walked through Walmart with a group of children from the Lillian Bryant Recreation Center as they picked out Christmas presents paid for by the Drayton Florence Foundation. Most of the youngsters went for toys, but Anthony Crim and his brother Altwan, bought some T-shirts and a present for their mother.’

‘Well, if you’re going to endure a season like this one, it might as well end with games that matter. It’s been awhile since the Bills had a true signature win.’

‘”It would take a long time to discuss what he’s brought to our football team,” said head coach Chan Gailey. “Trying to put it in a nutshell it would be that everybody sees his toughness. Everybody knows how smart he is. He does a great job of getting us into the right plays and making adjustments, during the week and in the game to allow us to be successful. Not being afraid to do anything on the football field. He’ll throw it to anybody that’s open. He’ll give anybody a chance. He’s not locked in to one thing. That gets everybody excited about playing.”‘

‘I’ve got to give him a solid B. Do you remember the mess he inherited in January? Cut the guy a little slack. I understand that he and Buddy Nix made a mistake on Edwards, but hey, like any coach, he thought he could be the one to resurrect Edwards. He was wrong. Give him credit for making the move to Fitz so early in the season.’

‘The Bills used the blitz to great effect during Sunday’s 17-14 win at Miami. Here are some examples…’

‘"He’s done some good things and done some bad things," he said. "It’s hard to say he’s been great or awful. He’s been somewhere in between there. He’s learning. He hasn’t been there. I’ll tell you what, the nose tackle we just played is right at the top of the list of guys we played this year so that was an extreme challenge for him."’

‘”I think it comes in steps,” Nix said. “You have to learn how to compete with the best teams, and then you start learning how to win. We played close against the better teams, had a chance to win, one play away in some games, and then you learn how to finish games. That’s what we’re doing. We’re getting better. We just need to get a few more weapons. We’re coming; we’ll get there.”‘

‘Chan Gailey did a nice job getting the young receivers involved in the game plan, and he had his team ready to play, and win, in a road division game. The defense is getting better as George Edwards continues to tinker with the scheme and with the personnel. It’s not a bad thing when a team is getting better as the season moves along.’

‘”The entire week we just worked on the fundamentals, getting back to the basics like how to pass set, getting our hands up,” said Wrotto, who lined up opposite Wake most of the day. “Obviously we needed to pass the ball today. Cameron Wake is a very good player. He’s a hard worker, and you can tell that just by how he plays on Sundays. But we fought our butts off today and gave Fitz more time.”‘

‘"Probably if you were out of linemen, Geoff might get ready to play by Sunday," said Bills Head Coach Chan Gailey. "But we’re not pushed in to that so I’m thinking that if we can let him get healthy one more week that doesn’t hurt anything. I don’t want to push him back too quick this time of the season."’

‘It was one thing on Monday to measure the Bills’ modest run of success a day after a 17-14 win at Miami in which they ended the Dolphins’ playoff hopes. Fitzpatrick is aware that Buffalo (4-12) faces a much more daunting challenge this weekend when the New England Patriots (12-2) come to town.’