Archives for September 8, 2011

‘Roosevelt rejoins the team after being one of the final cuts last weekend. The University at Buffalo product had nine catches for 139 yards in six games as a rookie last season after opening the year on the Bills practice squad.’

‘”We are much more advanced as an offense, we know more of what we’re doing,” he said.’

‘”Stopping the run is an attitude, and a chance for you to set the tempo and say, ‘This team’s not going to run on us.’ Once you have that mindset, you just took down the first barricade, and then after that it’s about going out there and doing it, being physical and aggressive and having a sense of urgency.”‘

‘It’s absolutely no secret. If the Bills’ remodeled defense can’t stop the Chiefs’ No. 1-ranked running game of a year ago led by Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, they will struggle mightily to win this game, on the road, at rowdy Arrowhead. Better to stop the run and put the game in the hands of Chiefs QB Matt Cassel, who is nursing sore ribs and is without stud TE Tony Moeaki (injured reserve). Offensively, the Bills should find success through the air but can’t overdue it. They threw the ball 48 times in last year’s overtime loss to the Chiefs.’

‘”We’re going into this game as we go into every game, expecting to win,” he said of Sunday’s opener against the Chiefs. “Last year there was a lot of talk about that but I don’t know that that was the case sometimes. I think it was going in there expecting to hang around and see what happens. We’re trying to change our thought process this year. Really the only way you do that is by winning.”‘

‘”I think as you watch the film, it looks different in practice,” Williams remarked. “Our fits look different. The control of the line of scrimmage looks different, and it’s looked a lot like that in the preseason games. So no reason to believe it won’t be tons better.”‘

‘Before Gailey was the head coach of the Bills, he was the offensive coordinator of the Chiefs. Before being let go, he had his play calling duties taken away. Gailey said yes, there are hard feelings, “I want to win them all. When you’ve been somewhere and they’ve fired yah, if you said it didn’t mean a little bit more you’d be lying.”‘

‘”If you don’t expect it, something’s wrong with you. If you say, “Well I hope we’re a little bit better than last year,” you ought to get out. That’s wrong. I expect to win every one of them. I expect to be undefeated. That’s the way I’ve always been and that’s the way I’ll always be.”‘

‘”I expect it. I think our players expect it. If you don’t expect it, something’s wrong with you. If you say, “Well I hope we’re a little bit better than last year,” you ought to get out. That’s wrong. I expect to win every one of them. I expect to be undefeated. That’s the way I’ve always been and that’s the way I’ll always be. I want to be 1-0 after this one and who ever we play second I want to be 2-0.”‘

‘I think you have to play to figure that out. Exactly how far any player has come last year to this year, I think you have to get in games to figure it out. My feeling is that we’re much more advanced as an offense. We know more of what we’re doing overall offensively. Hopefully that will in turn produce a better offense and more points.’

‘I think it will be a little different. I think special teams will probably be one of the areas because you’ll have a lot of rookies that have made the team league-wide maybe on potential more than production because you drafted them or you liked what you saw. But they haven’t had much time in your offense or defense but they’re going to be on the 46, so they’re going to be on the field on special teams. It will be interesting to see how the special teams aspect of it plays out. Then otherwise it will depend on how many young players will play on offense and defense. How many do you actually have on the field that weren’t on your team last year, and how that works out. That goes for veteran players that weren’t with you last year as well because they haven’t had that much work.’

‘The Bills say they don’t care if people aren’t giving them a shot. Fitzpatrick said, “We know we need to go out there and earn the respect of the league. None of that is given to you. Those guys in the room understand that. We’re looking forward to it because I think we have a great group, to be honest I’m a lot more confident going into he year than I was last year than I was last year with the guys we have out there.”‘

‘Gailey’s goals are certainly lofty and if they are to be met, the Bills must get a big year from Ryan Fitzpatrick. The former seventh round draft pick from Harvard is entering his first season as a starting QB since his college days and knows the expectations of him outside of Buffalo aren’t that high.’