Archives for September 2011

‘More realistically, we’ll call for a 6-10 season and a step in the right direction.’

‘This roster is a crumbling monument to neglect and bad personnel moves. A decade of weak drafts and frugal ownership has left the Bills with a roster that’s sorely lacking in established players in their professional primes. The Bills have very little to show for their drafts in the mid-2000s.’

‘”We took those guys into overtime and we felt that we should’ve won that game,” said Torell Troup. “Even with how bad we played last year we still had a chance to win the game at the end of the game. I think this year we’ll play a lot better and clean up a lot of the mistakes and go out there and dominate.”‘

‘"I feel good," Merriman said in the Bills’ locker room. "Just during camp and getting better and getting adjusted to things, one of the biggest things was getting back to playing football again and feeling comfortable."’

‘He said he expects to let it grow all this season, too. "It’s on; it’s going," he said. "Anybody who wants to join me can join me."’

‘”I’m not a first-round pick, I’m not a big-school, big-name guy, so I’m never going to get the benefit of the doubt. I have to prove on the field that I belong and that’s going to happen with me week in, week out, in every year as well. That’s how I look at it.”‘

‘”My agent was talking to a couple teams but we thought definitely Buffalo was the best choice. Just me being here, and the coaches knowing me, it’s definitely a good fit.”‘

Offensive coordinator Bill Muir to call plays for Chiefs (Kansas City Star)

Matt Cassel is adamant he will play Sunday for Chiefs (Kansas City Star)

Chiefs QB Cassel expected to start Sunday vs Bills (AP)

You make the call: Haley likely to remain at offensive controls (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy And Personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Hunt family embraces Bills-Chiefs history (The Sports Xchange)

Bowe Feeling Good As Regular Season Approaches (KCChiefs.com)

Muir To Call Plays (KCChiefs.com)

Q&A with Todd Haley 9/7 (KCChiefs.com)

‘So who wins the NFL’s beauty pageant? The most attractive sample of players, with an average facial symmetry rating of 99.47, was one of the worst teams in the league: the Buffalo Bills. Their record last season was a woeful 4-12. The least attractive team was the Kansas City Chiefs, a group that won its division last season and made it to the playoffs.’

‘”I feel like I’m always going to have to go out and prove myself,” he said. “I’m not a big-school guy, a big-name guy. I’m never going to get the benefit of the doubt.”‘

‘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.”‘