Archives for October 2011

‘The Bills beat the Patriots because they were smarter. They beat the Eagles because they played harder. Their success comes from their chemistry and a refusal to quit.’

‘”It’s been night and day (since) we started out 0-8 last year,” Florence said. “I was here and I was a part of that, so from going 0-8 (last year) to being 4-1 and undefeated at home (this year), it’s been great for us and for our fans that have been thirsting for a winning team and a good performance on Sundays that they can be proud of. We’ve been able to give them that thus far.”‘

‘In 2 1/2 weeks, they’ll take on another surprising NFL team, the Washington Redskins, in what should be the best and most meaningful game since the Bills-in-Toronto series began in 2008. The three regular season games played so far have all reported audiences of more than 50,000 patrons, although the degree to which those houses have been papered has been debated.’

‘"George Gillett and his interest in the Bills goes back at least four years. He still owned 80% of the Montreal Canadiens at that time in 2007. Gillett was in the process of selling, and (I was told) once he was clear of the Canadiens, he would be in a position to be able to get the Bills once that situation arises, that’s paraphrasing for when Ralph Wilson dies."’

‘Toone spent his rookie season last year on the Lions practice squad after being drafted in the seventh round by Detroit. He had 3,602 yards receiving and 29 touchdowns in 46 career games at Weber State.’

‘But if the players and coaches inside the locker room at One Bills Drive are the ones asked, one word rings true. Despite not being required to play each down defensively for the Bills, the word ‘leader’ and Andra Davis’ name are closely intertwined.’

‘My advice to fans this week is to enjoy this for all it’s worth. Stop trying to find all the holes which of course exist. This is no super team. This is a good team. An opportunistic team, an aggressive team that believes in itself and it’s coach. Many of the key contributors, as has been well documented, are low round or no round draft picks who talk of playing for one another in a completely believable way.’

‘That’s no disrespect to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who ranks among the league leaders in touchdowns and passer rating. However, it has been the emergence of Jackson as one of the league’s most complete running backs that has the Bills as the third-ranked scoring team at 32.8 points per game.’

‘”We had to sit with our record for almost eight months,” said Wilson. “We couldn’t wait to go back to work early, working on the 2011 Buffalo Bills. We had to take this all through the spring and the summer. When we got back to training camp, the first thing the coach says to us is ‘Expect more of yourself, demand more of yourself and let’s be accountable.'”‘

‘If you’re keeping track, that’s four of Buffalo’s five top tacklers who play in the defensive backfield … three of them safeties. And that brings to mind one of football’s oldest clichés: “You’re in big trouble defensively when your safeties are making the tackles.”‘

‘”Naaman steps up,” said Stevie Johnson, the team’s primary receiver. “Naaman came in and we didn’t miss a beat. He did his thing and it just shows the type of guys we have on our team.”‘

‘Pressure on the quarterback doesn’t always lead to sacks — the Bills recorded just one on Sunday — yet it sometimes delivers something more beneficial: takeaways. Three of Vick’s four interceptions were a direct result of pressure from both the edge and the middle and helped thrust the Bills to a 31-24 triumph. The harassment of Vick — which included six quarterback hits — also led to 10 pass breakups.’

‘So Jackson is playing the sort of football that made Thomas a Hall of Famer. It’s only five games. But we haven’t seen an all-around back like this since Thomas. Jackson is a threat as a runner and receiver. Like Thurman, he’s a terrific blocker, and a punishing runner who shifts momentum with big, timely runs.’

‘”We’ll work some different ways to get that done. I think we can do it with our packages,” Gailey said. “I’m not sure we need to have any knee-jerk reaction to try and find somebody today, but if somebody comes along who looks like they might fit, we’re always trying to upgrade our football team.”‘

‘Some may shudder at the thought of $75 million to $100 million in stadium maintenance and improvements. Not Kailbourne, though. “In keeping step with what other teams in the league are doing, $100 million wouldn’t be out of the question for the stadium, to remain relatively state-of-the-art,” he said. “It’s not going to be Dallas, but you have to keep it up to snuff.”‘