Archives for December 2011

"None. Zero. I have no questions about him," Gailey said when asked whether he had concerns about Fitzpatrick as the franchise’s long-term quarterback. "We’ve all seen him do it. We know he can do it. I think as soon as we continue to work on getting everybody on the same page, I think Fitz’ll be fine."’

‘The Bills are easily one of the five worst teams in the NFL.’

‘Gailey has no questions-“none, zero,” he says-regarding Fitzpatrick’s role as the team’s long-term starter. The Bills host Miami (4-9) on Sunday.’

‘Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Torell Troup has told The Associated Press he will have surgery within the next two weeks to repair a “minor fracture” in his spine. Troup says the recovery will take about three months, and adds the operation will also address a pre-existing back problem that bothered him in training camp.’

‘The Bills are helpless on both sides of the ball and there’s no one they can rely on to make a big play when one is needed. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was admittedly terrible in San Diego as he completed just 13-of-34 passes for 176 yards with two picks, compiling a career-worst 31.0 passer rating. Fitzpatrick not only is throwing the ball poorly, missing on the simplest of routes, but his decision-making — considered to be his finest attribute — has been questioned as well. His decision to throw the pass that San Diego’s Steve Gregory intercepted and returned for a backbreaking touchdown was simply puzzling. He also threw an interception directly into double coverage earlier in the game.’

‘Chan Gailey seems to have lost his way with this team, but a lot of it has to do with a startling dearth of talent.’

‘LT Demetrius Bell finally got back on the field after missing eight weeks with a shoulder injury. He didn’t start either half, but he relieved rookie Chris Hairston in the second and fourth quarters. Coach Chan Gailey had said he wanted to get Bell some game action the week before. It didn’t work out, but he was able to do it in the loss to San Diego. Bell started the first four games before being injured in Cincinnati, and Hairston played the next two games before sitting down with a high ankle sprain. After LG Andy Levitre filled in, Hairston was able to return. It’s uncertain whether Bell or Hairston will start against Miami, but it appears Hairston is the preferred option.’

‘”The contract has no impact on the way that I’ve played or the way that I approach the game, the dedication or the way that I’m in here working with these guys,” he said. “The biggest thing is I think we’ve played some better teams, and I think it’s been a struggle for all of us. Unfortunately, the last six games, we’ve had a lot more questions than answers.”‘

‘”We’ve all seen him do it; we know he can do it. I think as soon as we continue to work on getting everybody on the same page, I think Fitz will be fine.”‘

‘It was during Sunday’s game that Tom Bender of Niagara Falls was inspired – or in this case, uninspired. Instead of playing Monday morning quarterback, he launched a Facebook page for “Buffalo Bills fans who have had enough.”‘

‘Buffalo coach Chan Gailey, when asked about Fitzpatrick’s recent struggles, admitted, “He hasn’t been making the plays he made earlier in the year. “He’s made some bad throws … but he’s also made some very good ones.” Not enough to end a six-game losing streak though.’

‘”Yeah it’s tough because he’s a brother and you don’t want to see your brother go through anything bad,” said Stevie Johnson. “So seeing him go through it’s like we all go through it. He’s our quarterback, he’s our head. When he goes through it, we go through it. We’ve just got to uplift him just like he does with us. When we make mistakes he’s there for us. It’s tough, but we’re all grown-ups we’ve got to get through it.”‘

‘”Coming to Buffalo, I had great times and made great friends and you couldn’t beat it,” said Smith. “It was great to come to Buffalo because they were great fans and if you did what you needed to do, they would be there for you.”‘

‘”We got beat in all three phases and we’re not very good right now,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “I think they are down. I hate to go all the way to demoralized. I think they don’t have any confidence right now. I think we are fighting that right now as a football team. I don’t think there’s any question about that. And I thought we were making progress after the last two games, I really did. Then we just played awful out here today.”‘

‘Gates, a perennial All-Pro tight end, is a matchup nightmare on most Sundays as Scott and the Buffalo Bills found out during their 37-10 loss to San Diego. In the six weeks since he’s returned from a foot injury, Gates has been relatively quiet yet he torched the Bills for a game-high seven receptions, 68 yards and two touchdowns.’