Archives for November 5, 2012

‘”If you go out and you make a play and you get booed, I know I’m in your heart,” Williams said. “That’s the most important thing. If it’d have been quiet I would’ve felt something different. I know you’re thinking about me.”‘

‘This game, which left the Texans with an AFC-leading 7-1 midseason record, was arguably won right there, when eight Bills red-zone snaps netted three yards, counting the five they lost on a false-start penalty. Linebacker Brooks Reed remembers thinking, “As long as they keep making field goals (instead of touchdowns), we’re probably going to win this.”

Texans overcome slow start, improve to 7-1 (Houston Chronicle)

Bills struggle to score in red zone against defense (Houston Chronicle)

Mario Williams doesn’t mind boos and makes his own noise (Houston Chronicle)

Keshawn Martin makes special teams a little more special this week (Houston Chronicle)

Johnson’s example leads, but Texans must follow (Houston Chronicle)

Texans can’t start slow against the Bears (Houston Chronicle)

Going to Arian Foster a rock-solid plan (Houston Chronicle)

Texans notes: on fourth-and-6, Whitney Mercilus, injuries and more (Houston Chronicle)

Grading the Texans: Week 9 (Houston Chronicle)

Photo gallery (Houston Chronicle)

Photo gallery (KILT-AM)

What Stood Out From A Sluggish Seventh Win (Houston Press)

Photo gallery (KHOU-AM)

Texans grind out 21-9 victory over Buffalo Bills (HoustonTexans.com)

Pass rush punishes Buffalo in victory (HoustonTexans.com)

Arian Foster overcomes flu, tops 100 yards (HoustonTexans.com)

Quotes: Post game vs. Buffalo (HoustonTexans.com)

Arian Foster overcomes flu, tops 100 yards (HoustonTexans.com)

Postgame notes: Texans 21, Bills 9 (HoustonTexans.com)

Photo gallery 1 (HoustonTexans.com)

Photo gallery 2 (HoustonTexans.com)

Photo gallery 3 (HoustonTexans.com)

Photo gallery 4 (HoustonTexans.com)

Photo gallery (BuffaloBills.com)

Photo gallery (Buffalo News)

Photo gallery (Rochester D&C)

Photo gallery (QGRZ-TV)

Photo gallery (WIVB-TV)

‘Williams had a sack and five tackles in his return to Reliant Stadium after he signed with the Bills (3-5) in the offseason. The Texans made Williams the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft and he’s still Houston’s career sacks leader (53).’

‘Williams made a tackle after a 34-yard reception by Johnson early in the third quarter. He remained on the grass for a few minutes while trainers looked at him.’

‘For Buffalo, defensive end Mark Anderson (left knee) will miss his third straight game. The other inactives for the Bills include cornerback Terrence McGee, kicker John Potter, quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, safety Delano Howell, linebacker Kirk Morrison and right tackle Erik Pears.’

‘Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 25-of-38 passes for 239 yards, but the Bills (3-5), were unable to get the ground game going as they rushed for just 78 yards en route to their fourth loss in their last five games.’

‘Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams was playing with a torn ligament in his wrist that made it like he was playing with one arm, according to a team source.’

‘The pass-happy Bills (3-5) were unable to find the end zone, going 0 for 3 in the red zone and scoring on only three-field goal attempts. Their inconsistent play on offense was in part due to a lack of touches for RB C.J. Spiller, who averaged 7.3 yards per carry heading into the game.’

‘Now to the offense. Down 7-0 the Bills drove down the field, starting at the Buffalo 36. They got to the 10 and what happens, on second down false start on Andy Levitre. That crap has been happening for 12 years and it never stops, make big plays only to hurt yourself.’

‘Of the many statistics I looked at in the moments following the end of the 27th loss in Gailey’s 40 games as Bills Head Coach, here is the most alarming one: The last time a Bills running back got a carry came with 8:23 left in the third quarter.’

‘C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson combined for a total of 12 carries on the game. While they each got five additional touches in the receiving game, that still isn’t enough. For my money, one of those players (Spiller, in my opinion) should be getting 22 touches by themselves. Then allow the other player to have an impact as well with a good amount of times with the football in his hands. The Texans wanted to take away the run. They did, and the Bills never adjusted. The overall lack of adjustments seem to be a lingering characteristic of this 2012 version of the Buffalo Bills.’

‘The bottom line is, everything can’t be fixed at once, and for those who really thought the Bills could go from 6-10 to the playoffs the next year were overly optimistic to be sure. But with 8 games left, the Bills still have a lot to play for even if it’s pretty clear they are all but mathematically out of the playoff picture already. An 8-8 finish, or 5-3 second half, would be an encouraging sign that would signal continued progress.’

‘Perhaps more troubling for fans was the decision to ignore the option of running the ball in the second half. The team knew establishing the run was going to be difficult against one of the top defenses in the league, but the Bills didn’t even give it a chance.’

‘This season now has the same hopeless feel that recent ones have had. A final record of 6-10 or 5-11 or even 4-12 seems a distinct possibility.’