Archives for December 24, 2012

‘Not even playing Miami’s pop-gun offense could help the Bills, though it must be pointed out that for a good chunk of the game the defense wasn’t terrible. It was just that in the key moments it was unable to come up with critical plays, a long-running problem.’

‘We can continue to hammer away at Chan Gailey’s play-calling, but in this game, his players let him down with constant mistakes and turnovers. Now, as for Gailey’s continual bungling of late-half clock management, and his failure to challenge plays that seemed warranted for challenges, that’s another matter. Not too much to say about Dave Wannstedt and the defense, just another game where his guys failed to make anything happen. Everyone’s used to it.’

‘Under the new agreement, the state will again contribute $123 million toward stadium improvements, but this time the Bills must ante up $44 million. Erie County agreed to pay $103 million of the overall $226 million project cost.’

‘COACHING – F: I’m going to avoid a long explanation here. The “F” grade is a grade, but it also stands for frustration. The Bills didn’t look prepared to play today. The defense wasn’t ready — again — for the read option and Chan Gailey offered more of the same lousy play calling we have seen all year.’

‘The Bills committed four turnovers. The mistakes offset another dynamic performance from C.J. Spiller.’

‘The Dolphins stymied Buffalo’s offense playing with a patchwork secondary that included starting cornerback Dimitri Patterson, acquired Tuesday after being waived by Cleveland.’

‘Chandler was hurt when he was tackled at the end of a 25-yard reception Sunday. He was ruled out for the rest of the game.’

‘Buffalo center Eric Wood was active despite a knee injury. He had been listed as questionable.’

‘Moments after the Dolphins finished off their second straight victory, the Cincinnati Bengals ended Miami’s faint postseason chances with a 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.’

‘Chandler was hurt at the end of a 25-yard catch in the first quarter. He had to be carted off the field.’

‘The game turned after Johnson’s first-quarter fumble. Miami scored on the ensuing drive and was in control after that. For Miami, it helped that Buffalo’s offense was stuck in neutral throughout the afternoon — save for a 62-yard run from RB C.J. Spiller — and the Dolphins’ lead was never in danger.’

‘Is this the end of Gailey’s tenure in Buffalo? It should be. For most teams, this would be a simple answer. But the Bills have said all along that they would prefer to stick with Gailey because they can’t keep changing coaches every 3-4 years. Yes, that matters, but it also matters to have the right person in charge. The Bills are 15-32 under Gailey and only appear to be getting worse under his leadership.’

‘The Bills are now a hideous 3-14 against the AFC East under Gailey. The loss also officially eliminates the chance the Bills could actually improve on their best finish under Gailey, 6-10 last season.’

‘For much of this season and especially in this game, that’s what the Bills look like, beaten, no urgency, no passion, lifeless, going through the motions and very few decent plays. That’s what we saw Sunday in Miami, a great big roll of BLAH.’