Archives for September 19, 2013

‘”I’d be a liar if I said this game didn’t mean more to me or I didn’t want to win it,” Pettine admitted after the Bills practiced Wednesday. “Coaches in the NFL, I think, are born with a competitive gene, a hyper-competitive gene, and you want to win at everything.”‘

‘”Well, I’ll brush it off,” Ryan said, “because inside these walls, there’s plenty of bravado and plenty of confidence. It’s on show for everybody to see. That’s why you play the games. We’ll see. Don’t think my football team doesn’t have plenty of bravado, because we certainly do.”‘

‘”No, not at all,” Barnes told Newsday reporter Kimberly A. Martin. “Not on my O-line. It’s the Panthers we’re talking about,” Barnes said.’

‘With all those things to consider, I think the Bills will make it to the Wild Card round and end the 13-year playoff curse.’

‘”The bottom line is that all states need to be screening for as many diseases as possible,” Kelly said. “Federal support, including the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, can help ensure that newborn screening in the United States continues to be a priority so that future generations do not have to suffer and die needlessly, like my son Hunter and so many others.”‘

‘”It’s a team thing,” he said. “I can’t get drawn into the emotion of that. I have a job to do to put my players in the best position to be successful and that’s what we’re going to do. I think it makes for a good story and it’s like going against your brother – brothers that fight a lot. But to me, when you get in this league long enough you start to realize that almost every week you play, there’s somebody on the other staff that you know, that you worked with.”‘

‘The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2013 ensures federal funding so newborns can receive a blood test for fatal diseases that, if caught early, can be diagnosed and treated with a greater chance of success. If the bill is not reauthorized by Sept. 30, the federal funding for newborn screenings could end.’

‘”I am glad to support Jim Kelly and the Hunter’s Hope Foundation in advocating for the importance of passing the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act,” Collins said. “This legislation, which I am a proud co-sponsor of, will positively impact families and children across the country by providing the necessary funding for screening, counseling and other services related to heritable disorders.”‘

‘”As the process went on, it is not just about athletic ability and arm strength,” said Mike Mayock, an analyst for NFL Network. “It’s ‘What kind of kid is he? Is he a gym rat? Do we trust him?’ They kept crossing off those boxes and saying, ‘Yeah, we like him.’ ”‘

‘And even though the teams won’t say it, the game will provide insight into which team was right at the draft table.’

‘”To be compared to EJ, I’ll take it. EJ’s a great guy,” Smith said. “He’s accomplished a bunch in his career and I think the world of him. He’s also my good friend, so it’s good to compete against a guy like that. But when it comes down to Sunday, there are no friends on the field. We’re out there competing for our teams and that’s all there really is to it.”‘

‘Because he was perceived as a big sieve in an organization riddled with more leaks than that cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy last year – a perception Pettine said in an exclusive interview with The Post on Wednesday he finds “upsetting.”’

‘So this one is on Ryan. His chance to disorient EJ Manuel in Ryan’s MetLife house. His chance to be the teacher meting out a lesson to pupil Mike Pettine, now the Bills’ defensive coordinator after four seasons with Ryan and the Jets. His chance to provide Jets fans with hope his quarterback, Geno Smith, has a legitimate chance to be better than the quarterback the Bills preferred.’

‘”I think that mindset would be selfish,” Smith said. “It’s about this team. It’s about all of us going out there and getting a win for each other. I’m not going out there worrying about what happened at the draft because that’s come and gone and those feelings are far behind me. I’m just focusing on leading this offense, leading this team and then going out there on Sunday and playing well.”’

‘Smith was mostly dominant against almost every team but Syracuse. But facing Marrone’s team, he was mostly a mess.’