Archives for September 2013

‘EJ Manuel posted some wonderful numbers. He was 27 of 39 for 296 yards. He completed six of his eight throws for 51 yards and the winning touchdown on that clutch drive. But he did throw an interception, had another one wiped out by a penalty and fumbled while back to pass.’

‘The Bills wouldn’t have even been in the game without Williams, who was in Cam Newton’s face all day. He found his way into more pockets than a street beggar. He sacked Newton for a 6-yard loss on the first series and dumped him for a 5-yard loss on the second series. He had three sacks before halftime.’

‘Dan Carpenter kicked a 55-yard field goal to give the Bills the lead with 10:41 left in the half. Carpenter made a 60-yarder for Miami in 2010 and had a 58-yarder last season. It was the longest field goal at The Ralph since a 56-yarder by Rian Lindell in 2009.’

‘Manuel then darted down the right sideline nine yards to the 2, and on the next play – with just :06 showing on the clock at the snap – found Johnson wide open.’

‘The guy was a one-man soap opera. Sunday, he was a one-man wrecking crew, looking like Smith once looked in this stadium – a runaway freight train hellbent on destruction.’

‘”I’m having a difficult time, it’s a personal situation,” said Marrone, tears welling up in his eyes and his voice breaking. “It’s difficult for me because Rob, when I was at Syracuse, he’d always come in after the games and kind of cheer me up and pick me up and keep things in perspective.”‘

‘”Finally, about 20 years after, that is a style that has finally come into vogue,” Levy said on Sunday afternoon during the Bills “Tribute to the Wall of Fame” game against the Carolina Panthers.’

‘A team-record and career-best 4.5 sacks? It’s unlikely that Super Mario read my preview of the game and saw this question, but whatever motivated him, it worked. He played like a man possessed and had his way with whomever was blocking him. He could have had at least two other sacks if he hadn’t been blatantly held (no foul was called) on one play, and Cam Newton hadn’t made a miracle escape on another.’

‘Welcome to Buffalo, EJ Manuel. The rookie threw for 296 yards and engineered the winning drive in the final 1:38 with no timeouts. Stevie Johnson had eight receptions for 111 yards and the winning catch. Protection was solid except when Manuel was stripped of the ball for a fumble that led to a Carolina field goal. Robert Woods’ 2-point conversion catch was critical.’

‘Fans that stuck around for the end of the game may be telling their grandchildren about the game if Manuel ends up being the franchise quarterback Buffalo (1-1) has been searching for since Jim Kelly retired.’

‘The offense was way too conservative for most of the game, but Nathaniel Hackett called a good set of plays on the winning drive. Mike Pettine’s defense held Carolina to field goals three times in the fourth quarter to keep Buffalo in striking distance.’

‘”It’s one game, but it does feel good to start getting back into the groove,” said Spiller, who had only 41 yards in the loss to the Patriots. “Last week I was very frustrated and they just took me out of my game.”‘

‘But the Bills bailed out Manuel after the young quarterback made two critical mistakes deep in his own end late in the game, holding the Panthers to field goals each time.’

‘”I saw power today in rushing that passer,” Marrone said. “I told him, ‘Hey, don’t dance with this guy early, let’s go and close the distance. Make a move and go.’ I thought he did a very good job of that.”‘