Archives for October 14, 2013

‘ It’s not the kind of growth that gets you wins right now so there’s nothing victorious about it. But it’s still growth.’

‘”It’s hard to talk about a positive because all that you want is be able to (win),” he said. “We did some things well and that are encouraging, but we didn’t do enough to win the game.”‘

‘He didn’t get the win that would have bronzed his afternoon, but Lewis’ performance was first-rate.’

‘”It wasn’t what we expected,” Dareus said. “They got a couple quick plays on us and moved the ball more than usual. It had us a little flustered for a little bit.”‘

‘Lewis showed enough with his right arm Sunday to raise concerns about the condition of his right foot. The Bills can take comfort knowing he should be ready next week in Miami after watching his performance against the Bengals. If he’s going to be OK, there’s hope they’re going to be OK while Manuel recovers from a sprained knee.’

‘”I wouldn’t have guessed we’d be sitting at 2-4,” said center Eric Wood, who hosted 26 people from his native Cincinnati at the game. “It ticks me off. We’ve got a lot of talent on this team, a lot of guys who work extremely hard, and it’s a shame our win-loss record isn’t better.”‘

‘”We checked it out. I should be fine,” Lewis said. “Just a sprain on the foot. They said the X-rays looked good, so I guess that’s positive.”‘

‘Bills gunner Duke Williams was knocked out of the play on Tate’s key punt return with what looked like an illegal block, but there was no call.’

‘The Bills were outschemed, especially in the first half, when the Bengals gained 284 yards. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s willingness to blitz was exploited. Nathaniel Hackett called a solid game with a new quarterback – 24 points is about all you could have asked for. I liked Doug Marrone going for it on fourth and goal in the second quarter, but how about mixing in a quarterback sneak on one of those three plays from the 1-yard line?’

‘But in the extra session, another breakdown on punt coverage killed the Bills and a 30-yard return by Brandon Tate set Cincinnati up for a Mike Nugent field goal that gave the Bengals a 27-24 victory.’

‘”It was a good punt, we’ve just got to do a better job in coverage, especially in a situation like that,” said Marcus Easley, who’s one of the gunners on a unit that ranked 29th in the league coming into Sunday’s game. “We know a deadly return can cost us a game and that’s what happened. You have to give credit to the returners, to Benjamin last week and Tate this week, but I’m out there, and I have to make a play.”‘

‘But hope is not lost. For it appears Thad Lewis, who played his college ball at Duke and has a grand total of two NFL starts under his belt, can play a decent game of football.’

‘Lewis didn’t remind anyone of Peyton Manning, but he sure didn’t remind anyone of Christian Ponder, either.’

‘The decision to start Lewis over Jeff Tuel was a good one by offensive coordinator Mike Pettine, as was running the ball 32 times. The effort came up just short as it was a tough day for the defense, which allowed Dalton to hit nine different receivers and set the game’s tempo. Cincinnati finished with 483 yards offense and 43 minutes of possession time.’

‘After the game, the quarterback was wearing a walking boot on his right foot. While he didn’t know when he sustained the injury, Lewis said it was a foot sprain and x-rays were negative. “We checked it out,” he said. “I should be fine.”‘