Archives for December 9, 2013

‘Passing game: F: For only the 15th time in Bills history, a quarterback threw at least four interceptions without a touchdown. Two of the interceptions weren’t Manuel’s fault; Bills receivers could have made catches. For the first time since Rob Johnson in 1998, the Bills allowed at least seven sacks twice in a season. Marquise Goodwin and T.J. Graham combined for zero catches a second straight week.’

‘”We were talking about things we need to do to get a situation like this fixed,” Jackson said. “We just didn’t get the job done today. We looked like crap. Bottom line, we did not play well. I can’t think of anything we did right. That’s something we need to take ownership of. There’s no one finger that needs to be pointed at anybody. As a team we looked absolutely horrible today and the score showed it.”‘

‘For the first time, I saw a little quit in them. They looked like a team that had begun to feel sorry for itself, that made a lot of the same old mistakes and hung its head when things went against them. That’s when it started to remind me of past Decembers, when foolish hope turned to jolting reality.’

‘Asked how he would sum up the offensive line’s performance, center Eric Wood replied, “Bad, but you show me any offensive line that played good when you’re down 21 points in the second quarter and I’d love to see it. We just dug a hole and let them tee off on us the whole game.”‘

‘The Bills actually had a chance to get back in the game in the third quarter. That, of course, presumes the Bills could have played some quality football. They could not.’

‘Rookie quarterback EJ Manuel came into the game with four interceptions all season, and he matched that total before the third quarter was finished, an alarmingly poor performance. However, two were not his fault and could be blamed on wide receivers Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods.’

‘This was the low point in a season that has suddenly begun to look like so many others in Buffalo. For a while it seemed like there was some progress being made with a new and energetic coaching staff and some upgrades to the roster.’

‘There may not be a more disappointing player on the Bills roster this season than Johnson. He had another terrible drop where the ball went right through his hands and wound up as an interception. In a year when Johnson really needed to excel and help the rookie quarterback, he has mostly been a non-factor.’

‘Obviously, the Bills playoff chances were slim entering the game. Still, there was something to play for, and they saved their worst performance for that spot. It was a deplorable effort in all three phases. Turn off the silly playoff machine once and for all.’

‘It was the lackadaisical, unmotivated, disinterested approach the Bills took in their embarrassing loss to the Buccaneers’

‘The Bills didn’t look ready to play football on Sunday. The defense pulled things together in the second half, but the offense looked lost all day long. Buffalo converted just 1 of 11 third downs. Where were the throws downfield to Goodwin and Graham? Grade: D’

‘Isn’t it lovely, Bills fans?’

‘I’m not a fan of using numbers a lot when writing the unit-by-unit analysis. But in this case, the stats tell the story. E.J. Manuel: Zero touchdowns, four interceptions. Bills rushing attack: 22 carries for 67 yards.’