Archives for December 2013

‘”I didn’t get no explanation,” Williams said. “The refs never even gave me an answer every time I asked them a question, so honestly you’ve got to ask the refs on that call, because I’m still wondering what my penalty was. I guess illegal contact, but how can it be illegal contact when I’m on the opposite side of the field?”‘

‘The Bills blew an early 14-0 lead. They fell behind by seven, scored twice to go back ahead by a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Then they allowed the Falcons to tie it late in regulation, thanks to two penalty calls on their secondary. The calls were borderline, of course. No Bills collapse is complete without blaming the officiating in some fashion.’

‘Instead, he was calm and matter of fact. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t question the man above. Yes, he was disappointed knowing he played a role in the loss. Yes, it was yet another frustrating defeat. But he’s also had some practice in explaining away losses over the past six years and kept his composure afterward.’

‘Buffalo’s 12th Man, valued enough by the Bills to put him on the Wall of Fame, sat this one out. The Bills are 1-5 here.’

‘Atlanta’s tying TD came after Nickell Robey was called for pass interference in the end zone on an incomplete pass. Both he and the receiver jostled. It wasn’t a foul. The officials missed an illegal formation call on the Falcons on the play before the winning kick. Both receivers to the left of the formation were lined up on the same yard line.’

‘The Bills led a losing team by 14-0 right away and 31-24 with 11:48 left in the fourth quarter. That’s a game the Bills must close out.’

‘Of course, it was also the most disheartening for the Bills.’

‘It was a long way to come for a result like this 34-31 overtime defeat, one more awful loss in a 14-year span that has come to be defined by awful losses.’

‘Falcons, who came into the game struggling terribly to run, ranking 31st in the league, had 84 yards by halftime, and finished with 151, their second-best total of the year. That success certainly opened up passing avenues for Matt Ryan and he took advantage, particularly to Roddy White who had 10 catches for 143 yards.’

‘If nothing else, the Bills gave Toronto a fun and interesting game, which certainly hasn’t been the case in this Bills in Toronto series. However, there’s no denying Rogers Centre is not the Ralph, and the Bills are now 1-5 in this place. This was a disappointing defeat to a 2-9 Atlanta team.’

‘While it was Buffalo that was supposed to feast on the Falcons’ suspect rushing defense – ranked 28th in the league – it was Atlanta, with the NFL’s second-worst ground game, that stampeded the Bills.’

‘Since Buffalo last made the playoffs in 1999, Buffalo has lost 49 games by less than a touchdown, 34 by three points or-fewer, seven of them in overtime.’

‘”It’s discouraging,” said Bills head coach Doug Marrone. “We have to do a better job, overall, so it doesn’t come down to that.”‘

‘That’s the difference between mediocre teams and good NFL teams. You need to come up big when you have opportunities to win games. It’s one thing to lose a fumble and redeem yourself in overtime. It’s another to lose two fumbles at the end of the game and hand your opponent a victory.’