Archives for June 2014

‘”It hurts. It hurts everyone, physically. I mean, it hurts the fans, the region,” Marrone said. “The expectation going (into this coming season) is, you know, we’re going to make the playoffs. That’s what our expectations are, and we’re going to do everything we possibly can to get there, knowing that it’s going to be extremely hard, as far as the work — that’s what we’re explaining to our players. So that’s the league we’re in, and we have to win football games — there’s no doubt about it. We have to do it and do it the right way.”‘

‘”We put in a lot of offense so the communication part has been extremely important for us to make sure everybody is on the same page every single play,” said EJ Manuel. “That’s something that we’ve really been working on.”‘

‘”We are looking for certain things, and things that coach Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers bring to the table that would help us,” said Bills head coach Doug Marrone. “I think there are things we can do that help them prepare for the season.”‘

‘”I know from seeing winning teams that you’ve got to be good in those areas,” he said. “We’ve got to get it when it’s on the line. That’s where you win ballgames, keeping guys like Tom Brady and Drew Brees on the sidelines when you’ve got to have that first down.”‘

‘”Sixteen years later, this is what you’ve got,” Reed said. “You’ve got a family.”‘

‘This year, Alonso is going to make the shift to weakside linebacker in new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s 4-3, a position that should be an even better fit for the player. On the outside, Alonso can get out into space and use his speed to pursue plays.’

‘I find it hard to believe there wouldn’t be stadium designs that would include whatever the new owner needs to remain competitive in the future NFL while also being mindful of the market and our collective budget. In fact, there are plenty of stadiums that have been built which didn’t include the word billion in the price tag.’

‘Robey knew coming in last season that he’d have to start from nothing, “It was like any other process, a rookie, I didn’t know how it was going to pan out, but I was just going with what I knew and used my athletic ability.” Donnie Henderson coaches the defensive backs and Robey kept his mouth shut and his ears open, “I listened to the coaches every day, I went out there and listened and made plays and I started to find myself.”‘

‘WR Marquise Goodwin got tangled up with Duke Williams running a fly pattern and stayed down grabbing his knee. He went back in and caught one kickoff before heading to the room.’

‘”The Governor’s position is very clear. Ralph Wilson Stadium is a beautiful stadium” Duffy said. “There are millions of dollars being put into that stadium right now. Its probably one of the best stadiums to watch a football game in, anywhere across the country in the NFL. But, if a new owner came in and insisted on a new stadium, then everybody is ready to go to work. Once that is established(a new owner), there’s no doubt the state will be a willing partner and join the local leaders to make sure the Bills stay there.”‘

‘”(Linebackers coach Fred Pagac) has been getting on us,” said Brandon Spikes. “We’ve been getting our hands on (passes) but we haven’t been able to bring it in. Today we got two interceptions so that’s something to build off of and keep going and see if we can get some more balls.”‘

‘Regardless of whether Golisano buys the Bills, a dose of his fiscal common sense is in order. Show better judgment. Don’t make keeping the Bills in western New York any more expensive than it need be.’

‘Buffalo made a concerted effort to improve their collective size amongst their offensive line contingent. Chris Williams, who signed as a free agent, provides the Bills with their fifth starting lineman over 6-3 and fourth over 320 pounds. Add in Cyrus Kouandjio (6-7 322), Cyril Richardson (6-5 343), Seantrel Henderson (6-7 331) and the return of Chris Hairston (6-6 330) and driving opponents off the line of scrimmage should not be an issue.’

‘”We talked about this, Doug (Whaley) and I, and we talked about it with the scouts,” said Marrone. “I think you can see it throughout the AFC East. I can’t speak for the other teams, but you look at the defensive lineman that are in this division and you’re going against everyone in New York to the guys in Miami and obviously the players in New England and then you look at the players we’re getting. The people inside, everyone is getting bigger players at least in our division if you look at it. We’re doing it for the matchups.”‘

‘”What he was doing, I just followed along,” said second-year veteran Duke Williams, who will compete with Da’Norris Searcy for the second safety job opposite Aaron Williams. “Playing with a guy like Byrd, you see the regimen they go by, you try to emulate the same thing. You might get the same results.”‘