Archives for September 19, 2014

‘In short, 30 of the current Bills are in either their first or second year on the roster … hardly part of the franchise’s fruitless recent history.’

‘I do think EJ Manuel has been a bit inaccurate in that part of the field as well. He missed Sammy Watkins for a touchdown in Week 2 and seems to be just a hair off on some throws that could have been touchdowns. It’s been only two games, so the red zone issues are nothing to panic about.’

‘Then again, it may just be that the comments by Collins, who supports fracking, forced people to confront an internal conflict over the Pegulas’ purchase of the team. And as if to prove that, when interviewed Thursday, two longtime Buffalo-based opponents of fracking talked as if they liked the notion of the Pegulas owning the Bills almost as much as they loathe fracking.’

‘Oliver left UB as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,049 career yards, including a single-season record of 1,535 as a senior in 2013, when he was a team captain. His 20 100-yard games is also a Bulls record, and his 33 touchdowns ranks second on the school’s all-time list.’

‘”There are a lot of good memories there, but this is a business trip,” said Reich, who will visit Orchard Park on Sunday as offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers. “I get back there a few times a year for pleasure, but this is a different kind of trip. You go there, you got one task in mind and you focus on that.”‘

‘”When you play a game that you love, you have to do everything right,” Bradham said with obvious contrition in his voice and face. “You can’t be in those situations to be suspended, and that’s one thing I won’t do anymore because I know how it felt.”‘

‘Fred Jackson and Sammy Watkins are the two Bills with the most popular jerseys as of late. In the last week, Jackson’s jersey has been No. 19 in sales nationwide after being the No. 34 selling jersey this year to date. Watkins, meanwhile, has the No. 2 selling jersey among rookies behind Johnny Manziel. His jersey was also the No. 13 selling jersey among all players in the last week.’

‘”When you talk about the brotherhood of the game, you feel it with everyone,” Reich said. “With Pete, I feel like we can finish each other’s sentences. We have that kind of relationship. There’s a real love and trust for all aspects of the relationship, what he is as a person and what he is as a coach, what he brings to the table. It’s fun to work with guys like that.”‘

‘”It’s good to go back to Buffalo,” he said. “There are a lot of good memories there, but this is a business trip. I get back there a few times a year for pleasure, but this is a different kind of trip. So you go there, you’ve got one task in mind and you focus on that.”‘

Chargers coaches share a rare bond (San Diego Union Tribune)

Post-seahawks, injuries might test Bolts (San Diego Union Tribune)

Gates still a slam dunk for Chargers at age 34 (AP)

Frank Reich All Business in Return to Buffalo (Chargers.com)

Rivers Reflects on Winning FedEx Air Player of Week (Chargers.com)

Wright Blog: “It’s Been a Big Few Weeks for Me” (Chargers.com)

‘”We used to compete with them,” Woods said, referring to the Clemson tandem of Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins. “It was my last year, and one day they had four touchdowns between them. And we were like, ‘All right, we’ve got to get four, too.'”‘

‘Coach Doug Marrone provided no details on the nature or seriousness of the injury except to say Woods was hurt near the end of practice Wednesday.’

‘Chargers 24, Bills 20.’

‘Our pick: Bills.’

‘”Right now, he wouldn’t be able to play,” the coach said.’