Archives for September 2014

‘Woods is one of five different players deemed as ‘probable’ for the game, which means they all have at least a 75-percent chance of playing on Sunday. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins (ribs), guard Chris Williams (back), tight end Lee Smith (toe) and defensive tackle Stefan Charles (hip) all received that specific designation.’

‘For a point of reference, Pettine’s 2013 defense in Buffalo had more than double the blitz attempts than Schwartz did in Detroit. The Bills defense blitzed on 245 of 631 (38.33-percent) passing plays.’

‘”It improves your quality of life,” Wood said. “It’s better going to the grocery store. It’s better going to meetings. It’s better going to practice. It energizes you each day when you go to the stadium.”‘

‘He is the first Bills rookie WR to post a 100-yard receiving game since Lee Evans in 2004. Five of his eight receptions accounted for first downs.’

‘Since the 2009 season, the Chargers are 10-8 when playing at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Last year they were 3-2 when playing on the road against Eastern time zone clubs, including their AFC Wild Card win at Cincinnati. A .600 winning percentage on the road in the NFL is rare, let alone when traveling across three time zones.’

‘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.”‘