Archives for October 6, 2014

‘The Bills sacked Stafford six times, a career-high three by tackle Marcell Dareus, his team-leading third, fourth and fifth of the year, the last causing a fumble the Lions recovered. Two were recorded by end Jerry Hughes who now has three and opposite end Mario Williams also got his third.’

‘For one game, Marrone looks smart. Orton led the Bills from a 14-0 deficit to a 17-14 victory against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday.’

‘”They got him uncomfortable,” Lions right guard Larry Warford said of the Bills’ defensive linemen in regards to Stafford. “As an offensive line, that’s our responsibility to make him feel comfortable in the pocket and keep him off the ground. Today, we didn’t do our job.”‘

‘”It wasn’t my first and it won’t be my last, that’s for sure,” Orton said. “You’re mad at yourself when that happens, but the other team gets paid to make plays, too. So you just got to keep that trigger and put a little bit more pressure on yourself to make the play the next time.”‘

‘Jackson had more carries than Spiller for the first time this year. Jackson also added seven catches for 58 yards, giving him more than 100 yards from scrimmage for the 32nd time. He became the first running back in club history with at least six catches in three straight games.’

‘yle Orton needs to be at his game-managing best in his first Bills start. OK, maybe it didn’t quite begin that way, but as the game went along, Orton’s veteran presence became a huge factor in the outcome.’

‘By unofficial count, the Bills had a three-man rush on 7 of 11 third-down plays. A great defensive plan against a good offense.’

‘Doug Marrone declined an opportunity to take a running-into-the-kicker penalty that could have given the Bills a fourth and 2 from the Detroit 46-yard line with 13 seconds remaining in the first half. The Bills had two timeouts, so why not accept the penalty and go for it rather than decline it and take the results of the punt? Marrone made a similar decision in Week Three against San Diego.’

‘Buffalo won, so it’s hard to argue with Doug Marrone’s decisions. Down by 11 with under 17 minutes to play, he chose to kick a field goal on fourth and 1 from the Lions’ 7-yard line. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Detroit’s head coach the previous five seasons, dialed up schemes that limited his old team to one third-down conversion.’

‘The dynasty might be in its final days.’

‘Just moments earlier, it looked as if the Lions were going to win. Backed up at their own 11 with 1:06 to play, Golden Tate beat nickel cornerback Nickell Robey on a short route, made the catch, and sprinted 55 yards to the Buffalo 34. After three unproductive plays, Henery came in and missed with 26 seconds to go.’

‘Well, I didn’t see that one coming. When the Bills fell behind 14-0 in the second quarter and were looking completely inept on offense, this had all the makings of one of those 38-7 road laughers that this fan base has seen too much of over the past 15 years. My Twitter account was aflame with “fire this guy” and “fire that guy.” And I sure couldn’t argue. However, you have to give the Bills credit for staying the course because many Bills teams would have folded right around the time Rashean Mathis crossed the goal line on that pick six. Whether Kyle Orton is the answer at quarterback, it’s impossible to tell after one game. But make no mistake, you have a better chance to win in the NFL if you have a quarterback who knows what he’s doing, and Orton clearly does.’

‘Carpenter’s game-winner was certainly a mighty boot, but it isn’t his career best. That came as a member of the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 5, 2010, when he nailed a 60-yard field goal at the end of the first half against the Browns.’

‘I still wasn’t thrilled with Nathaniel Hackett, but that was mostly in the first half. In the second half, he did a much better job. As for Schwartz, he had his defense ready to play, though it was certainly helped when Calvin Johnson and Bush left with injuries. The Lions had only 13 first downs.’

‘The Bills, afterward, presented a game ball to Mary Wilson, widow of the team’s original owner, Ralph, as it was the last game the family will own the club … and in his hometown.’