Archives for November 2014

‘The Bills faced a must-win game, and while the conditions were difficult – on the road, at night, on a Thursday against a divisional rival – it was still a grossly disappointing performance. For the second time in five days, they met a fellow AFC playoff contender, and for the second time in five days, proved they are not a bona fide playoff contender. It’s as simple as that.’

‘The Bills, ranked last in the NFL in red-zone touchdown efficiency, mounted grinding drives of 67 and 85 yards on their first two possessions. But Miami held them to a field goal each time, and those were their best TD chances.’

‘Williams also improved his career sack total to 85 with his two sacks on Thursday, and 32 of those sacks have come with the Bills. It’s safe to say Williams won’t be getting rid of those contacts any time soon.’

‘He said after the game that he was not surprised about the penalty. Turns out it was the same crew that called him for unsportsmanlike conduct for slapping teammate Brandon Spikes on the helmet against the New England Patriots earlier this season.’

‘Marrone shouldn’t turn on his television anytime soon, because the chatter has already begun. On NFL Network after the game, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin and the rest of the crew wondered when the time will come for Manuel to get another shot.’

‘The Bills seem to be set at the linebacker position for the foreseeable future. Even with Alonso out, the unit has been an area of strength for Buffalo this season. Rookie Preston Brown has steadily improved throughout the season, and Nigel Bradham has emerged as one of the Bills’ most consistent playmakers on defense.’

‘Forget about Orton being the man to get the Bills to the playoffs. For the second-straight week, the veteran quarterback looked like the guy who wasn’t good enough to stick with the Bears, Broncos, Chiefs or Cowboys. The Dolphins dropped an interception that could have made Orton’s final stat line look even worse. He finished with a 56 percent completion rate, 193 passing yards, 4.9 yards per attempt and no touchdowns.’

‘Chris Hogan became a Hard Knocks celebrity when the reality TV show focused on his uncanny ability to make plays. Bush called Hogan “7-Eleven” – because he was “always open.”‘

‘”Even when he came here, he was on the bubble,” Marrone said this week. “He’s competitive as hell, obviously. And every time you think ‘Should we keep Chris or somebody else?’ he just keeps battling and making plays, to where you say to yourself, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep this guy.”

‘The group of about 50 left the Fort Myers area early in the afternoon in order to make it across Alligator Alley before the traffic built up and the McMillers checked into a hotel first. They made it to the stadium parking lot in enough time to set up a lively tailgate before heading inside the stadium to their seats with a simple goal in mind.’

‘”Those are the things we’ve got to clean up. We’ve all got to be on the same page,” Watkins said. “We’ve got to make those plays count because you don’t get a clear play like that every play, you don’t get a man-to-man every play or a zone every play or a double coverage. So we’ve just got to make those plays because you don’t get a lot of chances like that.”‘

‘”I’m tired of it, we’re all tired of it, and we know the fans are tired of it,” safety Aaron Williams said. “It hurts.”‘

‘”We’ve got to score,” Bills coach Doug Marrone said. “This was a team loss. There’s no doubt about that when you look at all the things that happened out there tonight. … We lost this game as a team.”‘

‘Receiver Sammy Watkins, who had been listed as probable with a groin injury, was active.’