Archives for December 16, 2014

‘Then they will need help. Lots of it. Provided the Bills win out, if three of the following five scenarios play out, Buffalo would end the NFL’s longest streak of consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance at 14.’

‘Bills fans know one thing. They’re still alive for the playoffs. That’s a refreshing change from the last five seasons, when they went into the last two weeks with at least nine losses and nothing but holiday pride on the line.’

‘A State Police DWI Saturation Patrol around the stadium made 163 traffic stops and issued 68 traffic tickets.’

‘”I’m feeling a lot better now,” Christie said on Monday. “When the result came back, I said I want to be somewhat vocal about it, because this is something that can be prevented. Or at least if it is diagnosed early, it makes a heckuva difference.”‘

‘The Raiders are 2-12 and are one of the worst teams in the NFL, but the Bills better not sleep on these guys because Oakland will be at home and playing with nothing to lose. That’s always a scary combination for a team in playoff contention. How utterly sickening would it be for Buffalo to negate its tremendous victory over Green Bay by laying an egg in Oakland and blowing up the season? Yeah, very.’

‘AFC North rivals Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore are all at nine wins, while AFC West rivals Kansas City and San Diego are at eight. If one of the teams from the North loses twice, and both the Chargers and Chiefs lose at least once, two wins by the Bills gets them in.’

‘”You know, he’s cleared, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he practices during the week,” Marrone said. “I’d like to see more participation before we make that decision.”‘

‘But the Bills’ 21-13 win makes one wonder where the Bills would be with even an average quarterback. Kyle Orton again struggled, and outside of two games against the Jets, he hasn’t looked like a starting quarterback in the NFL.’

‘”Doug Marrone, the Bills’ head coach, should be very much in the running for coach of the year,” Polian said. “The Packers are a much better team, but they weren’t yesterday in Ralph Wilson Stadium, and that’s to Doug Marrone’s credit, that’s to Jim Schwartz’s credit and that team’s credit.”‘

‘”He’s a guy who’s made plays in the past,” Marrone said of the team’s 2010 first-round draft pick. “Any time you can bring back someone who’s a potential playmaker obviously helps.”‘

‘Marrone noted that even though Spiller has been cleared to play, he will not necessarily do so on Sunday. That decision will be based on practice this week.’

‘Spiller missed six weeks with a broken collarbone. He has been practicing since Dec. 3, and the team had until Dec. 24 to decide whether to activate him.’

‘”We’ll just keep on getting better,” Orton said after completing 14 of 27 passes for 158 yards with one interception. “I think that’s the only focus that you can have. Feel good that we got the win, but realize there are a lot more things we can do to get better. It’s a battle every week of execution. The good offenses just execute play in and play out. We’ll work our butts off to get to that point.”‘

‘To make room for Spiller on the roster, the Bills will need to either release someone or place an ailing player on injured reserve. Some candidates for release would likely include kickoff specialist Jordan Gay, fullback Frank Summers, wide receiver Deonte Thompson or to place tight end Chris Gragg on IR.’