Archives for December 2014

‘During his post game press conference, Marrone was asked about a report that mentioned him as a candidate for the job at the University of Michigan. Marrone said he had nothing to do with that job and that “you’re stuck with me.” Perfect choice of words to describe how most Bills fans would feel about his return next season but it appears the Bills will go for continuity over quality. Lets hope they don’t make the same mistake with the starting quarterback.’

‘The third down that will live in infamy – or for as long as the current playoff drought continues – all happened when Andre Holmes rose up over Corey Graham and plucked the ball out of the air for a 51-yard gain. That moment sucked the life out of both the fan base and the sidelines in one fell swoop.’

‘The sheer number of passes that are quickly thrown were just as predictable to the opposition as they are to fans and analysts. And in time Orton started missing those as well. Don’t point to the touchdown passes today. Don’t let your hopes betray you. Kyle Orton should not be back next year just because he “knows the system.” The vast majority of veteran quarterbacks in the NFL could’ve done what he did, and they would not be coming out of retirement to do it.’

‘Just when you think there was a culture change and the Bills were turning the corner the nightmare of the past 15 years reared its ugly head once again. Everything fell into place for the Bills today in the playoff race except they forgot to show up against a lousy two win team and got beat by the Raiders. There isn’t much left to say except boy is it painful being a Bills fan. 15 years and counting since the Bills last postseason berth the curse continues and shows no signs of coming to an end.’

‘Doug Marrone made a questionable call punting on 4th and 1 midway through the fourth quarter at their own 46. The Raiders took the next 5:22 off the clock and when the Bills got the ball back they were down by 9 with 2:51 to go.’

‘In a must win game situation to keep their playoff hopes alive Buffalo jumped out to an early lead, but saw it disappear as their offense could not string enough yard-producing plays together. Oakland had balanced scoring with 13 points in each half and it was just enough to post a 26-24 victory. With the loss Buffalo was officially eliminated from the AFC playoff race ending their hopes of securing an AFC postseason bid for the first time in 15 seasons.’

‘”Now we don’t win. So how can you be committed to excellence when you don’t win?”‘

‘They can’t afford to let the Raiders hang around today. Oakland is a bad team, one that might be ready to pack it in. But they’ve won two straight at home, and they came from behind in the fourth quarter to win both. They played solid defense in those wins, too, holding the opposition to a combined 20 percent (5 of 25) on third down.’

‘Bills 26, Raiders 13.’

‘And anytime the Bills play the Raiders, as they do Sunday out in Oakland in a game they must win to keep alive their slim hopes of making the playoffs, it’s impossible not to harken back to the day when Ralph Wilson’s team embarrassed Al Davis’ team by the ridiculous score of 51-3.’

‘Bills 26, Raiders 14.’

‘”I think the big thing is always going to be continuity,” Hackett said. “It’s all right there for those guys. I think we need the guys that are the playmakers to make plays when they have the opportunity. We need those guys to step up all the time. We need everybody to be consistent. That’s the thing that’s so rough. There’s time when people do things perfect, and then all of a sudden one guy will do something wrong and it’ll mess some things up. I think it’s just about everybody working together and everybody being more disciplined and everybody just making plays and doing it.”‘

‘”It feels great, especially knowing you talk about a graduating class of 55, a small school in Onondaga, it’s a great feeling just to be able to represent that whole upstate New York area and my high school,” Murray said. “It’s a great feeling. I definitely make sure every time I go home I see those who matter the most and try to share the success I’ve had and just know where I came from and that I’ll never forget that.”‘

Oakland Raiders have something at stake (Oakland Tribune)

No move imminent – Raiders likely to extend Coliseum lease (San Francisco Chronicle)

Raiders place cornerback Brown on injured reserve (AP)

Raiders place CB Brown on IR (The Sports Network)

Raiders place Brown on IR, promote Hadley (The Sports Xchange)

Bills-Raiders Matchup No. 1: Spiller vs. Burris (CSN Bay Area)

Raiders place Tarell Brown on IR, sign LB Hadley (CSN Bay Area)

Raiders Sign Hadley to Active Roster, Place CB Tarell Brown on IR (Raiders.com)

‘”I have never met anybody who’s 107 years old,” the elevator operator said. “Me neither,” Grandma replied.’