Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 12/13

by MattRichWarren on Dec 13, 2010 7:07 AM EST in Buffalo Bills News

Moats' playmaking ability gives Bills an edge - Bob DiCesare - The Buffalo News
"Late in his first NFL season Moats appears to be a find, a sixth-round steal, a player capable of providing what Maybin hasn't and mitigating the effects of that unproductive first-round pick. Teammates notice the zeal Moats brings to film study, his desire to find weaknesses or tendencies he can exploit."

Reason for the season isn't beating the bottom-feeders - Jerry Sullivan - The Buffalo News
"Still, I feel strangely unmoved by it all. Maybe it's the long season, or the oppression of the holidays. This online shopping has my head all twisted around. But really, what does it mean? In the big picture, what is the long-term significance of the Bills beating another mediocre opponent and raising their record to 3-10?"

Makeshift offensive line holds up well for Bills - Niagara Gazette
"They did a great job opening up holes for me considering it was a little bit of a shuffle up there," said running back Fred Jackson, who rushed 29 times for 112 yards. "I could only make plays with those guys. The tight ends, fullbacks and receivers blocking, they all showed up and made some plays for me today."

Bills grind out win over Browns - BuffaloBills.com
"That was to me one of those good old fashioned slug fests where two teams are (fighting) it out for 60 minutes on the field. I thought our defense after the first drive really stepped up and played well," said head coach Chan Gailey. "Offense did enough to win, we controlled the ball which was a big part of it and our defense got the ball back for our offense."

Browns vs. Bills highlights (1:41) - BuffaloBills.com
Highlights of the Bills' 13-6 victory over the Browns from NFL Network.

Chan Gailey Postgame Press Conference (4:42) - BuffaloBills.com
"The Bills head coach talks about the 13-6 win over the Browns."

Ryan Fitzpatrick Postgame Press Conference (3:03) - BuffaloBills.com
"The Bills quarterback talks about the 13-6 win over the Browns."

Bills Roundup: Defense Steps Up in Win Over Browns (2:53) - BuffaloBills.com
The Bills defense put up their best performance of the season and the offense held the ball for 36 minutes. Check out Chris Brown's recap.

Inside The Bills | Browns tip hat to Bills
"It looked like everything was going our way in the beginning, and it just changed up a little bit," said CB Joe Haden. "They started making plays and you’ve got to give them all the credit. They did what they had to do."

Bills give Browns a physical education - Bills & NFL - The Buffalo News
"So the best thing we got out of this game is we stepped up to the challenge, and we were physical with a guy who wants to be physical," Whitner said. "After awhile we started hitting him and he started putting the ball on the ground. He wasn't really running the same way he was early in the game."

Fumbles ruin Hillis' milestone day in Buffalo - Sports - The Buffalo News
"Cleveland's Peyton Hillis ran for 108 yards on 21 carries Sunday, but there is only one number he'll remember: Three. That is how many times he fumbled against Buffalo in Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Browns lost only one, but ball security was a real issue in their 13-6 loss to the Bills."

With Evans out, opportunity up for grabs for Bills' receivers - The Buffalo News
News and notes from Sunday's postgame.

Grading the Bills and Browns - Bills & NFL - The Buffalo News
Good grades for the Bills across the board.

Mark Gaughan analyzes Bills' third victory - Bills & NFL - The Buffalo News
The first quarter was awful but the second half went very well for the Bills as Mark Gaughan analyzes the game by quarters.

Bills Postgame: Buffalo 13, Cleveland 6 | Buffalo News Video
"Postgame recap from Ralph Wilson Stadium with Mark Gaughan, Allen Wilson and Jerry Sullivan"

Buffalo Bills outmuscle Cleveland Browns for victory | Democrat and Chronicle
"The Bills played solid defense for a 13-6 victory over turnover-riddled Cleveland."

Buffalo Bills: Two-minute read | Democrat and Chronicle
"Sal Maiorana breaks down the Bills' victory over the Browns."

Wrap-up: Bills 13, Browns 6 - AFC East Blog - ESPN
" Wrapping up the Buffalo Bills' victory against the Cleveland Browns."

HAMILTON: Bills Defense Would Not Let This One Get Away - WGR 550 SportsRadio
Paul Hamilton recaps the game but needs to work on his paragraph structure.

Reaction: Bills 13 - Browns 6 - WGR 550 SportsRadio
Buried in Joe Buscaglia's game recap are two tidbits: Jake Delhomme was Buffalo's MVP and Jon Corto was the LVP.

Buffalo Bills Report Card | Democrat and Chronicle
"Leo Roth gives the Bills their grades in a win over the Browns."

Bills, Browns offer another forgettable game - Dunkirk | The Observer
"It wasn't as bad as last year's 6-3 sorry excuse for a National Football League game which the Cleveland Browns won at Ralph Wilson Stadium, but it was darn close as far as entertainment value is concerned."

Ryan Fitzpatrick shrugs off wet conditions, leads Bills offense | cleveland.com
"Fitzpatrick completed 14 of 23 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, adding 49 yards rushing."

Up and down Cleveland Browns hit a major pothole in Buffalo | cleveland.com
"Yet, like a nightmare they couldn't shake from their minds, the Browns could not stop the events that would lead to a 13-6 loss to their I-90 nemesis. As predictable as lake-effect snow, the Browns played down to their competition and produced a stinker of a game to fall to 5-8."

Bills 13, Browns 6 - ClevelandBrowns.com
The recap from the Browns official website.

IMMEDIATE REACTIONS: Bills 13, Browns 6 | THE BEST OF NICK MENDOLA . . .LIVE
"The teams the Buffalo Bills have beaten have a combined record of 10-28. The teams they have lost to are 81-42. So odds are they are mediocre team. That doesn’t change how fun it feels at One Bills Drive when Buffalo comes out on top. As a man in the crowd this afternoon I would not challenge this supposition."

Pitoniak: Bills Defense steps up - RochesterHomePage.net
An irritated Gailey stomped over to the bench after the inauspicious start and told his battered defenders: "We knew this is what it was going to be. You’ve got to stop the run because I don’t think they threw it once the whole drive. We knew this is what it was going to be. Come on! Let’s get it going out there."

Maiorana's Musings | Democrat and Chronicle
"Sal Maiorana gives his views of the Bills win over the Browns."

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Couldn't say any better myself:

“Still, I feel strangely unmoved by it all. Maybe it’s the long season, or the oppression of the holidays. This online shopping has my head all twisted around. But really, what does it mean? In the big picture, what is the long-term significance of the Bills beating another mediocre opponent and raising their record to 3-10?”

Follow Me here: http://twitter.com/Michael_Necci

by Michael_Necci on Dec 13, 2010 7:57 AM EST reply actions

To answer Jerry’s question: slightly more than the long-term significance of losing that game.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Dec 13, 2010 8:19 AM EST up reply actions

His observations aren’t necessarily wrong, but Sullivan seems like a miserable person to be around.

I know the Bills are a bad team, and a win or loss isn’t going to change things in the big picture. But there’s no chance that I’m going to miss a game on Sunday, and I feel a lot better when they win.

But I guess that’s the difference between a fan and a tired, apathetic sports columnist.

by Pistol on Dec 13, 2010 8:40 AM EST up reply actions

and a win or loss isn’t going to change things in the big picture

so if chan and buddy really want andrew luck as a franchise guy, and because of a win against the browns, carolina or cincinnati or denver gets to take him first, a win or loss isn’t going to change the big picture?

by quantumuprising on Dec 13, 2010 9:52 AM EST up reply actions

When you only get 16 games to prove your worth, you can’t lose games on purpose.

You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Dec 13, 2010 9:58 AM EST up reply actions

ill just respond to everyone here. people, read what i wrote. i NEVER advocated telling anyone to lose. I didn’t advocate losing at all. Everybody needs to chill out.

All i said was, to say that the difference between a win and a loss would have NO EFFECT on the future is a wrong statement, in my opinion.

by quantumuprising on Dec 13, 2010 12:31 PM EST up reply actions

What kind of message does it send to your team if losing, albeit for one season, is not only accepted, but encouraged?

Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.

by WhyBillsWhy on Dec 13, 2010 10:34 AM EST up reply actions

Good luck telling players and coaches to intentionally lose

And potentially being out of a job the next year as a result.

What if the Bills had played their 3 victims to start the year? Would all you people hoping for losses complain about beating those teams early on?

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Dec 13, 2010 10:51 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

if chan and buddy really want andrew luck as a franchise guy

Then they can trade up for him.

by BillsfanDan on Dec 13, 2010 10:58 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Exactly, and that goes for

any year they feel that there is one available. That is why we should move on from this franchise QB thing. IMO the FO is looking at the whole picture. They understand the importantance of having a Franchise guy like Tom Brady but I am sure they also understand the importance of having a surrounding cast of players as well.

YOU ARE OUT of you kuku fufu mine craker laker Flaber baber FUNKI chunki brain. WE want to winn every year -- abayarde

by VanScottM on Dec 13, 2010 11:39 AM EST up reply actions

easier said than done.

by quantumuprising on Dec 13, 2010 12:31 PM EST up reply actions

Agreed.

But you are alluding to the fact that a loss to the Browns will give the Bills the #1 pick. Not so. They would have the #4 pick. A lot of things needed to happen for the Bills to have the #1. A lot of things out of their control need to happen. At least you can control what you can give up in a trade to get that #1 pick.

So in reality, trading up is easier than losing out.

by BillsfanDan on Dec 13, 2010 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

so true

I couldn’t agree more with this. Every time I even start thinking about reading one of his columns I remember just how depressed I’ll be afterwards and move on. I seriously feel like if we were a 9 win team right now he would still be nothing but a negative nancy.

by shamtheman on Dec 13, 2010 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

I’ve seen this before when i lost my beloved Winnipeg Jets. The local reporters in Winnipeg were so negative, particularly one that was just like Jerry Sullivan, and that attitude starts spreading to the readers. You don’t always have to write positive articles but he’s beyond that. We win a game and he writes that garbage, I have no respect for him at all.

by ManitobaBillsFan on Dec 13, 2010 2:35 PM EST up reply actions

that article about moats was refreshing

he says he wants to be elite in the league… but my thoughts went immediately byrd when i read that… byrd last year said the same thing and he is missing this year… hope that doesnt happen to moats…

maybe byrd is concentrating more this year on improving his run defense, shown by that fumble forced… that was awesome

by statcruncher on Dec 13, 2010 9:25 AM EST reply actions

I agree, I enjoyed the Moats article. And I hope he keeps this work ethic throughout his time with the Bills. As far as Byrd. It is eyebrow raising that he doesnt have any picks yet. But I dont see him as a liability in the seconday. In fact, the past few weeks he has been throwing his body around on rushes. Granted a lot of the time its after the RB hits the ground, but at least he is not afraid to get in there.

by BillsfanDan on Dec 13, 2010 9:40 AM EST up reply actions

one thing about that fumble – i’d say that’s a lot more hillis than byrd. if peyton had decided to just put his head down, they’d still be picking up pieces of byrd.

by quantumuprising on Dec 13, 2010 9:53 AM EST up reply actions

Is Jerry Sullivan serious? I cannot believe he had the stones to write a piece like that.

Look, I understand the premise at the end of the column. Saying the FO needs to supplement the players we have and increase the talent on the team. That being satisfied with 3-10 is not something the fans should settle for.

But to question what the meaning of a win is? To suggest that the bills had the audacity to win a game and push themselves away from getting the #1 pick (that we already wont get)? To only look at the record of a team to see if any progress has been made? Sullivan comes off as a curmudgeon on the reg. But this article makes it seem like he isn’t even watching the games, and just looks at the end result at 4:30 on Sunday.

No mention of the 180 degrees the Offense has turned from last season. The fact that we took playoff teams to the brink three weeks in a row. That Gailey has the respect of the players. That the very young defense that we have is improving each week of the season. And we are doing this DESPITE our huge lack of overall talent.

I suppose this is the difference between and optimist and a pessimist.

by BillsfanDan on Dec 13, 2010 9:35 AM EST reply actions

Oh man! If you loved Jerry's article, then THIS is must see TV

“Postgame recap from Ralph Wilson Stadium with Mark Gaughan, Allen Wilson and Jerry Sullivan”

Scroll back up and watch the three amigos postgame show. Jerry is a very bitter, old man.

"Adversity is an opportunity for heroism." Marv Levy.

by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Dec 13, 2010 10:44 AM EST up reply actions

Would you rather Jerry be a giddy happy old man writing about the crappy Bills?

What sense would that make exactly?

The score dictated they pass

by norcaliangelsfan on Dec 13, 2010 11:08 AM EST up reply actions

I think that me and two random, drunken Cleveland fans doing a wrapup show would’ve been a bit more upbeat.

"Adversity is an opportunity for heroism." Marv Levy.

by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Dec 13, 2010 11:15 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs

Rec'd

I love this response.

Be miserable or motivate yourself. What's to be done it's always YOUR choice.
Hutch-Tech Class of '76 Buffalo born & bred. Bills fan since 1968.

by MtJulietTNBillsFan on Dec 13, 2010 3:06 PM EST up reply actions

Wait… there’s no gray area?

You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Dec 13, 2010 3:46 PM EST up reply actions

You want him to have a gray area in his opinion?

That seems rather odd.

The score dictated they pass

by norcaliangelsfan on Dec 13, 2010 7:45 PM EST up reply actions

No, he means there’s a gray area between hopelessly pessimistic and annoyingly optimistic.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Dec 13, 2010 8:21 PM EST up reply actions

I read the article...........

I thought there was some of both…..

He had good things to say about some younger guys…he even went out of his way to say something along the lines of the Bills outplayed the Browns in all three areas…….(or something like that.)

I’m not sure what else people want him to say though.

The score dictated they pass

by norcaliangelsfan on Dec 14, 2010 12:33 AM EST up reply actions

Im not saying that at all.

But to call this year a disappointment is very short sighted of him. To only create an opinion based on their record is easy to do. I could write for that paper if he is only basing his opinion off of wins and losses. How about looking furhter into how the team has developed? How about the offense can move the ball against the league’s best defenses. Or if you want to be pessimistic, write about how certain players are not meeting expectations.

To me, it is poor journalism to just rip a team for winning a football game.

by BillsfanDan on Dec 13, 2010 4:24 PM EST up reply actions