Game Day Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills News, 10/16

by MattRichWarren on Oct 16, 2011 8:16 AM EDT in Buffalo Bills News

Ex-Harvard mates recall Ryan Fitzpatrick - Newsday
Ryan Fitzpatrick's college teammates talk about their quarterback. He was a goofball then, but they admired the heck out of his work ethic. Even then, Fitzpatrick was all about helping his teammates.

Once an afterthought, Gailey's the ideal leader for these Bills - Jerry Sullivan
"Gailey is a virtual afterthought when people around the country marvel at this 4-1 Bills team. He was an afterthought when the Bills were looking for a coach, too. We wanted hot names, big resumes, borrowed legacies. How many big names turned them down before they turned to this no-name?"

Merriman downgraded to out - BuffaloBills.com
"Merriman's Achilles problem that's plagued him on and off the past two seasons flared up on him in practice Thursday. It kept him out of practice Friday and again on Saturday. Merriman did not make the trip with the rest of the team to New Jersey for Sunday's game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium."

Bills Focus: Chan Gailey 1-on-1 - BuffaloBills.com
Chan Gailey talks to Chris Brown about his team and facing the Giants.

Week 6: Bills vs. Giants Preview - BuffaloBills.com
NFL Network starts their game preview with video footage of Super Bowl XXV. Just so you're warned. The rest is pretty good stuff.

Inside The Bills | ‘D’ can’t live on takeaways only
"If you rely totally on (takeaways) you’re going to be in trouble before it’s over with because you don’t get them all the time," Chan Gailey told Buffalobills.com. "So we have to continue to improve our overall defense. We’ve played some pretty explosive offenses though and I think as time goes on our defense will continue to get better. But there’s no rule anywhere that says we can’t set a record for turnovers. We can do that. I hope it keeps going."

Inside The Bills | Faith in Moats and Batten
"They’ve been thrust in there a little earlier than maybe a lot of us hoped they would have to be in there," said Gailey. "We were hoping to bring them along slowly. I know they’ll compete and they’re intelligent and will play as hard as they can play. And the good thing about them is they’ll play with speed. They play as hard as you can play every snap they’re on the field. They embody what our football team is about I believe so I trust they can get the job done."

Inside The Bills | Multi-skilled players helping at WR
"Smith and Spiller figure to see even more time at receiver knowing Chan Gailey called for all hands on deck in the passing game this week."

Barnett, Wilson stealing the spotlight - The Buffalo News
"The fast start by the two veterans also has allowed the Bills to thrive in the absence of the two players they replaced -- linebacker Paul Posluszny and strong safety Donte Whitner."

Young players give Bills some depth at linebacker - Larry Felser
"Since last Oct. 24, when they met the Ravens in Baltimore, eight of their 15 games have been decided by three points or fewer. In those games the Bills won four and finished behind the eight-ball with four others."

Pressuring Manning up the middle can keep the turnovers coming - The Buffalo News
Rodney McKissic's scouting report for today.

Buffalo Bills continue to feed on the role of underdog | Democrat and Chronicle
"Today provides a glaring dichotomy of the supposed NFL haves and have nots. The Giants are one of the league's glamour teams, a franchise that sells out every home game, playing in a new palace that will be hosting the Super Bowl in 2014. The Bills have plenty of tickets available for their remaining home games, and aging Ralph Wilson Stadium is in need of renovations (again), a fact confirmed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during his visit there last Sunday."

5 Things To Watch In Bills - Giants - WGR 550
"Let's preview five things to watch during this game:"

Are the Buffalo Bills ready for prime time? | Democrat and Chronicle
"The Buffalo Bills could be playing themselves into their first prime-time TV appearance in years. NBC's Sunday Night Football flex scheduling begins Week 10 and runs through Week 16. Currently scheduled games could be booted in favor of more appealing matchups. Here's the breakdown, with the current Sunday Night Football games followed by the Bills' games and other top Sunday matchups"

Jackson leading Bills to respectability | Toronto Sun
Thurman Thomas gives his thoughts on Fred Jackson.

Buffalo Bills have fans & players thinking big - NY Daily News
"Could it be? Can the Bills, sad sacks since 1999 when they last made the playoffs, regain their spot among the AFC's best teams? At 4-1 going into Sunday's game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium, they have shrugged off preseason expectations, ended a 15-game losing streak against the Patriots and beat down the Eagles last week. Talk about dream teams. Who would have dreamt this?"

Buffalo brings best back nobody knows - NYPOST.com
"I was always confident in my abilities. ... I never thought I would be given an opportunity to be the starter," Jackson told The Post. "I never thought anybody would have that much faith in me. It was such a long road traveled, so to speak."

Giants' Perry Fewell gets his chance to pay the Bills - trentonian.com
"For Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell today’s matchup with the Buffalo Bills should be a special day in his coaching career. It probably is, but he’ll never admit it."

Perry Fewell is more focused on defense than facing former team. - ESPN New York
"It's just a game that we have to win," Fewell said if playing the Bills has added significance to him. "I just happen to know those guys on the other side though."

Giants to find out if Bills are for real - NYPOST.com
This is the first legitimate road test for the Bills, probably the greatest surprise in the league at 4-1 with victories over the Patriots and Eagles in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Former Giants, coach recall Super upset - NYPOST.com
"I don’t want to say our players knew we could beat them, but our players knew we could compete with Buffalo," Parcells said. "They knew that wasn’t going to be a one-sided game like everybody thought it was going to be."

Buffalo Bills' overlooked players key turnaround - San Jose Mercury News
"They have eight starters on offense who were taken in the seventh round or not drafted at all. That includes quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the 250th overall pick in 2005, and receiver Stevie Johnson, a seventh-rounder in '08."

Bills fans want return on investment - The Buffalo News
"We all know that the Bills’ future here might be hanging on a heartbeat. With that in mind, let me state the obvious: Taxpayer investment in the stadium needs to come with a lease that ties the Bills to Buffalo—no matter who the owner is. We do not want to add everything from better plumbing to prime seating to spruce up the place for tractor pulls and monster truck shows."

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Love the article on Gailey. Great read.

Joshd12
Brock University
BA. Sports Management, 2014
BA. Recreation and Leisure Studies

by joshd12 on Oct 16, 2011 8:53 AM EDT reply actions

The truth

The Sullivan article hit the nail on the head. I haven’t agreed much with the Bills’ front office on a move-by-move basis, but Nix got the most important one right when he hired Gailey. The notion that coaches can’t make a difference and that they are merely bystanders to the talent level in front of them has been smashed to pieces (sorry Dick Jauron). Chan is the truth.

"There's only one C.J. Spiller." -Buddy Nix

by Port Royal on Oct 16, 2011 9:44 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Mobile rec'd

Btw, does anyone else find the SB Nation iPhone app to be lousy? I’ve gone back to using the regular browser.

"Teams that don't deserve to win.... Usually don’t. Today is no exception." -- Mr Huge Pecs
"Nick Barnett is everywhere. He is behind you right now." -- Munchausen

by ChuckBuffInFlo on Oct 16, 2011 12:15 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

This is so true. "Rec'd"

At any level you can take a coach and install a system and a belief in the players and succeed. In defense of the system, the Bills have tried multiple times trying to get the right guy over the years only to fail miserably. Still it is not only the coach but the whole organization from top to bottom and even then a little luck needs to be strung along as well.

Talent level is important without a doubt but it becomes more important if that talent isn’t measured against your own division, if it isn’t drafted correctly and if the talent isn’t applied in the proper scheme. These are all things that a coaching staff, scouting staff and administrative tree can accomplish if they work together. Phillips, Williams, and Mularky all ran into philosophical differences and all have moved on to be successful elsewhere. IMO they were not given the free reigns of developing what they believed in. The end result is ten years of futility. It is not this guy sucks or that guy is average, it is the coaching, scheme, scouting, drafting and pulling everyone together to accomplish the same goal. We have a long way to go but you got to love what we are seeing and it isn’t like Nix is trying to buy anything, he is developing an atmosphere that will attract players that want to be a part of something. Next year in FA should be interesting especially on defense as we have drafted primarily defense. I will patiently wait until that time comes but am very anxious to see the end result.

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 Oct 16, 2011 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

That was one of Sullivan’s nicest and truest article. He definitely out-coached Bellichick and Reid in those games. Watching Belichick blow his cork was priceless.I loved this part…..