Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills News, 12/21

Bills have ties to Tebow - BuffaloBills.com
"Not only was he a teammate of mine, but he was one of my closest friends in college," said Nelson. "We stay in touch. Just like with any other friend I want him to succeed until we play him."

Bills Roundup: Chandler Returns, Tebow Thoughts - BuffaloBills.com
Will the Bills be able to contain Tim Tebow? Plus updates from Bills practice.

Inside The Bills | Stevie to be held out of practice
"Bills WR Stevie Johnson wants to practice today, but head coach Chan Gailey is keeping him sidelined to rest his nagging groin injury."

Rogers rolling on returns - BuffaloBills.com
"Just two weeks ago, before Rogers was inserted into the lineup as the team’s primary kick returner, the Bills ranked 31st in the league in kick return average (20). In just two games however, Rogers has raised Buffalo’s league ranking in kick return average six places to 25th, boosting the team’s season average by more than two yards (22.2)."

TE Smith to I-R; Bills promote TE Brock - BuffaloBills.com
"Brock (6’5" 260) was originally signed as an undrafted rookie by Carolina in 2009. He spent that 2009 season on both the Pittsburgh and Chicago practice squads. He’ll wear jersey number 87."

Ryan Fitzpatrick Tuesday Press Conference - BuffaloBills.com
"The Buffalo QB talks about facing the Tim Tebow and the Broncos and rebounding this weekend."

David Nelson on Tim Tebow, Broncos - BuffaloBills.com
"Tebow's former college teammate talks to the media about a man he calls a close friend."

Chan Gailey Tuesday Press Conference - BuffaloBills.com
The vested one meets the media on Tuesday.

Inside The Bills | Rogers 2 wks of returns pretty good
"Since Week 14, Rogers’ 28.8 kickoff return average is second-best in the NFL among kick returners with six or more attempts. Here are the top 3."

Inside The Bills | Broncos more than motivated
"The Denver Broncos will be more than motivated coming into Ralph Wilson Stadium on Saturday as they can clinch a playoff berth this week in a couple of different ways."

Inside The Bills | Dareus to practice
"Marcell will be out there (practicing)," said Gailey. "We really have to protect that hand to make sure it doesn’t get damaged any further."

Inside The Bills | Dareus says he’s playing
"It’s good," said Dareus of the hand. "It’s coming along. It’s a middle of the season injury that had happened, the little nicks and bruises. I’m not really too worried about it. I’m going to play. I’ve got some great defensive linemen around me that are going to support me and we’re going to battle it out."

Inside The Bills | Fitz not worried about QB drafted
"It’s just something I can’t worry about," said Fitzpatrick. "Just like last year I wasn’t worried about hem drafting a quarterback. I’ve sat down with Chan. I’ve talked to Buddy. We’re trying to get this thing going in the right direction right now. It’s a lot of different things. But the thing I can control right now is me playing better. It’s something I have to do, it’s through practice, it’s through the communication with the guys in the film room and just going out there and doing it."

Reverent Tebow is the kneel deal - Bucky Gleason
"It didn't sound like there was anything wrong with Tebow after hearing 13 1/2 minutes of unadulterated kindness during his conference call Tuesday. He had a difficult time remembering the last time he had a cross word about anybody."

Gailey recruited Tebow - The Buffalo News
The Bills had Tebow in town for a pre-draft visit in 2010. Said Gailey: "I had known him before. We recruited him out of high school, so I had known him for a long time. His dad and I were at Florida together so I’ve known him for a long time and known about him for a long time. It wasn’t anything different than I already knew. What a great guy."

Fitz says he's not hurt - The Buffalo News
"Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick pooh-poohed any suggestion injury has been a reason for his poor production in recent weeks. Fitzpatrick took a hard shot to the ribs in the game against Washington on Oct. 30. He was on the injury report the next game, against the Jets, for a "chest" injury. He has not been on the injury report any week since or missed any practice time."

24,000 tickets left for Denver - The Buffalo News
"It will be the third blackout - and the third straight - for the Bills."

Gailey on Spiller's workload - The Buffalo News
"He really didn’t play the whole first half, the whole two-thirds of the season. I don’t want to put 25-30 carries on him right now. At some point, he may get 25-30 carries, but if he’s going to be involved in the passing game, he’s going to touch it 15-20 times and that’s what he needs to do. We need to try to make sure he touches it in some way, shape or form 20 times a game. That’s what you hope to have from a guy like that."

Bills rank third in NFL injury toll - The Buffalo News
"The Bills have lost 71 games to injury by players who opened the season in the starting lineup or were scheduled to open the season in the starting lineup but were lost during preseason. Carolina is first on the list, with 86 starts lost to injury through 14 games of the NFL season, according to a review of rosters by The News. St. Louis is second at 85 games lost to injury."

Bills' Gailey Won't Discuss Evaluation Of DC Edwards - WGR 550
"This not the time to discuss all of that," Gailey said. "We’re all doing the very best that we can, trying to put guys in position to be successful, everybody, in all three phases, that’s all we’re trying to do is be the best we can and try to win this game and the next one. That’s the goal, that’s the only thought right now."

Fitzpatrick Not Worried About Bills Possibly Drafting QB - WGR 550
"But the thing I can control right now is me playing better. It's something I have to do, it's through practice, its through the communication with the guys in the film room and just going out there and doing it. For me my main focus and the thing I've learned since I've been in the NFL is you have to be able to put all your thought into what you can control."

Tebowmania Storming Towards Buffalo - WGR 550
"Well I guess we can start off by saying that you'll never see a team play harder than we will for the rest of the season... I'm just kidding. This is Tebow time, huh?"

Should Chan Gailey be the Buffalo Bills' coach? | Democrat and Chronicle
"But where Gailey really is losing me is his insistence that Ryan Fitzpatrick is this team's quarterback of the future and throwing cold water on the notion that the Bills shouldn't waste their 2012 first-round draft pick on a quarterback (for example, Heisman Trophy-winner Robert Griffin III, who would be an upgrade at the position, a drawing card and a reason to think the Bills might make the playoffs again)."

Bills' David Nelson, Broncos' Tim Tebow are good friends | Democrat and Chronicle
"A lot of times in college you'll have teammates and friends, but then you also have some guys on each team that you're really close with," Nelson said Tuesday as a crush of reporters surrounded him at his locker stall. "Tim was one of those guys I was really close with and spent a lot of time with. We developed a relationship to where we know that (even if) we're not playing together, we still keep in touch and still try to stay connected."

Ryan Fitzpatrick shrugs off possibility of Buffalo Bills drafting a QB | Democrat and Chronicle
"Whether Gailey was blowing smoke is a matter of speculation, but given the way his starting quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, has played the last two months, it's a legitimate question."

Sanchez-Fitz-Moore Watch - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"The race for the No. 2 quarterback in the AFC East is heating up." I think it's cooling off. They all stink.

AFC East Stock Watch - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Look at that. The Bills got a riser this week in C.J. Spiller, while their third down defense is falling. Reggie Bush is also a riser after his career day against Buffalo.

NFL Power Rankings: AFC East - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"The Bills continue to drop after their seventh consecutive loss. The defense hasn't stopped anyone in weeks and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been too streaky and inconsistent to lift his team. Buffalo needs to take a hard look at its roster in the offseason. The defense needs a major overhaul, but the offense also needs several pieces. Until then, Buffalo needs to try to win at least one of these next two games to help with confidence."

Bringing back Stevie Johnson should be no-brainer - Hornell Evening Tribune
"Johnson has proven his worth, building on last season’s breakout year with a solid 2011 campaign. Johnson leads the club with 68 receptions for 872 yards and six scores, all while being the focus of opposing pass defenses after Lee Evans was dealt away."

Fitzpatrick hasn't justified contract extension - CBSSports.com
"In the last week of October, when the Bills were about to get to 5-2 with a dominating 23-0 win over Washington, Fitzpatrick signed a contract extension for six years worth a potential $59 million, about $24 million of that guaranteed. Since the ink dried, the Bills won that game in Toronto over the Redskins, and they have lost their next seven, and Fitzpatrick has been simply horrific."

ProFootballWeekly.com - Fitzpatrick, 'D' send Bills back to last place
Pro Football Weekly looks at some of the numbers to try and see why Buffalo has lost their last seven after a great first seven.

Broncos Vs. Bills: Denver Out For Rebound After Loss To New England - SB Nation Denver
"The Denver Broncos visit the Buffalo Bills on Christmas Eve in hopes of picking up a win and moving closer to an AFC West title." Visit the SB Nation story stream for updates all week.

Marcell Dareus Injury: Bills DT Has No Update On Hand Injury - SB Nation Denver
"Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus left Sunday's game with a hand or wrist injury. Will he be ready to play against the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve?"