Bills-Dolphins Preview 18NOV11

BILLS at the Dolphins this week and everything for the season is on the line......I still have faith in you guys......show the NFL you are a team to be feared!!!!

By Associated Press

Ryan Fitzpatrick says his Buffalo Bills have nothing to lose, though another defeat could put a serious dent in their playoff chances.
The Miami Dolphins have little chance of making the postseason, but they've finally started to play like a competitive team.
The Bills look to avoid a third straight loss while the host Dolphins go for their first three-game winning streak since 2008 on Sunday.
Buffalo (5-4) has stumbled since its 3-0 start and is tied for second in the AFC East, one game back of New England. If the Bills can't catch the Patriots, earning a wild-card spot could be even more difficult with Baltimore and Cincinnati at 6-3 and Tennessee at 5-4.
Buffalo didn't look like a playoff team Sunday, falling 44-7 at Dallas.
"We will regroup and continue to work to get better,'' coach Chan Gailey said. "But you have to go do it. Nobody's going to give you anything in this league.''
The Bills have to do something about an offense that has committed seven turnovers and scored 18 points in the last two games. Buffalo averaged 30.1 points in the first seven.
The defense has also come up short the last two weeks, giving up 433 yards to the Cowboys and 348 to the New York Jets in a 27-11 loss Nov. 6.
"We haven't shown up two weeks in a row. It's disheartening,'' said Fitzpatrick, who has completed 56.5 percent of his passes with two TDs and five INTs in two games since signing a $59 million, six-year contract.
Despite raised expectations for a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1999, the Bills quarterback seemingly prefers the role of underdog.
"Nobody expects anything out of us again,'' Fitzpatrick said. "We've got to play loose. We've got no pressure on us.''
That's definitely the case for the Dolphins (2-7), whose 0-7 start had them competing for nothing more than the right to pick first in next year's draft.
Miami, though, has rebounded nicely - and quieted the calls for coach Tony Sparano to be fired - with a 31-3 victory at Kansas City on Nov. 6 and a 20-9 win over Washington on Sunday that snapped a team-worst seven-game home skid.
"The first seven games we were kind of in disarray,'' said Reggie Bush, who rushed for two TDs on Sunday and is in the midst of the best three-game rushing stretch of his career with 242 yards. "We were trying to find our identity. The difference now is we're playing 60 minutes and finishing at the end of games.''
Miami has a 27-3 scoring edge in the second half of the last two games after getting outscored 92-51 following halftime in the first seven contests.
The Dolphins, who last won three straight during a five-game run Nov. 30-Dec. 28, 2008, haven't allowed a touchdown in the last eight quarters.
Miami, though, is only team in the East with a losing record.
"We've been worrying about one game at a time and not worrying about where we're going to be at the end of the season, the division, if we can make the playoffs or not,'' Bush said.
Buffalo won 17-14 in its last visit to Sun Life Stadium on Dec. 19 to eliminate Miami from the playoff race.
Fred Jackson ran for just 36 yards in that game, but the veteran arrives in Miami as the NFL's leading rusher with 917 yards. He is second in the league in yards from scrimmage per game with 145.4, though he hasn't reached the end zone in the last three contests.
The Dolphins are 10th in the league in run defense at 105.1 yards a contest, and running against them could be even more of a challenge for the Bills after center Eric Wood suffered a right knee injury last Sunday. He will be replaced by left guard Andy Levitre.
"We know we've got a lot to prove. There's still a lot of season left, and we have to go out and earn everything we get for the rest of the season," Jackson said. "We know that, and it's a challenge we're looking forward to.''
The Dolphins last won two straight at home Nov. 15 and Dec. 6, 2009.

Bills know there are problems to solve 14NOV11

I still have faith in the Bills, they are still my team as they have been for 40+ years, and I, like all their other fans, expect them to address the coaching and team performance issues that have plagued them the last two games and start winning again, starting with this Sunday's game in Miami. The one reason I think they can do this, after reading this article, is there is no finger pointing by any of the Bills players quoted. Just like when they were celebrating their wins earlier this season and there was no one player claiming responsibility for the win but all celebrated their victories as a team the players are also accepting responsibility for these losses as a team. That team attitude, team spirit, gives me hope for the Bills for the rest of their season.

After their loss to the Jets, the men in Buffalo’s locker room felt it was their own lackluster play that cost them an important division game at home two weeks ago. After their second consecutive lopsided defeat the feeling has changed to genuine concern. At 5-4 the margin for error for the Bills has been significantly reduced. Going on the road again this week to face a Miami team that’s finally on track with two straight victories has Buffalo’s players determined to find answers.
“Against the Jets we thought we just came out and just played flat,” said David Nelson. “Obviously, it’s an issue and it’s something we have to look at and compare the two games and get better from. In the past this year we’ve gotten better after a loss and this week we got worse. We have to re-evaluate what we were doing, come together as a team and move on.”
For the Bills offense the big play has been noticeably absent the past two weeks. In their first six games Buffalo had at least one play of 40 yards or more, and were routinely turning in 10-12 plays of 15 yards or more per outing. On Sunday Buffalo had just six plays of 15 yards or more with four coming in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. The Bills’ longest play from scrimmage was just 21 yards.
“It was definitely tough,” said Fred Jackson, who had two of those six plays. “It’s not the performance we wanted to put on myself included. They came out ready to play and they made plays. We didn’t, myself included. I didn’t make plays and that’s part of the game. We’ve got to look at it and learn from it.”
Head coach Chan Gailey believes the Bills can still move the ball on anyone and feels the execution has not been sharp enough of late. At the same time he made it plain that his team is not going to be playing after the regular season is through if the current level of play continues.
“I believe in the character of the football team and we will regroup and continue to work to get better,” said Gailey. “So my responsibility as the coach is to get our guys back to playing where we were playing earlier in the season. Right now we’re more of a pretender than a contender.”
Defensively, the problems are two-fold. The run defense has allowed runs to bounce outside for extra yardage and the pass rush has not generated enough pressure to disrupt opposing quarterbacks the past two weeks.
Mark Sanchez (20-28 passing) and Tony Romo (23-26) have combined for a completion percentage of almost 80 percent the past two weeks (79.6%) for 500 yards.
“Pressure, coverage, tackling, everything you do on defense needs to be better,” said Drayton Florence. “That sense of urgency throughout the whole game just wasn’t there. It was a must win game for them just like it was a must win game for us and they out-executed us in all phases and it showed.”
In the same breath Florence believes the defense can get back to what made them successful earlier this season, which were timely blitzes and takeaways.
“You’ve seen us beat good teams in this league,” he said. “I think you know we’re capable. You’ve just got to do it. Just because you come in capable doesn’t mean you’re going to win. They’re just as capable as we are and they made the plays and we didn’t. They whipped our (expletive). That’s the bottom line.”
What cropped up as a new issue Sunday were mental errors, something uncharacteristic of a Chan Gailey coached team. Buffalo only had three penalties Sunday, but it was the mental errors in terms of execution.
“We had a lot of mistakes (Sunday),” said Fitzpatrick. “It wasn’t just one guy. It was everybody. I’m the quarterback. You usually see my mistakes the most and I had a lot of them. Mentally we didn’t even play the game we usually do. We made too many mistakes.”
“People running wide open down the field, that can’t happen on this level or any level for that matter,” said Kelvin Sheppard. “It’s just a matter that we know it’s got to stop now point blank.”
The Bills believe they can get back to what helped them sprint out to a 4-1 start on both sides of the ball, and after their first pair of back-to-back defeats the sense of urgency is palpable in Buffalo’s locker room.
“Something has to be done," said Danny Batten. "We have to respond, rally and win some games. We have no choice. We have worked too hard to go 5-11. We know what that feels like. We have to rally, keep working, work harder, whatever it is.”
“If we want to have any thoughts of being what we planned on being, then it has to stop now,” said Sheppard. “Something has to change.”
“We have seven games left in the season,” said Bryan Scott. “It is make or break at this point. As a team we have a bunch of fighters. Our guys are resilient. A lot is just going to be said in these next few weeks. How do we respond to it?”

BILLS-GIANTS PREVIEW

BUFFALO BILLS!!!!! YOU MAKE US WANNA SHOUT!!!!!! They might be Giants but you are the BUFFALO BILLS!!!! 
Here's the game preview from the AP, and check out the interview video....
Rather than keep Perry Fewell as their coach after promoting him during the 2009 season, the Buffalo Bills gave the job to Chan Gailey.
No one is questioning that decision now.
Gailey and the Bills look to knock off an NFC East opponent for the second straight Sunday when they visit a New York Giants team being plagued by a struggling run defense with Fewell as coordinator.
Buffalo (4-1) is tied with New England and San Diego for the AFC's best record. The Bills, third in the league with 32.8 points per game, already have beaten the Patriots and knocked off Philadelphia 31-24 last Sunday at home.
"They have beaten the outstanding teams," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.
The Bills already have matched their win total from last season as they look for their first postseason berth since 1999.
"I expect us to win every time we walk out there, I don't care who we're playing or when we we're playing," Gailey said. "You expect to win. Everything you do, every practice rep that you take, every meeting minute that you spend is done with the idea that you're going to win. You're surprised when you lose, not when you win."
Gailey, though, is concerned about Fewell's familiarity with Buffalo after he spent four seasons there as defensive coordinator and served as interim coach for the final seven games of 2009.
"Well, he certainly knows a lot of the people that are on this team," Gailey said. "He knows what some of the strengths and weaknesses are of some of our players. I think that's probably a little bit of an advantage for him to be able to talk about personnel."
While Buffalo is impressive in numerous areas, its 138.2 rushing yards per game for the league's fourth-highest total could be the biggest factor against New York (3-2).
The Giants defense, with Fewell in his second season as coordinator, has allowed an average of 159.3 rushing yards over the last three weeks. Now Fewell's group will have to face Fred Jackson, the NFL's third-leading rusher with 96.0 yards per game.
"I don't know," Giants defensive captain Justin Tuck said. "A lot of times you look at the films and just shake your head as whatever the situation may be, we could have played it better or it's a combination of a lot of things."
Tuck has played two games this season because of neck and groin injuries, and it's uncertain whether he will return. The Giants have produced a league-high 18 sacks even with his limited availability.
The Bills have allowed a league-low four sacks, with Ryan Fitzpatrick producing 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Buffalo defense picked off four of Michael Vick's passes last week to bring its NFL-leading total to 12 - one more than it had all of last year.
"We're getting the breaks," linebacker Andra Davis said. "I don't really believe in luck. But whatever it is, we'll take it."
Eli Manning is fourth in the league with a 102.3 passer rating, but he was picked off three times in last Sunday's surprising 36-25 home loss to Seattle. Manning has five interceptions after throwing a league-high 25 a year ago.
"We have to make sure that we are careful with the ball," Manning said. "The receivers have to watch it all the way in and myself throwing it in the right spots, being accurate and making sure I am making the right reads."
The Giants' offense has been hampered by a rushing attack that is the league's fifth-worst in yards per game (83.8) and second-worst in yards per carry (3.2).
New York has averaged fewer than 3.0 yards per rushing attempt in back-to-back games for the first time since 2004.
"Of course, you are not going to control the ball unless you are running the ball and that would certainly help us," Coughlin said.
Backup running back Brandon Jacobs could miss a second straight game with a sprained left MCL, though he's averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.
The Giants' offensive line would be boosted if center David Baas returns from a neck injury and right guard Chris Snee comes back from a concussion.
Buffalo leads the series 6-5.

Underdog label just how Bills like it 13OKT11

SING ALONG NOW, YOU KNOW THE TUNE.....HEY BUFFALO BILLS, YOU'RE GIVING US THRILLS, GO BUFFALO BILLS!!!! 

They’ve used the term ‘misfits’ more than once in describing themselves. When you weren’t drafted, or you’ve bounced around the league a bit you tend to feel a bit unwanted. But the men in Buffalo’s locker room have used their collective history of being cast offs as fuel every Sunday. The will to prove the doubters wrong along with a healthy amount of what is still largely unrecognized talent is what has the Bills sitting atop the AFC East at 4-1.
Head coach Chan Gailey was asked how he feels his team responds when being cast as the underdog.
“We’re used to it,” Gailey deadpanned.
Truth be told, the Bills relish it.
“For us we’re the underdog every week in our minds because nobody wanted us or thought we could do anything this year,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick.
“That’s pretty much what we expect,” said Fred Jackson, who currently ranks third in the league in total yards from scrimmage. “Our opponents are usually the big name teams. They have a bunch of big names guys and that’s what the national media is focused on. We’ll continue to fly under the radar. As long as we get the opportunity to go out and stack wins we’ll get that (recognition) eventually. But right now we don’t have any problems flying under the radar.”
For the Bills flying under the radar has been easy because the degree of star power on the roster to those outside of Buffalo is limited. Eight starters on their offense are either a former seventh-round pick or undrafted free agent. As many as seven players that contribute each week on defense are small school products.
Though the Bills might still be seen by the national prognosticators as a lesser side against some of their big name opponents the view in Buffalo’s locker room is the polar opposite.
“We’ve got talent too,” said George Wilson. “We don’t back down from any challenge. We know we’ve played some talented teams, but we get turnovers and our guys stay poised and composed. We fight continuously.”
And the Bills have statistics besides victories to back that up. Their defense leads the league in takeaways. Their offense leads the league in red zone touchdown percentage and is the third-highest scoring team in football.
The local media has labeled the Bills the ‘no names.’ The players aren’t exactly thrilled with the moniker, but they aim to change it.
“I wouldn’t say we’re no names,” said Stevie Johnson, a former seventh-round pick. “We’re going to play our ball. We’re just guys that nobody really wanted.”
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” said Fitzpatrick, finally a starter with his third NFL club in his seventh season. “We’re trying to make a name for ourselves. We’re trying to make a name for our offense. We’re trying to make a name for our team. The only way you get respect in this league is to go out there and play. We’re trying to earn everybody’s respect by our play on the field.”
The team’s 4-1 start may have Buffalo’s loyal fans excited, but for the players their 0-8 start of a season ago is still burning inside them, driving them to do more with each passing week.
“That thought is still in the back of our minds and we had to sit with that 4-12 record for almost eight months,” said Wilson. “We couldn’t come back to work early to start working on the 2011 Buffalo Bills. We had to take that all through the spring and all through the summer. When we came back to training camp the first thing coach said to us was expect more of yourself, demand more of yourself and let’s be accountable. And that’s what you see in that locker room.”
Last season the Bills played the big name teams close, like Baltimore and Pittsburgh, two teams that ultimately beat them in overtime. This season they’re beating those kinds of teams with New England and Philadelphia the two latest examples.
“It’s alright to make mistakes as long as you learn from them,” said Wilson. “We learned from those mistakes a year ago.”
More importantly Buffalo’s collection of unrecognized or, as many of them see it, unwanted talent has melded together. The lack of recognition has only made them a tighter unit and the results on the field are obvious.
“I think we play well as a team,” said Fitzpatrick. “We feed off of each other offensively and defensively.  That’s what we are. We’re a team. We don’t have a lot of big name guys, a lot of national stars or anything like that but we play well together. I think that it says something about us.”
And if the wins keep piling up there will be a lot more to say about the 2011 Bills.
“It’s time for those past Buffalo Bill memories to fade away,” said Drayton Florence. “This is a new day and we’re out here playing good fundamental football. We’ve got the systems in place that work. Everybody outside of the locker room is calling us a surprise, but in this locker room this is what we expected.”

American Football Conference - 2011 Regular Season
AFC East Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Net Pts	TD	Home	Road	Div	Pct	Conf	Pct	Non-Conf	Streak	Last 5
Buffalo Bills	4	1	0	.800	164	120	44	20	3-0	1-1	1-0	1.000	3-1	.750	1-0	1W	4-1
New England Patriots	4	1	0	.800	165	119	46	20	2-0	2-1	2-1	.667	4-1	.800	0-0	2W	4-1
New York Jets	2	3	0	.400	121	125	-4	14	2-0	0-3	0-1	.000	1-3	.250	1-0	3L	2-3
Miami Dolphins	0	4	0	.000	69	104	-35	6	0-2	0-2	0-1	.000	0-4	.000	0-0	4L	0-4
AFC North Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Net Pts	TD	Home	Road	Div	Pct	Conf	Pct	Non-Conf	Streak	Last 5
Baltimore Ravens	3	1	0	.750	119	57	62	13	2-0	1-1	1-0	1.000	2-1	.667	1-0	2W	3-1
Cincinnati Bengals	3	2	0	.600	110	94	16	11	1-1	2-1	1-0	1.000	3-1	.750	0-1	2W	3-2
Pittsburgh Steelers	3	2	0	.600	102	89	13	12	2-0	1-2	0-1	.000	2-2	.500	1-0	1W	3-2
Cleveland Browns	2	2	0	.500	74	93	-19	8	1-2	1-0	0-1	.000	2-2	.500	0-0	1L	2-2
AFC South Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Net Pts	TD	Home	Road	Div	Pct	Conf	Pct	Non-Conf	Streak	Last 5
Houston Texans	3	2	0	.600	127	95	32	13	2-1	1-1	1-0	1.000	3-1	.750	0-1	1L	3-2
Tennessee Titans	3	2	0	.600	105	94	11	12	2-0	1-2	0-1	.000	3-2	.600	0-0	1L	3-2
Jacksonville Jaguars	1	4	0	.200	59	115	-56	5	1-2	0-2	1-0	1.000	1-2	.333	0-2	4L	1-4
Indianapolis Colts	0	5	0	.000	87	136	-49	9	0-3	0-2	0-1	.000	0-4	.000	0-1	5L	0-5
AFC West Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Net Pts	TD	Home	Road	Div	Pct	Conf	Pct	Non-Conf	Streak	Last 5
San Diego Chargers	4	1	0	.800	120	109	11	12	3-0	1-1	2-0	1.000	3-1	.750	1-0	3W	4-1
Oakland Raiders	3	2	0	.600	136	133	3	15	1-1	2-1	1-0	1.000	3-2	.600	0-0	1W	3-2
Kansas City Chiefs	2	3	0	.400	77	150	-73	8	1-1	1-2	0-1	.000	1-2	.333	1-1	2W	2-3
Denver Broncos	1	4	0	.200	105	140	-35	13	1-2	0-2	0-2	.000	1-3	.250	0-1	3L	1-4

Ivy League QB, Bills bond over blue-collar roots 27SEP11

COME on BILLS, make it 4-0!!!! 
Each Tuesday, NFL Network reporter Albert Breer will share his thoughts on topics around the NFL as teams transition from the previous Sunday's game to the next encounter on the schedule. Today, he begins with a look at a blue-collar worker from Harvard.
I've always thought the term "blue-collar work ethic" was a little silly. It implies those who labor in offices and boardrooms aren't capable of pulling long hours, grinding themselves to exhaustion, or have to go through adversity to succeed. That notion, of course, is ridiculous.
Exhibit A is now playing quarterback for the Bills.
Can you be blue-collar coming from Harvard, as Ryan Fitzpatrick does? If you follow the definition above, the answer has to be yes.
"That is a great question," Bills coach Chan Gailey said, laughing. "But if it's possible, he is. I would certainly put him in the blue-collar category. I don't know if Harvard can go in the blue-collar category. He is, though. He is blue-collar."
So, it seems, is Fitzpatrick's entire arsenal of skill position weapons. C.J. Spiller is the only one of the 12 backs, tight ends and receivers on the active roster who was drafted in the first three rounds. The lone fourth-rounder, tight end Scott Chandler (by San Diego in 2007), was claimed off waivers last December. Half the group was undrafted, including four of the five receivers on the list.
No, the quarterback didn't go to a place like Coe College (Fred Jackson) or even Youngstown State (Donald Jones). But Fitzpatrick's underdog roots, as a seventh-round pick from a place where football players become stock brokers and lawyers, make him a perfect fit for this ragtag bunch.
"That's definitely something we bond over, and I think it makes us appreciate the opportunity we've been given even a little bit more, because we're all so unheralded and had to work so hard to get where we are," Fitzpatrick told me. "All of that fits with this city, that blue-collar mentality. I enjoy playing with those guys so much. There's zero ego. That makes my job a lot easier. The guys that I work with, they're all in to win, they're not about individual statistics."
That's led to two more important stats -- 3-0 (the team's record) and 113 (the league-leading number of points the Bills have scored) -- which are impressive, no matter where you're from. And it answers the question, too. If you want to follow the definition of that well-worn colloquialism, blue-collar work ethic, then yes, a Harvard guy is capable of rolling up his sleeves and fitting the bill.
"I guess you can say that," Jackson said, laughing. "He epitomizes a blue-collar guy. I've never seen a guy work as hard as he has, to get to where he is now."
Fitzpatrick got a kick out of the idea, too. But he was sure to add, "You're from Harvard, they assume you're spoon-fed your whole life. I promise you, that wasn't my upbringing."
And that goes especially for the way he's made his bones in the NFL.