Buffalo Bills
"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 WR Stevie Johnson wants to practice today, but head coach Chan Gailey is keeping him sidelined to rest his nagging groin injury."
"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)."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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 thru practice, it?s through the communication with the guys in the film room and just going out there and doing it."
"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. His faith emerged, as always, but he didn't force-feed Christianity."
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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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?"
"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)."
"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."
"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."
Well look at that. The Bills got a riser this week in CJ Spiller while their third down defense is falling. Reggie Bush is also a riser after his career day against Buffalo.
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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 SBNation story stream for updates all week.
"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?"
Read More: Lee Evans (WR - BAL), Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB - BUF), Steve Johnson (WR - BUF), Tim Tebow (QB - DEN), David Nelson (WR - BUF), Marcell Dareus (DT - BUF), Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, Dec 24, 2011 1:
Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills News, 12/21 Dolphins 30, Bills 23: Top Five Defensive Plays 2012 NFL Draft Order: Buffalo Bills Climb Into Top Ten Dolphins 30, Bills 23: Good, Bad, Let's Not Overreact Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills News, 12/20 Ryan Fitzpatrick Is Now The NFL's Interception Leader Buffalo Bills' C.J. Spiller Gets No Favors From Chan Gailey Dolphins 30, Bills 23: Who Was Calling Buffalo's Defensive Plays? Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills News, 12/19 Dolphins 30, Bills 23: Buffalo Loses Seventh Straight Game SBNation.
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