Win Was Emotional: Coach Mularkey said today's win was long overdue and it was an emotional triumph. He was happy for the players because of all the effort they have put in, and it was finally rewarded. They won because they did a lot of things in this game that they haven't done all year. Specifically, they overcame adversity and didn't get down on themselves if something went wrong. He thought Kelly Holcomb hit some big throws, especially on third downs. He made the plays when he had to and that was key, especially late in the game. The onside kick and the reverse was an attempt to leave it all on the field. The kickoff return for a touchdown was huge and way overdue as well. Nobody in the locker room questioned themselves and if there was a glimmer of doubt that was hopefully answered with the win.
A Complete Effort: The Bills put on their most complete effort of the season in defeated the Bengals 37-27 today. What made it so shocking is that they were 13½ underdogs and did not cave when hit with adversity like they have most of the season. The special teams came up huge, the offense made a bundle of plays, and the defense actually made stops in the red zone. They all grade out well this week. Gameday Grades
Bills Shock Bengals 37-27: In a game that was reminiscent of last year, the Bills used a kickoff return and an interception return for touchdowns by Terrence McGee to shock the Bengals 37-27 and pull off what can only be described as a Christmas and Hanukkah miracle. The win hurts the Bengals' chances at a first round bye for the playoffs. Kelly Holcomb had a superb day passing, becoming just the first Bill in 44 games to throw for over 300 yards. He finished 24 for 31 for 308 yards and a touchdown pass along with his first career touchdown run. Complete Review
No New Injuries Apparent: The Bills apparently escaped Cincinnati with a win and without any new injuries. Chris Kelsay and Troy Vincent appeared to get banged up at some point but did return. Injury Page
Williams Leads Inactives: Mike Williams leads the list of inactive players with his chest muscle injury. J.P. Losman is the number two quarterback making Shane Matthews the emergency third string QB. The other inactive players are: George Wilson, Jonathan Smith, Liam Ezekiel, Lionel Gates, Rashad Baker and Justin Geisinger.
Showers Possible: It will be fairly warm for a late December game in Cincinnati with chance of showers. The game time temperature will be 44° with a high temperature around 46°. There is a 40% chance of a few showers during the game with winds out of the south at 9mph.
Friday December 23, 2005
Williams Ruled Out: The Bills have ruled Mike Williams out of tomorrow's game in Cincinnati. The troublesome muscle strain isn't any better. Tests this week pinpointed that it is under his right arm. Injury Page
Looking Ahead: With the season pretty much gone, it's a good time to look ahead to impending free agency. The Bills have 10 unrestricted free agents, four restricted free agents, and five exclusive rights free agents. The biggest name on the list is Nate Clements who will likely leave for "greener" pastures. On our front office page we've updated the list and what we think the Bills will do about each player. 2006 Free Agents
Game Time Decision On #2 QB: Mike Williams did not practice again yesterday and will likely miss his fourth straight game with a muscle pull in the chest. It is becoming increasingly obvious that Williams may have played his last game as a Bill over a month ago. Coach Mularkey also said yesterday that he will wait until game time before deciding whether or not J.P. Losman will be the number two quarterback on Saturday. This is a backtrack of sorts when Mularkey said on Tuesday he expected Losman to fill that role. Injury Page
Thursday December 22, 2005
Neufeld On IR: The Bills have placed Ryan Neufeld on injured reserve ending his season. He injured his knee against Denver and it was determined he wouldn't be available the final two weeks. His spot has been taken by practice squad TE Brad Cieslak. Front Office Page
Holcomb Gets Nod: Coach Mularkey said yesterday that Kelly Holcomb will indeed start on Saturday against the Bengals. That is despite the fact J.P. Losman looked good throwing the football in practice on Wednesday. The coach said he'd feel more comfortable going to his young quarterback if he had a full week of practice and was totally healthy. In other injury news, the strained chest muscle on Mike Williams isn't getting any better and he has been re-evaluated. They may know more today. Injury Page
Bills Add Practice Squad Player: The Bills added defensive tackle Eric Powell to the practice squad. They had an open spot after elevating Dylan McFarland last week. Powell played in NFL Europe the past two years and had been with the Packers in 2003.
Wednesday December 21, 2005
Moorman Thrilled: Brian Moorman said he can't stop smiling about being named to the Pro Bowl team. He said he's thrilled for himself and the entire punt team. His selection is a testament to the whole unit as they have had his back the whole year and he owes them a lot. It has always been a goal of his and now he's reached it. It's tough punting in Buffalo and he feels around the league punters are starting to get respect for kicking outdoors in cold weather cities. He feels he's come a long way from the first year when he was almost run out of town after a bad season. He thanks Tom Donahoe and Gregg Williams for having confidence in him to stay after that season. He also feels blessed by his two special teams coaches in Buffalo, Danny Smith and Bobby April. His main goal is to finish the season as the number one punter in the league and for the special teams to be the number one unit in the league. He plans on doing something for the whole punting unit but doesn't know what yet.
Moorman Pro Bowl Bound: After being shunned last year, Brian Moorman was named to his first pro bowl team today. He was the lone Bill selected for the squad but five others are alternates and can go if there are injuries at their positions. Terrence McGee is an alternate as the return man and it is surprising that he wasn't selected outright to his second pro bowl berth. Other alternates are: Willis McGahee, Nate Clements, London Fletcher, and Sam Adams. It is a shock that Adams is even an alternate considering he hasn't played that much the second half of the season. Fletcher once again got left off despite the fact that he is second in the league in tackles. Clements is an alternate despite a very sub par season.
Christmas Miracle? With the Bills just trying to get the season over with and the Bengals battling for a first round playoff bye, it may take a Christmas (Eve) miracle to pull off a monumental upset in Cincinnati. The only hope is a huge letdown by a team that clinched their first division title since 1990 last week. Complete Preview
Tuesday December 20, 2005
Team Needs To Be Focused: Kelly Holcomb talked to the media about possibly making his 7th start of the season on Saturday. He said he thinks he'll start until J.P. Losman is well. Holcomb took the starting snaps in practice today. He said he doesn't know what happens in the red zone after the first drive, they just make mistakes. When they get into third and long situations it is hard to find people because defenses will drop up to nine players. The answer is to remain focused and disciplined for 60 minutes, that is what the good teams do. The NFL is about winning and the way they have played is tough on everyone in the locker room. He thinks Coach Mularkey has done an excellent job in staying positive and getting good practices but for some reason they aren't carrying it over to gamedays.
Mularkey Disappointed: Coach Mularkey spoke about this week's tough matchup in Cincinnati. He knows they have had an outstanding year, from start to finish they have played outstanding football. The defense is complimenting the offense thanks to an outstanding turnover ration. He said he'd like to get Willis McGahee going but they won't force feed anything. They will do whatever it takes to win. The coach admits he's frustrated by the season but if anything, he pushes harder because he's driven by winning. They need greater focus and not have a letdown regardless of their record. He expects something good to come from this bad season and they will continue to work and play hard. The game is an emotional roller coaster and winning or losing is a grind on the person and the body. He still has the energy he's had all year and it will hit him after the season but it hasn't taken a toll on him right now. He summed up the season in one word: disappointing.
Holcomb Likely To Start: J.P. Losman took part in individual drills in practice today adding to the possibility that he will start Christmas Eve's game against Cincinnati. Coach Mularkey said he threw the ball well in limited work and will give Losman another day to see how he feels. Right now however he is thinking he will start Kelly Holcomb at quarterback. Losman can use all the work he can get as the Bills try to develop him for next season. The coach said the main reason he would go with Kelly is because Losman has some soreness still and they want to be smart about it and he has not had much practice time. His gut instinct tells him to start Holcomb and make Losman the number two man. He did leave the door open slightly for that to change if Losman's soreness goes away.
Neufeld To IR? The Bills have listed Ryan Neufeld as out for Saturday's game and the coach plans on making a decision on Thursday as to whether or not put him on injured reserve. He may elect to do that if he doesn't feel Neufeld will not be ready to play in the finale against the Jets so he can give another player on the practice squad a shot at came action. The only other Bill listed on the injury report is Mike Williams. He remains questionable with his chest injury and did not practice today. Injury Page
Monday December 19 2005
Players Defend Coaches: The players stood up and took responsibility for the Bills pathetic 4-10 record. They say they play the games and it isn't the coaches fault that they keep losing. London Fletcher said that Jerry Gray's gameplan for Denver put them in position to succeed they just didn't execute it. Sam Adams has had his troubles with Coach Mularkey but said it isn't his fault, since he isn't playing the games.
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McGee Shines: Terrence McGee couldn't describe the feeling that he finally got into the end zone on a kickoff return. The guys up front have been doing a great job all year but they finally got it done. He didn't think he would ever get into the end zone this year, he was just trying to get good position for the offense but when he bounced outside he got a good block and was gone. On the interception, he took a gamble when he was supposed to be playing back more, it paid off as he made the play. He feels like the chips finally fell their way and that was the difference in this game.