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Bills Lose Second Straight
Losman Not Happy With His Play: J.P. Losman said he's unhappy with his play this year, he isn't where he wants to be. The plays were there, the run game was there, they just didn't connect with the deep ball. He needs to trust what he sees and put the ball where it needs to be and not baby the ball. He feels the defense played well enough to win, they just didn't score touchdowns. He knows he didn't play well enough to put the team in position to win. Losman said the team knows how good they are but the product has not shown up on Sundays. He's frustrated, since the team is real good and they lost two games in a row that they could have won.
Defense not playing disciplined: Coach Mularkey said in his post mortem that the team tried to contain Michael Vick but he obviously made plays especially on third down as he avoided the one free guy "spying" him. On J.P. Losman, he said he will reserve judgement until he reviews the tape. He feels the defense is better against the run than they have shown the past two weeks. The big gashes for big plays have killed them because they haven't been in their spots and playing good disciplined defense. The Bills objective was to get the Falcons offense in third and long situations and they succeeded but they couldn't get off the field. On Willis McGahee, the coach knew he would respond this week and he made plays by moving the pile when the blocks weren't there. He got Duke Preston some reps at left guard in place of Chris Villarrial since they wanted to get him into the game. The coach said everyone is responsible for the poor start but he said it's just three games and the season is far from over. They will come in tomorrow and look ahead, not back.
Spikes Loss Devastating: Jeff Posey said Spikes means a lot to the defense as player and as a presence of the field. He said the whole defense will have to step up to overcome the loss. Troy Vincent spoke to the media after the game and said if Takeo Spikes is lost for a long period of time it would be devastating. He called Spikes the pulse of the team. Vincent also said that the offense and defense played well enough to win but the defense let the team down.
Plenty Of Blame In Latest Loss: There was plenty of blame to go around in the Bills latest loss. It was a carbon copy of the loss last week. The offense struggled while the very overrated defense couldn't stop anyone, especially on third downs. The only difference was the solid play of Willis McGahee. He is one of only a few players that gets a good grade this week. Gameday Grades.
Falcons Beat Bills 24-16: The Bills defense couldn't get off the field on third downs while the offense struggled to punch it in the end zone as the Bills fell to 1-2 with a 24-16 loss to the Falcons. The defense struggled for a second week in a row as they couldn't shutdown the Falcons running game allowing 236 yards on the ground. The Falcons had 403 yards in total offense. J.P. Losman was horrible again as he was inaccurate in the air and couldn't get the job done. He threw for just 75 yards, threw an interception and lost a fumble in the fourth quarter. He also failed to pick up a first down on a fourth down sneak. Willis McGahee had a huge game but the team lost for the first time since in his career after gaining over 100 yards on the ground. He finished with 140 yards rushing. The offense moved the football early but were forced to settle for field goals on three of four scoring drives. Rian Lindell is now a perfect 9 for 9 on the season. Game Review.
Spikes Injured: Takeo Spikes injured his right achilles late in the second quarter today. He threw his helmet down in frustration and was helped off the field limping badly. He later took a cart to the locker room and did not return. His injury appears to be serious. He got hurt when he got tangled up with a Falcon. Angelo Crowell slid outside to replace him in the lineup. Terrence McGee also got banged up late in the half but he returned a play later. Coy Wire left the game with a quad muscle injury in the 2nd quarter. Daimon Shelton missed most of the fourth quarter for an unknown reason. London Fletcher and Lawyer Milloy did start and seemed to come through the game without any problems. Fletcher did take a few more plays off than usual as Angelo Crowell spelled him. As we reported earlier, Mike Williams was inactive with his sprained ankle. He was replaced by Greg Jerman in the starting lineup. Injury Page.
Mike Williams Among Inactives: The Bills have six of the same players inactive as they did last week. Inactive are: Tim Euhus, Lauvale Sape, Mike Williams, Roscoe Parrish, Justin Geisinger, Jim Leonhard, and Lionel Gates. Williams will not play because of a sprained ankle. Being on the inactive list allows the Bills to active WR George Wilson who was inactive last week.
Gameday Weather: It could be wet at Ralph Wilson Stadium today. There is a 30% chance of showers throughout the afternoon with a game time temperature of around 74°. J.P. Losman will get his first shot at Western New York winds as they will be out of the south southwest at 14mph.
Saturday September 24, 2005
Injuries A Factor: Tomorrow's game is a very important early season matchup for both teams. All eyes right now are on the injured players. We already know that Michael Vick will most likely play for Atlanta. The Bills have a trio of important players injured. Mike Williams is the one that is most likely to miss the game. That means Greg Jerman will likely get his second career NFL start. That may be something the Falcons can exploit in the pass rush and it may make it harder for Willis McGahee to run to the right. London Fletcher will likely play but if he can't go, then Angelo Crowell will get the nod. Crowell struggled in relief of Fletcher in Tampa but he said it was nerves. He expects himself to perform better this week if he plays. He better, or else there could be a lot of long runs up the middle. If Lawyer Milloy can't go, Rashad Baker and Coy Wire will split his duties. That could leave Falcons TE Agle Crumpler salivating as he could exploit that weakness as the primary receiving target for the Falcons.
Friday September 23, 2005
Injured Game Time Decisions: Coach Mularkey said today that the big injured three will all be game time decisions but it appears more likely that Lawyer Milloy and London Fletcher will play than Mike Williams. Milloy returned to practice today and reports say he looked good. Fletcher has vowed to play all week and has practiced on a limited basis the past two days. Williams missed practice all week and is still walking with a noticeable limp with his injured ankle. The coach told WGR that he's better today but it appears unlikely that he will play. Tim Euhus is practicing but may still be a week away while Takeo Spikes was given the day off. Injury Report.
Vick To Play: The Falcons have upgraded Michael Vick to probable, making it almost certain that he will play against the Bills. He injured his hamstring last week against Seattle. He returned to practice yesterday and was walking without a limp. Injury Report.
Saints Game Set: The NFL announced that next Sunday's game against the Saints in San Antonio will be at 1pm EST. This was the originally scheduled date and time for the game when it was going to be in New Orleans.
Thursday September 22, 2005
Game Sold Out: As expected, the game on Sunday is officially sold out. The blackout has been lifted and the game will be televised in Western New York. The Bills have sold out 17 of their last 18 home games.
Fletcher Practices: London Fletcher returned to practice today and took part in LB drills. This increases the likelihood that he will play on Sunday. Lawyer Milloy and Mike Williams watched the workout from the sidelines. Injury Report.
McGahee Strikes Back: Willis McGahee answered the criticism of his coach about not hitting the holes quickly enough. He said you have to put the game behind him and everyone is entitled to their opinion but he won't change his running style since it's a different story when you are out on the field. He admitted that he danced around the line of scrimmage sometimes. He knows that the pressure is on him to get it done or it will be a long day. He said he has to move the ball better this week against Atlanta.
Losman Takes It Straight Up: J.P. Losman realizes he needs a thicker skin and not get upset when he gets benched like he did against Tampa Bay. He said he plays better when he gets yelled at and likes when coaches tells him thinks straight. He knew he had opportunities last week that he didn't take advantage of despite not having a good running game. He admits to maybe getting to relaxed after the opening day win. He knows that every week is a new challenge and this one will be tough. He very rarely makes the same mistake twice and will learn from the mistakes he made Sunday. This week's game is a great opportunity to get back no track but it will be a tough battle since both teams are coming off of a loss.
Wednesday September 21, 2005
McGahee Learns From Bad Performance: The coach told the media today that he thinks the Falcons are a fast, aggressive, confident defense. The Falcons defense is similar to the Bills since they are a blue collar defense that plays with a high motor although they don't zone blitz too much. The coach was asked about his comments about Willis McGahee after the game Sunday. He felt he danced too much instead of hitting the hole. He showed McGahee on the films what he was talking about and said he saw a noticeable difference in practice today as he hit the hole quickly. The coach said he wasn't picking on McGahee at all, he was part of a larger problem, that nobody played well or coached well. On Michael Vick, said he brings multiple things to a game and will be a good test for the team. The coach called Eric Moulds, J.P. Losman's greatest supporter and said he's still a great talent, even if he's not the same player he was a few years ago. On the Falcons special teams, he said they are among the top in the league.
Milloy Had Thumb Surgery: Coach Mularkey said that he hopes that Lawyer Milloy will play despite missing practice with the thumb injury. The coach would not say if he broke his thumb but he did have surgery on it. He thinks that he may be able to play with a pad that is legal by the league. He did hurt it in the game against Tampa Bay but did not miss a play. If Milloy can't play both Rashad Baker and Coy Wire would take his place.
Euhus Upgraded: After practicing on a limited basis today, the Bills upgraded Tim Euhus to questionable from the original listing as doubtful. He got through the workout fine. Injury Report.
Spikes Expects Fletcher To Play: Takeo Spikes said that he fully expects London Fletcher to play on Sunday. If he doesn't, he says the team has full confidence in Angelo Crowell. He said he isn't thinking about losing on Sunday and they have a tough challenge this week in Michael Vick. He called him the most dangerous guy in the league to play against.
Three Held Out: Three players were held out of practice today and they are all listed as questionable on the injury report. Lawyer Milloy was the surprise of the group. Milloy was on the sidelines during today's session with a cast on his right thumb. No word yet on how he hurt it since he appeared fine after the loss in Tampa. The others on the sidelines today were London Fletcher and Mike Williams. Fletcher hurt his hamstring in the loss on Sunday but expects to play this week. Williams has an ankle injury and his status is uncertain. Tim Euhus meantime has been upgraded to doubtful this week. The Falcons have three players listed on their injury report all questionable including Michael Vick. Injury Report.
Bills Look To Bounce Back: This week is a pivotal week three matchup between two teams coming off their first loss of the season. The Bills vow to bounce back from a poor effort in Tampa while the Falcons lost to Seattle. The loser falls below .500, that is not what the Bills would call a fast start, something they have harped on all year long. So this is as important a week 3 game as there is for the Bills. Game Preview.
Tuesday September 20, 2005
Loss Not Unexpected: If you look at it realistically the egg the Bills laid in Tampa Bay is not unexpected. The one thing to expect from this year's version of the team is inconsistency. Tony Bogyo gives us his look at Sunday's loss. Complete Story.
Bills Inefficient In Passing Game: Coach Mularkey gave his day after post mortem to the press yesterday. After reviewing the film, he saw some throws that J.P. Losman missed and they have already addressed it. The bottom line from the loss was that they were inefficient throwing the football. They know teams will try to take away the run but they have to stay with it whether there are holes or not. On the QB switch in the fourth quarter, the coach said he wasn't trying to send a message, he was trying to get a spark because he thought they could still win. When it came down to the final drive he thought it was best to get Losman some more game experience so he put him back in. He thinks Losman is fine mentally after the bad loss. He told the coach that he won't make the same mistakes again. Mularkey called the loss a slap in the face and they look to gain some positives out of it.
Monday September 19, 2005
Losman Frustrated And Upset: J.P. Losman addressed the media the day after the debacle in Tampa. After watching the film, he saw that the Bucs did a great job in their scheme. He is very upset the way he played but he learned that he had some mixups and will learn from his mistakes and not make them again. It was very frustrating that they couldn't execute, especially in the second half after getting a score before halftime. He has stuff to work on and is extremely motivated to come back strong from the game that feels like he got punched in the mouth. There were still opportunities to make plays and they just couldn't execute. He has a growing level of confidence with Josh Reed who is winning his one on one matchups and making yards after the catch. He made all the right moves when he was the hot receiver. He said losing sucks and it will not be accepted by him or anyone else in the organization.
Fletcher Expects To Play: Calling himself a fast healer, London Fletcher told the media today he will play on Sunday despite suffering from a strained hamstring. He said the doctors expect tremendous improvement throughout the week. Coach Mularkey is also optimistic that Fletcher will play, he has never missed a game in his NFL career. He said he would rather have root canal then leave a game, it hurt a lot not to be able to play. He wanted to return to action yesterday but the coaches thought better of it. In other injury news, the team will re-evaluate the injured ankle of Mike Williams. He walked without much of a limp after the game but his status is still uncertain for Sunday's game. Injury Page.
Mularkey Hopes Team Learned Lesson: Coach Mularkey spoke to the media after the 19-3 loss to the Buccaneers yesterday and said it was a good lesson learned on how to prepare for a road game. The Bucs executed better than the Bills and were more physical in all three phases. The coach is glad it happened early and hope it is a wakeup call. They have to be consistent after a win since teams are prepared for them when they step on the field. He put Kelly Holcomb and Shaud Williams into the game for a series to try and get something going before it was too late. He knows that J.P. Losman struggled and was off the mark on his throws but he has to watch the film to see why. London Fletcher probably could have come back in the game after tweaking his hamstring but Mularkey did not want to risk it. They will further evaluate the injured ankle of Mike Williams today.
Humbling Experience: J.P. Losman told the media after yesterday's game that the Bucs defense is tough and didn't allow them many chances. They didn't take advantage of the few opportunities they had and they didn't because he was inaccurate with his throws. He was surprised the Bucs didn't blitz as much as he thought, when they did blitz he wasn't affected by it, but they weren't effective. On the safety, he tried to make the guy miss but he stepped out of the end zone, he called it a miscommunication between him and a receiver. The Bucs had a good game plan and they were able to read his eyes throughout the contest. He called it a humbling experience for the team since they came in flying high. They just didn't make the plays. Losman said he was upset that Kelly Holcomb replaced him for a series since it is his job. He does realize that he is young and the coaches made the best decision in the moment by going to Holcomb.
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