ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Observed in the locker room after the Buffalo Bills' 24-23 win over the Carolina Panthers:
Marrone emotional: Head coach Doug Marrone was emotional after the game, speaking about the death of former Syracuse athletics administrator Rob Edson, who suffered a heart attack Saturday at age 45. "He would always come in after the game and cheer me up and pick me up," Marrone said, in tears. "I know that Rob was watching. I couldn't stop thinking about him at the end." Edson was the athletic director at Onondaga Community College, and his wife, Sue, remains the assistant director of athletic communications at Syracuse, where Marrone coached and played.
Hackett celebrates: Immediately after the game ended, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's victory celebration spilled out of the Bills' coaches box and into the press box, on his way to the locker room. Hackett, whom CEO Russ Brandon called "the Energizer bunny" in a radio interview last week, yelled "That's what I'm talking about! It's a new age, baby!" That sort of excitement, it seems, is par for the course for Hackett, at 33 the NFL's second-youngest offensive coordinator.
Winning atmosphere: After a close loss to the Patriots last week, there was a sense of redemption evident in the locker room following Sunday's win. "The character of our team is showing when faced with adversity," fullback Frank Summers said. "As long as there was time on the clock, we played. We all believed."