Archives for September 2001

‘"If he gets a little excited, he’ll get out of the pocket and scramble on you and hurt you that way," said Smith. "You do get a little excited when he holds the ball, but you have to be conscious of getting overaggressive and he takes it up the field and the defensive backs are running downfield and he’s getting a big gain on you. You can’t let him sit there and pick you apart. If you get some pressure and get in his face and disrupt his throws, you can get some interceptions and knockdowns."’

‘For Donahoe, who started in the Steelers’ organization in the 1960s as the team’s ball boy, this game has to conjure bittersweet feelings. Donahoe’s tenure with the Steelers ended in January 2000 when it was determined that his relationship with Cowher had deteriorated to a point that owners Dan and Art Rooney II felt they had to decide which one must go.’

‘If Fina and Jennings can’t go or are limited, rookie Marques Sullivan, who has been working at right tackle, will see time at tackle.’

‘If the Buffalo Bills continue to flounder, Buffalo television viewers will be suffering through more than just the losses. They also will suffer through some games in which CBS doesn’t appear to be trying its hardest to provide quality telecasts. During the Indianapolis Colts’ 42-26 demolition of the Bills on Sunday, CBS didn’t use the technology that helps viewers see where teams have to go to make first downs. In the Bills’ opener two weeks earlier against the Saints, Fox also didn’t use the technology.’

‘Fans heading to the Bills game Sunday on the westbound New York State Thruway are being asked to consider alternate routes to the stadium, Erie County Sheriff Patrick M. Gallivan announced Friday.’

‘The education of Marvell Smith in advanced offensive tackle play took additional steps the past three weeks. Russ Grimm, his coach, did everything but paint the proper foot placements on the practice field for Smith.’

‘The 40,000-square-foot hall contains a food court, lockers used by Steelers Hall of Fame players, and jerseys and other artifacts from both Steelers and Pitt football history. It also has banners, murals and 20-foot-high reproductions of the Steelers’ four Super Bowl trophies.’

‘The Buffalo Bills are advising their many Canadian fans to arrive on this side of the border tonight if they plan to attend the game tomorrow because of the long delays at border crossings.’

‘Opposing Bailey will be John Fina, a 10-year veteran, a former No. 1 pick and a player with 120 NFL starts on his resume. "If you look at it from a fan’s standpoint, which I was just a year ago, yeah, you’re thinking … ‘That’s Tony Boselli,’ " Bailey said of his debut. "Once you start playing, you don’t think about that at all, you’ve got to play ball. I’m a defensive end, and he’s an offensive lineman. That’s as far as it goes."’

‘Tomorrow, Donahoe’s old team and old nemesis come to Buffalo, and Donahoe is doing his best to downplay the game. "The game has nothing to do with me and Bill Cowher, it has to do with the two teams on the field," he said. But he did admit, "Obviously anytime you’ve worked somewhere and were raised in a city, the game has a little extra meaning for you, I’m not going to deny that."’

‘Remember Johnson’s diving touchdown to beat Kansas City last season, a play that was termed his "defining" moment? Turns out it was a moment frozen in time. Since then, Johnson has lost the last six games he has started, including this season’s ugly losses to the Saints and Colts. During that stretch, he has thrown three touchdown passes vs. eight interceptions, been sacked 29 times, suffered a half-dozen injuries and gone through more ice than Barry Bonds has baseballs.’

‘"No way am I 100 percent," Moulds said. "But I’m going to go out there and play because I only know one way to play, and that’s play hard and play physical."’

‘The Stillers will go into Buffalo and show they are READY TO DO SOME DAMAGE in the AFC. The Bus rolls on for a 120 yards and 2 TDs while the defense BATTERS Rob Johnson into submission. Stillers win 26-14 and (finally) head to their new home base to battle the, ahem, 1st place Bungles.’

‘It was bad enough that the Steelers have had to live with a loss the past three weeks, but they had to live with, for all intents and purposes, a bad loss.’

‘Williams’ Titans defenses did a great job against Bettis, holding him to an average of 46 yards in seven games. "He’s a downhill, off-tackle runner," Williams said. "Jerome is a guy who’s really strong at the point of attack, and he gets stronger as the game gets on." Bettis disputes that. He said it’s more of a case that defenders get weaker from him pounding on them all day.’