Archives for July 2002

‘"Some people are just natural-born leaders," Wilson said. "You could see that with Jim, and you can see that already with Drew. He’s a take-charge guy. He’s been through the football wars and the other players really respond to what he wants them to do."’

‘"This team is going to be a lot better with (Drew) Bledsoe. I didn’t like it when they released (Doug) Flutie and kept Rob Johnson. But I think this team is headed on the right track."’

‘”My gut feeling was telling me this is the place for me. It was going to be hard for other teams to outdo Buffalo in the direction I feel the organization is headed and the way the organization is run.”‘

‘The addition of Mike Williams allows the Bills to get right to work on finding the magic five that will start on the offensive line this year. "I feel good about how we are starting out with youth and experience and better athleticism, that’s a big thing," Gregg Williams said. "As you watch these guys pull and do things in the run game and in the screen game we think this gives us the chance to put the best five guys out there right now."’

‘"You have to have the mentality that you’re a starter," Riemersma said of his mindset. "But certainly at the opening of camp, you have to reprove yourself. I’ve always been one of those guys that took competition very seriously. And I take my job very seriously. And I think it’ll make us all better."’

‘"I get the sense that, yes, this is a fresh start and, yes, we have new expectations," Williams said. "And I know the coaches wouldn’t put me in there if they didn’t have the confidence in me. Hats off to them, because I appreciate the opportunity to step right in and make a difference."’

‘"Buffalo is a great football town," said Kelly, who still lives in the suburbs there. "People are very passionate about the team and support it as well as anywhere in the league. I can’t imagine playing anywhere else than in front of those fans every week."’

‘The event, Friday at the Canton Memorial Civic Center and Cultural Center for the Arts, is where the class of 2002 will receive its NFL Alumni gold jackets as members of the hall of fame.’

‘Bledsoe signs autographs for fans, answers questions with complete sentences and genuinely wants to be here. The same could not be said for Rob Johnson.’

‘”The first mini-camp, I didn’t really get it,” he recalled. “But when I came back, things started coming to me.”‘

UPDATE: Tight end Jay Riemersma was taken off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and began practicing today.

‘Terms of the deal were not immediately available, but the contract is sure to rival that of Eric Moulds, who last year signed a deal worth a little more than $40 million, largest in team history.’

‘If Gray is right, then the high expectations of Bills fans – created by the trade for Drew Bledsoe – just might be realized this season. If the expert analysts are right, and the Bills’ defense needs one more offseason of rebuilding, then the Bills probably are headed for a last-place finish in the AFC East.’

‘But at a time like this, it’s a relief to see the football season looming on the horizon, if only as a distraction from all the disconcerting news that’s swirling around us.’

‘Donahoe has given Williams the tools to field a markedly better team. The essential question for the Bills is whether he’s up to it.’