Archives for August 2002

‘The alarming part was the Bills’ running game. It was a mirror image, or worse, of 2001, when it ranked 22nd in a 31-team league. Travis Henry, the No. 1 ball carrier, averaged less than 2 yards a carry. On his two carries, Shawn Bryson showed that it might not be such a hot idea to trade him. Henry’s blockers, to be accurate, were not knocking defenders off the line of scrimmage.’

‘That’s why, of Buffalo’s 22 plays during the three series while Bledsoe was on the field Friday night against Cincinnati at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Bledsoe threw 11 times.’

”’We understand if Drew can get some time he’ll have some weapons on the field,” said Donahoe. ”He’s already clicking with some of the receivers and [fullback] Larry Centers and our tight ends. When it all comes together, it’s going to be fun to watch. But we need to be patient and let [coach] Gregg[ Williams] bring the team along. We can’t get too ahead of ourselves. We want to see progress. We have some new players and we have to be patient as they blend in with the rest of our team.”’

‘What Cappeletti did then and what Kelly did almost 30 years later served to remind the sports-loving public something they should already know – battles on the field of sports are meaningless when compared to the battle too many of us are forced to wage simply to continue living.’

‘"We know we have to score points, and we know we have a great quarterback who’s smart and proven," said Moulds. "When that happens the confidence level goes up at ever position."’

‘The Bills’ marketing department couldn’t have asked for a better opening-night performance from their new franchise quarterback, or from their revitalized offense.’

‘"Obviously, it’s the first preseason game so you can’t tell all that much," Fletcher said. "I won’t draw any conclusions, but we have a long ways to go. We did do some good things, but there’s a lot to work on."’

‘The starters played fairly well for the most part. Bledsoe had mostly good protection on his 11 throws and left the game in one piece. The run blocking still needs work, as expected. Although the running backs had a few good gains, the Bills finished with just 50 yards on 15 attempts.’

‘During the regular season, most campers arrive on Thursday – Wednesday for more important games – and stay until Monday. The extra time allows fans to ponder the finer points of Bills football.’

‘If memory serves me, this multimillionaire hid behind bankruptcy laws to shaft people he owed money when his restaurant closed.’

Action photos of Eric Moulds, Drew Bledsoe, Price, Reed and others

‘For the record, the Cincinatti Bengals defeated the Buffalo Bills in friday night’s preseason contest by the score of 24-17, scoring 17 unanswered points in the second half. However, I don’t think you’ll find a soul in Buffalo who realy cares.’

‘There weren’t a lot of other positives for the Bills on this warm summer night, especially during a dreadful second half when the Bengals possessed the ball nearly 23 of the final 30 minutes.’

‘As Bledsoe trotted off the field, his Buffalo "rookie" jitters behind him, he was serenaded to a sound that could become habit this fall, "Drewwww!" "Drewwww!" "Drewwww!"’

‘The Buffalo Bills are talking a good game regarding stopping the run this season. That can’t be bad because having confidence is a positive first step in the pursuit of any goal.’