Archives for December 4, 2002

Orchard Park, NY – The Bills today announced that the team has added defensive tackle Richard Seals to it practice squad. Seals (6-3, 305) was drafted by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 2000 Draft out of Utah. After being released by the Jets at the end of the preseason he then spent part of the 2000 season on Jacksonville’s practice squad. To make room for Seals…

‘So while Belichick will obviously be preparing for Bledsoe as a key Bills weapon, that is not the story of the game. Patriots and Bills matchups are always exciting affairs, and with both teams still clinging to playoff hopes the real story will unfold between the first and last whistle. Bledsoe Bowl II talk makes for enjoyable fodder, but a competitive matchup is even better.’

‘Left end Kendrick Office is questionable for the Patriots game with a sprained wrist. He’s the only Bill on the injury list. The unfortunate part is that Office was just getting comfortable, having battled a number of injuries since early training camp.’

‘"There’s no question when you put something new in, you have to make sure the players A) have to be able to adjust to it, and B) that they’re physically capable of being able to do what you want them to do. A lot of times you get into practice and find it’s going to be either harder than you thought or easier than you thought. You listen to the players’ feedback."’

‘On the other hand, Williams seems to be prepared to ride his 46 mutant all the way to the unemployment line.’

The Bills went 11-5 during Brammer’s first season and won their division for the first time since 1966. It was also the first time in six years that they were in the playoffs. Some of Buffalo’s fans were ‘Talkin’ Proud’ and supporting the team Sunday afternoons at Rich Stadium and early Monday mornings at the airport.

Despite the fact he lives in Illinois, Beebe has made several trips back to Buffalo since his playing days. He quickly adds that coming back to visit isn't always easy; he finds it difficult to just sit back and watch.

Kendrick Office (wrist), questionable.

The Bills & Patriots will be meeting for the 85th time ever in the regular season. The Patriots hold a 44-39-1 overall series lead. The 39 wins against NE mark the second-highest total by the Bills against any team (NY Jets – 47). Six of the last nine games have been decided by 4 points or fewer (5 of 8 by three points) and four of the last six meetings have gone into OT.

‘A team source said the Chargers brought in for a workout veteran lineman Shawn Price, who is currently out of football after being released by the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 5. He could be signed as soon as today, pending the result of a physical.’

”’We know what’s in front of us there,” Belichick said, ”but the main thing that’s on our minds now is preparing for Buffalo. We know what happened the last time we played them (a 38-7 Patriots laugher in Orchard Park, N.Y., Nov. 3). I’m sure they’ll make some adjustments. This game will have some different dynamics to it, like it always does when you play a team a second time. It’s never the same, so it’ll be different on our end, I’m sure it’ll be different on their end.”’

‘When Travis Henry reached 1,000 yards rushing last Sunday, no one in Ralph Wilson Stadium was more gratified than Buffalo Bills running backs coach Steve Fairchild.’

‘Would you rather spend Christmas sweating on a beach, or watching a blanket of snow fall in the moonlight on the roof of a hundred-year-old Victorian? That’s why it was a happy coincidence that the Dolphins were in town the day the season’s first storm hit. Around here, it doesn’t get much better than that.’

‘The Patriots beat the Bills in Buffalo not because they beat Bledsoe but because Tom Brady beat up Buffalo’s shoddy defense the way Mike Tyson beats up sparring partners. The same holds true in nearly all of Buffalo’s defeats.’

”’The guys on the team joke with me, telling me that I’m slippery,” said Henry, the latest in a recent line of University of Tennessee runners (Jamal Lewis, James Stewart) to hit the ground running in the NFL. ”So I guess I am slippery. I’m used to breaking tackles. That’s my forte to running. The offensive line blocked well, and I just hit the holes and made something happen.”’