Archives for November 26, 2003

‘Aiken appeared in five games for the Bills this season and caught five passes for 49 yards.’

‘”We’ve both committed football sins, so to speak,” said Buffalo defensive tackle Sam Adams. “Turn the ball over, not get enough turnovers, that kind of thing.”‘

‘The Giants have a world of talent on offense, but the team that was supposed to be very explosive this season has failed to produce as expected. From penalties and dropped passes to breakdowns on the offensive line and untimely injuries to RG Rich Seubert and TE Jeremy Shockey, the Giants’ offense has been hampered in one way or another all season long.’

‘”We finally got in the end zone a couple of times, but it just wasn’t enough,” said Bledsoe, who is 2-0 in his career against the Giants. “We just have to keep working at it. That is what we get paid to do. This is the ugly part of this business. When you don’t win it can get ugly. We come back and go to work and do everything we can to win next week. But this is the hard part of this business for sure.”‘

‘”We have to come out and win every week,” said Williams, who is feeling the heat in Buffalo. “That’s how we approach this week. That’s how we approach every week. Our guys battle, they play very hard and prepare hard.”‘

‘Aiken was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, two days after arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee.’

‘“He’s just sick,” coach Gregg Williams said. “We sent him home and we’ll see how he is tomorrow. He practiced the first part of practice. We just took a precautionary thing. There is a bug going around.”’

‘It is believed to be flu-like symptoms, so Bledsoe was not be added to the injury report. He was expected to return to work Thursday for the Bills’ Thanksgiving Day practice.’

‘The Bills lead the regular season series, 5-3, including a 2-0 advantage in Giants Stadium.’

‘”It’s a great thing just to be around the kids,” Mario Haggan said. “It’s much easier than going to practice because the kids and the people in the community love you. Continuing to play and being able to give back to the community is just one of the blessings that I receive from playing football.”‘

‘”It’s exciting, but it’s kind of nerve-racking, too, because you don’t want to let your team down,” said McGee, who was drafted in the fourth round last April. “With them putting me in the nickel it just gets me a little more comfortable with the defense. I’m actually getting my feet wet out there playing.”‘

‘Loyalty: We can still win one. Maybe.

Common Sense: Would you keep going to a restaurant that served lousy food? After a while, why punish yourself?’

‘The Bills, like the Patriots before them, are having trouble protecting the immobile Bledsoe, who often likes to hold onto the ball for an extra second or two to try to make a big play downfield. By the time the second half of the season rolls around, Bledsoe is probably too shellshocked to produce a decent quarterback rating and his team’s hopes for a championship slip away.’

‘"We are just not making things happen when we have opportunities," Fassel said Tuesday.’

”’At times I’ll be on the sideline and say, ‘Why don’t they run?”’ Winfield wrote in this week’s edition of Bills Digest, a weekly publication that’s partly controlled by the Bills. ”I don’t know how effective the bye-week self-scouting was for the offense. We’re still doing the same things that we did before that point. Perhaps, they’re too predictable.”’