Archives for December 18, 2003

‘Takeo Spikes makes his first ever Pro Bowl. He said he was very emotional inside, but he wasn’t going to pull a Dick Vermeil.’

‘For Spikes, this is the recognition he was seeking when he signed with the Bills last March. In Cincinnati, Spikes led the Bengals in four of his five seasons but failed to earn a Pro Bowl selection because of the team’s poor record.’

‘Defensive tackles Pat Williams and Sam Adams along with punter Brian Moorman were selected as alternates.’

‘”I’m excited that my last home game is going to be against that team we all love to hate,” Miller said. “The Bills and Dolphins have played some great games over the years and they continue to be one of the NFL’s best rivalries.”‘

‘”We need to get focused and get ready to go and get after Buffalo this week. Play this thing out and see what happens,” said Wannstedt. “We were in a similar situation a year ago and we know what happened in the end against us. We’ve just got to keep our focus. We can’t worry about anyone else. We’ve just got to get ready for the next one, which is Buffalo.”‘

‘Williams is a free agent at the end of the season, as the three-year contract he signed in 2001 comes to an end. With the Bills out of the playoffs and playing out the string of a disappointing year, it’s a virtual foregone conclusion the Bills will not offer him a new contract.’

‘”We’re very proud of it,” Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe said. “You obviously have to take your hat off to the fans for their support. A lot of people in the organization have worked hard to do that, including the owner. In a couple of games where we were close and may not have made it, he bailed us out and gave us the opportunity to go eight for eight.”‘

‘The Bills need a young quarterback. What does the draft look like this year for quarterback talent?’

‘”We would hope that our players have a little more class and a little more concern about their team than doing something like that,” Donahoe said Wednesday. “We would look at that as a very selfish act and not even having spoken to Gregg (Williams) about it, I’m sure, as well as I know him, he would say the same thing.”‘

‘Miller will be featured on the cover of the collector’s edition game program and he will be honored during a ceremony at halftime.’

‘Henry has had a fine 2003 season but at least four AFC running backs are enjoying even better seasons (Jamal Lewis, Clinton Portis, Priest Holmes and LaDainian Tomlinson). Bledsoe and Moulds don’t merit finishing in the top half-dozen at their positions.’

‘McShay: “Jay Fiedler is fine when he’s healthy and can move, but when he’s dinged — and he’s dinged every year — his effectiveness really falls. He’s only effective when he’s on the move. That cuts his reads down to half the field. He has been great at times and they win, but you can’t win a championship with him.”’

”’If that happens, it would be a good story ending to the beginning of my career,” he said. “But I’m not really thinking about that.”’

‘Like the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium has an opening at one end that can funnel wind inside. Like they did against the Patriots, the Dolphins will be more conservative going that way if the wind is significant, coach Dave Wannstedt said.’

‘Though there would be a general sense of letdown if the Dolphins don’t make the playoffs, the good news is it would spare the bitterness and anger everyone felt during the most recent season-ending playoff losses to Baltimore, 20-3, to Oakland, 27-0, and to Jacksonville, 62-7.’