Archives for December 2003

‘That said, if you mentioned Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey as a candidate to become the next Bills’ head coach, I wouldn’t laugh at you.’

‘“He’s got a little less swelling in the ankle joint than he did yesterday,” coach Jeff Fisher said after practice Friday. “And that’s the key right now, to get the swelling out of there because there’s so much swelling and bleeding in the joint, it’s not operating.”’

‘Williams said Willis McGahee once again practiced with the offense this week. Last week the head coach said he’d consider using McGahee for the first time all season. He didn’t play on Sunday. This week Williams said, “I wouldn’t go out on a limb and say that he’ll play.”‘

‘Wide receiver Eric Moulds will be shown giving a tour of his home on “NFL Under the Helmet” Saturday morning at 12 noon ET on FOX in the Buffalo area.’

‘Q: Watching football as a kid, what was your “team” that you always tried to watch and wanted to play? Did you expect to be playing for the Buffalo Bills today? – Alex (Olean, NY) TH: The Buffalo Bills were my team. I watched them through the Super Bowl runs. A particular player I admired growing up was Emmit Smith, but the Buffalo Bills were my team.’

‘On Drew Bledsoe: Your rush approach is a little different when you’ve got a quarterback who is not as likely to take off and run or break contain and throw on the run. He could still move around. He’s a pocket passer and a very good one and he’s been making good decisions as of late. His success has been tied to the running game the last three or four weeks.’

‘Williams added that rookie running back Willis McGahee is unlikely to make his NFL debut against Tennessee.’

‘”We’ve got some good offensive teams we are going to play against coming down the stretch but our defense has done a very good job again this past week of not allowing a touchdown against a team with really one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league throwing touchdown passes,” head coach Gregg Williams said. “That speaks volumes for our defensive pride. We’re not allowing big plays. That’s making the opponents’ offense earn everything.”‘

‘”It’s not about me or Dave or Ryan or how many balls we catch,” said Campbell, who leads the tight ends with 25 catches but has been shut out the last three games. “We just want to contribute in any way we can. It’s about team success.”‘

‘”I think you have to give credit where it’s due, but I think a lot of tackles that go against him psyche themselves out before the game even starts,” Sullivan said. “When you play a guy like that, you have to focus on your own technique. Of course, he has the great speed and long arms. But you have to worry about what you have to do. I just have to prepare myself physically and mentally, and then let my ability take care of the rest.”‘

‘This year, playing for a markedly improved defense, Fletcher won’t approach those gaudy tackle numbers, but he still has a team-leading 132 through 13 games.’

‘”A little bit, I can’t lie,” said Kearse when asked if thought about joining Williams in Buffalo.’

‘Bills Coach Gregg Williams was defensive coordinator for the Titans at the time of the controversial play (the Bills contended Wycheck threw a forward lateral). When he moved to Buffalo in 2001, he hung a painting of the play in his home. A gift from Titans Coach Jeff Fisher, it stayed there until a visit from some new Buffalo friends.’

”’He’s off the crutches so that’s encouraging,” Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said. ”He’s hoping to play … We still have a long ways to go and he wants to play very badly.”’

‘Because the Bills may try to steal signs, Fisher said he could have as many as four people sending in defensive signals from the sideline at the same time, with only one providing the true call. Fisher said he expects the Bills to make similar adjustments on their defensive calls.’