Archives for February 2004

‘We are fortunate to have an owner and general manager who realize that the legacy of a team is as important as its future is, because the future is built on the heart of it’s past.’

‘”I have always missed the game of football, but there was a period in my life where I was very sick. I was awake for an hour a day and couldn’t do much at all. For a while there, I was in real trouble. Luckily, the medication has corrected that part of it and I have a pacemaker now. In fact, I have the same pacemaker that Vice President Cheney has. He gets it during the week, and I get it on weekends. We are saving a lot of money,” Wyche quipped.’

‘”My biggest memory of when I got to Buffalo was the size of the guys,” Villapiano recalled. “Joe Devlin, Kenny Jones, Reggie McKenzie, they were all big, but they were all cut. The Raiders were all big, but they were just big. Not cut like these guys. Everybody was lifting weights, trying to make their bodies bigger and stronger. Where in Oakland, nobody lifted weights. It was just a totally different world. It was a different, more modern-type team than the Raiders were. One other thing I noticed besides that was how many really good players were in Buffalo. The only thing they needed was what Chuck Knox did: bring in some old guys to help out the young guys. The young guys were great athletes, they just didn’t know they were. We had a real good blend of people.”‘

‘Moore was waived by the Bills in ’86 and for the past 15 years, has worked in law enforcement. He’s now a sergeant/detective with the Genesee County (Mich.) Sheriffs Department.’

‘”I know how rabid these fans are. And when I’m coaching, I’m going to be thinking that I’m home and I’m going to do the best that I can for their team,” he maintained.’

‘”If you can get the running game going really effectively, that’s going to open up the offense and make the play-action passing avenues more open,” Clements said. “That’s where you can get some big chunks of yards. When defenses are reacting up to the run, you can get big chunks of yards throwing it downfield. If it’s not there, take what they give you, get it down to your dump back and get some positive yards and avoid the sack. That’s basically the philosophy.”‘

‘But all cynicism aside, there’s a lot to like about Mike Mularkey’s crew. The offensive assistants are a particularly bright and accomplished bunch. They make Gregg Williams’ original “teachers” seem like novices by comparison – which they were, come to think of it.’

‘”I have not seen him on tape yet,” Mularkey said. “Tom and Sam will go down with me to do all the evaluating. They’re the quarterback . . . gurus. They know it better than I do.”‘

‘”We felt Murph was the most qualified to pick up where a legend left off, and we are confident that he will continue that standard in our broadcasts that the Bills, our fans and Citadel Communications have come to know and expect,” Berchtold said.’

‘He pioneered the use of the no-huddle offense.’

‘No stranger to Bills fans, Murphy recently completed his 16th season alongside Miller in the booth as the radio network’s color analyst. He first held the analyst job from 1984-89 and then again from 1994-2003. A native of Lockport, NY and graduate of Syracuse University, Murphy has also served as the sports director at WKBW-TV (Channel 7) in Buffalo since 1989.’

‘”I didn’t think too long to say yes,” said offensive coordinator Tom Clements, who joined his new peers at a get-to-know-you news conference at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Tuesday. “After I studied this team on film, and people ask me what it looks like, I say, ‘The cupboard isn’t bare, not by any stretch of the imagination.’ There are a lot of talented players here, so hopefully we can get it all going correctly.”‘

‘”I love him to death,” said Tweito, who will be studying business management at Clemson University this fall and not playing football. “It was awesome playing for an NFL coach. As much as he’s done, he’s one of the most down-to-earth guys.”‘

‘We have no way of knowing what kind of coach Mike Mularkey will be until we see him on game day. Gregg Williams was meticulous in his preparation, and the players seemed motivated most weeks. But on game day Williams struggled. He struggled with clock management, he struggled with his use of instant replay…you know the rap… What I am saying is that ultimately we have no idea what kind of coach Mularkey will be until we see him under fire during a game. In today’s NFL with the games so close, wins and losses can be decided on two or three of a coach’s decisions.’

‘"This is a passion as well as a vocation," Wyche explained Tuesday afternoon. "When you get back into those comfortable environments, you get up in the morning, you’ve got deadlines to meet and you’ve got some place to go, your life is a lot more pleasant."’