Archives for September 2004

‘Close, edge-of-your-seat football is the forecast for Mularkey’s Bills. "That’s the identity of an offense that’s controlling the football and a (strong) defense," Mularkey said. "With a team that complements each other, there are going to be close games."’

‘So how does this 6-10 team improve enough to make the long-delayed journey to the playoffs? It says here that its best hope is Mularkey and the impressive teaching staff he put together.’

‘So don’t be surprised if the Bills rank in the bottom third of the league in yards-per-attempt at the midpoint of the season.’

‘"I think he had mixed emotions," one of McNally’s two daughters, Jenny Gardner, said by phone from Cincinnati. "But ever since he’s been there he’s been excited. He really feels at home there. We haven’t talked in a week, which is really unusual, which means he’s working his butt off right now. The fact I haven’t gotten a call from him in a week tells me he’s very, very focused, probably excited and nervous."’

‘But this year, Tops hopes to make better use of its affiliation by increasing its in-store promotions, Dobbs said. "We felt we wanted to see how we could push the envelope on this," he said.’

‘Prediction: 10-6, second in AFC East.’

‘”Last year was one of the hardest for me to shake during the off-season,” Bledsoe said. “I can’t claim that I’ve worked any harder than I have in past years, but during the off-season, I spent a lot more time thinking about football because I was so frustrated by what happened last year. “I do have a sense this year is an opportunity for us.”‘

‘”That’s what you want to hear,” Henry said. “It shows they are really committed to running the ball. It may start off looking ugly but it will eventually loosen up and those 3-yard runs become 5- and 6- yards later in the game. It’s the mindset I’m taking. It’s nice to know that commitment is there this year.”‘

‘If you were head coach of the Bills for a day, what kind of day would it be?

“It would be short. No, there’d be meetings in the morning, a nice light practice in the afternoon, then sum it up with meetings and lifting. Get the guys out of here and keep them fresh.”‘

‘You inherited an aging team and a big salary cap mess, and you’ve done a good job cleaning it up. You appear to have strengthened the defense and offense. But you erred with Gregg Williams, your first choice for coach, and there won’t be any more mulligans as far as the fans and “experts” are concerned. With Eric Moulds and Pat Williams the only holdovers from the John Butler era, you’ve almost completely purged the roster, and after a 17-31 won-lost mark that included last year’s back-pedaling, it’s time for your game plan to take hold.’

Excitement palpable in opening road test (Florida Times Union)

10th season’s success rests on these issues (Florida Times Union)

Forward progress (Florida Times Union)

This season is Del Rio’s time to shine (Florida Times Union)

Trainers help athletes get back on their feet (Florida Times Union)

‘One reason they hired the rah-rah Del Rio was to sell tickets. Owner Wayne Weaver, who made his money selling shoes, thought Mularkey was too low-key to do that.’

‘"Last year they shut me down pretty good," Henry said. "This year, I’m just going to keep pounding the ball. Even if they stop me early on, we’re not going to back down. We’re going to show them that we’re not scared and that we’re going to be able to run the football."’

‘”I think they’re what everybody is pumping them up to be,” said Bills linebacker Takeo Spikes, who will get an up-close look at the Jaguars on Sunday in Ralph Wilson Stadium. “They’re an up-and-coming team, as of right now anyway. We don’t want them to be up-and-coming against us on Sunday. But they are a good, young team on the way up.”‘

‘”I’m so fresh from the team I get caught a lot of times saying “we ought to’ as opposed to the Bills,” Van Pelt said. “They are still my friends, so for a few years it is going to be tough to get over the we’s.”‘