Archives for October 2004

‘"I just want them to win a Super Bowl before my dad dies," he said.’

‘Ravens 13 Bills 10.’

‘The Bills have lost games to Jacksonville (4-2), Oakland (2-4), New England (5-0) and the New York Jets (5-0). Three of those losses were by a total of eight points. "They are a good football team," said Ravens coach Brian Billick, whose team is favored by six points in Sunday’s game at M&T Bank Stadium. "To sit here and say that as a coach, I sound like any other coach trying to overemphasize how good the opponent is. That’s not the case. All you have to do is look at the combined record of who they lost to, how close those games were."’

‘With a roster made up of mostly home-grown players, the Ravens are unique in this salary-cap era.’

‘”I have a great respect for him,” said Eric Moulds. “He’s a good friend of mine. But at the same time, I know he’s going to be up for the challenge, and it’s a challenge for me to go out and play.”‘

‘The players like the turf. The initial reaction of almost everyone seems to be: Thank God we don’t have to play on the old AstroTurf anymore.’

‘"You have to run right at Ray Lewis," Chiefs fullback Tony Richardson said that night after the Chiefs gained 178 yards on the ground, 125 by Priest Holmes. "He’s too fast and too smart to try to run sideways against him. If you run sideline to sideline with him, he’ll make plays."’

‘At 6 feet 5 and 238 pounds, Bledsoe constantly waits and waits until either a receiver comes open or he’s knocked to the ground. “We don’t like playing against the Michael Vick or Donovan McNabb,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “A stationary quarterback, you know where he is going to be and you know how you can get there.”‘

Ravens will be in a rush to put pressure on Bledsoe (Baltimore Sun)

McAlister’s view mostly one-sided (Baltimore Sun)

Ravens’ Billick concerned about talented Bills (Carroll County Times)

Preaching patience (BaltimoreRavens.com)

‘Adams, who maintains an off-season residence in Kirkland, recently purchased the NIFL team that begins play in March. He’s still looking for a coach and players – the team will hold a tryout Sunday at Arena Sports in Seattle – but Adams is already optimistic that the Hawks will be an immediate success.’

‘Ravens 13, Bills 10.’

‘Under Gray’s direction, the Bills ranked second in the NFL in total defense last season. Buffalo ranked 21st and 15th the previous two seasons.’

‘Gray, who was entering the final year of his contract, is in his fourth season with Buffalo. In 2003, the Bills finished second in the league in total defense, yielding 4,313 yards. Only Dallas allowed fewer yards (4,056).’

‘”We got our confidence, and that win is what we needed,” said linebacker Jeff Posey. “I think we’re off to a great start.”‘

”’Give and take, yeah, there’s a little pain here and there,” Henry said. ”But for the most part, I feel way better than I did last week. … It’s well enough so I can play.”’