Archives for November 30, 2004

Jonas Jennings shoulder popped out during Sunday’s game. He did get back in, but Mularkey says his left tackle may miss a few days of practice this week.’

‘The cheeseburgers are a funny anecdote but they represent something bigger. They demonstrate a coach who is willing to try anything to win. That willingness comes with one other characteristic that is important in all good coaches—They can’t be afraid to fail. It took desperate times, but Mike Mularkey now has his team playing to win instead of playing not to lose. Early in the season the team lacked confidence and tried to avoid losing. Sunday the Bills seized the game from the beginning and never let up.’

‘Reverses, flea-flickers, and now we step things up a notch in Seattle, with an on-side kick to start the second half, and later the fake qb sneak and lateral to Willis McGahee for the 30 yard touchdown that salts away the Seahawks. Players absolutely LOVE that attitude from a head coach. It says “we’re playing to WIN”, and we’re gonna keep a team down and then step on them to make sure.’

‘The AFC has seven teams with at least seven wins. Since six teams make the playoffs, at least 10 or probably 11 wins will be needed to qualify.’

‘It might not be enough for Buffalo (5-6) to creep back into the AFC playoff race, with seven teams that have seven or more wins battling for six postseason berths. But it’s enough to convince Mularkey his team is showing some resilience.’

‘”A lot of things have to happen outside of what we’re doing,” Mularkey said. “All we can control is what we do in our games. We’re still plugging away.”‘

‘Chris Moore, of Youngstown, praised the Bills’ defense, but said the team needed to boost its offensive line. “They have two-thirds of the puzzle,” said Moore, a 43-year-old karate instructor watching the game Sunday with several long-time friends. “They just don’t have the other third.”‘