Archives for November 2004

‘This team is steadily improving, and there is renewed hope for the second half of the season. The best way to raise the grade, and keep hope alive is for the Bills to prove they can win on the road. There’s no better place to start than on the road, in primetime, against the Defending Champs.’

‘For the season, the explosive McGahee has 11 runs of 10 or more yards and six of 15 yards or longer. What’s he think of topping 100 yards in each of his three starts so far? “God’s on my side on that situation,” he said. “And thanks to the 0-line, because they have faith in me and I try to make them look good.”‘

‘Coach Mike Mularkey’s three wins so far have been of the “smashmouth” variety and this effort was textbook. Any team that can run 46 times on one of the NFL’s better defenses will win a lot of games.’

‘CB Troy Vincent, who missed his fifth consecutive game following knee surgery, is expected back for the Patriots game. The Bills are pondering using the 13-year veteran at free safety and keeping second-year man Terrence McGee at left corner, but those plans could be put on hold after McGee’s struggles vs. the Jets. McGee allowed six big pass plays for 163 yards, including a 51-yard TD strike from Quincy Carter to Santana Moss with 4:06 to play. McGee fell down on the play along the Buffalo sideline. “I slipped but still, that kind of showed what kind of day I was having,” McGee said. “It’s nice to get the win, but it’s a hurting feeling to know that you really hurt the team and it could’ve been a loss.”‘

”’They’re getting it,” Mularkey said, referring to his players. ”When you have production that supports what you’ve been talking about for months and months, there’s no better support than actually having it happen on the field.”’

‘The Sheriff’s office says a vehicle exiting the stadium after the game struck him from behind. "Next thing I know, I’m rolling on the pavement," says Andolina, "I was worried about my legs and being paralyzed or something. So I laid there for a second, wiggled my fingers and toes, bent my leg and said ‘okay, I’m good." Andolina then said, "I go, ‘what happened to me?’ and they said, ‘you just got hit by a car."’

‘About an hour after the Bills-Jets game ended on Sunday, Andolina’s bike was hit from behind by a car leaving a parking lot. Andolina said, "My feet actually came out of my sneakers as I flew onto the front of the car."’

‘What do you think is the main reason for this turnaround? Better coaching? He players have stepped up? Or something else?

MM: Players have responded to the adversity they have faced and we’re starting to play a little smarter football, were are not beating ourselves and are playing more physical.’

‘Travis Henry will be a free agent after next season. Will you be willing to trade him this off-season for offensive line help or draft picks?

TD: At end of the season we always sit down and talk about all of our personnel and team issues. We look at each player individually and try to decide who is improving and who has leveled off, or maybe in some cases, who is even declining. Our focus right now is strictly on New England and not on the off-season.’

‘Terrence McGee had his second straight tough game at CB against the Jets. Mularkey said he didn’t expect McGee to be a shut down corner in just his second season. The Bills head coach is leaving his options open saying they could go back to Troy Vincent when he’s healthy or use somebody else. Those candidates would be Kevin Thomas and Jabari Greer.’

‘It would be easy, and probably wrong, to completely attribute the Bills’ sudden synchronicity to the emergence of Willis McGahee, but there’s no arguing against the notion that he provides the spark and a fair amount of fuel.’

‘Bills Defense: After allowing 282 yards of total offense, the Bills rank second in the AFC (3rd run, 3rd pass) and third in the NFL (4th run, 3rd pass).’

‘The Jets came into the game with the second-best rushing attack in the league, but on Sunday Buffalo outgained them on the ground, 157-88. The Bills also had a decided advantage in time of possession, holding a clock edge of 37:28 to 22:32. New York came into the game with the second most quarterback sacks in the league, but Buffalo kept Bledsoe on his feet all day.’

‘Backup DT Justin Bannan is being used as a pulling left guard on sweeps and counter running plays. He has the size (6-3, 305), speed and agility to turn the corner and the power and leverage to deliver solid blocks at the point of attack. The team plans to make him a permanent part of its offensive package.’

‘"We are pleased to announce today that Mike walked out of the stadium under his own power following the game," said Scott Berchtold, the team’s Vice President of Communications. "The Bills and Mike certainly appreciate our fans concerns and prayers. Mike is scheduled to undergo further precautionary tests today."’