Archives for November 2004

‘They may have an aging quarterback who’s been an easy target for the Jets’ pass rush, but the Bills are dangerous. McGahee provides a changeup to a Jets defense that is accustomed to facing Henry. Buffalo’s defense is tied for second in the league in total yardage allowed, fourth in rushing yardage, and sixth in points. The Jets needed a last-minute field goal to beat the Bills, 16-14, at home four weeks ago. It will be even harder to beat the Bills on the road.’

‘And because of what happened last year, the NFL schedule makers may have given the Jets one more gift besides a favorable first five games when they dropped the Buffalo Bills into their Game 8 slot. “When the score was 41-7 with seven minutes left, I was talking to Coach [Herm] Edwards about it on the sideline,” quarterback Chad Pennington said Wednesday, recalling his conversation during the rout of the Dolphins. “I was thinking about how we’re going to handle this week and making sure we don’t go up there and lay an egg. That’s basically what we did last year.”‘

‘While encouraged by the ability to punch the ball in the end zone against what had been the NFL’s No. 1-ranked red zone defense, the Bills understand that beating a fellow two-win team doesn’t elevate them to the status of playoff contender as the season hits the halfway mark.’

‘It was new special teams coach Bobby April who saw something on tape and decided it would be wise to let McGee challenge incumbent Antonio Brown for the job in training camp. “People probably had more confidence in me than I had in myself (as a return specialist),” McGee said. “Bobby, even in camp, he told me, ‘I think you’re one of the top athletes and you can be very effective doing this.’ I’d said, ‘Well, OK. I’ll go out there and try and help the team.’ But he was right and I am doing a pretty good job, especially with my guys blocking for me.”‘

‘The Bills defense has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher.’

‘”It was a tough game here a couple weeks ago,” Edwards said. “We beat them on the last drive. They made some plays to get back in it. They have the ability to do that. They’ve got one of the better receivers in the game in Moulds, their quarterback has a strong arm, and they can make some plays. We mentally and physically have to be ready to play.”‘

‘Trey Teague returned to the practice field and took full reps with the first unit offensive line. Troy Vincent was also out there Wednesday, but only practiced with the scout team.’

‘”I’ve been engaged in the classroom, so I know my assignments, I know where I need to be,” Vincent said. “It’s just a matter of getting my body back into the rhythm of playing football and just see if I can work through some of this soreness."’

‘This year the Buffalo Bills will be hosting the final round of the OATKA Classic on Saturday, November 13th, at the new Buffalo Bills Youth Football Stadium.’

‘"Having Lawyer back has been a big boost for our team," Head Coach Mike Mularkey said. "He’s a leader on our defense and is highly respected by his teammates. Just having him being able to play against the Jets will be a big lift for us."’

‘Buffalo has to do something different to change the series, which has seen New York win nine of the last 13 meetings. That includes a 16-14 victory on Oct. 10, when the Jets sacked Drew Bledsoe four times and intercepted one of his passes, giving them 56 sacks and 29 interceptions in 21 games against him.’

”’I think it’s still too early,” Mularkey said. ”I think we have to see how his knee reacts. We’ll have to see how it feels tomorrow.”’

‘Originally selected by Atlanta in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Iowa, Hill spent time on the Falcons, Saints, and Lions practice squads in ’02. He was most recently signed as a free agent by San Francisco (1/8/04) and was released prior to the 2004 season.’

‘Volunteers from the Salvation Army and M&T Bank will be collecting NEW hats, scarves, mittens, etc. outside all stadium gates from 11:30 AM until kickoff.’