Archives for December 30, 2004

‘”I don’t know if anybody wants to play the Bills. We’ve been on a run,” cornerback Troy Vincent said. “We’ve played well consistently over the past couple of weeks in all three phases, and that’s what people are seeing. When you have all three phases playing well, that’s a difficult team to beat.”‘

‘What makes Evans so prolific right now isn’t just his speed, Mularkey said, but his toughness. He isn’t intimidated by any coverage he sees or by physical tactics of defensive backs.’

‘When asked about Donahoe’s comment that the Steelers made a mistake by firing him, Cowher was upfront in a conference call with Western New York beat writers on Wednesday. “Like I said, I can’t speak for him. I’m not bringing things out of the closet and I don’t hold grudges,” Cowher said. “In this business, and if you stay in this business long enough, sometimes those things are going to happen. I feel like I’m working for the best owner in football and we’re trying to win a championship here. I don’t hold grudges and I have nothing negative to say about him. If Tom still feels that way, that’s Tom’s feelings. I can’t change that, I can only tell you what I feel.”‘

‘Looking to join the 1992 San Diego Chargers as the only teams to make the postseason after an 0-4 start, the Bills have won their last six games by an average of 23.2 points. “We put ourselves in a bind starting 0-4, but nobody panicked,” safety Lawyer Milloy said. “We’re getting stronger. … I know there’s probably some teams right now that don’t want us to get in.”’

‘But the playoff-juiced crowd at the Ralph will inspire the Bills to a tough, hard-fought 17-13 win.’

‘He missed Wednesday’s practice with a sore abdomen. Travis Henry is listed as questionable, but he lightly jogged on his own. Jason Peters did practice sparingly and is questionable with a sore hamstring.’

If the early results are any indication, the two teams set to battle in Orchard Park this weekend may have actually benefited the most from their prized top picks. After Manning and Rivers were quickly off the board, Miami (Ohio) quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 11th overall pick in the draft. Just two selections later, Wisconsin receiver Lee Evans became the fourth receiver taken overall in the draft by the Buffalo Bills.

‘”We realize this is a big game, but at the same time the last five, six games have been big games for us so we know exactly what to expect, we just got to go out and play,” wide receiver Eric Moulds explained.’

‘“The most important thing when you are going through that kind of period is the guy standing in front of the team needs to remain a pillar,” Wyche said. “He can’t be blowing in the wind, and he didn’t. … He kept our eye on the ball. He was like a veteran coach.”’