Archives for December 2004

‘"For his first game back, and for as long as he’s been out, to play free safety out of the blue and make the plays that he did was outstanding on his part," Bills coach Mike Mularkey said.’

‘”These guys go at it pretty good. We go at it hard. Jimmy McNally is still nuts. I get here in the morning and he’s already broken down three or four games,” said Wyche, who turns 60 next month. “There are a couple days of the month I get pretty tired, but I think for the most part I feel pretty good.”‘

‘The Bills franchise does so much in the way of community outreach that its involvement tends to be taken for granted, kind of like another 100-yard game for Willis McGahee. There’s rarely a Tuesday that goes by when at least a handful of players aren’t appearing at a school or a community center, shining a light down the path toward a healthy, productive life. Sunday afternoon, as they see it, is only part of the job.’

‘"It’s going to be big," Spikes said. "It’s something I’m looking forward to because of all the history that I had there and because they have great fans in the city of Cincinnati. That is where I grew up, from a young baller to an established veteran. This game will have a lot of feelings that come along with it."’

Anderson up for Man of Year (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Flagging defenses around the NFL (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Lewis changing Bengals’ perception and ambition (Dayton Daily News)

Bengals to honor three State champions and other top high school coaches (Bengals.com)

Offense could need Kitna again (Bengals.com)

Anderson Named Bengals Finalist For Walter Payton Award (Bengals.com)

‘The Oregon State product finished the season with 11 catches for 98 yards with two touchdowns as Mark Campbell’s backup.’

‘The Bills have signed veteran TE Bradford Banta. Banta was drafted by the Colts in 1994 and spent six years there. In 2000 he was with the Jets and played for Detroit the last three seasons. Over 11 years Banta has 140 games in.’

‘The Buffalo Bills placed rookie Tim Euhus on injured reserve with a right knee injury Tuesday, the second tight end the team has lost this season.’

‘Banta spent the past three seasons with the Detroit Lions after a one year stint with the New York Jets in 2000.’

‘I say the Bills win the next two and need that Week 17 win to make the big dance.’

‘"We got beat by a good Cincinnati club. We’re a young team and you should be seeing a lot more of us in the playoffs in the years to come. People haven’t heard the end of the Bills."’

‘On Wednesday, Bills’ head coach Mike Mularkey, while indicating that Vincent was finally ready, gave the impression he would be eased into the line-up, possibly as a nickel or dime back. Instead, of course, Buffalo went immediately ahead with its plan to switch the aging corner to free safety, a move that will extend his career. AND, after one glittering performance, it appears the wait was worth it.’

‘McGahee keeps getting excited about his performances and so do the fans. He scored four touchdowns in a win over Seattle. He ran for 105 yards and two scores in a win over Cleveland last week. Overall, McGahee has six 100-yard games since replacing Travis Henry and the Bills have quietly crept back into the fringe of the playoff race at 7-6. Buffalo still needs several breaks to reach the postseason but this season has been successful simply because McGahee has arrived. At least that’s how Jannie sees it. “Every time I watch Willis run these days, I think one thing,” she says. “That’s my boy out there. That’s my boy.”‘

‘”I told them I’m proud of them,” Mularkey said. “To battle back with the adversity that they faced . . . it’s easy, especially in this day and age with the media, the fans and the pressure from outside, to possibly waver and they never have. It’s a credit to them.”‘

‘”The playoff race started the first game of the season,” coach Mike Mularkey said following Sunday’s 37-7 rout of Cleveland. “I’m not going to emphasize it, because again, we still have work to do. The players know it, and I’m not going to start now. We have a focus and we’re going to stick with it.”‘