Archives for December 2004

‘”That’s just the way it is. You’ve got to be smart about it because there are things in the future that you have to start looking for. I think that it’s a fine line that you’re on. But it will be hard to tell the 11 guys on the field that they’re trying not to win.”‘

‘Cowher has said the Steelers are coming to Buffalo to win and hints that most of his regulars will be in the lineup, but the wizards of odds in Las Vegas obviously don’t believe him.’

‘Regardless of where the rankings end up, Gray said it is LeBeau who can do the most crowing. His team is primed for a run at the Super Bowl after a Steelers’ record 13 consecutive wins, the Bills are still on the outside looking in, and the Redskins (5-10) are looking forward to the draft. “Dick’s been No. 1 most of the year,” Gray said. “You look at that team, sitting 14-1, it’s great. But all three of the guys who were here last year landed on their feet and we all showed we can handle our own business.”‘

‘For the Bills to be still in a position to make the NFL playoffs on the final day of the regular season, dozens upon dozens of factors had to fall perfectly for them over the past two months. More than anything, they had to get their own act together, then hope for some divine intervention.’

‘”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.”’

‘Roethlisberger sat out the Steelers’ practice Wednesday with bruised rib cartilage and, while he hasn’t been officially ruled out, the rookie quarterback will do little more Sunday than stand along the sidelines wearing a white ski cap.’

Q: (To Mike Mularkey): What was the talk around town during the losing streak at the beginning of the season, and also the talk in the locker room and among your coaches? I hear that there was no panic setting in, at least among the organization.

A: I don’t know what the talk was around town because I literally have not even seen my house in the daylight, let alone know what is going on around town. I don’t know good or bad. There was no panic button. The biggest chore that I had was to try to make these guys understand not to be influenced by outside sources. That it is easy to do because they are in it a lot more, the environment with the fans, media, they are the ones that are trying to influence you to say you are good or bad. They had to believe what was going on in this building and they never lost sight of that. That is a credit to them.’