Archives for October 2005

‘What makes Shaud Williams a better third down running back than Willis McGahee? In third down situations our best running back is on the sidelines.’

‘Coach Angelo Sciandra of Cardinal O’Hara High School has been named the Buffalo Bills High School Football “Coach of the Week” for the sixth weekend of the 2005 season (October 7-8).’

Game ball: Nate Clements, Bills CB

In a game the Bills desperately needed to win to stay in the AFC East race, standout CB Clements made a ton of plays, registering 7 tackles, 1 interception and two passes defensed, and then forcing a fumble to secure a 20-14 win over the pesky Miami Dolphins. A five-year veteran and former first-round draft pick, Clements is a superb two-way defender, aggressive in run support and very physical in coverage as well. The Bills may have to use the “franchise” marker on him to keep Clements off the unrestricted free agent market next spring.

‘”It’s big. Defense wins championships,” Buffalo safety Lawyer Milloy said. “Down toward the end, we had to keep battling even when they were moving the ball. We remained focused.”‘

‘Super agent Drew Rosenhaus almost had that run-down feeling after the game. Rosenhaus, who represents Bills running back Willis McGahee among others, was almost hit by a rolling equipment cart in the tunnel of Ralph Wilson Stadium. Rosenhaus was able to dodge the cart, but joked about it not being an accident. “I know it was intentional,” he quipped to others in the tunnel.’

‘Too bad they had to play a second half.’

‘Miami made a game of it in the second half, but more mistakes stopped a furious comeback effort that allowed the Buffalo Bills to walk away with a 20-14 defeat. The penalty situation was out of control.’

‘Coming into this game, many critics of Bills’ coach Mike Mularkey believed that his game plan should include more running plays to Willis McGahee. Mularkey and Bills’ offensive coordinator Tom Clements decided to appease the critics as they handed the ball to McGahee 31 times. Although he only gained 86 yards, McGahee did score a key touchdown on the game’s first drive that set the tone for the day. McGahee’s lack of big yardage could mostly be attributed to the Bills’ offensive line and their inability to open up holes.’

‘Brian Moorman P, …Today’s 50.2 average increased career average to club-record 43.22…’.

‘"I think he’s a lot more poised," Moulds said when asked to compare Holcomb with Losman, who was benched after back-to-back 75-yard passing games in losses to Atlanta and New Orleans. "Kelly’s been in the league a long, long time. There’s not much they could throw at him that he hasn’t seen."’

‘Mularkey acknowledged that he delayed announcing a starter for Sunday’s game because he wanted to disrupt Miami’s planning. Please. The Dolphins, with the league’s eighth-ranked defense, were preparing to face either Holcomb, an 11th-year journeyman with his fourth NFL team, or J.P. Losman, a second-year quarterback coming off back-to-back 75-yard passing games. Just a hunch, but I don’t think they were waiting up nights.’

‘But today they stand at 2-3, with upcoming games against the Jets and the Raiders. So, feasibly, the Bills could be 4-3 in a matter of no time. But, heck, if they drop to 2-5 or even 3-4, this season is so over it’s not even funny.’

‘In the long term, the move might be a disaster, severely retarding the development of a promising young quarterback and the offense in general. But at least for the first week, Bills’ coach Mike Mularkey’s controversial decision to bench first-year starting QB J.P. Losman in favor of veteran Kelly Holcomb was a brainstorm.’

‘”I’ve given every speech you can give,” Saban said. “I wasn’t called for one penalty but I’m not doing my job. I’m responsible for everybody on this team to understand the consequences. Everybody on this team – players and coaches – have to take it serious for changes to be made.”‘

‘A second quarter reception by wide receiver Eric Moulds extended his team-record streak to 115 straight games with a catch. Later in the period, his 2-yard touchdown reception was the first by a Bills’ wideout since Game 15 last season (at San Francisco).’