Archives for January 2006

‘Are you going to change the structure of the organization?

“We’re going to change the structure.”

In what ways?

“I’ll get to that. We’re going to change the structure.”‘

‘Holcomb completed 23 of 37 passes on the day for 184 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions.’

‘Ty Law intercepted three passes and Mark Brown returned another pick for a touchdown, as the Jets (4-12) ended a dismal season by snapping a two-game losing streak.’

‘On a day when the New York Jets’ offense was held to 207 total yards by the Buffalo Bills, the defense and special-teams units came up big. Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law picked off three Kelly Holcomb passes, defensive end John Abraham registered a key fourth-down sack, and rookie Justin Miller returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to give the Green & White a much-needed 30-26 victory at the Meadowlands on New Year’s Day.’

‘The Bills took the lead with 6:17 remaining on Rian Lindell’s fourth field goal of the game, a 36-yarder, but Miller returned the ensuing kickoff down the Buffalo sideline for the eventual victory.’

‘Both organizations are probably happy the season is over.’

‘The Bills enter today’s season finale against the New York Jets on the verge of becoming the franchise’s poorest rushing team since the NFL went to a 16-game season in 1978.’

‘Bills 23, Jets 16.’

‘”I think down the road, people will say we were a group of guys who came and tried to make a statement for themselves,” Everett said. “I definitely think the best is yet to come for all of us, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”‘

‘The consensus around One Bills Drive is that the Tom Donahoe era will end shortly after today’s final game. Conventional wisdom is that Donahoe’s job will be split, with Russ Brandon, the highly-regarded vice president of business development and marketing, assuming the role of president and the general manager’s job going to a football man.’

‘It begins today, when the Bills blow out the Jets, 31-0, to finish on a two-game winning streak. Kelly Holcomb has another big game, assuring himself a chance to compete for the job next summer. A beaming Ralph Wilson walks into the postgame interview room, grabs the microphone and declares that Mike Mularkey’s job is safe.’

‘If you believe in karma, that every positive or negative action triggers a just result, then this is the Bills owner’s comeuppance for firing the NFL’s best general manager, Bill Polian, during the Bills’ Super Bowl seasons, and for later firing Polian’s successor, the late John Butler, a talented GM in his own right.’

‘The Bills have outscored their opponents 77-31 in the first quarter, while the Jets have been outscored 82-20 in the first quarter.’

‘”I don’t buy much into that,” the straight-shooting Fletcher said. “You want to win every game and it’s good for the morale of the team for a couple weeks, and for the organization and the fans around here, but teams change so much from year to year. Yeah, it’s good to have a high note at the end of the year, but as far as carrying it over to the next season, you look at our season last year, I don’t think that carried over much to this year.”‘

‘You probably didn’t grow up aspiring to be a long snapper, so how did you end up doing what you do for a living?

“My sophomore year in high school I was goofing around with it in practice one day and a few weeks later, three guys ahead of me got hurt. I wasn’t even on the depth chart and the coach says. ‘You’re doing it tomorrow night.’ So the last game of the year I snapped one over the punter’s head for a touchdown, but I came back and did it my senior year and I was fortunate enough to go up to the University of Wisconsin and do it there for four years.”‘