Archives for April 2006

‘”He’s a great guy,” Cieslak said of Levy. “He’s a player’s coach and guy who’s a good person and not afraid to sit down and talk.”‘

‘Keeping it simple and choosing Ngata or Bunkley isn’t a slam-dunk move, however. Since the first combined NFL draft in 1967, Buffalo has never selected a defensive tackle in the first round and has taken a defensive end only five times. Is this the year Buffalo breaks the mold?’

‘I’m glad to see public officials and notable leaders standing up for Mr. Wilson and the Bills, and I happily march with them in a nonpartisan manner. Anyone who wants to sign my petition in support of keeping our hometown team can visit www.senatormaziarz.com.’

‘Bills allocated QB Craig Ochs now seems to be the starter in Frankfurt, he played almost the entire game for the second week in a row and his Galaxy defeated the visiting Berlin Thunder by a score of 18-17.’

‘"We really rely on the coaches and they do a great job of helping us identify the traits that they want," said Modrak. "That’s what is happening right now as much as anything. We try to paint a picture of what those traits are and see how he fits."’

‘”I’m a football player. That’s what I do. I’ll be back. Not only that, I’ll be better than I was before the injury. I promise you that.”‘

‘This attempt to help the Bills is a misdirection of political efforts. The Bills are a nearly $200 million a year piggy bank that, like the rest of the NFL, uses its emotional leverage to rape consumers.’

‘”Having grown up there, I know as well as anyone that the Bills truly are the heart and soul of Buffalo,” said Russert, sounding as passionate as some of the politicians he interviews on Sunday mornings. “The town’s psyche and mood ebbs and flows with the Bills. To lose them would be a mortal blow not only economically but psychologically.”‘

‘Several sources say the Bills are focusing on federal officials right now – Congress holds the most clout over the NFL. During his press conference with Wilson, Schumer said as much when he pointed out that he sits on the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees. The Finance Committee oversees taxation issues, including those dealing with sports teams. Most notably, Schumer is a member of the judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights – a sure way to get the rapt attention of sports leagues, which are compelled to tread lightly on the subject of antitrust.’

1st Pick: DT Brodrick Bunkley – Florida State The Bills need an impact one gap tackle and Bunkley fits the Bill better than other candidates including Haloti Ngata

‘"I don’t think it enters into it as much as people think," said Levy. "I used to tell our coaches if you say you’re building for the future it’s an incomplete sentence. You’re building for a future coach."’

‘I was in Chicago and Mr. Wilson called me and told me he was going to change general managers and asked me for some recommendations. We were about eight or 10 minutes into the conversation and he said, "How about you?" I just sort of blinked and said, "Are you serious?" And he said, "Yes. I am." And it sounded extremely intriguing. I loved working with him. I enjoyed my time in Buffalo, immensely. The Buffalo Bills meant a lot to me. It was exciting. I felt my adrenaline flow, and I slept on it overnight and called him in the morning and said, "If your offer is still there, I’m game."’

‘It’s easy to see that lower-revenue teams are going to need assistance from high-revenue teams. The only main guideline agreed upon when the new collective bargaining agreement was OK’d was that if teams spend more than 65 percent of their gross revenue on players they get help. Green Bay had $200 million in gross revenue in 2004, 10th best in the league. Player costs are expected to be about $120 million. So that puts No. 10 at the 60 percent mark. If Forbes’ numbers are correct and the Bills’ revenues are $173 million, the Bills are spending 69 percent on player costs.’

‘Buffalonians aren’t afraid to mix football with politics; they sent Jack Kemp, a star Bills quarterback, to Congress. Representative Martin T. Meehan, Democrat of Lowell and a die-hard Patriots fan, said Flutie’s endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton in her 2000 Senate campaign ”in my view was the most important endorsement she got in that campaign" and bestowed her instant credibility upstate. But Weld might want to consider the overall record: The Bills have lost four Super Bowls, while the Patriots have won three Super Bowls in four years.’

‘You’ve got to hand it to Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson: He knows how to push all of the right buttons. While his concerns about his NFL club’s future haven’t been completely resolved, the 87-year-old Wilson is feeling a lot better than a couple of weeks ago.’