Archives for June 16, 2006

‘"In terms of attitude and work ethic and the approach you needed to have to be successful, he was the biggest example for me," said Preston. "He told me what it was going to take aside from the techniques and x’s and o’s."’

‘"I was painting the deck at our house in Buffalo," said Euhus, a former football and basketball star at Churchill High School in Eugene. "There were some 10 missed calls on the phone, half I knew who called and half I didn’t. There were calls from my agent, from the Bills’ director of player personnel and the Bills’ general manager. I thought I must’ve been cut. Then my agent called again and asked me how it felt to be a New Orleans Saint."’

‘The Bills have had one winning season in the 21st century. That statement, more than any other, explains why the Bills are where they are right now. Two seasons removed from a 9-7 stint, the team’s only winning campaign in the last six years, folks in Buffalo are in year one of a complete and major overhaul that reaches nearly every corner of the Bills’ football operation. Former head coach Marv Levy has returned as the General Manager/Director of Football Operations, and he and new head coach Dick Jauron have set a new course for the organization, one that has already included a great deal of change in Buffalo, and Jauron knows the coming months may not be easy.’

‘When Marv Levy was hired as general manager, he was blunt in his assessment of the Bills’ offensive line in 2005. “We simply were not good enough,” he said. “I don’t care what kind of quarterback you are, if you’re not getting the protection you’re not going to be able to function. The generals aren’t going to be great unless the soldier in the trenches is pretty darn effective creating opportunities for them to be successful.”‘

‘The only question was whether they had come to see the player or the artist. “I have no clue, but as long as they pick up a poster or T-shirt while they’re here, that would be nice,” he said.’

‘Since the era of Kent Hull ended a decade ago, the Bills have been looking for a good center to protect the quarterback and keep opposing defenders at bay. Fowler will likely never match up to Hull, a potential Hall of Famer, but he could certainly be a solid stopgap for the Bills. Whether or not Fowler will get the job done is one of Buffalo’s $64,000 questions going into 2006. We’ll all find out sooner, rather than later.’

‘Simply put, the guy can catch.’

‘”It gets me away from football and when you start drawing you really can’t stop. When I start drawing it’s like six o’clock and before you know it it’s 12 o’clock and I need to be in bed. You can kind of get in a zone and it kind of takes you away from all that. So, that’s why I really do it,” McGee explained.’

‘And anybody who saw McGahee on Monday during the first of a three-day mandatory mini-camp conceded the slimmed-down running back looked fit and trim. But, to me, his previous absences were about attitude.’