Archives for September 10, 2006

‘Wilson recognizes that western New York’s economy is not in great shape. If he raised Buffalo’s average ticket price by $21.09, attendance probably would slip significantly and he could justifiably sell and/or relocate the team. He obviously doesn’t want to do that.’

‘McGahee then smiled and said, “Mark us 32 in the league. We’re not worried about what the papers are saying. That’s good, count us out, that’s how we look at it.”‘

‘”It comes from inside, the people I grew up with when I was little, my uncles, friends and family,” said Losman, who kicks off the season today when the Bills travel to rival New England. “I grew up in a neighborhood where you had to be tough or you weren’t going to survive. On the football field, you had to come in first in sprints. Everything you did had to be outstanding or people didn’t respect you.”‘

‘”This isn’t a return to ‘the good ol’ days,'” Levy said on that momentous afternoon. “We’ll revere the tradition and the great teams that we had during that period, but things are different.”‘

‘”He’s a coach’s dream,” Fewell said. “As I looked at the tape of a year ago, all I evaluated was athletic ability, and I thought he still had it. He wasn’t past his prime. He was playing hard; he was making a lot of tackles. He was a better linebacker than I remember in St. Louis (with the Rams).”‘

‘”That’s my first injury but I will tell you this: Guys who have knee surgery, they’re back rehabbing a day after, two days after. With an Achilles’ injury, it’s three months and you’re still not doing anything functional.”

‘Predicted record: 4-12.’

‘Patriots 27, Bills 10.’

‘But it has been said that there are no second acts in America, so when Wilson persuaded Levy to accept a job he’d never done before, it was, in a way, another opportunity for him to teach the world something about not only perseverance but stereotypes. He’d already proven that a Harvard man could coach in the NFL. Now he was about to prove an octogenarian could run an NFL team.’

‘The underdog Bills have only a few things going for them today in the Pats’ season opener at Gillette Stadium, and their most notable advantage may be unfamiliarity.’

‘That player for the Bills is Larry Tripplett, a top free agent signing from Indianapolis who has assumed the position made famous by players such as Warren Sapp in Tampa and Tommie Harris in Chicago. Tripplett is the so-called “three-technique tackle,” and plays primarily on the outside shoulder of the strong-side offensive guard. His job is to penetrate.’

‘The first time these two teams met last year, the Bills won the time of possession battle by almost 20 minutes but lost the game. Even though quarterback J.P. Losman was surprisingly accurate in the preseason, completing over 67 percent of his passes, they’ll likely use the same strategy again.’

‘Given their transition to a new scheme, the inexperience of quarterback J.P. Losman and the difficulty in playing at Gillette Stadium, the Bills’ best chance for success today is to control the game with running back Willis McGahee.’

‘Patriots 17, Bills 16. It’s going to be a lot tougher than you think, and no one should be surprised if Buffalo pulls off the upset.’

‘The X-factor in playing Buffalo is in the kicking game, the Bills’ strong suit. It starts with Terrence McGee, one of the game’s best return men who averaged 30.2 yards per kickoff runback last year. On punt returns, Roscoe Parrish has shown flashes of being a similar threat. So if there’s one thing that can even the playing field between these two teams, it’s here.’