Archives for December 2006

‘After selling out 27 of 28 games, the Bills have failed to sell out three straight home games.’

‘Although the NFL had given the Bills an additional 24 hours to sell out Sunday’s matchup against the Dolphins, 4,000 tickets remain for sale at One Bills Drive.’

‘Bills 17 Dolphins 14.’

‘Figure on a close game, decided by one or two big plays, and figure on a Bills 20-16 win.’

‘Ralph Wilson addressed this in October. "We can build a $600 million stadium across the street and it wouldn’t make any difference because Western New York, and you all know it, is a poor area," he said. "We have no pricing power. So we wouldn’t have any more pricing power in a new stadium than we do in the stadium that we have here now. And it’s a very good stadium."’

‘”I think I’m doing some good things, and there are some things I need to work on still,” Taylor said. “I feel like I am doing a good job of turning the ball over, trying to get the ball out, forcing turnovers and negative plays for the offense. My whole idea to go out on a Sunday is to be a pain in the butt for the other team. If I can be a pain in their butt and give somebody a headache, then more times than not, it’s going to work out well for myself. But at the end of the day if I’m helping my team win games and making plays, then I’m happy.”‘

‘”In my 42 years of coaching, being a part of the rebuilding of Marshall is my most memorable experience,” he said. “Just meeting some of the families of the players that were killed and some of the wives of the coaches who were killed, it was pretty emotional. It was hard at the time, but when you look back on it 30 years later, you say, “Boy, what a great time that was.’ “‘

‘Q: How is the rebuilding process going in your hometown of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?

A: The last time I went, it wasn’t bad. The side I lived on, which is the West Bank, was in a lot better shape because we didn’t have to deal with a lot of homes that were underwater. But you still have people that live in Uptown that it’s going to be awhile before things return to normal.’

‘Bills coach Dick Jauron said he hasn’t had his staff break down audio to gain insight into an opposing quarterback’s cadence or signals yet this season, but he has coached in places where that was a practice. “Generally, you use it just to get a cadence, if you’re a believer in that,” Jauron said. “Some places are, some places aren’t.”‘

‘Maybe it’s time the Bills pushed to get out of the AFC East and into the AFC Central with Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.’

‘”I wasn’t expecting a call at all,” Bergeron said Thursday. “I had my mind set on going back to the Force, but got a call out of nowhere. I’m not sure yet what will happen. We’ll see how it goes. There’s a possibility I could come back up here (for mini-camp next year).”‘

‘”I had to tell the stories in Steve Tasker’s voice,” he said. “I got to know Steve during my years covering the Bills. He was always a go-to guy for reporters – a player you could count on, win, lose or draw. It was tremendous fun sitting down with him for the interview sessions. I think it gave both of us an opportunity to relive the most glorious era of Bills history – an era we won’t see again.”‘

‘Although Losman is clearly a better player now than he was a year ago, his progress will be something of a mirage unless he can run more than the scaled-down offense that Fairchild, Schonert, and Van Pelt have given him. That is a stark contrast to Losman’s first mentor in Buffalo, Sam Wyche, who served as the Bills’ quarterbacks coach in 2004 and 2005. Wyche, who was known for his complex offensive playbook during his stints as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, might have thrown too much at Losman too soon.’

‘Schumer said, “And, if the NFL is fair, and gives the small-market teams an adequate amount of money from the football contract, even though their TV markets aren’t as big as, say, Chicago’s, or Dallas’s, or New York City’s, then Buffalo will have the Bills for a long time.”‘

‘So, ultimately, expect Buffalo to come out on top this Sunday, advancing its playoff hopes one more week. Don’t, however, expect it to be pretty.’