Archives for January 2007

‘"He’s as good a run down player as he is a pass rusher," said defensive line coach Bill Kollar. "He’s not a situational guy. He plays most of the snaps in the game and does as well against the run as he does rushing the passer. You just can’t look at his pass rushing ability. You have to look at his overall game."’

‘The Bills are in a quandary thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement. Unless Wilson spends beyond the current means of his franchise – something no other owner does, and few even have to consider – his club is more or less doomed to mediocrity.’

‘The Bills were hoping second-year TE Kevin Everett would emerge as an offensive threat. But it’s fair to say the former third-round pick has been a big disappointment.’

‘To take a team to this moment in four straight seasons is something nobody else has ever done. So he lost all of them. But he finishes far ahead of the pack in mat ters of dignity and class, and he is right up there with them in matters of coaching.’

‘For most of his four-year career, McGee has been a solid cover corner. Last year, though, he was seemingly exposed by opposing quarterbacks and receivers. Part of the reason for McGee’s struggles may very well have been the development of rookie free safety Ko Simpson, who shared one half of the defensive backfield with McGee. As Simpson experienced difficulty, so did McGee. But as the first-year man thrived, his teammate did, too.’

‘”Thurman has grown up a lot,” Patti said Friday. “That’s part of growing up – making amends, becoming men and women and letting things go. At 22, 23, my gosh, he could be difficult. He’s grown into one hell of a guy, a great dad and husband. He puts forth a lot of effort for his family.”‘

‘While the Bills’ Super Bowl teams were best known for offense, Polian disagrees with the suggestion that the Buffalo defense never was quite good enough to win it all. “I don’t know about that; I’d dispute that,” Polian said. “In [Super Bowl] 25, we played more than well enough to win. The lack of a timeout in the end cost us. . . . The next year we were so banged up we definitely weren’t the same team on defense. The third year we played awful; we had just a terrible day. The fourth year we turned the ball over. The defense played pretty well that day.”‘

‘You need to educate yourself about whether your team needs help. Educate yourself to the “game” so you know if there are new challenges that require new ideas and tactics. How maddening must it be for J.P. Losman to face criticism from someone who doesn’t know the playbook? The equivalent of someone not knowing what a forward pass is can actually criticize him and his talents? It’s crazy, but we know it happens.’

‘Prepare for life after Willis.’

‘Could the Bills, perhaps buoyed by such a satisfying climax to their first title game appearance, have fared better in their other three trips to the plate? And what legacy would one-time Super Bowl champion Bill Parcells be leaving behind today?’

‘"It says that he’s really talented," April said. "He has a way of hitting the ball. It’s not like its luck. There’s a way that he hits that ball that causes it not to bounce over into the end zone. He drops it a little bit different and he hits it a little bit different."’

‘"I think once you’ve decided to franchise a player you have to plan for that number," said Bills Vice President of Football Administration Jim Overdorf. "It’s definitely going to be your cash number because the player won’t take less than that. So it figures into your planning."’

‘ Larry Zierlein, who was assistant offensive line coach last season under Jim McNally, received permission from the Bills to interview with the Pittsburgh Steelers.’

‘Recognizing their defense is in dire need of a stopper up the middle, the Bills looked closely at ex-Louisville tackle Amobi Okoye earlier this week. Remarkably, Okoye has already graduated from college with a psychology degree despite being just 19 years old. Ever since emigrating with his family to the United States at the age of 12, Okoye, a Nigeria native, has been bright both in the classroom and on the football field. Throughout his seven-year career on the gridiron, Okoye, who resided in Huntsville, Ala., has been widely recognized as a phenom.’

‘But history doesn’t change. And on that one Sunday at least, Buffalo was the center of the football universe.’