Archives for December 5, 2008

‘”The Dolphins have said they hate coming up to Buffalo [in the winter], and they hate playing in the bad weather,” Keohane said. “It’s like they’re getting a bye, a get-out-of-jail card, a reprieve from the weather.”‘

‘The best hope for the Bills to limit what the Dolphins do on offense is a percentage, namely the fact that premier cornerback Terrence McGee is now 100 percent healthy. He was around maybe two-thirds to three-quarters power during these teams’ first encounter, which led to regular-strength Dolphin wideout Ted Ginn Jr. accumulating literally about 27 percent of his gains this season during that one afternoon.’

‘"I just want to have a good game and not have a repeat of what I did previously. I don’t feel like I’m out there trying to prove something; I just want to go out there and play some good football," said McGee, who has been doing a lot of that lately.’

‘From business owners in Orchard Park to season ticket holders who have braved rain, sleet, snow and ice at The Ralph — sometimes all during the same quarter — there are feelings of bitterness and paranoia toward the Toronto game. Most of all, they feel robbed of the experience — and, in some cases, revenues — that home games here provide.’

‘In 1995, the NFL was reeling after it went from having two teams in Los Angeles to having none. The Raiders moved back to Oakland. The Rams moved to St. Louis. That was considered good news for Toronto. “They were talking expansion,” Godfrey said. “One team for Los Angeles.” The other team, he believed, was going to be Toronto. “But all of a sudden,” he said, “the Browns are moving to Baltimore and all the anti-(Art) Modell forces were at work. The politicians got their noses out of joint.”‘

‘Bills fans are like aggrieved spouses right now. There’s an abiding love there, a lot of history. But after years of betrayal and emotional pain, they’re wondering if they might be better off without the heartache.’

‘The Bills know they must effectively run the table to make the playoffs, and in addition to not having Edwards – he left the first half of a 10-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday with a pulled groin and has watched practice all week in sweats and no pads – there is also at least nagging concern about Marshawn Lynch, their sometimes go-to running back, who had limited duty in practice yesterday because of back spasms.’

‘The current Cowboys were built largely by Parcells and Miami general manager Jeff Ireland, who was the vice-president of college and pro scouting under Parcells in Dallas. The fact they hired former Dallas assistant head coach Tony Sparano as the head coach in Miami ensured that everyone would be on the same page with the Dolphins.’

‘Premium seating and visiting team returns do not count against the NFL’s definition of a sellout.’

‘”When you’ve played the game and you’ve played for Buffalo, and you realize how important the rivalry is between the Bills and the Dolphins, you want that to be on your home field,” Kelly said earlier this week. “You want that to be outside, you want it to be in the weather.”‘

Miami Dolphins offensive line must buckle down in the trenches (Miami Herald)

Miami Dolphins rookie kicker nails lead in fans voting (Miami Herald)

Miami Dolphins QB deserves our votes (Miami Herald)

Dolphins CB Goodman rebounds on corner (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Here’s to Old Blue (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Dolphins add receiver Hannon (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Q&A with Dolphins RB Ricky Williams (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Q&A with Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Dolphins linemen face increased pressure with Justin Smiley out for season (Palm Beach Post)

Dolphins nose tackle Paul Soliai returns after latest suspension (Palm Beach Post)

Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter a player of the month (Palm Beach Post)

Dolphins sign receiver Chris Hannon off waivers from 49ers (Palm Beach Post)

Pennington is Dolphins’ ‘pied piper’ (AP)

Miami Dolphins Transcripts (MiamiDolphins.com)

Not Your Usual Road Trip (MiamiDolphins.com)

Dan Carpenter Named AFC Special Teams Player Of The Month (MiamiDolphins.com)

‘”It’s just like going down there in September and playing in the heat,” the Bills receiver said. “It’s tough for us.”‘

‘And, to his credit, Gehman doesn’t offer disproportionate coverage of the Bills’ best seasons, which have been covered ad nauseum. He focuses equally on the tough years. He also doesn’t stick with the stars, reintroducing names from Buffalo lore like Merv Krakau, Bill Simpson, Lucius Stanford and Marlin Briscoe. Some of the stories you’ve heard … many you haven’t.’