Archives for January 2009

‘Pittsburgh might be playing Arizona in the Super Bowl on Sunday, but there’s a chance the Bills could dominate the festivities in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday when the Hall of Fame selectors pick this year’s class.’

‘Sam, selected by New England in the fifth round of the 2004 draft out of Florida State, played two games with the Patriots as a rookie. He played for the CFL Toronto Argonauts last season. He also spent time with Cincinnati, Miami and Oakland.’

‘The Bills made a pair of future free agent signings Tuesday signing center Marvin Philip and receiver P.K. Sam.’

‘”The plan is to fly commercially all the way to Qatar and then when we land in Qatar there’s a military base there,” said Butler. “We’ll spend a day and a half there with the troops stationed there. From there we’ll fly a military plane into Afghanistan. Once in Afghanistan we’ll try to make it to three to four bases a day.”‘

‘The proof is in the stats: The team’s sack totals plummeted when he left, and Buffalo must improve its end pool regardless of whether Schobel returns at full strength next season.’

‘”He was a rare combination of defensive end who had incredible speed – Dwight Freeney- like speed, if you will – along with length – he was 6-foot-4 – and power,” said Colts President Bill Polian, who drafted Smith for the Bills. “He had what we call heavy hands. If he hit you with an open hand or his forearm, he could knock you back 2 yards. Coupled with that speed, people just couldn’t block him. Few players have the ferocity and the tenacity that Bruce had.”‘

‘There was just as much indignation last year in Kansas City that Derrick Thomas did not get in as there was in Buffalo that Andre Reed did not get in and in Denver that Randy Gradishar did not get in (in his 20th year of eligibility). Virtually all of the finalists for induction are great candidates.’

‘The highly-regarded Nix brings 15 years of scouting experience back to Buffalo. The Alabama native has vast knowledge of the Southeast, where he was a college and high school coach.’

‘”I don’t think anyone ever played the position as well as Bruce Smith did,” his former Bills coach, Marv Levy, said on a conference call. “He came in as an overweight 315-pounder, overindulgent great player, but he got better. He became a 265-pounder who was as quick off the ball as anyone you could imagine.”‘

‘Years later, it turns out a grounds crew worker at the Medtrodome stashed Thurman’s helmet in a bag just before the national anthem, as Thurman always kept it under the bench in a certain spot for luck. Some luck! Thurman made the best of it, and even brought out miniature helmets as a gag for the media before Super Bowl XXVII the next year in Pasadena.’

‘It all ended so quickly. The Bills let the Giants stay in it. Buffalo got the ball back late and Thurman Thomas nearly broke one for the game winning TD. The reporters had begun to scramble down to the field at the 2 minute warning. We were underneath the stadium, peering out on the field to watch Scott Norwood. I remember thinking he was going to make that kick. I remember thinking that that we needed to start making plans to cover the championship parade. I remember trying to think of how I was going to get around on the field with all those Buffalo Bills celebrating.’

‘This is Nix’s second stint with the Bills as he previously served under now retired scouting director Dwight Adams and former general manager John Butler from 1993-2000.’

‘The press conferences would be more entertaining, but the fact that every fan would tune in to hear a positional coach address the media after every game isn’t the only reason the Buffalo Bills should hire Herman Edwards as an assistant. His termination from the Kansas City Chiefs is an opportunity for the Bills to acquire an experienced defensive associate, as bringing him aboard would give the team access to both experience and ample charm.’

‘Now words like “blitz,” “bomb” and “battles in the trenches” made most of us sick.’

‘The word will arrive a week from today.’