Archives for January 2009

‘Figuring the exact balance between innovation and lunacy is a task which dissuades even the most ardently hardcore football-savvy zealots from even dreaming of coordination work, but the fact remains that the Bills overcompensated on offense last season. Right in between is where they need to be, namely where they run a lot without running too much.’

‘We were standing right with the ESPN guys like Chris Berman and Dan Patrick and others, and I’m thinking "these guys don’t really care one way or the other if this kick is good, and I’m about to throw up I care so much".’

‘Lynch captured almost 50 percent of the vote in the Buffalobills.com Fan Award online poll and had more than twice the support of his next closest teammate in the voting Josh Reed.’

‘Besides, the franchise could charge more to get in the building. Without the county’s money, the team would be justified in accordingly raising ticket prices higher than the typical yearly increase; that way, people who actually patronize games would be covering the cost of security at same games.’

‘While the Buffalo Bills say they pay more for operating and game-day expenses than Erie County reimburses, the county will set aside $4.2 million for operating and game-day expenses in 2009, up from $3.9 million last year.’

‘Local taxpayer support for the team will average more than $900,000 for each game played in Western New York.’

‘Well, Mr. Wilson, here is your first chance at redeeming your fan base. Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers wants out of Carolina and told the team he will not sign a long-term contract when he becomes a free agent next month. Peppers is just the kind of guy the Bills could use on their defensive line.’

‘But Reed was about more than numbers. He had 951 catches, tied with Terrell Owens for sixth all time. He had 13,198 yards, good for 10th. Still, it was his courage, his willingness to run over the middle, that defined him. Reed took a licking and kept on ticking, like that watch in his head. Over his 10-year prime, he missed only three games.’

‘"I think so much of it is about trust," he said. "Jim (Kelly) and I had developed a relationship of trust. I knew what my role was. And Jim knew that nothing made me more happy than to see him succeed."’

‘”He managed the game for me as a coach unbelievably this year,” Fewell said. “There were a number of calls this season that he had to get out of because they weren’t good situations and he put us in the better situation of the two calls. And so, he has corrected some things on the field from a game management standpoint.”‘

‘Their faceless offense might be part of the reason why the defense in turn is relatively obscure; still, the other side is caught in a no-man’s land between functioning as an aggressive unit and as a stifling coverage-focused ensemble. While they were good at times last season, they rarely rose to greatness and importantly didn’t make themselves uncommonly distinct.’

‘Edwards saw several doctors after the Bills’ season ended to get an evaluation on his shoulder, which caused him some soreness later in the season. Those evaluations determined that the shoulder is not a serious problem.’

‘Where Jackson’s case gets peculiar is the combination of his age and the ramifications of the collective-bargaining agreement. NFL owners are opting out two years early, creating an uncapped season in 2010 and setting into motion rules that will keep Jackson an exclusive-rights free agent an extra year. His tender for 2010 would be $545,000. The thing is, Jackson will turn 28 next month. That means he wouldn’t become a restricted free agent — never mind unrestricted — for the first time until he’s 29, an unappealing age for a running back, regardless of his odometer readout. Most players become eligible for restricted free agency when they’re 24 or 25.’

‘OL Chris Denman, LB Vince Hall, WR C.J. Hawthorne, WR Felton Huggins, WR Mike Jefferson, OL Brandon Rodd and DL Marcus Smith.’

‘That fact makes his role easy to define. He’ll only be 27 in July, but he’ll be preparing for his fifth season by the time that birthday arrives. What he, and we, should accept by then is that Parrish is a better track athlete than footballer, as he needs open space to get up to his notoriously high speed.’