Archives for July 2009

‘Are you ready for some football!’

‘It would not be a stretch to say that the Bills will probably be a better team yet still could be hard-pressed to match last year’s third consecutive 7-9 record. The schedule is tougher and it just doesn’t seem like the Bills have made enough upgrades to crack the top six in the AFC.’

‘”They said they liked me, but you’re never sure until they sign you,” he said. “I didn’t drop a ball in the first three practices.”‘

‘Prediction: 6-10 (fourth, AFC East)’

‘Perhaps young elite athletes will see "The T.O. Show" as a cautionary tale. He is no hero. He is no role model. He is a gifted athlete whose life gives TV viewers every reason to continue believing that some pro athletes are undeserving of our complete admiration and respect.’

‘Harris is the third of Buffalo’s eight draft picks to sign. The move was announced Wednesday, two days before Bills players are scheduled to report for the start of training camp in suburban Rochester.’

‘”Nic’s got good movement skills and he does learn our stuff very quickly,” said linebackers coach Matt Sheldon. “It’s a compliment to his college coaching staff. He had solid coaching in college and played multiple positions. He’s played down in the linebacking position in college and that helps him a great deal.”‘

‘If Wilson felt something was for the good of the league, then it was good for him.’

‘You always had that look in your eyes before all the games, the look that told everyone you meant business. Behind that look was a work ethic that couldn’t be questioned. You wanted not just to be great but to be the greatest that ever played the game, and it showed in everything you did.’

‘”It’s probably a great year to have our 10th training camp at St. John Fisher because it’s our 50th year of existence and a lot of good anniversaries are coming up,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “It’s as good a training facility as I’ve ever been around as a player and a coach.”‘

‘"By no means is it a slam dunk," Losman said Tuesday from Buffalo, N.Y., where he has been working out in anticipation of participating in the UFL venture. "I’m definitely taking some risks. But in the situation I find myself in, if I want to get back to NFL, I need to play in the UFL."’

‘”They’ve got to double someone and whoever they double, the other is always going to have single coverage,” said Trent Edwards of the Evans-Owens combination. “That’s why Arizona was so effective. They have two great receivers that you have to be concerned with the entire game. Once one gets open and they throw him the ball, they try to take him away, and then you throw to the other guy and he’s going to be open too. It’s tough for a defense to have to prepare for two receivers and not just one. It’s going to create a lot of headaches for defensive coordinators.”‘

‘”I expect us to have a better season, not only for me but for the fans in Buffalo, than we have had in the last few years,” Wilson said. “Now, of course, there are so many things that can happen in the game, as the football fans know. There’s the talent factor, but I think we have the talent now. The luck factor is huge; the ball has to bounce right. We had the Dallas Cowboys beat a couple of years ago. All we had to do was recover the onside kick by them and we won the game, and the ball bounced away from our guy and the Cowboys recovered it and kicked the winning field goal. But I’ll be disappointed if we don’t make the playoffs this year. I think we’ve got a good chance.”‘

‘This show is a train wreck. But what do they say about such scenes? You can’t stop looking at it. VH-1 is investing heavily in this debacle. By the time you read this column, the premiere will have already aired seven times.’

‘”I’m trying to get back on the field as soon as possible,” Losman said. “I love the game. I want to play this game. I don’t want to be [in the NFL] waiting for somebody to get hurt or not play well.”‘