Archives for August 2009

‘As the cameras clicked away, the two men basked in the glow of a moment that had to seem surreal.’

‘"It was like starting a new automobile company from scratch and bucking Ford and GM," Wilson said of Hunt’s seemingly impossible endeavor. "The NFL was powerfully entrenched. My friends (some of whom were fellow shareholders in the NFL’s Detroit Lions) said ‘You have a franchise in this honky-tonk AFL?’ and they laughed at me at cocktail parties. I was a joke."’

‘The Bills can call today a success as I spent over $200 this afternoon. I however left with quite the opposite feeling. Having grown up traveling to Fredonia and actually having an opportunity to interact with so many players over the years, I feel it’s a shame when a 4-year old future Bills fan cannot even stand on the sidewalk as the players pass by.’

‘”I live for tomorrow,” Lynch said. “I take what I got today but knowing I have another chance tomorrow, I have to grind and work so I make it to that day. But with me being out, I don’t think we’ll miss a step, I don’t. That’s the right thing to say and it’s the truth.”‘

‘Interested in owning a piece of history? Ralph Wilson Jr. Hall of Fame caps are available for purchase for $21.99 on profootballhof.com.’

‘"With a lot of teams, we’ve been in camp situations and the food always starts out good and then it kind of tapers off somewhere along the way. What’s wrong with that? Voicing your opinion is no different than saying practice is too hard."’

‘”I think it’s ridiculous,” said Owens, an active user of the social media network. “For someone to get fined $2,500 because they tweeted that the cafeteria food was bad … then maybe they need to change (the food). That’s his honest opinion.”‘

‘"Roscoe would add a dimension of quickness and speed that would put a lot of pressure on defenses," Schonert said.’

‘”Our fans are the greatest,” Smith said. “I was there when we went 2-14, 4-12. As we continued to get better, we had record-breaking attendance. We were averaging 80,000 fans, sometimes in blizzard-like conditions. It’s going to be incredible to see all the fans.”‘

‘Former Oklahoma University standout Harris, 22, told the young elementary school-aged students that his education growing up and at Oklahoma helped prepare him to be an NFL player for the Bills. Harris impressed upon the children how his accomplishments of graduating from college in 3 ½ years with a degree in physical therapy and his score of 35 on the NFL’s Wonderlic intelligence test (21 is average) were the positive results of working hard in school and being able to read and write.’

‘Head coach Dick Jauron still hasn’t definitively determined just how much time the starters will receive, though he estimates a few series.’

‘”Basically, I’m either on a roster or I’m probably done this year,” Fox said. “It’s real important to me.”‘

‘The two games helped define the franchises.’

‘"This already has been an incredible ride," Smith said Friday afternoon. "It hasn’t even set in yet in terms of the emotions I’m going to feel when the ceremony starts. I’m just overwhelmed."’

‘Who knows what might have happened if the Bills hadn’t taken Smith first overall in 1985? Maybe the Bills don’t reach a Super Bowl. Maybe Smith winds up on a bad team. Their fates are forever entwined; it seems fitting that they go in together.’