Archives for February 12, 2014

‘”I don’t really want to talk about that as much,” Johnson said of the Pats. “I don’t want to say that I forgot those years. That really made up Pepper Johnson. But in order for me to move on, I have to start that process. I can’t keep going back to my relationship or my career with the Patriots. We can just move on. Hey, it’s all built up. It’s in this big old belly. … I have a lot to offer, and I’m definitely going to do it.”‘

‘”Our primary current operations focus is, as it must be, on the modernization process that is occurring presently here at the Ralph Wilson Stadium campus. We have to bring it home safely, on time, on budget and with a level of quality we can all be proud of. We are confident our fans will be excited about the numerous changes taking place on our stadium campus and we look forward to being near completion by the start of the 2014 season.’

‘”It’s no different than being a player,” Moore said. “I don’t know how you can play that game and not want to play at the top level. It’s the same with coaching. I knew at some point I would coach at this level, I just didn’t know when.”‘

‘The pair will be honored March 8 at Justin’s Grill in East Syracuse.’

‘Knowing Schwartz from his time in Cleveland, the Bills’ new defensive line coach Pepper Johnson was eager to get a fresh start with a new coaching staff. He had spent the past 14 seasons as a member of Bill Belichick’s staff in a number of different capacities.’

‘”We are very appreciative of the continued support of New York State and Erie County for the Buffalo Bills franchise.’

‘”As I was walking down to morning meetings he was already in there watching film from practice the day before,” Downing recalled. “He was also staying late watching film. He’s kind of a film junkie. I think that’s going to be what propels EJ to the next level. He wants to do all those things. Now you’ve got to give him a little direction and tell him what to look for and teach him to watch tape, but EJ has that in him to want to be great. Him doing all those extra things was the first alert to me that you’ve got something special here.”‘

‘We look forward to reengaging with Lt. Governor Bob Duffy and Empire State Development President Kenneth Adams as well as County Executive Mark Poloncarz and his staff, all of whom were instrumental in securing the current modernization project. We also welcome Mayors Byron Brown and Paul Dyster as well as Dottie Gallagher-Cohen of Buffalo Niagara Partnership to the effort.”‘