Archives for January 7, 2023

‘Belichick wasn’t nearly as good a head coach during his five-year tenure with the Cleveland Browns as he became with the Patriots. He improved as a communicator and a leader. He learned from his mistakes. But his Browns’ tenure from 1991 to 1995 was not an abject failure. He built a solid program beneath the shaky ownership of Art Modell. He got them to 11-5 and a playoff win in 1994. He resurrected Vinny Testaverde’s career. Then the Browns moved and it fell apart.’

‘”When I saw the situation, it reminded me very much of one that I experienced when I was with the Jets in 1997,” Belichick said. “We played the Lions in the last game of the year. Reggie Brown was injured. It was kind of a normal play. Adrian Murrell carried the ball, got tackled, everybody got up and went back to the huddle. Reggie laid on the field and didn’t move and was unconscious for quite awhile, 10 minutes something like that. And the whole process took a long time. It must have taken a half-hour by the time he finally was given CPR and revived and then put on the board and put on the ambulance and driven off the field at the Silverdome.’

‘The bottom line: Kansas City will be the first or second seed; the Bills can be first, second or third; and the Bengals can be second or third.’

‘I think talking about how unnerving the early snaps is an important conversation. I’ve appreciated players saying firsthand how they don’t know what the start of the game is going to be like, and I imagine that will take some time on the field to sort through. I think the Patriots are better prepared for this particular meeting, just from the straightforward standpoint of their week has not been absolute hell to start. But I think the Bills playing for Hamlin outweighs all that, and frankly, I think they’re the better team. Bills, 30-20.’

‘Prediction: Patriots over Bills by 1.’

‘“We got our boy, man,” left tackle Dion Dawkins later told reporters. “It’s all that matters. We got our boy. The excitement was beautiful. It was amazing. It has given us so much energy, so much bright, high spirits, whatever you want to call it. It is giving it to us. To see that boy’s face, to see him smile, see him (flex) in the camera, it was everything. And then to hear him talk to us, it was literally everything.”‘

‘“Just able to hug him, and the grip strength that he had, I told Mario (Damar’s father) I’m not a crier, but man it was emotional,” Beane said Friday. “A lot of grown men in there crying yesterday. Something I’ll never forget.”’

‘“Denny, we built a relationship the two years I was there, and, honestly, I feel he has a relationship with a lot of players in (the locker room) because Denny is a really selfless guy and that’s my definition of a trainer,” Williams said. “They have to be selfless because they’re attending to all of your physical pains and needs and Denny, he’s just a really great dude and he really helped me during my time in Buffalo.”’

‘There were so few jerseys to be had that Jets rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner took to Twitter asking if someone could find him one because the jersey that he ordered would not arrive in time for Sunday’s game. Cohen responded on social media saying that Fanatics would send over a Hamlin jersey Thursday.’

‘”John Murphy suffered a stroke last weekend. He is recovering at home with his family and making progress every day,” the statement said. “John and the Murphy family are grateful for the excellent care by the staff and doctors at Buffalo General Medical Center. We appreciate everyone’s support.”‘

‘“Buffalo’s had a tough year, a time that’s been trying and difficult,” Manka said. “This was not only another blow, but everyone saw it. With what I do, we see cardiac arrest. We see what happens. It’s traumatic for someone who hasn’t witnessed it, as opposed to people in an emergency department, and it was especially horrendous for the other players, Damar’s friends, who were right there.”’

‘This time however, something different happens in Buffalo Bills land. Coaches don’t return to their playbooks. Players aren’t warming up on the field. Sean McDermott and his team are stepping back, bearing witness to the well-being of their teammate as of much greater importance than any game.’

‘“Doctor Godfrey said, ‘Give me room,’ ” Maguire says. “And then he put his hand down Jack’s throat and pulled out his tongue. He saved his life.”’