Archives for July 2002

‘Hall of Fame spokesman Joe Horrigan figures he knows why so many pilgrims are planning to make the trip from Buffalo. ”This,” he says, ”is shaping up as the Super Bowl celebration Buffalo never had.”’

‘However, Flutie had cult figure status among Bills fans. A family in Fairport named their dog "Flutie." There was even a local family that built a shrine to Doug Flutie in their home. Bledsoe may have to cross in to the world of food endorsements before he can even come close to Doug Flutie–who had a cereal and a Wegman’s sub named after him.’

‘What Fletcher — at 5-foot-9, 245 pounds — lacks in size, he makes up for with intensity and passion. He has quickly emerged as the Bills’ defensive quarterback, calling the plays in the huddle and barking at teammates he believes are letting up.’

Photo gallery of training camp action.

Jonas Jennings has been moved to left tackle, perhaps football's toughest up front position.

‘Among the names on Kelly’s Hall-of-Fame invitation list are the men who coached him in midget-league football 34 years ago. He also invited coaches and teammates from junior high, high school, college, the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League, and, of course, the Bills. Almost every resident of East Brady is invited, meaning the tiny town could very well be all but deserted during the ceremonies.’

‘Every Bill has to weigh in and out of practice. For each pound he loses, he has to drink 20 to 24 ounces of electrolyte-packed fluid – possibly Pedialyte or Gatorlite, a Gatorade loaded with electrolytes. That means if a 300-pound lineman drops five pounds in a practice – which is not uncommon – he has to drink about 100 ounces before his next workout.’

‘"I guess I kind of forgot where I was," Fletcher said. "You don’t really want to hit teammates like that, but those are the only guys we get to hit right now."’

‘That means every game we play, we’re going to go out with the intention of winning that ballgame, and we’re going to do everything we can in our power to make that happen. It’s obvious that in this league, you’re not going to win every game–nobody has in a long time–but at the same time, every game that we will play this year, we’re going to expect to win.’

‘Nikco Sports is offering a limited edition of 5,000 NFL-licensed footballs commemorating Kelly’s Hall of Fame induction, and donating 10 percent of the proceeds to the Hunter’s Hope Foundation, an organization that raises funds to support research efforts to find a cure for Krabbe disease and other leukodystrophies.’

‘Hey, doesn’t anybody remember this team finished 3-13 a year ago? Doesn’t anybody care that the addition of nearly a dozen key newcomers merely improved the Bills — on paper?’

‘"Camp has been an eye-opener," said Thomas, the 2001 Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year. "It’s more than football. There’s a lot of textbook and technique and schemes. I just thought football was lining up and beating the guy across the line from you. But it’s like a chess match; you’re trying to outguess opponents."’

‘"Well, you don’t want to hit your teammates like that too often in practice, but it added to the intensity and excitement," Fletcher said with a grin. "It’s part of training camp. Guys are out there working hard and competing and right now, those are the only guys I get to hit. We laughed about it. I didn’t hit him TOO hard."’

‘"You can always find a Bills fan wherever you go. Why? Because the Bills are the type of team that will hang in there. That’s why I’ll always be a fan. They’re troupers. They never say never."’

‘For the Bills, the percentage gap between male and female fans is even smaller. Nearly 48 percent of people cheering for the Bills are women.’