Archives for September 22, 2002

‘"The advantage is his experience," Donahoe said of the veteran quarterback. "He’s seen everything, he’s been exposed to everything. We may call something different than what he’s used to calling it. But he’s been a starter in this league for a long time. That helps. Very few things happen in the course of a game that he’s not been exposed to."’

‘"I’ve always had confidence in my ability to play this game," Bledsoe said. "I’ve never doubted, never wavered in that one bit. I know if I’ve got guys around me that can make plays that I can do my part."’

‘Drew likes Buffalo, and we like Drew.’

We know that Eric Moulds, Peerless Price and Josh Reed are all threats at receiver. There’s no way to double-cover two or three of them, but if the Bills appear to rely too heavily on the passing game, the Broncos’ defense can slip into zone coverage or put pressure on Bledsoe. Done effectively, that could curtail Buffalo’s high-scoring tendencies.

‘Today’s critical questions are: Can the Bills’ offense run the ball well enough to loosen up the Broncos’ two-deep zone defense? And can Jerry Gray’s defense contain Denver’s powerful ground game while at the same time covering future Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe?’

‘Apparently, this is a Broncos team that would make Bronco Nagurski proud, a few dozen angry men who would just as soon punch you in the mouth as look you in the face. Come Sunday evening, the Bills’ training staff might be stapling together the faces of half the roster, not just Drew Bledsoe.’

‘"I don’t think we’ve been the best team over the last 27 years, but we have the best home-field record," said Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. "I think some of that has to do with the altitude."’

‘In a poll of NFL GMs a year or two ago, Shanahan was an easy winner as the NFL’s best coach. If the Broncos get to the Super Bowl in this season’s upside-down series of events, the vote might be unanimous.’

‘The Broncos are too tough at home and will bring the Bills back to earth with a 27-21 victory.’

‘Now three weeks into his fourth season with the Buffalo Bills, Price is smiling. There’s a long way to go before Price can totally prove his point, but the smile is an "I-told-you-so" kind of grin.’

Buchsbaum’s Preview: The Broncos look as good as almost any team in the league right now. The Bills are not in their league.

Matchup to watch: First-round pick Mike Williams, a mammoth blocker at right tackle, will face off against Broncos DLE Trevor Pryce and have to keep Pryce out of Bledsoe’s face if the Bills are to be successful.

Despite special-teams breakdowns that led to two Jets touchdowns in Week One, including the game-winner in overtime, and a 61-yard punt return by Vikings, we hear that Bills ST coach Danny Smith’s job is relatively safe for now. HC Gregg Williams said after the Week One game there was nothing wrong with the scheme and that the problem was missed tackles, a vote of confidence for Smith.

My upset special. There has to be letdown after beating the Rams and 49ers back to back. The Bills are much better than people realize. Preview

‘The heavily favored Broncos are positioned to bring the Bills back down to earth with a thud.’

‘”I believe there are some parallels that can be drawn between football and life,” says the Bills’ new offensive coordinator. “With each, you have to deal with constant change and new challenges. Neither life nor football is static. How well you handle both the expected and unexpected will determine how successful you are.”‘