Archives for August 2003

Offensive MVP: Quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe exploded onto the scene as a leader and big-time producer on the field. With the emergence of running back Travis Henry, it will be up to Bledsoe to keep the Bills’ offense balanced.

‘”And believe me, it pained me to see what we had to do managing the cap was letting all of those very good defensive players go when we first got here because of the way their contracts were structured,” Williams said. “That was tough being a defensive guy letting that happen and being involved in those decisions. Now, this is a year that we targeted on getting back over on that side of the ball. We’ve done a very good job of attracting a few key people. Spikes is one of them…We’re not as fast and as good as that defense in Tennessee when I was there, but we’re approaching and getting closer to improving our team speed.”‘

Six-year veteran guard Tom Nutten, abruptly announced his retirement, leaving the team puzzled but also perilously thin on the offensive line. Nutten who got a Superbowl ring with Rams started in the league as a Buffalo Bill in 1995.

‘Most likely, McGahee will go on reserve/NFI once the regular season starts. Then the Bills would have the option of having him start practice between Weeks Six and Nine, if he’s ready. The other alternative would be to keep him on the roster as one of the final 53 players and make him inactive each week.’

"It’s hard to tell where you stand out there, but it’s good to get reps with both teams just to get a feel for it," Reese said. "So when they do name the starters, if they’ve already named the starters, whatever the case may be, if somebody gets injured, it’s good to be able to play with the first team and know what it feels like to play with the first team."

‘” He very quickly gets the attention of his teammates, which tells you a lot.”‘

‘Eric Moulds and Josh Reed will start, and Bobby Shaw was signed as a free agent from Jacksonville to be the No. 3 receiver. Jett and veteran Charles Johnson will battle with youngsters Sam Aiken and Rodney Wright for the other spots.’

”’Drew was what a quarterback should be in high school – he’s always been a good guy, everybody liked him. He always handled himself well and he still does,” Sirmon said. ”Everybody looked up to Drew, but I think I wore 12 just because that’s a generic high school number.”’

”’We have checked and everything, as of right now, is still on with our charter,” Williams said. ”Now, we may be re-routed in some way, but we have extra time built into our schedule.”’

‘The Buffalo Bills’ training camp is only a couple of miles down the street from the site of this PGA Championship, so Phil Mickelson made a visit there Wednesday. You can fill in the punchline. Both are notorious, of course, for failing to win the big one.’

‘Maybe the best approach with Mickelson is to expect nothing. And then bet on the Bills.’

‘”There are a lot of guys I have a lot of strong feelings for Jeff (Fisher), my best friend in coaching, and some of those players that were there that I was a part of drafting and teaching and coaching,” Williams said. “It’ll be a fun deal.”‘

‘Phil Mickelson spent the day before the PGA Championship visiting the nearby training camp of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. He must have felt right at home. They’ve never won a major championship, either.’

‘Williams spent 11 years with the Titans from 1990-2000 in various positions, including defensive coordinator, special team and linebackers coach.’

‘”We’re expecting it to be loud down there,” Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe said Thursday. “That’s why we’ve been practicing our silent counts. One of the things that makes it so hard to win in this league is that crowd noise.”‘