Archives for September 4, 2003

‘Prediction: 10-6.’

‘It devastated regular, two-back, two-wideout sets when Buddy Ryan brought it to Chicago in the mid-1980s. The problem is it’s vulnerable to multiple receiver sets. When the “46” gets burned, it’s a 60-yard gain. When the zone blitz gets burned, it’s a 15-yard gain.’

‘This year’s event will open the Bills Fieldhouse and the luxury suites to show the Bills-Cowboys road game on large-screen TVs. Tickets are $15 apiece for the fieldhouse and $30 for the luxury boxes, with refreshments, parking and the NFL Experience included.’

‘The Bills won out, thanks to a fistful of money and some good old-fashioned recruiting. Donahoe enlisted the services of quarterback Drew Bledsoe and fullback Sam Gash, Milloy’s former teammates in New England, to phone their friend and make it clear just how much the Bills coveted him.’

‘Coach Gregg Williams on Wednesday said he plans to mix in Bobby Shaw, who ranked fourth in the AFC in punt returns for Jacksonville last season, along with Clarence Coleman on punts against New England on Sunday. “We’ll mix it up a little bit, try and give them a change (to look at),” Williams said. ” Each guy brings a different style of return, so we’ll mix it up.”‘

‘”Not having Lawyer out there (against the Bills) makes me feel a little better,” said Bledsoe. “Certainly I would love to sit down and pick his brain just to see how much game-plan stuff they have done.”‘

‘”We need this game to get our butts into the playoffs,” said the seven-time Pro Bowl guard, completely mindful of the fact that the upcoming game is the first of a 16-game schedule.’

‘”The Buffalo Bills made me feel good again,” said Milloy. “They stepped right up to the plate. They made their best offer, and it showed me how much they wanted me. All of the teams in it — Washington, New Orleans, they all gave a great shot. I was getting calls from general managers and owners and they were making me feel so wanted. I can’t tell you how much I needed that after the last few days in New England.”‘

‘Indeed, the AFC East competition also bulked up, with Buffalo adding linebacker Takeo Spikes and the Dolphins landing future Hall of Famer Junior Seau. And despite some personnel losses and an injury to quarterback Chad Pennington, the Jets return as division champions. It all adds up to the consensus best division in football.’

‘“I have very harsh feelings toward the Patriots and I make no secret about it,” the Bills fullback said, comparing the sudden nature of his Foxboro exit six years ago with Milloy’s release. “I’ve a lot of respect for the Patriot players, but not for that organization. I don’t give a damn about it at all.”’

‘Antwan Harris and Chris Akins have spent their entire careers as special team performers and part-time defensive players. Of the two, only Harris has started an NFL game, and that happened just once. Another player who may work into the rotation next to starting safety Rodney Harrison is Aric Morris, who actually started 10 games at safety for Tennessee in 2001 after Pro Bowler Blaine Bishop got injured.’

‘Seldom, however, does a coach face an opponent with a player who was with him last week. Would Belichick change the Pats’ signals and code words if Milloy was able to get ready enough to play? “You’d take that into consideration,” Belichick allowed, “considering how the circumstances are.”’

‘“I was conscious of the emotional aspect and I really felt like I did a pretty good job of coming into the games in the right frame of mind,” Bledsoe said yesterday. “The thing that happened to us in both games is that we were down by like 17 or 20 points and it put us in some difficult situations. I think that’s what caused us problems and what caused me problems.”’

‘Here we go again. Either Buffalo general manager Tom Donahoe is a better judge of talent than Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli, or he just overpaid (again) for a player who didn’t fit into the Patriots’ plans.’

‘”We’ll have to find that out as it comes,” said Johnson. “Could it be (a distraction)? It could be. But it’s up to us to not let it. Honestly, I think we have some very mentally strong football players on this team. Gritty guys. Lawyer was one, but he wasn’t the only one. I think we have power within us to block it out. When it’s time to go to work, we go to work. We may deliberate in the locker room or on our own about these things, but when it’s time to go to work, it doesn’t have a huge impact.”‘ (registration required)