Archives for September 10, 2003

”’He played well and deserved that recognition. His teammates do, too,” coach Gregg Williams said. ”When the team does well, a particular individual gets recognized, and we hope that every week everybody steps up in that fashion.”’

‘The second of Buffalo’s four seventh-round picks in the 2002 draft, Wright had a promising preseason but failed to make the team’s active roster for the second straight year.’

‘The Bills today announced that the team has released wide receiver Rodney Wright from its practice squad.’

‘In his debut with the Bills, Spikes intercepted two passes and recorded seven tackles — including two for losses — in a 31-0 victory over New England.’

‘On the Cover: Sam Adams, Football, Buffalo Bills, Jeff Posey, Football, Buffalo Bills, Woody Damien , Football, New England Patriots.’

Having seen the Buffalo defense four times in preseason, including a scrimmage in which the Bills dominated the Browns, it’s difficult to believe the unit won’t be vastly improved over a year ago. The additions of tackle Sam Adams, linebackers Jeff Posey and Takeo Spikes and strong safety Lawyer Milloy were huge individually and even more significant collectively. The Bills could be a top 10 defense, and Spikes will finally merit the attention he deserves, along with a Pro Bowl berth.

‘Bills linebacker Takeo Spikes has been named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the team’s 31-0 win last Sunday over New England.’

‘"There aren’t really any magical formulas to selling tickets," Donahoe said. "Usually when your team does well, your season-ticket base starts to climb. It’s a challenging market because of the population and economy. Not that we’re throwing those things out as excuses, but we have to try and find a way to make it better."’

‘Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Sam Adams’ 37-yard interception return for a touchdown against the New England Patriots on Sunday is one of five nominations for the NFL “play of the week.”‘

‘The Jaguars still had 9,294 unsold tickets yesterday afternoon and must sell all of them by 1 p.m. tomorrow to avert the first blackout of a regular-season home opener in franchise history.’

‘Belichick underestimated the ability of the Bills or any team to get Milloy signed and on the field so quickly. That is exactly why he waited until the last minute to release him. He never thought he’d see him in a Bills uniform, playing almost every snap on defense. The difference in what Milloy wanted and what the Patriots were willing to pay was under a million dollars. When there are only sixteen games in an NFL season how much is each win worth? They are most certainly worth more than a million dollars.’

‘There are four former Jaguars on the Bills: OT Marcus Price, an original Jaguar and sixth-round draft choice from 1995; TE Ryan Neufeld, who was a Jaguar in 2000; LB Jeff Posey, who was with the Jaguars in 2001, and WR Bobby Shaw, who played for the Jaguars a year ago.’