Archives for September 2003

‘"Joe Burns came in and played well for us last week when Travis (Henry) was out. Injuries are a part of this game. That’s the way it is. If a guy goes down then the next guy has to step up and play for us. It’s unfortunate that that’s part of life and this game. If you’re going to continue to win in this league you have to have guys step up when injuries happen. Every team that goes through a season is going to deal with some injuries. The teams that are able to deal with those missing players the best are the teams that ultimately win most consistently."’

‘The other injured Eagles – cornerback Bobby Taylor, defensive end Jerome McDougle and safety Brian Dawkins – won’t play Sunday. Taylor’s out with a foot injury, McDougle with an ankle and Dawkins with a foot.’

‘From East Rutherford to Irving, Texas, from his first season as an NFL starting quarterback until now, this has been the mark of Donovan McNabb: It didn’t bother him. Every time he had to, every time the Eagles needed him, he reaffirmed his resiliency. They need him now more than ever, one more time.’

‘We’ll start by defining big plays as turnovers, sacks, offensive plays or punt returns of 20 yards more or kick returns of 40 yards or more. Through two games, the Eagles have seven. Their opponents have 24. Which says it all.’

‘"I’m licking my chops to go after any team, not just Buffalo," said Buckhalter, who has just one rushing attempt this season. "Whatever team I am facing up against every week, I am licking my chops to get the ball and run at them."’

‘”I play football because I love the game. I try to prepare to be the best at what I do. I never let anything put me off-course from what my goals are. I never let anybody tell me what I can’t do. Boos are just minor (distractions), it’s a motivation process that everyone goes through as an athlete and the way to overcome it is to go out and execute.”‘

‘"I love running between the tackles," Burns said. "I love power football. That’s what drives me. I love contact. I want to go and hit it in there and try to get what I can."’

‘Bledsoe will come back and play well again. But Sunday was sadly reminiscent of his second-half swoon of 2002.’

‘Last year, the Eagles ranked fourth in the NFL in yards allowed and second in points allowed. They were ninth against the run and seventh against the pass. This year, the Eagles defense played pretty well in the 17-0 loss to Tampa Bay. It yielded 255 passing yards to Tom Brady in a 31-10 loss to New England in Week Two.’

‘So the Bills play the AFC South this year and again in 2006. They face the NFC East this year and again in 2007.’

‘”It’s real important to me. We’re all in this together, and for us to be successful I need to be on the football field. And a lot of guys depend on me, so I’m doing everything I can to be out there.”‘

‘With three interceptions in three games, Clements is tied for the NFL lead with seven other players heading into Sunday’s home game against the Philadelphia Eagles and struggling quarterback Donovan McNabb. Clements’ hot start makes chasing records one of the enjoyable byproducts of winning. The Bills are 2-1 but are regrouping after last Sunday’s 17-7 loss in Miami, a game in which Clements had two interceptions, one he returned 54 yards for a touchdown for Buffalo’s only points.’

‘”A big part of our game on offence is the trust that (coaches) have in me to make the right decisions,” Bledsoe said. “If somebody’s not open, I have to get rid of the ball. “Last week, the red-zone interception was … one that should have been thrown to the back of the end zone. “It was an extremely poor decision by me that I don’t intend to repeat.”‘

‘Tunnel vision and his reluctance to throw the ball out of bounds are two shortcomings that have plagued Bledsoe his entire career.’

‘”I’ve watched all phases – the ups and the downs of the past couple of years,” McNabb said. “You watch some of the ups, obviously to get some positive input, and you look at some of the downs and try to figure out how you were able to overcome the downs. If it was fundamentals, technique, whatever. You try to regain some positive output just by watching some things that happened great for you in the past couple of years.”‘