Archives for November 21, 2003

‘Harrison said afterwards that he feels good, but will wait until Sunday to decide if he will play against Buffalo.’

‘The Colts hope to have Harrison back for this week’s game in Buffalo. He tested his hamstring at practice this week and was able to run. Indianapolis will still be short at receiver, even if Harrison can play. Walters had four receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown in the first half of the Jets game before pulling his hamstring. Walters and Pollard are out at least one more week. Brandon Stokley, signed as a free agent to be the No. 3 receiver, has just three catches on the year. He is still feeling the after effects of a concussion and is questionable to face Buffalo.’

‘Q: Do you think you and Willis McGahee can thrive together just like the days of Thurman Thomas and Kenneth Davis? – Dennis Hough (Rochester, NY)

TH: We can be better than them. I really think we can be way better than Thurman and Kenneth Davis.’

‘One reason is they have made it difficult for opponents to run. Adams, who played with AFC Champion Oakland last season, is one of the NFL’s better run-defending defensive tackles. Spikes and Posey are solid against the run, as is Milloy, and Buffalo is the NFL’s 12th-ranked rushing defense.’

”’I feel good,” Harrison said after Friday’s workout. ”But we’ll have to see what happens. I just don’t want to do anything stupid to reinjure it. But right now, it feels real good.”’

”’He’s making the right decisions, not forcing the ball,” wide receiver Troy Walters said. ”He’s just doing everything right.”’

”’I felt good making my cuts, accelerating, and I’ll see how it goes,” Henry said.’

‘”The big thing is that when that player is called upon to make a play and it’s executed pretty well we have to go ahead and finish the play,” Williams said. “We did a pretty good job of selecting plays correctly [against Houston] but we didn’t finish those plays. We had some opportunities down there to finish them and put points on the board.”‘

‘Q: Is it true that a safety covering a wide receiver is a “mismatch”?

PP: That’s true from the offensive eyes. On defense we like to think that safety’s can cover anybody on the field as well as anyone else. On offensive eyes they think it is a mismatch because they think corners cover better than safety’s. I think I can cover any receiver in the NFL.’

‘”Part of being a cohesive offensive line is the ability to fight through these type of things,” said Bills coach Gregg Williams. “The good lines are obviously talented, but they are also consistent and available week in and week out. When you look across the league at the offensive lines that are functioning at the highest level, you will see a significant number of starts in a row with those guys. That’s very vital for an offensive line.”‘

‘Many of Henry’s friends and family members have advised him against playing, fearing he could make the injury worse. But Henry is determined to be on the field Sunday.’

‘”No, not at all,” Spikes said. “If I had to do it 10 times over and even knowing we’d be at this point record-wise, I’d still do it. I had to believe what was best in my heart for Takeo. I love those guys (in Cincinnati) like brothers. I’ve spent more time with them than the guys here. I’m happy for them. But this is where I belong.”‘

‘Bledsoe. If he’s upright, he’s a threat, but he has been sacked 30 times, and that has had a huge impact on the Bills’ minus-11 takeaway-giveaway ratio, the league’s second-worst. Bledsoe is 11-5 as a starter against the Colts, with 25 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.’

‘After getting past their salary cap problems in 2001, the Bills went on a free agent shopping spree the past two years in hopes of building a defense. They added Pro Bowl SS Lawyer Milloy just days before this season. OLB Takeo Spikes arrived last off-season and MLB London Fletcher the year before. DT Sam Adams clogs the middle. It’s worked. The Bills are fourth in the NFL at 271.1 yards allowed per game and sixth in points allowed at 17.0 per game.’

‘If Colts players aren’t thrilled with hearing occasional boos in the RCA Dome, they should be glad they’re not in the Buffalo Bills’ shoes.’