Archives for December 2, 2003

‘Last season, the Bills surrendered 25 points a game, 27th worst in the NFL. This trip, at only 16 a game, Buffalo is a fraction of a point behind the leading Dolphins and Buccaneers.’

‘Now making his home in Jacksonville, Fla., with his wife, Pat, they have three children: Adam, Angela and Alison, and five grandchildren. For the past four years, he has worked as the athletic director at Episcopal High School.’

‘Mike-Mayer now operates a lawn-care company in Hewitt, NJ.’

‘The Buffalo Bills have announced a sponsorship marketing agreement with Kaleida Health, making the company the official healthcare system of the NFL franchise.’

‘”It was something that was well deserved,” Williams said of the day off. “I’ve been wanting to do that for quite a while. When you get the opportunity, you do it. . . . It’s nice to throw a bone as a coach to say, “Job well done.’ “‘

‘In all, the Bills had nine pass plays of 15 yards or more and seven that went for 20 or better. Bledsoe completed 19 of 29 passes for 252 yards, the most for him in eight games, and a sparkling 115.9 rating, his best since a 144.2 against Jacksonville in Week 2.’

‘At this point, any win is a good win for this team, but I still contend that unless the Bills are the 1978 Yankees, who overcame a 14-game deficit to catch and ultimately beat the Red Sox, the playoffs are a pie-in-the-sky dream.’

‘Offensive line – F. Starting undrafted rookie Jeff Roehl at LT is too much to ask. He was brutalized by DE Aaron Schobel (three sacks) and said it was one of the worst days of his life. Who are we to argue? Six sacks allowed overall.’

”’Our defense is chasing that mythical No. 1 defense,” Williams said. ”I’ve been a part of that before with Tennessee, and we’re close, we’d like to see that happen.”’

‘He said, “I probably should have thought about what I was going to say. I have the right to my opinion, but I should be smarter than that. I shouldn’t go to the media with concerns about things that are going on.” That, in itself, spoke volumes.’

‘The Bills have experienced assorted problems protecting the less-than-mobile Bledsoe, and they rank among the worst teams in the league at third-down conversions. Some of that might be explained by a groin injury to wide receiver Eric Moulds, whose game-breaking abilities have been compromised, and the trade that sent Peerless Price, another explosive wideout, to Atlanta for a first-round draft choice. But Donahoe says, ”You can’t say not having Peerless Price was the reason we didn’t score an offensive touchdown on the road in almost two months. I love Peerless and he’s an impact player, but he doesn’t have that kind of impact.”’

‘In the last four games Buffalo’s defense has allowed just 46 points, 283 yards rushing, 57 first downs, 22 of 59 third-down conversions and has 12 sacks. In the first eight games, Buffalo had only 13 sacks.’

‘Kudos to Gregg Williams for having the Bills ready to play and eager to snap their four-game losing streak in a road game. It was a complete team victory.’

‘K Rian Lindell has run into a tough patch on field goals. He has missed four of his last seven kicks, including a 50-yarder that came up well short against the Giants. For the season he is 13 of 19.’