Archives for December 2003

‘”Every year you start out the year wanting to make the playoffs,” Williams said. “That was our focus this year, too, but we weren’t that good to get there. We are what we are right now. Record-wise, we earned (6-9).”‘

‘It’s unlikely the Bills will repeat their performance from the first game.’

‘Motivation won’t be a problem for Bill Belichick’s Patriots. They’ve openly denied it, but getting home-field advantage would be the perfect Christmas gift. They’ve won all seven of their games at The Blade entering this weekend and have been dominant in the process. During a five-game stretch at home, they did not allow a touchdown in 19 consecutive quarters. Other teams have been tough to beat at home, but none of them have been as impenetrable as the Patriots.’

‘Chew on these numbers: The Patriots are tied for second in the league with 37.0 sacks. Bledsoe has been sacked 46 times — the most by any quarterback in the NFL. This could get ugly.’

‘“We thought they were a very good football team when we played them and even after we played them,” Bills’ coach Gregg Williams said last week. “I watched them grow throughout the course of the year. Those guys have played well, they are playing very confidently. They do a very good job defensively on taking the ball away and setting their offense up. Their offense protects the ball. They do a good job of protecting the football and taking the high-percentage play.”’

‘The Patriots have been low-key this week regarding the first game against Buffalo. The players won’t say it publicly, but they can’t wait for an opportunity to pay back those Bills. Mostly, it’s because head coach Bill Belichick has been using that loss all season long as an example of the Patriots’ supposed vulnerability.’

‘Brown has three years left on a seven-year, $32 million contract, and is due to count $4 million against the salary cap next season whether or not he’s on the roster.’

‘Brown did not practice with the team all week and did not make the trip with the team to Boston on Friday. Bills Head Coach Gregg Williams is quoted as saying that Brown is, “not playing for personal reasons.” Williams was quick to point out that Brown was not suspended.’

‘New England’s defense, in addition to racking up a whopping 37 takeaways, is holding opponents to just 90.1 yards rushing and just 15.9 points a game. The number that leaps off the page is 37 — as in 37 sacks.’

‘The Bills’ bookend visit to Foxboro for the season finale will be the sad final chapter in a season that began on center stage, but is ending in irrelevancy.’

‘"It’s what the team produces and what you do in situations to win or lose the game, that’s what it comes down to," said Belichick. "If one guy has 1,300 yards, or two guys have 1,300 yards . . . the perception is in one case you have got a great running game and the other case that these guys can’t run the ball because they each have half of that . . .I just can’t buy into that."’

‘I think the Bills are going to be smeared like a bug on a windshield.’

‘The Bills need to determine whether they want to pay him $6 million in base salary next season and whether they want to pick up the final three years on his contract. If they decide he’s not worth the money, he can become a free agent. They also could restructure the deal. One way or another, Bledsoe expects to be back next season.’

‘If you’re a loyal Bills fan, you’ll turn down the sound on the boob tube and jack up the volume on the radio broadcast because we will not hear his likes again.’