Archives for May 2004

‘As the starting center and captain of the Boston Patriots, he faced Buffalo’s defensive tackles Tom Sestak and Jim Dunaway and middle linebacker Harry Jacobs in the Bills’ very first playoff game in 1963. After both teams finished the regular season with 7-6-1 records, they met in a snowy War Memorial Stadium on a sub-freezing late December afternoon for the division title. "I’ll tell you what we had to do," recalls Cudzik. "Before the game, they had us doing some of the manual labor to get the field cleared enough to play. We were out there with shovels trying to get the markers and yard-lines clean. I don’t think we did the whole thing, but I thought that was kind of interesting."’

‘Q: Growing up did you ever imagine yourself to be where you are today?

MG: No, I didn’t start playing football until my sophomore year in high school. I always wanted to be a basketball player. I was a huge basketball fan. I still am but football has taken over that.

‘"My second dream job is to be a high school history teacher," said Burns. "There were a lot of teachers in my younger days that pushed me to go to college, and encouraged me to do other things besides just graduating from high school. I want to give other kids that same opportunity and motivate them so they know they can achieve any dream they have."’

‘”I watch the Bills all the time. With Drew, they need a good running game and then a three-step drop, because he’s not very mobile, and their tackles are fat, so they’re not very good protecting him around the edges. “If you can’t do that, then you better get a guy who can run.”‘ (free registration required)

‘Can Drew Bledsoe tailor his game to the Mularkey system? Is McGahee an impact player? Is the offensive line good enough? Who will start at left guard? Can Evans contribute immediately? Can the defense improve from within?’

‘Mazur still cherishes the ring he earned from the Bills’ championship year. "That’s the fun thing about it, you play for the ring not the money," he said. "I got to be around some special people. Those are wonderful memories. I wish I could have those hours back."’

‘It will be part of the university’s Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and named for the seven-year-old who suffers from the deadly disease.’

Bills owner Ralph Wilson, who has a winter home in Palm Beach, Fla., was at a pro tennis match recently, wearing a Bills cap, of course. Miami Dolphins public relations man Harvey Greene spotted Wilson and approached him to say hello, and while making small talk in the sunny weather, said to Wilson: "Beautiful day, huh, just like November at Rich Stadium." At that instance, Wilson’s friend, seated nearby, turned to Greene and said: "It’s called Ralph Wilson Stadium now."

Buffalo had a solid draft, although the Bills didn’t parlay it into the same success Carolina has been able to attain. But the Bills struck early and often by hitting on CB Nate Clements before they got RB Travis Henry and DE Aaron Schobel in Round 2. Solid. Getting massive tackle Jonas Jennings in the third round was huge, literally and figuratively. They failed to hit big with latter gambles, but their top four picks provided terrific

Buffalo got younger at fullback (Daimon Shelton for Sam Gash) and left guard (one of three young linemen for Ruben Brown) and older at cornerback (Troy Vincent for Antoine Winfield). The team also likely will replace wideout Josh Reed with speedy rookie Lee Evans. New coach Mike Mularkey brought in offensive coordinator Tom Clement but retained defensive coordinator Jerry Gray. Grade: C+

”’Our family would like to thank all of Western New York for your continued love, prayers and support for the Hunter’s Hope Foundation.”’

”’The Hunter James Kelly Research Institute is more than a dream come true for our family and Hunter’s Hope,” Jim Kelly said. ”When we started the Hunter’s Hope Foundation seven years ago … we could never had anticipated at that time how blessed we would be today.”’

‘This offseason I’m working with Merrill Lynch on Pearl and Chippewa Street downtown. I’m working with a team of financial advisors. One of whom is Kurt Schulz who played with the Bills for eight years and Detroit for two. I go two or three times a week for about 10-15 hours a week. I learn a lot, as much as I can, and try to add as much value as I can.’

‘Twenty-five years ago, a special young man’s life was changed forever following a chance meeting with a member of the Buffalo Bills. That meeting happened at a Special Olympics race. Recently, the two men got together to run another race, a quarter of a century later.’

‘”It’s kind of a different experience,” said Sigler, a 1998 graduate of Coeur d’Alene High School. “I have to do away with that stigma that goes with pro athletes.”‘