Archives for July 2004

‘"This is tremendous opportunity for D. and he certainly deserves it," said Albany Conquest Head Coach Rick Buffington. "If Buffalo likes what they see they could sign him in the near future. D. will fly out from Buffalo to Green Bay to play in our game on Friday night against the Blizzard. He will not miss any practices this week since Thursday is a travel day for us."’

There’s no question that the Bills have all the pieces to have a potent, high-scoring offense. The key will be giving Bledsoe the time he needs to make his reads down the field. With all the weapons Mularkey has at his disposal, it’s tough to imagine the Bills struggling on offense the way they did last season.

On the other side of the ball, status quo wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to a team that ranked second in the league in total defense. But there’s a fine line between status quo and complacency and the Bills would be wise to toe it carefully.

If Mularkey is able to get the new additions to jell and work out some chemistry puzzles (i.e. Henry and McGahee), there should be plenty of cheers from Ralph Wilson and the patrons of his stadium.

Within two months, Brittany and Robbie have organized fundraisers to purchase old cell phones and prepaid calling cards. They have raised more than $130,000 through these events and their Web site, Cell Phones For Soldiers.

Their efforts have been acknowledged by the White House, members of the military, and Jim Kelly, quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. Kelly has also signed on as their celebrity spokesperson.

The Bergquist siblings have been collecting a lot of stuff lately. Like e-mails from grateful soldiers in Iraq and their mothers, wives and fathers in the States; $500 donations from TV stars; backing from former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly; and lots of thank-yous from people all over the country.

‘As long as Eric Moulds stays healthy and Drew Bledsoe stays off his backside, this team will have a chance to post its first winning record in five years.’

‘The Bills have the added challenge of signing two first-round draft picks this year and with training camp opening in less than a month, the clock is ticking on getting wide receiver Lee Evans and quarterback J.P. Losman into the fold.’

‘Furthermore, with no CBA extension, new contracts can only be factored out over six years – that’s if Donahoe were to get one done in 2004. Deals written next year will be under even tighter constraints, meaning Donahoe may not have the leverage it appears he has by suspending talks until further notice. One agent said Donahoe’s fax was merely more posturing and he won’t be bullied into a premature, under-market deal.’

‘Ruben Brown may have been cut by the Bills but he has no hard feelings, at least not enough to let them get in the way of his charity work. The classy nine-year veteran went ahead with his fourth annual Ruben Brown Motorcycle Run to benefit the Salvation Army last weekend from the Ralph Wilson Stadium parking lots. Celebrity riders Jim Kelly, Fred Smerlas, Ted Washington, Sam Gash and Pat Williams took part.’

‘”When we spend time on certain tasks, on improving certain areas of our lives, we generally get results,” Vincent said by phone last week. “If I spend time in the weight room, on the practice field, generally I’ll get results on the playing field. There’s a slim chance I won’t get results. The same thing applies in our daily lives with our families. What you put in is exactly what you’ll get out.”

‘The battalion has been stationed in Iraq since February 16, 2004, though many are confident their mission will not last much longer. "I will be there for the home opener," McKirchy said. "This is going to be an exciting year for the Bills and I’m not going to miss any of the action."’

‘In honor of Independence Day Sunday, Buffalobills.com took a look back through the 43 years of Bills football to come up with a squad that shared the surnames of the 43 United States presidents, or other notable presidential candidates (or parties).’

‘The Buffalo Bills 2004 rookie class has yet to take a snap on an NFL field, but they are already champions. The six newest members of the Bills squad finished first in the Ultimate Rookie Challenge at the Rookie Symposium held in La Costa, California this past week.’

‘Germane Crowell plays for the New Orleans Saints, and Angelo plays for the Buffalo Bills. The camp focused on improving football skills, but it included motivational talks by professional athletes and community leaders.’

‘Among the AFC East alsorans, Buffalo will make the most improvement, albeit without Drew Bledsoe taking the snaps. I like Bledsoe, but let’s face it, my lardulous physique could avoid the rush better. With cocky rookie QB J. P. Losman and new head coach Mike Mularkey at the helm, the Bills will undergo an attitude adjustment that translates into more wins on the field.’

‘Former Bills special teams star Steve Tasker will appear in television commercials scheduled to be aired this fall as part of the company’s business-to-business marketing campaign.’