Archives for August 20, 2004

‘Travis Henry or Willis McGahee? It might not matter who’s running the ball if the Buffalo Bills can’t get their offensive line troubles straightened out.’

‘McGahee’s agent is not commenting leading to speculation that the report may be coming out of South Florida. The day after Ricky Williams retired from the Dolphins, there were published reports in Miami that the Dolphins had contacted the Bills about Travis Henry. Bills General Manager Tom Donahoe said right away that they never called.’

‘"It was like going from a truck to a Rolls Royce," said former Bills safety John Pitts. "The War Memorial had its great moments and great days, but that was a dive. But the people there in Buffalo, I don’t think you could find no more committed and loyal fans. We used to race off the field because whoever got in the shower first – you got hot water. If you were the last one, the water was going to be cold. Even the guys that were injured, you could see them sprinting off the field. You could just stay back and see if that injury is real or if they’re just faking."’

‘St. John Fisher College today dedicated the College’s newest academic building, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education Building, which opened in September 2003. Ralph Wilson, owner of the Buffalo Bills, is an active supporter of community affairs, particular in the areas of education and medical research.’

‘McGahee’s request was not issued as an ultimatum, but the player made clear he won’t be happy playing backup to incumbent Travis Henry, said the source, who is close to McGahee, and spoke on the condition of anonymity.’

‘”I think they have a good defense, a good defensive line and good linebackers,” G Zach Piller said. “They do a lot of blitzing and a lot of things, so we need to be ready to roll. We need to go in there and make sure we know our assignments so that we can do a good job.”‘

‘Bledsoe said he expects to play the entire first quarter and a large chunk of the second. "It’ll probably depend on how productive we are offensively," he said. "If we go out and produce some points than it could be a little shorter amount of time. But if we’re struggling a little bit than we’ll (the first string) stay in until we do something productive."’

‘"It says lot about Turkey Hills Dairy who picked-up the remaining tickets to make sure that we had a sell-out," Donahoe said. "We’re thrilled with the opportunity to sell the game out and it’s ‘Kid’s Day’ so I think there’ll be a lot of enthusiasm at the stadium. Now, people that don’t have a ticket will be able t see the game on television."’

‘Turkey Hill, the producer of Bills Stampede Sundae Ice Cream, is giving away 4,000 tickets to Saturday night’s Bills game against the Tennessee Titans. The first 2,000 tickets will be distributed Friday at five area Tops Friendly Markets, the official supermarket of the Buffalo Bills. Turkey Hill is handing off 400 tickets to the first 200 adults (2 per person) wearing their favorite team jersey, t-shirt, or cap.’

‘"I think one of the hardest things in my life was when the Bills told me they didn’t want me back," said Davis. "I went in to talk about the situation. What were we going to do about the season coming up? Were we going to start working on my contract now or later? I knew and I think they knew when I left Buffalo, I wouldn’t go anywhere else to play. I could have gone to a couple of other teams. I just felt confined to Buffalo. It was where I wanted to be, where I had been. I didn’t want to be a player that just bounced all around the league, so I just got out. It was time to accept that and move on."’

‘Moorman did not practice due to a strained hamstring. He might not be able to kick Saturday. If not, backup place-kicker Mike Shafer would have to handle punting.’

‘"I came here saying I’ve played a lot of games," Baker said as he prepared for Saturday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. "I’ve learned how to play the free-safety position. I had never played it before college. I had to learn in the SEC, and that’s a tough way to learn. So coming here I felt I could do what I had to do once I learned the scheme."’

‘"It’s very, very solid, very stable," President and General Manager Tom Donahoe said of the team’s support. "We definitely have an organization and a fan base that can win a Super Bowl. Now we need a team that can win the Super Bowl.’

‘This is the third year the Bills have sold discounted youth tickets. "The league has seen it as an opportunity to develop a different fan base," Donahoe said. "This is the third year we’ve had the kids day. The first year it was slow, last year we had 63,000 and this year it’s a sellout. The league is trying to do things to enable more people to see the games."’

‘"We’re really encouraged by the performance of both of them this camp," defensive backs coach Steve Szabo said. "I can’t say at this point they have this team made but they both have been impressive. These are the two best free agents I’ve seen in my 11 years in the NFL … kids who look like they can legitimately contribute and play."’