Archives for August 2004

‘In order to match the success of the 2003 Panthers, Buffalo’s defense would have to produce significantly more turnovers, Travis Henry and Willis McGahee would have to be at least as effective rushing the football as Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster were last year, and QB Drew Bledsoe would have to bounce back and be at least as productive as the 2003 version of Jake Delhomme (3,219 yards passing with 19 TD passes and 16 interceptions).’

‘Jeff Garcia’s first pass as a Brown in a game-type situation was one he’ll soon try to forget.’

‘The play was designed to go to the left, with Suggs following fullback Terrelle Smith. But Suggs said the Browns had watched film of the Bills Friday night and noticed that their defense often overpursued. Suggs said Smith told him before the snap he was going to try to create a hole in the middle.’

‘No scoreboard was used, but the Bills technically won the scrimmage 14-0. Willis McGahee scored from scrimmage from the 1 and defensive end Michale Spicer picked up a fumble by Luke McCown and ran about 50 yards for the Bills other touchdown.’

‘The Browns’ first-team defense had a positive time on the field against the Bills’ top offense and quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Cornerback Anthony Henry nearly had an interception, and defensive tackle Gerard Warren was credited with a sack. The only unsettling sign for the defense was McGahee had 34 yards on seven carries. The top priority on defense this season is to do a better job of controlling the ground game.’

‘”A rusher (Jeff Posey) gets his hand up, the ball bounces up in the air, and it’s a free ball,” Garcia said. “That’s not how I wanted to have my first pass as a Cleveland Brown. Good thing it’s just a scrimmage.”‘

‘Jim Kelly remembers looking around the NFL and seeing a great quarterback on almost every team. “At any given point of my career, there were 10, 12, 15 top quarterbacks in the league'”

‘On whether he gave the players ‘the riot act’ after the penalty miscues on offense…’.

“Browns defenders and coaches I talked to said McGahee still lacks the burst that he was known for in college, and seemed to be dealing with a slightly lingering limp. But they noted that while he ran tentatively early on in the scrimmage, he became more confident and aggressive the more he touched the ball.”

‘"We have to be smart how we use them," Mularkey said. "We have two guys who don’t just have speed but are big, physical backs. People don’t realize they’re 240 pounds, well-built and can get to the edge. It’s hard to say how the whole thing will play out. Willis has great ability, but he has to prove himself."’

‘Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe was unhappy with the team’s mistakes. "We came out and ran the ball extremely well the first couple of plays. We showed that we are capable of against a good defense, coming out and running the ball the way we did. We also showed that if we can’t build a little bit more mental toughnesss to fight through then adversity of one mistake and not allow that to snowball into two and three mistakes, then we’re not going to be successful."’

‘But Mularkey never has been in charge of a whole team. He never has set the agenda for both sides of the ball, never been a policy maker, never been the primary link between the team and the keepers of the team’s finances. Mularkey never has been as accountable as he is now.’

‘First and foremost, Willis McGahee is no longer a guy who’s rehabbing his knee, but rather a running back on the Bills roster, who looks good enough to challenge for a starting spot in the NFL. Travis Henry started the day with the first team offense, and ran the ball effectively, before penalties thwarted the drive. Henry was very productive, but I got the impression that the Bills coaching staff was at Fisher today for the same reason most of the fans were – find out what Willis McGahee can do.’

‘Q. How did Willis McGahee look to you?

A. Ask Buffalo how he looked. I don’t know.’

‘All told when the regular units were on the field, the Bills offense and defense each scored once. The Browns did not score.’