Archives for September 23, 2004

‘"There were only three of us in the beginning," McComb said. "We had a television and a speaker box on a table … but from word of mouth it’s gotten quite big."’

‘Sept. 23, 1979: In his first three games, Bills rookie receiver Jerry Butler, hampered by a shoulder separation, had 11 catches for 162 yards and no touchdowns. However, during the fourth game of the year, at home against the division rival Jets, he nearly doubled his season total of receptions. And only two weeks after halfback Roland Hooks had found the endzone four times against Cincinnati, Butler did the same against New York, as Buffalo beat the Jets, 46-31.’

‘Can this team led by incompetent GM Donahoe, rookie head coach Mike Mularkey, and now “Iron Legs” Bledsoe possibly be digging themselves a deeper hole? I ask the question in all sincerity. Is it possible? I am not sure that it is.’

‘The question is: Can Bledsoe and his teammates do the right things on the field and channel their conviction into a victory?’

‘”I haven’t even thought about that route yet,” Mularkey said of using Matthews. “I think our best chance to win right now is Drew Bledsoe. He has to be surrounded by a bunch of guys who are playing at a high level, too, to help him out. It’s not him alone. That would be the easy way out, to make (a switch), but that’s not the way we would go.”‘

‘Optimistic note for Bills fans: Buffalo is 10-5 coming off bye weeks. Pessimistic note: New England’s Bill Belichick and his brilliant staff also will have an extra week to prepare.’

‘”Our guys know that, players on the team know that, the coaches know that and that’s just simply the way it is. If there was a situation where Mike (Mularkey) felt we’d be (more) effective with somebody else, he would make that change, but that’s not the case.”‘

‘Everybody heals differently and the Bills are putting no timetable on Milloy. But the St. Louis Rams said CB Travis Fisher, who has the same injury, would miss 10-12 weeks. If that proves to be the case with Milloy, he won’t return until after Halloween, or about seven games total.’

‘Two costly holding penalties that wiped out big returns in the kicking game won’t turn Buffalo’s coverage men gun shy, linebacker Mario Haggan said. Haggan was whistled for holding in the Raiders game to wipe out a 63-yard punt return by Nate Clements. Earlier, Angelo Crowell was flagged for holding to nullify an 88-yard kickoff return by Terrence McGee. “Personally, I think it was a bad call but I’m not going to blame the referees,” Haggan said. “I’ve got to live with it and keep playing hard. They will not take away the integrity and the toughness we have on special teams. If we’re going to be physical and beat teams up on special teams, we’re just going to have to play through those types of calls.”

‘”Any time you start 0-2 or 0-3 or whatever you start, I think you have to come out and work a little bit harder to see where you got to do to get better,” wide receiver Eric Moulds explained. “We haven’t scored many points the first couple of games and work is what we need and so that’s what we got to do.”‘