Archives for September 29, 2004

‘Q: Has there been any one major cause in your team’s struggle to score points so far this season, or are there several factors?

MM: I think one of [the factors] is…’.

‘Q: In your first season at Buffalo, some people were talking about you being the most valuable player in the league, but things have trailed off since then. What do you have to do to get back to being the player for the Bills that you were when you first joined them?

DB: The thing that I have to do…’.

‘Losman says returning in three weeks is a possibility. "I think that’s a realistic goal," said Losman.’

‘"It as really important to teach the kids about being healthy," Denney said. "Nowadays it’s so easy to be eating junk food and staying inside without getting any exercise. We wanted the kids to be excited about this program and they were very responsive to our message."’

”’It was really exciting. That’s the only way to say it. I can’t play it cool. It was fun,” Losman said. ”I’m way of ahead of schedule.”’

‘“This is a different year,” Belichick said. “We’ve won two games, and were going to have a hard time winning a third. Going on the road in Buffalo is going to be tough. Nobody knows that better than we do.”’

‘Monetary donations and non-perishable food items will be collected at all gates by volunteers headed by Fan Food Drive chairwoman Mary Wilson. Mrs. Wilson will team up with the Bills Women’s Association, Buffalo Jills, Blue Coats, Student Leaders and Food Bank staff who will be located at collection points outside every gate of the stadium.’

‘What does Belichick have cooked up for Sunday’s game in Ralph Wilson Stadium? What should Drew Bledsoe and Buffalo’s troubled offense expect – pressure up the middle like it had in the first two games this season or defensive linemen staying back and linebackers rushing, as the Patriots did in confusing the Bills in 2002? Will quarterback Tom Brady dink-and-dunk until the Bills are sunk?’

‘"We come back that week on Monday morning. I hope he’s cleared to go practice,” Wichard said. "Yeah, he’s doing great.”

‘"He’s just not the same player," an NFL general manager said last week. "You can only take so many hits. It’s not a question of courage. He’s proven that. But your body can only take so much and then you start to react different. I doubt he even senses it. It’s not a conscious thing, but you can’t pull the trigger when you need to anymore."’

‘The Bills’ offensive line will be challenged by the Patriots’ interchangeable ways Sunday when the teams meet in Buffalo. The Bills’ line consists of left tackle Jonas Jennings, left guard Lawrence Smith, center Trey Teague, right guard Chris Villarrial and right tackle Mike Williams. Jennings, Teague and Williams are returning starters, while Villarrial was a top free-agent acquisition and Smith a first-year free agent signee. Leaky offensive line play (NFL-high 51 sacks in 2003) has been a concern in Buffalo in recent years and the well respected McNally, a 25-year NFL coaching veteran hired by first-year coach Mike Mularkey, is being counted on to help fix it.’

A Bill believes he’s due (Boston Globe)

Right on schedule (Boston Herald)

Pats chat with Tom E. Curran (Providence Journal)

Trouble on the line (Metro West Daily News)

Time for the real Seymour to show (Woonsocket Call)

No hype, just wins (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Numbers don’t tell story for Seymour (Brockton Enterprise)

Patriots may join elites (Quincy Patriot Ledger)

Drew is blue (Lawrence Eagle Tribune)

‘I still can’t figure out if he’s to blame for the Bills’ failure to throw the ball downfield or if it’s the fault of his line for failing to give him enough time. However, with each passing game, it seems more and more that Bledsoe is unable, or unwilling, to throw the ball quickly enough to avoid getting sacked as often as he does.’

All conventional wisdom leads you to believe the Patriots will tie the NFL record with their 18th consecutive win. Both teams have had two weeks to get ready so they should both be well prepared. Bill Belichik is arguably the best coach in the game and giving him two weeks to prepare could be bad news for the Bills. The Bills are desperate for a victory and the Patriots are due to lose. The Bills will need to play a near perfect game to win this week. They stressed the mistakes they made in the first two weeks over the bye, I think that they were listening and will stop shooting themselves in the foot. In the NFL on any given Sunday anybody can win. So even though it makes no sense whatsoever I’m picking the Bills to pull off a monumental upset to save their season.