Archives for October 2004

‘It’s not asking too much. This Buffalo-Miami game is like a re-enactment of the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac, those two Civil War ironclads that were precursors to modern battleships. They moved glacially and had short and unhappy futures. Just like the 2004 Bills and Dolphins.’

‘”You can either be unhappy about it, or you can take advantage of it,” Matwijow said of the location.’

‘"When I was drafted by Miami, you were instantly born to hate the red, white and blue and vice versa when you come here," said Vincent, who after eight seasons in Philadelphia got up the nerve to sign with Buffalo as a free agent. "But I don’t think a lot of the young guys now know the significance or the history of this rivalry."’

‘What do you enjoy most about living and playing in Buffalo, a town that often gets a bad rap?

"I’ll tell you, I’ve always lived in a small town. I grew up in Sutherland, Iowa, population 900 people, and then I went to school in a small city, too. It reminds me a lot of home. These are down-to-earth people; they talk to you and they treat you like any other person. I think the people in Buffalo remind me a lot of home."’

‘Snyder abuses his team’s salary cap by spending lavishly on players who’ve seen better days with other teams. He tries to go the extra mile by paying top dollar for coaches. Unfortunately for him, Steve Spurrier should have stayed in the college ranks, and it looks like Joe Gibbs should have stuck with NASCAR.’

‘Still, both teams are winless and meeting with each having non-winning records for the first time since 1987.’

‘Wannstedt added, “Nobody wants hear of four or five tailbacks getting hurt and the fullback being hurt and a new offensive line and a new receiver and quarterbacks … nobody wants to hear the reasons. But some of the things are facts and unfortunately some of those things take a little bit of time before you’re functioning at the level you need to be successful. That’s where we are right now. It’s a very difficult situation for everybody in the organization and the players and the fans. This is new water for all of us.”‘

”’I’m more mentally beat up than physically beat up,” said Bledsoe, who has tossed seven touchdowns with five interceptions. “When you’re in this league and you don’t win, well, it’s hard to swallow. I just have to keep a positive attitude for these other guys to feed off of. That’s the challenge for me. I feel like I’m throwing the ball well, making the right decisions.”’

‘One coach of another NFL team said the Bills played harder than any team he has seen this year. Sure, owner Ralph Wilson took a swipe at the boring offensive style, but that’s the way the Bills have to play for now.’

‘”I’m having trouble with all of this,” said retired Dolphins receiver O.J. McDuffie. “It’s kind of crazy. In fact, it’s mind-boggling that Buffalo-Miami is almost meaningless. It’s unheard of. I guess it’s for draft picks, but it’s still early. Both teams have a chance to turn it around.”‘

‘The Dolphins have turned the ball over 16 times, three of which have been returned for touchdowns. They’ve also committed 43 penalties, which is one more than the number of points they’ve scored. It doesn’t matter which of the two cities you live in. Numbers like that make it hard to go out in public, let alone read the paper or listen to talk radio.’

‘The Miami offense is last in rushing, averaging just 61.2 yards a game. Things don’t get any brighter for the Dolphins, as the Bills defense comes in as the second-best against the run – allowing just 85 yards a game. However, the Buffalo defense has allowed over 300 yards per game passing. The only problem is that the Dolphins are last in passing – with 249 yards per game.’

Biggest strength mostly untested (Miami Herald)

Bledsoe still ‘dangerous’ foe (Miami Herald)

Scouting report (Miami Herald)

J.J. pays a visit (Miami Herald)

Fins-Bills rivalry has become ‘almost meaningless’ (Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel)

Dolphins might meet their match (Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel)

Plenty of reasons for Dolphins’ demise (Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel)

To win, sometimes you’ve got to lose (Palm Beach Post)

J.J. says he’d rather fish than run the Fish (Palm Beach Post)

Good, bad and ugly: He has it all on tape (Palm Beach Post)

The sorry state of the Dolphins this season is sure to hit the team where it hurts most — on the bottom line (Palm Beach Post)

Thrown for a loss (Palm Beach Post)

Perfect game for two imperfect teams (Florida Today)

Miami, Buffalo meet in a battle of winless teams (Naples Daily News)

‘Round one of Draft Bowl 2005 is today, when the Miami Dolphins (0-5) play at Buffalo (0-4).’

‘”I wake up every day and say, ‘I haven’t won a game yet this year,'” Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael said. “I’d say there’s shock in that.”‘