Archives for October 2004

‘Sammy Morris will become the fourth player to start at running back this season for the winless Dolphins, replacing Leonard Henry. Morris has been slowed by an ankle injury and concussion and limited to 8 yards in five carries this season. Morris spent the first four years of his career in Buffalo before signing with the Dolphins (0-5) in March. ”There’s a little something different playing against guys I played with for four years,” he said.’

‘Coach Mike Mularkey said Henry has progressed, but will wait until Sunday to make a decision as to whether he’ll be able to play. Henry’s questionable status increases the possibility that Willis McGahee will get his first career start.’

‘Basically, Mike Mularkey waived a player whose contribution to the offense was minimal, but who was visible and well-liked. To him, it was a win-win situation. Cutting a veteran non-producer didn’t hurt the offense and had the potential to send a message to a team that seemingly had previously lacked accountability for its winless start.’

‘Bills, 20-10.’

‘With such an impotent offense, the Dolphins’ defense is under pressure to virtually pitch a shutout each Sunday. "We have to perform at a very high level, and we don’t have a lot of room for error," Taylor said of the defense. "That’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it is. We have to keep teams out of the end zone and field-goal range, too, because we’re not scoring a lot of points. In order for our defense to give our team a chance to win, we have to keep teams off the scoreboard, period."’

‘"I’d heard players say they’ve lost that lust for the game and feel like the weight of the world is on their shoulders, and I can respect that," Moulds said. "But at the same time, I would feel the way a lot of the Miami Dolphins feel, that they were left out in the cold. Ricky’s a great player, but what he did and how he did it really hurt the team. It would be hard for me to welcome him back."’

‘I’ll have to give you the CliffsNotes answer for two reasons: 1), there’s not enough space for the full answer; and 2), unless you’re an accountant, you probably don’t want the full answer.’

‘What else do you like to do away from the game? “I love fishing, boating, being out on the water. We have a couple boats back home on the Susquehanna River. We have a pontoon and a jon boat (a flat-bottom boat). I love quadding (riding all-terrain vehicles) up in the mountains. A bunch of us get on our quads and go all day. Fishing is another thing where this is how it used to be. If you didn’t catch anything, you went hungry.”‘

‘Buffalo is batting .500 at home the past two-plus seasons (9-9) and .385 (10-16) since general manager Tom Donahoe took charge three-plus years ago.’

A really foul problem (Miami Herald)

Team quiet on Ahanotu; Fiedler will start (Miami Herald)

Dolphins’ offensive line struggles to communicate (Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel)

Fiedler practice goes well; may start against Bills (Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel)

Dolphins’ struggles tough on Mandich (Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel)

Forsey worth a second look (Palm Beach Post)

Ahanotu latest to quit on Dolphins (Palm Beach Post)

Report: Huizenga might be interested in hiring Spurrier (Naples Daily News)

Freelancer Bryant to replace Mare on Sunday (AP)

Dolphins’ DE Ahanotu quits team (AP)

Frustrated Ahanotu leaves Dolphins (The Sports Network)

Fiedler will start for Miami, if healthy (The Sports Network)

‘”Even when the Bills are losing it’s like a family,” Pfeiffer said. “They can rip your heart out, but boy it’s fun.”‘

‘While the Bills coaching staff said the midseason cutting of Bobby Shaw was for production reasons, one can’t ignore the implied message that was sent to the rest of the team. Wire told Brad and Jer that he got the message loud and clear, “It makes a strong statement and opened some guys eyes. It lets you know that each day you come to work your job is on the line and you can’t take anything for granted. You just can’t take a day off in this league.”‘

‘Bills 23 Dolphins 6.’

‘Veteran receiver Bobby Shaw, who was released by Buffalo Wednesday, was at Gillette Stadium yesterday meeting with the Pats coaches and other personnel. If all goes well, it’s possible Shaw could be in uniform in time for Sunday’s game against Seattle.’

‘Henry, who was injured during the first quarter of Buffalo’s loss to the Jets on Sunday, could be replaced in the starting lineup by Willis McGahee if he’s not ready to go. But that will likely be a gametime decision for head coach Mike Mularkey.’