Archives for October 2004

‘The team did not disclose Sobieski’s injury. The Bills’ fifth-round pick in the 2003 draft, Sobieski appeared in one game as a rookie, and opened this season on the practice squad.’

‘Pruce, originally signed by the Baltimore Ravens in 2002, was most recently signed as a free agent by the Patriots in February of 2004 and allocated to NFL Europe. The University of Buffalo grad played in NFL Europe for the Frankfurt Galaxy in 2003 and 2004, starting all 20 games over that span.’

‘The Bills should open things up a bit offensively. Lee Evans has really come on as a deep threat and a great weapon for Drew. He has caught a long ball down field for three straight games now and they need to get him more involved in the offense. There’s nothing wrong with letting Drew throw the ball deep. Their offensive game plan this season has not put up enough points and it hasn’t earned them a win. Maybe it’s time to change things up a little and not try to control the clock as much. Their offensive philosophy hasn’t worked the way everyone had hoped it would yet this season.’

‘Coach Dean Santorio of Grand Island High School has been named the Buffalo Bills high school football "Coach of the Week" for the sixth weekend of the 2004 season (October 8-9).’

‘This could be the low-scoring type of game that has typified the National Hockey League over the past decade.’

‘That is to say, as much as the Bills are offensively challenged, they would still be 2-2 if defensive coordinator Jerry Gray’s unit could have gotten stops on the opponents’ final drives in two games.’

‘In all fairness to the Bills, they have been in every game they have played and have nowhere near the problems of the Miami Dolphins, who rank last in nearly every offensive category.’

‘Don’t think for a second that I’m blaming it all on Mike Mularkey. He’s new and inexperienced. But he’s also smart and aware. I think if we could get him past the coachspeak of protecting his guys, he’d tell you the truth. He knows he has to purge this roster of players that are either; a) bad b) a bad fit or c) bad at winning.’

‘”It just seemed they liked me more as kind of a sixth man at all three interior spots,” Tucker said. “That became my role.”‘

‘Who knows where this season is headed for the Bills and Miami. But the loser Sunday will own the well-deserved title as the worst team in the NFL. Hmm, maybe this game means something after all.’

‘"It’s just, I think, like us, frustration immediately after the game. Not being able to sit back and look at the tape like we have (Monday)," Mularkey said. "I think we’re all frustrated, and he has every right to be being where we are right now. But I think that has a little bit to do with it."’

‘You’re right, but at some point, we have to start holding the players accountable for what happens on the field rather than blame the coaches and GM Tom Donahoe, the man who brought in 98 percent of this team. The entire season so far has boiled down to one thing – these players are not playing well and the question that has to be asked is are they capable of playing well?’

‘The Bills’ offense is averaging 11 points per game, which is worse than last season when it averaged 13.9 and the team finished 6-10. That’s not exactly the production Wilson hoped for when he took general manager Tom Donahoe’s recommendation to fire Gregg Williams and hire Mularkey, the former offensive coordinator of Donahoe’s old team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.’

‘He chalked Wilson’s comments up to frustration and didn’t take his remarks as a hidden message to change his approach to things. “My guess is that’s frustration immediately after the game,” Mularkey said. “Not being able to sit back and look at the tape like we have today. I think we’re all frustrated and he has every right to be being where we are right now, but I think that had a little bit to do with that.”‘

‘Bottom line is that the coaches took too long to put players like young guns McGahee and Evans in a position to do something to help and the defense had another fourth-quarter collapse.’