Archives for October 2004

‘Not that it really matters if rookie qb J.P. Losman can practice or play right now, which he can’t, because he won’t. Still, his day is coming much sooner than I’d ever have thought possible at the start of this season.’

‘J.P. Losman will start to take part in team drills that don’t require him to scramble. Mularkey thinks his rookie quarterback is realistically two or three weeks away. The Bills head coach refused to speculate if Losman will replace Drew Bledsoe when he’s healthy.’

‘In this particular version, Bledsoe moves the Bills achingly close to a touchdown that would at least make things interesting, only to see all his most important throws end up in the hands of someone wearing purple.’

‘You have to show your team you have the ability to make those key decisions if you want to lead. Mularkey has not done that. Key decisions are not cutting Bobby Shaw. That’s not a statement or a tough move; it’s just a token that’s supposed to set an example. The problem is not all on Mularkey. He’s a rookie coach who is feeling his way through the process of learning how to lead his players and make those decisions. Now he’s got exactly the same record Gregg Williams had through his first six games, and in 2001 Williams had far less talent.’

‘Let’s face it – this year’s version of the Bills is going nowhere. Sure, they may still be mathematically alive, but those are about the only good numbers for the Buffalo offense. The Bills rank near the bottom of the league in nearly all offensive categories, and those rankings won’t improve following Sunday’s loss. But Losman isn’t the answer – at least not yet. With the Buffalo offensive line as porous as it is right now, the last thing the Bills want is to expose Losman to the fierce pass rushes and blitzes he would experience every week. Losman needs to get more reps in practice before the Bills should put him in as the starter.’

‘Mularkey was hired in part because of the expertise and creative game-planning he displayed in three seasons as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. He refuses to be drawn into comparisons to last year. “I’m not going to go there,” he said. “If anything goes wrong this year, then I’m the guy to hang the hat on.”’

‘Lawyer Milloy: In his first action of the season, tied Takeo Spikes for the team lead with 12 tackles (nine solo).’

‘The Bills have scored eight first-quarter points in their last 10 road games – two field goals and a safety.’

‘The Bills entered the season wanting a ball-control attack but have lacked consistency. They have scored six offensive touchdowns, none rushing, and especially struggle on third downs. They commit too many penalties and allow too many sacks to sustain drives.’

‘"Something has to happen for the better," said safety Lawyer Milloy. "I want to say it’s going to happen next week, we thought it would happen this week. When you are trying to climb back out of the cellar, you know you have to keep fighting. We have the organization and a coach that is going to get the guys around here that can win these types of games. Right now we have to believe in each other and keep fighting."’

‘The offensive unit that couldn’t find the end zone in seven of 16 games last year is back. And the imposing defense that finished second in the league a year ago is back to walking to the locker room with heads hanging after the offense let another one slip away.’

‘What can you say when your opponent manages 17 total yards and one first down in the final 30 minutes and still wins going away?’

‘"I was surprised, but that’s what the coaches decided to do," Henry said. "I want to do what I can to help this team win, but it didn’t happen today. It’s a situation that obviously I’m going to have to deal with this year."’

‘Saturday, while setting the clocks back one hour, you can go ahead and set your football clocks ahead to the post-Bledsoe era. Then you can begin counting the days. For most lucid Buffalo fans, I imagine that day cannot arrive soon enough.’

‘Milloy was credited with six tackles (four solo) and brought a physical presence to the game. "That’s what I do," the four-time Pro Bowler said. "I wanted to come back and have as little hesitation as possible. I don’t know any other way to play football."’