Archives for November 16, 2004

‘The former UConn player signed with Cleveland as a free agent in April. He had 22.5 sacks with the Huskies.’

‘In Buffalo, he fills the spot left open after tight end Jason Peters was promoted to the Bills active roster last weekend.’

‘Osunde was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted rookie free agent out of the University of Connecticut in April ’04. At UConn, Osunde holds the Huskies career record with 49 tackles for a loss and is second in the program’s annals with 22.5 career sacks.’

‘This doesn’t signify the end of Drew’s career, it just means he was struggling and the team needed to go in a different direction for the final minutes. Drew has had better games in his career, but it’s not fair to pin the loss on him. I know that he wanted to play better than he did, but I’m sure everyone on the team felt that way.’

‘"That was the only time in my 11 1/2 years of playing in Buffalo, of all the cold games and all the away games, that we couldn’t get home," Tasker said. "We flew in and they let us land in Niagara Falls, at the military base. Then they bussed us over to the Hilton and we stayed there for the night. The next morning, we got up and got on a bus and drove down to the airport, where our cars were, and they were buried under two feet of snow! I mean, it was awful. Some of the staff members for the Bills had been up there trying to shovel them out for us, but it was like nothing I’d ever seen. All the way up over the wheel wells. The cars were just buried. It was unbelievable."’

‘But they have to see the handwriting on the wall. Their time has come. While they may not be going out on top, they should contemplate bowing out gracefully while we can still remember them when they were great and not just as shells of their former selves.’

‘Every single piece of optimism Buffalo had generated in three consecutive victories at home was systematically debunked by the Patriots.’

‘Bledsoe gave $150,000 to his alma mater, Washington State, in the name of his grandfather. He’s the international chairman of the Children’s Miracle Network, raising millions of dollars to benefit hospitalized children around the world. He’s been honored by the Pop Warner organization. He’s written children’s books. He’s the ideal role model. He’s the kind of guy you want your daughter to marry. But he’s not the kind of guy you want quarterbacking your football team.’

The Bills team that showed up in Foxboro on Sunday night is the worst team in football. Arizona, San Francisco and Carolina all showed much more spark than the Bills. Even Miami had a better week and they were on a bye.

‘"It’s still too early to rule out where we’re going from this point in the season," Mularkey said after meeting with his players. "There are seven games left. We’re not out of it. Drew has proven in three (wins) of four (games) before this game that he was a big reason why. We’ll start with Drew this week."’

‘They’re 3-6 now. It doesn’t matter how they got there, or how close they came in a couple of the losses. They are what they are – an utter mediocrity, a team that front-runs in its own stadium but lacks the talent and heart to compete on the road. They have no shot. I’m told Wade Phillips has declared them out of the playoff race. So they might as well end the Bledsoe charade once and for all.’

‘I hear there’s a No. 11 jersey clear-out sale this week.’

‘I’m pretty sure every clear-thinking Bills fan has seen enough. I wish Mike Mularkey would admit that he has seen enough.’

‘ Sam Adams did break through and slam his 335 pounds of flesh into Brady on one occasion, but for the most part, the O-line kept the quarterback clean. The unit also kept the running backs from much harm. After Dillon, Kevin Faulk also picked up 61 yards on 13 carries.’

‘Light, Andruzzi and Koppen overpowered the right side of the Bills line, which is where Dillon got most of his yardage.’