Archives for November 2004

‘The Bills’ coaching staff likes Baker’s ability to create turnovers. Baker was a high school All-American wide receiver coming out of Woodrow Wilson, but he was switched to safety when he reported to Knoxville as a freshman.’

‘The St. Louis Rams defense is ranked 28th in the league and they have struggled against the run this season. In four games a starter, Willis McGahee has rushed for over 100 yards in three of those and expect him to have another big day on Sunday. McGahee should be able to find holes in the Rams defensive line, which should allow the Bills to get their running game back on track.’

‘Losman has made several comments about his appearance and his future that leave me with Billy Joe Hobert-like feelings.’

‘The NFL’s greed is good for the Bills and their fans. When the TV deals are maximized, those billions are shared equally by all NFL teams no matter market size. If it takes a disruption every two years for ABC, NBC or Fox to pay extra millions for a Monday schedule that still is bound to lose money, Bills fans should applaud.’

‘"As the mike linebacker he’s the quarterback out there on the field," Blackmon said. "We put a lot of pressure on him to make a lot of calls and to get things communicated on the line of scrimmage."’

‘Wilson, a semifinalist last year, is one of four men in the "contributor" category who made the final 25. The others are former Browns and Ravens owner Art Modell, former Cardinals and Chargers coach Don Coryell and former Giants general manager George Young.’

‘”They’re still pretty potent,” Bills coach Mike Mularkey warned. “I think the tools are all still there for that team. Whether they’re putting up 40 (points) or not, that offense is very, very potent.”‘

‘Sooner or later, Buffalo figures to be added to the list.’

‘Saban, now 83, is a member of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Now, 40 years after he led the Bills to their first AFL title, he should be on the Bills Wall of Fame. That will be one spot it will be hard for him to leave.’

‘”In the games we’ve won, we’ve been pretty efficient – no turnovers, no sacks, ball control,” he said. “So I know it’s there, it’s shown up, we’ve won because of it. Other times when we have not played our best football, it’s just too hard to overcome the other team when we can’t overcome ourselves first.”‘

‘Reed has missed the last two games after injuring his left knee early in Buffalo’s victory over Arizona. Reed has nine catches for 93 yards this season.’

‘But the Rams have been unable to successfully replace Fletcher. They have tried a number of different faces in the middle, with none bringing the same fire, passion and production that No. 59 once did.’

Mularkey’s working on a Buffalo stampede (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

Players offer a surprise salute for Martz’s 50th victory (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

Holt’s head is clear after recent concussion (Belleville News Democrat)

Rams’ Holt upgraded to probable (The Sports Network)

Five Keys to the Game – Buffalo (StLouisRams.com)

Fletcher Still Online with Buffalo (StLouisRams.com)

‘The problem is a 30-year-old NFL TV policy that allows franchises to protect their local markets by requiring stations within a 75-mile radius to carry their away games. That means WSEE in Erie must show all Buffalo Bills away games, even though the Steelers and Cleveland Browns are more popular there.’

‘The winds at Ralph Wilson Stadium are difficult to kick in especially when you get the gusts like we’ve had a few games here. The main problem is that you just don’t know when the wind is going to gust. If you had a steady wind that was blowing one way or another and not a cross wind then it wouldn’t be as hard to deal with. It would knock the ball down but the ball wouldn’t blow all over the place. The main thing is to try and go out there and find something that is going to work that day and stick with it.’