Archives for November 2004

‘"I know he is probably the happiest to be back," Buffalo head coach Mike Mularky said. "He never missed a game until this. I think he is such a positive [influence], not just Sunday afternoons, but when he is on the practice field there is a whole different atmosphere within the practice. He is that kind of guy."’

‘”He takes on the first hit, that’s one less hit I have to worry about,” said McGahee. “It’s good having somebody in front of you blocking, taking pride in what they’re doing and try and make something happen for the team.”‘

‘Patriots 20-17.’

‘Troy Vincent didn’t practice and he declared himself out of Sunday’s game. He was trying to hold back his frustration while saying he’s doing all he can to get his knee back to a point where he can play.’

‘I’ve got some great assistant coaches. Those coaches are doing their job to make sure the backups are prepared to go. When you see that, those guys are going on the football field and not making mental mistakes and they are getting the job done. Like I mentioned earlier, we’ve got a pair of backups that have six sacks. To me, that means they are paying attention in the meetings and they are getting enough repetitions where we can still get the veteran guys their reps. Even with little to none reps they still go in and produce. To me, that makes the defense that much better.’

‘The first games to be played on the field will happen Saturday, when the Bills host four regional youth championship games.’

”’He’s a difference-maker,” coach Mike Mularkey said. ”Your disguises are a little better. His experience is a big plus. Even in practices, you can tell there’s a difference.”’

‘"We were their biggest group sales of the season," he said. "It was pretty amazing. We brought five kegs of beer and other tailgate supplies on a Rider truck. The State Police were even keeping an eye on us because we had around 400 people together."’

‘”(The two Player of the Week honors) should give us the impetus to go on,” he admitted. “Nothing should keep us back except complacency. (When I got here) I thought we had good players (for the kicking squads) and a good team. We’ve got a bunch of overachievers – or at least an overachiever mentality – and they’re just trying to get better every game.”‘

‘McGahee’s emergence has been a godsend for Bledsoe. With rookie first-round pick J.P. Losman almost recovered from a broken leg, Bledsoe’s days would have been numbered had the Bills slid further out of contention. Instead, McGahee’s tough running has taken the onus off Bledsoe, allowing him to fill the complementary role that Mularkey designed for him.’

‘"He went through the walk-through segment of practice, and we wanted to just loosen him up a little bit in the pool and give him a day to make sure everything is looser," Mularkey said. "I know he’s sore. . . . Tests were fine. No nausea, no concussion, just a sore neck."’

‘"He reads the defense and finds the uncovered receiver," McGee said. "He’s very patient back there. You have to stay with your coverage the whole time."’

‘The Bills have completed 18 passes of 20 yards or more and five have gone to Evans. By comparison, Eric Moulds has eight such catches, but he has had probably three times as many balls thrown his way as his 47 receptions would attest.’

‘”If you replaced somebody every time they have a bad day at work, how many would be sitting in this room right now, including myself?” Mularkey said. “It was a day that if anybody could take back it would be Terrence McGee. I’m hoping that he’s learned a lesson from some of the things that happened. But he’s done a lot of good things … and give the guy credit for some of the things he’s done.”‘

‘”The guy is a warrior, there’s no doubt about it.”‘