Archives for November 2004

‘The only knock against McGee is that he still has a tendency to not follow his blockers a lack of patience that is expected to improve over time. ”I’m still working on it,” McGee said. ”I don’t know where we stand as far as return average, but it could be way more than that if I was more disciplined.”’

Q: Willis McGahee had a huge day Sunday. Why have the Bills decided to turn things over to him?

A: I think what happed was that Travis Henry was the starter for the last three years and in fairness to him, he should have been the starter at the beginning of the season. Obviously, Buffalo got off to a slow start and sputtered. Henry got hurt and had to miss the Miami game three weeks ago, and that was McGahee’s first start. He gained 111 yards, so it was obvious that here’s a guy who is a really good player that they have to find a way to get on the field. Then when they played Baltimore, they gave Henry the start back. They basically gave him one more chance. He didn’t have a great game. McGahee came into the game in the second half and ran pretty well. The Bills still lost, but then coming in the Arizona game, it was pretty obvious that Mike Mularkey had to give the ball to McGahee and he did.’

‘The 5-9, 201-pounder became only the third player in Bills history with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a season (Week 4 vs. New England).’

‘"I’d like to know if there’s a fullback playing better in the league," Bills coach Mike Mularkey said. "I mean that. Throughout all these games, he has by far been our most consistent player on our offense. He is a load coming through there and he will put the lick on you. And he’s catching the ball and he has some run-after-the-catch ability. If there’s a better fullback in the league right now, I haven’t seen him."’

‘When the Bills win, the bone-chilling wind and lake-effect snow squalls that validate Buffalo’s reputation for miserable late fall/winter weather don’t seem quite so nasty. When they lose, though, a palpable depression blankets the region and people are glum until the following Sunday. Players are neighborhood heroes; prominent Bills like Bledsoe and Eric Moulds are mobbed when they appear in public. Super Bowl-era icons like Jim Kelly, Darryl Talley and Steve Tasker became community benefactors. Jack Kemp parlayed his popularity as a championship quarterback into a long tenure as a congressmen from a suburban district, a presidential cabinet position, and several attempts at the presidency.’

The Bills and Jets meet in a divisional matchup for the second time this year. The Bills are looking to avenge a 16-14 last minute loss at the Meadowlands last month.

‘I don’t know what got into Sam Adams, but that was the best game I have ever seen him play. He looked like a man amongst boys out there. He was all over the field making plays, stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback. He did a great job of anticipating the snap count. It seemed as if he was always the first person to fire off the ball. He showed how dominant he can be in this league and I expect his play to continue throughout the rest of the season.’

‘Voting is open to the fans each week from Tuesday at Noon ET until Thursday at Noon ET, exclusively on NFL.com.’

‘Even though Buffalo has won two of its last three games, the Bills still have to prove they can win on the road. Yet, if the running game is here to stay, at least the offense will be more interesting.’

‘Coach Frank Payne of Iroquois Central School has been named the Buffalo Bills high school football “Coach of the Week” for the ninth weekend of the 2004 season (October 29-30).’

‘”You have guys punting who aren’t real pros. They’re like the guys who win the punt, pass and kick contest. They do just one thing,” April said. “Brian has a real concern as to how his punts affect the football team. He does the things that help our team win. He has a football instinct.”‘

‘"A lot of people think I guess (on the snap), but I watch the ball," said Adams, who finished with six tackles and created opportunities for others to make plays. "That’s one of my blessings as a football player. I have good reaction. I’m explosive."’

‘"I’m thinking that way just because of how he felt (Sunday) after the game," Mularkey said. "I know he was pretty sore walking around."’