Archives for December 15, 2004

‘Until McGahee, the offensive line appeared quite overrated and unable to protect immobile quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Travis Henry is a good back, a 1,300-plus rusher the last two years. McGahee looks more like a great back.’

‘”No. 1, I’ve never been in a month of December this late, and having something to play for other than pride,” Spikes told the Cincinnati media in Wednesday’s conference call. “No. 2, this is where it all started; when I was greener than the grass and turf at Cincinnati. It kind of goes back to the first day I stepped up on the field.”‘

‘Buffalo has 38 sacks and 28 takeaways and makes teams earn their yardage. The Bills allow just 4.42 yards per play, second in the NFL to Washington (4.38), and they rank third in the NFL in total yards allowed.’

‘The Bills have won four straight games, but only one of those has come against a winning opponent. The Seattle Seahawks currently sit at 7-6, but the Rams (6-7), Dolphins (2-11), and Browns (3-10) all have struggled in the latter part of the season.’

When the Bills were 2-5 and coming off an ugly loss in Baltimore, those three words rang a bit hollow for me, so I decided to call Tom. I figured if anyone could help make sense of the 2004 Buffalo Bills, it would be Tom — as in Tom Donahoe, the president and general manager of the Buffalo Bills. Donahoe explained that the players and coaches were frustrated, but not in the same way that fans were frustrated.

‘"For his first game back, and for as long as he’s been out, to play free safety out of the blue and make the plays that he did was outstanding on his part," Bills coach Mike Mularkey said.’

‘”These guys go at it pretty good. We go at it hard. Jimmy McNally is still nuts. I get here in the morning and he’s already broken down three or four games,” said Wyche, who turns 60 next month. “There are a couple days of the month I get pretty tired, but I think for the most part I feel pretty good.”‘

‘The Bills franchise does so much in the way of community outreach that its involvement tends to be taken for granted, kind of like another 100-yard game for Willis McGahee. There’s rarely a Tuesday that goes by when at least a handful of players aren’t appearing at a school or a community center, shining a light down the path toward a healthy, productive life. Sunday afternoon, as they see it, is only part of the job.’

‘"It’s going to be big," Spikes said. "It’s something I’m looking forward to because of all the history that I had there and because they have great fans in the city of Cincinnati. That is where I grew up, from a young baller to an established veteran. This game will have a lot of feelings that come along with it."’

Anderson up for Man of Year (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Flagging defenses around the NFL (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Lewis changing Bengals’ perception and ambition (Dayton Daily News)

Bengals to honor three State champions and other top high school coaches (Bengals.com)

Offense could need Kitna again (Bengals.com)

Anderson Named Bengals Finalist For Walter Payton Award (Bengals.com)

‘The Oregon State product finished the season with 11 catches for 98 yards with two touchdowns as Mark Campbell’s backup.’