Archives for January 2005

‘Spikes was recognized for his best season in a Bills uniform registering 134 tackles, three sacks and five interceptions returning three of them for touchdowns. McGee had a breakout season returning kickoffs. The second year player from Northwestern State averaged 26.3 yards a return while scoring three touchdowns.’

”’I think there were some games where he didn’t play good enough to win,” Donahoe said. ”I think we need better play consistently from that position as we do with several positions with our team. But there’s no question that Drew improved.”’

‘Donahoe is confident Gray will become a head coach in either the NFL or college and encouraged him to interview with the Orange.’

‘Bills president Tom Donahoe said Thursday that the team granted Syracuse permission to interview Gray for the job that opened when Paul Pasqualoni was fired last week. “Interviews never hurt you, to go through the process,” Donahoe said. “The experience is good, whether it’s a college job or a pro job.”’

‘Eric Moulds wants to end his career as a Buffalo Bill and will do what it takes with his contract to stay with the organization. Moulds told the WGR morning show on Thursday that there have already been talks with the Bills this week about re-structuring and extending his deal. "I don’t want to be one of those guys that says I need all the money in the world because I’ve made alot of money in this league. I would like to finish my career here and finish what was started."’

”’Jim never even showed his face at a meeting,” Jill Fisch of Scarsdale said. ”What makes him a hero? … He (Pataki) chose to just cut me out and call Jim Kelly a hero.”’

‘"I’ve always had that goal of being a head coach in the NFL or even in college," said Gray, who interviewed last year for the Bills’ head coaching position that went to Mike Mularkey. "To me, anytime someone takes the time to put you on a list and asks you to interview I think that’s something you should look into. I would look forward to talking to them if I do get included in the interview process."’

‘”It feels hard now. I didn’t know if it was going to be my last game here,” Williams said. “I hope it wasn’t.”‘

‘The Bills are hurting at tight end, with starter Mark Campbell and backup Tim Euhus both suffering knee injuries last month. Ryan Neufeld started the final three games, but was mostly ineffective.’

‘However, Bledsoe still ranked near the bottom of the NFL’s important indicators: 25th in rating, 26th in completion percentage, 26th in yards per attempt.’

‘The Bills haven’t forgotten the fact that McGahee tore up his left knee twice (high school and college) and that he bruised and hyper-extended his right knee this season at Cincinnati. McGahee is a workhorse, capable of 30 carries a game, but there is never a rock-solid confidence he won’t re-injure himself. The healthiest of ball carriers break.’

‘Buffalo’s jump from an NFL-low 18 takeaways to an NFL-best 39 is nothing short of amazing. It helped legitimize its No. 2 overall ranking, which is based on yardage. “When you have turnovers, no matter what the stats are, it gives you a better chance to win ball games,” veteran SS Lawyer Milloy said. “That was our No. 1 goal, really, wins. It wasn’t where we finished in yards, it was wins and losses. It’s two years in row now with the No. 2 defense and two years out of the playoffs, so what’s it matter?”‘

‘Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray has been contacted by a hiring firm attached to the Syracuse head coaching vacancy, and Gray says he’s interested.’

‘As for Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe, he must be hurt that the Steelers beat the Bills with reserves that the former Pittsburgh director of football operations can’t even take credit for drafting or signing on Pittsburgh’s behalf. Donahoe’s replacement, Kevin Colbert, has generally been able to maintain a high-level of performance the last five years without the benefit of Donahoe’s ingenious player moves. The Steelers finished an NFL-best 15-1 this season. I’m beginning to conclude that longtime Steelers coach Bill Cowher really molded the team, and Donahoe could just about play Yahtzee to best determine whom to acquire.’

‘The Bills’ per game average was 71,800, down from 73,015 in 2003.’