Archives for January 2005

”’What drives me? Me,” McGahee said, patting his chest. He paused and added: ”And the people who doubted me. Yeah, I’m out to prove them wrong.” McGahee began doing that this season. ”What did I learn? That I want to go out there and play even more,” he said.’

‘"We will look at the pluses and the minuses and evaluate who improved this season," Donahoe added. "We will also forecast who can improve as we move forward. One thing to remember about the off-season is that it is a marathon and not a sprint. The off-season officially runs from January 3 until we go to training camp."’

‘"It was pretty good," McGahee said, with understatement. "It was a lot of fun. It was a long time waiting. I was just happy to be out there."’

‘Bledsoe is still the Bills’ best shot at making the playoffs next season. To me that means you give him the ball back.’

‘”They had a really exciting season, from where they started,” Wilson said. “I was proud of the way they played. They had a bad day (Sunday) and it didn’t work out, but I really am looking forward to next year because we have something to build on, a real good foundation. We have a lot of young players, some great coaches, and I couldn’t say the same thing in past years. I’m really looking forward to next year. I’m sure everybody is.”‘

‘Losses breed criticism. That’s natural in the hardpan world of the NFL. But this was a promising season not undone by one defeat. Don’t make too much of the knockout. Make more of the fight the Bills displayed.’

‘The Bills — from coach Mike Mularkey to team owner Ralph Wilson — agree with Bledsoe. “It wasn’t all Drew,” Wilson said, following Buffalo’s season-ending loss Sunday to Pittsburgh, when Bledsoe struggled.’

‘Mularkey said he will evaluate every player on the team in the next few weeks. "We have a lot of evaluations in line," he said. "Players, obviously the schemes, and that takes a long time to do. You break down every play in all phases and you break down every player and just really evaluate whether it’s the player or the scheme that allowed this play to be good or bad."’

‘For the 12th time this season, the Bills defense allowed less than 300 yards, limiting the Steelers to 262 total yards yesterday.’

‘The Bills’ nine wins came against teams with a 55-89 record (.382 pct.) and only two clubs, the Jets (10-6) and Seahawks (9-7), that finished with winning records. By contrast, their seven losses were to teams with a combined mark of 76-36 (.679 pct.), the only one with a losing season in that group being Oakland (5-11). In short, Buffalo was 7-1 against non-winning clubs and 2-6 against teams over .500.’

‘Part of the reason Vincent was moved to free safety was the impressive play of Terrence McGee during the veteran’s absence. After a few bumps along the way during his first few starts, the former fourth-round pick excelled. McGee ended up with three interceptions for the season in his new role. However, even more impressive was McGee’s blossoming role as the team’s primary kick returner. He tied a franchise record with three kickoff returns for touchdowns during the year, the longest being a 104-yard return against the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 5. The spectacular play now stands as the longest kick return ever by a Bill. McGee’s accomplishments didn’t go unnoticed – he was selected as the AFC kick return specialist in this year’s Pro Bowl.’

‘Enter J.P. Losman. The rookie quarterback has had a year to learn Mike Mularkey’s offense and has had occasional chances to get his feet wet in some of the late season blowouts. He was drafted to eventually succeed Bledsoe as Buffalo’s starting quarterback and next season’s opener should be the time for that to happen.’

‘”Overall, I am proud that I was able to stay the course and keep going forward as a leader on this team through some very hard times,” Bledsoe said. “I am proud of that. As I’ve said, playing this position, that’s the biggest challenge you face if you’re going to do it for any extended time. You have to deal with the lows and be able to keep going forward through that. I’m proud of how that played out.”‘

‘”I had a good career here,” he said. “I learned a lot here. I look at it as a good experience. I’m just ready to get back healthy and get back to doing the things that I know I can do on the football field.”‘

‘If the Bills expect to win a Super Bowl with the guy, they’re kidding themselves.’