Archives for November 2005

‘J.P. Losman = D-. The former starting quarterback isn’t necessarily to blame for his struggles. The coaching staff never put him in a position to succeed as their play calling was horrible and the general manager didn’t build a good offensive line around him. Young quarterbacks need those things to be successful. Look for Losman to be reinstated as the QB of this team soon enough.’

‘Mularkey also downplayed the significance of defensive tackle Sam Adams sitting out the second half Sunday. “We had a good talk,” Mularkey said. “He was in working out. I think he has a very good mind frame. So I’m anxious to see that carry over to the playing field. . . . We took him out to give those younger guys a chance to play, and I’m anxious to see Sam go this next game.”‘

‘Holcomb has the full support of his teammates, particularly fellow veterans, who don’t want to see the coaching staff turn the final eight games into a glorified development ground for Losman. Maybe when the Bills are mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture, but not now.’

‘DT Sam Adams, who was benched for the second half in last week’s loss at New England for play unacceptable to the coaching staff, will be back in the starting lineup when the Bills host Kansas City on Nov. 13, coach Mike Mularkey said. “I’m anxious to see how he responds,” Mularkey said.’

‘”I don’t like being 3-5. I don’t like being the butt of jokes among NFL teams. That’s not amusing. I don’t take it lightly and I hope my teammates don’t. But you correct it by performing and winning and getting that ‘W’ in the victory column.” – Bills veteran FS Troy Vincent.’

‘”It’s really (a question of) ‘What gives us the best chance to win?'” said Mularkey, who is spending his bye week evaluating every position. “That’s why we did what we did before with the switch to Kelly, and the same thing goes (now). It’s what gives us our best chance.”‘

‘Worst coaching move: Offensive coordinator Tom Clements’ refusal to take advantage of Buffalo’s corps of capable receivers. The primary wideouts – Eric Moulds, Lee Evans and Josh Reed – have made just four receptions that have gone for at least 20 yards.’

‘”I’m actually proud of these guys,” the coach went on. Proud of what? Losing a game that was eminently winnable?’

‘We need to continue doing what we are doing and that is running the football well. At the same time, we have to be able to throw the ball deep a little more and get some big plays. When we were successful last year and made that big run we made a lot of big plays and put the defense in the situation where when the opponents offense came on the field they were trying to play catch-up. We’ve got to make more big plays and not put the defense in a bad situation.’

‘“It’s tough to take a guy out that’s played as well as he has,” tight end Mark Campbell said Wednesday. “I understand the situation. J.P.’s obviously the future here. I don’t know at what point that is, but we don’t feel like we’re close to that point.”’

‘I think they should use the bye week to start getting JP ready. Let Holcomb start against the Chiefs, but don’t be afraid to put Losman in the game. If they can steal a win or two, it would be tough to take Holcomb out of the game. But if it goes south, the last 6 weeks should be JP time for the Bills with an eye towards 2006.’

‘”We’re going to work on our fundamentals this week and try to get back to the basics. That’s what we did last year when we got on that losing streak and then all of a sudden we started to win,” veteran wide receiver Eric Moulds explained. “We went back to the basics and worked on our techniques and it worked out for us and guys started to make plays. We started to depend on one another a lot more. Guys were held accountable for what they were doing on the field. Right now, that’s what we’re going to do, work on the basics and get back to playing basic football and go from there.”‘

‘Offensive linemen Mike Williams and Greg German did not practice. Defensive lineman Sam Adams also watched from the sidelines. Wideout Josh Reed was not in attendance.’

‘The Bills’ offense stands in almost the same spot it stood last season in just about every statistical category.’

‘I have defended a lot of Tom Donahoe’s decisions over the years, but I just can’t any more. There is no excuse for this and the man at the top must be held responsible.’