Archives for December 1, 2005

‘If Milloy can’t play, backup Coy Wire will make his first start of the season at strong safety. Wire started three games last year when Milloy was out with a broken forearm. "Nothing changes for me," Wire said. "I prepare every week as if I’m the starter, and I pride myself on preparing well each week."’

‘Without success, the Bills become the local media’s target of venom, still supplanting anything the Sabres accomplish. The familiar, stupid refrain of waiting till January to watch the Sabres no longer cuts it. The Bills stink and they don’t seem too serious about being competitive. How can they be when they employ a general manager who has no concept of building offensive and defensive lines? The Bills have a losing attitude, and outside of the Kelly-era teams, the Bills have pretty much been a moribund franchise with little success.’

‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this.’

‘Quarterback J.P. Losman is fiery and shows signs he could become a strong leader. But he’s still trying to prove himself and doesn’t wield the clout of a veteran. The team’s best player, Willis McGahee, is a happy-go-lucky guy in his first full season as a starter. He’s not an emotional leader yet. The Bills’ best defensive player, Takeo Spikes, is widely viewed as “the pulse” of the team. But he’s in Atlanta rehabilitating his torn Achilles tendon. Veteran receiver Eric Moulds always has given his all but knows he has one foot out the door. His salary-cap status is going to force his departure after this season. London Fletcher and Lawyer Milloy are fiery leaders. It’s up to them and other veterans to look forward, not back, and lead by example.’

‘”I feel very good about where I’m at, but there’s always room for improvement,” Moorman said. “It should be the AFC Special Teams Unit of the Month. Those guys are covering like crazy, and they don’t just do it on the punt team. Our goal is to be the No. 1 special teams unit in the league, and we’re on pace to do that.”‘

‘While not pinning the blame solely on McGahee for Buffalo’s stagnant offense, coach Mike Mularkey gave the impression earlier this week that his star running back may need to start taking his job a little more seriously. “He has to understand his role here and know that our success here, a lot of it is riding on what he does,” Mularkey said. “He has to understand that. And we’re still trying to get to that phase.”‘

‘Did the Bills think they’d miss Williams this much? “I think if Ron was still here (we’d be in better shape),” said linebacker London Fletcher, who still keeps in touch with Williams. “I do feel the tackles we have, have done a good job the last three or four ballgames. But losing a player like Pat, definitely it’s going to bring down your run-stopping ability, because Pat is one of the best. He does a lot of things most nose tackles can’t do because he has a lot of quickness and strength. I love Pat to death.”‘

Secondary gets a minor victory (Miami Herald)

Saban: Thomas out for Sunday (Miami Herald)

Hope and reality collide for Dolphins (Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel)

‘Soon’ for Thomas – just not this week, Saban says (Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel)

Dolphins seek consistency (Palm Beach Post)

Dolphins postpone Thomas’ return (Palm Beach Post)

Thomas still out (Florida Today)

League honors Taylor (Florida Today)

Brown adjusts to life with Ricky (Naples Daily News)

Thomas out again this week, Saban says (AP)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

Post-Practice Press Conference Transcripts From Wednesday, November 30 (MiamiDolphins.com)

Dolphins Sign Towns, Release Moreno; Zach Thomas Listed As Doubtful Vs. Bills (MiamiDolphins.com)

Dolphns To Hold Annual Toys For Tots Drive At Sunday’s Game (MiamiDolphins.com)

Jason Taylor Named AFC Defensive Player Of The Week (MiamiDolphins.com)

‘So what happened to the team’s ability to run the football? “Well, it’s a combination of a lot of things,” coach Mike Mularkey said. “I think up front, we’re not pushing the line consistently like we had earlier. We’re getting it at times, it’s not like we’re not trying, but we’re not getting the movement like we had. And Willis is sometimes hitting it and sometimes he’s got a little bit of a skip-step. But when he’s hitting those things hard and we’re getting movement there (on the line), we’re making positive yards. Obviously, we’d like to be consistent running the ball, because it’s what we do best.”‘

‘The Bills used a lot of no-huddle offense in their 20-14 victory over Miami in Week 5 when Kelly Holcomb made his first start, and they are expected to have J.P. Losman operate the hurry-up scheme with regularity in Sunday’s rematch.’

‘The Bills are mathematically alive in the AFC East Division title picture but among the contenders, they easily face the toughest remaining schedule. Buffalo’s final five opponents are a combined 29-26, and three of them lead their division (New England, 6-5; Denver, 9-2; Cincinnati, 8-3). The Patriots’ final five opponents are 19-36 and Miami’s are 22-33.’

‘In Buffalo’s three contests in November, Moorman was terrific. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, he averaged 48.2 yards on his five punts. The following week, against the San Diego Chargers, Moorman averaged 48.5 yards on his four punts. Finally, last week the man with the thunderous right foot averaged 48.3 yards on four punts in the team’s loss to the Carolina Panthers. Out of those 13 punts, six of them landed inside the opposition’s twenty-yard line. After seeing those numbers, it’s pretty obvious why Moorman won this distinguished award.’

‘”I feel more of a rivalry now just from coming from there. So I want to beat them more than I wanted to beat Buffalo when I was down there,” Jerman explained. “So I feel a little more personally about the rivalry. Also there’s a little more team unity I think here, so that also feeds into it more. I’ve been looking forward to this game all year.”‘

‘Buffalo has failed to score at least two touchdowns in each of its last seven games.’

‘A year after producing 36 offensive touchdowns, the Bills have managed a mere 14 this season.’