Archives for January 2006

‘Overall, No. 8 has been a productive slot in the last 18 drafts.’

‘Interestingly, Wilson, 87, said he wants to take a more active role in his team again. When he hired Donahoe, Wilson relinquished the title of president. It’s known that Wilson has not been happy with Donahoe’s recent drafts, particularly the selection of tackle Mike Williams with the fourth overall pick in 2002, and wide receiver Roscoe Parrish last year.’

‘The effort was there again for coach Mike Mularkey, but as was often the case this season, everything went up in flames due to turnovers, red-zone mistakes, odd play calls and too many big plays allowed by the defense. In the end, even the club’s reliable special teams broke down. Mularkey pushed all the right buttons during last season’s 9-7 finish but seemingly couldn’t hit any right in this year’s crash to 5-11.’

‘”Close won’t get you anything in this league,” said strong safety Lawyer Milloy, who won a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots. “It’s all about wins and losses, and to be 5-11 with the expectations we had in this locker room, it’s not good enough. That’s the bottom line.”‘

A nice farewell (New York Post)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

‘"If we’re all honest with ourselves, we should expect change," veteran safety Troy Vincent said Monday after the team held its season-ending meetings. "When you’re 5-11 with greater expectations, with enough talent on your team to win, you have to."’

‘”You’re going to have some adversity in the game that you didn’t practice for, “Holcomb said. “They made some plays in the first half where we knocked the ball straight up in the air and they were right there. Sometimes the ball bounces your way … today it didn’t.”‘

‘”I’m not going to go right now where we need changes or if we need changes … especially after a disappointing loss, where we lost at the end of the game,” Mularkey said. ” I wouldn’t care to even make a statement about it.”‘

Sure, he failed in one attempt as a head coach, but that was at Buffalo where there hasn’t been a lot of success lately. His critics charge that Williams is perfectly suited as a coordinator but overmatched as a head coach and point to the Buffalo experience — where he lasted three years — as proof.

‘Sunday’s loss was a fitting end to a terribly disappointing and frustrating season for the Bills. The coaching was awful and the handling of the player personnel on the field was awful. After the game, Bills’ owner Ralph Wilson said that there would be some structural changes within the organization. If he wants to win, that will signal the end of the Mularkey era in Buffalo. At the moment, the chances of that happening are about the same as me actually keeping a New Years resolution. In other words, forget it.’

‘Regardless of who takes over as general manager, the fact Donahoe will be gone is a major blow to Mularkey’s future. There is a good chance any new general manager would want to start fresh with his own coach.’

‘The Jets had no answer for McGahee, who had several good runs, including a long of 17 yards. He ran so well you wondered why the Bills didn’t give him more than 22 carries.’

‘The Bills go to Indy to play the Colts, who are one of four AFC South teams on the schedule. Buffalo also visits the Houston Texans, while the Jaguars and Tennessee Titans come to Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘The Bills are 1-8 under Mularkey in games decided by five points or fewer. They were 1-7 on the road this year. They were outscored by 96 points overall. Entering Sunday’s game, they had the NFL’s worst red-zone defense and 30th red-zone offense.’

‘”I never imagined we would give up the game-winning touchdown, especially with the way we’ve been playing,” said linebacker Mario Haggan. “We had high hopes and a lot of respect for what we do. To give it up like that, it really hurts.”‘