Archives for April 2006

‘”Don’t buy all of that stuff that the league’s PR machine puts out,” Wilson said.’

‘”I’ve talked to Jack Kemp about this. He’s the first one to step up and make sure that if anything does seem to be slipping away… we’re two guys that will step up and make sure that Western New York has the Buffalo Bills has the team for many, many years,” Kelly said.’

‘It would take a major NFL football miracle for Buffalo to win the AFC East in 2006.’

‘Patrons at the Pearl Street Grill didn’t know what to expect from Ralph Wilson, as they watched his live news conference on WNLO. They only knew they didn’t want to lose the Bills.’

‘"If he’s claiming he’s losing money, he’s got to prove it to us. We can’t just go based on his verbal claim. That’s not a way to do business. He wouldn’t do business with anybody that way. Why would we do business with him that way? Just take his verbal claims without seeing his books?

I’m confident they’re making money. I think the question is: how much money? And is he just asking us to increase his profit,” asked DeBenedetti.’

‘Levy said he likes what he’s seen out of Losman, and understand why people misunderstand the young quarterback. “I don’t want anybody to have to change his personality,” Levy said. “Don’t mix personality with character. J.P. is a little bit of a West Coast guy. He’ll come in and call you dude and all that stuff, but he will work hard.”‘

‘"Mentally, I think there’s a lot of things I learned," Losman said. "I’ve got to get back to work, get ready to go. Coach called it a competition and let’s start competing."’

‘"(I’ve been preparing for this) since I first stepped in the door," said Evans following his first day on the field as the Bills top receiver. "You work every day to get better and get more opportunities."’

‘”As I sit here today, this is not a matter of making money for the Buffalo Bills,” he told reporters. “It’s a matter of survival. We just want to survive. And I think a lot of other clubs are in the same fix.”‘

‘”The main thing I learned last year was just thinking about so many unnecessary things – little things,” Losman said. “I was worried about this and that, trying to be perfect, trying to be perfect here [in interviews], do the right thing off the field, on the field. There were so many unnecessary distractions. I was able to cut that down [when the season ended] and focus on exactly what I want to do and what I want to get accomplished. And it’s helped me out so far.”‘

‘LB Takeo Spikes is making steady progress in his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles’ tendon that ended his season after three games. It usually takes about eight months to recover from the injury, so Spikes appears to be on schedule for full-scale practices by training camp.’

‘So just how confident is Nall about winning the job? “Very confident,” he said in an accent as thick as the seafood gumbo from his native Bayou. “I don’t think I could be here if I wasn’t. I really needed a chance to have someone believe that I can do the job.”‘

‘”What I had to say affects all the Bills stakeholders: the ownership, the fans, the community,” said Wilson, explaining why he met with Gov. George Pataki on Monday and Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra on Friday.’

‘A successful businessman, Wilson doesn’t like the math of the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement with its players. He figures small-market teams eventually might have to pay 70 percent of their revenues in salary, compared with 40 percent for the wealthiest clubs.’

‘The “best-case scenario” is for optimists who believe I am too harsh in my outlook for the 2006 Bills. It assumes several of the following things will happen: J.P. Losman or Craig Nall emerges as a solid and consistent starting QB; WRs Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish give the team two dynamite deep targets; RB Willis McGahee runs for 1,250 yards and breaks a few long ones; the offensive line improves significantly; the pass rush improves; Takeo Spikes returns 100 percent; the special teams are the NFL’s best for a third straight season; Dick Jauron has some magic left from Chicago’s out-of-nowhere 13-3 season in 2001; and Marv Levy is a top contender for NFL Executive of the Year.’