Archives for May 2006

‘However, looking at the big picture, this team isn’t in realistic position to contend for the playoffs this season. The offensive line is makeshift. The Bills are weaker defensively at the tackles and the safeties, and Takeo Spikes’ recovery from a torn Achilles’ casts doubt over the linebackers. So why not roll the dice with Losman as the starter and have Holcomb as a sound midseason insurance policy if Losman doesn’t show improvement?’

‘If ever there were a place for the 28-year-old Gibson to turn his career around, it would be Buffalo. If he can, he’d immediately shore up the depth on the Bills’ offensive line, and maybe even become a viable starter. If not, Gibson, who has been perceived as lazy in the past, would just be another example of a wasted talent, like ex-Bills first round tackle Mike Williams, who was released in February.’

‘"I was as surprised as anybody," said Cieslak of his spot on the depth chart through the first two camps. "Any reps I was getting I knew I had to make the best of them regardless of when or where I was getting them. I didn’t even look at it as far as where I was in the pecking order. I just focused on doing the best I could."’

‘The Bills, in their recent draft, filled some team needs. The goal, naturally, is to build a winning team. But the Bills, and their fans, should hope that in the coming season a player emerges with a bit of the Flutie magic.’

‘I found it astonishing how grown men and women in their 40s, 50s and 60s took up sides in the newsroom this past week with just the mention of Flutie’s name. The presidential debates, the economy, the price of gas, not even the smoking ban, generated more intense vocal outbursts.’

‘If McGahee becomes the dominant back the Buffalo Bills are hoping for, he can essentially continue with his current lifestyle. However, if he’s unspectacular, his time in Buffalo may be all but over after this year. Since McGahee’s a big city, warm weather guy, he may not even object.’

‘Essence, the Ewing, N.J., spa where Vincent himself goes for a little pampering. His favorite treatment: the stress buster massage ($30), a normally half-hour procedure concentrating on the head, neck, shoulders and back. "I love to extend the stress buster to 90 minutes," he says, "so I can fall asleep and wake up relaxed."’

‘Immediately following the draft all of my phone lines were blowing up with teams wanting to sign me as a priority free agent. Some teams were only willing to allow me 5-10 minutes to decide whether or not I was going to sign with them. I ended up signing with the Buffalo Bills because their roster situation provided me with the best opportunity to make the team in some way.’

‘Buffalo’s special teams coordinator said he and his head coach have hand numerous discussions about personnel and several other aspects of the team and the organization, but what responsibilities his new title might carry hasn’t been covered. "Coach Jauron is swamped as you are any time you change jobs," said April. "It’s a nightmare to get acclimated to the people here and your personnel and the new personnel you acquire. I tried to stay away to let him do all of those things."’

‘Whether you love Flutie or hate him, you can’t deny this simple fact: He was a winner. His 21-9 record as a starter in Buffalo is far better than his successors. He was knocked for never winning a playoff game here, but the Bills haven’t been to the postseason since he left.’

‘His signing in 1998 by the Bills was bigger news in Canada than it was in Western New York. In the Canadian Football League, he was a winner from British Columbia to Toronto. At that point in the NFL, he had not lived up to the Heisman hype with either the New England Patriots or Chicago Bears. But the Bills gave him one more shot – and, in a sense, he saved the franchise for the region.’

‘"Quite often, I get asked, ‘What’s a Hokie?’ I would tell a few guys, you just have no idea. But they want to know, so I say, ‘OK, here you go: A Hokie is an ass-kickin’ chicken.’ "’

‘The Norfolk native initially thanked his parents, for the way they raised him. Then Smith, 42, credited Bill Dooley, his coach at Virginia Tech. “He had a profound impact on my career, and my life as well,” Smith said of Dooley, the Hokies coach from 1978 to’86.’

‘No, he won’t be remembered as one of the greatest players in Bills history. But in just three seasons with the team he established himself as one of their greatest entertainers and one of their greatest winners.’

‘"Patrick Lencioni is the author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and he spoke about how the corporate world relates a lot to football," said Van Pelt. "He lectured about how leaders lead and interact in the staff room. He discussed the difference between healthy conflict and personal conflict. He had a lot of great points on how to help make the top people in your organization better leaders for the rest of the company. He showed how if executed correctly these principles can lead to a more productive atmosphere."’