Archives for May 2006

”’I am so excited and proud of Andre again. … it never ends,” Reed-Ebling said. ”It was a long time coming and he deserves it, but that’s coming from a mother’s perspective. People are already asking him about buses.”’

‘Flutie may be an icon in his native Boston for his storied days at Boston College and with the New England Patriots , but he’ll always be revered in Buffalo. In a city full of underdogs, Flutie, the biggest of them all (or smallest), helped orchestrate two special seasons with the Bills. His tenacious style will be remembered even more than his "Flutie Flakes" cereal, which was a major hit in Buffalo.’

‘For years, Reed was the NFL’s Rodney Dangerfield receiver.’

‘As for the Bills if they want to be No. 1 in the city’s mind again, they better start watching the toughness, determination and grit of a hard-working hockey team. Otherwise, mediocrity, not greatness, will continue to rule for Buffalo’s football team.’

‘”We’ve been making progress,” said Fairchild. “We’ve been able to install our formations and base runs and base passes and get a jump on practicing together a little bit with respect to the timing that’s required for us to be effective. We’re a long way from where we want to be, but we’re on our way.”‘

‘Former Vols Jabari Greer and Jason Hall have a lot in common. Both were fan favorites at Tennessee, both graduated this weekend, neither were NFL draft picks, and both will be in camp with the Buffalo Bills this summer.’

‘The three-man quarterback competition between J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb and Craig Nall is tight and will continue into training camp. Losman is the most athletic of the bunch and has the strongest arm, but he needs to make better decisions with the ball. Holcomb lacks mobility and doesn’t have a strong arm, but he’s accurate, smart and seems to have a better grasp of the offense. Nall also has a live arm and can make all the throws. He just needs to be more accurate. If it’s a close contest, Losman might get the nod because the team has more invested in him. However, Holcomb is the early favorite because of his experience.’

‘”I won’t say it’s a surprise, I guess it was just a matter of time,” Reed, 42, said by phone from his home in San Diego. “But of course, it’s a great honor to be put up there with some of the greatest players the Bills have ever had. To be up there with Thurman and Jim and Kent Hull and a lot of the guys I played with that were all very instrumental in my career, it’s great to be with them, and of course, Joe DeLamielleure and all of the others on the Wall. It can’t get any better than that.”‘

‘He’s tied with running back Thurman Thomas for the most touchdowns on the club with 87.’

‘He will become the 23rd member of the Bills’ Wall of Fame, an honor created in 1980 to reward the team’s former members, including coaches and administrators.’

‘"There’s going to be a lot of people," said Reed. "I know every year that I played in Buffalo there was a bus trip that would come up for the home games from Allentown (PA). It probably had 100 people for every game so I’m sure there’s going to be a busload coming up for this. And let’s not forget 80 thousand Bills fans too."’

‘Reed was chosen as the 23rd inductee to the Wall of Fame and the sixth member from the Bills’ Super Bowl era, joining Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Kent Hull, Darryl Talley and Jim Ritcher. "What a great honor it is," Reed said. "To be up there among the best players who ever played and with the guys from my era, that’s something special. . . . It’s going to be a great honor not just for me but for all my family and friends."’

‘"I want to be careful how I phrase this because I don’t want it to come across like Buffalo people have embraced losing," says Jim Kelley, a radio and TV personality and former columnist with The Buffalo News. "But they have managed to pick the positives out of what has been a largely negative public and international perception — and that is it’s a city of losers."’

‘After analyzing game tape of last season, new Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell could sympathize with what predecessor Jerry Gray was up against. “As I looked at it last year, Lawyer was always sitting in the box,” he said. “Looking at it, that’s an eight-man front, maybe they’re going to blitz. Now we’re interchangeable. (Whitner and Simpson) give us flexibility. Both guys can cover. From a look, disguise (standpoint), we’ve gotten better with those additions.”‘

‘Coach Dick Jauron said the newcomers at defensive end — or any position, for that matter — can feel encouraged that they will be given a fair and long look. “Guys can make this team anywhere, regardless of who they’re behind,” he said. “We know the odds of that. But that situation does exist and we’ll make them aware of it. If they follow pro football at all and know our roster, then they know (that opportunity) exists.”‘