Archives for September 2006

‘Whitner, the eighth overall selection in last April’s draft, has an interception and 18 tackles in his first three games as an NFL player.’

‘"Obviously it’s a great honor to be put on the Wall with all the players that have excelled in Buffalo, especially players from my era like Thurman and Jim and Kent Hull," said Reed. "It’s an honor. There’s nothing else I can say. It’s great to be in that company."’

‘"I’ve felt good out there," said Whitner. "It’s really no different from college to the NFL. Everybody makes a big deal about being a rookie. But if you’re poised and you know what you’re doing out there, being a rookie really means nothing."’

‘We have four Buckeyes on the team in Nate, Donte, Ashton, and Tim Anderson, so as you can see, I’m outnumbered. I started the talk of an upset a couple of weeks ago and those guys did what all guys do when their squads are ranked number one… they just shrugged their shoulders and kept right on walking. However, I am going to be talking a lot this week.’

‘Bills 20 Vikings 16.’

‘Old friend Pat Williams and his running mate at DT, former Pro Bowler Kevin Williams, anchor a Vikings defensive line giving up fewer than four yards/carry for the first time since 1999. The line took a significant hit last week, though, when Erasmus James joined fellow first-round pick LB Chad Greenway on IR with a knee injury. Darrion Scott moves into the starting lineup at left end, with former #1 pick Kenechi Udeze shifting to the right side.’

‘”Two-deep teams make you earn everything,” said Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. “They’re not going to give you the big pass play. You tend to have to function well for a longer period of time to get where you want to go.”‘

‘Clements should be motivated this weekend when Antoine Winfield, his old pal and former teammate with Ohio State and the Bills, comes to town. The Vikings lured Winfield away in ’04 with a six-year, $35 million contract. Winfield got the big bucks despite making six interceptions in five years. So the money is out there for defensive backs, regardless. But Clements made his name on big plays. Teams will use it against him in negotiations if he doesn’t pick it up soon.’

‘Spikes sounded optimistic about returning to action Sunday when the Bills meet the Minnesota Vikings. However, he stopped short of guaranteeing he would play. He said he needs to get through Friday’s practice without any setbacks in order to make his second start of the season.’

‘Players like Carlton, a running back for the Buffalo Bills, helped create the NFL-AFL merger of 1970. Old-timers such as Carlton take pride in knowing they helped pave the way for what has become a multibillion dollar industry. "No question about that," Carlton said by telephone from Orchard Park, where he has lived since he retired from the Bills in 1967.’

‘Expect the Vikings to establish the run, and continue pounding the rock as they try to control the ball and win the time of possession battle. Look for Taylor to have a career day as Minnesota’s offense becomes a little more productive.’

‘Three weeks into the season, the Bills rank 25th in the NFL in red zone offense, scoring touchdowns on just 33.3 percent (3 of 9) of their penetrations inside opponents’ 20-yard line.’

‘”We do try to stay on top of everything with our players, but we’re obviously not privy to anything that they don’t want to tell us in terms of emotional or family issues or other issues off the field,” Jauron said.’

‘Losman, who spoke candidly on the subject, said he’s known players that have gone through various stages of depression. “You try to get them out of it,” he said. “Me personally, I’ve been upset and extremely frustrated with things. I think all those things have taken place in my career, whether it was in high school, college or the NFL. … You’ve just got to find a way. Personally, I’ve been fortunate to be around some great people who pulled me out.”‘

‘”J.P. is coming around,” McGahee said when asked if Losman had improved as a team leader. “I would say he’s a whole lot better than he was last year. He’s actually sitting in the pocket, making the reads and making the throws. You can just tell that he’s actually developing a whole lot more than what he was from last year.”‘