Archives for October 2006

‘Fairchild isn’t running Martz’s offense with the Bills. There aren’t 400 pages in his playbook, but it’s more open than the one Jauron oversaw in the Run-and-Shoop era. Still, the greatest challenge today should be stopping the run because McGahee leads the NFL in rushing with 389 yards, 22 more than St. Louis’ Steven Jackson. The Bills will stick with the run even if it doesn’t work initially, and while their running game is solid, this isn’t the best offensive line the Bears will face, especially if right guard Chris Villarrial is out with a sprained ankle, as expected. Still, McGahee is a solid guy capable of embarrassing defenders with a second-gear burst if he gets into the secondary. ”He’s the best back we’ve faced this year; there’s no doubt about it,” Urlacher said.’

‘Bears 20, Bills 12.’

‘”I haven’t been around a player who didn’t like Dick Jauron,” linebacker Lance Briggs said. “He gave me my first shot. I think he might have been a little misunderstood.” “He was a guy that always had your back,” Clark said of Jauron. “If you had a bad game, he wouldn’t let anybody take a shot at you.”‘

‘The Bears don’t believe anyone can beat them by running the ball, and they know if they take McGahee out of the game, they’ll put the Bills and young quarterback J.P. Losman at a huge disadvantage. Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said he believes that will be the case today. “Everyone says they’re going to run the ball on us,” Urlacher said. “No one does. They say we’re undersized, this and that, but they get into second-and-long or third-and-long for some reason, and they end up throwing it. No one really can run on first or second down on us.”‘

‘Losman hasn’t been bad as a passer, finding receivers Lee Evans, Josh Reed and Peerless Price enough to achieve a passer rating of 90.6 and completion percentage of 64.0 (71-of-111, 797 yards, 3 TDs, 1 interception). But almost anything the Bills achieve begins with the threat of McGahee running. “It’s going to be tough,” Bears defensive tackle Ian Scott said. “He breaks tackles, he runs over guys, he’s a big dude, he’s fast. He’s a tough challenge.”‘

‘Displeased with the state of the Bills’ offense, McGahee reportedly was a lethargic worker at times. This season, he has been nothing but a spark. “The interesting thing for me is that I only know him one way,” first-year Bills coach Dick Jauron said. “I only know him for what he is right now, so I don’t have anything else to compare it to. What I know of Willis is he’s a tireless worker and he practices hard, which is huge for us. He likes to play. He’s a tough guy, he enjoys the game, he’s a very competitive person. That’s the only guy I know. You’re not worried that this guy is going to get out of shape.”‘

‘As for McGahee, Scott says, “What’s not to like?” “He’s tough, a strong guy, physical, he’s fast. He loves playing football. He does so many things well and he doesn’t stop playing football.” Defensive end Alex Brown agrees with Scott’s assessment. “He (McGahee) is good, really good. He breaks tackles, runs over guys. He’s a big dude, fast and a tough challenge. It’s going to be hard.”‘

Bears should be in pictures (Chicago Tribune)

They won’t be buffaloed (Chicago Tribune)

Where .500 looks great (Chicago Tribune)

Who really knows best? (Chicago Tribune)

1985 redux (Chicago Tribune)

Bear down for terrific autumn (Chicago Tribune)

The movie poster (Chicago Tribune)

Feel the pressure? Every week (Chicago Sun Times)

Look for Bears to test Bills’ young safeties (Chicago Sun Times)

Moose on the loose (Chicago Sun Times)

Clark sees similarities between coaches Smith, Jauron (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Bears making many naysayers eat crow (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Bears know Bills will run right at them (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Grossman Turner Overdrive taking care of business (Tinley Park Daily Southtown)

All is on the up and up (Tinley Park Daily Southtown)

Grossman, Turner make connection (Northwest Herald)

Buffalo brings tough challenge today (Northwest Herald)

Superstitious minds (Northwest Herald)

Bears’ focus: Stop McGahee (Rockford Register Star)

Undefeated Bears to battle Bills today at Soldier Field (ChicagoBears.com)

Bears gear up for McGahee, Losman (ChicagoBears.com)

‘"We’re a tight group and we’ve been playing some good football," Losman said. "We feel like we’re not intimidated, but we know we’re going against a great team. We have a great opportunity staring in our face. They have an opportunity to go 5-0. You don’t know how it’s going to go."’

‘Top rookie executive – Buffalo’s 81-year-old Marv Levy.’

‘Some players with your skill would be miffed they weren’t in the starting lineup. Where does your upbeat attitude come from? “For me, it comes from my relationship with Jesus Christ, knowing he’s in control of every situation. I might not see things in the best of light, but I always see God as looking down on the stadium and having an overall view of things. I do the day-to-day stuff and try not to get too high or too low.”‘

‘When Whitner’s name was called in April, a collective “who?” echoed through Western New York. With quarterbacks like Jay Cutler and Matt Leinart on the board – not to mention a couple highly-touted defensive tackles – Whitner wasn’t on the minds of the media or fans. But he’s proven to be a good fit in defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s version of the Tampa-2 defense.’

‘”His biggest strength is athletic ability,” Jauron said. “He’s faster than he looks. He’s a long strider and he covers ground quickly. He has really good hands and ball skills. I think he makes good judgments when the ball is in the air. The rest he’s learning – how to position himself, how to disguise without hurting himself.”‘

‘After Brown showed up late for a practice leading up to the finale at New England, the coaches decided to leave him off the game-day roster. Thus ended a streak of 71 consecutive starts, leaving Brown disgruntled with the only franchise he ever had known. “My mistake was probably being too vocal,” Brown said. “The things I was thinking, I didn’t have to take them public. If that’s what they were upset about, I can probably understand. “But things weren’t working there, and it was frustrating. It was like they were only worried about my complaining, not the things I was complaining about. So yes, we parted ways on kind of a sour note.”‘

‘Levy knows exactly how Jauron feels this week. In 1986, his first season coaching the Bills, he returned to a city where he once worked and was fired, Kansas City. Buffalo beat the Chiefs 17-14. “I went through it,” Levy said. “You’re aware of it and it’s deep in your mind. Maybe if you win the game and walk off the field, it’s a little nicer feeling. But really, you come in on Monday of game week and it’s all work.”‘