Archives for December 2006

‘It marks the first time since 2001 the Bills have had four games blacked out in one season.’

‘Last Sunday’s game against Miami is a perfect example. After watching McGahee rumble for 125 yards against the Jets including a 57-yard touchdown run the week before, the Dolphins were committed to stopping Buffalo’s top back. With the wind whipping as hard as it was at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Miami was even more comfortable loading up the box with defenders.’

‘Part of the reason Losman is still anonymous is the lack of exposure for the Bills, who don’t have a primetime game (no NBC or ESPN appearances) and whose regional action is rarely seen outside of the northeast.’

‘”Some of the so-called experts tried to say look at his release or look at the Wonderlic Test,” Bills linebacker Takeo Spikes said of predraft questions surrounding Young. “The guy’s a baller, man; point-blank, period. He makes plays. He’s a winner.”‘

‘Oh yeah, Losman. While the nation has been gushing about Young these past few weeks, Losman has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Losman is now the ninth-rated QB in the NFL – ahead of Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger, among others. Losman has completed 63.4 percent of his passes. He has 17 TDs and 10 interceptions, so the ratings aren’t exactly meaningless.’

‘Moorman ranks second in the NFL in punts inside the 20 with 29. His previous high was last year with 22.’

‘”I’ll be emotional,” Henry told reporters on Wednesday during a conference call. “I got drafted and was excited to be a Buffalo Bill. Unfortunately, I couldn’t spend my whole career there. I’ll be excited to come back and see the fans and taste the atmosphere again. I tell everybody I know, ‘There’s nothing like Buffalo Bills fans. They’re something special.’ I’ll be emotional about that, because that’s where it all started for me.”‘

‘Fletcher took the snub in stride, probably because he’s gotten used to it through the years. He’s been one of the most prolific tacklers in the league throughout the millennium playing for St. Louis and Buffalo, but he has always been overlooked by the voters.’

‘Henry says he has gotten over the bitterness that ate at him during his final season with the Bills, when he was relegated to second-team status behind former first-round pick Willis McGahee. “It feels good, considering what kind of card I got dealt there and coming here and going through what I’ve been through here, and going well this year and the team is doing well on a five-game winning streak,” Henry, 28, said. “It taught me a lot. … You can’t take anything personal.”‘

‘The play is hailed as the greatest play in Oilers/Titans franchise history, and is still reviled as “cheating” in Buffalo.’

‘(on his relationship with Travis Henry when they were in Buffalo together) – Me and Travis were good, I used to go over his house and play video games. We were always cool.’

‘(on if it gets annoying when the Music City Miracle is brought up) – No, not really. Everybody’s aware of it throughout the entire football world. It was an unbelievable play. It was a great execution at exactly the right moment. It’s never to be forgotten. It’s certainly very painful for this franchise and the fans here, but on the other hand very exciting for your fans and your franchise. In the football world, as I said, everybody’s aware of the play. It’s part of the NFL history.’

Henry contract talks in progress (Nashville Tennessean)

Rest is best for Titans LaBoy, Bennett (Nashville Tennessean)

Henry focused on clash with Bills (Nashville City Paper)

Titans-Bills series short, but memorable (Nashville City Paper)

Win over Jags should finally silence critics (Honolulu Star Bulletin)

Can Young, Titans bounce back from worst offensive game? (AP)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

Coach Fisher’s Wednesday practice report (TitansOnline.com)

Conference Call: Bills RB Willis McGahee (TitansOnline.com)

Conference call: Bills head coach Dick Jauran (TitansOnline.com)

‘”Travis is as hard-nosed and tough as they come,” linebacker London Fletcher said. “I’m very happy to see him back to his form and close to 1,000 yards. I know how hard it was the last couple of years for him, with different injuries and things going on with him. But there is a lot of resilience in him and it just goes to show what type of player he is and the type of person he is to stay the course and not get down on himself.”‘

‘Rookie Keith Ellison continues to excel at weak outside linebacker in Buffalo’s “Tampa 2” scheme despite weighing in at 228 pounds soaking wet.’