Archives for January 2007

‘My first report from the hotel with the Colts will probably be on how they felt their week went in terms of preparation and how their scheduling and meetings and practices went. I’ll be talking to the people I know in the Colts organization to get a feel for that. Solomon Wilcotts will be doing the same thing in covering the Bears before the game.’

‘"It was different, it was certainly different," said Evans. "Early in the season, we weren’t able to hit the deep ball very consistently. That was something that was different for me because that was one of the things I had success with early in my career. I never had a game with 10 catches for 90 yards. But I learned that those are the things you have to do to be successful in this league. That was one of the biggest things I learned this season."’

‘Unlike Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas and the rest of those lovable Super Bowl losers, Bill Polian is getting another chance. "Hopefully we can take it just a little bit further than we did in Buffalo," the fiery Indianapolis Colts president said yesterday. "It’s an honour to be here. It’s what we play for."’

‘"He’s tremendous," Bears receiver Justin Gage said. "As far as avoiding hamstring pulls and quad problems, he’s been great. I’ve had fewer, and as a team we’ve had fewer. My first two years we had a ton of injuries. The last two years since Rusty’s been here we’ve been healthy through the season."’

‘When adjusting for inflation, the new scoreboard is cheaper than the aging JumboTron, for which the Bills can no longer find replacement parts. The JumboTron in 1994 cost the equivalent of $8 million today. The new “Mitsubishi high-definition LED video display” and the ribbon board cost $5.2 million.’

‘Come early March, the Bills — who are scheduled to have the second-most salary cap space in the league ($39.7 million) this offseason — should be entertaining June and Briggs at their facilities. Either would greatly aid the team’s dream of a playoff push.’

‘But what surprises me is that no one has really mentioned the importance of special teams in this game. And no I’m not mentioning it because I have a special teams bias. The Bears have a decided edge in that phase of the game with Pro Bowl return man Devin Hester, good cover teams and a big legged kicker.’

‘We were all so happy – until the big day, at around 10 p.m. when the Bills lost the Super Bowl – again and again and again. Grown men wept. Children had nightmares. Women looked like zombies.’

‘Ultimately, what the Bills found out in 2006 is that they certainly have a capable QB. If the key members of the organization were told at this time last year that Losman would emerge as a legitimate passer in his first full season at the helm, they no doubt would have taken it.’

‘"It is a good opportunity, but I really hate leaving here," said Zierlein. "My time in Buffalo this past year was as good a year in coaching as I’ve ever had. I really liked the community. We had great neighbors. The atmosphere in this building was so good, and the environment created by Marv (Levy) and Dick (Jauron) made it a pleasure to come to work."’

‘Zierlein, 61, spent 2006 as offensive line coach of the Buffalo Bills after holding the same position with the Cleveland Browns from 2001-04. He has also coached offensive lines on the collegiate level at Cincinnati (1997-00), Tulane (1988-90, ’95-96), Louisiana State (1993-94) and Houston (1978-86). From 1997-92 he was the offensive coordinator/line coach for the N.Y./N.J. Knights of the World League of American Football (WLAF), and an assistant coach with the Washington Commandos of the Arena League in 1987.’

‘I will be in on the production meetings where the players and coaches for the Colts will be interviewed. I won’t be involved with the ones for the Bears. Due to the fact that I was on the Colts sideline during the AFC Championship game and will be there again Sunday, they decided to have me just attend the Colts meetings. My counterpart Solomon Wilcotts will go to the Bears meetings since he’ll be on that sideline.’

‘"We’re looking for a guy that is going to be the best fit," said defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. "You always have your hopes when you see a guy and you’re saying, ‘Man we really like this guy and he could really fit into our plans.’ But as the draft nears he moves up or down the board so you can’t get too high or too low because you have no control over whether you can get him or not."’

‘There was a time, when former president/general manager Tom Donahoe’s first-round selection of the then-injured McGahee seemed an inspired gamble. Now it looms as one of his biggest personnel mistakes … with due respect to Mike Williams.’

‘If Thomas doesn’t make it this year, the voters are looking for something we don’t know about.’