Archives for February 2007

‘In supporting the measure, Legislature Democrats and Republicans spoke of the Bills’ economic contribution to Western New York and the fact that, under the contract, the government must devote millions of dollars each year to the team. "We either today support this, or a judge is going to order us to support this," said Legislator Timothy M. Kennedy, D-Buffalo.’

‘"It’s similar as far as the formations and the no-huddle approach, checking stuff at the line of scrimmage," Metzelaars said. "I think we have a lot more options here as far as basic pass protections. Where are they coming from? How can we correct the blocking schemes? In Buffalo we had two or three different pass blocking schemes. Here we have 10 or 15."’

‘Nevertheless, we were met with heartbreak year after year. Though each time we thought that Thurman Thomas would get it together and quarterback Jim Kelly would have his A-game, we witnessed sad defeat-first to the Giants, then the Redskins, and lastly two losses in a row to Dallas. The words "wide right," which marked Scott Norwood’s game-ending missed field goal in 1991, still ring in my parents’ ears.’

‘”Let me put it this way: I’ll feel good for whoever wins,” says Levy, ever the diplomat.’

‘The Buffalo Bills , who pathetically haven’t made the playoffs since the 20th century (1999, to be exact) in this era of widespread parity, had their chance to hire Smith in January 2004. Their former general manager, Tom Donahoe, interviewed Smith at One Bills Drive but made one of the most incompetent decisions of his five-year tenure, electing to pass on the Texas native for Mike Mularkey, who failed in Buffalo.’

‘He noted it was about 10 degrees with a foot of snow on the ground. I don’t think Kelly likes the ol’ weather in Buffalo too much.’

‘Three years ago, Lindell hooked up with noted trainer Mackey Shilstone, who has worked with about two dozen NFL kickers. It helped his overall fitness, but most importantly, it made Lindell feel as though the ball had "a little more jump off my foot."’

‘”There’s such a buildup to the game, and such a disappointment when you lose,” Metzelaars said. “It’s hard to get it back. We had a lot of continuity on those teams, which certainly helped, but I think what helped more was the chip we had on our shoulders year after year. Each time we lost, we wanted to prove to everyone that we could win it the next year.”‘

‘I’d really like to see my buddy Pete Metzelaars get a ring though. We’ve been close friends for a long, long time. I was Pete’s roommate for all of the Super Bowls so it wouldn’t shock me if he didn’t want me anywhere near his hotel room the night before this Super Bowl considering our luck when rooming together in the past.’

‘No one likes paying more for the same thing. But fans still are willing to come out even during poor seasons and if the price of admission has to go up, at least it’s remaining on the low end of the scale. Whether that qualifies as a good deal is a matter for ticket buyers to decide, but as the NFL goes, it’s not bad.’

‘Although Brown didn’t have much to prove, it is satisfying to him that he’s shown people he had a lot of football left in him after being discarded by the Bills three years ago. "I wanted to show everybody that," he said. "I wanted to know whether I could still do it. Believe me, my first camp with Lovie I thought I couldn’t do it. It was a tough camp. But I always loved the game. That’s why I fought through it because I wanted to play. I’m just fortunate I fought through it and by fighting through it, I got here."’

‘The $5.2-million “Mitsubishi high-definition LED video display” will stand 33 1/2 feet tall, which is only two feet higher than the current board. However, it will be more than 82 feet wide, which is almost twice the size of the current board that was installed in 1994.’

‘Buffalo’s four Super Bowl teams rank 43rd (1990), 52nd (1991), 66th (1992) and 73rd (1993).’

‘Other winners were: Aaron Schobel (defensive MVP), Brian Moorman (special teams MVP), J.P. Losman (most improved player), Nate Clements (hardest hit), Jason Peters (Unsung hero) and Donte Whitner (rookie of the year).’

‘Beginning with March’s free agency period, it will become evident how interested the Bills are in building a high-level defense. The Tampa 2 and solid coaching staff are already in place. Acquiring the necessary talent is next.’