Archives for October 2, 2008

‘The NFL Network reported the terms of the contract and noted the deal includes $18.25 million in guarantees.’

‘Evans’ current contract expired at the end of the 2008 campaign. He has 14 receptions for 332 yards and a touchdown so far this year and has been a big part of the team’s 4-and-0 start. He’s 10th on Buffalo’s all-time reception list.’

‘The Evans camp and the Bills had been working on the extension for almost the entire offseason, which admittedly was anything but easy. With some NFL clubs overpaying for free agent receivers this past spring (e.g. Bernard Berrian) and elite wideouts signing new deals like New England’s Randy Moss and Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald there was a wide range of contracts that re-shaped the receiver market.’

‘”I joke with Marshawn and tell him to go out there and soften them up for me and I’ll try to finish them off,” said Jackson, whose 22-yard touchdown run in a 31-14 win against St. Louis last weekend was his first career score, and also the Bills’ longest run from scrimmage this season.’

‘Bills 20, Cardinals 17.’

‘Excuse the good people of Western New York if their television ratings for Thursday night’s vice presidential debate don’t match the national average. Many of them will be reliving the most agonizing night of their sporting lives.’

‘”When you’re actually in the game playing you’re so wrapped up in the game that you don’t necessarily get another perspective on it,” said Hamdan. “All you know is, man they’ve really confused us with a couple of things. I’ve missed a couple of throws. I haven’t been as sharp as I’ve been. And you can tend to let your mind not really focus on what’s at hand, which is the next play. You’ve just got to go one play at a time and that’s what I tried to tell him. I said, ‘Hey one play at a time, focus on that play as hard as you can and we’ll go from there.'”‘

‘That fervor is why Poz is already so beloved after a mere seven games. Bills fans have always had soft spots for two types of players at specific positions: In addition to appreciating special teams maniacs, they also clearly value linebackers who play with frenzied enthusiasm.’

‘”I don’t want to put pressure on myself,” Bills cornerback Jabari Greer said. “You have to go out there and play. I’m on the same field with this guy [Fitzgerald]. He’s a big guy. He’s a big name. But at the same time, I have the ability and I have attributes that I feel confident in. As long as I can play to my strengths and minimize my weaknesses, I think I can put myself in a position to make a play.”‘

‘”Oh, no question,” Tolbert said. “At Indiana, he ran the route regardless of the coverage. In the NFL, you have to read the coverage on the run and be able to adjust your route based on the coverage. He had never done that before in his life. That was a big adjustment, and I was surprised coming from a Big Ten school he had never done that. Before, he just locked the route.”‘

‘”That’s my love and pleasure, right there,” McIntyre said after finishing his first practice with the Bills Wednesday. “I love special teams. That’s where I’ve always earned my money.”‘

‘”I think it’s consistent with what we see and hear in this community every day,” he said. “The Bills are Topic A [in football season]. This is a sports town. You almost can’t separate the city from its teams.”‘

‘"They haven’t won many games or been to the playoffs very often, but any team you talk to in this league will tell you that Arizona has a potent offense," said Bills’ strong safety Donte Whitner.’

‘"We just have to make sure that we’re not getting down by too much. These first halves have been kind of bad that our defense has kept us in games, special teams has kept us in games and we can’t get down by 20 or 30 points because we’re not going to be able to come back in those types of games. We need to be able to stay in games and start a little bit faster."’

Boldin not out, but unlikely vs. Bills (Arizona Republic)

Cards expect Watson to return Sunday (Arizona Republic)

Cards’ Boldin recalls hit, not out yet for Sunday (East Valley Tribune)

Breaston may move into No. 2 receiver role (East Valley Tribune)

Boldin has fractured sinus (AP)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

Making Sure To Protect Kurt (AZCardinals.com)

Despite Hit, Boldin Won’t Change (AZCardinals.com)