Archives for January 31, 2009

‘Smith’s contemporaries said he was a scary matchup and talked about pleading for help when having to face him. Too often, it was a losing battle.’

‘Smith’s and Wilson’s election follows the selection of Bills’ Super Bowl coach Marv Levy (he was elected in 2001); star Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly (2002) and running back Thurman Thomas (2007) who have been elected into the hall of fame this decade. The team still hopes to get receiver Andre Reed and special teams ace Steve Tasker into inducted soon.’

‘The 2009 class will increase to 253 the number of all-time greats permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The enshrinement ceremonies will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday, August 8.’

‘The exhibition in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 9 will begin the NFL’s celebration marking the 50th year of its AFL teams. The Bills and Titans, who started out as the Houston Oilers, will wear their original uniforms.’

‘The Hall of Fame game will be played the day after the 2009 Hall of Fame induction class is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in an evening ceremony on Aug. 8. That includes first ballot Hall of Famer and former Bills defensive end Bruce Smith.’

‘”To have Ralph Wilson, the founding owner of the Buffalo Bills to be inducted in the ’09 class as well… this is truly special,” said Smith.’

‘Paul Tagliabue was denied for the third straight year.’

‘Bruce Smith and Ralph Wilson, Jr., were among five players and one owner elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.’

‘Joining the duo were the late Derrick Thomas of the Kanasas City Chiefs, guard Randall McDaniel, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. and former Dallas Cowboys speedster Bob Hayes.’

‘Former Bills coach Marv Levy recalled a moment during the 1993 AFC championship game against Kansas City, when Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana was near the end of his career. "Bruce chased him out of the pocket and made a tackle along our sideline," said Levy. "Poor Joe went rolling over and came up on his feet about 6 inches from me. He looked at me and said, ‘I’m getting too old for this s—.’ "’

‘”The shoulder is great,” said Edwards on Friday on a visit to the Super Bowl XLIII headquarters. “I’ve had a lot of rest and recovery. That’s the way my entire body is. It will heal on its own. The swelling has subsided and it’s fine. It was the normal wear and tear from the season."’

‘A minimum of four candidates and a maximum of seven will be elected to the hall, with the announcement scheduled for 2:30 p.m. A group of 44 print and broadcast reporters from across the country votes for the honor.’

‘”We said that the objective was to regionalize the Buffalo Bills, and it achieved those objectives,” Goodell said Friday during his annual State of the NFL address at the Super Bowl. “We were able to increase our season ticket sales in the Toronto area significantly – over 40 percent. And I think from that standpoint, we achieved what our initial goal was.”‘

‘"I’m sure Bruce Smith is going to be a shoe-in," she said, "but Mr. Wilson, we’re praying he gets in."’

‘”It’s a building process,” Goodell said. “When we first got in, we wanted to make sure it was a good experience for the two teams, that they were successful and that they could do it without any negative competitive consequences, and we achieved that objective. I met with the people that are promoting the game, Rogers Communications, along with the Bills this week, and I’m very confident that next year’s game is going to be bigger and better. I think we’ll evaluate every aspect of the game, including pricing, and I think they’ll do a terrific job and it’ll be a great game.”‘