Archives for August 2009

‘Coach Dick Jauron said the injury is not believed to be serious at this point. "There’s optimism it’s not a long-term thing," Jauron said.’

‘Owens might never be the greatest receiver of all time. But love him or hate him, when it comes to discussing some of the game’s best wide receivers, he has to be in the conversation.’

‘”I didn’t know what to think,” Smith, now 46, recalls. “I was young. I knew there were just a great deal of expectations placed upon me from being the No. 1 draft pick (in 1985). And I realized that I had not reached my full potential because I had not put it all together yet. I consider it to be different pieces of the puzzle that have to come together to make that full picture come to reality."’

‘”I hate to say it because there are so many great ones,” Levy said. “But you can say that. He may be the best ever. … I said it, and I sure won’t say I’m wrong.”‘

‘”There was a heavy push by others in the organization to draft a quarterback first,” said Marv Levy, the Bills head coach from 1986-97. “Bill hung tough and finally convinced them – because he never ramrodded, he convinced – that Bruce Smith was the guy. I think he was right.”‘

‘”Bruce caught on to the fact that useless weight did nothing but drag his ability backward,” former Bills defensive assistant Chuck Dickerson said.’

‘”The level of consistency that existed through the 11 surgeries, the torn rotator cuff, the separated shoulder, the dislocated shoulder, the cracked ribs, the concussions, dislocated fingers and many other injuries,” Smith said, “the level of consistency that existed during my tenure while overcoming those obstacles of playing in sub-zero temperatures and things of that nature, you can’t ignore that.”‘

‘”Like anybody, there’s a dichotomy there,” Levy said. “But basically, he was a good team guy. He liked his teammates. He wasn’t jealous of anybody. He wasn’t jealous because you took him out late in a game and took a sack away from him. I will say he was a bit fun-loving. He wanted to go out and stay out late at night, but nothing terrible. Little bit of a joker. He was fun to be around. The more I got to know him, the more I enjoyed being around him.”‘

‘”I think the best decision that was ever made in my career was hiring Ted Cottrell,” Smith said.’

‘Noted for tremendous work ethic.’

‘Bruce Smith, the first overall pick in 1985, is the first player from that draft class to make the Hall of Fame. Here’s a sampling of who could be next.’

‘"I’ve never met him, don’t know anything about the guy,” Finnegan said. "I like players that make plays and that are real good, because that makes me better and he is all that.”’

‘"I think he is motivated in almost everything he does by a love of the game and its history, not because it is primarily a financial undertaking," said Marv Levy, the retired coach who led the Bills to an unprecedented four Super Bowls, from 1990 to 1993, and is a member of the Hall of Fame. "He cares about the people who work for him, very much, and they begin to understand how important the love of the game is to him."’

‘Barring injury, Jackson is scheduled to start the season opener against the Patriots in New England on Sept. 14. But Rhodes also is expected to see plenty of action. "Just the way the reps are going, I would say that I’m the guy right now, but he’s definitely going to get his opportunities, too," said Jackson, who graduated from Coe College, alma mater of legendary former Bills coach Marv Levy.’

‘”I remember going to Houston, to a Gamblers game,” Wilson said. “After the game, Jim Kelly and I were talking. I said he couldn’t throw the ball into the seats and hit anybody. There wasn’t anybody in the stands. I told him, ‘We need a quarterback.’ He said, ‘You do need a quarterback.’ That put us on the map.”‘