Archives for October 2010

‘When we’d have players only meetings back when I was playing I would speak, Darryl (Talley) would speak, Kent Hull, Steve Tasker. Bruce (Smith) and Thurman (Thomas) didn’t do a lot of talking. They led mostly by example on the football field. It was mostly the four of us, and when other players felt they had something to say they said it.’

‘"He can dish ’em out, and he can take ’em as well," said safety George Wilson. "He’s so spontaneous. It’s his demeanor that makes him funny. He walks around singing songs that you might not know. He knows he can’t sing, but you can’t tell him that."’

‘Another factor that could influence Luck would be if Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh left for another job, maybe to his alma mater, Michigan. One could imagine the combination of a Harbaugh departure and the last non-wage scale draft pushing him in the NFL direction. Maybe. But there will be no labor deal by Jan. 15. So I think it’s more likely that Luck looks at the NFL picture, sees a fair chance of no pro football in 2011 and stays in school.’

‘Swinney smiled as he compared his challenge with the Tigers with Buffalo’s struggles. “They’ve got a little different animal than we are dealing with,” Swinney said. “I’m not sure they’re good enough. We’re good enough. We’re good enough. We’ve got a little more hope right now than I think Buffalo does. But they’ll get there.”‘

‘”Apart from the terminology, everything is basically the same,” Wrotto said. “This is the same system I did in college; it’s basically the same technique we did in Seattle. It won’t take me as long as someone who’s never been in the system (before) to learn it, so I can jump right in. If they need me, I’ll step up to play.”‘

‘”You have to have a plan,” Thomas said. “In the last 10 years, the Bills have not had a plan. I think (owner) Mr. (Ralph) Wilson said that a couple of days ago in an interview that he did. They were just hiring guys and signing guys, and you didn’t really know if they were football players.”‘

‘"We’ve been able to protect a little better, we’ve been able to throw and catch a little bit better," coach Chan Gailey said Wednesday. "I think he has a great understanding of what we’re trying to get done. Obviously, some of the receivers are making some plays. All that ties together to increase your passing game, which you have to have to be successful in this league."’

‘"It’s stuff he’s been dealing with," Gailey said. "It got a little worse, and we let it go. He probably pushed it too far last week and it’s cost him a few games."’

‘”It’s one thing to listen to the coaches talk, but to listen to some of your peers talk and really from the heart, guys that have been around it for while, kind of pouring out their feelings and what they think it’s going to take to turn this thing around, (I think was important).”‘

‘Most veteran team observers believe that since it hasn’t happened by now for Maybin, it won’t ever happen. Cutting him would be another black mark on college scouting director Tom Modrak’s record, to go with OT Mike Williams (2002), QB J.P. Losman (2004), DT John McCargo (2006) and RB Marshawn Lynch (2007), other first-round picks that didn’t pan out.’

‘”I don’t care whether you want to admit it or not, but losing gets to be a habit. It gets to be something you accept and we’re not going to do that. We’re going to demand that we get the proper attention and that kind of thing to getting it done. Really, to be honest, it’s the hardest thing you have to do.” — GM Buddy Nix on changing the culture of losing in Buffalo, where the Bills haven’t made the playoffs since 1999.’

‘Coach Chan Gailey declined to reveal the nature of the injury, and would only say that Green will be out “for a while” after practice Wednesday. Green was hurt and did not return during a 36-26 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday.’

‘Gailey said the injury is not season ending, but did not disclose the nature of the injury. He’s not required to in this the Bills bye week. Green did miss time in the preseason due to a knee injury suffered in training camp.’

‘”I was home for most of the summer and then I was called up late,” said Anderson, who was signed by Oakland after the 2010 draft, but released in June. “My thing when I came in was to just show what I could do and make a good impression and hopefully make a name for myself somewhere. If I didn’t get picked up by Buffalo for the regular season hopefully another team would pick me up.”‘

‘Coach Chan Gailey explained it’s become evident the Bills need bigger bodies up front to counteract how opponents are pushing them around.’