Archives for November 2010

‘The 6-foot-1, 306-pound Williams was a big reason the Chiefs scored just one touchdown. He made nine tackles. Four were for losses, including two sacks.’

‘”Not really,” Whitner said when asked whether the criticism he receives – and there’s plenty of it – bothers him. “Mostly, those are the people that don’t understand the ins and outs of football. People around the league, they understand, and those are the people that matter. Our coaches, our personnel staff, and other players around the NFL.”‘

‘On the national stage, the Bills and Buffalo are of absolutely no account and the only time they get mentioned is in some form or another of a well-worn cheap shot.’

‘That way, the theory goes, they can grab a stud who will turn things around. Others aren’t so sure. “What good’s that going to do?” asks DeMarco. “They’ll screw that up. They always do.”‘

‘“No discussions have taken place,” Lind told the Star Friday afternoon. “We are committed to the NFL, but in what way I can’t say because I don’t know what it is right now. There have been no discussions about extending the series.”‘

‘The crowd in Buffalo is raucous; in Toronto it’s polite. It’s as though you went to see a football game and a golf tournament broke out.’

‘”You won’t see a football at a National Football League stadium now,” he says. “Years ago, every other tailgate group would be out there tossing the football around. They started cracking down on that about 15 years ago.” In its place, less rambunctious games such as Kan Jam, Cornhole, Ladder Golf and Washers have surged in popularity.’

”’The public perception is that the NFL is not close to coming to Toronto, and it won’t happen because this series has not been successful,” Naylor said. ”They’ve lowered ticket prices twice. The games ‘sell out,’ but there are always empty seats. There’s no buzz about the game. But I compare it to when the [Tennessee] Titans played in Memphis. They weren’t Memphis’ team. The Buffalo Bills aren’t Toronto’s team. Sports is about selling emotion and a connection with a team, and that connection doesn’t exist.”’

Chicago Bears look to solve goal line problems (Chicago Tribune)

Wright ready, but where will he play? (Chicago Tribune)

Sprint-action plays could help Bears against Bills (Chicago Tribune)

1985 Bears recall Glory Days (Chicago Tribune)

Name same, but not game (Chicago Sun Times)

Preventing picks part of the job, Knox says (Chicago Sun Times)

Despite few sacks, Peppers making his presence felt (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Idonije conquers the odds (Northwest Herald)

Hibernating Bears look to break out against Bills (Toronto Star)

The sky’s the limit for Bears’ Israel Idonije (Toronto Globe and Mail)

Will Bears get really offensive? (ESPN)

Idonije thriving in starting role (ESPN)

Idonije anxious to return to Rogers Centre (CP)

Bears need quick trigger with Cutler (CSN Chicago)

Lovie’s job is secure despite struggles (CSN Chicago)

November typically a critical month for Bears (CSN Chicago)

Ditka, Ryan reunite in advance of Glory Days event (ChicagoBears.com)

‘”It was outstanding,” Edgerson said of the experience. “A lot of people have asked what it was like. It’s always a different answer. But truthfully, it was exciting. And a longtime coming in a way.”‘

‘"I’m having a lot of fun with this season. It’s not as heartbreaking," Andrew Koszuta, a 32-year-old transplant from Tonawanda who lives in Albany, said of getting together with others. "I think it’s therapeutic, definitely. It’s more people to joke with. You share your misery."’

‘Buffalo’s attack had a hiccup last week in their low scoring affair last week against the Chiefs, but prior to that they had been averaging 26 points a game with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center and still rank sixth in the league in red zone touchdown percentage (61.5%). Their success in scoring TDs in the red zone almost matches Chicago’s failure in keeping opponents out. Opposing offenses score touchdowns 60 percent of the time when they cross the Bears 20-yard line, which ranks 24th in the league.’

‘”The first year he got there I was the guy on punt returns and they were trying to fit him in because he was such an athlete,” said Parrish. “They didn’t know whether to put him at receiver or DB. During my junior year we rotated because he had a big role at defensive back and I had a big role at receiver. Coach would make the call based on how our reps went during the game. Sometimes we’d do it amongst ourselves and we’d switch off every other one.”‘

‘I don’t know Shawne, but from what I’ve been told about him he always wants to be the best. This is a great opportunity for him to come in and try to help get things turned around. The key is getting him to see the big picture and to realize it might take a year before things really start to look on the up and up. Hopefully he’s thinking that way.’

‘Despite difficulties selling Toronto fans on the Buffalo Bills, a senior Rogers Communications executive tells The Associated Press his company is committed to extending the team’s five-year series in the city beyond 2012.’