Archives for November 2010

‘Gailey has very fond memories of coaching four seasons under Bill Cowher with the Steelers. He was Pittsburgh’s wide receivers coach from 1994-95 and offensive coordinator from 1996-97, fielding some of the NFL’s most potent attacks with players such as Kordell Stewart and Jerome Bettis. When Gailey was there, the Steelers advanced to the AFC title game three times and appeared in one Super Bowl. “That was an unbelievable run,” Gailey said. “I was very fortunate to be around some great coaches. (Bill) Cowher was there and was super to me and has remained a friend. We had some great players. It was a lot of fun … I still do some things that I’ve learned from Bill Cowher. I still do them today.”‘

‘Steelers 27, Bills 17.’

‘”We’ve gotten over a couple of humps,” Gailey said. “Whether we are where we want to be right now, I can promise you we’re not because our record says we’re not."’

‘The third-year wideout scribbled "Why so serious?" on his undershirt, lifting up his jersey in celebration to reveal the quote uttered by Heath Ledger’s Joker character in the 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight."’

‘McGee headed to the sideline during an individual drill. He was joined by a trainer and slowly walked down the sideline before being driven off in a cart.’

‘Coach Chan Gailey gave the journeyman backup his biggest vote of confidence to date Wednesday. Crediting Fitzpatrick for playing “extremely well,” Gailey said it would be “dumb” not to consider him for the starting job next year.’

‘Shortly after scoring on 28-yard reception, Johnson pulled up his jersey to reveal a message-“Why So Serious?”-written in black marker on his undershirt.’

‘"It’s nice to have a guy you can depend on back there," Bills coach Chan Gailey said. "That’s the one thing from Fred, you can depend on [him]. If he’s physically able, he’s mentally going to be into the ballgame and he is going to do what he can do to help your football team win. That’s a huge load off of our mind when you’ve got a guy like that, that you can depend on that way."’

‘Green was paid a $2 million roster bonus and a $100,000 workout bonus by the team, and was guaranteed to receive his full $1.5 million in base salary after going on injured reserve. That total could be lessened if Green and the team reached an injury settlement.’

‘In an attempt to bring respectability back to a once-proud franchise, the Bills hired Gailey, an offensive-minded type who had been a head coach twice before. He coached Dallas in 1998-99 and led the Cowboys to the playoffs both years. He also coached at Georgia Tech from 2002-2007 and became the first coach in school history to lead the Yellow Jackets to bowl appearances in each of his first six seasons on the job.’

‘Released from the 53-man roster late last week to address a shortage at the fullback position, wide receiver Paul Hubbard was added to the practice squad Tuesday.’

‘The move, announced Tuesday, comes three weeks after Green was placed on IR because of a knee injury. Signed to a three-year contract worth a minimum $5.7 million in March, Green started five games at right tackle before getting hurt.’

‘The talk of who the Bills might draft in 2011 has dominated this season, but right now is looks like the team is set at wide receiver. Johnson is showing that it’s not all bad for the Bills, who might actually have some talented parts after all.’

‘”I think that’s part of our identity, kind of the no names,” said Fitzpatrick. “We’re all in it for each other and that’s fine with us. My job is to put them in a position to make plays. All the guys out there are pretty much the lower level guys in terms of draft status or national attention. We’re out there trying to make plays. Obviously we don’t get any hype or the national stories. I guess we’re the no names that are doing well.”‘

‘To quote coach Chan Gailey, "We don’t have any superstars or prima donnas." The Bengals sure have plenty of both and that’s a team impossible to root for. I think talent wins in the NFL over the long haul, but on any given Sunday there’s still a place for heart.’