Archives for March 2014

‘”He brought pro football here and he kept it here,” said Kevin Widdowfield of Glenwood. “That didn’t happen in a lot of other cases. He could have chosen to move them somewhere else.”‘

‘Courage in the face of adversity. Unwillingness to admit defeat in the face of overwhelming odds. Optimism in the face of despair. Always looking out for everyone else, and putting yourself and your troubles last in line. These are great principles in sports, but they’re even more important in life in general. Kelly reminds us that you don’t have to be talented or famous to be a “hero” – just determined to do your best to do the right thing every day, no matter what the odds.’

‘”Our focus is to make sure we really hone our skills in (Toronto and Rochester), along with obviously Buffalo,” said Russ Brandon, Bills president and CEO. “I feel we have a pretty good equation for success off the field, in the triangle of markets.”‘

‘Inside his hospital room at ECMC, Kelly is constantly surrounded by friends, family and the many doctors trying to figure out where he should go from here. Kelly is asking for nothing more than prayers from his supporters.’

‘The word “regional” is no accident: Nearly 15 percent of attendees to a home game at Ralph Wilson Stadium now come from Rochester, which has become a major base of sponsorships and other corporate support as well. About 17 percent come from Southern Ontario.’

‘But to find the greatest free agent signing in the history of the Buffalo Bills you have to go back to 1962.’

‘Buffalo is likely to choose between the offensive line trio of Auburn’s Greg Robinson, Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews and Michigan’s Taylor Lewan, all of whom profile as top-10 picks.’

‘As to the other signings, I’m skeptical on the addition of Williams and Rivers. Williams was shown the door in Chicago and even though he was the only Rams offensive lineman to play in every game last season, St. Louis didn’t seem to make re-signing him a priority. It would seem the Williams move means the Bills will at least be better off at left guard than they were last season but that shouldn’t take much.’

‘"He’s in good spirits, he has an optimistic look on this thing," said Brown, a former Buffalo Bill. "He believes he’s going to fight through it and make the best of it. It’s an unfortunate setback right now. It tugs at your heartstrings I would say to everyone who’s out there watching, Jim is his old usual self, cracking jokes and taking this thing in stride."’

‘But bidding on an NFL team isn’t quite a free-for-all, Prescott said. The NFL has strict regulations limiting the amount of debt an ownership group can incur, performs financial and background checks and also carefully guards entry into its exclusive club of owners. “It really knocks down your pool of potential owners quite a bit,” he said.’

‘”I don’t know no other way to play the game,” Spikes said on a conference call with reporters. “I grew up playing aggressive and watching the elite, all the older guys that paved the way for us. … All the old-school, throwback linebackers, I just molded my game after them. I really don’t want to call it intimidating. I’m just playing how I know, just go all-out relentless. Play every play like it’s your last.”‘

‘Spikes ran into trouble in New England as he was reportedly late for several team meetings, and there were rumblings that Belichick wasn’t enamored with the 26-year-old’s work ethic.’

‘”I definitely won’t leave those guys behind,” Spikes said. “They will always be friends of mine. I spoke to them a few times already, and I actually was just hanging out with (Pats linebacker) Jamie Collins yesterday. They’ll definitely be friends of mine forever. I’ll be in contact, and I’ll never forget them. They have a great linebacker core with a lot of young guys. They’ll definitely be fine over there, and I’ll be watching them play and being in contact with them.”‘

‘”I was excited the whole time to get going with a new start in a new beginning in a new place,” Spikes said on a conference call Monday. “I feel like it’s going to be fun and I’m down for a challenge. I want to help change the culture there.”‘

‘”Yeah I actually saw that in seven games they gave up 150 yards on the ground,” Spikes said Monday. “I want to come in and help them out. That’s one of my strengths is the run and I feel like I can help them. Whatever they need me to do I’ll do it at a high level. I’m real excited for this challenge.”‘