Archives for January 18, 2015

‘”Do we want to develop a quarterback? Of course, but we’ll take steps. The first step that we took as an organization is to bring Greg Roman in to be our offensive coordinator. (I’ve) never seen a guy get criticized more than Greg for going to three (NFC) championship games.’

‘”Most of the fans I talk to, if they’re tailgaters, they’re totally against moving the stadium downtown,” said Johnson, a software engineer who attends all away Bills games, too.’

‘Because of natural lighting issues, though, only a domed stadium would likely meet NFL requirements at the Cobblestone site, whereas either a dome or an open-air stadium would work at the other two city sites, said a source who was involved in compiling the study.’

‘If the stadium moved elsewhere, some Orchard Park businesses would suffer, but town coffers should collect the same amount of sales tax should the Bills stay in Erie County. That’s because sales tax payments to towns are based on population and assessed valuation, not the sales that take place in the particular town.’

‘In 2011, the 49ers ranked eighth in the NFL in rushing (11 spots higher than the previous season) on the way to a 13-3 finish and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. In 2012, they were fourth in the league in that category on the way to the Super Bowl, where they lost to Baltimore. A year later, their ground game was third in the NFL and they lost to Seattle for the conference title. Last season, despite the turmoil that led to coach Jim Harbaugh leaving the 49ers for the University of Michigan, Roman still managed to guide the league’s fourth-best rushing attack.’

‘With costs likely to approach a billion dollars, it is essential for a new stadium to meet its potential for other revenue-generating public uses. It makes no sense to spend that kind of money on a gargantuan structure that could be used as few as eight times a year.’

‘”He proposed to me on the 50-yard line at the Bills stadium,” said Moultrie Brown.’

‘There’s no question that Whaley will push Ryan to give EJ Manuel, the team’s benched 2013 first-round pick, a long, fair look. And there’s no question Ryan will want to make a strong case to bring in free agent Mark Sanchez, a player he had with the Jets and liked so much he got a tattoo of his wife wearing a Sanchez jersey.’

‘He was like a stand-up comedian who had his own long-running show on Broadway and then was relegated to performing the same worn-out act in the Catskills. Ryan talked the other day as if he was a three-time Super Bowl winner. The man has an ego.’

‘Ryan, however, has a comfort level in the AFC. He’s familiar with the division and has some unfinished business left with Belichick. That trumped all.’

‘Kromer spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator in Chicago. The Bears ranked 15th in passing yards (237.0) and 27th in rushing yards (90.1) last season.’