Tim's Take
LEADING OFF: Johnson won't turn Bills into contender
Understandably, Bills fans have been patiently waiting for any shred of good news to hit this side of the Rainbow Bridge since Ralph Wilson bumbled his way through his justification for playing games out of market.
And while the free agent signings the team have made look solid, don’t think the final piece of a deep playoff run is the signing of wide receiver Bryant Johnson. Buffalo’s receiving corps was by no means the league’s best in 2007, but it certainly wasn’t the worst either. Getting the ball to Lee Evans or even Roscoe Parrish seemed more difficult than having them catch it and find open space.
Johnson has upside, but even with stars like Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald as his running mates, he couldn’t transform Arizona into a playoff team. Johnson’s penchant for catching with his body rather than his hands has led to his fair share of drops, often at crucial junctures.
Contact Group Sports Editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.
- Tim's Take
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TIM'S TAKE: Armstrong: Raptors paying the price on ‘D’
For the rest of Tim's Takes, including takes on Bilal Benn, Ales Kotalik and T.J. Crittenden, pick up Sunday's copy of the Niagara Gazette, Lockport Union Sun & Journal or Tonawanda News.
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TIM'S TAKES: Nix, not Gailey, the one to worry about
General manager Buddy Nix, the affable Southerner who calls ’em as he sees ’em, reminded us again that this wasn’t a job he’d even come looking for.
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TIM'S TAKE: Niagara's Garrison sneaks back into form
It’s the little plays, the subtle maneuvers and intricacies of Rob Garrison’s game that distinguish whether he’s on or not. On a Niagara University men’s basketball team that seems to produce a highlight reel nearly every night out, that’s not easy to spot.
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TIM'S TAKE: Jackson’s story again lost in misery
It wasn’t the kind of magic season-ticket holders had in mind when the year started, but when a team galvanizes around a single cause — and getting Jackson past the milestone was a common theme in postgame interviews — it makes a game seem somewhat worthwhile.
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TIM'S TAKE: Stafford’s patience finally pays off
There had to be some method to Ruff’s madness. After giving Stafford the night off on Sunday in St. Louis, he’s been waiting for the team’s 2004 first-round pick to become a difference-maker. And with the Sabres already in a major hole on Tuesday, why not give the kid a chance to snap out of his skid, right?
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TIM'S TAKES: Campbell deal shines brightly now
In the face of a legitimate meltdown two years ago, when fan skepticism was at an all-time high after the Drury/Briere Debacle, the Sabres muted a potential fan revolt by getting a reasonable return in dealing Campbell to San Jose. They later turned that move into one for current captain Craig Rivet.
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TIM'S TAKE: Devils can overcome softies, Sabres can’t
When Miller did blink, something he’s rarely done this season, the Sabres were finished. If he’s not in the game, mentally, they’ve got little chance. If he’s not in the game physically, the probability falls closer to zero. All three times someone other than No. 30 has started, Buffalo has lost.
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TIM'S TAKE: Lewis puts smile on coach Mihalich's face
While Tyrone Lewis will leave his name all over the Niagara record book, Joe Mihalich insists what he’ll remember most about the senior after he leaves is that smile, the same one that reassured his coach that he was fine on Sunday.
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TIM'S TAKE: Bills missed chance for prime Northern exposure
Call this trip across the border a reality check. A stiff northern breeze.
Another frustrating reminder that the Bills have trouble entertaining one town, never mind two.
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TIM'S TAKE: Kennedy's ugly goal a just reward
When Tim Kennedy had visions of National Hockey League goals running through his dreams as a little guy tucked in his parents’ South Buffalo home, here’s hoping Monday night’s game-winner over the Toronto Maple Leafs was not how the scene unfolded.
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TIM'S TAKE: Armstrong: Raptors paying the price on ‘D’
