Archives for October 2001

‘It turns out Ralph Wilson called it last spring. Sunday’s Buffalo Bills-San Diego Chargers game WAS like a Super Bowl. In fact, it was better than most Super Bowls. And it ended just like a Super Bowl for the Bills: It was a heartbreaker.’

‘First, it was Home Run Throwback. Now this. Oh, those Buffalo Bills’ special teams.’

‘"It’s very disheartening," Johnson said. "Our guys battled. It seems ever since I’ve been here, the Bills really battle. Everyone fights. Nobody gives up. We didn’t start off too well, but then we stepped it up. We pretty much dominated the rest of the game and unfortunately we didn’t win. "If we play that way every game, you have to think we’ll win a lot of games," he said. "And I think we will. We’re coming together as a team."’

‘Ralph Wilson and John Butler may not have much to say to each other, but they agreed on one thing Sunday – Sunday’s contest between the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers was one for the ages.’

‘Player of the Game: Rob Johnson and Flutie. After all the buildup, it’s only fitting that the two bitter rivals share it.’

‘"I like Doug Flutie. I think they should have kept him," said Chris Saville, 45, of Orchard Park. "But I’m rooting for Buffalo."’

‘And what was he thinking when the Bills took a 24-20 lead on Travis Henry’s 3-yard run with 90 seconds to play? “I was just thinking about Flutie,” Wiley said. “That’s why we got him here. That’s why we’re fortunate. That’s the kind of situation he lives for. He makes people better all around him.”‘

‘Sure, Doug Flutie scored the winning touchdown with 70 seconds remaining, but he was in that position only because of a 72-yard kickoff return seconds earlier by Ronney Jenkins. And that touchdown wouldn’t have been enough to ward off an overtime period were it not for an even more unlikely hero than Jenkins — Ed Ellis.’

‘Of course, Butler and Wilson did not play. Flutie and Johnson did. And they did not disappoint. Both played well, played with heart. If you want to say Johnson, who had the stronger numbers, played better, go ahead. The scoreboard says Flutie won.’

‘This was the irony of the afternoon for Johnson. As strongly as he played in what became a 27-24 San Diego triumph, he is aware that what he did is not apt to silence those in Buffalo, and they are many, who contend that the team acted unwisely when it determined to retain him rather than Flutie. “But I don’t care,” Johnson said. You don’t care? “It’s been three years,” he said.’

‘Both kickers in yesterday’s Chargers-Bills game made tackles on kickoffs. San Diego’s Wade Richey got a cheer. Buffalo’s Brian Moorman got a penalty flag.’

‘”This was no grudge match,” Wilson said after the Chargers’ 27-24 escape in Qualcomm Stadium. “It was a tremendous game.”‘

‘The game that started as a rout–the Chargers led, 10-0, after one quarter–settled down to a snooze–Chargers 13, Bills 10 after three quarters. But the fourth quarter proved a heart-stopper as the Bills took the lead for the first time, 24-20, with 1:45 remaining on a 12-play, 68-yard drive capped by a three-yard touchdown plunge by Travis Henry. But Charger Ronney Jenkins returned the kickoff 72 yards and, after the Bills were assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the stage was set for Flutie’s fateful scramble and head-long dive with 1:30 remaining.’

‘Johnson, the former USC standout, once again seemed to be dwarfed by his 5-foot-9 counterpart on the field when it mattered most, though by no fault of his own.’

‘Doug Flutie ran into the end zone. Rob Johnson ran out of time.’