Archives for November 17, 2002

‘Remarkably, Buffalo was able to run twice as many offensive plays as the Chiefs, getting 42 snaps compared to 21 for Kansas City, and Buffalo held the ball for 21:01 of the first half compared to 8:59 for the Chiefs.’

‘The Bills became the latest victim of the Chiefs’ fourth-quarter prowess. Kansas City has scored 124 points in the final frame this season, four more than the Dallas Cowboys have scored all year.’

‘Pass-interference penalties against the Bills on consecutive plays, including a 36-yarder against Chris Watson, allowed the Chiefs (5-5) to set up Green’s unexpected scramble.’

‘Bledsoe moved over 3,000 passing yards for the season, completing 24-of-36 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. But Bledsoe’s interception with 4:26 left killed the Bills’ chance at victory.’

‘Bills receivers Eric Moulds, Peerless Price and Josh Reed versus Chiefs cornerbacks Eric Warfield, William Bartee and Ray Crockett. The Chiefs rank last in the NFL in total yards allowed (425 a game), passing yards allowed (306 a game) and quarterback sacks (15). Drew Bledsoe is averaging 311 yards a game. He already has topped 300 yards in five games this year and with one more will equal Jim Kelly’s record for 300-yard games in a season, set in 1991.’

‘"I don’t think the margin of error is such that we can’t have any errors or bumps along the way, but it is a very small margin," wide receiver Peerless Price said. "We’re in a really good position right now because we control our own destiny. You don’t want to depend on, "Well, if Miami beats the Jets then we can squeak in there.’ No, you want to control your own destiny, and that’s the good thing about it right now."’

‘This Bills team seems more like an intruder, like someone who wandered into the wrong party by mistake. Yes, they’re 5-4; they control their own destiny; they could win the division and make the playoffs, maybe even get a bye. But they still seem like an average team to me, a team that’s tied for first place and fighting for its life at the same time.’

‘"I think maybe if somebody else had come in, some of the free-agent guys that were out there, I would have been in a situation to compete," Van Pelt said this past week. "But anytime you can get a guy like Drew in on your team, you’re only doing great things for your team. When that happened, yeah, I was a little disappointed obviously, but, more so than anything else, excited about working with him and what he’s going to bring to the team."’

‘”I don’t remember seeing it this competitive,” veteran Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. “I don’t call it parity … I just call it tough football teams.”‘

‘[Q:] What’s the key to the perfect block? [A:] ”The key to a perfect block is leg drive and execution. You need good pad level and leverage. It’s just good fundamentals.”’

‘The current Buffalo Bills remain in contention for a playoff berth but a relatively easy 2003 schedule could help the improving team become a legitimate Super Bowl contender next season.’

‘”I talked to Jim Kelly the other day and he talked about even in (Buffalo’s) Super Bowl years there would be one or two games that they would get their butts kicked,” quarterback Drew Bledsoe admitted of the Bills’ Hall of Fame QB. “That happened to us, and I think the bye week came at a good time.”‘

‘”I think he’s arguably playing as well as any offensive player in the NFL right now,” Bills coach Gregg Williams said earlier this week. “And if you’re not willing to make sure you’re committed to stopping Priest Holmes, he’s been able to take it to the teams that haven’t.”‘

‘But the Bills have slumped. Their last three games have been their lowest-scoring of the season.”We’ve had some opportunities, and we just haven’t capitalized on them in the same way that we had earlier in the season,” Bledsoe said. “The (open date) came at a good time for us because we could go back and polish up some things. I would anticipate that production would pick back up for us here soon.”‘

‘”There are some good wings right around the corner here at a place called the Big Tree,” Bledsoe said. “Most of the country, you go and order wings and you have to order ’em extra hot to get ’em to where they burn a little bit. Around here, all you have to do is order ’em regular and they are plenty hot.”‘