Archives for November 2002

‘”We tick ’em off one week at a time,” Gilbride mused. “That’s the key: Don’t keep them ticked off for too long, just a week at a time.”‘

‘”I have always wanted to experience life in another country,” Ahanotu says. “So I said, ‘Well, if I’m in Buffalo I’m too close not to do it.'”‘

Gray has been under fire all season long for his defense’s poor play, and it seems that Williams is growing tired of the defense’s performance. Williams was visibly angry at Gray on the sideline after the Bills gave up a 45-yard TD to Kevin Faulk. With two weeks to prepare because of the bye week, the Bills’ game vs. Kansas City could be perceived as a yardstick game for both coaches’ futures.

Tony Gonzalez has not caught more than four passes in five of the Chiefs’ nine games. He’s been thrown to only 53 times (34 catches) — a woeful 20 percent of Trent Green’s passes. Is he under quarantine?

Bills 31, Chiefs 24

The Chiefs are excellent on the run, the Bills live by the pass, and each team has problems on defense against those strengths. A 21-17 victor in ’00, Buffalo has taken four of its last five from K.C.

8. The Music City Miracle

1999 wild card playoff game. Titans vs. Bills. Buffalo takes a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds remaining. Desperate Titans coach Jeff Fisher calls a trick play for the kickoff return, the "Home-Run Throwback." It works — Lorenzo Neal catches the ball and hands it to TE Frank Wycheck, who throws an overhand lateral cross-field to Kevin Dyson, who scampers 75 yards for the winning TD. He crosses the goal line with three seconds left. On the replay, the toss — which looks about as close to a perfectly sideways pass as can be — is ruled a legal lateral.

6. Buffalo Bills at KC Chiefs: For the past couple of games involving the Chiefs, everyone expected tons of points. That didn’t happen against the Raiders and 49ers because each team used ball-possession offenses that kept the Chiefs offense on the sidelines. Well, that might not happen this week. The Bills are giving up 29.9 points a game. They aren’t good at stopping teams with good offenses.

Starting free safety Pierson Prioleau will join Shout! reporters Mike Doser and Lary Bump in the Bills’ chat room Monday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. ET. Prioleau will take fans’ questions for an hour

‘”If they have a weakness,” Vermeil said, “they, too, have had a problem in giving up big plays, just like we have. They’ve given up 42 plays of 20 yards or more. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that as they will try to take advantage of our problems to date."’

On Nov. 8, 1986, WR/special teams star Steve Tasker was claimed off waivers from which team?

‘The Chiefs rank second in the NFL in scoring at 30.2 points a game.’

‘"You don’t rebuild an entire football team in two years," he said. "It takes time. You’ve got to have patience. That’s not what the NFL is all about. But I like watching kids grow. I like to see them get better."’

‘Since the bye week was introduced in the NFL schedule, the Bills are 10-3 in games following the open date.’

‘Their 5-4 record says they are tied for first, but with a 1-2 record in games against their AFC East rivals, and a 2-4 mark in the AFC — key tiebreakers which, given the jumbled state of the playoff race, will certainly come into play — the Bills have little room for error in these final seven weeks.’

‘”I don’t think there’s any question I’ll be able to play on Sunday, the biggest thing is not to have a setback and have it tighten back up on me,” Riemersma said. “The big question is how I feel (today) because I did quite a bit today. I pretty much took my normal reps.”‘