Archives for December 16, 2002

‘”They called so many (bad) calls against us,” Conway said. “And we didn’t get any.”‘

‘Doug Flutie no longer poses a threat to Drew Brees. There can be no question about that. At issue is whether Drew Brees is the answer.’

‘Bennett was holding in the mist and wind and frigid temperatures with only one glove on, having been unable to locate the person holding his other glove on the sideline. The snap went through Bennett’s frozen fingers and hit him in the chest. He handled the ball and set it down in time. But in his haste, the laces were facing him instead of the goal post, as they should have been.’

‘At 7-7 their playoff chances remain slim, but slim is better than non-existent.’

‘To the Bills’ relief, “Doug’s Revenge” was prevented thanks to an inspired defense that picked up the slack for quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who drew four pass interference calls on the Chargers, but did little else.’

‘He proved again Sunday that love him or hate him, you can’t ignore him. He still has a knack for making things interesting to the bitter end.’

‘Henry was a horse as he carried 26 times for 144 yards, a 6.5 average per carry. His six games of at least 125 yards lead the NFL.’

‘COACHING: The staff remembered Travis Henry just in time to win this one. The commitment to stopping Tomlinson and taking chances with Brees and Flutie was a sound one. A very big win for Gregg Williams against veteran coach Marty Schottenheimer. B+’

‘When he was announced as the Chargers’ new quarterback the applause was mixed with jeers. “The people in Buffalo that I bumped into the last 48 hours were just amazing,” Flutie said. “They were well-wishing, patting you on the back. Once the game starts, it’s completely different. And that’s football.”‘

‘Bledsoe had his least productive game as a Bill in yesterday’s 20-13 win over the San Diego Chargers, completing just 11 of 33 attempts for 107 yards.’

‘”I would consider it down the road a couple of years if (the Chargers) didn’t want me anymore,” said Flutie, who came on in relief of Drew Brees in the fourth quarter. “I’m not sure if my wife would approve. But as long as I’m playing in San Diego, that’s not going to happen. After that, who knows?”‘

‘No matter what his critics say, there’s no denying one thing. The guy’s a legend.’

”’When Flutie came in, I knew we had to stay in our lanes because he can make things happen,” said Bills linebacker London Fletcher. ”He’s been a terrific player in this league for a number of years. It forced us to be disciplined on the back end.”’

‘Dropped passes, missed tackles and nine penalties for 121 yards, including four for 86 yards for pass interference, better explain why the Chargers continued yet another late-season tailspin. They are a combined 1-11 in December since 1999.’

"Each and every week that is a big part of our game plan. We did a good job pressuring, disrupted their rhythm on some of those plays and we did a nice job of challenging their receivers when they tried to catch the ball."