Archives for December 30, 2002

‘Still, Spikes will be a wanted man, and Buffalo could be a possible destination. Bills fans called openly to Spikes during the game, leaving a good taste in his mouth about this trip to Western New York. For the second straight week, Spikes played a top-flight game, leading the Bengals with 12 tackles, a half of a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, his third in the past two games.’

‘The Bills have suffered their share of defensive woes this season but finished off the season strong. In their final 12 quarters of the season, the Bills gave up just 32 points, including just three touchdowns.’

‘”We made progress, but we certainly hope there’s nobody in the locker room who’s satisfied with 8-8 and going home because if there is, we have the wrong people,” Donahoe said. “And I don’t think we do. I think our players realize we made progress, it’s close, but we’re not there yet, we still have work to do.”‘

‘Instead of 610 pass attempts for Bledsoe, how about 100 more carries for Travis Henry (fumbles and all)?’

‘For that reason alone, Gregg Williams deserves at least one more shot as Bills coach.’

‘Once again the Bills came out of a game without any serious injuries, finishing a season that had to be one of the best in team history in terms of health. It is believed the Bills lost the fewest man games to injury of any team in the NFL.’

‘There haven’t been many times over the past two seasons when Gregg Williams and his staff outclassed the opposition, but this was one of them.’

‘Moulds had 94 catches in 2000 as well as 1,326 yards receiving. That prolific season prompted the Bills to secure Moulds’ future in Buffalo. He was signed to a six-year, $40 million (U.S.) contract with a $12.5 million signing bonus. Can the Bills afford to do the same with Price?’

‘On finishing 2-14, LeBeau said, "I could have done without that question. We’re not happy about it."’

‘They are a combined 55-137 since the start of the 1991 season, also known as the Mike Brown Era.’

‘Bills fans cheered Spikes throughout the game. "Yeah, they did," Spikes said when asked if Buffalo fans let him know they’d like to see him wearing a blue uniform next year. "For a minute, I kind of felt like I was at home. How much support they, a lot of fans were talking, even if I made a play, when I walked back to the sidelines, they were happy, more than I was happy. It was interesting to see."’

‘For the sixth time this season, the Bengals fell behind Sunday by at least 20-0.’

‘COACHING, F: The players laid a big egg in what was likely Dick LeBeau’s last game as head coach. The team was uninspired. The only time the players showed spark was after Bills linebacker London Fletcher took three cheap shots.’

‘4th, 6th, 5th, 5th, 5th, 4th: Bengals’ finishes in their own division the past six seasons.’

‘Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes got some love from Bills fans who want him to sign here as an unrestricted free agent in 2003. Don’t worry, Bengals fans. The club is prepared to use the "transition player" tag on Spikes, meaning the Bengals can match any offer sheet he signs with another club. "They (Bills fans) were telling me, ‘This is where you belong,’ ” Spikes said. "It was nice to know."’