Archives for September 20, 2004

‘How bad was it? Bills punter Brian Moorman’s 24-yard completion on a fake punt accounted for more than a third of Buffalo’s 61 yards net offense in the first half.’

‘The truly troubling thing here was the inability for a team that’s emphasized running the ball since the day Mularkey arrived to carve out a single yard when it needed it most. Buffalo’s renovated offensive line got absolutely no push and Travis Henry stumbled and came up short.’

‘Penalties are committed at crucial times in games, passes are dropped, and big plays are given up to the opposition.’

‘After allowing one sack in Week 1, the team allowed seven against the Raiders. Just like last season, when the Bills allowed an NFL-high 51 sacks, they are struggling to pick up blitzes and adjust to stunts. QB Drew Bledsoe is getting rid of the ball more quickly, but he still stands in the pocket too long.’

‘In short, Buffalo is looking at only its second 0-4 start in the past 19 years. So much for this season’s optimism.’

‘"What this game came down to is we didn’t get the job done offensively," an obviously irritated Bledsoe said. "I didn’t throw it well enough, we didn’t block well enough, we didn’t run well enough and didn’t catch the ball well enough."’

‘"I’m frustrated, disappointed," receiver Eric Moulds said. "I don’t think it feels like last year, but I think a lot of things we’re doing are uncharacteristic of this team. Mistakes are just killing us."’

‘Bledsoe threw balls behind receivers. Some of his tosses were too low to be caught. He short-hopped throws. He also was too high on a couple of passes.’

‘"Going against their offensive line, we knew we were going to be able to get some pressure," Raiders cornerback Ray Buchanan said. "I’m not dogging them out, but we saw on film we were going to be able to get in there."’

‘They’re not a good team. They’re a tease, a redundancy, a Sunday afternoon squandered. They are an indictment of their president and general manager, Tom Donahoe, who promised to fill his locker room with tough-minded winners and instead patched together a mentally soft squad that always seems to find a way to lose.’

‘It ended Sunday because of the tight coverage Vincent and Clements put on him. Vincent had the assignment most of the day and rendered Rice a nonfactor.’

‘Running game: F: It’s hard to get a run game going when you can’t sustain any drives. But not scoring on goal line 2 straight weeks is pathetic.’

‘It’s getting a little redundant, isn’t it?’

‘As bad as the Bills played, replacing Bledsoe is not currently an option. The current backup is the well-traveled Shane Matthews. The quarterback of the future — and possibly the near future — is J.P. Losman, the first quarterback taken by the Bills in the first round since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly in 1983. Losman has the mobility Bledsoe lacks, a key factor for a Buffalo team which waived veteran guard Ruben Brown for salary-cap purposes and had free-agent guard Chris Villarial go down with an ankle injury Sunday.’

Sack-happy ‘D’ bags Bills (Oakland Tribune)

Bills’ Bledsoe way off mark (Oakland Tribune)

Raiders’ running game slow to take hold (Oakland Tribune)

Wounded Rice leaves field empty (Oakland Tribune)

Raiders defense grabbing the attention (Oakland Tribune)

Moulds laments Rice’s status (Oakland Tribune)

Raiders win at Rice’s expense (Contra Costa Times)

Curry settling in as bona fide wide receiver (Contra Costa Times)

Rice vents, deals with streak’s end (Contra Costa Times)

By the numbers (Contra Costa Times)

Goal-line stand paves the way (San Jose Mercury News)

Rice’s frustration shows on no-catch day (San Jose Mercury News)

Rice’s marathon catch streak comes to a stunning end (San Jose Mercury News)

Time capsule (San Jose Mercury News)

Receiver aims to make finding end zone a habit (San Jose Mercury News)

Raiders rewind (San Jose Mercury News)

Winning is good enough (San Francisco Chronicle)

A Raider defense that fit the Bill (San Francisco Chronicle)

Rice has to hold his tongue (San Francisco Chronicle)

Curry opens eyes with his receiving, running ability (San Francisco Chronicle)

Instant replay (San Francisco Chronicle)

Game grades (San Francisco Chronicle)

Raiders build great wall (Sacramento Bee)

Bills buckle under the pressure (Sacramento Bee)

Rice receives does of harsh reality (Sacramento Bee)

Passing game finally turns in Curry’s favor (Sacramento Bee)

Raiders’ D’ saves the day (Vallejo Times-Herald)

Rice’s streak of consecutive games with a catch ends at 274 (Vallejo Times-Herald)

Curry jumps out in Raiders’ victory (Marin Independent Journal)

Raiders hang on (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

Rice fumes as his streak ends (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

Despite new coordinator, special teams aren’t (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

Raiders Sack Bills 13-10 (Raiders.com)

Photo Gallery (Raiders.com)