Archives for October 2004

‘The Dolphins are mighty defensive about their place in history because most people place them behind the Pittsburgh and San Francisco dynasties, if not others, in the ranking of the all-time great teams. The Patriots, however, still have a lot of work to do this season to match the legacy of Shula’s Dolphins.’

‘”We’re playing a team that’s handed us the worst defeat since I’ve been here,” Brady said. “We got embarrassed on that field. We go back to that same environment, under different circumstances, but with the same feelings that we had the last time. Hopefully, we’re more prepared than we were last year, and we play better than we did last year. If we don’t, it could be the same outcome. . . . Every time you see the tape, you cringe. We’re trying to beat Buffalo, that’s all I care about.”‘

‘"Some of the parts in Buffalo, like down on Chippewa Street, it’s just like college. There’s a lot more to do here than in Madison, but coming from Cleveland, I’m familiar with the Midwest and Eastern cities so it wasn’t a culture shock at all. I knew what to expect. My parents have been up to the Buffalo and Rochester areas so I knew what it was like."’

‘"We really blew the Bills out of the water because they didn’t know Jills could sing," Grymin said.’

‘But in two weeks of preparation, Belichick claims he can’t shake the memory of the 31-0 drubbing the Patriots suffered on their previous visit here. “We went in there last year and got hammered in every phase of the game,” Belichick said this week. “We got outcoached, outplayed. You can’t ignore it.”‘

‘It is here in Orchard Park, N.Y., where Clements has the challenge of resurrecting an offence gone dormant.’

‘The Bills are 10-5 in games following the bye week, which sounds good enough. Trouble is, they are 1-4 in the past five years … The Buffalo defence ranks second in the AFC and fourth in the NFL … Dating back to the beginning of the 2003 season, Buffalo has surrendered just three individual 100-yard rushing games … Patriots running back Corey Dillon ran for 158 yards in the New England win over Arizona. It was the most yards by a Patriots back in more than seven years.’

‘Bledsoe must start a personal renaissance today against his former team and current nemesis — the Patriots [stats, news]. His Bills are 0-2, and as is customary for quarterbacks in general and Bledsoe in particular, fans say the winless record is his fault.’

‘If Drew Bledsoe has too much time, he still has the ability to pick the opponent apart, and remember, there’s good talent at the skill positions in Buffalo. Attacking the Bills’ weakness means going after their offensive line. And if the Pats are getting pressure through rushing three or four, freeing up the rest of defense to cover, Buffalo is in big trouble.’

‘"Third down?" McGahee said. "Nothing’s good enough for now. But you know, you always strive to be better, and that’s what I’m going to do. I don’t want to be no backup. But you know, they’re paying me. They’re paying me a good salary. So to be a backup, I’ll be a backup."’

‘Everyone knows the best way to beat Bledsoe is to blitz him. He’s not a threat to scramble and, if allowed to get comfortable in the pocket, he can burn defenses with both long and short passes.’

‘”Nobody knows better than we do how hard it is to win in Buffalo,” Belichick said.’

‘The Raiders sacked Drew Bledsoe seven times, partly because Bledsoe is immobile and partly because the Bills offensive line, supposed to be led by former Texas All-Everything RT Mike Williams, hasn’t jelled. The Patriots will try to rattle Bledsoe with their pass rush rather than drop eight guys into pass coverage, as they do against Peyton Manning. But if the Bills line can open holes for the talented RB tandem of Travis Henry and Willis McGahee, keeping Bledsoe out of second- or third-and-long, the Patriots defense could be in trouble. With receivers Eric Moulds, Josh Reed, rookie Lee Evans and Bobby Shaw, True Drew has some real weapons. Still, No.11 hasn’t thrown for 200 yards in his last six games, a sad commentary on his decline. The Patriots run defense failed miserably in its opening test against the Colts (202 yards), but had no problem shutting down decrepit Emmitt Smith and a weak Cardinals line (50).’

‘In order to beat Buffalo, the Patriots must do two things – stop the run and limit their mistakes against the Bills’ aggressive defense. With new head coach Mike Mularkey, Buffalo is trying to become a power running team, but it lacks the right personnel, so that’s putting extra pressure on Bledsoe to make big plays in the passing game.’

‘The best sales for a new book about the New England Patriots may have been in this western New York hamlet.’