Archives for November 29, 2004

‘The playoffs are still a remote possibility, but suddenly a 9-7 finish seems like an achievable goal.’

‘Coaching: A+. Great mix of run and pass on offense. Jerry Gray had defense in all the right spots. Bills made it look easy.’

‘In late October 1986, I received a telephone call from the general manager of the Bills. He informed me that the team’s owner, Ralph Wilson, would like me to come visit with him at his home in Detroit. Four years earlier, I had interviewed with Ralph for the head coaching vacancy that had existed with the Bills at that time, and even though I didn’t get the job then, I had liked the gentleman, and I had sensed that a healthy rapport existed between us.’

‘The Seahawks were Buffalo’s polar opposite. The defense and special teams got exposed by trick plays. The offense was again plagued by dropped passes and tipped balls. Even Holmgren, in his 13th year as an NFL head coach, got out-smarted by a man who has just 11 games of experience as a head coach at any level: Buffalo’s Mike Mularkey.’

‘Nothing went right for Seattle. Special teams again were a disaster, from the opening kickoff that went out of bounds to a successful onside kick by Buffalo’s Rian Lindell to start the second half. The defense intercepted Drew Bledsoe three times but still gave up 38 points — the most allowed by Seattle since a 38-14 loss at Oakland in September 2001. The 29-point losing margin was the biggest since a season-opening 41-3 loss to the New York Jets in 1997. And there’s the offense.’

‘There was a method to Mularkey’s trickery. When he decided to go for it on fourth down with a 24-3 lead in the fourth quarter — instead of kicking a 47-yard field goal — the coach was looking to reinforce a message to his team. "I told them on the sideline we’ve got to finish games," Mularkey said. "We can’t just go into a shell."’

‘Willis McGahee’s 2-yard score marked the first time all season that Buffalo had scored an offensive touchdown on the road before the fourth quarter.’

‘He’s 32 now, more susceptible to the sack than ever but also smarter and more polished. The wonder isn’t that he completed 25-of-37 passes against the Seahawks for 275 yards. The wonder is why Bledsoe’s recent road work has been so spotty.’

‘The Buffalo Bills could not have scheduled a more accommodating homecoming opponent for Drew Bledsoe, Sam Adams, Rian Lindell and Lawyer Milloy. The Northwest-based foursome feasted on the Seattle Seahawks’ unending hospitality, leaving Qwest Field with a 38-9 victory and scrapbooks filled with memories.’

‘It was the Bills playing the bully to Seattle’s sissy act. Maybe the Hawks weren’t wearing heels, but they certainly were on theirs all day long against a deceptively tough AFC foe.’

‘If only Drew Bledsoe’s New England homecomings all turned out this well, the Buffalo Bills would be in the thick of the playoff chase.’

‘Talk about a cheeseburger in paradise.’

‘There is honest-to-goodness optimism resonating from One Bills Drive because after a disastrous 0-4 start that will ultimately ruin this season, the Bills have begun to play like the team many of us thought they were back in the summer at St. John Fisher College.’

‘Bills RB Willis McGahee: He had his finest day as a pro with 116 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Many of his runs were stopped for short gains or no gains, but great backs keep plugging and eventually they break out, and McGahee did.’

‘Mike Mularkey and Tom Clements came to Buffalo with a reputation for creative play-calling and it was on display in Seattle. The reverse to Evans out of that formation was nifty, the pitch back to McGahee on fourth down that resulted in a TD was brilliant, and the onside kick – Bobby April’s brainchild – was a well-timed gamble that worked.’