Archives for December 2004

‘Coaching: B. After an 0-4 start, coach Mike Mularkey and his staff have put it together.’

‘"That was a dogfight right there," said Bills cornerback Nate Clements. "That might have been the game of the week. I expected it to be close. But I didn’t expect all those points with two great defenses on the field. There were so many highs and lows out there. We just fought through adversity and found a way to make more plays in the end."’

‘The Bills had seven takeaways overall, the most since getting seven against the Houston Oilers on Oct. 11, 1993.’

‘This was a true team victory. There were too many standouts, large and small, to enumerate.’

‘Terrence McGee has never been to Hawaii, but he might be getting an all-expenses paid trip there soon.’

‘Unsung Hero: Jonas Jennings. The Buffalo offensive tackle left the game briefly after his shoulder popped out again. But, with one healthy arm, he came back and did an admirable job against Miami defensive end Jason Taylor.’

‘Coaching — A. Team showed heart with comeback. Defense made adjustment, brought more heat in second half. Offense on fire.’

‘The publicly financed package to keep the Buffalo Bills here – $96 million in state money and $28 million from Erie County over six years for stadium renovations and cash grants – remains the largest taxpayer-supported project locally and the yardstick by which all others can be compared.’

‘”I’m not focusing on all of the playoff scenarios,” Bledsoe said. “I’m just looking ahead to Cleveland. We went 1-0 this week. Now we have to go 1-0 next week.”‘

‘It’s crazy, I know. Ludicrous. Insane. Completely NUTTY, but oh, so true.’

‘"If you are going to win consistently, you can’t be one-dimensional," Bledsoe said. "It was good to see today from our team that despite the Dolphins coming out, playing well and scoring points on us, we were able to pick up the slack and put points on the board."’

‘The Bills were sixth in points allowed, Miami was 31st in points scored, yet Buffalo allowed a season-worst 32. The Dolphins’ 25 first downs were the most against the Bills this year, their quarterback, A.J. Feeley, became just the second passer to top 300 yards through the air, and Miami scored touchdowns on all three of its red-zone penetrations. Who cares?’

‘What we do know is that Bledsoe’s personal comeback after one of his worst performances in a 29-6 loss at New England on Nov. 14 has put on display the heart and character of one of the NFL’s all-time greats (we forget sometimes that the league’s 10th all-time passer is in our midst).’

‘If the Buffalo Bills win out to finish 10-6, they probably would join a short list of the best teams not to make the playoffs.’

‘Coaching: Give the defensive staff credit for righting the ship after a terrible start.’