‘A great team, the pro football adage says, needs a great quarterback. So much for adages. First off, parity rendered the word “great” in relation to National Football League teams as obsolete as the single-wing formation. “Pretty good” would represent a major step up for most. The Buffalo Bills, who embodied the above bromide through the late 1980s and early ’90s, would settle for “not horrible.” Particularly after their pathetic showing Sunday night in San Francisco. Then you look at the guys throwing the passes. Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning come closest, but even they have turned into interception machines the last few weeks. Fans and general managers alike salivate at the thought of drafting a prototypical quarterback like Manning. But more and more, the top passers take Warner’s more circuitous route to stardom.’
Finally, 49ers clobber weaker foe
‘The Bills had 191 yards in total offense for the game, and they had a mere 29 rushing yards.’
It’s 49ers-Rams for first in West
‘Bills quarterback Alex Van Pelt had thrown for 300 yards in each of his past two games. Against the 49ers, he passed for 168. The Rams’ offense is light years ahead of Buffalo’s, but you’ve got to start somewhere.’
Niners do their best to avoid letdown against lowly Bills
‘The Bills never had a chance. The 49ers never gave them a chance. Travis Henry rushed for 9 yards on Buffalo’s second offensive play. The rest of the first half the Bills ran for 3 yards on five carries.’
Parking lot floods ruin day for many fans
‘While some fans were able to park and walk from outside lots, many had to pay $20 to $30 fees to park in lots or spaces quickly set up by local entrepreneurs, before trekking through the December chill to the stadium.’
49ers put the chill on Bills
‘The numbers were numbing: The 49ers held the ball for 39:48, nearly double the Bills’ time of possession; they outgained Buffalo 409 yards to 191 — and 56 of those yards came during the Bills’ last futile drive in the final minutes against a soft prevent defense. The Bills were 2 for 12 on third downs, while the 49ers were 10 for 15.’
49ers play tough on defense — you hear that, Rams?
‘"Alex Van Pelt threw for 300 yards the last two games, but we found a way to control him, and we also stopped their running game."’
Wet weather causes delays with parking
‘Flooding of city streets near the Hunters Point Expressway spilled into the stadium’s lots. As a result, two of the stadium’s main entrances were blocked and fans were redirected to park in alternate areas, according to 49ers public relations coordinator Kirk Reynolds. The stadium-operations crew hired a Roto-Rooter truck to pump the excess water and clear a path near another of the stadium’s main entrances.’
Bills get a West Coast whipping
‘"I mean, everybody played poorly. I don’t know what happened to us tonight."’
Defense blown off the ball
‘The 49ers didn’t have many big plays, just modest but decisive gains.’
Bills look like mutts compared to Frisco’s Jeff
‘So much for the Miami loss being the low point.’
O-line reunion a short one
‘The Bills saw their five-game winning streak in Sunday night games snapped.’
Monday billboard
‘Player of the Game: Garcia. Now that’s how the West Coast offense is supposed to be run.’
49ers grind down Bills
‘San Francisco controlled the ball for almost 40 minutes in a 35-0 win over Buffalo Sunday night at 3Com Park, and gained a big victory in their quest to take the NFC West title after finishing 6-10 last season.’
5th Down: Searching for leaders
‘But there is one area of lacking that is worth talking about now: Leadership. By that, I mean leadership from players, not coaches. The current-day Bills have a few fine leaders– Phil Hansen and Jerry Ostroski– but this doesn’t touch the Buffalo teams of the 90’s. Is that a revelation? Not unless you’ve been watching nothing but curling for the last 10 years. But it is a point worth examining.’