Two Bills Drive

‘”We didn’t play our best,” Thomas said, “but we got the job done.”‘

‘His instincts in the fourth quarter caught up to his past few months of instruction, and it turned the game into a footrace that the Bills’ secondary had no chance of winning.’

‘With 46 seconds left in the first quarter, left guard Mark Dixon fractured his right fibula, forcing rookie free agent Troy Andrew into the lineup.’

‘Put a spin on this, coach: You may have gotten rid of the wrong kicker.’

‘But in those final 15 minutes, a mixture of clutch plays and key breaks helped Miami generate 24 fourth-quarter points and escape Ralph Wilson Stadium with a 34-27 victory to tie the idle Jets at 7-3 atop the AFC East.’

‘The Dolphins overcame a 27-17 deficit in the final eight minutes, helped in part when Patrick Surtain recovered Nate Clements’ fumble on a kickoff return, setting up the winning score.’

‘Dixon, who started 25 of Miami’s last 26 games, was hurt late in the first quarter when the Buffalo Bills stuffed running back Lamar Smith for a 3-yard loss.’

‘The Dolphins (7-3) have won four straight over Buffalo (1-9) for the first time since they captured six in a row from 1984-86.’

‘But they can give their fans something that never will go out of style in Western New York: a win over the Miami Dolphins.’

‘The major subplot in the game is the tale of two quarterbacks.’

‘"You wonder how long it will take before someone will say, "I didn’t play with Larry Centers. I played for Larry Centers."’

‘…Bryant McKinnie…’.

‘The Buffalo Bills have about as much chance of making the NFL playoffs as Mick Jagger has of being remembered as a domestic family man.’

”’The only thing I remember about Bills-Dolphins games is Bryan Cox when he came out that one time (with his middle fingers raised). That was the funniest thing in the world when I was a kid. But I hadn’t been to Buffalo until now so I’m experiencing this for the first time. We’ve had it expressed to us by the veterans how important this game is.”‘

‘Larry Centers — Is there a more productive fullback in the NFL? He has 55 catches (including an NFL-most 19 on third down) for 410 yards, 23 carries for 82 yards and 2 TDs.’