Two Bills Drive

‘”All we can control is what we can control,” Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said when asked about a 10-win team missing the playoffs. With some generous assistance from the Bills, the Dolphins certainly did that yesterday.’

‘With just 20 passing yards going forward and four sacks for a combined 36 yards going backward, a statuesque Bledsoe had arguably his worst game in two seasons as a Bill.’

‘The Dolphins have regressed every season under Wannstedt. They won the AFC East in 2000, finished second in 2001, were eliminated from playoff contention in the final week in 2002 and were eliminated from playoff contention with one week to play this season.’

‘Sunday’s events ensure a disappointing season, one in which fans were thinking playoffs and talking Super Bowl.’

‘Another season in the flickering primes of Thomas, Taylor and Bowens thrown away.’

”’It just so happened we were in the right call [man-to-man coverage],” he said. “It was one of those rhythm-type passes, and I just beat him to the spot.”’

”’I don’t want to get into coaching things,” he said. “If you want to talk about the game, we’ll talk about the game.”’

‘A large group of fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium turned toward Turner as he sat in the coaching booth and essentially begged him to consider taking the Bills job should it become open.’

”’Right now I’m just so mad,” Bledsoe said. “That is my reaction. I didn’t see this season going this way. I’m trying to figure out what the answers are, and I know some of them.”‘

”’It is frustrating,” middle linebacker London Fletcher said. “You hold a team to 169 yards, an average of 3 yards per offensive play, you should win the football game.”’

‘Inexplicably, the Bills tried to run their normal offense, which required a lot of deep drop-backs by Bledsoe. The rush was hardly fair for Sullivan and Price, who were reserve tackles at the beginning of the season.’

‘The Dolphins jumped to a 10-0 first-quarter lead. The Bills couldn’t move the ball as they went against the wind in the first quarter. By the second quarter, the Dolphins were able to begin pass-rushing throughout the game.’

‘Secondary — A.’

‘”That’s what happens when you wait around for when another team has to win to decide your fate,” said right tackle Todd Wade, whose team will now have consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance for the first time since the 1988 and 1989 campaigns. “It’s very, very disappointing. When you have high expectations like our team had, everybody expects big things out of you. We didn’t deliver, so it’s a shame.”‘

‘”I have been doing it all year pretty much, and parts of last year,” Williams said of playing with the shoulder. “It is something I have learned to [play with]. It is not the funnest thing, but it is part of the game.”‘