Two Bills Drive

‘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.”‘

‘Miami sacked quarterback Drew Bledsoe six times, forced him to fumble once, and harassed and hit him on several other plays. The Dolphins bottled up running back Travis Henry between the tackles — Henry had just 67 yards on 24 carries, his lowest production since the Giants held him to 53 yards Oct. 12.’

‘If the Dolphins had lost in Buffalo, their exasperated supporters would have had them drawn and quartered before they played another quarter. So give them some credit for not quitting and for jumping on a demoralized opponent early enough to make it think about doing so.’

‘”Don’t ask me about all that stuff,” Spurrier said. “Talk to me about the Bears kicking our butts.”‘

‘We don’t need to belabor the obvious, do we? Dave Wannstedt is done.’

‘Bledsoe, once the toast of Buffalo, now only draws the ire of Bills fans. When third-string quarterback Travis Brown replaced Bledsoe late in the game, the few fans left cheered loudly.’

‘”We had this in our hands, and we dropped the ball,” Dolphins defensive end Jay Williams said.’

‘The Dolphins prevailed 20-3. But what did they really gain? A few more hours of life?’

‘”We saw that play during the week, and it just so happened we were in the right man-to-man call,” Buckley said. “That allowed me to use what I saw during the week as a benchmark. I can’t say enough about the pass rush and the guys up front. The route was one of those rhythm passes. I just beat him to the spot.”‘

‘”This was a day we should have dominated,” right tackle Marcus Price said. “But when you don’t stick to what you do best, it opens the door for inconsistency.”‘

‘”I’ve never been a big worrier about things I can’t control,” Taylor said. “I’ve never understood why people stress out about things they can’t do anything about. Isn’t there enough to worry about when it comes to things you can control and maybe make a difference?”‘

‘Williams said the Dolphins did a good job of “managing the game,” and “understanding the circumstances,” which basically means giving the ball to him, which is always Miami’s best option. “We used Ricky, got ahead and then let our defense tee off on them,” Fiedler said.’