Two Bills Drive

‘To help Henry, Buffalo hired running backs coach Les Steckel, who never played college or pro football but who has managed to hold down coaching jobs in the NFL since 1978 by buildling a reputation as an excellent teacher. It’s his job now not only to minimize or eliminate Henry’s fumbling but to prepare McGahee, as well. Steckel’s philosophy is that you can do something about fumbling, though that’s not a view that is universally shared.’

Sept. 17, 1980: After defeating the Bills 20 consecutive times – which remains an NFL record of dominance by one team against another – the Dolphins finally fell in Buffalo. Bills fans celebrated by rushing the field and tearing down the goalposts.’

‘In a loss to Houston, Williams touched the ball 22 times. In a defeat of the Jets, Williams touched the ball 38 times.’

‘"When I see Bledsoe throw the ball downfield, it’s a thing of beauty," says Kellen Winslow, the former San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame tight end and current Fox Sports Net analyst. "He lets it fly."’

‘"The reason we’re still doing this 22 years later is the listeners are there," Giraldo said. "A lot of Spanish-speaking people that come to this country love sports, and the best way for them to learn it is in their own language."’

‘"They’ve come out and shown that they’re one of the top teams in the league. They’ve certainly got the talent all the way across the board, offense and defense, to back that up," Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler said. "The statistics back that up. We’ve got to go out there and prove to the rest of the league and prove to ourselves that we’re of the same caliber."’

‘Whoever Moulds lines up against — be it opposite Madison or Surtain — you can bet it won’t take long for Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe to take a shot deep. Last season, Moulds caught touchdown passes of 70 and 57 yards against Miami and ridiculed Madison in the process.’

‘"He had 144 yards average against us in two games last year and I don’t know how many 100-yard games we had against us last year, but they do some good things. "He’s a hard guy to tackle. He breaks a lot of tackles. We definitely have to tackle to win this game, especially myself, I missed a few on him especially out there."’

‘"I always knew he was capable of doing these things, even when he was sitting on the bench during our Super Bowl run," Milloy said. "He has one of those Dan Marino arms. Give him a little bit of protection and he can keep doing this for years to come. I’m just glad to be fighting for him again. He’s second to none in my book."’

”’Whenever I see man-to-man coverage on Eric, that’s where I’m going to try to throw the ball, regardless of who the corner is,” Bledsoe said. ”I just think Eric is that good that whoever it is, he’s going to win if it’s straight man coverage.”’

‘"It’s a real critical part of the field, and it’s part of the game we work on every week," said free safety Pierson Prioleau. "You want to force them to settle for a field goal. They’re already in field-goal range. Make the field-goal kicker make the kick, and you save points."’

‘”They’re off to a 2-0 start so he has room to talk. Come Sunday, we’re looking to change that and see what he says next time around.”‘

‘The Bills have hired Elko to speak to the team regularly the past two years. He talks to the players about positive thinking, dealing with distractions and getting the most out of their ability on the field.’

‘”The offensive line has been spectacular,” Bledsoe said. “I had as much time against Jacksonville to throw as in any game I’ve had in my career. The big play to Bobby (Shaw, 54-yard touchdown) at the end of the half, there was nobody around me and I could deliver the ball in comfort.”‘