Two Bills Drive

Among other comments:

On the difference between the first and second half:

“Without looking at the film it is difficult to tell. It seemed as if they ran the same plays. We just executed better. It did seem as if the holes for them to run weren’t as big as they were in the first half. It seemed like things clogged up more in the second half.”

Among other comments:

On the crowd support:

“Hats off to all the fans that came out today. They have shown us great support over the years. This has been down year for them as well as for us. We are happy to win one for them.”

Among other commenrs:

On the first home win of the season:

“It’s good for us. It’s been a long time coming. I want to thank God for us playing well as far as coming back in the second half. We played much better then we did in the first half. We played to win instead of just being in the game.”

Among other comments:

On being more of a locker room presence:

“Probably, it is something that I feel comfortable doing.”

Among other comments:

On hesitation on going for six at the end of the first half:

“No, there wasn’t, especially with the opportunity to discuss this with Alex prior to the play. I had faith in him.” Regarding the drive at the end of the half? “It gave us more momentum coming in at halftime. It was a catalyst that we talked about at halftime.”

Among other comments:

"Buffalo played certainly very effectively in the second half and did a good job. The running back ran hard. They were able to get the ball to the tight end. Defensively they put the clamps on us and we weren’t very dynamic."

On the day where the Bills honored their former coach who taught a never-say-die attitude to his players, the current Bills pulled off a rally from an 18-point deficit to grab their second win of the season. Buffalo, who trailed 24-6 late in the second quarter, pulled out a 25-24 win over the Carolina Panthers in front of 44,549 fans and chilly conditions at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

‘Finally. After six straight defeats . . . after 393 days without a win at home . . . the Bills had reason to smile in their locker room in Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘"I got a chance to run the ball and catch it out of the backfield. Those are the things I want to get more of a chance to do."’

‘"I’m really tired of answering the same questions every week after games," Steussie said.’

‘In this season of transition, the Bills changed from a team that makes you want to shout to a team that makes you want to scream.’

‘”We rose up to the occasion, unlike the Miami game where we had some failure in the fourth quarter when the game was in our hands. This time, we sealed the deal.”‘

‘As for the state of the team he led to more wins than any coach in franchise history, Levy said he feels the fans’ pain.’

‘Player of the Game: Van Pelt and Spoon played big, but rookie running back Travis Henry rushed for over 100 yards for the second time.’

‘It was the sort of play the Buffalo Bills made far too infrequently through their first 11 games. And it launched them to their second win of the season. With Carolina ahead by 11 points with 5:50 left in the third quarter and facing a second-and-2 at their own 38-yard line, Bills cornerback Nate Clements deflected Panther quarterback Chris Weinke’s pass away from intended receiver Donald Hayes and into the arms of rookie middle linebacker Brandon Spoon. “It was just a normal zone coverage,” Spoon said. “Nate (Clements) did a great job and tipped the ball. I just caught it and took off. My teammates did a great job of clearing it out for me.” Spoon finished his 44-yard jaunt to the end zone by cartwheeling past the final Carolina tackler. Travis Henry dove in from a yard out midway through the fourth quarter to complete Buffalo’s rally from an 18-point first-half deficit. When Alex Van Pelt’s third-down completion to Jay Riemersma with two minutes left sealed Buffalo’s 25-24 win, the Bills were able to leave the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium to cheers, rather than boos or indifference.’