Two Bills Drive

‘The temperature at kickoff was 87 degrees at Ralph Wilson Stadium. "Everybody complains about the heat in Thibodaux," Saints center Jerry Fontenot said. "I’m included because I don’t like the heat. But I’ll tell you what, we were ready for the heat today. While it still felt pretty warm out there today, we’re so used to practicing in it and pushing through it. I think it really affected them in the second half."’

‘"We need to play two complete halves of football," said the Bills’ new coach, Gregg Williams. "We can’t have 17 unanswered points and we need to manage turnovers better. We need a total team effort."’

‘"Our defense played well," Moulds said. "They kept us in situations where we had chances to make plays and put the Saints away. By no means did the Saints come out and do what they wanted to do. Offensively, we just didn’t make plays when they were there."’

‘The Flutie-Johnson debate is alive and well.’

‘"We couldn’t do it. I think that would have given our offense a boost right after the half if we had stopped them from scoring points. But we didn’t, and it ballooned on us after that."’

‘While he was taken down five times, that wasn’t really the problem, execution was. When the Saints took away wide receivers Moulds and Peerless Price with double teams, that left the middle of the field open for Riemersma. Johnson saw it, but failed to connect.’

‘The offense showed some flashes, but they were rare, and the bottom line is the Bills didn’t score a touchdown. Rob Johnson once again failed to deliver on his ”potential.” That storyline is getting tiring.’

‘Yesterday, in his first regular- season NFL game, he connected on field goals from 37 and 22 yards, providing the only Buffalo points in a 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The job is his — for now.’

‘Consider this: If Cowart — second only to Baltimore’s Ray Lewis among NFL defenders last season — is gone for the season, the Bills will be without their four leading tacklers and their entire linebacking corps from a year ago.’

‘Gregg Williams’ debut turned out as expected — his young team played well early against a beatable Saints team, failed to respond to adversity, and petered out in the end.’

‘There you have it, 7 up, 9 down. Nothing too spectacular or out of the ordinary. The hope will have to be that the Bills have swallowed hard and are now in position to make a charge and not so much change in ’02.’

‘While Buffalo’s newly installed 4-3 defense held firm, quarterback Rob Johnson looked unsettled running the new West Coast offensive scheme.’

‘"I thought we ran the ball well in the first half but you’ve got to come back with some play action and throw teams off," he said. "We didn’t do that. I think our game plan was to come in, pound it, try to run the clock a little. I think it worked in the opposite for us. I think they came back and switched up things. I think we played into their hands a little."’

‘"I’m shocked and disappointed," Christie said. "I’ve spent 10 years in Buffalo. This is my 12th year in the league. I’ve made Buffalo my home. I’ve loved it here. I’ve loved the Bills. I think I deserve more from guys who have not been in Buffalo at all. I deserved more. This would not have happened with Marv Levy. Period."’

‘Look for the Bills to feature rookie running back Travis Henry early and often. If Henry is effective, he will take some of the heat off Johnson and give him a chance to make some big pass plays against the Saints’ suspect secondary.’