Two Bills Drive

‘"For you to be beside him and just go after his knee is unethical," Bills coach Wade Phillips said Monday. "I think it was uncalled for."’

‘Not even the often-heroic efforts of the depleted defense could compensate for Ronnie Jones’ boys. Plain and simple, they stunk. Again. Frankly, it’s getting old.’

‘And it was a game in which two or three disastrous plays foiled an otherwise valiant performance by the majority of the Bills’ players.’

‘If you thought the Buffalo Bills had a young defense before, wait until you get a load of what’s in store for the rest of the season.’

‘They lost a game by 14 points that they should have won.’

‘It was bad, but it could have been much worse. That would be the best way to describe the performance of the Buffalo Bills’ offensive line in Sunday’s 31-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.’

‘Miami comes to our winter wonderland next Sunday. If the Bills hope to maintain any chance for the playoffs they can’t afford to lose.’

‘What no one could foresee was the devastating nature of the loss as sloppy mistakes made the Bills look like anything but a playoff contender, and a rash of major injuries that they incurred along the way may eliminate that contender label altogether.’

‘All season long, Bills linebacker Sam Cowart has been building a case to play in the Pro Bowl. Unfortunately for the best player on the Buffalo defense and one of the best defenders in the NFL, the Pro Bowl may be the next game he plays.’

‘Maybe it is paranoia, but I’m searching for any explanation as to why the Bills squandered a good opportunity to win another critical road game in the heat of a playoff drive.’

‘In what was the dumbest move in a day filled with dumb coaching moves, the Bills decided to try an onside kick with 2:32 left in the game. They were trailing just 24-17 and they had all three timeouts plus the two-minute warning.’

‘The once-mighty Bills defence, a unit the team has relied upon to win games the past two seasons, has been reduced to a spartan carcass. In one stretch late in the first half, Buffalo lost star linebacker Sam Cowart (ankle sprain), his sidekick Sam Rogers (torn groin) and free safety Keion Carpenter (ankle).’

‘For Warren Sapp and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, football is as much about pain as pleasure. No need to remind the aching Buffalo Bills of that this morning.’

‘After all, the Bucs’ offense, which does have issues to address, gained a season-low 180 yards. But in grinding out a 31-17 victory, the offense undeniably was opportunistic.’

‘One, the Bucs can, indeed, move the ball 70 yards for a touchdown. And two, it sure helps when the opposing defense loses three of its best players.’