Two Bills Drive

‘Rob Johnson told the story of this game as he walked off the field. His jersey was untucked and ripped in places where Dolphins defenders spent the afternoon grabbing at him. His white pants were peppered with dried blood, and his elbow was iced inside an Ace bandage that ran the length of his right arm.’

‘Challenged with the most furious display of downfield passing they have seen in a month, the Dolphins’ secondary took some shots but also responded with one game-clinching play and one crucial series. "They came after us," Dolphins strong safety Brian Walker said of Buffalo’s passing attack. That’s probably the most anybody has tried to throw downfield on us."’

‘Events leading to the Dolphins’ 22-13 victory at Pro Player Stadium more than justified Miami’s growing confidence in Haley. Haley plugged the middle admirably and contributed to Buffalo’s anemic 76-yard rushing total.’

‘"I know I didn’t make a lot of plays," Thomas said. "But I made enough plays to help us win and that’s what’s important."’

‘Dolphins linebacker Scott Galyon is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.’

‘The Dolphins’ defense continues to be the hallmark of the team. Besides strong, steady play, the defense has come up with big plays that have turned games around this season.’

‘The Dolphins took a 13-3 lead at halftime Sunday and then took a more conservative offensive approach in the second half.’

‘"It’s kind of like last week, almost like we’re on a roller-coaster of emotions," Morris said. "We got a high point and then all of a sudden we got a big, hard, low point."’

‘The Dolphins went the long route more than they had in the previous five games. It paid off in one touchdown, kept the Bills off balance and showed promise for the future.’

‘Trace Armstrong, that grizzled old Gator, dropped onto a stool in front of his locker, wearing a sweat-drenched T-shirt whose sleeves had been raggedly removed by scissors. He was too tired to ponder the meaning of what he had just accomplished and certainly too drained to realize that he had just hit 100 sacks.’

‘On the eve of the Dolphins’ 22-13 victory over Buffalo on Sunday at Pro Player Stadium, coach Dave Wannstedt took his players to watch the new Denzel Washington movie about a racially integrated Virginia high school football team that won a state championship in the early 1970s. Wannstedt moved his team meetings up an hour and ordered buses for his surprised players to attend a private screening at a Miami Lakes movie theater.’

‘Buffalo guard Ruben Brown couldn’t control his mouth on Sunday any better than he could control Dolphins’ defensive linemen. Brown was so frustrated by the Dolphins after the 22-13 loss, he took a shot at the Dolphins and defensive tackle Jermaine Haley in a postgame interview. "They’re not that tough," said Brown, who some thought the Dolphins should have pursued in the offseason. "They’re not nowhere tough, especially that No. 94. He’s a chump. He’s a little kid out there playing with the big boys. I can’t wait to see his little butt next time. That’s it."’

‘"I hate it," said Bills defensive end Phil Hansen. "It’s like putting peanut butter and jelly on a hamburger. It’s just not right."’

‘There are a dozen ways to cut this win, from the Dolphins’ 120 rushing yards to the Bills’ 76, from the Dolphins’ six sacks to the Bills’ one, from Dolphin quarterback Jay Fiedler not missing what little he was asked to do and Buffalo quarterback Rob Johnson missing on too much. But Sunday really came down to what this season comes down so far. It comes down to the Dolphin defense.’

‘It’s a pact that Taylor, Armstrong and Zach Thomas made with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, one of the country’s foremost clinics dealing with spinal-cord injuries. Every time one of those three makes a sack, they donate $1,000 to the project. Every time one of those three makes a tackle, they donate $100. So far, the trio has raised $20,000 this season, and expects to raise more than $100,000 by season’s end.’