Two Bills Drive

‘Never mind the statistics. If you put any stock in stuffing an opponent’s running game and assaulting a foe’s quarterback, then the Dolphins won this bout on a TKO. They had a half dozen sacks and allowed Buffalo running backs just 32 yards on 17 carries, fewer than two yards a crack.’

‘Their Dolphins are in first place. No Dan Marino. No Jimmy Johnson. But five wins in six games. Best record in the AFC East. Best record in the conference. Post-season thoughts danced in their heads, like the Dolphins’ defense danced on the field. The Dolphins are excited, too. But they’re also wary. "We did the same thing last year, starting fast," middle linebacker Zach Thomas said, "and we know it all fell apart. Coming into the season with no Marino, no Jimmy Johnson, nobody thought we’d be where we’d be. I didn’t understand how people would say we’d be terrible. It’s early and we know what we’ve done in the past, so let’s not do it again. We’re not going to get too happy."’

‘To explain his success against the Bills, Armstrong points at what happened at the end of the 1995 season. The Dolphins went to Buffalo and, in what turned out to be Don Shula’s final game, fell apart. They allowed 341 rushing yards. They didn’t get a single sack. "We got humiliated," Armstrong said. "That’s the one I always think about when we play them."’

‘"He was saying, `I don’t care if we lose every game, we have to beat Buffalo,’ " middle linebacker Zach Thomas said. "I knew he meant it when I met his wife and she said, `Just beat Buffalo.’"’

‘For two quarters, the offense clicked. Jay Fiedler played efficiently (9-of-14, 118 yards), Lamar Smith and Thurman Thomas ran hard and receivers Oronde Gadsden, Bert Emanuel and Leslie Shepherd made plays. It added up to 179 yards and a 13-3 halftime lead. Just as importantly, Miami’s ball-control offense allowed Buffalo to run just 22 plays in the first half. But whether it was Buffalo making several defensive adjustments or Miami just getting too conservative, the Dolphins’ offense shut down in the second half, gaining just 75 yards.’

‘Jones denied later that Thomas had succeeded in getting inside the Bills’ heads, saying it was a small part of a concerted Miami effort to play more physically. "They won the game," Jones said. "They didn’t really pound us. They had a lot of good plays defensively. Their defense did a heck of a job. Offense, I don’t know. They had 120 yards rushing. Thirty of that was by the quarterback. That’s not pounding."’

‘You can make a case for Thomas as the greatest Buffalo Bill ever…But he’s not there anymore.’

‘For a change, the cliche fit the plot-line — literally. The nine points the Miami defense put up in the second half proved the difference as the Dolphins ran their record to 5-1 Sunday with a 22-13 win over the Buffalo Bills…’

‘RB Thurman Thomas on having words with Bills LB John Holecek: "I’m sure John was probably going at me with a little extra than some of the other guys. I wasn’t going out there looking for John until he said something to me and that’s when it really got going. From that point on, I was really looking forward to getting a shot at him and letting him know that I was out there on the football field."’

‘The Dolphins employed a six-man rotation up front to keep the pressure on Johnson. Wannstedt used a Kenny Mixon-Tim Bowens-Jermaine Haley-Jason Taylor line on run downs, bringing Armstrong and Rich Owens off the bench on passing downs. He also slid Owens and Mixon up and down the line.’

‘"I think we’ll be all right, (but) we have to correct ourselves," said Johnson, who was sacked five times, nailed on the chin, which caused him to see stars, and crushed on his right elbow, which ultimately chased him from the game. "The season’s not over yet. I think we can go on a run." These Bills may have to if they are to rise from the canvas in the NFL’s nasty AFC East.’

‘After starter Rob Johnson was forced out with an elbow injury late in the second half of the Buffalo Bills’ 22-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Flutie saw his first regular-season action since being "rested" for the final game of the 1999 season. That infamous move by coach Wade Phillips ultimately cost Flutie his first-string job, as Johnson took over as starter for the playoffs and the start of the 2000 season. "It was fun, the first live action all year," said Flutie, who completed three of six passes for 44 yards and had one interception when the ball bounced off receiver Eric Moulds’ hands. "I felt comfortable."’

‘If Hollywood ever makes, The Thurman Thomas Story, it’ll be about a Houston running back who leaves the state to go to college, is livid when he’s passed up in the draft by his hometown team, uses his second-round status as incentive to become one of the best in history at his position, plays in four Super Bowls, gets unceremoniously dumped after 12 years, signs with his former team’s most hated rival, rips players on his former team before the big game and helps his new team pull out a victory.’

‘While the Bills’ defense played another strong game, it was the Miami defense that made the biggest plays as it recorded a safety and a fumble return touchdown, providing nine points that proved to be exactly the difference as the Dolphins defeated the slumping Bills 22-13.’

‘Phillips refused to take his offensive line to task, even though it was plain for everyone to see that the difference in this game between evenly-matched AFC East rivals was the way the Dolphins’ defensive line manhandled the Bills’ offensive line.’