Two Bills Drive

‘It was not a magical victory like the ones we’ve come to expect from Doug Flutie over the past 17 years. But Flutie, 38, who is the first to say some of his performances are not artistic masterpieces or statistical wonders, showed once again that he wins more than he loses on Sunday afternoons.’

‘This is the kind of day it was for the Patriots. It was gray, dank, and soggy. It was mushroom weather. It was a day that encapsulated this dreary, 2-7 season.’

‘"Extremely average. Not good enough to win. I throw an interception on first and goal at the 1. It’s inexcusable," Friesz said after yesterday’s 16-13 overtime loss to Buffalo in which the 11-year veteran took over for the injured Drew Bledsoe early in the second quarter and the Patriots trailing, 10-0.’

‘A big reason middle linebacker Sam Cowart was able to make so many disruptive plays and lead the Bills with 14 tackles and one sack was because of the work of big Ted Washington up front.’

‘There are only eight seconds left and your team needs you to kick a 48-yard field goal. Being a kicker is not easy. Steve Christie certainly made it look that way, and then some, in the Bills’ 16-13 overtime win against the Patriots yesterday.’

‘A team quarterbacked by Doug Flutie won a game at Foxboro Stadium yesterday. Would you rather wait until I could get back to you with some new news?’

‘The Buffalo Bills left here last night with a victory they deserved because when the game was on the line, they made the plays, and the Patriots did not.’

‘"My feeling after throwing on the sidelines was that I wouldn’t be able to throw accurately enough to be effective for our team, compounded by the fact that every time I took a snap I would aggravate it more," he said. "So I felt the best chance for us to win was to go with John [Friesz]. He made a couple of nice plays that barely got broken up. With the exception of probably one play, he played a good game for us."’

‘Flutie struggled for most of the game, but as Tasker and Criqui said, when the Bills needed big plays, Flutie made them. "Flutie makes it happen in the face of unbelievably adverse conditions," Tasker said.’

‘The Patriots are 2-7, and Bledsoe is hurt.’

‘All Doug Flutie does is win. And all the Patriots do is lose.’

‘Containing Flutie most of the time just isn’t enough. That was a point Pats coach Bill Belichick made at his postgame press conference. That final, overtime drive for the Bills’ winning field goal "was not what we were looking for," Belichick said.’

‘Brown, with an all-purpose performance that also included a team-high 49 yards on three catches, once again stepped up as one of the few weapons with impact during yesterday’s 16-13 overtime loss to Buffalo.’

‘In yesterday’s 16-13 overtime loss to Buffalo, the Patriots ran eight plays from the Bills’ 1-yard line and came away with just one score – a touchdown run from rookie J.R. Redmond.’

‘That they voiced their displeasure with a chorus of boos was not surprising, and the least surprised guy in Foxboro was Friesz himself.’