‘Owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. had been on record as praising Butler’s work and wishing to sign him to a new contract. But Butler had declined to negotiate seriously with the Bills and had expressed an interest in seeking his market value before making a commitment.’
BillsBeat - December 19, 2000
WILEY HOPES PATS' GAME WASN'T A GOODBYE
‘”I just wanted to say thank you to the Bills and the Bills fans,” said Wiley, who will be an unrestricted free agent after Saturday’s season finale in Seattle. “I’m still a Bill for another game and, hopefully, for another contract, another year. But I’m not in a situation right now to even think about it or make any moves. If this is it, dire straits, I tried to show them everything I could and thank them for everything.”‘
JOHNSON'S 'HEADACHE' MEANS FLUTIE WILL START
‘”They’re calling it a slight concussion,” Phillips said of Johnson. “It’s more like a headache. He banged his head on the ground, but he never lost consciousness or had trouble remembering anything.”‘
CONCUSSIONS MAY FORCE BILLS' HAND
‘Johnson may never suffer another, but the decision makers can’t bank on it. For a promising young quarterback to suffer so many concussions so early in his career, you have to go back to Chris Miller with Atlanta. After a promising beginning, Miller’s career became a series of stops and restarts and finally retirement after a second comeback attempt in Denver.’
BillsBeat - December 18, 2000
Phillips' Excuses Don't Add Up
‘Instead of addressing why the same group of linemen who have operated under the same assistant coach within the same offensive coordinator’s system for three years can’t peform the most basic functions of their jobs, Phillips took the easy route.’
Vinatieri able to weather Bills' storm
‘Sunday’s weather was awful, even by Western New York standards. The air was filled with a strange snow-sleet-ice combination that blanketed the field by halftime and made the artificial turf slippery.’
Bills Should Consider Giving Roth A Serious Opportunity
‘Josh Roth, the fullback from the University at Buffalo by way of Conewango Valley, sure looked like he belonged. And, in a conversation with him late last week, Roth believes he does.’
This team has earned a little respect with effort
‘A whole lot of it was sloppy, sloppiness that had nothing to do with the weather. And a whole lot of the players that partook in it for the Pats won’t be around next year.’
Ex-lineman for Buffalo wings it
‘Toward the end of his Bills career, Ritcher took a flight with teammates Joe Ferguson and Justin Cross in Ferguson’s Cessna propeller plane. "I was just hooked from then on," he says.’
Vinatieri's FG provides icing
‘Mother Nature managed to do what these two struggling rivals probably could not have done on their own, namely make this game a thoroughly entertaining one to watch.’
Johnson holds on the mark
‘Johnson’s day was indeed something to behold. He muffed two long snaps, including one on a potential winning field goal on the final play of regulation.’
Patriots top Bills in overtime as weather makes itself felt
‘Once they entered the red zone, though, things became troublesome. The difference in the game was that it wasn’t quite as troublesome for the Patriots.’
Another injury for Johnson
‘It was a scene all too familiar to the Buffalo Bills and their fans. Quarterback Rob Johnson down on the field injured.’
A game in Buffalo, or the North Pole?
‘Players were standing behind offensive-line coach Carl Mauck to block the wind.’
Patriots had better skaters
‘A guy named Mike attempted to propose marriage to his fiancee, Karen, and the moment was captured live on the JumboTron scoreboard. He dropped the ring, and then couldn’t find it for about 30 seconds.’