‘Memo to Ralph Wilson: Just as you did to John Butler last week, it is time to send Joe Pendry, Max Bowman, Charlie Joiner, Turk Schonert, Carl Mauck, James Saxon and Ronnie Jones in search of other business opportunities.’
BillsBeat - December 25, 2000
Quarterback controversy wore on Bills
‘”It wears on you when you guys just keep going over it and over it and over it,” defensive end Phil Hansen said Sunday, referring to constant media questions regarding Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson. “I guess, toward the end, you guys finally got what you wanted – a little controversy.”‘
BILLS' FUTURE POSES MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
‘The Bills’ organization needs to find a new general manger, decide on the future of head coach Wade Phillips and his staff of assistants, settle a sticky quarterback situation, and make hard decisions that will allow them to get under the NFL salary cap in 2001.’
PLAYERS REFLECT ON SEASON OF TUMULT
‘”I think we stayed together for the most part, the best that we could,” running back Antowain Smith said. This year was kind of a rocky situation for the whole team. As soon as things started going wrong, they started blaming a lot of people instead of the team coming together. I think we still continued to fight, but we were still kind of falling apart a little bit.”‘
FLUTIE SHOWS HE'S BETTER SUITED TO BE BILLS' QB
‘Instead, Johnson regressed. He got battered, and he got worse. By the end of the year, he was a beaten man, both physically and emotionally, sidelined with a minor concussion that his coach termed a “headache” while Doug Flutie turned in the performance of his NFL career in the finale in Seattle.’
BillsBeat - December 24, 2000
Flutie Guides Bills
‘Playing against the league’s worst defense, the Buffalo Bills tallied up 579 total yards and punted only one time the entire game against the Seattle Seahawks.’
Even With Near Record-Setting Performance, Changes In Offing
‘Well, let’s just say that assistant coach Ronnie Jones won’t have to sign a new lease on an apartment in Western New York for next season.’
No defense for this finale
‘Flutie completed 20 of 25 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Antowain Smith entered the game with 84 carries for 207 yards – a 2.5-yard average that ranked last on the team – but he might as well have been O.J. Simpson on this night.’
Retooling should start on defense
‘Until Bills quarterback Doug Flutie ended the game with a couple of harmless genuflections for negative yardage, Buffalo had picked up 581 offensive yards – with 580 being the Seahawks record for defensive largess.’
Watters reveals his pain
‘Never in his public life had brash, in-your-face Ricky Watters been a sympathetic figure.’
Big win leaves big questions for Bills
‘Just when the Buffalo Bills’ owner thought he had this team doped out, it gave him way more to contemplate than he ever imagined.’
Time to pull the plug on Seahawk defense
‘Buffalo rolled up 579 yards of offense, or about one for every fan still remaining when time finally ran out last night on this 6-10 Seahawk season.’
Butler discovers Bills come with a price
‘While keeping his team competitive, Butler changed the face of the Bills from an aging team with fading talent into a young one on the rise that frankly would have reached the playoffs again this year if coach Wade Phillips had a brain in his head and played Doug Flutie at quarterback instead of Rob Johnson.’
Hawks flop start to finish
‘When all was said and done, the Buffalo Bills piled up 579 yards on the way to a 42-23 victory over Seattle at Husky Stadium in the season finale.’
Watters ends his silence with goodbye?
‘With a non-guaranteed base salary of $3 million in 2001, and with promising rookie Shaun Alexander playing well, Watters may be an offseason salary cap casualty.’