Archives for October 2, 2000

‘Though the new wave of quarterbacks — led by Daunte Culpepper, Cade McNown, Donovan McNabb, Shaun King and Akili Smith — all are superior runners, none even approaches Manning as a quarterback. Even so, Manning has added a little mobility to his game. He’ll run when he must. Only then does he resemble a dinosaur.’

‘Though Buffalo came out hot, racking up 164 total yards on its first three offensive possessions, the Colts kept the Bills out of the end zone. In the process, they prevented the Bills from building a more sizable lead than 9-0, and made life that much more bearable for the offense, which recovered from a sloppy start to post an 18-16 victory on Sunday.’

‘All week long the Buffalo Bills talked about the importance of putting pressure on the passer. Come Sunday, most of it was on theirs. For the second consecutive game, the Indianapolis defensive front came hard and often. It sacked Rob Johnson four times and helped the Colts to an 18-16 victory. Often as not, it was rookie linebacker Marcus Washington chasing Johnson around Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘"Things could happen. Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve," Moulds said with a grimace. "We can’t live like that. We’ve got to go down there and score points."’

‘Buffalo fans are among the most avid tailgaters in the NFL, and have been for more than two decades. A parking lot adjacent to Ralph Wilson Stadium starts filling up with motor homes on Friday night and is packed hours before the game starts.’

‘The Bills thoroughly dominated the statistics. They outrushed the Colts 170-81, out-passed them 215-184 and held the ball nearly 12 minutes longer. Buffalo also drove 80 yards for what could’ve been the game-winning touchdown with 1:08 left. In the face of all that, the Colts simply found a way, coming up with just enough plays at critical times to beat another quality team on the road.’

‘Buffalo wracked up 385 offensive yards (the Colts had 265), quarterback Rob Johnson outthrew Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning (246 yards to 187) and the Bills outran the Colts, 170-81, but Manning and the Colts prevailed, 18-16, on a last-play field goal by Mike Vanderjagt.’

‘"It was a big finish, but we expected to do that," said running back Edgerrin James. "The problem (for Buffalo) is that they gave us too much time. If there were only 14 or 15 seconds, OK, but what did we have a minute something (actually 63 seconds), and that’s plenty of time for us. "Besides, we got the coolest kicker in the NFL by far. He’s cocky and he knows what he’s doing. He’s one of those kickers who knows exactly what he’s going to do. That’s a chip shot for him."’