Archives for December 4, 2000

‘Thomas said he visited with Bills owner Ralph Wilson, which is significant because there was some bad blood when Thomas was released after last season. Wilson apologized to Thomas earlier this year.’

‘It was a great effort that produced a winning result.’

‘In recent years, the Dolphins have had few December days like Sunday when they hammered the Buffalo Bills 33-6, matching their largest margin of victory in upstate New York.’

‘"I thought our defense probably played about as good as we can play," Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said. "We came up with six sacks. We forced some turnovers."’

‘What’s happening now is that the Dolphins — in the wake of their 33-6 victory Sunday afternoon on the road against Buffalo — are an NFL sensation. What happened during Johnson’s tenure, mostly, was disappointment.’

‘"When I retire, I want it to be as a Buffalo Bill, but right now I’m a Miami Dolphin."’

‘According to the report, headlined "Do Dolphins gain from players’ pain?" more than 10 current Dolphins and several current players said the club did not tell players the full extent of their injuries and risked their careers by pressuring them to play too early.’

‘It was obvious to most fans that quarterback Rob Johnson was having very little success Sunday against the Dolphins, but Bills coach Wade Phillips didn’t go with backup Doug Flutie until 2:12 left in the third quarter and Buffalo trailing 30-0.’

‘Defensive end Lorenzo Bromell and safety Trent Gamble entered Sunday’s game with five tackles…But in Sunday’s 33-6 win against Buffalo, both played bigger roles than expected.’

‘This was a Dolphins team that smelled blood: Some of the Bills` best run-stoppers were out with injuries, including linebacker Sam Cowart, the NFL`s leading tackler.’

‘A team with two quarterbacks usually is a team with none.’

‘"This was such a huge win for us in so many ways."’

‘Because the Bills are so bad off in tiebreakers (2-4 in the AFC East, 5-4 in the AFC), for them to have any chance, they would have to win all three of their games and the Jets, Ravens and Broncos would need to lose all three of their remaining games.’

‘My unconfirmed hunch: The Dolphins would’ve been on the doorstep of their first division title in six years a lot sooner had Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson purged themselves earlier.’

‘Rarely have the people of Western New York ever seen a team dominate their hometown heroes in their own building since, well, since the last time the Dolphins won here.’