Archives for January 2002

‘"But that team from New York is 8-0 against us lately! And they’re 7-1 on the road this year! And they came back from 17-0 to beat us this season! And there was the Monday Night Meltdown last year! They’re a Stephen King character in a green uniform!"’

‘"Nine of our last 12 games have been competitive," Williams said. "We were extremely competitive [today] until that penalty. When we pressed to get back into the game, our younger players committed some turnovers, negating some significant big-play opportunities. We’ve got a lot to do in the offseason, but we’ve come a long ways also."’

‘Bills running back Shawn Bryson was coming off back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, and the Dolphins held him to 16 yards on 12 carries.’

‘It was easy to say this was only the 3-12 Bills, but this club had beaten the Jets 14-9 last week and this was a game the Dolphins needed to clinch a home game in the playoffs.’

‘”We win by being a team every week,” Wannstedt said. “We’ve got our half a dozen or so dominate guys, but that’s what’s encouraging about this group going into the playoffs. We’ve won a lot of games by having a lot of different people stepping up and doing different things.”‘

‘Just in case you didn’t notice, neither performed like a backup in the Dolphins’ 34-7 victory against Buffalo that clinched a home playoff game for Miami. Galyon had a season-high five tackles, the first interception of his six-year NFL career and the first sack of the season. Hendricks, playing linebacker for the first time in his career — he was a star safety in high school and college — had four tackles while replacing the defense’s leader.’

‘"He is a smart QB," Moulds said. "Give him credit. He got in and made the most of his opportunity. I felt like he made plays and made the most of what was there. He certainly had some nice throws today."’

‘Is it a mirage, this two-game running start on the post-season, or a genuine Miami Dolphins’ miracle in the making?’

‘After the Dolphins defeated Buffalo, for example, Miami coach Dave Wannstedt called it “the type of win we enjoy.” That meant watching Fiedler throw only 16 passes.’

‘For the second straight week, Brock Marion returned an interception for a touchdown.’

‘At halftime, Miami had a 154-13 edge in total yardage and led 13-0.’

‘On Sunday, with Hendricks making his first NFL start, the Dolphins defeated the Bills 34-7. Hendricks had four tackles. He was a part, for one day at least, of one of the NFL’s best defenses.’

‘The Bills (3-13) finished with their worst record since going 2-14 in 1985.’

‘Lamar Smith rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown and safety Brock Marion scored on a 100-yard interception return on the final play of the Miami Dolphins’ 34-7 rout of the Buffalo Bills.’

‘"We are just concentrating on the Buffalo Bills, and if something else happens in the course of the day, then so be it," receiver James McKnight said.’