Archives for September 16, 2002

‘The game had so many highlights, twists and turns that even the players had difficulty keeping up.’

‘"He gave a special performance," Buffalo coach Gregg Williams said of Bledsoe. "He was really cool all game. The other guys were feeding off him."’

‘"They had their moments and made the plays when they had to,” Vikings cornerback Corey Chavous said. "It was one of those games that you play in when both teams are in desperate need of a victory. We battled for five quarters, but they made the plays that made the difference."’

‘Lost in the misery was that for the second consecutive week the Vikings ran the ball effectively. Williams led the way with 102 of the team’s 213 yards on the ground.’

‘Culpepper fumbled four times, losing the ball three times and costing his team 13 points.’

‘While the blame for the loss starts with Brien, there was plenty to spread around.’

‘"Who misses two PATs in a game? High school kickers make those," Brien said earlier. "I’m just so disgusted with myself, I’m not even worried about (the possibility of being released)."’

‘Members of the Vikings’ secondary still might be smoldering from the torching they received from Buffalo’s Peerless Price.’

‘Worst uniform: Buffalo. Boys, the Arena League is a spring league.’

”’With Drew,” said Price, `if you’re down, 40-0, you believe you can win.”’

It was the second week in a row, the Bills drew up a clutch play on the spot to take advantage of something they saw in the defense. It was a witty piece of play-calling on Bledsoe and OC Kevin Gilbride’s part. Of course, Bledsoe and Price had to execute it to perfection.

‘Drew Bledsoe threw for 463 yards in Buffalo’s 45-39 overtime victory over the Vikings on Sunday, shattering the franchise record for passing yards in a game. Vikings fans might remember a game eight years ago, when Bledsoe brought the Patriots back from a 20-0 deficit on the way to a 26-20 overtime victory. He threw 70 passes in that game, completing 45 of them.’

‘Culpepper was under pressure much of the day. Culpepper was sacked five times. Three of those times he fumbled. And those three fumbles led to 13 Buffalo points, including one that was recovered in the end zone for a fourth-quarter Bills TD. “They did a good job of getting to me,” Culpepper said. “That’s a part of the game. I don’t care if guys come and hit me, I have to be able to bounce back, stay in there, stand tough and tall. . . . I just have to hold on to the ball. If I get hit from the back? So what. I have to hold onto the ball.”

‘Brien, the Vikings placekicker Sunday, appears to have played his final game with the Vikings. In an overtime loss to Buffalo in the home opener, Brien missed a 44-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half. Worse, he missed two extra points — both pulled left — in the second half.’

‘”We’re going to win as a team and lose as a team,” Moss said. “By our FG kicker missing those [extra points], I wasn’t really down on him. Of course, he could have made them. But what did we do on defense? What did we [I] do on offense? What did we do on special teams? Let’s not blame it on our kicker for missing those PATs. You can’t blame him. If you’re going to blame somebody, let’s blame the whole team, including the coaching staff. Because it was their fault and it was our fault for not making it happen. That’s really what it was.”‘