Archives for September 2002

‘After Smith’s clutch catch on fourth down, Griese rewarded him two plays later with a 26-yard touchdown pass to give the Broncos a 28-16 cushion with 2:39 remaining.’

‘That is why depth is so important – and it is something the Denver Broncos have in abundance.’

‘The Broncos forced Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe to beat them through the air – and he couldn’t. That is because Denver’s ‘D’ was flying around all day making plays. It was pressuring Bledsoe constantly and sacked him four times.’

‘”When they’ve got an offense like that, we’ve got to find a way to stay on the field,” Smith said of the Bills (1-2), who had scored 76 points in their first two games.’

BRIAN MOORMAN

His 70-yard punt in the first quarter was a career long. It was the 10th punt of 70 yards or longer in Bills history and the longest since Chris Mohr's club record 80-yarder on 10/13/96 at Minnesota…had two punts downed inside the 20 (3 & 15 yard lines) in the first quarter and another one at the five in the fourth quarter.

‘Buffalo (1-2) entered the game leading the league in scoring and passing, but struggled against the Broncos’ physical defense.’

‘The Bills entered the game as the league leader in yards passing and were second in total yards, but finished with just 291 yards — 39 rushing.’

‘Griese passed for two touchdowns and rookie Clinton Portis rushed for 103 yards and a score as the Denver Broncos posted a 28-23 victory over the Buffalo Bills.’

‘"The advantage is his experience," Donahoe said of the veteran quarterback. "He’s seen everything, he’s been exposed to everything. We may call something different than what he’s used to calling it. But he’s been a starter in this league for a long time. That helps. Very few things happen in the course of a game that he’s not been exposed to."’

‘"I’ve always had confidence in my ability to play this game," Bledsoe said. "I’ve never doubted, never wavered in that one bit. I know if I’ve got guys around me that can make plays that I can do my part."’

‘Drew likes Buffalo, and we like Drew.’

We know that Eric Moulds, Peerless Price and Josh Reed are all threats at receiver. There’s no way to double-cover two or three of them, but if the Bills appear to rely too heavily on the passing game, the Broncos’ defense can slip into zone coverage or put pressure on Bledsoe. Done effectively, that could curtail Buffalo’s high-scoring tendencies.

‘Today’s critical questions are: Can the Bills’ offense run the ball well enough to loosen up the Broncos’ two-deep zone defense? And can Jerry Gray’s defense contain Denver’s powerful ground game while at the same time covering future Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe?’

‘Apparently, this is a Broncos team that would make Bronco Nagurski proud, a few dozen angry men who would just as soon punch you in the mouth as look you in the face. Come Sunday evening, the Bills’ training staff might be stapling together the faces of half the roster, not just Drew Bledsoe.’

‘"I don’t think we’ve been the best team over the last 27 years, but we have the best home-field record," said Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. "I think some of that has to do with the altitude."’