Archives for November 18, 2002

‘Warfield baited Drew Bledsoe into throwing the ball. He knew the Bills quarterback wanted to go deep. He also knew he could stay with Buffalo receiver Peerless Price. So he backed off on the coverage a bit. “I wanted Drew to think he was open,” Warfield said. “I wanted him to throw that ball up, because I knew I could get it.”‘

‘…they let a winnable game get away on the road.’

‘If someone had told Gregg Williams his defense would hold Priest Holmes to 3.4 yards a carry, Tony Gonzalez would manage just two catches and Travis Henry would gain 164 total yards, the Bills coach would have packed a couple of bottles of Dom Perignon for the plane ride home. "It feels like one got away," said Bills defensive end Chidi Ahanotu.’

‘The Bills made him the focal point of the offense Sunday and he delivered, averaging a robust 5.3 yards on 24 carries. He also had 38 yards on four pass receptions.’

‘"We’re going to fight hard. This is not over." No, but it’s not looking all that promising, either.’

‘The game plan forced Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe to be more patient and settle for shorter throws over the middle.’

‘The Bills were credited with 101 yards of total offense during a third-quarter drive, thanks to three penalties. And they came away with only a field goal.’

‘”It felt like one got away,” said Bills defensive end Chidi Ahanotu of this surprisingly low-scoring game. “We felt like we were in command for most of the game. I think everyone in here is a little frustrated.”‘

‘”I’ve noticed how he plays his game,” Warfield was saying inside a joyous Chiefs locker room. “I mean, not to take anything from him, the guy has a lot of talent and he’s done a really good job this season. But I’ve seen him make stupid plays when people start talking to him. I’ve seen him at the end of games, with no time left, just go up and hit a guy in the back of the head for no reason. All that stuff is uncalled for. I just knew if I could say something and get in his head, he would do something stupid and that’s what it was.”‘

‘Considered the NFL’s best tandem of receivers with 122 catches combined coming into the game, they managed just eight receptions for 76 yards against a Chiefs pass defense that ranked dead last in the league having allowed an average of 306 yards per game. Moulds was kept without a catch in the second half, and Price committed two penalties on a third-quarter drive that contributed to Buffalo settling for a field goal instead of a touchdown.’

‘COACHING — The Bills’ offensive game plan was sound, until the red zone (just three run calls out of 15 plays). Jerry Gray had defense ready, but his unit wilted at crunch time. The onsides kick call was strong but 13 penalties marred Gregg Williams’ Missouri homecoming. C’

‘Holmes ripped off runs of 15, 12, 8 and 9 yards in the final 4 minutes, moving the chains, consuming clock and forcing the Bills to use their remaining two time outs. Holmes finished the day with 104 yards and his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. He also scored the Chiefs’ first touchdown in the opening quarter.’

‘”I tried to let Drew think that he was open,” Warfield said. “I kind of knew (Price’s) speed from covering him the rest of the game. I figured he wasn’t that fast to run past me.”‘

‘Although it can hardly be classified as a breakout game, Morton did catch three passes for 52 yards. He now has 19 receptions for 254 yards for the season. Morton’s running mate, Eddie Kennison, added three catches for 93 yards and set up the Chiefs’ first score by hauling in Trent Green’s 44-yard bomb down the left sideline.’

‘One week after several dubious calls helped steal a game from the Chiefs, an officiating crew handed Kansas City a victory with a plethora of questionable flags.’