Archives for November 2002

‘At 4-5, the Chiefs are still in the hunt, which reveals just how tightly packed the AFC is. The up-and-down nature of the conference makes it hard to speculate which team will still be standing at the end of the season. Winning six of their last seven games would make the Chiefs 10-6 and all but guarantee a playoff spot. Finishing 9-7 would make matters more dicey.’

‘On Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe: "He’s more mobile than you might think. He’s a big man, a good athlete and he’s tough. Very tough. It’s tough to knock him down. He can ricochet off a hit and come out and throw the ball. And he doesn’t have to have his body in perfect position to throw it 35, 45 yards on the mark. So he’s amazing."’

‘What in the world has happened to Johnnie Morton, Chiefs fans are asking about the free agent receiver — a proven player who caught 69 or more passes in four of his past five seasons — who received a $5.5 million signing bonus upon coming to Kansas City last spring as a free agent?’

‘"I really try to stay away from officiating (issues)," he said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. "I used to get fined all the time and all it did was frustrate me and cost me money." Well, Vermeil may want to check his mail this week.’

‘”If you looked at this game a couple of weeks ago, everybody would have said it’d be a 50-45 game, a high scoring game. Unfortunately, both teams kind of stubbed their toe a bit (last time out, when the Chiefs lost 17-13 to the Niners and the Bills fell 38-7 to New England). “Both offenses are kind of struggling right now and are going to be looking to get back on their feet, so it’s going to be a fun game.”‘

‘"He’s got the number one pair of wide receivers in the National Football League in terms of receptions. They’ve got 122 receptions between Moulds and Price. Again, we go from one quarterback that’s having a great year to another quarterback that’s having a great year to another marquee pair of wide receivers. So, it’s always a challenge for our defensive staff. Price and Moulds are just outstanding."’

‘Bills QB Drew Bledsoe is 0-2 as a starter at Arrowhead, losing a 31-26 contest (10/15/95) and dropping a 16-14 decision (10/10/99) as a member of the Patriots. Bledsoe owns a 2-4 overall record as a starter in road contests vs. AFC West opponents, with those wins coming by a 45-7 count at SD (12/1/96) and a 28-19 margin at Denver (10/1/00).’

It may take a computer to keep score of this game. When the Bills have the ball, they will look to exploit a mismatch between their prolific passing game and the league’s worst pass defense. When the Chiefs have the ball, Priest Holmes has the luxury of working against the league’s 25th-ranked run defense. The team that touches the ball last is very likely to win this shootout.

Quarterback Alex Van Pelt, punter Brian Moorman, safety Tony Driver, kicker Mike Hollis, center Michael Early, defensive end Kendrick Office will host the 2nd annual Bills Sports Challenge to benefit Children's Hospital of Buffalo. Kids will join the players in the fieldhouse to participate in interactive games, autograph sessions and even race the players on the power wheels racetrack. All proceeds benefit Children's Hospital of Buffalo.

Head coach Joe Bremer of St. Mary's High School has been named the Buffalo Bills' high school football "Coach of the Week" for the tenth weekend of the 2002 season (Nov. 8-9). St. Mary's rallied for 12 points in the final 4:09 to hand Turner-Carroll a 19-14 loss to win the Monsignor Martin Association's League A title last Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

‘This is the first time the Bills have owned at least a piece of first place in the AFC East this late in the season since they were 7-4 in 1998.’

‘Of the 88 players brought in, a dozen were defensive linemen. There were also 13 punters and kickers, though Brian Moorman and Mike Hollis don’t have anything to worry about. The Bills are no different than most NFL teams that bring in free agents throughout the season. But the volume of players the Bills brought in last week is unusual.’

‘Upon review, Hollis’ first kick against the Patriots was held up by the wind, the second involved a bad snap and hold, and the third he simply hurried.’

‘The Rams don’t always win but they consistently put on the best show in the NFL. The Bills could be the new version of the Rams but only if they retain Price to team with WR Eric Moulds, QB Drew Bledsoe and RB Travis Henry.’

‘The Chiefs have scored a paltry 33 points in their last two games. They topped that total in a single game five times earlier in the season. Just as their defense seems to have solved some of its problems, the Chiefs may now be wrestling with an entirely different set of troubles. And there is some urgency to the situation because they figure to need a lot of points to beat another high-scoring team, Buffalo, on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.’