Archives for December 29, 2002

‘A season dictated by a series of blowouts in the first month of the season fittingly ended in one for the Bengals.’

‘It also was a most discouraging finale for Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna, who came six snaps short of earning a $1.625 million contract bonus. To achieve the bonus, Kitna needed to take part in 61 snaps against Buffalo to appear in 80 percent of Cincinnati’s offensive plays this season.’

‘Capping an outstanding first year in Buffalo, Bledsoe completed 23-of-31 passes for 230 yards to help the Bills (8-8) match a franchise record by registering a five-win improvement over last season.’

‘Contrary to widespread speculation, Gregg Williams likely will remain in Buffalo next season. That doesn’t mean he’s completely safe, but a win over the lowly Bengals should make him a little more secure.’

‘He is still a work in progress. He is not St. Louis’ Orlando Pace or Seattle’s Walter Jones yet. The learning curve is steep for rookie offensive linemen because of all the precise techniques they are required to master.’

‘"I never thought I’d quit coaching," said Levra, the Buffalo Bills’ defensive line coach who is retiring following today’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. "I thought I’d die on the sideline."’

‘Bledsoe could be the Bills’ leader for the next two U.S. presidents. Be happy. There are at least 10 NFL teams without a viable quarterback.’

‘In the team’s first 23 seasons with Paul Brown as coach, general manager or both, Cincinnati was 171-168-1 with two Super Bowl appearances. Under Mike Brown, the Bengals are 55-136 and have never made the playoffs despite drafting in the top 10 nine times.’

‘[Q:] How will you spend New Year’s Eve? [A:] “We’ll be driving back to Colorado. Unfortunately, the season has ended a bit early for us.”‘

‘The Bills are reportedly interested in Spikes as a free agent. So is New Orleans.’

‘Although the Bills were eliminated from playoff contention in last week’s 10-0 loss at Green Bay, they desperately want to win today.’

’52 – Sacks allowed by Buffalo. 23 – Sacks by Bengals defense.’

‘Bills 27, Bengals 24.’

‘The Bills rank fourth in the league in pass defense, allowing just 188.9 yards a game, and Clements leads the way with five interceptions.’

”’I can’t compare it to Cincinnati, but it definitely starts at the top. And in Cincinnati, their top guys have been the same guys for a while,” Bills defensive end Chidi Ahanotu said. ”Here, you’ve got some good people in (Bills president) Tom Donahoe, who’ve been around a lot of winning organizations. The same with (coach) Gregg Williams. They’re consistent in what they do and what they preach, and that is the foundation that you lay to start a winning franchise.”’