Archives for December 2002

‘"It’s a homecoming and I get to come back and play against my old team, and play in front of my old fans, and it’ll be an interesting game," Bledsoe said. "The big deal for us is that we’ve got to play a lot better than we did last time, that was really a disappointment to us, and a big setback for us to come out and play as poorly as we did in that game."’

‘The Patriots had their second-best running game of the season in their 38-7 win at Buffalo on Nov. 3 with 159 yards on 36 carries. Antowain Smith rushed 29 times for 111 yards, both season highs and the only time he has surpassed 100 this year.’

‘"I know he definitely has a lot of supporters among the fans," said Seymour, the defensive tackle. "He’s a guy with a lot of character and a class act. The fans have always recognized that."’

Where do you watch the Bills games?

"That's their defensive style. They change up week-to-week, team-to-team. We expect something different out of them this week. They change it up, give you different looks and make things hard on you. We expect them to do the same. They are going to do some stuff that we have seen and they are probably going to throw stuff in there that we haven't seen before. We just have to be able to adjust to what they throw at us during the game."

‘Luckily, this Sunday’s forecast is for sunshine and temperatures in the high 30s, low 40s.’

‘Even though he has fewer catches than Henry, Centers may be the No. 1 concern.’

‘Perhaps because Bledsoe Bowl I was such a media circus and because this game has wide-ranging playoff implications, the Bledsoe angle seems a bit muted this time, even though he is coming back home.’

‘The Patriots are 5-0 when Smith has rushed for 100 yards or more over the past two seasons.’

‘They actually moved the ball with some success in the first meeting with New England. Bledsoe threw for 302 yards. They got within field-goal range on five of their first seven drives. But their marches kept stalling. They scored on just 1 of 5 trips inside the Pats’ 20.’

‘"First of all, Shawn Jefferson made a spectacular catch on the sidelines and got both feet down and got the first down for us, and Terry Glenn was obviously interfered with in the end zone, and then Ben Coates made a great catch," Bledsoe said Wednesday with a mischievous tone in his voice.’

‘With a work ethic and spirituality passed on by mom. Not worrying where people rank him. On Henry’s right biceps is a tattoo of a cross with his No. 20 in the middle and on his forearm is inscribed: “Only God Can Judge Me.”‘

‘Williams was happy with the way defensive end Kendrick Office and cornerback Jason Bostic played against the Dolphins and said both would be used in similar fashion Sunday against New England.’

‘Because of their poor record head-to-head versus conference opponents (3-6) the Bills are not in good standing for a wild-card playoff spot, which means their best shot at the post-season is by winning the division title.’

‘This is no time to downplay the Bledsoe-Brady matchup – more than ever, the hype is truly warranted.’