Archives for September 29, 2003

‘The defensive line still got pressure on quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who was sacked by Simon on the Bills’ first offensive play and later was sacked by the blitzing Brown. ”We just went out and got after it,” Simon said. ”When Troy went out of the game, we just knew we had to force them into some mistakes, and we did that.”’

‘Tight end Chad Lewis could sense it. Could sense from the moment McNabb entered the huddle at the start of the first offensive series, he was back to being himself. Back to ”relaxing and having fun and keeping the guys smiling.”’

‘BEST HIT: It wasn’t delivered by a Philadelphia or Buffalo player, but by one of the stadium security guards. With the Bills preparing for the failed two-point conversion attempt that followed their first touchdown, a fan ran on the field and raced approximately 70 yards before he was stopped cold and driven to the ground by the security guard.’

‘The Eagles were exceptional on third-down conversions (9 of 16) and had a 7 minute, 36 second edge in the time of possession. And that kept Bledsoe — and his rifle arm — off the field for big chunks of the game. The Bills had just 12 offensive plays from scrimmage in the first and third quarters combined.’

‘With three-quarters of his star-studded secondary sidelined with injuries and facing quarterback Drew Bledsoe and the Bills dangerous stretch-the-field passing game, Johnson patched together a unit that somehow, someway, limited Buffalo to just two touchdowns and 296 yards through the air.’

‘Moments after his extra point gave the Eagles an early 7-0 lead, Bills return specialist Antonio Brown broke through the first few waves of tacklers, broke to the outside and was threatening to even the score on the ensuing kickoff. That’s when Akers prevented it.’

‘In one afternoon, the Eagles pushed aside three weeks of doom and gloom. In just 60 minutes of football, they regained their confidence and their status as a contender in the NFL.’

‘Said Johnson: “The young guys really stepped up to the plate today. They went up against a great quarterback and a great receiver and did the job they had to do. That’s what I enjoyed the most. Those young guys had their backs against the wall, and they responded the way you want them to respond. They came out fighting.”‘

‘”The offensive line did a great job pushing everybody down and it just opened up for me,” Westbrook said of his first NFL touchdown.’

‘”I love this kind of game,” defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who got a break when the Bills made injured running back Travis Henry inactive, said. “Our backs are against the wall, we’re losing players and we just fought and fought. I don’t know if I thought we could win without those guys (Vincent, Dawkins and Taylor), but the young secondary just gave us a great effort.”‘

‘Moulds, Buffalo’s Pro Bowl receiver, put up numbers but didn’t make the plays his team needed. Thrash’s third and final catch of the day may have been the game’s most important play.’

‘”The Case of the Vanishing Buffalo.” After the first two weeks, Bills fans were clearing their calendars for a trip to the Super Bowl. But after the last two weeks, they just want to go hide. Between Miami and Philadelphia, the Bills went eight quarters without scoring before mounting a mini-rally in the final minutes against the Eagles. One obvious clue — RB Travis Henry is missing and Joe Burns is not the answer.’

‘”It felt like we were fighting an uphill battle an awful lot,” Bledsoe said. “We just didn’t make enough plays. That’s the bottom line.”‘

‘McNabb led the Eagles to a textbook opening touchdown drive today in extremely hostile territory and the Philadelphia Eagles breathed a sigh of relief when the final gun sounded in their 23-13 victory over the often-bumbling Buffalo Bills (2-2).’

‘When the Bills tried to stack the line of scrimmage and play man defense, McNabb floated perfect touch passes behind the secondary. When the pass protection broke down, McNabb used his legs to pick up 47 yards rushing.’