Archives for September 2003

‘Fraley’s hit wasn’t quite late. He avoided a flag. But Milloy, enraged, went at Fraley, and the yellow hanky fluttered: 15 yards, unnecessary roughness, automatic first down for the Eagles on the Bills’ 35. Eventually, David Akers kicked a 26-yard field goal that gave the Birds a 10-0 first-quarter lead, matching their point total for the first two games.’

‘Key No. 1: Shut down the Bills’ running game. What happened: Held the Bills to just 21 yards on 12 carries.’

‘”Everybody in the stadium knew we were running it,” Fraley said afterward. “They slanted; their front, to our right, slanted inside. We made a good call, picking it up on the line, and Westbrook, once he got through the hole, made a nice cut left. He was in front of me, and he was out – nobody touched him.”‘

‘But they won, and they beat the Bills, who are competent but nothing more. They did, however, beat the Bills in Buffalo, though they played there in September, when the sullen sky deposits rain and not chimney-top-tall snow, rather than December.’

‘After a porous 98-yard passing performance vs. Miami one-week earlier, Drew Bledsoe followed up with a 27-of-43 (296-yard) passing display, but one that was rendered relatively ineffective until late in the fourth quarter.’

‘Have the Eagles really turned the corner or did they simply catch an average team having a bad day?’

‘”The offensive line was coming off and dominating, and the backs were patient,” coach Andy Reid said. “Jon Ritchie, who gets zero credit, stepped up there and blocked along with the tight ends. They did a very nice job of controlling the line of scrimmage. . . . This offense is best when you can mix and match, and keep the defense off balance a little bit.”‘

‘”It was a big first series,” Bills Coach Gregg Williams said. “They did a good job checking out of a hitch and hitting a nice fade route on the very first play. You’re going to get that a couple times when you play press coverage.”‘

‘With an unpredictable wind swirling through Ralph Wilson Stadium, Akers made a 26-yard field goal at the end of the first quarter to give the Eagles a 10-0 lead. With nine seconds left in the half, Akers made a 34-yarder for a 13-0 advantage, then hit a 22-yarder late in the third quarter for a 16-0 Eagles lead.’

‘Gregg Williams – DOWN: The Bills had a third and 1 to start the fourth quarter and tried to complete a 50-yard pass. The Bills coach also challenged a late fourth-quarter call with his team six inches from the goal line. The call correctly stood, and the Bills lost a valuable time-out.’

‘Moulds did his usual damage, pulling in eight catches for 114 yards. But he didn’t get into the end zone. Brown, meanwhile, finished with a team-high nine tackles. He also had a sack of quarterback Drew Bledsoe and forced a fumble to stop the Bills on the second drive of the third quarter.’

‘”I personally think Donovan just took over,” Eagles tight end Chad Lewis said. “He loved the challenge that came with all the adversity. He made some unbelievable plays that first drive. To see his will, it set the tone for all of us. He was fired up, and he played with a lot of emotion.”‘

‘The Eagles (1-2) answered their critics against Buffalo (2-2) with an impressive performance that featured big plays by the offense, a gutsy performance by an injury-riddled defense and a team-wide energy that was lacking in the first two games.’

‘Williams, Mayberry, center Hank Fraley, left guard John Welbourn and tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan allowed two sacks after surrendering 10 in the first two games and paved the way for Westbrook, Correll Buckhalter, Duce Staley, McNabb and wide receiver James Thrash to rush for 177 yards on 34 carries.’

‘Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe and his wide receivers posted gaudy statistics but could not find the end zone often enough. That was partly due to Hood and Brown, who made a series of pivotal plays.’