Archives for October 13, 2003

‘The bottom line is the Bills can’t sustain drives long enough to produce points. They were just 5 of 15 on third downs and are converting just 36.6 percent for the season.’

‘It was an utter and complete embarrassment, the sort of game that gets a coach fired.’

‘”We can’t beat ourselves, and that’s what we did today,” said Kevin Thomas. “We just killed ourselves with poor technique. (Moss) is a good player, but we just broke down fundamentally and didn’t get off blocks. When you don’t make plays, you give up big plays. We can’t afford those mistakes.”‘

‘Bills fullback Sam Gash, asked if the loss was discouraging. “A loss like today? Hell yes, it’s discouraging. It’s embarrassing, because it makes us look like we are a finesse kind of team. We don’t have that kind of personnel to be a finesse team.”‘

‘Bad on offense, bad on defense, bad on special teams, bad in the coaching department.’

‘Right now, the only thing the Bills are doing well is shoveling it.’

‘In the last seven road games dating back to 2002, the Bills are 1-6, the lone win coming at lowly Jacksonville last month. In those games Bledsoe has thrown 5 TD passes and 12 interceptions and has been sacked 24 times.’

‘Offensive line…A total meltdown. F.’

‘”They do a great job of supporting the team,” says Denny Lynch, director of archives for the Bills and the team’s primary contact for the Monday Quarterback Club. “They’ve also been very helpful as a liaison with the business community.”‘

‘For the Bills and specifically quarterback Drew Bledsoe it was a dismal exercise in ineptitude and frustration. Though they led 3-0 after the first quarter, when the Jets scored a touchdown 3:30 into the second it was as good as game over.’

‘”We talked about it for two weeks, we had to come out and win,” Testaverde said. “The guys put their heart and soul into it. You wish you could put your finger on (what went wrong earlier in the season), but we don’t really know.”‘

‘The Jets did not change their scheme during the bye week, but they worked on technique and their execution was vastly improved. The front seven, which incorporated several new players, including Victor Hobson at linebacker, was exceptional. Players did not leave their gaps, which in past weeks allowed for gashing runs. The Bills’ Travis Henry is a cutback runner who usually gives the Jets trouble, but his longest run Sunday was 9 yards.’

‘Ellis said those seven sacks of Bledsoe resulted from good coverage by the Jets’ secondary and from Bledsoe’s stubbornness. “We know Bledsoe stays in the pocket,” Ellis said. “He’s very brave.”‘

‘The sledding looks rough, of course, especially within the division. The Miami Dolphins are 4-1, the New England Patriots are 4-2 and the Bills are 3-3. But the Jets’ next three opponents are hardly world beaters: the Houston Texans, the unpredictable Philadelphia Eagles and the really unpredictable Giants.’

‘Highlights? For a change, plenty.’