Archives for November 2003

‘A loss drops Buffalo under .500. The Cowboys play New England, Carolina and Miami in their next three games. A loss Sunday and Dallas could play well and still lose four in a row. Dallas smells its first playoff berth since 1999, a powerful motivator. Buffalo’s Gregg Williams has spent a lot of time talking about his job security the last two weeks.’

‘They have lost three consecutive road games, and running back Travis Henry is complaining about not getting the ball near the goal line. A win would soothe a lot of what ails Buffalo. The Bills are a terrible road team (1-3), which means this is another game a playoff-caliber team wins at home. Coach Bill Parcells thinks the Cowboys’ performance this month will determine their playoff fate. A win over Buffalo won’t do it, but it will come close. ‘

‘The Cowboys’ team speed on defense should nullify Henry if the Bills spend too much time running outside.’

‘The Cowboys head into today’s game against the Buffalo Bills (4-4) in first place in the NFC East and tied with Minnesota, Seattle and Carolina for the best record in the NFC. More important, a season that began as a rebuilding campaign has morphed into one with playoff — and possibly Super Bowl — aspirations.’

‘”Roy Williams is a star waiting to happen.”‘

Intangibles – Adversity crops up in every game, for every team. A call doesn’t go your way, you turn the ball over, whatever. And while the Cowboys have proved resilient in the face of such problems, the Bills have had a nasty little habit this season of folding at the first sign of something going wrong. EDGE: Cowboys.’

‘But the emphasis starts up front. And that is to contain Travis Henry. If we can do that, we give ourselves an opportunity to make them one dimensional and turn it into a passing game, which we feel we can be successful. If they can do both, run and pass, it’s going to be a long day for us.’

‘”He’s just one of those guys,” Parcells said, “that after awhile, you just have to get them in the game because something is going to happen.”‘

‘Cowboys RB Troy Hambrick vs. Bills RB Travis Henry.’

‘Coach Bill Parcells enjoys teasing 235-pound safety Roy Williams by saying the former Oklahoma star is “one biscuit away” from being a linebacker. But last week, Parcells acknowledged that Williams’ weight is one of the reasons why he’s among the NFL’s biggest hitters. “I’ve had some (defensive backs) who could hit before,” Parcells said. “I had Victor Green when I was with the Jets and he could really lay you out. But Roy has a little more wood in his knapsack. He’s a good tackler.”‘

‘”I think Buffalo is certainly a team that could give us trouble,” Parcells said. “They started the season well and have pretty good firepower on offense. Their defense is third in the league. These guys can do something. I think we’ll have to be at our best. If we do against Buffalo what we did last week at the beginning of the game, there’s no way we can win it.”‘

Also Saturday, the Dolphins released return specialist Charlie Rogers and activated cornerback Alphonso Roundtree from the practice squad. Rogers was acquired in April from Buffalo to give Miami’s return game a boost. He had a one-year, $555,000 contract.

At the midway point this season, Drew Bledsoe has led the Bills to a 4-4 record. At Kansas City, Bledsoe threw for 153 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and against the Redskins, he went 19 of 26 for 244 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

BET Cable Channel, Nov. 8 12:00 p.m., Nov. 13 11:30 p.m.

‘”It’s a dream come true for me,” Carter said. “I’m blessed and I thank God for being in this position, but at the same time it’s a lot of hard work. Every day there’s something to be done, even in the offseason. There’s charity work, reading to kids. There’s high expectations for this position, and the guys I’m following. Morton, Staubach, Meredith, Aikman, it’s a big time tradition here.”‘