Archives for December 22, 2003

‘We don’t need to belabor the obvious, do we? Dave Wannstedt is done.’

‘Bledsoe, once the toast of Buffalo, now only draws the ire of Bills fans. When third-string quarterback Travis Brown replaced Bledsoe late in the game, the few fans left cheered loudly.’

‘”We had this in our hands, and we dropped the ball,” Dolphins defensive end Jay Williams said.’

‘The Dolphins prevailed 20-3. But what did they really gain? A few more hours of life?’

‘”We saw that play during the week, and it just so happened we were in the right man-to-man call,” Buckley said. “That allowed me to use what I saw during the week as a benchmark. I can’t say enough about the pass rush and the guys up front. The route was one of those rhythm passes. I just beat him to the spot.”‘

‘”This was a day we should have dominated,” right tackle Marcus Price said. “But when you don’t stick to what you do best, it opens the door for inconsistency.”‘

‘”I’ve never been a big worrier about things I can’t control,” Taylor said. “I’ve never understood why people stress out about things they can’t do anything about. Isn’t there enough to worry about when it comes to things you can control and maybe make a difference?”‘

‘Williams said the Dolphins did a good job of “managing the game,” and “understanding the circumstances,” which basically means giving the ball to him, which is always Miami’s best option. “We used Ricky, got ahead and then let our defense tee off on them,” Fiedler said.’

‘But that’s exactly what the Dolphins did, holding Buffalo to only 11 yards of offense in the first half and only 177 for the game while forcing four turnovers, including a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Terrell Buckley that sealed the game.’

‘When that pass rush is coming like that, it’s like stealing out there, Buckley said. Those guys always have been my best friends and anytime they do anything, I make sure I tell them thank you. And today, thank you, they was bringing it.’

‘One fan leaving Sunday’s game late in the fourth quarter blurted out, Bledsoe shirts . . . at a discount.’

‘“We owe them one,” safety Rodney Harrison [news] said. “Everyone knows that. They came out and flat out kicked our butts. We’re going to enjoy this for a day, but by Monday morning it’s Buffalo 100 percent. We have to be ready.”’

‘Bledsoe, who has struggled badly this season with the Bills, now lives on a sprawling farm in a Buffalo suburb. Depending on what happens with his contract (he has a $7 million option bonus coming due), Bledsoe may once again be a seller in the near future.’

‘Five fumbles, one interception, six sacks and a few very costly penalties told me the team was there physically, just not mentally. When I mentioned that to Moulds he said, “I agree, everybody was enthusiastic, but when we got out there, it seemed like guys were just going through the motions a little bit and I think being a professional, you can’t do that.”‘

‘”We’ve been very good about that all year long, protecting the football,” head coach Gregg Williams explained. “That was something coming into the year we wanted to improve upon, and today the ball was out.”‘