Archives for December 27, 2003

‘The Pats (13-2) are hardly a tonic for what ails Bledsoe, who has thrown for 11 touchdowns and as many interceptions and can’t seem to get the Bills offense out of neutral. In fact, the Patriots have made life miserable for opposing QBs all season, limiting them to an NFL-low passer rating of 56.9 and a completion percentage of 53.0, second lowest to Dallas’ 48.8.’

‘”At times, you know, he’s just pressed too hard,” said Buffalo coach Greg Williams, who, along with Bills offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, is on the hot seat. “He’s tried maybe at times to do too much. But all good players, all top players think, ‘I’m going to put the team on my back and I’m going to overcome everything and win it for my team. Especially at the quarterback position, I think there’s this tendency to do that.”‘

‘A loss might be more beneficial to the Bills at this point than a win in that it would improve their draft position. The Bills currently are in a three-way tie for the 11th spot in the draft. A Bills loss and wins by Pittsburgh and the Jets (also at 6-9) would ensure the Bills at least the 11th position.’

‘Williams hopes to go out with a win, but that won’t be easy. The Bills have not done well on the road this season, failing to score an offensive touchdown in four of their five road losses.’

‘”It’s up to Mr. Donahoe and my agent,” he said. “If they can come up with a deal then I’ll be here. Right now I don’t know what they’re going to do. I would love to be back.”‘

‘So now it’s time to unfasten our seat belts. Thanks for the ride, Van. It was fantastic.’

‘”It’s the opposite ends,” he said. “God knows what they’re mindset is right now. Early in the year they probably said, ‘We can’t wait to play these guys again.’ Now, it’s probably like, ‘Man, (who cares?)’ But you have to finish the year out. I hate looking back and regretting.”‘

‘”It was nothing personal. I want to win. Everybody does. Some people may need extra motivation, but I’m going to talk to everybody whether he likes it or not.”‘

‘Patriots are 16-2 in games when Antowain Smith rushes for a TD.’

‘New England has won eight of nine games decided by eight or fewer points this season. By contrast, Buffalo is 1-4 in such games, those four defeats coming by a total of 11 points, effectively extracting them from the playoff race.’

‘”If you’d have only seen one game this season and then (were) talking about the last week of the season one team playing for home-field advantage and the other out of the playoffs, you would have thought the opposite,” Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. “It’s been surreal.”‘

‘”I’ve had a love affair with the Buffalo Bills and it’s not going to stop,” said Miller, who will be in the booth at Foxboro when the Bills meet New England. “It’s been a great run.”‘

‘But the Bills pose a serious threat to New England’s 11-game winning streak for no other reason than they are professionals. And they have pride. And that’s something worth playing for.’

‘What a team. They win by fewer than 10 points per game. The quarterback throws safe passes that are practically handoffs. The receivers are always in the right places. There are almost no dumb penalties. The defense confuses opponents with multiple looks and different faces in different places. And the field goal kicker never, ever, misses an important kick.’

‘The Patriots have that 11-game winning streak. St. Louis holds the second longest streak — seven straight. Denver has won four in a row and Green Bay has run off three consecutive victories. Nobody else in the league is on more than a two-game winning streak.’