Archives for November 2004

‘When his press conference was over, he walked from the press conference area to the locker room, but not before telling Buffalo defensive coordinator Jerry Gray in the hallway that the Bills illegally cut blocked. When Gray told him he didn’t realize it, Martz told him twice to check the tape. “We lost three players. The way two of them were lost was a little upsetting, they were cut blocks,” said Martz. “One was on an interception return.”‘

‘"If there is a better special-teams unit in the league right now, I don’t know who it is," said Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe.’

‘The Bills limited the Rams to 270 yards, 110 below their season average. Rams running back Marshall Faulk, one of the league’s most dangerous all-purpose threats, was rendered a non-factor. His 6 yards tied the lowest rushing total of his career and his 0.5-yard average on 13 carries was his worst single-game effort.’

‘"As soon as I got back I didn’t hear too many congratulations," Smith said. "It was like, "Man, you got caught at the 5.’ I was like, "Aw, man, I didn’t know. I didn’t think anybody else was there.’ I was getting out of gas too. I’m not going to lie. But I thought I was going to score."’

‘So while Sunday was a day to remember, I’ll hesitate to attach any great significance to it. The Bills are not a bad team, as they appeared to be in the first month of the season. But until they can win on the road, they’re counterfeit Bills, the biggest frontrunners in the NFL. Really, how can the team that put on that display be winless on the road at Thanksgiving?’

‘"Absolutely they’re doing it intentionally," Martz said. "They’re trying to blow somebody’s knee out. There’s no question about it. . . . That stuff comes around eventually."’

‘"I didn’t get a ball in three weeks, and that’s frustrating," said Campbell, who has 14 catches for 172 yards and a team-high five touchdowns for the season. "But winning cures all that. When you’re winning, it’s easy to deal with. If you’re losing, you feel like you’ve got to be able to do something to help. I feel like I’m the kind of guy who can do both block and catch. While I feel like I’ve blocked well the last three weeks, I haven’t been able to make plays. What happened today confirms to me that when you get the opportunities you have capitalize on them."’

‘The Bills and Miami remain the only teams in the league that are winless on the road.’

‘Bills return game is amazing. Clements & Smith are two-headed monster on punts. Hooray for Bobby April.’

‘I laughed, I cried, I wet my pants.’

‘"When you get big plays on special teams, more often than not you’re going to win the football game," said linebacker and occasional special teamer London Fletcher.’

‘"In a few ways I’m feeling guilty because there’s so many guys I can think of who should go up there before me," said the ever-modest Ritcher. "Guys who mentored me in the early years when I was so terrible and they brought me along and had confidence in me, both players and coaches."’

‘After all, here’s a player who caught seven passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns during a three-game span in October, then didn’t catch a pass in the last three.’

‘Kelly recounted how he had endured similar calls for his benching during the final seasons of his Pro Football Hall of Fame career. He told the latest in a long line of successors to keep his chin up and things would get better.’

‘"We love to play at home, we love our fans, they give us a lot of energy and we feel good about it."’