Archives for November 2004

‘"Personally, I was skeptical of the call when I heard we were going to do the onsides kick," Buffalo offensive guard Ross Tucket said, "but then we got the ball, and I thought it was the greatest kick ever."’

‘Seattle was only able to gain 230 total yards of offense on the day compared with Buffalo’s 434. And 72 of their yards came on Seattle’s only touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter with the game already out of hand at 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. I can type that all day long.’

‘However, eight teams are still ahead of them in the AFC standings, most of them at least three games ahead with only five to play. So this isn’t about the post-season … it’s about the future. And something special is happening with this team.’

‘The Bills outgained the Seahawks, 434-230, and held the ball for 36:24.’

‘Maybe it was the cheeseburgers, or simply the law of averages. The Bills had won four straight home games. Sooner or later, they were bound to play a good game away from Ralph Wilson Stadium. But no one could have expected a victory of this magnitude. This was the Bills’ most complete game of the season, home or road. It was Mularkey’s finest hour as a head coach, a coaching clinic by the entire Buffalo staff.’

‘"I’m not surprised we shut them down," said Bills cornerback Nate Clements. "That’s what I expect out of us. We practiced hard all week, watched a lot of film and got some good tips on them. With the players we’ve got, I wouldn’t expect anything less."’

‘"For him to go down like that, my heart goes out to him," offensive tackle Mike Williams said. "Everybody in this locker room knows how hard Travis works, so it’s tough to see something like that happen. But whatever it takes, I know he’s going to work hard and he will come back because that’s the kind of player he is."’

‘The playoffs are still a remote possibility, but suddenly a 9-7 finish seems like an achievable goal.’

‘Coaching: A+. Great mix of run and pass on offense. Jerry Gray had defense in all the right spots. Bills made it look easy.’

‘In late October 1986, I received a telephone call from the general manager of the Bills. He informed me that the team’s owner, Ralph Wilson, would like me to come visit with him at his home in Detroit. Four years earlier, I had interviewed with Ralph for the head coaching vacancy that had existed with the Bills at that time, and even though I didn’t get the job then, I had liked the gentleman, and I had sensed that a healthy rapport existed between us.’

‘The Seahawks were Buffalo’s polar opposite. The defense and special teams got exposed by trick plays. The offense was again plagued by dropped passes and tipped balls. Even Holmgren, in his 13th year as an NFL head coach, got out-smarted by a man who has just 11 games of experience as a head coach at any level: Buffalo’s Mike Mularkey.’

‘Nothing went right for Seattle. Special teams again were a disaster, from the opening kickoff that went out of bounds to a successful onside kick by Buffalo’s Rian Lindell to start the second half. The defense intercepted Drew Bledsoe three times but still gave up 38 points — the most allowed by Seattle since a 38-14 loss at Oakland in September 2001. The 29-point losing margin was the biggest since a season-opening 41-3 loss to the New York Jets in 1997. And there’s the offense.’

‘There was a method to Mularkey’s trickery. When he decided to go for it on fourth down with a 24-3 lead in the fourth quarter — instead of kicking a 47-yard field goal — the coach was looking to reinforce a message to his team. "I told them on the sideline we’ve got to finish games," Mularkey said. "We can’t just go into a shell."’

‘Willis McGahee’s 2-yard score marked the first time all season that Buffalo had scored an offensive touchdown on the road before the fourth quarter.’

‘He’s 32 now, more susceptible to the sack than ever but also smarter and more polished. The wonder isn’t that he completed 25-of-37 passes against the Seahawks for 275 yards. The wonder is why Bledsoe’s recent road work has been so spotty.’