Archives for November 2004

‘Watching the energy the playmaking Milloy has breathed into Buffalo’s lineup the past three games, including Sunday’s dominant 22-17 victory over the rival New York Jets at Ralph Wilson Stadium, it’s not a stretch to say that had Milloy opened the year healthy as planned, Buffalo would be at least two wins better today.’

‘Bills offensive line: Willis McGahee carried 37 times for 132 yards, and he couldn’t have done it without the play of his line. They blocked for 46 running plays that netted 157 yards, and they did not allow a sack of Bledsoe on 30 dropbacks, the second week in a row Bledsoe stayed upright all day.’

‘Say this about Drew Bledsoe, he’s not giving way to first-round pick J.P. Losman without a fight.’

‘”We kicked their ass,” said Buffalo defensive tackle Pat Williams, who tackled Jets running back Curtis Martin for a huge safety with six minutes to play. “It was a whuppin’.”‘

‘That’s right. Buffalo, which is going nowhere, bullied New York, which believes it is bound for the playoffs and a nice run in them upon arrival. But, as this is a league in which so many clubs are distinguishable one from the other only through the color of their laundry, there was little cartwheeling inside the Bills’ dressing quarters. Satisfaction, yes. Surprise, no.’

‘In his three starts, McGahee has rushed for 345 yards on 93 carries, an average of 3.7 yards a carry. “He’s very capable of making yards when things look bleak,” Mularkey said.’

‘”I don’t think there’s any doubt that they came into this game with more intensity than we did, that they took it to us and laid us out,” Martin said. “All the credit in the world goes to them, they played great and they were easily the better team out there today. And it’s frustrating to know that.” The Bills made little mystery about what they wanted to accomplish yesterday: keep Martin under 100 yards, which is usually a benchmark of success for the Jets. They received an added bonus when Chad Pennington hurt his shoulder on a first-quarter fumble. But keeping Martin under wraps was the key.’

‘The Bills were cooking, all right. They kept the Jets’ blitz buried in the playbook because of a relentless running game by Willis McGahee (132 yards) and magnificent blocking by the offensive line. The Jets, who entered the game eighth among NFL teams against the run, were dominated. “They ran the ball everywhere,” Abraham said. “They ran it left, right. They ran at me and away from me. Whatever they did worked.”‘

‘”People were saying they had two 100-yard backs,” said Spikes, a constant presence in Martin’s path, “and I totally respect Martin and their entire team. But I didn’t think it was fair for them to mention the Miami defense and the Buffalo defense in the same breath when it came to stopping the run.”‘

‘Why didn’t the Bills try to score a touchdown at the end of the second quarter?’

‘”It really just opens your eyes to know that you’re not invincible,” Bills safety Lawyer Milloy said after Buffalo’s 22-17 victory. “This is a contact sport. It’s given to you, the game itself and celebrity or whatever, but it can be taken away just as quickly.”‘

‘”They came out and got their offense going,” DT Jason Ferguson said. “We tried to slow them down but once they got the run going it was kind of hard” to rush the passer.”‘

‘”(The Bills) can run the ball well,” Jets coach Herman Edwards said. “That’s the whole key. That’s the most we’ve given up all year. They did a good job running and we missed some tackles. (McGahee) made some big runs. He was fast and got to the outside.”‘

‘”Good things come to those who wait. I knew I couldn’t rush anything,” McGahee said of his comeback.’

‘That got the Jets on the sideline squawking, but squawking was all they could do. They were out of timeouts, so they couldn’t challenge the play. “They called it (inbounds),” coach Herman Edwards said afterward, shaking his head.’