Archives for December 27, 2004

‘Although Buffalo lost 29-6, Milloy — who was cut by the Patriots before the start of last season — said New England represented the consistency the Bills wanted to achieve. They haven’t lost since. "That was pretty much our wakeup call," said Milloy, who picked off Cody Pickett in the third quarter. "It wasn’t like we came out of the block the week after that. We gradually got better. But we understand that if we wanted to get where we want to be, we’ll have to beat them at some point in the season. We’re working hard to get back to the point where we can play them."’

Pick of the litter (San Francisco Chronicle)

Bills have gone other way since matching 49ers at 1-5 (San Francisco Chronicle)

Where have all the good times gone? (San Francisco Chronicle)

One player’s pumped up in 34-point loss (San Francisco Chronicle)

Game grades (San Francisco Chronicle)

Instant replay (San Francisco Chronicle)

Lack of appreciation (San Francisco Examiner)

LB Spikes keys Bills’ playoff run (San Francisco Examiner)

Johnson’s homecoming (San Francisco Examiner)

Pickett finally plays (San Francisco Examiner)

Making the Grade (San Francisco Examiner)

49ers finally win for losing (Contra Costa Times)

Cold, hard facts — 49ers leave little to appreciate (Contra Costa Times)

Looking forward to more of same (Contra Costa Times)

Lloyd’s injury paves way for rookie receiver (Contra Costa Times)

Still the pain keeps falling (San Jose Mercury News)

Hospitable hosts (San Jose Mercury News)

Little sympathy for this sorry outfit (San Jose Mercury News)

Never say never: It’s 49ers’ worst ever (San Jose Mercury News)

Woods fares worse in tale of two receivers (San Jose Mercury News)

49ers rewind (San Jose Mercury News)

Few good signs at stadium (Sacramento Bee)

Ex-49er has fond memories of White (Sacramento Bee)

Rookies Woods, Pickett play (Sacramento Bee)

SF finally hits bottom (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

Appreciate fans? Niners should beg for forgiveness (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

Pickett-to-Woods incompletion typifies season (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

Monster Bills pile up on 49ers (Oakland Tribune)

Rookie QB crosses Pickett line (Oakland Tribune)

No big rookie numbers for Woods (Oakland Tribune)

Pickett Makes Debut Against Bills (SF49ers.com)

Williams Has Big Day; Injury Report (SF49ers.com)

‘”We were playing a team that has struggled this year and we wanted to make sure there wasn’t a lull and we didn’t take them lightly,” Buffalo center Trey Teague said. “There’s always a team in this situation that overlooks somebody and loses, and we didn’t want that to be us.”‘

‘But it is a testament to the Bills’ character, talent, focus and resolve that they have reached Week 17 with a legitimate chance to make the playoffs.’

‘Really, why be angry with the NFC West? We should be sending those teams flowers and candy. Think about it. Would Buffalo’s historic resurrection from the depths of 0-4 have been possible without the good fortune of four games against one of the weakest divisions in years?’

‘If the season ended today, the Bills would fall short of the playoffs. But Buffalo can still make the playoffs with a win at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers (14-1) Sunday and a loss by either the New York Jets (10-5) or Denver Broncos (9-6).’

’49ers QBs Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett: The two young pros were taken to school, going a combined 9 of 20 for 109 yards, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 3 sacks and a 22.7 rating. Gray’s blitzes would’ve challenged the most experienced of players, and Dorsey and Pickett looked like two guys trying to run across five lanes of traffic at rush hour.’

‘The fake punt when leading 20-0 was silly, but hey, you’ve got to do something to keep it interesting against yet another JV opponent.’

‘”I knew what the scores were,” Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe said in his post-game press conference. “But at the same time, you’ve got to do your job and go about your business. Otherwise it doesn’t mean anything.”‘

‘The jolly old fat man delivered all four gifts on Sunday afternoon, making an improbable playoff appearance by the Buffalo Bills something that is extremely possible if two of three things occur next Sunday.’

‘I don’t know if the Buffalo Bills make the AFC playoffs, but I know they should.’

‘The only reason the 49ers got on the board late was because Buffalo had its second team defense in.’

‘The Bills scored 30 or more points for the sixth straight time.’

‘The defense tied a record for most turnovers in a six game span in NFL history with 26. Special teams threatened to score all day and gave the offense great field position throughout the game. The offense scored 41 points with two touchdowns coming from running back Willis McGahee. It was a complete team effort.’

Another week, another dominating win, another solid performance by all three phases of the team. The offense moved the ball well while the defense forced four turnovers and the special teams gave them great field position with a few nice returns. Here are our position by position grades: