Archives for December 2004

‘If Buffalo wins its final two games and New York loses its final two (at home against New England and at St. Louis), the Bills would win a tiebreaker (best record in common games) over New York. The problem for the Bills is they will lose tiebreakers with Denver, Jacksonville and Baltimore.’

‘"You’ve got a guy who’s got 80 catches and 1,100 yards," said Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray. "You’ve got to play great defense on him. You let a guy like that get going and he’s got a lot of confidence and their team feeds off him. When he’s not making the catches then all of a sudden there’s some pressure (on their team)."’

‘"He came back and played with it," Mularkey said of McGahee. "He just felt like it was not 100 percent and I didn’t want to try it right now."’

‘Let’s imagine the Bills go to San Francisco and smoke the 49ers on Sunday and come home with a 9-6 record, needing a win, and perhaps a little help, to secure a most improbable playoff spot after an 0-4 start. Let’s imagine first-year Bills coach Mike Mularkey needing to beat his old team to get in. Let’s imagine Steelers coach Bill Cowher needing to beat his old protege to avoid a potential trip to Foxboro, the last place the Steelers want to play with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Let’s imagine Cowher having the chance to tweak his old boss – Bills president Tom Donahoe, who had an icy relationship with Cowher in Pittsburgh – by knocking Buffalo out of the playoffs. Now you’re seeing why naughty can be so much fun.’

‘. “He dragged two guys back into the ball, blocked the punt and recovered it in the end zone,’ said Bills special teamer Josh Stamer. “It’s just amazing. He has a great combination of strength and speed.”‘

‘"We’re fighting for the same things the Bills are and they came in here and won the football game," said Lewis. "It means we’re not as far along as I would hope we would be. I think that’s the biggest thing that was evident today. We had an opportunity to win the football game and do things, to get off to a good start and we let them right back into the football game. We kind of imploded from there."’

‘"It came so quick and I just caught it and thought ‘I’m off to the races,’" Spikes said. "In 2001, I got an interception here against the Ravens and running it back 66 yards and I was looking up at the Jumbotron and saw someone running behind me. This time I did the same thing this time, and I said I hope Chad (Johnson) isn’t behind me or somebody fast. But I didn’t care, because nobody was going to catch me."’

‘There’s a reason why Spikes has never ventured anywhere near the postseason. It’s because, in games that count the most to that end, the Bengals invariably play like they did Sunday. They’ve been doing it now for 14 years.’

‘The Bills offense managed one big play but it came right after the Bengals had taken a 7-0 lead.’

‘Buffalo blocked a punt and dominated the field-position battle with good coverage teams and a strong return game.’

‘Buffalo linebacker Takeo Spikes returned to the place of his professional football birth and didn’t disappoint.’

‘…the Bills doused that flame with a 60-yard flea-flicker from quarterback Drew Bledsoe to rookie wide receiver Lee Evans. The play set up Buffalo’s first TD and completely turned the game’s momentum.’

‘The Bengals turned over the ball four times, leading to 16 Buffalo points…’.

‘"I can’t be any more disappointed with the way we played," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said of his team’s uninspired showing. "We were fighting for the same thing the Bills are. They came in here and won the football game."’

‘"I’ve never been in a position this late in December to have something to play for other than pride," said Spikes, who signed with Buffalo as an unrestricted free agent prior to last season. "That’s very big to me. I cared about (coming back here). But at the same time, the playoffs far outweigh this more than anything else."’