Two Bills Drive

‘Henry has had a fine 2003 season but at least four AFC running backs are enjoying even better seasons (Jamal Lewis, Clinton Portis, Priest Holmes and LaDainian Tomlinson). Bledsoe and Moulds don’t merit finishing in the top half-dozen at their positions.’

‘McShay: “Jay Fiedler is fine when he’s healthy and can move, but when he’s dinged — and he’s dinged every year — his effectiveness really falls. He’s only effective when he’s on the move. That cuts his reads down to half the field. He has been great at times and they win, but you can’t win a championship with him.”’

”’If that happens, it would be a good story ending to the beginning of my career,” he said. “But I’m not really thinking about that.”’

‘Like the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium has an opening at one end that can funnel wind inside. Like they did against the Patriots, the Dolphins will be more conservative going that way if the wind is significant, coach Dave Wannstedt said.’

‘Though there would be a general sense of letdown if the Dolphins don’t make the playoffs, the good news is it would spare the bitterness and anger everyone felt during the most recent season-ending playoff losses to Baltimore, 20-3, to Oakland, 27-0, and to Jacksonville, 62-7.’

‘”[Wannstedt] went around and asked people what their mind-set was. The biggest thing was going out and having fun. You could see that today in practice. We were playing the game like it’s supposed to be played.”‘

‘Konrad, who also may miss the team’s season finale against the New York Jets, suffered a Grade II (the second-most severe type) concussion in the first quarter and was carted off the field. Dolphins trainer Kevin O’Neill said Konrad was held overnight for observation at Broward General Medical Center and released Tuesday.’

‘”All you can worry about is what you can control,” he said. “All we can control is how we play Sunday and whether or not we get a win.”‘

‘Somebody wearing a Miami uniform should be so ticked off by now that venom is spewed, and not in a Zach Thomas rant that serves more as personal catharsis than anything else. Apparently, though, nobody is.’

‘There is a reason most experts say quarterback is the most important position on a team. There are countless statistics to back that up. There are few statistics to back up Fiedler.’

‘”I mean, you can just tell week by week he’s not favoring his knee or nothing like that,” Spikes said. “I knew the rap on him, (they) say he had a lot of speed coming in. I just noticed last week, one time when he went out on a pass route and a linebacker was chasing after him, he kind of pulled away from the linebacker. I was like, he’s getting real close to playing form again.”‘

‘Bledsoe took them to the end zone in the final minute and nearly tied the game on the two-point conversion, a play that stopped Teague in his tracks, hope for the playoffs gone. “It’s kind of fitting,” Teague said. “It’s been a roller coaster. We aren’t where we thought we would be or where we should be. It’s tough to come up that short. We knew it would be close like this, but it would have been nice to come home and get a win.”‘

‘“If I get to the point where I don’t believe I can get it done, I’ll come in here and tell you that and I’ll walk away,” Bledsoe said Wednesday. “I know I can make the throws and make the plays when they’re there.”’

‘Without Donahoe having to say it, the people with a lot at stake these last two weeks are on the coaching staff and on offense.’

‘Coaches often outthink themselves and last Sunday’s loss to Tennessee was classic for Buffalo.’