Buffalobills.com visitors selected Bills running back Travis Henry as the Tops Game Ball of the Week winner for his performance against the San Diego Charges on Sunday, December 15.
BillsBeat - December 17, 2002
On Any Given Tuesday: Dec. 17, 2002
All players will attend the annual Bills Holiday Party for Kids at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Eighty children from the Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo, Salvation Army and Courage House at Gateway-Longview sent in their holiday wishes. They will be granted on Tuesday night when the kids and the players celebrate together.
Kicking the Odds
‘It was a 47 yard punt, into a stiff wind in a light rain, with no return because Tim Dwight had to fair catch it. Unbelievable.’
Williams talks about Packers, not his future
‘Obviously, winning the final two games to finish with three straight victories would work wonders for his immediate future. Losing the last two could place him in jeopardy.’
To make a run Bills don't have to pass
‘The Bills have advanced past the stage of regaining respectability. They should be seething that a playoff spot appears destined to elude them when it was there waiting to be grasped.’
Bills' owner supportive of coach
‘With losses in four of the past five games heading into the Chargers game, there was growing speculation that Williams’ job was in jeopardy. But Wilson quieted the talk with his strong comments in support of his 44-year-old coach, who enters the final year of his contract next season.’
Should Travis Henry be the focal point for the Bills?
‘Yeah he fumbles, but those 1,300 yards and 13 TDs have made up for it.’
Week 15: Green Bay in December is tough
‘WHAT does Gregg Williams’ future hold? A job in Buffalo, that’s what. Only in Buffalo can a head coach’s job be considered in jeopardy even though he has more than doubled the win total from the previous year.’
Bills face huge odds vs. Favre in December
‘Favre is 22-2 in home games in December for his Hall of Fame career, with 47 touchdown passes and only 16 interceptions. The Packers are 20-1 in their last 21 December home games.’
Henry rushes to elite status
‘Bledsoe says he does not believe Henry’s statistics, lofty as they are, accurately reflect his ability. “If we did not have to play from behind in a few games,” Bledsoe said of the 7-7 Bills, “he would be right up there at the very top.”‘
TBD / Shout chat rescheduled for Tues. night, 8 p.m. EST
Mike Doser and Lary Bump should be there.
Mike Doser: Bills, Henry stop Flutie-led Chargers
The crowd greeted Flutie with cheers and boos. The people who were booing were probably just nervous that the QB would come back and haunt his old team the way he did in San Diego last season, running for the game-winning score with one minute, 10 seconds remaining.
Unfortunately, Flutie couldn’t rally his team this time. Of course, next week it’s back to the bench; fun while it lasted.
"Let’s set the record straight," Flutie said. "Drew is the starter of this team and he is the guy."
Bills Win Important for Variety of Reasons
It’s important because it gives Buffalo a chance to finish the season by winning two of its last three games, which would be a nice bounce going into next season.
It’s important because the defense, the anchor which was pulling back the entire team for most of the season, had a large part in this victory. There may be hope for some of these guys, yet.
It’s important since it gives Gregg Williams some breathing room in his quest to stay a head coach for at least another year.
Donahoe to evaluate Williams, Bills progress at end of season
‘Except for offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and defensive coordinator Jerry Gray, who each have at least a year left on their respective contracts, the contracts of the remaining position coaches are up at the end of the season. That includes defensive line coach John Levra, who already has announced he is retiring at the end of the year.’
BillsBeat - December 16, 2002
Bills CB Bostic to have knee surgery
‘Jason Bostic, who has emerged as the Buffalo Bills’ third cornerback, tore ligaments in his right knee and will likely miss the rest of the season.’