‘The Saints made a key adjustment on offense at halftime. After knocking heads with the Bills defense, which stacked eight and nine men at or near the line most of the first two periods, the Saints spread their offense with four receivers in the hopes of opening running lanes for Ricky Williams.’
BillsBeat - September 11, 2001
Christie angry over how Bills gave him the boot
‘"I’ve tried to handle the business side with class, and I really don’t think in this case they did," said Christie, the most accomplished kicker in Bills history. "I’ve been here a long time and I’ve made Buffalo my home. For them to handle this situation like they did was unacceptable, unacceptable."’
Saints were never worried in Buffalo game
‘"Basically all I said was that the defense is holding its end. If you can make teams kick field goals in the red zone and don’t give up touchdowns you have a chance to win the game," Haslett said. "So we just had to go out and play our type of football on offense, that’s run the ball wear people out, take advantage of the plays you get, don’t put the ball on the ground, and we did it."’
Bills MLB Cowart out indefinitely with torn Achilles tendon
‘Rookie Brandon Spoon, a fourth-round pick out of North Carolina, is listed as the backup middle linebacker, but the Bills may shift reserve outside linebackers — Kenyatta Wright or DaShon Polk — into the middle.’
Spriggs tears ACL - out for season
Dolphins Coach Wannstedt announced on Monday that Marcus Spriggs suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the 4th quarter of Miami’s 31-23 win at Tennessee on Sunday night and will miss the rest of the season.
Spriggs, 27, spent the first 4 seasons of his career with the Buffalo Bills.
BillsBeat - September 10, 2001
Bills' Cowart out indefinitely
‘The middle linebacker will not need surgery on his partially torn right Achilles’ tendon. But coach Gregg Williams said Monday he will miss “a significant amount of time” and it’s unclear if he will return before the end of the season.’
Cowart is out a "significant time"
It is a partial achilles tear. GW just announced it at his press conference.
Saints put a crushing on the Bills
‘…the immediate question for Williams is which Bills are the real ones. Are they the team that held the Saints to 27 yards and no first downs on 16 plays before a 38-yard Hail Mary on the final play of the first half? Are they the team that rushed for 104 yards and enjoyed a nearly 14-minute edge in time of possession in the opening two periods? Or are they the team that mustered only 78 yards, turned the ball over twice and were pounded for 24 points over the final 30 minutes?’
A tale of two halves for Saints
‘Despite the paltry numbers, New Orleans’ players said that no one was angry or mad in the locker room during halftime. "We didn’t get too riled," Williams said. "We were just upset because we were playing so horrible."’
Knight has big day for Saints
‘In assessing their performance, Bills’ defensive end Phil Hansen noted, "I thought they did a pretty good job. They didn’t contribute to our loss … we contributed to our loss."’
5th Down: Nothing kicks this kicker's confidence
A good piece by Tim O’Shei on Jake Arians. He has received some coaching on Buffalo’s tricky autumn winds from former Bills punter Chris Mohr. With the Falcons this summer, Mohr and Arians were roommates. “We talked a lot about different stuff,” Arians said. “We actually talked a lot about Buffalo, the winds. Arians has known Mohr for several years.
Just plain clueless
Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback: "… you get into the game and see John Fina, supposedly the anchor of this group, playing like an Arena League cuttee and letting the Saints turnstile him on the way to Rob Johnson. Then there's the matter of adjusting to the West Coast offense, a Buffalo first, and switching from the 3-4 to the 4-3. I mean, who in their right mind could have predicted how the Bills would play in the opener, not to mention this season?"
'New Bills' fall in half-hearted season opener
‘After seven months of buildup, the Gregg Williams regime got under way Sunday – with disappointing results.’
Saints take Bills to finishing school
‘Whenever they get first-and-goal on the 1-yard line, they had better score a touchdown. And whenever their quarterback throws three interceptions, they are virtually assured of losing. Those were the realities played out in the Bills’ 24-6 season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.’
Henry gives backfield an attitude
‘Henry ran for 58 yards on 22 carries in the Bills’ 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, but his performance was better than the numbers might indicate.’