Two Bills Drive

‘When Travis Henry reached 1,000 yards rushing last Sunday, no one in Ralph Wilson Stadium was more gratified than Buffalo Bills running backs coach Steve Fairchild.’

‘Would you rather spend Christmas sweating on a beach, or watching a blanket of snow fall in the moonlight on the roof of a hundred-year-old Victorian? That’s why it was a happy coincidence that the Dolphins were in town the day the season’s first storm hit. Around here, it doesn’t get much better than that.’

‘The Patriots beat the Bills in Buffalo not because they beat Bledsoe but because Tom Brady beat up Buffalo’s shoddy defense the way Mike Tyson beats up sparring partners. The same holds true in nearly all of Buffalo’s defeats.’

”’The guys on the team joke with me, telling me that I’m slippery,” said Henry, the latest in a recent line of University of Tennessee runners (Jamal Lewis, James Stewart) to hit the ground running in the NFL. ”So I guess I am slippery. I’m used to breaking tackles. That’s my forte to running. The offensive line blocked well, and I just hit the holes and made something happen.”’

‘“It’s been a very, very difficult year,” said safety Lawyer Milloy. “It’s a year where everyone is geared up to play us. I think the (opposing) coaches are more aware of (Belichick’s) schemes, too. So it’s harder to camouflage it. It’s just a battle. It’s a grind.”’

‘Richard Seymour practiced with the team yesterday, a good sign that the defensive tackle, who suffered what he called a bruised thigh in Detroit last Thursday, will be ready to play Sunday against the Bills.’

‘Wide receivers Eric Moulds and Peerless Price starting making big plays as soon as the season began. It seemed for a few weeks leading up to last Sunday’s game against Miami that defenses had found a way to contain the pair, but Drew Bledsoe was again finding his favorite targets against the Dolphins in what turned out to be a 38-21 victory.’

‘Recognizing a need at safety, the Patriots reacquired veteran Chris Hayes on Monday to fill their roster vacancy. Hayes, 30, was with the Patriots during training camp, but they released him on Aug. 30 before the season began.’

‘So who has the edge at Gillette this weekend? The Patriots have already exposed the Bills’ weaknesses on defense once this season. It’s doubtful that they will execute the exact same game plan, but why stray from what works?’

‘But every offense needs one thing and it was the big difference against Miami. It’s what the Bills didn’t have against the Jets. Field position.’

‘Patriots running back Antowain Smith will play in his fourth game against his former team this weekend when the Patriots host the Bills. Smith has rushed for an average of 102 yards in his three games against the Bills, including his 111-yard effort in the Patriots 38-7 victory on Nov. 3.’

‘In many ways the setup is similar to that of Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field, which debuted last year as a kickers’ graveyard – the Steelers and their opponents combined to miss 16 of 33 field goal tries there during the regular season. Once December rolled around it was worse with the two sides going a combined 7-for-15.’

‘But if we’re going to blame Williams for some of the Bills’ shortcomings, and they still have many, we should also point out how he’s kept an even keel through the ups and downs.’

"It was a big game and a big win for us. We had our backs against the wall, we needed to answer and we did. I'm very proud of how the team responded and battled back through some tough times in the ball game and didn't lose confidence in themselves. They came up with a hard fought victory today."

Pardon the Miami Dolphins' defensive backs if that's how they feel today. They thought they had Eric Moulds covered, they were sure they had Peerless Price contained.

They read Moulds' route perfectly well, they collapsed on him– and, uh, left Price open. That's a safety who fled from a danger zone.

They zoned in on Drew Bledsoe's pass. They reached out and touched it– tapping it right into Moulds' outstretched hand. How touching, Moulds must have been thinking. Thanks for the tip, guys.