‘There are only eight seconds left and your team needs you to kick a 48-yard field goal. Being a kicker is not easy. Steve Christie certainly made it look that way, and then some, in the Bills’ 16-13 overtime win against the Patriots yesterday.’
BillsBeat - November 6, 2000
Flutie rises to occasion when needed
‘A team quarterbacked by Doug Flutie won a game at Foxboro Stadium yesterday. Would you rather wait until I could get back to you with some new news?’
They'll lose sleep over loss
‘The Buffalo Bills left here last night with a victory they deserved because when the game was on the line, they made the plays, and the Patriots did not.’
Bledsoe, day-to-day, may take a pass
‘"My feeling after throwing on the sidelines was that I wouldn’t be able to throw accurately enough to be effective for our team, compounded by the fact that every time I took a snap I would aggravate it more," he said. "So I felt the best chance for us to win was to go with John [Friesz]. He made a couple of nice plays that barely got broken up. With the exception of probably one play, he played a good game for us."’
Opinions few and far between
‘Flutie struggled for most of the game, but as Tasker and Criqui said, when the Bills needed big plays, Flutie made them. "Flutie makes it happen in the face of unbelievably adverse conditions," Tasker said.’
Painful losses for Pats
‘The Patriots are 2-7, and Bledsoe is hurt.’
Another one slips away
‘All Doug Flutie does is win. And all the Patriots do is lose.’
Almost only counts in . . .
‘Containing Flutie most of the time just isn’t enough. That was a point Pats coach Bill Belichick made at his postgame press conference. That final, overtime drive for the Bills’ winning field goal "was not what we were looking for," Belichick said.’
Brown's brilliance goes unrewarded
‘Brown, with an all-purpose performance that also included a team-high 49 yards on three catches, once again stepped up as one of the few weapons with impact during yesterday’s 16-13 overtime loss to Buffalo.’
J.R. picks up longest yard
‘In yesterday’s 16-13 overtime loss to Buffalo, the Patriots ran eight plays from the Bills’ 1-yard line and came away with just one score – a touchdown run from rookie J.R. Redmond.’
Friesz handles the chill
‘That they voiced their displeasure with a chorus of boos was not surprising, and the least surprised guy in Foxboro was Friesz himself.’
Milloy can't knock QB now
‘Milloy was subdued if not outright contrite yesterday. The safety might not have been personally taken to the cleaners, but he had to accept the fact that Flutie once again put a defense through the rinse cycle.’
Flutie figures out a way
‘For a long stretch during the second half of yesterday’s overtime win over the Patriots, Doug Flutie didn’t play like a man who has magic dust in his veins. Instead, he looked more like a guy who should be holding a clipboard.’
Christie gets his kicks in OT
‘Before designated snapper Ethan Albright could center the ball, the Patriots called timeout to give Christie time to contemplate his situation. "Actually, it gave me time to clean the mud out of my boots, so it was a good thing," Christie said.’
Lucky break for Drew?
‘And make no mistake, if the right thumb Bledsoe jammed in the first quarter of New England’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Bills is broken, it would be a great stroke of good fortune for him, and possibly even for the Pats.’