Two Bills Drive

‘It was bad, but it could have been much worse. That would be the best way to describe the performance of the Buffalo Bills’ offensive line in Sunday’s 31-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.’

‘Miami comes to our winter wonderland next Sunday. If the Bills hope to maintain any chance for the playoffs they can’t afford to lose.’

‘What no one could foresee was the devastating nature of the loss as sloppy mistakes made the Bills look like anything but a playoff contender, and a rash of major injuries that they incurred along the way may eliminate that contender label altogether.’

‘All season long, Bills linebacker Sam Cowart has been building a case to play in the Pro Bowl. Unfortunately for the best player on the Buffalo defense and one of the best defenders in the NFL, the Pro Bowl may be the next game he plays.’

‘Maybe it is paranoia, but I’m searching for any explanation as to why the Bills squandered a good opportunity to win another critical road game in the heat of a playoff drive.’

‘In what was the dumbest move in a day filled with dumb coaching moves, the Bills decided to try an onside kick with 2:32 left in the game. They were trailing just 24-17 and they had all three timeouts plus the two-minute warning.’

‘The once-mighty Bills defence, a unit the team has relied upon to win games the past two seasons, has been reduced to a spartan carcass. In one stretch late in the first half, Buffalo lost star linebacker Sam Cowart (ankle sprain), his sidekick Sam Rogers (torn groin) and free safety Keion Carpenter (ankle).’

‘For Warren Sapp and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, football is as much about pain as pleasure. No need to remind the aching Buffalo Bills of that this morning.’

‘After all, the Bucs’ offense, which does have issues to address, gained a season-low 180 yards. But in grinding out a 31-17 victory, the offense undeniably was opportunistic.’

‘One, the Bucs can, indeed, move the ball 70 yards for a touchdown. And two, it sure helps when the opposing defense loses three of its best players.’

‘Boys will be boys and apparently Warren Sapp will be Warren Sapp. That was the general player response to the comments Sapp made during the weekend.’

‘"Because it needed to be said." That’s why the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the one credible Buc who would dare publicly blast his team’s shabby offense, did so Friday.’

‘It’s up to Dunn. He must carry the ball. He must carry the team. The jumbo backfield is kaput.’

‘He jumped up and took off after Bryson. He probably ran 30 yards to chase down Bryson, just as Bryson was stepping out of bounds to complete a 17-yard gain.’

‘The truth is, Karl Williams had almost disappeared from the Bucs’ radar screen this season.’