| January 01, 2004 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 06:03 PM |
For the first time in 15 years, owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. had to replace a fired coach and general manager. Coach Wade Phillips was fired when Wilson wanted Phillips to make changes to his coaching staff, and Phillips refused. GM John Butler was released by the Bills one week before the season finale.
The new GM would have his hands full, taking the reigns of a salary cap nightmare, as the Bills were $16 million over the cap. Not only that, but the Bills were straddled with 2 controversial quarterbacks making starter's money- one of them had to go. The QB battle not only took place on the field, but also in the locker room, in the media, in sports bars, and on talk radio. Not helping were Doug Flutie's comments in a national sports publication during last season's playoff drive when he was benched in favor of Johnson, and the Bills went on a losing skein.
Tom Donahoe spent the previous decade building the Pittsburgh Steelers into a perennial playoff contender, despite annual defections of Pro –Bowl caliber talent almost ever season due to free agency. Donahoe was a shrewd negotiator and had an excellent eye for college talent. In the era of the salary cap he refused to mortgage his team's future – having an uncanny knack to replace what appeared to be un-replaceable vital parts- like Safety Rod Woodson, LB Kevin Greene, or LB Greg Lloyd. Wilson tabbed him 1 year after he left the Steelers for a commentary spot on ESPN to rebuild the Buffalo Bills from the bottom to the top. Donahoe went to work immediately to find a replacement coach- and settled for the Tennessee Titan's defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams.
After the coach was in place, the Bills purged their roster of a lot of high priced talent just to make it under the salary cap. Doug Flutie, after a 6 week evaluation, was the biggest name to go. At 38 and carrying a $5 million price tag, he was no longer a luxury the Bills could afford. He left for San Diego, a team that former Bills GM John Butler took the reigns. Butler wasn't finished- he would sign Bills cap casualties LB John Holocek, LB Sam Rogers, DE Marcellus Willey, and as the season got underway, Kicker Steve Christie. Other prominent Bills released were RB Antowain Smith, RB Jonathan Linton, OL Jamie Nails, OL Joe Panos, DT Ted Washington, P Chris Mohr, and as a last second cut in camp, Safety Henry Jones.
Tom Donahoe went to work with his first Bills NFL draft and engineered a brilliant trade, sending their top pick to Tampa Bay, who selected OL Kenyatta Walker. Donahoe received Tampa Bay's #1 pick and selected CB Nate Clements from Ohio State. In the second round, DE Aaron Schobel was selected and with a pick obtained from Tampa Bay, RB Travis Henry. Round three brought DT Ron Edwards and OT Jonas Jennings. Day two of the draft brought LB Brandon Spoon (4), OT Marques Sullivan (5), S Tony Driver and TE Dan O'Leary (6), WR Reggie Germany and DE Tyrone Robertson (7). All made the final roster. One veteran addition to the team was FB Larry Canters, the NFL's leading career receiver for running backs.
Buffalo struggled through preseason, going 2-2. The Bills opened in Buffalo with a 24-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams, followed the next week with an ugly 6-3 win over the visiting Eagles. Buffalo then moved to Cincinnati and handed the Bengals a 20-10 loss. The Bills closed the season out with a 20-0 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Sammy Knight helped turn out the lights on the Buffalo Bills. Knight had three interceptions -- two of which set up second-half scores -- as the New Orleans Saints spoiled Gregg Williams' debut as coach of the Buffalo Bills with a 24-6 victory.
Buffalo totally outplayed the Saints in the first half, holding a lopsided 173-65 advantage in total yards. The Saints managed just one first down in the half and that came on 38-yard "Hail Mary" pass from Brooks to Connell on the final play of the half. Despite outplaying the Saints, the Bills were unable to take advantage and managed just a pair of field goals from rookie Jake Arians. Rob Johnson, who was under heavy pressure for most of the game by one of the NFL's top defensive lines, connected with Peerless Price on a 32-yard pass near the end of the first quarter. The big play led to a 37-yard field goal by Arians with a 23 seconds left in the period that opened the scoring. Arians capped a 10-play, 72-yard drive with 8:27 left in the first half with a 22-yard field goal, giving Buffalo a 6-0 advantage.
Aaron Brooks connected with Albert Connell on a 46-yard touchdown pass 3:58 into the third quarter to give the Saints a 7-6 lead, Knight took over on consecutive possessions. First, Knight returned an interception 19 yards to the Buffalo 27, setting up John Carney's 31-yard field goal. Moments later, Knight struck again when he intercepted Johnson at the Bills 32. Seven plays later, Brooks found tight end Cam Cleeland with 12-yard TD pass to make it 17-6 with 2:50 left in the third quarter. Knight's three interceptions tied a team record, accomplished four other times. Ricky Williams also got things rolling after intermission. He finished with 18 attempts for 93 yards. Williams also sealed the victory with a 19-yard TD reception with 3:02 remaining that gave New Orleans the final margin.
Peyton Manning shredded the Buffalo Bills' depleted secondary and the Indianapolis Colts continued to click on all cylinders, rolling to a 42-26 victory. Manning threw four touchdown passes -- all in the first half -- and completed 23-of-29 passes for 421 yards and two interceptions. Manning was 17-of-20 for 324 yards in the first 30 minutes, throwing three of the TD passes to Marvin Harrison, who had seven receptions for 146 yards. The Bills (0-2) were without Pro Bowl linebacker Sam Cowart, who suffered a partial tear of the right Achilles' tendon in the season opener.
Manning was intercepted on the game's opening possession and rookie Nate Clements returned it 48 yards to give the Bills (0-2) a 7-0 lead 2:10 into the contest. Manning appeared to throw another interception to Clements later in the quarter, but it was negated due to a holding penalty to cornerback Antoine Winfield and the Colts took advantage, tying the game on Edgerrin James' one-yard TD run. After the Bills tied it on rookie Travis Henry's four-yard TD run three minutes into the second period, Manning took over, throwing TD passes of 39, 39 and seven yards to Harrison in an 11-minute span. The Colts led, 35-17, at the half. For good measure, Manning scored on a one-yard keeper in the third quarter. The Bills closed to 35-20 on Jake Arians' 49-yard field goal on the first possession of the second half, but the Colts drove 60 yards in 10 plays to take a 42-20 lead on Manning's TD. Buffalo added a meaningless score on Johnson's 40-yard TD strike to Peerless Price with 1:25 left in the contest.
Cornerback Dewayne Washington returned a first-quarter fumble for a touchdown, setting the tone in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 20-3 victory over the winless and battered Buffalo Bills. Washington opened the scoring with four seconds left in the first period, when he picked up a fumble by rookie back Travis Henry and sprinted 63 yards for a TD. After Washington's TD, Kris Brown and Buffalo's Jake Arians traded short field goals in the second quarter as Pittsburgh entered the half with a 10-3 lead.
Kicker Kris Brown followed a Jerome Bettis' 30-yard run with a 52-yard field goal, giving the Steelers a 13-3 lead with 6:04 left in the game. Stewart led the Steelers on a nine-play, 59-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter, which Chris Fuamatu-Maafala capped with a 22-yard run for a 20-3 lead with 3:42 left. Alex Van Pelt began the next series for Buffalo and stirred up thoughts of another quarterback controversy before cornerback Chad Scott intercepted a pass at his own 23-yard line and raced 62 yards to seal the win. Van Pelt was 4-of-5 for 44 yards before being intercepted. Jerome Bettis added 114 yards rushing for the Steelers (1-1), who suffocated Rob Johnson and the Buffalo offense en route to their first win of the season. Johnson completed 13-of-22 passes for just 104 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with hip and ankle injuries. He was sacked four times behind an offensive line that was down to its third string left tackle.
The Buffalo Bills were in a giving mood and the New York Jets were eager to accept. Curtis Martin rushed for 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns and the Jets turned five turnovers into 28 points to keep the Bills winless with a 42-36 victory. Defensive end John Abraham and linebacker Mo Lewis each returned fumbles for touchdowns and Vinny Testaverde threw a pair of scores for the Jets.
The Jets took advantage of the absence of Bills quarterback Rob Johnson, who suffered a pinched nerve in his neck when he was tackled by Lewis in the first quarter. Alex Van Pelt took over and completed 23-of-41 passes for 268 yards and three scores. The Jets scored twice in a 53-second span early in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead. Cornerback Marcus Coleman recovered a fumble by Sammy Morris near midfield and Martin later scored on a 16-yard run. Jones intercepted a pass on the next possession and Testaverde connected with running back Richie Anderson on a four-yard TD pass. Buffalo answered on a 46-yard TD pass from Johnson to Eric Moulds before Lewis sacked Johnson and Abraham returned his fumble seven yards for a score to make it 21-6 after one quarter.
Testaverde completed passes of 21 yards to Laveranues Coles and 17 yards to tight end Anthony Becht to set up a four-yard TD run by Martin that gave the Jets a 28-9 lead. Van Pelt cut the lead to 28-15 at halftime with a three-yard TD pass to tight end Jay Riemersma. The Bills struck quickly after halftime, cutting the lead to 28-22 when Peerless Price caught a short pass from Van Pelt and raced 70 yards for a touchdown. But the Jets kept their composure as Testaverde completed a 36-yard pass to Wayne Chrebet before Becht made a leaping catch in the end zone for a two-yard score. The mistakes soon resurfaced for Buffalo when Farrior stripped Centers of the ball and Lewis returned it 15 yards to make it 42-22 late in the third quarter. Centers scored on a two-yard run with 4:32 left and caught a six-yard TD pass from Van Pelt with seven seconds remaining to account for the final score.
Rookie Jake Arians atoned for two misses in the first half by drilling a 46-yard field goal with 63 seconds remaining as the Buffalo Bills defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 13-10, for their first win of the season. The defenses dominated throughout as the Bills (1-4) managed a 3-0 halftime lead on Arians' 31-yard field goal with 2:58 left in the second quarter. The Jaguars drove 76 yards in five plays on their first possession of the second half and took a 7-3 lead on Brunell's 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Brady.
The Bills answered with a 63-yard, nine-play march and regained the lead on Johnson's 27-yard TD pass to Eric Mounds eight minutes into the third quarter. A 28-yard punt by Brian Morman from his own end zone gave Jacksonville a first down at the Buffalo 29 with 5:15 remaining. But the Jaguars could not pick up a first down and had to settle for Mike Hollis' 41-yard field goal with 3:54 remaining. On the Bills' ensuing possession, Johnson converted a 3rd-and-3 with a four-yard completion to Larry Centers to the Buffalo 46 at the two-minute warning. Johnson and Centers connected again for an eight-yard completion that gave Buffalo a first down at the Jacksonville 33. The Bills failed to pick up another first down as Johnson's pass to Eric Moulds was one-yard short of the first down on 3rd-and-5. But Arians, who earlier missed field goals of 39 and 41 yards, calmly split the uprights. The Bills sealed the win when safety Travares Tillman intercepted Brunell on Jacksonville's final possession.
Spurned by the Buffalo Bills in favor of Rob Johnson, San Diego QB Doug Flutie got the last laugh, turning what appeared to be a sure sack into a 13-yard touchdown run with 1:10 left as the San Diego Chargers posted a 27-24 victory over the Bills. Rob Johnson played courageously in defeat, bouncing back from numerous hard hits and driving the Bills to the San Diego 26 in the final minute. But a potential game-tying 44-yard field goal attempt by Jake Arians was blocked by backup tackle Ed Ellis, preserving the win for San Diego (5-2).
The Chargers opened with an 11-play, 61-yard drive which
resulted in a 37-yard field goal by Wade Richey 5:44 into the
game. After Buffalo went three-and-out, Flutie orchestrated another
scoring drive, completing 5-of-5 passes for 59 yards and capping
it with a one-yard touchdown to tight end Freddie Jones with
1:59 left in the quarter. On Buffalo's second possession, Wiley made his presence felt against his former team, sacking Johnson and forcing a fumble. Defensive tackle Leonardo Carson recovered for San Diego at the Buffalo 20. However, the Chargers had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Richey 46 seconds into the second quarter, increasing their lead to 13-0.
Johnson made his first big play in the second quarter, hitting Price with a 46-yard play to the San Diego 1. Johnson dove into the end zone on the next play with 6:58 left in the half. Johnson engineered another 50-yard drive which resulted on a 41-yard field goal on the final play of the half, pulling the Bills within 13-10.
After a scoreless third quarter, Johnson made a key mistake. As he was being hit, Johnson floated a pass to his left intended for Eric Moulds, but safety Jason Perry picked off the throw and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown with 10:34 left. But Johnson bounced back quicky, connecting with Price on a 61-yard scoring play 23 seconds later, pulling the Bills within 20-17. Buffalo took the lead with a 12-play, 68-yard drive which ended On a three-yard touchdown run by rookie Travis Henry with 1:30 Left. Johnson took a hard hit from Perry as he gained six yards on a 3rd-and-6 play to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, Johnson hit Moulds with a 31-yard pass to the San Diego 22. After Buffalo erased a 13-point deficit and took a 24-20 lead, Ronney Jenkins returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards. Punter Brian Moorman made the tackle at the Buffalo 26 and was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty, moving it half the distance to the 13. On the Charger's first play, Flutie set up in a shotgun formation, somehow evaded what appeared to be a certain sack at the 20, darted to his left and then raced into the middle before diving into the end zone.
After Flutie's touchdown, the Bills took over at their 36 with 1:02 left. Johnson raced 14 yards on the first play and another four yards on the second play, moving the Bills to midfield. Following a false start penalty against Buffalo, Johnson hung in the pocket and threw a pass over the middle to tight end Jay Riemersma, who made a leaping 25-yard catch at the San Diego 26.
Johnson spiked the ball with 15 seconds left to stop the clock and set the stage for Arians, who kicked a game-winning 46-yard field goal in Buffalo's last game at Jacksonville. But this 44-yard attempt was blocked by Ellis.
The Bills were able to somewhat limit QB Peyton Manning, who had just one TD pass -- a 15-yarder to tight end Marcus Pollard on the first play of the second quarter to open the scoring. He completed 17-of-27 passes for 199 yards. However, Manning stunned Buffalo's defense and just about all of the 63,786 in Ralph Wilson Stadium with a naked bootleg, going untouched for a 33-yard scoring run that gave the Colts the lead for good at 14-7 with 9:18 left in the second quarter. Dominic Rhodes filled in nicely for the injured Edgerson James, rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries and catching four passes for 45 yards. Mike Vanderjagt kicked three field goals for Indianapolis
Manning's TD pass came six plays after Rob Johnson's fumble was recovered by defensive tackle Josh Williams at the Bills 44. Manning kept things moving by running eight yards on 3rd-and-7. Buffalo's Nate Clements returned a punt 66 yards for a score -- the first by the Bills in eight years -- before Manning's TD run. Vanderjagt kicked a 34-yard field goal four plays after another fumble by Johnson was recovered linebacker Mike Peterson at the Buffalo 22, giving Indianapolis a 17-7 lead. In the third quarter, Rhodes completed a 57-yard march with a one-yard TD run, making it 24-7 with 9:14 left. Vanderjagt had kicks of 41 and 47 yards around Johnson's 27-yard TD pass to tight end Jay Riemersma in the fourth quarter.
QB Tom Brady helped New England open the scoring with 3:09 left in the first quarter when he hit running back Kevin Faulk with a six-yard pass in the end zone capping a six-play, 35-yard drive. Buffalo came within 7-3 just over three minutes into the second when Jake Arians booted a 24-yard field goal. Arians tried to bring the Bills within one later in the quarter but he missed wide right on a 49-yard attempt. Smith scored his first touchdown of the game with 7:27 left in the third quarter, completing a five-play 40-yard drive that was aided by a pass-interference penalty on Bills' linebacker Kenyatta Wright on a 3rd-and-2 play at the Buffalo 34. Buffalo (1-7) scored just their second offensive touchdown with 2:43 left in the game when backup Alex Van Pelt threw a 17-yard pass to Peerless Price and passed to Eric Moulds for the two-point conversion. Van Pelt replaced Rob Johnson, who suffered an injured right shoulder when safety Terrell Buckley sacked him on a third-down play. Neither team could get a scoring opportunity in the fourth quarter until Price's score that was set up two plays earlier when linebacker Jay Foreman recovered a fumble by Brady at the Patriots 17. New England recovered the ensuing onside kick at Buffalo's 45. Smith ran for a 42-yard touchdown with 1:52 left in the game as the New England Patriots posted a 21-11 victory.
After a sluggish first quarter, Van Pelt came alive in the second. He threw a 51-yard pass to Eric Moulds, then found Peerless Price for a 16-yard TD two players later to cut the Bills' deficit to 10-7. Van Pelt was 7-of-9 on Buffalo's next possession, which was capped by a 25-yard field goal by Jake Arians for a 10-10 halftime tie. Alexander's touchdown capped a 70-yard drive that featured a 21-yard pass from Hasselbeck to Bobby Engram on 3rd-and-4. Arians answered with a 26-yard field goal, but Lindell was good from 38 yards with 5 1/2 minutes to play to give Seattle a 20-13 lead. On the Bills' next possession, Van Pelt was sacked by linebacker Chad Brown and fumbled, with defensive tackle Antonio Cochran recovering at the Buffalo 33. But Alexander's one-yard TD early in the third quarter put the Seahawks (5-4) ahead for good, 17-10. Lindell added field goals of 38 and 51 yards in a 2:10 span of the fourth quarter to extend Seattle's lead to 23-13. The Seahawks withstood a late touchdown pass from Alex Van Pelt to tight end Jay Riemersma . The Seahawks settled for a 51-yard field goal by Lindell that turned out to be the difference.
Fiedler brought the Dolphins within 21-17 just four seconds into the final quarter when he found tight end Jed Weaver open in the middle of the end zone. The Bills went 71 yards on 13 plays, using up 6:40 on the clock to make it 27-17 when rookie Travis Henry ran to his right for an eight-yard score but Jake Arians' extra-point attempt missed wide right. The Dolphins were faced with 4th-and-14 at Buffalo's 38 on the next drive, but Fiedler found Dedric Ward at the 22 to keep it going. The next play, Fielder hit Chambers near the left sidelines in the end zone bringing Miami within three with 4:07 remaining. Buffalo went three-and-out on the next series and Miami took over at its own 38 with 3:24 remaining in the game and no timeouts.
The Dolphins were faced with 2nd-and-5 from the Bills' 25 and Fiedler lofted a pass intended for Oronde Gadsden, who knocked the ball away just before safety Travares Tillman had a chance at an interception. Miami's Olindo Mare kicked a 39-yard field goal with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game before Nate Clements fumbled the ensuing kickoff at the Bills 42. Clements was hit by running back Travis Minor and Patrick Surtain fell on the fumble giving Miami possession with 1:05 to play. Jay Fiedler hit rookie Chris Chambers with a 32-yard touchdown with 48 seconds left to lift the Dolphins to a 34-27 victory.
The 49ers intercepted Alex Van Pelt four times and Hearst rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown as surging San Francisco won its fifth straight game, a 35-0 rout of the hapless Buffalo Bills.
Hearst carried 25 times and ran one yard for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to open the scoring and begin the rout. Rookie kicker Jose Cortez committed one of the Niners' only miscues of the night, missing a 32-yard field goal on their opening possession. Late in the first quarter, the Niners embarked on a 10-play, 80-yard drive and this time, they finished what they started. Garcia kept the drive alive with an 11-yard completion to Tai Streets on a 3rd-and-9 play to the Buffalo 14. Hearst broke off a 13-yard run to the 1, before he finished the drive by plowing over on the first play of the second quarter. Plummer set up the Niners' next score, intercepting Van Pelt along the right sideline and returning the ball 12 yards to the Buffalo 13. Three plays later, Garcia found Streets, who appeared to push off safety Travares Tillman for a 23-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 8:47 left in the half. Cortez had a 23-yard field goal blocked later in the second quarter and Shayne Graham missed badly on a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the half for Buffalo.
The Niners came up with another big defensive play on the first possession of the third quarter when they stuffed running back Travis Henry on a 4th-and-1 play from the Buffalo 49. Garcia provided a commanding lead with 2:50 left in the quarter, connecting with Terrell Owens for a 17-yard TD, extending the margin to 21-0. Owens finished with six catches for 72 yards and fellow wideout J.J. Stokes had eight for 68. Plummer came up with his second interception in Buffalo territory in the fourth quarter, helping set up fullback Fred Beasley's three-yard run with 4:53 remaining. After Chris Watson fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Paul Smith capped the scoring with a 13-yard TD run with 3:08 left.
ORCHARD PARK, New York (Ticker) -- The Buffalo Bills played before their smallest home crowd in four years, but rookie Travis Henry and Alex Van Pelt staged a comeback worth watching. Henry rushed for 101 yards and scored on a one-yard run with 7:51 left in the fourth quarter to lift the Bills to a 25-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
After John Kasay kicked a 37-yard field goal for Carolina and
Shayne Graham booted a 20-yarder for Buffalo in the first
quarter, the Panthers exploded for 21 second-quarter points and
held a 24-13 halftime advantage. QB Chris Weinke scored on a one-yard run 4:33 into the quarter to cap a 10-play, 54-yard drive. On Buffalo's ensuing possession, nickel back Reggie Howard returned an interception 16 yards to the Buffalo 36. After a pass interference penalty against Bills nickel back Chris Watson, Richard Huntley scored on a two-yard run to give Carolina a 17-3 lead with 8:05 left in the half. After a 27-field goal by Graham, the Panthers took advantage of a 46-yard kick return by rookie Steve Smith to the Buffalo 41. Six plays later, Weinke hit tight end Kris Mangum with a two-yard touchdown pass, increasing Carolina's lead to 24-6 with 36 seconds left in the half.
Van Pelt drove the Bills 70 yards in just 35 seconds. He hit Eric Moulds with consecutive passes for 25 and 12 yards and connected with Price on a 26-yard play to the Carolina 7. With the final seconds ticking off the clock, Van Pelt hit Price with a seven-yard touchdown to pull the Bills within 24-13. Rookie linebacker Brandon Spoon returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown with 5:39 left in the third quarter, pulling the Bills within 24-19. They failed on the two-point conversion. Tight end Jay Riemersma starred on the winning drive, catching passes of 19, 9 and 18 yards from Van Pelt. Henry's 1 yard run capped the 9 play, 51 yard drive for the final score of the game.
The Patriots contolled the contest in the first half, but managed only field goals of 40 and 32 yards by Vinatieri. Considered one of the best defensive minds in football, Patriots coach Bill Belichick also did his best to confuse Buffalo quarterback Alex Van Pelt, who went just 5-of-18 for 67 yards in the first half. Van Pelt did lead the Bills into field goal range at the end of the half but Graham was short on a 43-yard attempt as time expired. The Bills did get on the board early in the third quarter with the help of their defense. Safety Raion Hill hit Smith and forced a fumble and recovered at the New England 30. But Buffalo went three-and-out, and Graham came on and connected from 41 yards, pulling the Bills within 6-3. Van Pelt found his rhythm on the next possession, moving the Bills to the New England 26. But on a 2nd-and-8 play, Van Pelt was intercepted inside the 10 by safety Lawyer Milloy. Van Pelt, who took over as the Bills starter when Rob Johnson was injured earlier this season, atoned for that miscue later in the third quarter, when he moved Buffalo 76 yards in 15 plays. But after reaching the 10, the Bills stalled and settled for Graham's 25-yard field goal, tying the contest at 6-6 with 11:38 remaining. After his shaky first half,, Van Pelt rebounded to finish 22-of-44 for 219 yards and one interception. Graham, who was signed earlier this season after Jake Arians struggled, gave the Bills a 9-6 lead with 5:57 remaining after drilling a 41-yard field goal. Van Pelt had completions of eight and 13 yards to Eric Moulds on the eight-play, 33-yard drive.
With an upset staring them in the face, the Patriots were able to rally to tie the game behind the surprising Tom Brady. Held in check for the most part, Brady engineered a seven-play, 56-yard drive. On the winning drive, the Patriots were aided by an instant replay after receiver David Patten fumbled and rookie cornerback Nate Clements recovered for the Bills at their 41. Initially ruled a fumble, referee Mike Carey determined by a video review that Patten's head was out of bounds while he was still in contact with the ball. Brady finished 19-of-35 for 237 yards with an interception The Patriots reached the 7 before Vinatieri kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:45 remaining.
Atlanta QB Chris Chandler connected with Tony Martin on a 63-yard touchdown and tight end Alge Crumpler with a 49-yard scoring play in the second half.The Bills (2-12) had tied the game at 30-30 when Eric Moulds made a diving three-yard touchdown catch with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter. But on the ensuing kickoff, Darrick Vaughn took a lateral from Brian Koslowski and returned it 23 yards to the Atlanta 43. With 42 seconds left and one timeout, Chandler went to work, hitting fullback Bob Christian with a seven-yard pass to midfield. After Chandler spiked the ball to stop the clock with 35 seconds left, he hit Terance Mathis with a five-yard pass and attempted another quick spike, but the Falcons were called for an illegal formation, pushing them back to midfield. With nine seconds remaining, Chandler fired a pass over the middle to Brian Finneran for a 16-yard gain to the Buffalo 34 and signaled for a timeout with two seconds left. Feely, an undrafted rookie free agent from Michigan, who earlier kicked field goals of 35, 32 and 43 yards, split the uprights for the game-winner with room to spare. Shawn Bryson started for injured rookie Travis Henry and rushed for 130 yards on 16 carries, including touchdowns of 15 and 68 yards, for the Bills. Buffalo rookie linebacker Brandon Spoon recorded his second touchdown of the season, scoring on a seven-yard interception return after blitzing safety Keion Carpenter forced an errant pass by Chandler.
On a blustery day at Giants Stadium, veteran defensive end Phil Hansen made a key interception in the final two minutes as the Buffalo Bills stalled New York's playoff drive with a 14-9 victory. Shawn Bryson had 107 of Buffalo's season-high 192 rushing yards as the Bills improved the AFC's worst record to 3-12.
The Jets scored first by getting two field goals of 33 and 28 yards by John Hall after the Bills bent but didn't break during the Jets early drives. Alex Van Pelt directed the Bills on a 87-yard, 11 play scoring drive in the second quarter that put the Bills in the lead. Key plays in that drive were 16 and 21 yard passes to Jay Riemersma, a 20-yard completion to Peerless Price and two straight runs by Larry Centers in the red zone, the last going for 5 yards.
On the first possession of the second half, the Bills went 80 yards in eight plays. Van Pelt threw a 22-yard TD pass to Price after Price had raced 28 yards on an end-around. Buffalo grabbed a 14-6 lead 3:43 into the second half following touchdown drives of 87 and 80 yards.The Jets then had a drive stall at the Bills' 15-yard line before settling for a 32-yard field goal from John Hall to get within 14-9 with 12:36 left. They drove to Buffalo's 35 on their next possession when Testaverde dropped back on 2-and-10 and found Hansen's left hand. Hansen, the most-tenured Bills player at 12 years, returned the interception 17 yards Buffalo failed to get a first down on the ensuing possession, and when punter Brian Moorman couldn't handle a short-hopped snap, New York took over at midfield. The Jets needed to go 50 yards in 47 seconds. But with 13 seconds remaining, Testaverde threw short over the middle to Curtis Martin for a seven-yard gain as the clock continued to run. The Jets barely got off another snap as Testaverde overthrew the right side of the end zone as time expired.
The Bills game against the Dolphins went exactly the way the season did. Van Pelt was injured early in the game when he went down hard on his shoulder. That left third-string quarterback Travis Brown as the Bills signal caller. For not having any playing at all this season and having attempted one pass in his entire NFL career, Brown did a commendable job.... until the final play of the game. With the clock ticking down, Brown's pass at the goal line was picked off by Brock Marion and he returned it 100 yards to rub salt in the Bills wounds.
Brown had another interception, but he did show some promise when he led the Bills down on an 84-yard touchdown drive. He completed 15 of 33 attempts for 201 yards. His touchdown pass went to Larry Centers, who grabbed the 12-yard pass in the back of the endzone in the early part of the second half.
Smith had a 6 yard touchdown run in the second quarter, sandwiched by two Olindo Mare field goals. After Centers scored the lone Bills points, the Fish went on the attack again. James Mcknight received a 16 yard pass from Fiedler making it 27-7 in the third quarter. Brown got the Bills down in the red zone twice late in the game, but the Bills came up empty both times. It was an example of the Red Zone blues the Bills suffered all season.
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Mercifully, the 2001 Buffalo Bills season is over. It has to go down as one of the most disastrous seasons in Bills history. The Bills ended 3-13, only one game better than the much talked about years of gloom in the 1980s when they fell to 2-14. There were a few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy year. Rookie running back Travis Henry showed that he can be a big factor in the Bills plans for the future. Shawn Bryson also looked sharp in the two games before Sunday's game with the Dolphins, when he had two consecutive games over 100 yards. Alex Van Pelt did an adequate job coming in when starting quarterback Rob Johnson went down with a broken collar bone. First round draft choice Nate Clements showed some promise this year and will be one of the central pieces in the Bills defense for years to come.The offense continued to struggle all year under the realm of Johnson, and actually improved after Van Pelt came in. But all in all, the Bills completely collapsed on 2001. The gutting of veteran talent is one of the main reasons, along with an entire new coaching staff that wouldn't even make the grade with the University of Buffalo. Offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard was fired after a single season on the job, replaced by Kevin Gilbride.
2001 Draft- 2001 Stats- 2001 Results
