| January 01, 2004 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 08:30 PM |
Following a rebuilding year that saw the team improve from 2 wins in 2001 to 8 wins in 2002, Bills GM Tom Donehoe continued to build the team with plenty of newly found cap space. The Defense would be the main focus, finishing near the bottom of the NFL for most of 2002. Following Dick LeBeau's dismissal from the Cincinnati Bengals, the team pursued him to lend a consulting hand to 3rd year Defensive Coordinator Jerry Gray.
It would be hard to top the 2002 offseason acquisitions of QB Drew Bledsoe and LB London Fletcher, but the Bills did. First, the Bills With free agency looming for star WR Peerless Price, Donehoe brilliantly put the team's franchise tag on the productive wideout-but not wanting to pay his second WR first WR money- he traded the rights to Price to Atlanta for the 23rd pick in the draft- replenishing the pick lost to New England in the Drew Bledsoe deal.
Donehoe wasted no time when Free Agency opened- becoming the first team in the NFL to sign a free agent. Minutes after the midnight deadline, the Bills signed former Houston Texan's LB Jeff Posey. Freed up with extrsa cap space after the Price deal, Donehoe then set his sights on the best available defensive free agent in the draft, Bengal LB Takeo Spikes. Spikes signed a 6 year, $32 million dollar deal. Next, to shore up a weak defensive line, former Oakland Raider and Baltimore Raven DT Sam Adams came on board. On offense, the main acquisitions were 3rd string WR Bobby Shaw from Jacksonville, and Backup RB Olandis Gary from the Denver Broncos. Donehoe traded a late round 2004 pick for TE Mark Campbell. Kicker Ryan Lindell was added from the Seahawks as a free agent. Former Bill All-Pro FB Sam Gash was also added via free agency .
Besides Peerless Price, notable departures were FB Larry Centers, TE Jay Riemersma, DE Chidi Ahanotou, C Bill Conaty, RB Shaun Bryson, LB Keith Newman, CB Chris Watson, and LB Brandon Spoon.
In keeping with the Tom Donehoe tradition of draft day surprises, Buffalo shocked the football world selecting Willis McGahee, RB, Miami (FL) with the first selection. It was shocking because the Bills were already well-stocked at the position with Pro Bowler Travis Henry, Sammy Morris, and former 1,000 yard rusher Olandis Gary in the fold. Add to that the devistating knee injury McGahee suffered in the National Championship game just 3 months prior. Minus the injury, McGahee was easilly the best RB prospect in the draft, and one of the best prospects in a number of years. In one of the weakest drafts on record, it was a risky, yet brilliant move. McGahee was not expected to play in the upcoming campaign. Other draftees included DE Chris Kelsay of Nebraska (2), LB Angelo Crowel of Virginia (3) DB Terrance McGee (4) , WR Sam Aiken (4), OG Ben Sobieski (5), DT Lauvalle Sape (6), and LB Mario Haggan (7).
The preseason went well for the Bills as they took 3 0f 4. A road win in Baltimore (20-19) was followed up with a nationally televised road loss to Tennessee (37-24) on ESPN. The Bills closed out the preseason with back to back wins over the St. Louis Rams (28-24) and the Detroit Lions (22-16). The highlight of the preseason were two game-winning punt returns by rookie Antonio Brown. In the Detroit finale, Lion's RB James Stewart was knocked out of action by the Buffalo defense. Now overstocked at the position themselves, the Bills traded surplus RB Olandis Gary to the Lions a few days following the game.
In a shocking development less than a week before the home opener vs. the New England Patriots, the Patriots suddenly cut their Pro-Bowl Safety Lawyer Milloy for cap reasons. This was the final piece to the Buffalo defense they were looking for, and with plenty of room remaining the Bills snapped Milloy up. Three days before they were to face the Patriots, the Bills signed, sealed, and delivered Milloy.
The hectic week to the opener culminated in a route of Lawyer Milloy's former team, the New England Patriots. Milloy made a big impact as a starter, despite having three days to learn the playbook. He forced an interception, recorded a sack and got in on five tackles.
Former Patriot Drew Bledsoe erased last year's two tough defeats at the hands of his former team when he engineered scoring drives of 80 and 90 yards on his first two possessions and finished 17-of-28 for 230 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. The game was effectively over when the Bills went up 21-0 with 10:14 left in the second quarter. The lead was built on Travis Henry's 1-yard plunge, Dave Moore's 7-yard reception, and defensive tackle Sam Adams' 37-yard interception return.
New England's offense, in particular, never got going, managing a mere 51 yards in the first half and six first downs, two by penalty. How bad were they? Six minutes into the second quarter, the Patriots had minus-4 yards of offense. Tom Brady, who replaced Bledsoe as the Patriots' starter in 2001, had an abysmal outing. He finished 14-of-29 for 123 yards and threw four interceptions.
Henry scored a second time on a 9-yard scamper in the fourth quarter and Rian Lindell added a 44-yard field goal. Buffalo preserved the shutout with a valiant goal line stand on the game's final two plays. Brady wasn't alone among the blundering Patriots, who twice had drives stall after they got within the Bills 2. That included two tries from the 1 in the final 20 seconds, the game ending when Antowain Smith was stuffed for no gain.
Bledsoe threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns and Travis Henry ran for three scores Sunday to lift the Bills to a 38-17 victory over Jacksonville, the most lopsided home loss for the Jaguars in their nine-year history. Eric Moulds and former Jacksonville receiver Bobby Shaw caught touchdown passes. Moulds finished with 133 yards receiving, his 22nd game over the century mark. Bledsoe went 19-for-25 and surpassed the 300-yard mark for the 34th time in his 11-year career. His single-game passer rating was an astronomical 144.2, and he left the game after three quarters, with barely a grass stain on his jersey.
Buffalo's win might have been even more convincing were it not for Bills coach Gregg Williams' odd decision to line up his punt team in the Emory & Henry formation in the second quarter on fourth-and-2 near midfield. With three receivers lined up on each side of the field, and only three linemen near the ball, running back Sammy Morris took the snap and was tackled for a 1-yard loss. The Jaguars immediately moved 44 yards for their first touchdown -- a 1-yard run by Mark Brunell -- to cut their deficit to 14-7. Jacksonville's goal was to stop Buffalo's run, which it did, allowing only 43 yards on the ground. But tey were defenseless to Bledsoe's pass attack.
Just before halftime, Bledsoe hit a streaking for a 54-yard score and a 21-7 lead. In the third quarter, Bledsoe dumped off a little pass to Sam Gash for 3 yards -- a more traditional way of converting a fourth-and-short. Three plays later, Bledsoe hit Moulds for 36 yards and a 28-10 lead.
Rookie QB Byron Leftwich made his NFL debut with 5:06 left. Leftwich went 7-for-8 with a touchdown against a prevent defense. Newly signed linebacker Takeo Spikes had a sack. Henry finished with only 26 yards, but his three touchdowns -- from 1, 6 and 4 yards -- matched the career high.
The Buffalo Bills had a hard time moving the ball, and they had a hard time getting it away from Ricky Williams.With dominating defense and a workhorse running back, the Miami Dolphins beat Buffalo 17-7.
Williams carried a franchise-record 42 times for 153 yards and one touchdown, helping the Dolphins control the ball for nearly 41 minutes. Buffalo, which scored 69 points in its first two games, totaled just 118 yards. Miami made interceptions to end two early scoring threats by the Bills, whose only points came on Nate Clements' 54-yard interception return. Bledsoe completed 10 of 25 passes for 98 yards with two interceptions and four sacks. The Dolphins held halfback Henry to 7 yards rushing and intercepted his first NFL pass to stop one scoring threat before he left in the second quarter with a rib injury.
The Bills' first four possessions produced two turnovers and no first downs, and they wasted two scoring chances inside the Miami 20 in the second quarter. One threat ended when a trick play backfired, with Henry's underthrown pass being intercepted by Surtain at the 1. Buffalo quickly forced a punt and drove to the 8, but Marion intercepted Bledsoe in the end zone.
Miami committed two turnovers and missed a field goal before mounting the best drive of the opening half for the game's first score. Helped by two Buffalo penalties, Miami moved 76 yards in eight plays, and Jay Fiedler hit Chris Chambers on a 12-yard scoring pass with 25 seconds left in the half. Fiedler moved the Dolphins 85 yards in 14 plays the next time they got the ball, and Olindo Mare kicked a 26-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Miami's offense then gave a score back early in the fourth quarter. Fiedler threw toward the sideline while under pressure, and Clements stepped in front of receiver James McKnight for the interception, then dashed to the end zone untouched. Williams and the Dolphins capped the win with a 1-yard TD with 1:52 left in the game.
Offensively, Buffalo managed just 129 yards through three periods -- reminiscent of the 118 yards of net offense the Bills managed the previous weekend's 17-7 loss at Miami. Bledsoe was 27-of-43 for 296 yards, but the Bills got little help from their running game, which was without starter Travis Henry (torn rib cartilage) and backup Sammy Morris (hernia).
The Eagles appeared to have the game in hand when they went up 10-0 on their first two possessions. The 10 first-quarter points matched Philadelphia's combined total in its first two games. Correll Buckhalter scored on a 2-yard plunge, while David Akers made three field goals, the longest from 34 yards. Philadelphia eventually went up 16-0 when Akers hit a 22-yarder with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.
Bledsoe didn't find his rhythm until it was too late, engineering two scoring drives -- including a 3-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Shaw -- in the final quarter. The Bills had cut the Eagles lead to 16-13 on Drew Bledsoe's 1-yard keeper with 2:49 remaining. The Eagles responded 39 seconds later with Brian Westbrook's 62-yard touchdown run as he broke through a hole, foiled Pierson Prioleau's one-armed tackle attempt and went untouched the rest of the way for the final margin of victory.
Travis Henry played through the pain of a rib injury. Eric Moulds wouldn't let a nagging groin injury hold him back. Henry scored twice, including a 2-yard plunge 4:53 into overtime, in his first game in two weeks since tearing rib cartilage. Henry finished with 25 carries for 85 yards. He added two receptions for 14 yards, including a 9-yarder off a screen for a touchdown.
The Bengals looked nothing like the so-called "Bungles" of the past for all but the final 10 minutes, when they allowed the Bills to overcome a 16-13 deficit. Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe sparked the comeback, erasing the memories of a terrible first half in which Buffalo endured six three-and-outs and he watched four receivers drop easy passes. He responded after the Bengals scored on Rudi Johnson's 16-yard run and former Bill Shayne Graham's 30-yard field goal as Cincinnati took the lead with 5:33 left.
Bledsoe marched the Bills 59 yards on 13 plays to set up Rian Lindell's 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining in regulation. He kept the drive alive, converting a fourth-and-3 with a 19-yard completion to Moulds. Bledsoe wasted no time securing the victory, taking the Bills 57 yards after the Bengals opened overtime going three-and-out. Bledsoe hit tight end Mark Campbell over the middle for a 20-yard reception putting the Bills at the Bengals 35. Moulds helped set up the score with might have been a costly 28-yard reception. Tackled by safety Kevin Kaesviharn at the Bengals 7, Moulds strained his groin as he tumbled awkwardly into the sideline and had to be helped off the field as Henry scored two plays later. It was the 22nd fourth-quarter comeback of Bledsoe's career, and third in two seasons with Buffalo. He finished 19-of-35 for 211 yards passing.
Vinny Testaverde threw three touchdown passes. Curtis Martin gained key yards. The defense had seven sacks, forced four turnovers and stopped Travis Henry. The winless Jets defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-3 for their first victory of the season. Curtis Martin ran for a season-high 77 yards on 20 carries as the Jets finally got their running game going, tallying over 100 total yards on the ground for the first time this season.
The Jets held Henry to 53 yards on 18 carries -- though he did catch seven passes for 35 yards as Buffalo played without top receiver Eric Moulds, out with a strained groin. The Jets would not leave Drew Bledsoe. Shaun Ellis and Jason Ferguson each had two sacks, while first-round draft pick Dewayne Robertson notched his first sack. Sam Cowart, playing against his former team, had a sack and finished with a game-high 15 tackles.
The Bills took a quick 3-0 lead, but their fortunes changed after Henry gained no yards on fourth-and-1 from the Jets 34 toward the end of the first quarter. The Jets took over, and nine plays later, Testaverde threw a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Anthony Becht. On Buffalo's next possession, Bledsoe could not handle a bad snap from center Trey Teague, and the ball went bouncing 21 yards behind him, before Bryan Thomas recovered for the Jets at the Buffalo 17. Despite the good field position, they could only manage a Doug Brien's 27-yard field goal to make it 10-3.
Santana Moss set up their next TD. After the Bills went three-and-out to start the third quarter, Moss returned a punt 47 yards to the Buffalo 18. One play later, Testaverde threw his second TD pass to Becht, making it 20-3. Moss finished with three punt returns for 102 yards, and also had a 4-yard TD reception just before the end of the third quarter.
Travis Henry ran for a career-high 167 yards and scored two touchdowns, providing a spark for a sputtering offense in the Buffalo Bills' 24-7 victory over the Washington Redskins. It was Henry's first 100-yard rushing performance this season, re-establishing a Bills ground attack that was limping, averaging a league-worst 57.5 yards per game. Bills receiver Josh Reed had a breakout game, finishing with a season-high eight catches for 109 yards, including a 10-yard TD.
The Bills scored first grinding out a 9nplay drive that ended in a 20-yard FG by Ryan Lindell. The Bills then capped a 10 play, 59-yard drive in the second quarter with the first of Henry's scores- a 4 yard run.
An error-filled first-half stretch summed up the Redskins' troubles. Washington's best drive ended at the 2-inch line when offensive lineman Derrick Dockery, pulling across the middle, tapped the ball out of Ramsey's hands. The ball was recovered by Buffalo's Lawyer Milloy. Ramsey then fumbled twice on a single play on Washington's next possession. After fumbling the snap, Ramsey picked the ball up but had it stripped from behind by Buffalo's Jeff Posey.
The game's outcome was determined at the start of third quarter, after the Redskins cut the Bills' lead to 10-7 on Ramsey's 25-yard touchdown pass to Rod Gardner. The Bills responded on their next drive, marching 80 yards on six plays, capped by Drew Bledsoe's 10-yard pass to Reed. Henry keyed the drive with runs of 21 and 13 yards. Henry then sealed the victory by scoring on a 14-yard run five minutes into the fourth quarter. Bledsoe finished 19-of-26 for 244 yards. Rian Lindell rounded out the Bills' scoring with a 20-yard field goal.
Washington played without starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey for the final nine minutes. Spurrier said Ramsey bruised his right (throwing) hand when he was sacked by Aaron Schobel. The sold out Ralph Wilson Stadium crowd cascaded boos and heckled his replacement- former Buffalo Bills QB Rob Johnson. Johnson's Redskins debut was a disaster, as the leaky Redskins line offered him no protection. Rob Johnson's performance led to the QB getting cut from the Redskins the following day.
The game was also the return of Bruce Smith, Buffalo's all time sack leader who became a Redskin following the 2000 season. 2 sacks short of Reggie White's NFL record. He did not register a sack in the game.
Dante Hall's 67-yard catch-and-run got them rolling and Priest Holmes scored three touchdowns as the Chiefs became the league's only unbeaten team with a 38-5 rout of Buffalo. Already leading the league in takeaways, the Chiefs recovered two fumbles, intercepted Drew Bledsoe three times and backup Alex Van Pelt twice. Travis Henry had 124 yards on 22 carries for the Bills. Safety Pierson Proleau blocked Jason Baker's punt through the end zone for a safety that gave the Bills a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, the Chiefs took charge and rolled to a 28-5 halftime lead. Buffalo's Rian Lindell had a 20-yard field goal in the first half.
Hall, who set an NFL record with touchdown returns in four straight games, caught Green's perfectly thrown pass in full stride near the 40, split defenders Lawyer Milloy and Antoine Winfield and sailed untouched into the end zone. Tony Gonzalez, the four-time Pro Bowl tight end, hauled in catches for 26 and 10 yards to set up Holmes' 4-yard TD run around right end less than a minute into the second quarter.
Dexter McCleon scooped up Josh Reed's fumble and gave Kansas City the ball on its own 45 in the second quarter. Eight plays later, Holmes skirted around right end on a 13-yard run for his league-leading 11th rushing touchdown. The Chiefs added their last TD on Holmes' 15-yard run, with Green making a crushing block on cornerback Nate Clements. Morten Andersen kicked a 49-yard field goal to finish off the scoring.
The Cowboys won ugly, beating the Buffalo Bills 10-6 despite moving only 51 yards on their two scoring drives and going more than 15 minutes between first downs in the second half. The Cowboys used a 2-yard touchdown catch by Dan Campbell, a 51-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff and a stifling performance by the league's stingiest defense
The Bills failed to score a touchdown for the third straight road game, getting outscored 95-21. Coming off a bye week, Buffalo was inept as ever. The only points were field goals of 29 and 41 yards by Rian Lindell, both in the second quarter. The Bills gained 185 yards against a unit that was allowing a league-best 240.8 yards a game. They had 69 yards on a 2-minute drill to set up the shorter kick just before halftime.
Drew Bledsoe was 17-of-34 for 104 yards while under heavy pressure all game. He was sacked three times and lost two fumbles; he was spared from a third by the tuck rule. His 
longest completion was an 18-yard screen. Buffalo's defense lived up to its standing as the league's third-best, statistically. The Cowboys gained only 236 yards, with just seven first downs in the second half.
Dallas never looked in control. The first scoring drive went only 24 yards, set up by Bledsoe's first fumble. The field goal came after Derek Ross took the opening kickoff of the second half 33 yards, then the offense went 27 more. The Cowboys' next drive reached the Buffalo 29, but they were stopped on third and fourth downs. Parcells opted not to try a 46-yard field goal because the Bills still could have gone ahead with a touchdown.
The momentum, though, might've helped. The Cowboys went three-and-out on their next four possessions, wasting field position that got better every time: starting from the 30-, 39-, 43- and 50-yard lines. They gained 15 yards over those possessions. Even after they finally moved the chains, they still ended up punting. "It wasn't pretty," said Dallas Coach Bill Parcells.
Filling in for injured starter David Carr, QB Tony Banks outdid the inept Bills offense and Drew Bledsoe, sparking the Houston Texans to a 12-10 victory. Despite playing only three quarters after Carr bruised his right shoulder 10 minutes into the game, Banks finished with 207 yards passing to Bledsoe's 184. Banks took over after Carr was hurt when sacked in the end zone by former Texans linebacker Jeff Posey, and fumbled, leading to a Bills safety. The Bills were without leading receiver Eric Moulds (groin injury) and running back Travis Henry played the second half with a broken right leg.
Banks finished 11-of-16 and hit Andre Johnson for a 46-yard touchdown, which put the Texans up 6-5 in the second quarter. Houston never relinquished the lead as Kris Brown made two field goals. Banks' 42-yard completion to Johnson on a decisive nine-play, 67-yard drive led to Brown hitting a 34-yarder for a 12-8 lead with 3:23 remaining. The Bill's offensive woes were compounded when kicker Rian Lindell missed two field goals. The Bills didn't score despite three drives inside the Texans 20, in which they came away with two field goals and Lindell missing a 29-yarder. Lindell also missed a 45-yard attempt. One of those drives stalled when Henry was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 1.
Texans linebacker Jamie Sharper sealed the victory, ending Buffalo's last-gasp drive with 1:51 remaining at the Houston 31. Sharper knocked the ball out of quarterback Drew Bledsoe's hands, and the fumble was recovered by Shantee Orr. The game ended when Johnson ran the ball out of his end zone for a safety to run out the clock. Johnson had a strong outing, finishing with four catches for 122 yards
As the Texans (4-6) celebrated matching their win total from last year's expansion season, the Bills (4-6) were left shell-shocked after losing their sixth in eight games, failing to score a touchdown in the past 3 games. It didn't help that the
Indianapolis Colt RB Edgerrin James scored twice, including the winner on a fourth-down plunge from inside the 1 with 1:38 remaining, sparking Indianapolis to a 17-14 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Afterr an early 3-0 Colt lead, Drew Bledsoe's 1-yard TD plunge, with 2:07 left in the first half, was the Bills' first touchdown since Travis Henry's 14-yarder in the fourth quarter of a 24-7 win over Washington on Oct. 19 -- a span of 218 minutes, 24 seconds of game time. The drive was helped by a broken play on a Bills punt attempt. Punter Brian Moorman dropped the snap but picked the ball up and ran 21 yards for the first down. Buffalo's defense looked like they turned the tide late in the half. Ahead 7-3 and the Colts driving deep into Buffalo territory in the 2-minute drill, LB London Fletcher recovered an Edgerrin James fumble on Buffalo's 7 yard line.
RB Sammy Morris put Buffalo ahead 14-3 to open the 4th quarter with a 7 yard run- capping a 6-play 60-yard drive. James capped a nine-play, 61-yard drive with 10:40 remaining, cutting the Bills lead to 14-9 after Dominic Rhodes failed on a 2-point conversion attempt. On the drive, the Colts got some help on a strange play in which rookie receiver Aaron Moore fumbled after a 6-yard gain. Colts guard Rick DeMuling picked up the loose ball and ran for another 16 yards to the Bills 24.
The winning drive came on a 16-play, 83-yard march that culminated with first-and-goal from the Bills 3. James got all four cracks at running it in, finally breaking through from about 2 inches out. Peyton Manning then hit James Mungro to compete a 2-point conversion. Manning finished 26-of-42 for 229 yards, 70 of them coming in the final 15 minutes.
The Bills last gasp drive ended when Bledsoe was hit by a blitzing Chad Bratzke. Bledsoe got off a weak pass, which was intercepted by David Thornton at the Colts 47 to finish the game.
Shaking off the effects of a concussion and some internal strife, Bledsoe threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and the Bills embarrassed New York 24-7 in a game that ended with 78,000-seat Giants Stadium three-quarters empty.
Buffalo took control with a 17-point second quarter. Bledsoe threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dave Moore. The Giants made one big play, a 77-yard scoring pass play from Kerry Collins to Amani Toomer just 17 seconds after Moore's touchdown catch tied the game at 7. Bledsoe and the Bills responded with 22-yard and 31-yard passes to Shaw and a 15-yard unnecessary roughing penalty. That set up Lindell's go-ahead 26-yard field goal.
A fumble by Collins on the ensuing series gave the Bills the ball at the New York 41. Bledsoe hit Josh Reed on passes of 15 and 20 yards before connecting with Shaw for the score on second-and-17 play. Bledsoe also had consecutive passes of 21 and 18 yards to set up Travis Henry's 13-yard third-quarter TD run that gave the Bills a 17-point lead. It was on that drive he took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Giants lineman Keith Hamilton. Bledsoe hit 19 of 29 passes when the blow to the head forced him to the bench in the third quarter.
Bills DE Aaron Schobel had a big game defensively. He registered 3 sacks and recovered Collins' fumble that led to the final Buffalo TD.
Showing no affects from a broken bone in his right leg and torn rib cartilage, Henry ran for a career-high 169 yards and a touchdown, lifting the Bills to a 17-6 victory over the New York Jets. Besides Henry, the Bills' defense played a big hand in containing the Chad Pennington-led Jets.
Tackle Sam Adams recorded two sacks and made seven tackles. Buffalo limited the Jets to two field goals -- the first time in Pennington's 18 career starts that New York has failed to score a touchdown. Pennington finished 15-of-29 for 155 yards and an interception. Doug Brien accounted for the Jets' scoring with field goals of 17 and 40 yards. Brien also was short from 50 yards.
The game was determined at the start of the second half with Bills up 7-3 and Henry leading the way. Starting on their own 15, Henry carried the ball eight times for 52 yards to cap an 11-play drive with a 4-yard scamper. The Jets had no response. With 4:10 remaining, Pennington threw an incomplete pass intended for Anthony Becht on fourth-and-1 at the New York 33. Then, following a fumble by Henry (his only miscue), Bills rookie cornerback Terrence McGee intercepted a pass from Pennington with 2:20 remaining. Still hampered by a concussion, Bledsoe finished 9-of-15 for 72 yards, the fewest in a complete game during his 11-year career.
With 1,159 yards rushing on the season, Henry became the fourth Bills player to record at least two 1,000-yard seasons. And his rushing touchdown was the 10th of the season, joining Cookie Gilchrist as the only Buffalo player rush for 10 or more in back-to-back years. Henry also enjoyed the 13th 100-yard rushing game of his career, and fifth this season. With 84 yards rushing, Jets RB Curtis Martin had 11,314 for his career, passing former Buffalo Bill O.J. Simpson for 12th place in NFL history.
In his first NFL start, Titans backup QB Billy Volek threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Tennessee rallied for a 28-26 win over the Buffalo Bills. Volek, a four-year veteran back-up, filled in ably for the injured Steve McNair against the NFL's second-best defense. He was 26-of-41 for 295 yards in helping the Titans hold the ball for nearly 37 minutes.
In an exchange of field goals early, Tennessee held a slim 6-3 lead late in the second quarter. Buffalo's first touchdown was sparked by a 35 yard punt return by Nate Clements, setting the Bills up on the Titan 26. Travis Henry burst through for a gain of 19, setting the stage for a Bledsoe to Shaw 6-yard TD strike with 1:52 left in the half.
Buffalo had four sacks, including one resulting in Volek's fumble that Pat Williams returned 28 yards for a TD and a 17-6 lead in the third quarter. But the defense could not hold the lead following some Bills' offensive miscues.. The Titan's were forced to punt on their next possession, pinning the Bills back at their 1 yard line. Six plays later, Drew Bledsoe fumbled and the Titan's Keith Bullock recovered at the Buffalo 16. Volek hit TE Erron Kinney 23 plays later with a 14 yard strike. RB Robert Holcomb ran in the 2 point conversion shrinking the Buffalo lead to 17-14 midway through the 3rd.
The Titans forced the Bills offense to punt after failing to garner a first down. On the ensuing drive, Volek opened the 4th quarter when he hit Mason for 32 yards down the Bills sideline. Volek was 5-of-6 for 51 yards on the drive, which he capped with a 2-yard TD pass to Justin McCareins for a 21-17 lead in the fourth period. With 7:09 remaining, Ryan Lindell's 38 yard FG brought Buffalo within a point at 21-20. On the next drive, Volek again hit Derrick Mason with another long pass, 37 yards, setting up a Volek keeper from 2 yards out pushing the lead to 28-20 with 4:23 remaining in the game.
Buffalo had one last chance to force overtime when Drew Bledsoe drove the Bills 81 yards in nine plays before finding Mark Campbell on a 6-yard TD toss with 24 seconds left. But Bobby Shaw couldn't control a low pass in the right corner of the end zone on the 2-point conversion try. Shaw said he caught the ball, but it was ruled incomplete. A replay review was inconclusive.
Leading a stifling defensive effort that included six sacks, Miami's Terrell Buckley returned an interception 74 yards to spark Miami's 20-3 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Bills bumbled their way through the game, an apparent letdown after they were eliminated from playoff contention with the previous week's 28-26 loss at Tennessee.
Chris Chambers scored on a 23-yard reception on the Dolphins' first possession, and two turnovers by the Bills led to Olindo Mare's field goals from 28 and 30 yards. Miami added a pair of Olindo Mare field goals to take a 13-0 halftime lead. Miami QB Jay Fiedler fumbled the ball on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Sam Adam's recovery set up Buffalo's first score- a 23 yard Lindell field goal. The Bills were frustrated after a Bledsoe to Campbell 31 yard reception that gave the Bills a first down at the 6 yard line. Three plays went nowhere setting up the FG.
With the Bills trailing 13-3 in the third quarter and threatening to mount a comeback with the ball on the Miami 29, Buckley stepped in front of Drew Bledsoe's pass and ran it back untouched up the left sideline. The fourth quarter saw the Bills continue to spin their wheels on offense. They were unable to mount any drives or threaten the Miami lead.
What a difference 16 weeks made. Buffalo was a shell of the team that drubbed the eventual Super Bowl Champions on opening day. Instead of the four interceptions QB Tom Brady threw in week 1, Brady unleashed 4 first half touchdown passes in drubbing the reeling Bills. How bad was the dissention on the team? 8 time Pro- Bowl guard Ruben Brown, an offensive line stalwart for the Bills for 10 seasons, didn't make the trip with the team to Foxboro following an exchange with Buffalo Bills coach Gregg Williams and offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride.
The Patriots' offense, facing the NFL's second-ranked defense, had a big game as Brady threw touchdown passes on three of their first four possessions in a span of less than 16 minutes. They covered 1 yard to Daniel Graham, 9 yards to Bethel Johnson and 15 yards to Troy Brown. The fourth touchdown pass, a 10-yarder to David Givens, made it 28-0 with 3:55 left in the half.
And to keep the opponent off the board late. Larry Izzo preserved the 31-0 win by intercepting Travis Brown's pass in the end zone with 13 seconds left with the ball at the 1. It was an ironic twist, as the Bills had stymied the Patriots in similar fashion on the goal line to end the season opener in Buffalo.
Tom Donahoe released Head Coach Gregg Williams, Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride, and the rest of the Bills offensive coaching staff at the conclusion of the 2003 season. Defensive consultant Dick LeBeau, who had a tremendous impact in turning around a struggling Bills defense into the leagues second ranked unit, returned to the Steelers for his second stint as the team's Defensive Coordinator.
Buffalo soon settled on Pittsburgh Steeler Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey as their new head coach. Mularkey chose to keep the defensive staff in place, headed by DC Jerry Gray.
Guard Ruben Brown and LB Takeo Spikes represented the Bills in the Pro Bowl.
2003 Bills Draft- Team Stats --2003 Results
