Perry holds off Weir
Kenny Perry closed with a 3-under 69 to win the Memorial with Mike Weir finishing second
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Classic effort by WingsHudler's three points help Detroit wipe out 3-1 deficit en route to 6-4 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field Full text |
Kenny Perry closed with a 3-under 69 to win the Memorial with Mike Weir finishing second
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ORCHARD PARK — In the aftermath of the Buffalo Bills' convincing 34-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday afternoon, 89-year-old owner Ralph Wilson went about the dressing room congratulating his players on a job well done.
And when Wilson got to the stall of massive defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, he said the words everyone who'd watched the game was thinking: "You make a difference."
Stroud, the former all-pro lineman acquired in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the off-season, set the tone for the Bills' defence, which completely blanketed a Seattle team that had no answer for the pressure.
The Bills had banked that adding a big run-stopping tackle such as Stroud would give their defence a different dimension. And it certainly did. He and the Bills kept the Seahawks to just 17 pass completions for 190 yards and 85 yards along the ground, as quarterback Matt Hasselbeck got a rude introduction to the Bills' front seven.
The Bills' Roscoe Parrish looks back after he returned a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday. The Bills won 34-10. (Gary Wiepert/Reuters)
"I saw his presence," Buffalo safety Donte Whitner said. "You look at a guy like that and you can see it. There were so many plays today where he was playing in their backfield. And he got two sacks. The key to every defence is to have run-stopping defensive tackles. Now, teams have to pay attention to Marcus because he's pushing the pocket so well and playing the run so well."
Stroud's debut in a Bills uniform was just one of many highlights of a season opener that went absolutely according to script for Buffalo, a team that has been quietly touting its chances as a playoff contender this season.
On offence, the Bills ran the ball with efficiency and protected second-year quarterback Trent Edwards well enough to allow him to make a few key throws. They won the turnover battle, took just one penalty and broke the game open with two dazzling plays on special teams.
"It was as good as could be expected in all three phases of the game — offence, defence and special teams," head coach Dick Jauron said. "I can't say enough about the preparation of our staff, and, of course, our players just performed. It was a terrific start for us and we'll just have to sustain it."
Playing without all-pro left tackle Jason Peters, who ended his holdout on Saturday, the Bills didn't give the Seahawks' defence much time to attack, using a mix of running plays with mostly quick throws.
Though the Bills didn't make a first down on their opening four possessions, Edwards then hit the game's first big play by dropping a 32-yard pass over the shoulder of Lee Evans to move the ball to the Seattle 20 yard line.
Three players later, running back Marshawn Lynch dashed 23 yards for the game's first score en route to a 20-7 halftime lead.
Later, in the second half, Edwards repeated that throw with a nearly identical toss to Evans that went for 42 yards and also led to a score.
"We just had to settle down and keep playing and I think that's exactly what we did," Evans said. "The offensive line did a good job run blocking and pass blocking, just giving us a chance to go down the field. It worked out and we settled down as the game went along and I think that was the biggest thing."
The most impressive phase of Buffalo's game might have been on special teams, an area in which the coaches put a strong degree of emphasis in practice and meetings.
The first big play came when Roscoe Parrish fielded a second-quarter punt and ran it back 63 yards for a touchdown to make the score 14-0 on a return that had as many zigs as it had zags.
"When he takes the ball, you can sense it in the stadium — people start to buzz," Jauron said. "I guess electrifying is the right word for him. Guys block well, but they have to stay alive because they know he may go by him three or four times in the same run."
But the kill shot came during the third quarter after Seattle had forced Buffalo to settle for an apparent 36-yard field goal. Instead, Buffalo lined up Bryan Denney, a backup defensive end and special-teams player, at wide receiver. When the Seahawks didn't notice Denney and left him uncovered, holder Brian Moorman threw a touchdown pass to the wide-open target that made the score 27-10.
"Denney is not a little guy, he's a big guy, so it's not like we shouldn't have noticed him," Seattle head coach Mike Holgren said. "It's embarrassing to us when a play like that works, but give them credit. They did a nice job with it."
A Seattle fumble on the subsequent kickoff led to seven more Buffalo points and rendered the game all but over after 45 minutes of play.
Though Seattle entered the game without receivers Deion Branch and Bobby Engram and lost Nate Burleson to injury, the Bills had to be pleased knocking off a team that has made the playoffs five consecutive years.