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  Sunday, Sep. 19 8:20pm ET
Flutie does it all; Bills drop Jets to 0-2
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Vinny Testaverde often seems to be watching when Doug Flutie does his one-man gang act.

He certainly was watching Sunday night as the Buffalo Bills' 36-year-old quarterback beat the New York Jets 17-3 with his arms, his legs, and even his 179-pound body, sacrificed in a crushing block that sprang Antowain Smith on a 12-yard run that set up the game's first touchdown.

Buffalo Bills
Doug Flutie eludes the Jets' Roman Phifer on his way to a 24-yard TD run that gave the Bills a commanding 14-0 lead.
"Doug's a player. He makes plays," Bills coach Wade Phillips said in something of an understatement. "He made them throughout the game, even blocking. We don't expect him to do that."

Sure Flutie had help against a team that was missing six starters, including Testaverde, the quarterback who also was on the sidelines as a redshirt for Miami when Flutie threw the Hail Mary pass that beat the Hurricanes for Boston College in 1984.

Smith, held to 7 yards on six carries by Indianapolis last week, gained 113 on 30 carries Sunday night.

Bills nose tackle Ted Washington and linebacker Sam Cowart stuffed Jerald Sowell on fourth-and-inches at the goal line when the game was scoreless in the second quarter. Overall, the Bills gained 224 yards on the ground against a New York defense missing nose tackle Jason Ferguson after being held to 47 in a 31-14 loss at Indianapolis.

Coach Bill Parcells of the Jets (0-2) didn't blame injuries.

"This is the first time I've been disappointed in the team," said Parcells, who also was angry after the second exhibition game with Philadelphia.

"It wasn't injuries. I wouldn't use that as an excuse. Poor playing. That's what we needed to overcome. We had a nose tackle out but they did a good job running and I give them credit for that."

Flutie credited the running and the defense.

"When we're running the ball well, it opens up other things," Flutie said. "It creates an attitude and temper. The offensive line came in with the attitude that we're going to show you, we're going to show the league that we can run. We hammer the ball."

GAME NOTES
The Jets have opened four of the last five seasons 0-2. But last season they came back to win the AFC East at 12-4.
Ed Abramoski, who spent 35 years as the Bills' trainer, was honored before the game by having his name placed on the team's wall of fame.
Doug Flutie is now 11-1 as the Bills' starter at home. His two 24-yard runs in the second quarter were his longest in the NFL and his 67 yards on the ground were the most in his NFL career.
The three points the Bills allowed were the fewest since Sept. 20, 1992, when they shut out Indianapolis.

And Phillips pointed to the fourth-down play that set the Bills off on a 99-yard drive the other way for the first score.

"The fourth-down play was a big play for us. To take it all the way down the field really changed the game for us," Phillips said.

That was when Flutie first shined as the Bills broke open a lethargic game and giving Buffalo (1-1) all the points it would need.

First he ran for 14 and 24 yards on the 99-yard drive that came after Washington and Cowart's play.

Then on a third-and-1 from the Jets' 13, Smith ran right, then broke left, pursued by Mo Lewis, New York's 257-pound Pro Bowl linebacker. As Lewis lunged for Smith, Flutie leveled him.

"I was looking for a defensive back," Flutie said. "But then I saw Mo behind me so I headed for him. I didn't think he saw me, so I was going to hit him high. But then I chickened out and just cut him."

Added Flutie: "A couple of linemen came over to congratulate me. I expect that attitude from everyone on the field. I don't block all the time but sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself and your body."

Smith got to the 1 and scored on the next play to make it 7-0.

Then, on the first possession of the third quarter, Flutie took the Bills on a 57-yard, 8-play drive, that he capped with a 24-yard scoring run on which he rolled right, zigged left and then went straight up the middle for the score that made it 14-0.

Rick Mirer, replacing Testaverde who tore his Achilles' tendon in the opener, was 13-of-28 for 121 yards for an offense that never really got going.

"I think as we went along, I got comfortable with what we were doing," Mirer said. "But we couldn't put any drives back to back."

Flutie, meanwhile, was 15-of-25 for 160 yards, and rushed five times for 69 yards.

And, for history's sake, add one block on a 257-pound linebacker.

 


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AUDIO/VIDEO
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 Doug Flutie talks about getting it done on the ground.
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 Bill Parcells talks about Jets' future.
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