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Mike Groll
BILLS CROWD PLEASER: Draft pickup working out for Bills
The Wildcat went wrong Sunday, and the Miami Dolphins coaches are taking heat for it this week.
While the Buffalo Bills defense couldn’t stop Ricky Williams’ from running the ball on Miami’s opening drive, but with the Dolphins on the doorstep of a touchdown veteran linebacker Chris Draft made an instinctive play to intercept a pass from Williams.
Bryan Scott, the former safety playing linebacker the last couple weeks, said he was shocked when Williams let go of the ball.
“They hadn’t shown that all year,” he said. “We were playing run and we had it fit up perfectly and when the tight end left we were like ‘Oh no,’ but Chris just made a heck of a play going with his man.”
Williams said, “you know I got the ball and Joey Haynos was supposed to block the outside linebacker (Scott) and then go, and I saw him, and I just didn’t put enough arch on the ball and it was picked off by the backside linebacker.”
Dolphins coach Tony Sparano and his offensive assistants have been criticized for the play call, much like former Bills coach Mike Mularkey after he had Travis Henry throw a pass into the end zone that was intercepted during a loss at Miami in 2003.
“We’ve been successful with that stuff all year long,” Sparano said. “It’s a play we’ve worked on in practice and we’ve been kind of working on it for a couple of weeks now. We just didn’t execute it properly. (Draft) made a nice play.”
Draft also helped the Bills slow down Williams in the latter stages of the game. Williams rushed for 55 yards on the first two series, but just 60 yards after that. Draft had five solo tackles on two assists on the day.
Eventually, the Dolphins were forced to air it out, and quarterback Chad Henne wound up throwing three interceptions late in the fourth quarter.
“Big plays happen when you’re doing the right things,” Draft said. “When we stop the run and didn’t let them get going it puts the pressure on the quarterback to make plays.”
A sixth-round draft choice by Chicago in 1998, Draft has spent time with five teams before coming to Buffalo midway through this season. In 2003, he started all 16 games for Atlanta, and recorded 124 tackles. With Carolina in 2006, Draft against made 16 starts, and finished with 109 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
Draft was released by St. Louis, where he played the past two seasons, in August, and signed with the Bills on Oct. 14. Sunday was his second start.
“Being out for a little bit wasn’t exactly something I wanted, but what it did was provide an opportunity for me to come up here,” Draft said. “There’s some amazing folks here in Buffalo. I think (Sunday) was big, not only that we could win for us, but win for the city.”
Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2258.
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