Archives for August 4, 1999

“There are two nightmarish injuries for football players who are in running positions. Groin pulls and hamstring strains are the worst kind of physical woes for running backs, wideouts, defensive backs and linebackers. And, suddenly, the Bills’ interest in wayward running back Lawrence Phillips is understandable. It was an horrendous public relations decision, given Phillips low-character history. But it spoke volumes about the Bills’ concern over Smith’s health.”

‘”We brought Jerry back because he’s a good player and he’s versatile enough to play a lot of postions. In this case, it can really help us,” Phillips said. “But there were a lot of factors. Hicks and Spriggs have looked good. Last year, no way could we do this. We didn’t even know who the backups would be. But we’re trying to get a starting unit, the best five, together and give it time to jell.”‘

‘”I prefer to stay here, but sure, I’d love to play somewhere else if Doug’s going to be the man here for a long time,” Johnson said. “This year will tell a lot. Salary cap wise, I’m sure they can keep us both another year and be fine but after that it’ll get tough and I know, from talking to people, there are three or four spots out there where I could start. But they have me for five years if they want. We’ll see. I don’t worry about it now. I’m happy. I’m fine.”‘

‘”We have some exciting new players and some who have been here a while and are ready to blossom,” Smith said. “And we have some older players who just seem to keep getting better and better.”