Two Bills Drive

‘Spectators at this practice needn’t have been confused. The Bills are not going to use a 4-3 defense, or even a nickel package, regardless of what the crowd might have seen. Wade Phillips explained, "We worked with special defenses for the offense . . .’

‘This Week’s Scenario: Its January in Tampa, FL and the Bills are in the Super Bowl. By some twist of fate, their opponent is Bruce Smith and the Washington Redskins. The opening kickoff is received by the Redskins. Quarterback Brad Johnson leads the Skins down the field for a touchdown. The Redskins are up 6-0, and Coach Norv Turner decides to pull out all the stops. He calls a Fake PAT, scores, and puts the Redskins up 8-0…"

‘Robert Coveney operates a roller during installation of the inlaid logos on the Buffalo Bills new AstroTurf field at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., Monday, July 31, 2000. Coveney said the field will be 99 percent complete today.The Bills’ first preseason game against Cincinnati is on Friday. (AP Photo/David Duprey).’

‘"Shawn is a violent rusher," said Bills defensive line coach John Levra. "He’s a want-to guy. He wants to get to the quarterback. He doesn’t quit when he’s blocked. He fights and scratches to get to the quarterback. He finishes every rush until the play is dead. You have to have that mind-set if you’re going to succeed as a pass rusher."’

‘"We were a couple days away from putting our house up for sale and moving back to Pittsburgh," Van Pelt said Monday after his first workout with the Bills. "I’m glad to be back. I think I missed the camaraderie with the guys the most."’

‘The Bills already found out what they do if Doug Flutie gets hurt. They re-sign Alex Van Pelt. But what happens if they lose an inside linebacker from their stellar defensive unit? Is Jay Foreman up to the job? And what will they do if one of the starting wide receivers were hurt? Jeremy McDaniel has been all-Pittsford, but what will he do in games? Kwame Cavil was a sensation in the minicamps but he hurt his left leg Monday afternoon so the coaches need to look at University at Buffalo grad Drew Haddad and NFL Europe star Kevin Drake. Judging from his work in last Saturday’s scrimmage, Keion Carpenter pulled even with Daryl Porter in the battle to succeed Kurt Schulz as the free safety. The position has to be nailed down in the next two weeks so if rookie Travares Tillman or Nick Ferguson plan to make their moves, Friday night is the time. And how about Carpenter’s old Virginia Tech teammate, Corey Moore, the best defensive player in college football last season as an end? He’s a pro linebacker now, but he’s here mainly as a pass rusher so the big interest is whether he can assault NFL quarterbacks like Cincinnati’s Akili Smith and Scott Mitchell as he did the college variety. For that matter ,how will No. 1 pick Erik Flowers perform in the wake of Bruce Smith’s departure and the absence of the injured Marcellus Wiley? This is one of those cases where the Bills actually do need game conditions to start finding out some of those answers.’

‘"I played for six years and I was very fortunate. I was basically going to put it behind me and move on. We were about two days away from putting the house up for sale and heading back to Pittsburgh." His plans, however, changed dramatically when Doug Flutie sustained a torn left groin muscle in practice last Thursday. Instead of heading to Pennsylvania, Van Pelt drove to Rochester Sunday night after signing a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. Van Pelt immediately slid into the second spot on the depth chart behind Rob Johnson and ahead of youngsters Mike Cawley and Phil Stambaugh. He looked right at home in his No. 10 jersey during his first practices yesterday. "I guess the golf course was good for him," coach Wade Phillips said, "because he came in in pretty good shape."’

‘Tempers flared often during the morning practice as humidity levels rose to the sweltering range and the monotony of training camp began to set in.

The main event featured defensive tackle Bryce Fisher and guard Joe Panos exchanging blows in a skirmish that originally involved Fisher and guard Ruben Brown. A few minutes later, fullback Jonathan Linton and safety Travares Tillman traded shoves at the end of a play before Linton fired the football at Tillman’s helmeted head. "The guys are getting sick of one another after a week and a half of two-a-days," said tackle Jamie Nails.

"We’re like family and you love your brothers, but there are times you get tired to them, too." Especially when you’re lining up against the same people day after day, pounding away on the line of scrimmage.’

‘After reviewing the films of Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, coach Wade Phillips placed renewed emphasis on smart, crisp play. "We started out on three of the first four plays having a penalty," Phillips said. "We made too many mistakes, penalty mistakes. We’re not going to accept a lot of penalties." It was, of course, just a scrimmage, when the younger players saw more playing time. Friday’s preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals at Ralph Wilson Stadium may be a better test. "I evaluate them in practice but it’s how they play in a game," Phillips said.’

‘Pingel, 23, had hoped to catch the eyes of NFL scouts at Westminster College, a Division III school near St. Louis. He was a three-time All-American there, and earned small colleges player-of-the-year honors after putting up astounding numbers last fall: 136 receptions and 24 touchdowns in 10 games. Pingel wound up catching 436 passes during his collegiate career, shattering Jerry Rice’s NCAA record by 135 receptions. Pingel’s 6,108 receiving yards and 75 touchdown catches also left the San Francisco 49ers future Hall of Famer in the dust. But Pingel has no delusions. A spot has been reserved for Rice in Canton, Ohio. A spot in the unemployment line may soon await Pingel.’

‘Giancola felt he had a serious shot at dislodging veteran Steve Christie, or at the very least handling the kickoff duties for the Bills, but lasted just nine days before getting the dreaded message that coach Wade Phillips wanted to see him and that he should bring his playbook. "Going down the elevator and walking along the corridor, I felt like I was walking through the valley of death," said Giancola, who endeared himself to Argo fans early last season with a winning field goal against Hamilton. "It was hard because I felt I was coming on strong each day and thought without a doubt that I’d make the first exhibition game. "It (the NFL) was different. I found about 80 per cent of the players were very cold and not very appreciative of the fans and that’s not me. It’s a hard environment."’

‘While Giancola felt confident heading into the Bills camp, his challenge became greater when incumbent Steve Christie of Oakville had one of his best camps. "He came really prepared," Giancola said. "He hit all his pressure kicks. He was able to line-drive (his kickoffs) into the end zone, that was the big thing. I tip my hat to him. He is the best I’ve ever gone against. "I started off slowly, I’m not ashamed to admit. The first couple days I was nervous, I was in awe." Giancola said it didn’t help when quarterback Doug Flutie suffered a groin injury that will sideline the former Argo until September. The Bills had to find a temporary replacement for Flutie — they re-signed third-stringer Alex Van Pelt — which meant having to create a roster spot.’

‘The oppressive humidity stayed in the afternoon, but rain fell only briefly between sessions and at the end of the afternoon workout. And the end couldn’t have come too soon for the offense. Passes fell more often on the ground or in defenders’ hands than with their intended targets.’

‘They are adept at pushing all the right buttons in Buffalo, but rarely do they ever reach for the one marked "Panic," and that won’t change this year. Having summarily jettisoned three future Hall of Fame members this spring — defensive end Bruce Smith, tailback Thurman Thomas and wide receiver Andre Reed — one might guess the Bills could be forced to take a few steps back before moving forward again. But don’t bet on it.’

‘"I would have come back and played for $200,000 in a second," Van Pelt said. "It was fortunate for me, but unfortunate that it had to happen to Doug. It’s funny, a week ago Friday I was playing golf. Next Friday, I’ll be playing against the Bengals. We were two days away from putting our house on the market and moving back to Pittsburgh."’