Two Bills Drive

‘Free agency and the salary cap continues to shred the depth of most NFL teams, therefore causing massive turnover on the special teams. DeHaven not only has to re-tool the units, he has to find someone capable of replacing the leadership that Tasker and Pike provided.’

‘”He got started a little slow and didn’t have a grasp of the offense until the last few days,” said Dwight Adams, Bills director of player personnel. “But he has the speed and athletic ability that we drafted him for. He’s made some good catches out here.”‘

‘Bills rookie defensive end Bryce Fisher knows that he has no chance of making the team’s final roster this summer. That’s because after Saturday’s preseason opener in Seattle, Fisher must report back to the Air Force Academy where he still has two years to serve before he can even think about playing professional football.’

‘”In the situation I’m in, I normally get the ball so I have to perform. I have to approach it like if I don’t make the plays, I don’t give this team an opportunity to win and I don’t want that on my back.”‘

Another excellent article by TBD feature writer, Bob Lamb.

‘”We’d still like to utilize Kevin as a receiver because he can play,” coach Wade Phillips said. “He made some big catches for us last year. He’s got great speed and he’s a threat to run with it after the catch. But we’d like to pick up our return game and we’re emphasizing that as much as we can with him.”‘

‘Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson already is receiving a strong push from some members of the NFL media corps for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2000. He deserves it.’

‘There are “signs” this just may very well be the Bills’ swan song in Fredonia, as in directional signs with a Wegmans logo on them that greet drivers as they exit the New York State Thruway…Wegmans, the supermarket chain based in Rochester, is now the “presenting sponsor” of training camp…Ironically, though, there is not a Wegmans store to be found around the Dunkirk/Fredonia area.’

‘The Buffalo Bills didn’t hear the whispers that 5-foot-8 Antoine Winfield was too small to play cornerback in the NFL. Today, they’re glad their hearing wasn’t real sharp.’

‘In his Pro Football Hall of Fame speech Saturday, Billy Shaw thanked just about everybody. Except his wife.’

‘”It’s going smoothly now,” Price said. Last week I was nervous and wondering if I could compete at this level. Once I got my feet wet, I became more comfortable. I picked up most of it, I’m still learning how to do the blitz pickups and the spread offense, but as soon as I get that down, I can go out and react on every play.”‘

‘”Our competition level is certainly up this year,” Phillips said. “Last year we needed some guys to come through and we got that so we were able to be successful. This year there’s a lot of competition going in and as we’ve gone along here. They say during the Super Bowl years they had that kind of competition here, so that’s a good positive note for us.”‘

‘”Sometimes the good guys don’t win. That’s life. But it doesn’t mean you have to lose your faith,” Irvin said. “Just because you’ve lost in the game, you don’t lose in life. Marlon is probably more of a man because he believes he’s going to come back. Nobody wants to go through difficulties, but that’s life, too. You have to overcome things.”‘

‘”I want to be in the same situation where we can rest Bruce and we still play winning football. I’m starting to see the gray hairs coming out of (Smith’s) nostrils, so it’s almost my turn, but it’s not there yet, I have to wait until the full beard turns gray.”‘

An article promoting Bob Hayes (former Dallas Cowboy and a current Jacksonville resident) for the Hall Of Fame. The article includes a comment from former Cowboys president Tex Schramm (who also drafted Billy Shaw only to see Shaw sign with the Bills): “As for Billy Shaw, a Bills guard in the 1960s who was elected into the Hall of Fame this year by the Seniors Committee, Schramm said, ”You tell me what Billy Shaw did. I don’t even remember who he was, and I was in the league.””