Two Bills Drive

‘”Somebody’s going to come into a pretty good situation,” said Donahoe, who said the search will begin immediately as he, along with owner Wilson and Tom Modrak, head of personnel, compile a list of candidates.’

‘”(The things) we do, people are going to criticize, that’s fine as long as it stays on the level of criticizing the job that people do. I think what is inexcusable is personal attacks, name-calling and some of the things that I’ve heard, not just directed toward Gregg, but directed toward Lindy Ruff and directed toward other people in Western New York. I don’t think there is any place for it.”‘

‘”I’d also like to thank the community. This is a special place to be. I say that now. My family and I have really enjoyed the time we’ve been here in Western New York. It’s a beautiful area of the state and it’s a beautiful area of the country and it’s a great place to raise a family. I can see why the rich tradition of the Buffalo Bills is what it is. The Buffalo Bill fans are tremendous fans and are well known throughout the country. It has been special times and I’ve enjoyed my time in the community.”‘

‘Though the Bills certainly would like to see the cornerback return, he may become too expensive for the Bills. Winfield’s value on the open market could put him in line for a hefty raise after making a $530,000 base salary in the fifth and final year of his contract this season.’

‘Tom Donahoe said there wasn’t any timetable for the hiring of Williams’ replacement, although he did say the process would be intense.’

‘”We weren’t able to do as well as I thought we would this season, but I believe this club has a good strong nucleus and can take the next step,” Williams said at an afternoon news conference. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to get us to the next level.”‘

‘Williams’ status with the team was further damaged by a suspected loss of the locker room. Pro Bowl offensive lineman Ruben Brown was asked to ‘stay home’ for Saturday’s embarrassing 31-0 loss to New England.’

‘“I feel he is a part of this team,” Donahoe said of Brown. “What happened last week and how we go forward doesn’t serve any purpose to air it out publicly. It’s better served, once things settle down, to be settled internally.”’

‘“I regret that it didn’t work out,” Donahoe said. “I can’t say anything publicly bad about the guy except we didn’t win enough football games.”’

The Bills have called a 4:15 PM press conference today in the media room of the team’s training facility in Orchard Park.

‘But Williams’ inability to develop an improved roster into a playoff contender played a part in the team’s decision. The Bills played below Donahoe’s expectations this season, after bolstering the defense with free-agent additions such as linebacker Takeo Spikes, tackle Sam Adams and safety Lawyer Milloy. “We have regressed, and I didn’t have confidence we could turn that around,” Donahoe said.’

‘He’ll be fired, in part, because he wasn’t a good sideline coach. On game day, Williams, 17-31 in his three seasons, was undermined by fundamentally flawed decisions, ill-considered challenges and poor clock management. But the area most responsible for his pink slip ultimately will be in selecting offensive assistants.’

‘”He took more bullets than a ’30 Packard in one of those Al Capone movies, and I don’t think it was fair,” Donahoe said. “I think some other people on our team should have stood up (for him), some of our coaches should have stood up.”‘

‘What’s the lasting impression of this season? “Underachieving, underachievers, period.”‘

‘”I wanted to play. They asked me not to play, and I respected that,” Brown told The Buffalo News. “I never quit. I’m sure everyone who comes to the games, knows me or played with me knows I never quit. . . . Even when things that weren’t that good for me, I’ve never quit. I’m pretty sure the fans of Buffalo know that. I’ve always been willing to stand up if I didn’t have a good game or play as well as I thought . . . I remember Jim Kelly telling me, “Hey, you don’t have to tell everybody when you have a bad game.’ “‘