Two Bills Drive

”’He’s a guy you hate to see go down because of the passion he has for the game and what he means to our team,” Wire said as the Bills prepare for their preseason finale at Detroit on Thursday. ”I’m taking this upon myself to not have a big drop-off from what we lost. I’m taking it very personally.”’

‘Even though Matthews will have only one full practice in Buffalo, he is expected to play against the Lions. ”If I was at training camp or not, I would look the same,” Matthews said. ”I’m not real big or real strong, but I usually know where to throw it.” Bills coach Mike Mularkey said Bledsoe would start the game and play a couple of series before being replaced by Greg Zolman.’

“New coach Mike Mularkey has some tricks up his sleeve for an offense that has a couple of new weapons, but first he has to straighten out the line.”

‘So it’s a sore subject in Buffalo, to say the least.’

‘"I have total confidence that it will come together," Mularkey said. "If you’re looking for excellence the first game, I think it’s a pipe dream. But I think they’ll get better and better as they play."’

‘"Everybody runs the same plays in this league," Matthews said. "You just have to learn how they call them. I’m pretty smart, at least I think I’m pretty smart. I just have to learn how to translate the plays."’

‘"I don’t have the strongest arm, but that’s not the main part about playing quarterback," said Matthews, who has started 22 games in his 11-year career. "It’s knowing the offense, don’t kill your team, don’t turn the ball over, have a quick release and throw it accurately. If you do that, you’ll be OK."’

‘While Thomas has been somewhat hindered in the first two preseason games by the broken bone just below his left thumb, he has nonetheless impressed new defensive backs coach Steve Szabo. "In our camp to date, he’s probably the most improved player," Szabo said. "He’s playing pretty good. He’s playing doggone good."’

‘NFL teams are required to be down to 65 players. NFL Europe players are exempt accounting for the extra three players on the Bills roster. Teams cut to 53 on Sunday.’

‘This could be his last chance to do so. But most likely, the next time you see Zolman you could be ordering a Happy Meal for your kids.’

‘No one has any delusional Super-Bowl-or-Bust predictions for the 2004 Bills — unlike last year. But in the end, this year’s team may fare far better than their predecessors, a pleasing thought to the extremely loyal (even in the winter) fan base. Bottom line: With Miami and the New York Jets stuck in neutral, the Bills should be the world-champion Patriots’ only competition for the AFC East crown. But Drew Bledsoe must remain healthy for that to happen.’

‘Bledsoe is expected to play just one or two series against the Lions, leaving Matthews and third-stringer Greg Zolman to handle most of the duties behind center.’

‘The offense hasn’t been able to put the ball in the end zone yet this preseason. I think it’s cause for slight concern, but I don’t think there’s any reason to panic. The game-planning hasn’t been in-depth yet. You’re just getting a group of plays called that you’ve been working on in camp. There’s only a little bit of actual game-planning that goes on. For the most part, you’re just looking at a group of plays that are being picked out of a hat to try and beat the defense in that situation. I think that’s the reason they haven’t scored once they get into the red zone, but I don’t anticipate that being a problem in the regular season.’

”’Teams try to call old guys and I’m an old guy,” said the 34-year-old Matthews, who did not take a snap last year. ”I’m excited to be here and ready to do whatever they need me to do.”’

‘The Bills now have 68 players on their roster, including three NFL Europe exemptions. NFL rosters must be reduced again to 53 players by Sunday, September 5th.’