Two Bills Drive

‘See, you can’t be, as so many commentators have griped about the Chiefs the last week, an imperfect 7-0, any more than you can score an imperfect 1600 on the SAT or go an imperfect five for five in baseball. Perfect is perfect. Sure, the Chiefs needed incredible Dante Hall returns to clinch victories against Baltimore and Denver, an interception and fumble against Green Bay, a tackle at the 1-yard line against Oakland. But you know what? They got every one of those things.’

‘A team pegged for the Super Bowl after season-opening wins over New England and Jacksonville, the Bills were prematurely assigned to the Toilet Bowl after a 30-3 loss to the Jets and an overtime win over the Bengals. But with Travis Henry fully healthy again and running for a career-high 167 yards last week, the Bills are a solid 4-3 after their season-high 432-yard offensive performance — despite the absence of leading receiver Eric Moulds — in a convincing 24-7 win over Washington.’

‘As a matter of fact, the Bills do see a crack of light. “You do get a little more juiced up for a team that looks like it’s trying to run away with the season,” Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. “We know this game, we know everyone has a flaw. Of course, Kansas City isn’t perfect. Of course they can be beaten. We’re going in there thinking we’re going to be the ones to do it.”‘

‘But teams are getting better and better at avoiding kicking to Hall, who had returned kicks for touchdowns in an NFL-record four straight games before being shut out the last two weeks. Buffalo has promised to give Hall the same treatment. “Boy, that makes me mad,” Hall said. “It’s like if you’re trying to play video games, and you’re so good that no one will play you. Then you don’t get to play, so it’s not fun anymore. It’s the same thing. I want to play.”‘

‘”The most dangerous thing they do with Priest is they give him a lot of different things to do,” defensive tackle Sam Adams said. “If he runs up the middle and you stack the middle, then he runs to the perimeter, then they give him a draw, then they give him a screen. They change the personnel and do a lot of shifts and motions to try to disguise their basic plays. They get him the ball a lot of different ways.”‘

‘Williams’ Buffalo Bills stand 4-3 because, unlike the more-fortunate Chiefs, fate keeps insisting they pay for their mistakes.’

‘Moorman currently ranks third in the league, averaging 47.6 yards, and sixth when factoring in return yards. Impressive for a guy with a slim 6-foot, 175-pound frame.’

‘Moulds did well, but Williams says he’ll still need to work out Sunday to see if he can play. He’s missed two weeks with a slightly torn groin. Sammy Morris is in the same boat according to the head coach.’

‘Q: Do you think those comments about shutting down (RB) Priest Holmes will motivate this team? GREEN: “I hope it doesn’t take something like that to motivate this team. The bulletin board material. I would like to think that guys are prepared whether someone says something or not. If that helps motivate their team, that’s great. We know we are at home and we haven’t been at home in over three weeks. We have had two great road victories. We are anticipating the crown being fired up and on national television, making it as difficult as possible for Buffalo. That’s what this team is focused on.”‘

‘The reason Holliday will be licking his chops on Sunday is that the last time he faced the Western New York foes (12/22/02) he racked up a career-high and Packer record 5.0 sacks while playing in the Green and Gold.’

‘”He’s the main reason I’m in the NFL right now,” said Bills linebacker London Fletcher, who signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent from John Carroll University in 1998. “He’s the rare coach who really gave free agents, undrafted free agents, long shots, a true opportunity to make the football team and not look at them as just a (training) camp body. He really had a lot of confidence in my abilities. He put himself on the line and took a chance, and it worked out well for both of us.”‘

‘The Bills conducted a rare Friday night practice in the team’s field house. Williams changed the schedule to get his team prepared for Sunday night’s game. Williams said that it was the best practice of the week. “It was very crisp,” he said.’

‘Approximately 125 boys and girls who have qualified for the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick sectional competition will showcase their skills today from 1:15 to 4 p.m. in the Ralph Wilson Fieldhouse.’

‘”It is significantly better than last year and last year was a great year,” said Jay Mininger, vice president of marketing at Dick’s. “Winning makes a huge difference and the influx of new players has helped.” Lawyer Milloy, Sam Adams and Takeo Spikes are some of the new faces boosting sales. And even though Willis McGahee hasn’t played yet, people are snatching up his jersey.’

‘Fletcher believes Vermeil has a soft spot in his heart for long shots because he was one himself. “I think his own coaching background, the way he came up through the ranks of high school, junior college and college, influenced him,” Fletcher says. “He had to work hard at it. He wasn’t given anything. So he appreciates the guys who have had to battle to get to the position they are in.”‘