Two Bills Drive

‘”It’s the community that makes it that way,” said Bills guard Ruben Brown. “We’re interchanging players so much that it’s not the players, it’s the community. It means a lot to them.”‘

‘Q: Are you looking forward to playing a game in prime time with the rest of the league watching? SPIKES: It’s going to be big. That’s something we always wish for, but at the same time it’s a chance for us to go out there and show America what we’re made of.’

”’We just worry about ourselves,” said Bills defensive tackle Pat Williams. ”We ain’t worried about Miami, what they’re doing over there or nothing. We’re just worried about what we’re going to do.”’

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe of the Buffalo Bills was voted the FedEx Air NFL Players of the Week for games played on September 14-15. Bledsoe passed for 314 yards and two touchdowns in the Bills’ 38-17 win over Jacksonville. He completed 19 of 25 attempts and recorded a 144.2 passer rating.

‘"We ran the ball effectively last year [against Miami] and it gave us some one-on-one situations that we capitalized on and some guys made some great plays. We’ve got to be able to have as much balance as we can going into this ball game. We’re a better football team when we attempt to be as balanced as we can. It helps Drew, it helps our offense, and it helps our receivers."’

‘Time for the pick. Bills 23 Dolphins 20.’

‘"No question these teams are going to commit to stopping the runs and we can throw the ball," Bledsoe said. "I have confidence in the guys that I’m throwing the ball to. We’ve got guys that can make plays in the passing lane."’

The deal conjured memories of that Halloween heist the Buffalo Bills pulled 16 autumns ago when they stole sack-happy linebacker Cornelius Bennett from the Indianapolis Colts. Bennett, who had drawn comparisons to a young Lawrence Taylor, became one of the final pieces in Buffalo’s transformation from basement dwellers to perennial Super Bowl participants in the early 1990s.

‘Pittsburgh’s ketchup company, which also used the promotion with the Cleveland Browns last year, has worked out sponsorship deals with the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets. Basically, whenever the home team’s offense moves inside the 20-yard line, Heinz blitzes. Radio broadcasters are supposed to say, "The [insert home team name here] are now in the Heinz Red Zone," while anyone paying attention in the stadium sees some version of a ketchup bottle pouring.’

Sammy Morris, RB (Leg, Questionable) has been added to injury report.

‘”I think another thing that has allowed them to be very aggressive is that they’ve gotten out to big leads and force teams to be one-dimensional. That’s something that we’ve got to keep from letting happen. We’ve got to stay in the game, we’ve got to score early and can’t let Buffalo get up two or three scores on us early and let the defense just come out and blitz us and know that we’re in passing situations.”‘

‘"It’s still a huge rivalry, to say it is the same around here a decade ago, none of the players are the same you’ve got a lot of guys that came in off of different teams. So it can’t be anything close to what it was, but it’s still a big rivalry and I have a great respect for their team, their defense. It’s one of the best tests that you face all year every year and we have to face them twice. So it’s a game we get up for and prepare very well for and we have to play at an extremely high level to come away with a victory from the Dolphins. They’re a good team across the board there really are no weaknesses."’

‘The Buffalo Bills have jumped out of the gate in a hurry for the still young 2003-2004 season, with convincing wins over New England and in Jacksonville. Yet the measure of this team’s true potential does not come until this Sunday night, when one of the fiercest rivalries in pro football begins a new era.’

‘"It’s a big challenge for the team," linebacker Takeo Spikes said. "The guy ran for 325 in two games. As a defense you want to come back and play a running back of that caliber. I’m sure it’s like that in Cleveland (which gave up 295 yards to Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis last week). I’m sure they can’t wait to play this week."’

‘At times like these, you’re reminded how deep the feelings run toward Miami. Older fans must scoff at the notion that the Pats could replace the Dolphins as the team’s chief rival. Bill Belichick comes up with a couple of good game plans and all the Miami stuff goes out the window? Try telling that to Bryan Cox, or Marv Levy, or Thomas.’