Two Bills Drive

‘”I’m not surprised at all,” says Buffalo fullback Sam Gash, who played for Parcells in New England and is hoping he and his teammates can get the best of his former coach when the Bills visit Texas Stadium this afternoon. “He’s done this every place he’s coached. It’s no coincidence. The only surprise might be that he has turned it around there as fast as he has.”‘

‘I give them a 25-75 chance for the AFC’s second wild-card berth.’

‘What was your reaction when you heard you were coming back to the Bills after a three-year hiatus?

“It threw me completely off. It was one of those things where everything fell into place. We basically moved here as soon as they signed me. This is home now, and it really couldn’t get any better. I mean, this is my favorite place to play. I’ve played in Baltimore and New England but this, with the fan following the team has, blows away every other place.”‘

‘The reality is, Buffalo probably needs to go 6-2 down the stretch to make the playoffs … because 9-7 probably won’t get it done. And a division title is a particular longshot because, after Monday night’s dramatic win at Denver, the Patriots are 7-2 and despite losing to the Bills in the opener, have a 2 1/2 -game lead over Buffalo.’

‘”I feel that we are a somewhat intimidating secondary,” Williams said. “I think some of the wide receivers are all talk until they see our cornerbacks are very, very good, and me and [Darren] Woodson are going to lay a punishing blow.”‘

‘”Buffalo is certainly a team that could give us a lot of trouble. … I think we’ll have to be at our best,” Parcells said. “I think if we do what we did last week early in the game, we don’t have any chance.”‘

‘Deion’s declaration had the impact of a hummingbird dropping in Atlanta and with former Cowboys teammate Daryl Johnston. Atlanta columnist Steve Hummer reported, “It met with a resounding yawn. No one thought enough about it to ask for further comment.”‘

‘Drew Bledsoe has lost four fumbles. He has thrown eight interceptions. So maybe it should come as no surprise that Buffalo is among the league’s worst at protecting the football. Buffalo has turned the ball over 19 times; only Arizona has more. Dallas hasn’t forced a turnover in two games. This is a good week to end that streak.’

‘A loss drops Buffalo under .500. The Cowboys play New England, Carolina and Miami in their next three games. A loss Sunday and Dallas could play well and still lose four in a row. Dallas smells its first playoff berth since 1999, a powerful motivator. Buffalo’s Gregg Williams has spent a lot of time talking about his job security the last two weeks.’

‘They have lost three consecutive road games, and running back Travis Henry is complaining about not getting the ball near the goal line. A win would soothe a lot of what ails Buffalo. The Bills are a terrible road team (1-3), which means this is another game a playoff-caliber team wins at home. Coach Bill Parcells thinks the Cowboys’ performance this month will determine their playoff fate. A win over Buffalo won’t do it, but it will come close. ‘

‘The Cowboys’ team speed on defense should nullify Henry if the Bills spend too much time running outside.’

‘The Cowboys head into today’s game against the Buffalo Bills (4-4) in first place in the NFC East and tied with Minnesota, Seattle and Carolina for the best record in the NFC. More important, a season that began as a rebuilding campaign has morphed into one with playoff — and possibly Super Bowl — aspirations.’

‘”Roy Williams is a star waiting to happen.”‘

Intangibles – Adversity crops up in every game, for every team. A call doesn’t go your way, you turn the ball over, whatever. And while the Cowboys have proved resilient in the face of such problems, the Bills have had a nasty little habit this season of folding at the first sign of something going wrong. EDGE: Cowboys.’