Two Bills Drive

‘What disappointed me most about the Bills loss on Sunday to the Eagles was that Philadelphia came in and played a more desperate game. Even Head Coach Gregg Williams acknowledged that his team didn’t wake up until the fourth quarter. I find that disturbing.’

‘”We have a great back coming in, and we look forward to the challenge. I look forward to it,” Spikes said of Corey Dillon, who has a strained groin and might not play. “It’s big (for me). To sum it up, knowing from where I came, knowing where I am now and where I want to go, that’s how big emotionally this game is for me.”‘

‘Players follow the leader. Williams established a cavalier tone for this season at St. John Fisher College by holding just one double session. Penalties out of aggression can be excused somewhat in a sport as violent as football. But the Bills have become mentally sloppy, and clearly they aren’t good enough to overcome their mistakes. Nine penalties on the defense the past two games have led to 27 points for the opposition. Gregg on Monday tactfully blamed the zebras for having a bad day, too. That’s not what the ticket buyers want to hear.’

‘Don’t look now, but all of a sudden the Bungles, er, the Bengals, look like a tough matchup for the slumping Bills.’

‘The Bills have lost their last two and dropped to 2-2, but Spikes does not regret his decision to leave Cincinnati. “It has been everything I hoped it would be, even though we lost the last two,” Spikes said Monday. “The reason we’re losing is what we’re doing to ourselves.”‘

‘”Corey looks to be the only guy that maybe we’ll hold out at this point,” Lewis said. “We want to give him a chance to rest this week, rest through the bye, try to get him back for Baltimore and have him come smoking after that.”‘

‘The biggest knock on Williams during his first two years was that he wasn’t a very good game day coach. His decisions left a lot to be desired, and that continues to be a prime issue.’

‘What rushing offense? There wasn’t one.’

‘RG Mike Pucillo has struggled badly the last two weeks against bruising run stuffers Tim Bowens of Miami and Corey Simon of Philadelphia. Pucillo has three holding calls the last two weeks (one was declined), and he has been one of the reasons the Bills haven’t gotten any push in the running game.’

‘”I think Marvin did him a favor,” said quarterback Jon Kitna. “He didn’t want to be here anymore. He wanted to get a new start. We lost a great caliber football player, but we like the team we have here. You don’t want guys here that just dread coming into work and dread being on the team. You don’t want that.”‘

‘"I need time to get it right," Dillon said after Sunday’s game. "The most disappointing thing is I can’t be out there with my boys. That was more pain than the groin. They’re going to have to ride without me for a little bit. Hopefully, after the bye I can come back and be 100 percent."’

”’We always believed we could run the ball,” said Westbrook, a second-year pro from Villanova. ”We’re capable of running it. We have three pretty good running backs and we have a great offensive line that can block, and when we have the opportunity, we’re going to run the ball.”’

‘How bad has it been? Buffalo’s last two opponents have managed more first downs by penalty, eight, than the Bills have had on the ground, one each in their last two games.’

‘Bengals running back Corey Dillon is expected to miss next weekend’s game at Buffalo because of a strained groin.’

I don’t want to hear any excuses for the Bills loss on Sunday to the Eagles. No one cares that Travis Henry is hurt. Run the ball. No one cares that the Eagles were due for a win. The Bills were coming off a humiliating loss in Miami. No one cares that a few calls went against the Bills. The referees don’t drop passes and miss tackles.