Two Bills Drive

‘Pick: BILLS 23, CHARGERS 13.’

‘Even winning out wouldn’t guarantee the Chargers their first playoff berth in seven years, but it certainly would go a long way.’

‘The problem: The three leading rushers in the NFL are in the AFC, and only three running backs in each conference make the NFL all-star game. Kansas City’s Priest Holmes has 2,104 scrimmage yards and is poised to break the NFL scoring record. Miami’s Ricky Williams is on pace to rush for 1,850 yards. Tomlinson has more than a 200-yard lead on Henry, with 1,375 yards.’

‘The 40-year-old Flutie has not taken a snap this year and is likely only to play if Brees gets hurt.’

‘If Williams does come back for the final year of his contract, he should have a lot of adjustments to make no matter how many helpful free agents they sign.’

‘"I think the best tackles in the AFC are me and Gary Walker," he said.’

‘"We couldn’t go wrong either way if we had taken Michael Vick," Chargers General Manager John Butler said this week. "We thought that he was just one heck of a football player. But we needed more than just one player."’

‘In negotiating a new lease with Erie County for the stadium that now bears his name, Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. extracted a variety of concessions and flat-out grants that amounted to a $123 million package when the deal was finalized in 1998.’

‘The last time the Chargers were in Kansas City – Dec. 23 of last year – it was 28 degrees. “That was so co-o-old,” said defensive end Raylee Johnson. That was the sixth consecutive game played in chill below 40 degrees that the Chargers lost.’

‘It’s late, it’s freezing, snowing hard, and Bills are Buffaloed when Drew Brees hits Doug Flutie with the winning touchdown pass. Chargers, 24-21.’

Last year, the Bills were 3-13. The season will obviously be an improvement, but by how much? That's a question only the Bills can answer in the next three weeks. A 9-7 finish-or even 8-8-would certainly give the team a strong springboard into 2003.

‘The only ex-Bills contributing on the field this season for San Diego are kicker Steve Christie and defensive end Marcellus Wiley.’

‘[Q:] Have you hit the rookie ‘wall’ yet? [A:] ”I’m actually doing OK. Last year in college, I played 15 games, a bowl game and two All-Star games. I didn’t stop playing football until February. The way I look at this season, is that we’ve got three weeks left and then hopefully we’ve got the playoffs.”’

‘”I just don’t think we’ll ever see anything like that again,” said the man who was one of the primary architects of Buffalo’s Super Bowl run of the early 1990s. “We had a special group of guys. They were resilient, and we were able to keep them together for a long time. The way the game has changed with free agency and the salary cap, I just can’t see that happening again where you are able to retain a corps of players that defy the odds and go to four straight Super Bowls.”‘

‘Yeah, the Buffalo Bills are still alive in the AFC playoff race … and David Letterman might take over for Dan Rather on the CBS Nightly News.’