Two Bills Drive

‘”We’ve been exploited,” he said, an edge to his voice. “People might not want to hear it … but it gets to a point where you get tired of being an average defense."’

‘The defence, meanwhile has surrendered 343 yards on the ground in consecutive losses to the Eagles and Dolphins.’

‘"We’re going to come out of the bye refreshed and energized no matter what," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said, "but (a win) would be great because it would keep us in line with where we’d like to be at the end of the year."’

‘The Bengals will stuff the run, contain the Bills’ passing game and pull off the upset. Prediction: Bengals 24, Bills 20.’

‘The games of both the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants will be televised by CBS at 1 p.m. Sunday, and WBNG, the network’s affiliate in Binghamton, is scheduled to broadcast the Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo.’

‘Dr. David Gandell paid $3,500 Friday night for the fiberglass animal signed by all of the Buffalo Bills. It was only one of several decorated creatures that were auctioned off to the highest bidders in the Animal Scramble Auction held at Rochester’s Convention Center.’

‘"I’m going to take it day by day, game by game, and week by week," said Brown. "Wherever coach Williams and his staff feel the need to put me, offense, defense or special teams, I’m willing to do it.”

‘”Knowing where I came from, knowing where I’m at now and knowing where I want to go, that’s how big and emotional this game is going to be for me,” Spikes said. “You want to go out and prove something, and I think that goes hand in hand with us getting everything stabilized defensively.”

‘Any similarities between that bunch that rolled out of Buffalo 280 days ago and the team that Lewis brings into Buffalo this Sunday is not purely coincidental. It’s accidental.’

‘Q: How much influence do you have on the play calling? – Thomas Thompson (Clarksville, TN)

EM: I go out there and get the game plan. The coaches might give me a couple of things to look at and I tell them if I like them or not but that’s about as much of an influence as I have.’

‘But Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna and Bills strong safety Lawyer Milloy ought to at least get a float in the parade. It’s just the second time the two Tacoma, Wash., Pop Warner and Lincoln High School teammates have met since they came into the NFL in 1996.’

‘"He just had a great way of dealing with people and talking with the players," Lewis said. "On Monday afternoons, we used to kind of sit back to back there – we split a room – and watching tape, me doing mine and him doing his, and the different things that he might see and point it out to me – ‘Hey, young fella, come over here and look at this here.’ "’

‘Bills running back Travis Henry, suffering from torn rib cartilage, took about 40 percent of the snaps during Friday’s practice and is a game-time decision for Sunday’s game with Cincinnati, according to coach Gregg Williams.’

‘New Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure will be promoting “Jumbogate,” Western New York’s largest tailgate party. DeLamielleure will appear at Basil Chevrolet, 5111 Transit Road in Depew, and will meet fans and sign autographs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.’

‘Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe thinks Rosenhaus has changed for the better when it comes to negotiating. As the Pittsburgh Steelers’ director of football operations, Donahoe and Rosenhaus clashed over a bitter contract dispute involving Green in 1994. ‘He’s a lot better to deal with,” said Donahoe, who described working with Rosenhaus on McGahee’s deal as pleasurable. “Early in his career he was very confrontational. He had a take-it-or-leave-it type of attitude. He wasn’t going to take anything less than a certain amount. It didn’t make any difference what we said or what the circumstances were.’