Two Bills Drive

‘The arrival of Jerry Rice in 2001 and the emergence of third-year man Jerry Porter in 2002, combined with the fact that Jett does not play special teams, made him a non-entity during the Raiders AFC championship season.’

‘The 32-year-old Jett posted career highs in catches (46) and touchdowns (12) in 1997. He then followed that season up with a career-best 882 yards in 1998.’

”’Nah, nah, I don’t need to set a franchise record again,” Fletcher said. ”When you have a defense where you have a great deal of talent on it, one person doesn’t have to make all the plays.” Also noting the addition of defensive tackle Sam Adams, Fletcher grinned and said: ”We’ve got a pretty stout group.”’

‘Jett says Sam Adams convinced him to come to Buffalo.’

‘The Bills already have depth at receiver with Eric Moulds, Josh Reed and recent free-agent acquisition Bobby Shaw.’

Why Buffalo? What made it attractive?

“I talked to a couple of guys and they said it was a great place to be, a great place to play, good people here in the organization and they need some speed.”

1998

Starter at wide receiver in all 16 league games for Raiders, finishing second on the team in receptions with 45, yardage with 882 and in receiving touchdowns with six…Average per reception of 19.6 ranked first on the Raiders and second in the NFL among receivers with at least 35 catches

Jett, known for his world class speed, has spent the past 11 seasons with the Raiders where he has caught 256 passes for 4,417 yards (17.3 average). In 1997, Jett posted career highs in catches (46) and touchdowns (12). He followed that season up with a career-best 882 yards in 1998.

Marcus Spriggs, a six-year veteran who has started at both left and right tackle in the NFL, was signed by the Green Bay Packers. The 6-4, 310-pound Spriggs was chosen by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 1997 draft, and has been with the Miami Dolphins the last two years

Dusty Zeigler was signed by the Giants as an unrestricted free agent on March 6, 2000, after four seasons with the Buffalo Bills. With fellow veteran acquisitions Lomas Brown and Glenn Parker, he helped transform the offensive line into an efficient, effective unit that helped lead the Giants to a 12-4 record and a berth in Super Bowl XXXV. Zeigler was voted a Pro Bowl alternate that season.

‘Since January, when the purchase of his west-side house closed, Bledsoe has called Portland home.’

‘Simonton is realistic about his chances of making the Bills’ roster. In addition to being at the bottom of the depth chart, he’ll enter training camp after missing several minicamps and hours of on-field work and classroom study. But Simonton is confident his performance this spring has enhanced his chances of playing somewhere in the NFL. "I just want to play ball," he said. "I just feel like somebody will give me an opportunity if it doesn’t work in Buffalo."’

‘Taylor, who led the National Football League with 18 1/2 sacks last year, thinks his Dolphins are going to get even more competition this year from the Buffalo Bills, who beat his club twice last year. "They’ve added some guys in Sam Adams and Takeo (Spikes) who will really help them out," he said. "They’re going to be tough. The Bills fans are fired up. I’m sure in Buffalo they’re always ready for football, because there’s not a whole lot else going on around here. It’s great for the game. It’s a great rivalry between the two teams. And the AFC East is the toughest division in football."’

I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I have only been to Buffalo once when I was a kid, but I brought back the greatest souvenir the city of Buffalo can offer, their passion for the Buffalo Bills.

‘There are revelations about the personalities behind the scenes and those who were at the forefront of the battles. The "blackout" issue is widely discussed. There are many anecdotes about past Super Bowls (good and bad) and auxiliary NFL affairs.’