Two Bills Drive

”Well, the weather is bad and I’m kind of skeptical because the odds of finding somebody with the talent to move on at a place like that is, what, five hundred to one? But then Jon starts punting in the rain. With wet balls. And they’re going 50 … 60 … 70 yards. So, now I’m looking at him and I’m saying to myself, ‘Wow. This is a kicker.’ ”

‘"But we need to take advantage of as many days as we can in this program because we are so young and we are new."’

‘"I like where we’re going," Modrak said. "You work at this job for a lot of reasons, but one of them is to be successful. And I see the light at the end of the tunnel, we’re going to be successful, we’re going to win and that makes it even more appealing."’

”’It’s not the security of the job so much, I’m secure, but I also really like this organization. I like where we’re going, I like the direction we’re heading. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, we’re going to be successful, we’re going to win, and that makes it even more appealing."’

‘”I felt this year’s draft was as fine as any we have had in our history and Tom certainly was a key component,” Bills owner Ralph Wilson said in a statement. “His knowledge in the areas of personnel and the game of football are top-notch and he will continue to play a very important role in our franchise.”‘

‘Modrak, 59, was hired last June as the team’s director of football operations. Although his title will change, he will still oversee scouting of college and pro players and assist general manager Tom Donahoe with day-to-day operations, Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said.’

‘"We look forward to having him for a long time. And I say that from the bottom of my heart," Bills president and GM Tom Donahoe said. "I have great respect for him in what he’s done in personnel in this league, and I have even more respect for him as a person."’

While the Bills conducted their sixth organized team workout in the past eight days on Tuesday, the biggest news came off the field as President and General Manager Tom Donahoe announced that Tom Modrak has been promoted to Assistant General Manager of the Buffalo Bills.

He talked about

* the excitment he has for Drew Bledsoe coming to town. How having a player with a chip on his shoulder is so valuable and that he’s been such a great leader even just to this point in the offseason.

* how important a good field goal kicker is, throwing out last year’s stats of how many close games we lost and that in those games there were multiple kicks missed.

* what it is going to take to have a winning season. Winning close games early is the number one thing GW thinks this team needs to gain confidence and be successful. Of course, strong leadership by the veterans was mentioned also.

Poll on ESPN. Page 2 is all about sounding off, and this time it’s your turn. We want you to decide if the Buffalo Bills has made the right moves in their new uniform styles.

Travis Henry (RB), Buffalo: The Bills’ powerful back is ready to shine as one of this year’s Sophomore Sensations.

The Bills today announced that Tom Modrak has been promoted to Assistant General Manager. Modrak, who signed a multi-year contract, served as Director of Football Operations since joining the club in early June of last year.

The re-designed uniforms were revealed in a ceremony at Ralph Wilson Stadium this past Saturday in front of 16,000 plus screaming Bills backers. That's not where the story ends though. With the new look comes more changes behind the scenes and added tasks to an already busy schedule.

Buffalobills.com will host a thirty-minute live chat with Jet Blue Airways uniform design expert Stan Herman of Stan Herman Design (NYC) on Wednesday, June 12, 2002 at 3:30 PM (ET). Herman will answer questions about the new uniform design.

‘They didn’t think twice. They had to have Reed. They couldn’t pass up the Biletnikoff winner, a first-team All-American who the team graded highly in character, effort, toughness, production and running after the catch.’