Two Bills Drive

The Bills will battle the New York Jets in the home opener on Sept., 8, 2002 at 1:00 PM ET.

Bills open with Jets and close with Bungles. No ESPN or ABC MNF night games it appears.

@ Bills fans can just about forget acquiring LTs Bryant McKinnie or Mike Williams in the NFL Draft. By signing left tackle Trey Teague to a four-year, $10 million deal, Buffalo has basically made Teague, 6’5", 292 pounds the starting left tackle of the future.

@ When Buffalo signed Denver LT Trey Teague, it could have signaled that the Bills will not take one of the two outstanding tackles available in this draft. They have a rising star on the right side in second-year tackle Jonas Jennings, so perhaps it’s a hint they’ll take Oregon QB Joey Harrington or trade out of the spot. We’re saying they’re taking Harrington.

10. Special opportunities: The Bills still need to get a kicker but the options are evaporating quickly. They have restricted free agent Phil Dawson of the Browns scheduled for a visit next week. After that, they’ll have to focus on Mike Hollis of the Jaguars or Doug Brien of the Bucs. Expect Gary Anderson to re-sign in Minnesota and Steve Christie to go to San Diego.

@ GM Jerry Angelo revealed Wednesday that the club extended a contract offer to veteran free agent Chris Chandler this past weekend and expects a response from agent Frank Bauer by Friday. Chandler, whose role with the Bears would be to back up Miller, is believed to be investigating potential starting opportunities in Buffalo, Carolina and Washington.

In preparation for the 2002 Draft, buffalobills.com is conducting a mock draft online. Visit the main Bills page to place your vote today.

Everything was cool and great up until the night before draft day, then everything got a little bit shaky. I was a little nervous so I had to call my dad to have him calm me down.

‘"Hey, we have a great organization," Wilson said last week in an interview with The News. "We have the best organization we’ve ever had in terms of talent evaluation."’

‘Sources said that Blake is seeking as much as $6 million in guaranteed payments, and no club has been willing to pay that thus far.’

‘"The main thing with doing it, is so we don’t get forced into necessarily taking a certain position," Donahoe said Wednesday after officially announcing Teague’s signing. "It just gives you a chance to go into the draft and look at who the best players available are and make a decision based on that."’

‘Though Ralph is a spry 83-year-old, he won’t live forever. Is there an ownership group in place that would make the commitment to western New York that Ralph has?’

‘The Buffalo Bills have retained a key element of their young secondary, reaching contract accord with three-year veteran cornerback Chris Watson, a restricted free agent. By re-signing Watson, the No. 3 cornerback on the roster, the Bills keep intact one of the NFL’s best young corner corps. Watson is a top “nickel” player and the prime backup to starters Antoine Winfield and Nate Clements. None of the three is older than 24 and all are excellent in coverage.’

On Trey Teague signing:

This signing definitely diminishes the need for an offensive tackle. It's a great pickup because the Bills now have a known quantity, a player with experience who doesn't have to be broken in as a rookie would. I think they could concentrate on a defensive lineman and/or a safety in the first round.