Two Bills Drive

‘”If they have a weakness,” Vermeil said, “they, too, have had a problem in giving up big plays, just like we have. They’ve given up 42 plays of 20 yards or more. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that as they will try to take advantage of our problems to date."’

On Nov. 8, 1986, WR/special teams star Steve Tasker was claimed off waivers from which team?

‘The Chiefs rank second in the NFL in scoring at 30.2 points a game.’

‘"You don’t rebuild an entire football team in two years," he said. "It takes time. You’ve got to have patience. That’s not what the NFL is all about. But I like watching kids grow. I like to see them get better."’

‘Since the bye week was introduced in the NFL schedule, the Bills are 10-3 in games following the open date.’

‘Their 5-4 record says they are tied for first, but with a 1-2 record in games against their AFC East rivals, and a 2-4 mark in the AFC — key tiebreakers which, given the jumbled state of the playoff race, will certainly come into play — the Bills have little room for error in these final seven weeks.’

‘”I don’t think there’s any question I’ll be able to play on Sunday, the biggest thing is not to have a setback and have it tighten back up on me,” Riemersma said. “The big question is how I feel (today) because I did quite a bit today. I pretty much took my normal reps.”‘

‘Heading into week 11 of the regular-season schedule, 13 of 16 AFC teams are either tied for first place or are one game back in their respective divisions.’

‘”I think last year he wanted to err on the side of being a little too hard on some guys, and some guys really didn’t appreciate it,” fullback Larry Centers said. “He kind of has a rough edge to his approach, and he’ll tell you flat-out how it is. For a veteran, you always want a little leeway, and last year with Gregg there wasn’t a whole lot of leeway.”‘

‘The Chiefs might have some competition for [Greg] Favors. He already has visited with Green Bay and could be headed to Buffalo and Carolina.’

‘”This,” Bledsoe told himself, “is a cool football town.”‘

‘Carol Vermeil, 66, wife of the Chiefs coach, was assaulted by a purse snatcher Tuesday afternoon on the streets of Kansas City’s fashionable Plaza shopping area, near where the Vermeils reside.’

‘Former Delaware quarterback Scott Brunner, former Kutztown (Pa.) receiver Andre Reed and former Valdosta State (Ga.) linebacker Jessie Tuggle comprise the 2002 class of inductees.’

Knowing it was only a matter of time before opponents started to figure out ways to contain Buffalo’s Drew Bledsoe-led offense, Gilbride spent the extra practice time tinkering with some changes in order to keep everyone guessing.

"I really enjoyed my whole time there. There’s just great people in the Buffalo area. I still talk to a lot of people in the organization and obviously, my teammates. We all see each other at different events in the off-season. The relationships, I think, are the best part as far as on-the-field stuff. I think ’88, when we won our division and (the fans) tore the goalposts down, we were right up there in the top of the league. It was the first time that we had that feeling that we were one of the premier teams in the league."