Two Bills Drive

@ Look for the Houston Texans to bring quarterback Rob Johnson, released by the Bills last week, to town for a visit. The meeting could take place as early as Tuesday, when the Texans start to visit with between 8 to 10 unrestricted free agents. Houston offensive coordinator Chris Palmer had the same job in Jacksonville when Johnson played for the Jaguars and is familiar with him. But it doesn’t appear Johnson, or any other veteran QB for that matter, is going to get rich by signing with Houston. The team has decided that Carr will play as a rookie and has budgeted just $1 million for a veteran backup.

‘In the NFL you’re either a winner or a loser, and right now Johnson is a loser, until he proves otherwise.’

@ The Bills are hoping that the unrestricted free agency market swings back into their favor with regards to middle linebacker Sam Cowart, just as it did with Ruben Brown two years ago. If not it appears they will turn toward ex-Titan players.

‘McKinnie and Williams – the top two offensive linemen in the NFL draft this year – are the kind of behemoths that are rare even by the oversized standards of pro football.’

‘Considering how Johnson’s situation had soured here – especially in the locker room where his teammates liked him but simply did not believe in him – it’s probably a better career move for him.’

‘The problem is that the patience of Buffalo fans with young pro athletes, gauged on a scale of 1 through 10, measures around a minus-14.’

‘Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and his wife, Jill, shared the podium to praise the work of doctors at Children’s Hospital in caring for their 5-year-old son, Hunter, who suffers from Krabbe disease, and their two daughters.’

‘The wordplay between former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and Assemblyman Sam Hoyt ended in a tie, with each scoring a verbal touchdown, at a news conference last week to promote Saturday’s rally to keep Children’s Hospital on Bryant Street.’

The Bills have asked tight end Jay Riemersma to take a pay cut of $1.25 million on his base salary but are only offering the opportunity to earn back $500,000 of that in incentives. If he balks, Riemersma could be the next tight end to be released. …

Don’t be surprised if the Buffalo Bills sign Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Kris Brown, who is a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet. The three-year veteran is coming off a miserable year, of course, one in which he missed a league-high 14 field goal attempts. But Bills general manager Tom Donahoe drafted Brown during his tenure in Pittsburgh, feels the kicker might benefit from a change of scenery, and wouldn’t mind tweaking Steelers officials a bit.

In 1995 the Atlanta Falcons signed linebacker Darryl Talley, a Pro Bowl performer during his years in Buffalo, as an unrestricted free agent. They quickly found out that Talley, who played well in the Bills 3-4 defensive front, could not handle the move to a 4-3 design. Talley became not only a bad player, an aging and intransigent veteran who couldn’t understand why he could not play up to his previous level, but eventually a locker room malcontent.

‘The Buffalo Bills’ head coach said Friday he is interested in pursuing safety Blaine Bishop and linebacker Eddie Robinson.’

‘"I want to start in this league and there are a couple teams that want me to be their starter," said Blake, who plans to shop around. "I don’t think I’ll be out of a job next year."’

‘But Johnson always will be my prime example of why the NFL’s complicated passer rating system is flawed. The formula rewards him for what he does best and completely ignores his major flaw — getting sacked.’

‘Blake said Houston, Baltimore, Washington, Chicago, Carolina and Buffalo have shown interest in him.’