Two Bills Drive

‘Q. So what’s it like to win four AFC titles and lose four Super Bowls? A. Someone once asked me if I would have rather just gone to one Super Bowl and won it. I’d rather go to four. What we were able to accomplish, the resiliency we showed having to go back to training camp — ground zero — and get in a position to be competitive again is amazing. A devastating loss like that, you’ve got to sit with that for five, six months until you can compete again. I attribute Mark Levy, our head coach, with being able to put us in the right frame of mine. I’m proud to say I went to four, win or lose.’

‘Buffalo appeared to be the front-runner to sign Blake before he met with Redskins officials Thursday night and early Friday. But Blake’s meeting with Redskins Coach Steve Spurrier seemed to go smoothly.’

‘"I played for the minimum and never said anything because of my love for the game of football," he said. " The Rams knew they were underpaying me."’

‘"Based on what I did for the Rams, I wish they would have shown me more appreciation," Fletcher said in a telephone interview. "I had given the Rams way more than they could ever give me. Sometimes you have to say: ‘Enough’s enough. There’s no more blue light specials.’"’

@ Johnson won’t be forced to take on the roll in Tampa Bay that he had in Buffalo. What people don’t realize is that Jon Gruden’s offense doesn’t put too much pressure on the QB. The "QB friendly" attack saw Rich Gannon have a couple of career years and should enable Johnson to have some success, too. It must be noted that Johnson comes into this situation as a backup, and he’ll be playing under much less pressure. So yes, I do think there is a chance that, if he can get on the field, Johnson could succeed.

@ The OBD is not too keen on current weakside LB Jay Foreman.

@ They don’t think SS Prioleau is final answer in 4-6 defense.

@ They are not sure about the long-term prospects of free safety Tillman

@ They’re going to draft a defensive lineman in the first round.

‘Who better than an NFL quarterback, a guy with endless hours of film study, to pick this year’s Oscar winners? Buffalo Bills quarterback Alex Van Pelt, an avid moviegoer, will venture into the realm of serious film critique this week on the team’s Web site, www.buffalobills.com.’

‘But Hall of Fame officials have made accommodations to hold a bigger crowd by moving the ceremony from the front steps of the Hall to Fawcett Stadium, next to the Hall. The Hall could accommodate about 11,000 fans in the past. By moving to the stadium, the ceremony should be able to hold several thousand more.’

@ The ever-affable Cottrell, of course, was a significant factor in Cowart moving to southern New York. "He taught me the NFL game from the LB position," Cowart said. "Some people told me when I dropped from the first round to the second round that maybe going to Buffalo was like a blessing in disguise, and it definitely was. As soon as I walked in, Teddy and I kind of connected, and I give him the credit for the player I am today."

‘Riley figures to be the much more expensive of the two. He is a former first-round draft choice who has started the past four years for the Chiefs at right tackle. He missed the last 10 games of last season with a broken right leg.’

‘Blake said he probably will choose between the Redskins and the Buffalo Bills within the next few days.’

‘Blake visited Buffalo on Thursday before flying to Washington for dinner with Spurrier and owner Dan Snyder, and the Bills are prepared to give him their starting job. With Washington, Blake would have to beat out Danny Wuerffel, another Spurrier protege, and youngsters Dameyune Craig and Sage Rosenfels.’

‘Houston tendered [Kris] Brown an offer that would make his first-year salary cap figure about $1.2 million. They structured the contract with a higher first-year salary-cap as an attempt to thwart the Steelers’ willingness to match it. The Buffalo Bills also considered presenting Brown with an offer sheet, but he prefers to play in his native Texas.’

‘The team made a formal offer to restricted free-agent kicker Kris Brown late Friday evening, but the offer sheet was completed too late to reach the league office by the close of business. It will be filed Monday morning. Brown, who spent the past three seasons with Pittsburgh, also visited Buffalo but prefers Houston because it’s only four hours from his hometown of Southlake.’

The Buffalo Bills would like to congratulate their 2001 Class of Blue Coats on a job well done. The Blue Coat annual awards reception was held Friday, February 22nd at Brierwood Country Club and top Blue Coats were recognized for their accomplishments in 2001.