Two Bills Drive

‘Things couldn’t have changed much more over the past year for the Buffalo Bills or the New England Patriots. Almost a year to the day after their last visit to Orchard Park, the Patriots come into Sunday’s renewal of a rivalry that dates to 1960 as one of the National Football League’s hottest teams. The Bills, meanwhile, are just trying to salvage something, anything from one of the worst seasons in franchise history (and if you count last week’s crawl-back against equally pitiful Carolina as ‘something,’ may you find a “Best of Joe Dufek” videotape under your tree). Last year, Buffalo hosted New England just one week removed from playoff contention, while the Patriots were hoping to tack their fifth win on to a season nearly as dreadful as this one has turned out for the Bills. That game turned into the Snow Globe Bowl, a 13-10 New England win in overtime played under conditions better suited for an Antarctic expedition. Coming into this year, few predicted the speed and angle of Buffalo’s demise. Even fewer expected New England to compete for anything higher than fourth place in the AFC East. And that was before Drew Bledsoe got hurt.’

The Bills have changed their minds and have decided to move the Fred Smerlas ceremony to halftime instead of before the game. The Marv Levy and Jim Kelly ceremonies earlier this year were also at halftime.

‘A starter since 1998, Irvin has made a sudden and stunning drop on the Bills’ depth chart.’

‘He will miss his first game in three years Sunday when the Bills host the New England Patriots.’

Simply, if the Patriots lose one game, they could miss out on the playoffs. The Patriots need to secure a playoff spot, something Bill Belichick will emphasize. The Bills will not roll over for the Patriots. Alex Van Pelt has upgraded the Bills’ offense. He brings a Jim Kelly attitude and toughness to the team. He is pushing the ball down the field.

It’s scary to think that Alex Van Pelt has done better running the West Coast offense than injured Johnson. Worse, the Bills didn’t answer the question that RJ is the right QB for the franchise. In other words, because of the salary cap and questions about RJ, it has been a wasted year. The Bills are five games worse than a year ago at 2-10. The defense underwent a dramatic transition and is surrendering 43 yards more per game. Some players are grumbling about the offensive scheme. It has been a tough year for first-year coach Gregg Williams.

‘He was a good-looking first-round draft pick in 1997, a 1,000-yard rusher in 1998. Then he hit a wall. Splat.’

‘You don’t see the individual dances and gyrations of players as you would from opposing players during introductions. That’s the way the Patriots want it.’

‘Roman Phifer is considered the Patriots’ best cover linebacker, and he’ll have his hands full against Larry Centers, one of the best receiving running backs ever.’

”’I think the biggest thing from ’97, when I got three starts that year, is the offense we are running,” he said. ”The `West Coast’ is something I was very familiar with from college and I really enjoy running, and I think that’s helped a lot in our success.”’

‘Because of a rash of injuries to the linebacker corps, coach Bill Belichick switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 alignment a month ago. After seeing the results, he’s not likely to switch out of it anytime soon.’

‘So why didn’t Buffalo, under new coach Gregg Williams, try to keep Smith? ”I don’t know,” he said. “The last two years there I was getting weeded out a little bit. I wasn’t really getting the chance to go out there and help the team. So I think the best thing for both of us was just to part ways and move on.”’

‘“Mike is a smart guy,” said coach Bill Belichick, who scouted Vrabel out of Ohio State five years ago and kept tabs on him during his days in Pittsburgh. “He is a hard-working guy. He trains well, he’s in top condition and football is really important to him."’

‘Both on and off the field, Mike Vrabel is the Patriots’ quiet linebacker.’

‘"The only thing that matters," the coach told his players, "is when they cross the finish line . . . Sometimes you are ahead and get further ahead, sometimes you are behind and you catch up. That is what it is about. It is about where we finish, not where we are in the middle of December. Right now, it is Buffalo. That’s it. 9-5. That’s all we can do anything about. There’s where we want to be."’