Two Bills Drive

‘While Bledsoe’s departure may have divided some Patriots loyalists, it clearly has united the citizens of Bills Nation. The dawn of the Drew Era in western New York has fans stoked as they prep for next Sunday’s National Football League opener against the New York Jets at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The dress rehearsals indicate that Buffalo may have the last laugh; that this won’t be another tragic comedy, a la Rob Johnson.’

‘The Bills will be one of the league’s most improved teams. But let’s not give them too much credit. How about 8-8?’

‘No matter how bad the Bills D turns out be — and it could really be bad — Bledsoe will keep most games close.’

‘For starters, they got a future Hall of Famer in Bledsoe for next to nothing and they’ve surrounded him with soft hands. Wide receivers Eric Moulds and Peerless Price, fullback Larry Centers and tight end Jay Riemersma were already onboard and then the Bills added second-round draft choice Josh Reed, a nifty wideout. The first-round pick was offensive tackle Mike Williams, who will protect Bledsoe’s back.’

‘Watson fits the mold the Bills desire in their cornerbacks. He has good size – 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds – so he can defend tall receivers. And he’s comfortable playing man-to-man coverage, which the Bills emphasize.’

‘Only about 400 scattered seats are left for the Sept. 8 game in Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills also have three other games that are close to being sold out. A little less than 1,000 seats remain for the games against Chicago on Sept. 29, Oakland on Oct. 6 and New England on Nov. 3.’

‘For the half, Buffalo’s first unit rushed 10 times for 15 yards.’

‘Like the offense and defense, the Buffalo Bills special teams units rode a roller coaster in Thursday’s 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions in the final game of the preseason.’

Q: Will the Bills go to the 4-6 defense this year? I thought they were going to run it last year.

A: The Bills wanted to switch to the 4-6 defense but they simply did not have the personnel to do it last year. That, however, changed CB Nate Clements entered the starting lineup. With Clements and Winfield, the Bills have two CBs capable of playing on an island, which is exactly what the aggressive 4-6 defense needs to be effective. How important is it? Two of the biggest reasons the Titans had such a down year in 2001 were injuries in the secondary and the inability of their corners to play on an island.

‘The Bills’ leading rusher this preseason is returning starter Travis Henry, who’s racked up 80 yards on 27 carries, and accounted for the longest run from scrimmage — a mere 20 yards. The backups have fared even worse.’

While the Bills were a great team and were playing at home, the cynic in me would not allow me to believe that the Bills would actually go to the Super Bowl.

Preseason football wouldn't be complete without the annual debate over whether there is too much preseason football.

You hear the discussions over the copy machine and the talk-show airwaves.

For the first time since the 1990 season the Bills finished the preseason 0-4. Could that be a good sign?

"Too many negative plays – with the penalties and stuff. We need to get that straightened out. We get to go play for real now and I'm fired up about that. We have a very short time to get things straightened out. I have the confidence that we'll get it done."

‘And suddenly it’s hard not to wonder whether Williams, who got the job because of his impressive interview with president/general manager Tom Donahoe, is the coach to lead this team back to the playoffs.’