Two Bills Drive

‘The Bills face an opponent missing two of its four best players when they go to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars on Thursday night. The Jaguars’ offense will operate without star running back Fred Taylor and All-Pro left tackle Tony Boselli.’

‘"He threw the ball extremely well, especially in the wind today," said coach Gregg Williams. "He had a fresh arm. It seems like there is no residual effect from it right now."’

[VIDEO] NFL Insider – CNNSI.com analyst Pat Kirwan lists some backup QBs who could rescue their struggling teams (Dallas, Seattle, Buffalo).

Most surprising boost came from Alex Van Pelt in Buffalo. After Rob Johnson get hurt, Van Pelt came in and threw three TDs. One Bills player told me ‘We need Alex out there but I can’t put my finger on it but it is something’.

‘A lot of loyal fans paying $36 a ticket think the results already are clear on the first issue. They have made up their minds. Johnson is not the answer. They might be right. But Tom Donahoe and Gregg Williams aren’t ready to pull the plug on Johnson and can’t afford to pull it yet.’

‘Buffalo Bills linebacker Kenyatta Wright got a little more than he bargained for last week when he spent a day meeting with residents of the Waters of Orchard Park nursing home on Armor Road. The folks were genuinely appreciative that a pro football player would spend his day off visiting with them. At the same time, the senior citizens were anything but shy in voicing their opinions about this year’s Bills and their 0-4 start.’

‘In commenting on his disappointment in the team’s play, Buffalo coach Gregg Williams used a fairly common and relatively mild curse word to describe his state of mind. Still, it created a dilemma for me. I could easily have put in a “bleep”, though to those who aren’t sure what he said, it might seem the actual word was more offensive than the one used. Or, I could have used a synonym, such as “ticked”, which is how the Associated Press handled the issue.’

‘Buffalo Bills’ rookie coach Gregg Williams has a good sense of humor, too, more a dry-martini, acidic wit that is serving him well in the midst of an 0-4 start, worst by a Buffalo team in 16 years.’

‘"We picked Rob because he’s more talented, and we felt he fit best with what we were trying to accomplish here."’

The Bills have unquestionably been one of the league’s worst teams so far. If they’re not THE worst, either the Redskins or Cowboys deserve that dishonor. Egotistical owners and salary cap mismanagement have turned two of the league’s most storied rivals into hopeless losers with little cause for optimism.

The Green Bay Packers activated DT Cletidus Hunt from the NFL’s suspended list Saturday in time for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Packers released tight end Bobby Collins to make room for Hunt. The Packers acquired Collins from Buffalo on Aug. 7.

‘The Buffalo Bills’ game with Jacksonville on Thursday is likely to make some local history. There’s a good chance the game, which will be televised by ESPN and also carried on the local PAX affiliate, Channel 51, WPXJ, will be the lowest-rated regular-season Bills game in decades.’

‘The Bills are 25th in the league this year with five sacks, which puts them on pace for a mere 20. That would be the third-lowest total in club history.’

‘Rob Johnson’s roommate at USC was Tony Boselli, who also happened to be the team’s All-America offensive left tackle. That’s probably the biggest reason Johnson didn’t come out of college with the reputation as a sack waiting to happen.’

‘For those thinking another magnificent turnaround might soon be in store, Levy cautioned it’s too early to draw comparisons. In the middle of the 1986 season, when Levy took over a team that had lost 37 of its previous 43 games, he had the semblance of an emerging core that included Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith and Andre Reed. “The situations aren’t truly parallel,” said Levy, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past summer. “We were very down when I first arrived, but just on the brink of getting good. I don’t know if the tools are there to turn it around as quickly as I was fortunate enough to be with those guys in place.”‘

‘The Jets defended Lewis, insisting he’s not a dirty player. LB James Darling said Lewis hit Johnson because the quarterback made an awkward slide, popping up on the artificial turf.’