Two Bills Drive

‘”I think a lot of that has all died down among the fans,” said Johnson, who will lead the Bills against the New England Patriots Sunday at Foxboro Stadium. “But in a way it will never die down. You guys know how popular Doug is. But winning games helps and we’re not doing that right now.”‘

While the OL has been hampered with injuries since Ostroski suffered a broken leg in pre-season, the line may be closer to normal this weekend as Ostroski and Jennings are likely to return to the lineup against the Patriots Sunday.

There may be a little shifting going on in the line, however, as with the performance that Hulsey has given since Ostroski got hurt, Hulsey will probably stay as a starter in the RG spot, and Ostroski may get some work at RT. As for Jennings, he may shift over to LT this weekend, to play for Fina, whose leg still in a ‘fatigued state,’ according to HC Williams.

Tom Donahoe talks on:

Tony Driver’s injury

the team’s attitude with a 1-6 mark

if the mentality would be different if the Bills were 6-1

going through growing pains

Rob Johnson’s future with the Bills

if he (RJ) still has something to prove

if the season still can change opinions on players

a USA Today report that K Doug Brown worked out Tuesday

the growing pains

if the OL should have been more of a priority at the draft

the offensive line

The Buffalo Bills (1-6) make their final visit to New England’s Foxboro Stadium this Sunday afternoon to take on the Patriots (4-4). The Pats will be moving to brand-new CMGI Field next season, which is currently in the final stages of construction, which overshadows the current home of the Patriots.

The Jets play a 4-3 defense without a big presence inside, but I believe that’s when Former Bills Defense Coordinator Cottrell does his best work. Simply put, he gets average and below-average guys to play above their own talent level.

Bill Belichick listed 18 players on the Patriots injury report to the league yesterday……. “Everyone is working to get better,” said Tom Brady. “You have confidence in all those guys you are with. Injuries are part of it this time of year….I know their [Buffalo’s] record isn’t very good, but they’re a very good team. If you ever take a game like this lightly, they’ll beat us. There’s not a guy in that locker room that is looking past Buffalo.”

‘Veteran Jerry Ostroski was back from his broken leg and playing right tackle, and promising rookie Jonas Jennings was back from his foot injury and playing left tackle. Now maybe Sheppard and the Bills’ offense can get back to running the West Coast offense the way it’s supposed to operate when the team visits the New England Patriots this week. "We’re trying to get as close as we can to what the (West Coast) offense does," Sheppard said. "Injuries happen. Everyone has them. It limits us a little bit. But we should limit (ourselves) more, because we’ve got new players in there and we need to give them a chance. The more we put in, the less chance of success we have. We’re attempting to pare things back a little bit."’

‘Asked if he thought the team would make a long-term commitment to Johnson, Donahoe said: "We think we did that when we made the decision last year. It was not a decision we made for one year. We knew we were going to try to build a team here, and Rob was the quarterback to help us do that."’

‘Smith is psyched to make sure the Bills go home sorry they made the trip, but he also knows he’d better not be too psyched, because a running back who loses his grip on himself is liable to lose his grip on the football.’

‘Despite six losses in the first seven games, and Johnson’s continued inability to play with consistency, the team’s hierarchy is not wavering on its decision. At least not yet.’

The Bills today announced that the team has signed safety Pierson Prioleau to the 53-man roster and placed safety Tony Driver on the Injured Reserve list with a knee injury. The 23-year-old Prioleau will wear jersey #23 with the Bills. He played in 28 games (11 starts) for the Niners in 1999 and 2000

‘"It was not a decision we made for one year," Donahoe said, referring to his choice to keep Johnson over Flutie. "We knew we were going to try to build a team here, and Rob was the quarterback to help us do that. I think when you look at Rob’s performance and look at some of the circumstances surrounding it, he’s played well."’

steve(malden,ma): Keith, based on his flashes of star potential, do you think Rob Johnson is still the Bill’s QB of the future? And if not, who do you think would pick him up if the Bills decide not to re-sign him?

Keith Schleiden: I was talking witha very well-respected NFL writer the other day, someone who has been around for 40-plus years (and he’s not senile). He told me the best QB he’s seen in person this year is Rob Johnson. While that is a stretch in my personal opinion, Johnson is opening some eyes. He is getting more comfortable in the Bills’ offensive system, and it is beginning to show up on the stats sheet. I believe if Johnson continues to show signs of development over the second half of the season, the Bills will keep him and his large cap figure around.

After three straight overtime games over the last two seasons, the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills will meet on Sunday for the first time this season. Five of the last six games between the AFC East rivals have been decided by four points or less.

Bills rookie safety Tony Driver will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his left knee.

Driver was placed on IR and will have reconstructive surgery by next week. He was hurt while covering a kickoff return in the first half of Buffalo’s loss to Indianapolis on Sunday. HC Williams said no decision has been made on filling the roster spot.