Two Bills Drive

‘One league source told The Chronicle and an NFL columnist later warned that coach Steve Mariucci could be pushed out by the end of the season in favor of general manager Terry Donahue. When the notion surfaced at 49ers headquarters, Donahue and Mariucci immediately met. "We laughed about it," Mariucci said. Donahue concurred that there’s nothing to the rumors.’

‘Hearst, named the NFC offensive player of the week Wednesday, will become a free agent after this season because of a clause that voids the final two years of his contract.’

‘With their rights to the 3Com Park name set to expire at the end of the current football season, officials with the Santa Clara-based networking company said Wednesday that they remain open to extending their agreement with the 49ers but suggested it would have to be on different terms.’

‘Injured wide receiver Terrell Owens was a spectator at Wednesday’s practice and he may be watching from the sideline Sunday night, when the 49ers play the Buffalo Bills.’

‘"But first things first. Buffalo is the next round."’

‘Rookie reserve Jamie Winborn found himself on the field for nearly 50 percent of the snaps last Sunday as part of an increased rotation among the 49ers’ linebacking corps in a 40-21 win at Indianapolis.’

‘”The best thing about [my firing],” DeHaven said Wednesday, “was I had a year left in my contract. The worst thing that could have happened was I was going to spend another winter in Buffalo, but at least I’d get paid to do it.”‘

‘"At this point, I’m not sure," Owens said when asked whether he expects to be able to play against the Bills. "We have six games left. I know what’s at stake for the team. I have to be smart about it."’

‘Former first-round draft pick Erik Flowers says his benching by the Buffalo Bills comes down to two factors: weight and strength. He doesn’t have enough of either.’

‘Graham starred at Virginia Tech and joined Donovan McNabb as the only players ever to earn All-Big East honors four straight seasons. But he was cut by New Orleans in preseason two years ago and by Seattle this summer.’

‘Despite being voted the Big East Conference’s best kicker for four years straight, setting the conference record with 371 points, and also playing under the spotlight of a national championship contender with Virginia Tech, Shayne Graham had to work hard over the past two years to keep his dream of being an NFL kicker alive.’

"I guess with any sport, you get in a situation to perform in order to earn your keep, and this is an opportunity. I can’t promise anything will go well or badly, all I can do is prepare the way I prepare for a game, perform at the best of my ability and I’m confident in myself, and that’s what you have to be in order to be in a game situation."

"We’ve been honest every week with respect to this is a great opportunity, and our guys like playing in the national game, and we’ve been playing physical. Our offensive and defensive lines right now are as healthy as we’ve been in training camp, we’ve played very physical the last couple of weeks, and we’ve got to out and do that again. That’s the mark of being a pro is playing hard and physical each week, and then hopefully gain some experience with some of the younger guys, and play smarter each week."

This artice talks about some of the up and coming rookies throughout the league. We all know Travis Henry is good, but here are some stats that validate that assumption.

Henry turned in one of his best performances of the season in Buffalo’s loss to Miami. The second-round pick from Tennessee has quietly moved into third place on the list of rookie rushing leaders, behind LaDainian Tomlinson and Anthony Thomas.

Yes, we have looked at the Bills’ record, so don’t suggest that we ought to be fitted for a straitjacket. Eleven of the 12 choices are still on the active roster or injured reserve, and this group, which is starting to produce modest results, will represent the foundation for the future. The top 3 choices have combined for 14 starts, and corner Nate Clements is going to be a "shut down" defender. Buffalo is taking its lumps now, for sure, but the Class of ’01 will contribute to improved play over the final 1½ months of this season. The Bills got quality and quantity.