Two Bills Drive

‘”This,” said Cottrell, who was disappointed in not getting a head- coaching position, “is one of the best days I’ve had in a long while.”‘

‘Already, some NFL observers think the Bills are better off with Fletcher leading their defense, than they would have been with Cowart and the uncertainty of his achilles injury.’

‘"I feel very fortunate that the Jets showed so much interest in me," Cowart said. "Obviously, coming off an injury like I did … some teams stayed away from me. The Jets believed in me."’

‘A three-down linebacker, and three-year starter, Fletcher led the NFC champion Rams with 90 tackles last season, and was referred to as "an integral part of the team,” by St. Louis coach Mike Martz.’

Details of Fletcher’s contract were not immediately available.

@ I criticized Dougie for his ill-advised remarks, whenever he was out of Buffalo. Naturally, Flutie fans roasted me, toasted me, skewered me and broiled me from one side to the other. Now, you find your trembling tiny tot of the kilowatt showing you that this adoring little bumpkin is fair.

The point is that Rob Johnson is gone. He should have kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t hold back his lip, just like Flutie, and had to come out with what can be perceived as a little self serving, if not vindictive assessmemt. He, like Flutie, served up a big platter of negative rhetoric in conducting pity parties.

TD gives the impression that despite numerous efforts to keep him in a Bills Uniform, Cowart may have wanted to leave regardless.

@ Q: Are you ready to sign on the dotted line? A: I have some other trips planned. It’s a process. There are some other things that have to be met. So far so good, the organization definitely has a strong interest in me and I have a strong interest in them otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I was the first guy they brought in so that shows they are definitely interested. I’m still scheduled to visit with Detroit and Pittsburgh.

@ The hole: Alex Van Pelt is being paid around $1 million a year to be either the backup or the starting QB, but new OC Gilbride cannot live with just one QB. That’s why Gilbride and the Bills management walked around the combine over the weekend looking for agents who had QBs, as well as checking out all of the QBs who were throwing in the RCA Dome.

The solutions: It’s pretty simple. Sign Jeff Blake. For some reason, the Bills are wondering if Blake has a lingering ankle problem from the 2000 season. He’s had a year on the sidelines as Aaron Brooks’ backup to rest the ankle, so he should be fine. Blake and Jonathan Quinn are the two veterans the Bills are talking to, but Blake is the right fit.

‘"We’re jumping up and down with joy to sign him," said one Jets team source. "He’s one of the top two or three backers in the game."’

‘The former Pro Bowl star agreed to a six-year, $31 million deal with the New York Jets.’

‘A league source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the deal was to be completed late Wednesday.’

@ Statistical suprises are better than Tuna Surprise but remember that statistics (i.e. QB rating) can be deceiving.

@ With Miller and Dilfer resigning, that leaves a few too many pegs and/or too few holes, and the QB market figures mostly to be on mute. The Bills might be interested in tabbing Jeff Blake, who could compete for the starting job. Rob Johnson reportedly is headed to Houston, where he will do the Texans absolutely no good in three games before getting hurt.

@ For months the Bills and middle LB Sam Cowart have argued in negotiations over how much risk the team should assume in a long-term contract following a season in which he partially tore an Achilles tendon. The AFC East rival Jets were willing to take more of the risk and will now put Cowart against the Bills twice a year. Cowart agreed to a six-year, $31 million contract that included a $1.8 million signing bonus and a play-time option bonus in 2003 that could be as much a $6 million.