Two Bills Drive

‘"Sam Cowart is in every meeting that I have," special teams coach Danny Smith said. "The only person I have not met with in a special teams situation is Rob Johnson. I have met with every other player on this team." Welcome to the mother of all special teams rebuilding projects.’

‘The Panthers took a look at Smith but their new quarterbacks coach, Turk Schonert, knew him from the seasons they spent together in Buffalo and advised Carolina against trading for him.’

‘The Buffaloization of San Diego continues. Soon, they may change their name to the Charge Bills. The only thing new general manager John Butler hasn’t brought along with him are Buffalo winters and chicken wings.’

‘If Tom Modrak wants to work in the NFL this year, his best option is Buffalo…Modrak will be a top candidate for any GM job that opens up the next couple of years. He can bide his time in Buffalo, work with pal Tom Donahoe, and wait for the perfect opportunity to move.’

‘A straight-ahead power runner, Antowain was neither elusive, nor a particularly gifted blocker. But his worst short-coming was two skillet hands that caught only 38 passes in four seasons with Buffalo.’

‘Rogers was selected by Buffalo…in the second round of the 1994 draft. He started 11 games last season and 79 of 101 in seven seasons with the Bills, but in San Diego he is expected to split time with Gerald Dixon on the strong side.’

‘The Buffalo Bills freed up salary cap room for their rookies Friday. Guess how they did it? By releasing Antowain Smith. Big surprise there.’

‘The move cleared $1.25 million — Smith’s base salary — in cap space. Approximately $352,000 in unaccounted bonus money will count toward Buffalo’s 2001 cap, a "hit" the team could’ve spread out over two seasons had Smith been released on June 1. The amount wasn’t significant enough to take advantage of the loophole.’

‘Fearing injuries to players, former coaches Marv Levy and Wade Phillips eliminated full-speed contact from their camp practices. But the energetic Williams, 42, is from a different school.’

‘In his career he has 500 tackles, 21 1/2 sacks, two interceptions, six forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.’

‘"We liked what we saw in minicamp from our young running backs and want to give them every opportunity possible," said Bills president and general manager Tom Donahoe after waiving Smith.’

‘Rogers, who turns 31 on May 30, started 11 games last season and had 74 tackles, five sacks, one interception and forced three fumbles. The 6-3, 245-pounder missed the final five games of the season with a torn groin muscle.’

Alex Van Pelt doesn’t suffer from delusions of grandeur. The Buffalo quarterback has a handle on his skills and his value to the team. Sometimes, that’s not enough. For a handful of backup players on every club in the NFL, the union that was organized to protect their interests often prices them out of the market with the veteran minimum. That happened to Van Pelt last season before a training-camp injury opened the door to his return. “Exactly,” Van Pelt said. “I was like hey, my union is supposed to be out there helping me, and instead, it’s keeping me out of work.”

‘Along with slashing $1.25 million from their salary cap-strapped payroll, the move allows the Bills to concentrate on developing their youngsters.’

The expected release of Antowain Smith creates much needed cap room for the Bills. According to the NFLPA, Smith was scheduled to earn $1.25 million in 2001. That money will be needed to sign the 2001 draft choices. Since this is the last year of Smith’s contract, accelerated bonus money was not an issue with his release.