Two Bills Drive

I like Gregg Williams, their coach, and I liked the fire they showed against Jacksonville, but when you’re sitting on a small lead and backed up on your four-yard line late in the game, you simply must squeeze out a first down. You don’t call three straight runs, lose three yards, punt 28 yards and hand the Jags the tying field goal. To their credit, though, they drove the field to win it at the end. But to me, this is a case of a coach almost undoing the hard work of his players.

‘"I’ve never had a problem with people who are passionate," said Donahoe, sipping coffee while discussing Flutie’s Svengali hold on some people. "You can love Doug Flutie, but it doesn’t mean that to love Doug you have to hate the Buffalo Bills. I don’t understand that, I just don’t."’

‘Wiley admits it will be strange lining up and seeing old friends like Bills guard Ruben Brown staring back at him Sunday. "It’s going to be like one of those backyard games in the neighborhood," Wiley says. "I’m sure some trash talking will be exchanged." The former Bill just hopes this isn’t a day where he’ll have to eat his words.’

‘Butler was a valued employee of the Buffalo Bills, and if Wilson didn’t think so he wouldn’t talk so passionately about an AFC West opponent. Until this year, San Diego was nothing more than a destination for Wilson; now it’s an obsession, and unless it has something to do with his suggestions of tampering I don’t get it. He made Butler an offer, and it was refused. He fired Butler, and Butler found somewhere else to work. End of story.’

On owner Ralph Wilson’s comment that this was his Super Bowl:

"When that was made, I’ve always approached each game as if it was the most important game of the season. This week, that’s the most important game. They have no significance to me. That’s the most significant game of the season because that’s who we play this week."

This year’s AFC East race has certainly taken a strange turn through the first six weeks of the NFL season. The Dolphins are currently atop the division with a 3-2 record, while Indianapolis, sits in 4th place with just a 2-3 mark. New York and New England both have .500 marks at 3-3 to be tied for 2nd.

With that in mind, coach Williams has been reminding his players that they are still very much alive in the chase if they can put some more wins together

‘This should be brutal. This should be acrimonious. This should be nasty and cold-blooded. This should be wonderful.’

‘Enjoy it while it lasts, San Diego. Before you know it Butler will be dealing out oversized contracts to every middle-of-the-road Charger, spending your franchise into salary-cap poverty. And when the deed is done, when the options are to either tough it out or find a new sugar-daddy owner to feed his spending habit, Butler will reach for the money faster than the toad inhales the fly. Just ask us. We know.’

‘Buffalo Bills starting right tackle Jonas Jennings missed practice Monday and will be evaluated through Wednesday before the team determines if he will be able to play in Sunday’s game at San Diego.’

‘Flutie, who is close to sainthood in Buffalo — Chargers games now regularly televised in Western New York gather ridiculously high 14 ratings — loves the Buffalonians. But he echoes Butler when discussing Wilson’s statement. “He’s got a lot of explaining to do to his players,” Flutie said.’

‘"I look forward to these types of games," Johnson said on Monday. "It kind of reminds you of a college-type rivalry and that sort of thing. Definitely, it gives fans something to talk about and makes it a little more interesting." Maybe more than a little.’

‘Seau is cautiously optimistic that he’ll be able to play in San Diego’s grudge match against Buffalo despite a groin pull that kept him out of the second half of the Chargers’ 27-10 win over Denver on Sunday…Flutie, meanwhile, will face a forest of birthday candles when he turns 39 on Tuesday. Flutie says he feels more like he’s 25 on game days.’

‘The second shot in advance of Sunday’s Flutie-Rob Johnson showdown came out of San Diego where former Bills linebacker Sam Rogers had this assessment: "This is a game we should win by 10 points at least," Rogers said. "I don’t think (the Bills) can sneak one out."’

‘"It’s of no significance to me," said Williams when asked about Wilson’s feud with Butler. "It’s the most important game of our season — because it’s the game we have this week."’

‘Buffalo management has cut too far and too deep. These players aren’t the Buffalo Bills to me. This is like an expansion team with an old, familiar name. I hope the Bills do leave western New York. I don’t want my taxes supporting these impostors.’