Two Bills Drive

‘Buffalo is not a very good team. In fact, the Bills are awful…The Steelers aren’t a bad team. But they aren’t a great one, either.’

‘Lancaster is the director of player programs for the Buffalo Bills, a role that finds him with only a rooting interest in the Bills’ on-field performance. And a very active interest in the future of Bills’ players. "My job encompasses quite a few things," said Lancaster, a 1995 graduate of California University, who earned his masters degree in counseling there in 1998. "I work with the athletes and their families in relocating assistance and adjusting to life here. But my big focus is on continuing education and financial planning."’

‘"I feel I can play with anybody," Clements said. "I’m as good as the man across from me, if not better."’

‘"They are going through a process of getting a feel for Gregg’s defense and the things he did (as defensive coordinator) at Tennessee," Cowher said. "They have some young guys playing (on defense) right now, and with a new defense, you would like to have some experience. I expect them to get better each week." The Steelers can only hope the Bills don’t improve this week.’

‘"Eric Moulds is one of the most gifted wide receivers in the NFL," Townsend said. "And we’ll prepare as if he’s playing. He’s such a great player for them that I’m sure they’ll try to get him ready to play."’

‘"I wanted to come to a contender, and I think we can turn this around from 0-2 and be a Super Bowl contender," Jones said. "I turned down Detroit because I didn’t think they’d be a contender, but I feel good about this situation."’

‘The Steelers considered taking buses to Buffalo but will fly.’

‘But there’s a feud brewing on another front, and fans should expect Rob Johnson and Aaron Smith to settle their differences on the field. "We’ll remember that," Johnson told reporters after the Steelers’ 20-0 preseason win. "We’ll remember that play." The play in question was an eight-yard sack Smith made of Johnson, the Bills’ quarterback. In do so, Smith ripped Johnson’s helmet off by the facemask.’

‘For the first time since I started covering the Bills for this newspaper in 1990, I am chronicling the exploits of a team that is going nowhere this year, a team that no matter what the math tells you is already eliminated from the playoff picture after two games. Now I know what those poor guys who have covered the Arizona Cardinals feel like.’

‘He declined to talk about his falling out with Cowher but acknowledged Sunday’s game will mean a little more to him after working 15 years for the Steelers as a scout and front-office executive and, before that, as a ballboy in training camp. "There’s a long history there," Donahoe said. "I’d be foolish to expect someone to believe there won’t be a butterfly. But there are butterflies every Sunday."’

‘The Bills are hurting, which won’t ease Steelers Coach Bill Cowher’s mind about playing them this week. "Jacksonville was pretty banged up before went down there, too," he said. The limping Jaguars beat the Steelers, 21-3, in the opener.’

‘"It was one of the worst situations in the league," said Donahoe, who was named the first president/general manager in the 40-year history of the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 10, almost a year to the day after he was forced to resign as the Steelers’ director of football operations. "We had to make some tough decisions and that has upset some of our fans."’

‘Cowher said Clements, the Bills’ dime back, showed great eagerness in overplaying a sideline pass, and it worked against the Colts. "He has excellent hands, and he’s going to be a good cornerback in this league," Cowher said, "and good cornerbacks are going to take some chances. "We have to make sure we don’t tip our routes and that we have a chance to maybe show a couple of double moves that he does want to bite on. It can become a feast-or-famine type of thing. If there is any corner that wants to jump some things, we have to give him something else to think about."’

In the old days, they’d figure out a way to lasso the kind of whirlwind Indy unleashed on them, but their defensive unit has thinned out.

Jones, a first-round draft pick by the Bills in 1991, played in 144 regular-season games for Buffalo, with 129 starts. He started in 61 straight games from 1997 through last season.

He recorded 100 or more tackles in each of his last four seasons.