Two Bills Drive

‘The Bengals had only one sustained scoring drive, their first, all night. They outgained Buffalo 371 yards to 274.’

‘Bengals safety Cory Hall and Buffalo linebacker Fred Jones were ejected following offsetting personal foul penalities in the second quarter on a Bengals punt. Hall was restrained by teammate Oliver Gibson while trying to confront the referees.’

‘After three quarters, Mitchell and Kitna had a combined quarterback rating of 69.8. That was less than the individual ratings of each of the Bills QBs, Rob Johnson and Alex Van Pelt. That’s the Titanic, in full dive.’

‘The result? Ten points but a lot of indecision and running for his life behind a patchwork offensive line as the Bills beat the Bengals 20-10 in the rain at Paul Brown Stadium.’

‘The Bills (2-1) were hoping to resolve a three-way competition at running back. They don’t have a clear-cut choice, either.’

‘Johnson, who was part of Buffalo’s quarterback controversy with Doug Flutie, completed 8-of-19 passes for 81 yards in the first two quarters.’

Listen to the game with your fellow fans and talk about every play!

‘"I’m looking for the first group to play better; fewer errors," said offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard. "Sometimes the defense has something to say about it, but we want our guys to improve. If we’re not improving now, we’re back to the drawing board."’

‘For five unlucky players, tonight’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals will be their last as a member of the Buffalo Bills. The Bills’ 70-man roster must be trimmed to 65 by the NFL deadline Tuesday. The final cut to 53 is one week from Sunday, so players on the bubble are running out of time to make an impression.’

‘Traditionally, the third preseason game on the schedule is the one where teams play their starters at least a half, and sometimes longer. That will be the case tonight when the Buffalo Bills take on the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium (7:30, channel 13, 96.5 WCMF-FM). Coach Gregg Williams said the first-string offense and defense will most likely play into the early part of the third quarter before he begins to substitute.’

‘The death of a parent certainly is a good excuse, but Germany doesn’t use it. He’s deeply religious. "God has a plan for me," he said calmly.’

It looks like this is the year they find out about Rob Johnson because he’ll count $10 million against the cap next season and they either have to re-sign him or let him go. … Do I think Johnson will put them over the top? No. Do I think they have a chance for anything at all? Possibly, because I like Gregg Williams so much and think their defense will be good.

‘The Bills are doing the same thing at running back that the Bengals are doing with their quarterbacks — waiting until the last week to make a choice.’

‘Peerless Price and Avion Black insist they aren’t fighting for the same job, and you can’t blame them. After all, how many people actually aspire to become a punt returner in the National Football League?’

‘The Buffalo Bills were relieved to be home Thursday after spending most of the previous four weeks sleeping in dormitories and attending meetings at St. John Fisher College.’