Two Bills Drive

‘This year, the Lions are in a race — and leading it — for the No. 2 pick in next year’s draft. The expansion Houston Texans get the top pick. The worst of the 31 established teams are in a backward race for No. 2. The Lions’ 0-11 record gives them the lead, but there are two solid contenders — Buffalo and Carolina each have one win.’

‘Well-paying jobs are on the line. And the last anybody checked, nobody’s gotten bored with driving Cadillac SUVs or paying for manicures for their poodles.’

‘This afternoon, two members of an exclusive club — the Sad Six — will square off at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘[Q:] You’ve got the image as every man’s player, Alex. But now that you’ve started three games in a row, can you still walk around Buffalo in anonymity? [A:] ”Yes and it’s great. I’m not 6-4 and I don’t stand out. I look like a normal guy. Not many people approach me, so going out in public, that’s still easy to do. I was at the mall the other day, dinner, and the movies.”’

‘"But you are what you are. And that’s the honest truth. We’re 1-11. That’s what we are. They’re 1-10. That’s what they are."’

‘Can you feel the excitement? Probably not.’

‘”Some have gone from apparent greatness to nothing,” Carolina coach George Seifert said. “Others have come from apparent nothing to greatness. I think that’s the thing that we all hang onto.”‘

‘To the rest of the country, the Carolina-Buffalo game is a joke.’

‘Walls, 35, is the team’s second oldest player.’

‘So today, it’s One for the Ages. The only thing that could spoil it is if the teams play to a tie.’

‘After all, only the winless Detroit Lions and the expansion Houston Texans stand between these two teams and the top pick in April’s NFL Draft.’

‘There was an 80 percent chance of snow last night in Buffalo, with a northeast wind gusting up to 15 mph. But it shouldn’t be so bad for the game today. Forecasts were calling for temperature highs that could reach the upper 30s by this afternoon and it might even be sunny, with the chance for additional snow down to about 30 percent.’

‘”Honestly, I think guys would be lying if they didn’t say in the back of their minds, that, ‘Hey, that makes business sense,’ ” Seifert said. “But as a coach you can’t do it. You can’t function that way. There’s no way that I can go into a game and not do everything I can to win a game. When you compete, you compete to win.”‘

‘Crosby earned a roster spot and now finds himself second on the depth chart at fullback behind perennial Pro Bowler Larry Centers. He even got a start last Sunday night on national television against the San Francisco 49ers due to the offensive formation in which the Bills opened the game.’

‘Call it The Futility Bowl, The Pride Bowl, The Misery Loves Company Bowl. Two teams, whose combined records are 2-21, are playing for anything but a shot at The Super Bowl.’