Two Bills Drive

‘James has won the NFL rushing title in each of his two seasons in the NFL and is the second-best rushing-and-receiving threat in the league behind St. Louis’ Marshall Faulk. And he opened the 2001 season with a blast – gaining 135 yards in the Colts’ rout of the New York Jets.’

‘All game telecasts Sunday afternoon will open with a 60-second piece prepared by NFL Films recognizing the unprecedented events of the past week. The piece also will air in the stadiums. There also will be a moment of silence.’

‘And Buffalo.com, a Web portal operated by The Buffalo News, unplugged itself to avoid catching the virus and spreading it to users, officials said. The site was offline for most of Wednesday after being switched off Tuesday afternoon.’

‘"In our meeting (yesterday) we discussed, ‘If you were handed a hard hat, if you were handed a shovel, if you were handed a rope, would you take it?’ To a man, they said they would. We have been handed a football. That’s our job, that’s what we’re supposed to do."’

‘Bills coach Gregg Williams made it clear on Wednesday that it would behoove Johnson to pick up a few pointers from watching his counterpart Sunday afternoon. In fact, it won’t be the first time Manning will have served as a role model for Johnson. "We use as many examples as we can in our coaching and our teaching, and (Manning) is one of the examples that we’ve used with Rob," Williams said.’

‘"I have no concerns about it," Williams said. "It’s time to play, it’s time to travel, and Indianapolis is where we’re going."’

‘The Bills have worked free agent Kris Farris with the starting unit for some series in practice but Fina is still slated to start Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.’

‘Along with rest of the country, the Bills are adjusting to a new life AFTER last week’s tragic events. Now it is time to get back to normal and deal with the situation at hand including a revised 16 week schedule and an injured Pro Bowl linebacker Sam Cowart.’

‘Former Bills practice squad wide receiver Drew Haddad made the Colts’ regular season roster, and made an impression with some solid kickoff and punt return work, although he did not return a kick in the Colts’ season opener.’

‘Offensively for Buffalo, the Bills likely will look to control the clock to help keep the dangerous Indianapolis offense off the field, and with that, they need a solid performance from rookie running back Travis Henry. Henry rushed for 22 carries against the Saints, gaining 58 yards.’

Donahoe said the Bills will release Christie once he’s recovered from his groin injury. Donahoe said Christie refused the team’s injury settlement, which would’ve allowed the Bills the option to re-sign him in 10 weeks.

The NFL playing schedule that was postponed this past weekend will be played on the weekend of January 5-7 to retain a 16-game regular-season schedule, the league announced Tuesday.

They are continuing on working on keeping the six division winners, six Wild Cards and our entire postseason format intact. If they cannot resolve the entire postseason lineup, they will go to a system of six division winners and two Wild Card teams for this one season only.

‘The NFL and its officials agreed to a new contract Monday, all but ending the lockout and the need for replacements, a league source told The Associated Press.’

‘What’s unusual with Donahoe’s remarks is that general managers — in Buffalo, at least — have rarely publicly challenged their players, especially during a season. Then again, this isn’t the old Buffalo Bills.’

‘Thus, it’s virtually assured that the Bills’ best defender is out for the season, leaving Buffalo’s run-stopping responsibility in the hands of second-year pro Kenyatta Wright and rookie fourth round draft choice Brandon Spoon. In reality, though general manager Tom Donahoe and head coach Gregg Williams will never admit it, this is the Bills’ worst nightmare come true.’