Two Bills Drive

‘While QB Doug Flutie sits, Rob Johnson needs to show pocket poise he’s noted for… RB Antowain Smith needs breakout season . . . Bills return to playoffs as a wild card.’

‘"The game will be a kind of trial by fire for security," said Samuel McCune, the Orchard Park police chief. "It’s a night game and there’s a holiday the next day." Scott Berchtold, the Bills vice president for communications, said team officials are well aware of the potential for problems. But he said tighter security measures adopted last season and in place for this season should help. "We’ll do our best," Berchtold said. "And it’s not as if we haven’t gone through this before."’

‘When the Bills quarterback was asked this week if Tennessee’s sack machine, Jevon Kearse, is the kind of player a quarterback has to account for as soon as he gets to the line of scrimmage, Johnson said, "You can’t really worry about him. I’m worried about where the safeties are. I have confidence in them (the offensive line) that they’re going to get those guys blocked." Sure, Rob. And you didn’t look at the pictures after you finished reading that interview you gave to Penthouse magazine.’

[AFC East, 3.] Buffalo Bills: The league’s second smallest market might be home to the biggest sideshow this year. The Doug Flutie against Wade Phillips/Rob Johnson feud got heated in preseason and may come to a boil if the Bills start slowly. Johnson is the No. 1 guy but Flutie has supporters in Buffalo and was 10-5 as a starterlast year.’

‘Cowart’s recollection: "After we kicked the field goal, the kickoff team huddled up and the linebackers and DBs were back on the sidelines. We were going over deep coverage for a Hail Mary and the long ball. We were drawing up different scenarios on what they possibly were going to do. Out of the blue, we heard the crowd just erupt and thought there was a fumble or something. I looked up at the ‘Tron and saw Dyson jogging into the end zone. The first thing I did was look around and I thought there had to be a flag somewhere. And then once I saw the replay and saw the throwback I thought, ‘Oh no, this is stuff we work on every day.’"’

‘"I think [Rob Johnson’s] proven to everyone he’s the quarterback here," said linebacker Sam Cowart. "On the field he’s a lot more serious, he came in in tip-top shape. I think he’s just established himself." On the field, yes, Johnson is the guy. The Bills want Johnson’s arm in the lineup.’

‘Bills right tackle Robert Hicks, all 6-foot-7, 330 pounds of him, will spend the most time across from Kearse tomorrow night. Buffalo Coach Wade Phillips has said Hicks will get some help at times but on many plays Hicks "is just going to have to rise to that challenge." Hicks was bothered by an ankle injury when the two teams met in the AFC Wild Card game. "It’s a great matchup, I think," Hicks said. "But it’s not a tough matchup just for me, it’s a tough matchup for him, too. "Last time I played a nice game against him on a bad ankle. I’m ready for the challenge and he should be ready for the challenge, too."’

‘It was official the moment the Bills let their all-time leading receiver, Andre Reed, go elsewhere. But Peerless Price said he saw it coming before that. "I was getting an opportunity to play more as last season went on," Price said. "I felt like coming into camp this time the job could be mine. "Andre, I have to thank him. He helped me a lot, but even if he would have been here I felt like I was going to have the opportunity to be in there."’

‘"What happened last year will be a factor the entire week leading up to the game," Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said. "It’ll be the main focal point on the local level and a national level. But when the game starts, it¹s no longer an issue. This issue is what’s taking place between the snap and the whistle."’

‘"Everybody’s going to remember Bruce Smith, and it’s my point to let everyone know who Marcellus Wiley is,” Wiley said as the new-look Bills prepared to open their season Sunday night against Tennessee. "But it takes time. You don’t get 170-some sacks in one year. … It’s important for me to keep that respect and attitude.” Wiley said he and Smith, who landed as a free agent with Washington last offseason, still keep in touch, calling each other about once a week. "He just wishes me the best. It’s kind of a calming situation,” Wiley said. "He tells me, ‘Don’t get caught up in the hype and who you’re supposed to be. Just be yourself and everyone has confidence in that.”’

‘Few cities have suffered as much as Buffalo and its pristine suburbs. From Orchard Park to Amherst, from Lackawanna to Tonawanda, sports fans in upstate New York almost expect devastating defeats rather than championships. Where else can you find fans who suffered through four consecutive Super Bowl losses? Mention former Bills kicker Scott Norwood, and fans flinch at the memory of his missed field goal in the Super Bowl. Bring up Brett Hull and they seethe at the memory of him clinching the Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars with a goal that shouldn’t have counted against their beloved Sabres. But even those hard-bitten fans who became almost immune by experience had a difficult time accepting last season’s 22-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans in an AFC wild-card game. Because Kevin Dyson scored the winning touchdown with three seconds remaining on a 75-yard gimmick kickoff return called "Home Run Throwback," the game became famous in Nashville and infamous in Buffalo as the Music City Miracle.’

‘[Buffalo] is a team people will regard too lightly, what with all of their personnel losses. If WR Peerless Price takes attention away from the outstanding Eric Moulds, the offense could be clicking into January.’

‘"We’re ready," said right tackle Robert Hicks, who is expected to be blocking Kearse most of the game. "We’re ready for whatever they want to do."’

‘You’ve decided to fire the special teams coach. Do you: a) Place an ad on hotjobs.com?; b) Set off on a relentless search that might lead you to a displaced special teams coach of high regard.?; c) Hire a crony who just spent three years as the defensive coordinator at collegiate powerhouse Texas El Paso, the school that your son just so happens to attend, because you know you’re going to lose some more key special teams personnel in free agency and you want an inexperienced coach to meld with your increasingly inexperienced special teams players?’

‘Dolonen Larsen was drafted by the NFL last fall, and if he gets any playing time in the season opener at Tennessee Titans next Sunday, he will be the first Norwegian to star in the NFL during regular playing time.’