Two Bills Drive

‘It was no fluke that cornerback Antoine Winfield led Ohio State, a school famous for linebackers and hard-hitting safeties, in tackling his senior year. For the Bills, it’s like having an extra linebacker on the field.’

‘Now that Gilbert Brown’s career has eclipsed you might not find a better pure run-stopping nose tackle than Ted Washington and Pat Williams. The problem for the Packers is they both play for Buffalo. "Those two big fat guys they play inside are really good athletes," an executive in personnel for another team said Tuesday. "If you go in there and just try to run the ball, you’re going to be in trouble. The run defense of their front seven is probably the best in the National Football League."’

‘[Paul] Godfrey [the new president and CEO of the Blue Jays] and his Rogers friends [of Rogers Communications] have identified four NFL teams as being vulnerable to franchise moves — the most logical of the four being the geographically correct Buffalo Bills. With team owner Ralph Wilson turning 82 next month, and Wilson being very aware of his own mortality after a life spent in the insurance business, the Detroit-based owner is very aware his time frame for selling the team and not putting his family in a mess of inheritance tax is short.’

‘The Bills got some misguided inspiration even before kickoff. As coach Wade Phillips noted, "When they came out and introduced their special teams, they got some of our guys mad because that was last year." His reference was to the unit that produced "Home Run Throwback", the kick return for a touchdown that beat the Bills in last January’s playoff game at Nashville. But the Titans weren’t trying to show up their hosts. The introductions were a tribute to Tennessee special teams coach Alan Lowery, who designed that fateful play, but had severe chest pains earlier in the week, was hospitalized, and didn’t make the trip to Buffalo.’

‘Johnson was still sore on Monday, but walked without a noticeable limp. More important for the Bills, he is expected to practice Wednesday and start Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. "It’s a little weak right now," Johnson said following team meetings. "It was like a stinger in the shoulder. You lose power and feeling in it, so it can come back in five to 10 hours or a couple of days. It’s good that the feeling is coming back. "I hurt this ankle in Jacksonville and I played on it and I couldn’t even walk (afterwards). That could be what’s making it worse than it should be. But I don’t think it will be bad at all."’

‘I’m not sure what Cottrell has to do to get respect in the sport. A year ago, his defense finished No. 1 in the league. It allowed the fewest yards by an AFC team in 21 years. And yet, half a dozen head coaching jobs came open without him getting so much as a sniff. During the offseason, the Bills lost four defensive starters. Experts assumed an inevitable drop-off. One national publication predicted they’d be the 16th-best defense this year. Then, in Sunday night’s opener, Cottrell and his staff turned in another defensive gem. They wiped the floor with Tennessee’s new offensive staff and left Buffalo fans wondering if this year’s defense might actually be better than last year’s version. "Ted was really in touch with what they were doing," said Chuck Lester, the Bills’ linebackers coach. "He was able to anticipate and makes the calls – bang, bang, bang, bang."’

‘The Titans nearly pulled off another Music City Miracle when Derrick Mason was one missed tackle away from taking a kickoff for a touchdown in the final minute of Sunday night’s game after a 33-yard Steve Christie field goal had put Buffalo in front, 16-13, with 33 seconds left. Mason’s 57-yard return almost was enough to set up a field goal that would have forced overtime. Phillips said the entire return unit was not to blame. "Our left side of our kickoff coverage didn’t stay in their lanes," he said. "They got out of their lanes or let guys push them by. We may shuffle people around a little bit." The left side included rookies Corey Moore, Sammy Morris, Travares Tillman and Fred Jones in addition to special teams veteran Donovan Greer. Phillips said the right side, which included cornerback Antoine Winfield and safeties Keion Carpenter, Daryl Porter and Raion Hill, did a good job. Winfield came across the field to assist on the game-saving tackle on Mason. Phillips might move Hill to the other side to balance things out a little, but ultimately it’s up to the rookies to get the job done. "They’ll get better once they see the film," Phillips said. "It just takes time for those guys. It’s just a process for some guys."’

‘"They are one tough team," Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said. "And when you play a team like Buffalo, you have to catch balls and not make mistakes. This is the first time in a while we’ve dropped this many balls, and the rest is history. To win, you have to make the plays when you have a chance. We didn’t.’

‘Despite the big plays that weren’t made, Fisher found some good in the loss. "If an average team goes up to play in a place like Buffalo against the quality players and systems that they have and converts two third downs out of 14 attempts — zero in the second half — drops four balls for probably over 100 yards and touchdown opportunities, has 12 penalties, gets zero turnovers, they should get beat convincingly," Fisher said. "’So if there are any positives in this loss, it’s that we did not play well, yet we had a chance to win the game."’

‘Among those escorted out of Ralph Wilson Stadium for unruly behavior was the jolly ol’ fat man himself. Santa Claus was involved in a skirmish in the stands and while being taken away by some of Buffalo’s finest, had his beard knocked askew, his hat pulled down and quite frankly was an embarrassment to his profession. If you were wearing Titans colors in the Nickel City on Sunday night, odds are you were subjected to any number of threats. One fan returning home said he was struck in the back by an object thrown from behind him and also had Silly String squirted in his face. Another Titans fan said his friend was sitting across the stadium and two Bills fans started with the catcalls, etc., to the point where they started fighting among themselves and were booted from the stadium. The rest of the Bills’ fans got mad at the Titans fan because the two Bills fans were ejected, so he wisely left before the game was over to avoid any further confrontation. Let’s hope Titans fans treat visitors to Adelphia Coliseum with more respect and dignity.’

‘"He hung in there — he is a lot tougher than I thought he would be," Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said. "Defensively, the guys played hard and put good pressure on the quarterback, I’m sure Rob is sore." Titans linebacker Greg Favors sacked Johnson twice, including one hit Johnson never saw coming. "I’ll say this about the guy — he is tough," Favors said. "We hit him with some pretty big licks and he kept getting up."’

‘The indifferent: The Titans fiddled around with their receivers instead of playing their best guys across the board. The two times they threw deep, they got a pass-interference call and would have gotten a big reception from George had he held on. Were the Bills DBs so fantastic no one was ever open deep again?’

‘Rob Johnson was walking around the Buffalo Bills locker room yesterday without a limp, and there seems to be no question that he will be able to play Sunday when the Green Bay Packers invade Ralph Wilson Stadium. Whether Johnson will be able to play the following week, or any of the weeks thereafter, no one is quite sure.’

‘The Colts, one of the least successful teams in the 1990s, are the early pick to be the best team in the 2000s. But next to the Colts, is there a team more likely to be consistently good for years to come than the Bills?’

‘To be fair, Johnson proved a lot in Sunday’s Homerun Payback at Ralph Wilson Stadium, a bit of season-opening revenge for the AFC wild-card playoff loss in January. He proved he could bounce back from a hit, like former Bills great Jim Kelly. Time after time Johnson rose from the turf after being pummelled by Jevon Kearse and the Titans defence. Johnson also proved he could scramble like teammate/chief adversary Doug Flutie, effectively setting up one touchdown and two field goals with his feet, not his much-heralded arm. More than anything, Johnson showed his grit, earning the respect of teammates who had to wonder if there was only break and no bend in his fragile body. Ultimately though, the fifth-year pro who has completed only a handful of NFL games, once again was unable to finish what he started.’