Two Bills Drive

‘When asked if he could use another bye week, Johnson replied, "I’d much rather go through a couple games not . . .," and then stopped himself before talking about the number of hits he’s received. "Let the body recoup a little bit." Doug Flutie’s legion of fans were excited to see the backup quarterback replace Johnson Sunday. They also might think it would be the perfect week to start Flutie and give Johnson a break. The San Diego Chargers are the closest thing to a bye week. They enter Sunday’s game at Ralph Wilson Stadium at 0-6, the worst record in the NFL.’

‘An ineffective Jim Harbaugh or a recuperating Moses Moreno? San Diego Chargers coach Mike Riley must pick one as his starting quarterback for Sunday’s game at Buffalo. "Let me think about that for a day," Riley said on Monday when asked who would start against the Bills. "I don’t want to jump to conclusions too much."’

‘His team is good, this I do not doubt, nor should he. But this year, it’s probably not good enough to make the playoffs, so I wish Phillips would stop trying to fool us with his illogical explanations for the Bills’ recent poor play and stop pretending he’s coaching a Super Bowl contender.’

‘Despite the battered and bruised state of Rob Johnson, Buffalo Bills coach Wade Phillips said yesterday he has no intention of starting Flutie against the winless San Diego Chargers this week at Ralph Wilson Stadium. "No, he doesn’t need the rest," Phillips said, as his sifted through the ruins of his team’s third consecutive loss, Sunday’s 22-13 debacle at Miami where Johnson was sacked five times and forced out of the game with 3:24 left with an inflamed throwing elbow. "If rest would make a big difference for him, that would be a different factor, but Rob’s been playing this way and he still hasn’t thrown and intercepton in I don’t know how long. And he played better in the second half. We — he, all of us, me — didn’t have a good first half, but the second half he did play well."’

‘Thurman Thomas on having words with Bills LB John Holecek: "I’m sure John was probably going at me with a little extra than some of the other guys. I wasn’t going out there looking for John until he said something to me and that’s when it really got going. From that point on, I was really looking forward to getting a shot at him and letting him know that I was out there on the football field."’

‘Bills tight ends coach Max Bowman was hospitalized for precautionary reasons after suffering dizzy spells on Monday. "I think he’s fine," said Bills coach Wade Phillips, noting that Bowman suffers from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).’

‘Buffalo’s defense has been mostly doing its part, allowing an average 18 points per outing. The offense on the other hand has scored more than 16 points once and, against Miami, gave up nine points — one touchback and a touchdown off a fumble. "It’s boiling down to one or two plays," Johnson said. "We’re not playing well enough throughout the game to not have it come down to those one or two plays." Perhaps, center Jerry Ostroski put it best, saying: "Hopefully, we’ve hit rock bottom, because I don’t think we can get much lower."’

‘Somebody asked Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor on Sunday afternoon if he was surprised by his team’s 5-1 record. "Hell, no, I’m not surprised," Taylor said angrily. "We think we should be 6-0. But I’m happy about where we are."’

‘Veteran running back Thurman Thomas had modest statistics Sunday afternoon during the Dolphins’ 22-13 win over the Buffalo Bills. But it was one of the biggest wins of his career.’

‘"People better start taking us seriously," Miami defensive tackle Jermaine Haley said, nodding his head slowly. "I’m tellin’ ya, we’re for real."’

‘Sam Cowart, Antoine Winfield, Ted Washington and Phil Hansen are playing their hearts out, but No. 1 rankings don’t mean anything when your offense can’t put the ball in the end zone with any consistency. Shoot, it can’t even protect its quarterback. It’s proving to be a recipe for disaster. For the life of me, I don’t know how Johnson gets out of bed on Monday mornings.’

‘The Dolphins have 24 sacks, 16 takeaways (10 interceptions, six fumble recoveries), two defensive touchdowns and a safety in six games. But contrast, the Bills, who are giving up fewer yards per game, have only 10 sacks, seven takeaways and no defensive points in five games. Buffalo’s defense, while solid, JUST doesn’t make big plays, the mark of the league’s elite.’

‘If Wade Phillips doesn’t see a problem with his offensive line, he’s guilty of selective myopia.’

‘The Bills-Miami rivalry may be in jeopardy for another reason: The NFL is staring at realignment, an issue that’s been debated for many seasons but remains unresolved. When Houston returns in 2002 as franchise No. 32, it will pave the way for eight four-team divisions across the two conferences. There is some sentiment for placing teams in geographic configurations and, based on the rivalry discussed above, the Bills have resisted that, always favoring an AFC East that keeps the Dolphins, Jets and Patriots on the schedule. The Indianapolis Colts would probably be the team left out (and now that the Colts have vastly improved that really makes sense). The Bills’ voice in the realignment matter should be well heard because owner Ralph Wilson has been appointed by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue as the divisional rep. Tagliabue said the seven-member panel (the AFC Central will have two reps because it currently has six teams) will interview other owners and file a report in January. The realignment issue will be resolved by June 1, 2001.’

‘The Dolphins dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage. Miami’s defense held the Bills to 76 yards rushing, and 44 of those came on runs by Johnson, who was under heavy pursuit all afternoon. He was sacked five times, and his backup, Doug Flutie, was sacked once after relieving Johnson in the fourth quarter when the starter suffered an injury to his right elbow, on his throwing arm.’