Two Bills Drive

‘To many Bills players, Brother Wease is a pop cult figure. To them, the Rochester radio icon with the raspy voice and more body ink than Rodman is a breath of fresh air, especially during these dog days of training camp when questions about cover-2 zones have become as stale as an open can of day-old pop. Sure, the location of WCMF’s makeshift studio just across the walkway from the team’s locker room at St. John Fisher College has something to do with their willingness to share air time with Wease. But it’s more than location. If they didn’t care for him, they’d be sure to avoid him like a training camp Turk. "He’s a guy you can go on the air with and have a casual conversation about everything, not just football," says Bills guard Ruben Brown. "Sometimes, Wease will ask you outrageous stuff, but it’s all in fun. He lets you be yourself, be a person. Through the years, he’s developed a good reputation among the players. We are reluctant to trust people in the media because you get burned so often. He’s someone you can trust."’

‘Jackson has gained attention at Bills training camp, and not simply because he’s getting more responsibility in the offensive scheme, taking over for departed fullback Sam Gash. This summer, the second-year player has been featured in a sports drink commercial in which he’s painting his fingernails just before game-time. Jackson has been conducting this ritual since his days at Nebraska, saying it’s part of his expressive nature. The Bills’ don’t seem to mind.’

‘"The Buffalo Bills base their opinions on production. That was not a hard decision," Dwight Adams, the team’s vice president of player personnel, said of selecting Moore with the 89th overall pick. "That was not one for debate. There’s Corey Moore, there’s a productive player in a major program, with consistent production." It might prove to be one of the wisest selections in this year’s draft. With a middle-round pick, the Bills secured the services of the 1999 defensive player of the year in college football (17 sacks, 35 career). No matter that he’s undersized for a linebacker (5-11, 230 pounds — up from his college weight of 225), let alone a defensive end; Moore makes plays.’

‘Starting with last Friday’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, fans are now allowed to bring nonalcoholic beverages in containers up to one-quart size. With a couple of caveats, this was a worthwhile change that will allow the Bills organization to crack down on alcohol while removing the penalty it had called against the many fans who wanted nothing more than a warm drink on a chilly day. But those caveats are important. The Bills say they reserve the right to check containers for alcohol. That’s good, but they have to follow through. Security personnel should be prepared to check as many containers as they can, or at least to spot-check them. Alcohol is the primary fuel of anti-social behavior in the stands, and the Bills need to do everything they can to control it.’

‘"I’m going into this season with a little different set of circumstances," Price said Tuesday while walking off the Bills’ training camp fields at St. John Fisher College. "I’m a starter and a lot more is expected of me, and I expect a lot more of myself."’

‘Daryl Porter might roll out of bed this morning and find himself playing catcher. The Buffalo Bills defensive back has been all over the field at the team’s training camp at St. John Fisher College. On Tuesday he played free safety, strong safety, cornerback and was on every special teams unit. "It’s a positive for me and makes me a valuable player on this team," Porter said. "It’s just a matter of not making too many mental mistakes because at one position you use one technique and at another you use another technique. "You just gotta be on your toes."’

‘After spending most of the ’99 season on the practice squad, McDaniel has blossomed in this year’s camp. He has caught everything thrown his way and made several dazzling catches for long gains. If he keeps it up, he will be a lock for a starting job as the third wideout in the Bills’ three-receiver sets. He also should figure prominently on special teams as a coverage man. "Well, anything can happen," McDaniel said. "I don’t think I’m a lock. We’ve got a lot of young guys who have to show their stuff. I’m just going to practice hard every day, eliminate my mistakes and hopefully have a good season. I always had a talent for catching the ball. The Lord blessed me and I thank him every day for that."’

‘Fans heading out to St. John Fisher in hopes of seeing defensive end Phil Hansen blindside quarterback Rob Johnson, or linebackers John Holecek and Sam Cowart sandwich Antowain Smith before throwing him to the ground will be disappointed. While some teams, most notably the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins under Jimmy Johnson and Tom Coughlin’s Jacksonville Jaguars, strap on full pads and have at it, the Bills don’t conduct live scrimmages in camp. The reason? This is training camp, not boot camp.’

‘It was a little like old times yesterday for Buffalo Bills coach Wade Phillips and his son, Wesley. As the morning practice session came to a close at St. John Fisher College, Wade picked up a football and tossed it to his son, who caught the ball, then threw it back to his dad. "Yeah, it was good to have him around before he leaves to go down there," Wade said of Wesley. Wesley visited Bills’ training camp yesterday before departing for the University of Texas-El Paso today for the start of football practice. The redshirt junior will compete for the Miners’ starting quarterback job. Father and son won’t be seeing much — if any — of each other over the next four or five months as they will be separated by about 2,000 miles and two very busy football schedules. But this is something the Phillips’ have grown accustomed to.’

‘Linebacker Sam Rogers sprained his neck during a pass-rushing drill yesterday morning and sat out the afternoon practice. He hopes to return today and plans to play Saturday at Detroit. Rogers said he actually injured his neck in last Friday’s preseason opener against Cincinnati. "In the pass rush drill, I got pushed into a lineman and it bent more than I wanted," he said. "But I should be back (Wednesday)."’

‘It’s hit or miss for Buffalo Bills fans seeking autographs. Many find that the players are harder to grab than they were in a more spartan setting at Fredonia State for 19 years, and some fans long for the good old days. "Fredonia was really good for the kids," says 38-year-old Ken Carosa, a mortgage loan originator from Henrietta. Joe Fan sees signing autographs as part of the Bills’ job. "When fans pay your salary, it’s a little different" than having a normal job, he says. Some Bills also see it that way, but the structure of the camp at St. John Fisher doesn’t encourage their cooperation. At Fredonia, players had to stroll along a path between two rows of roped-off fans after practice to get back to their dorms and the dining hall. "That made a big difference," Carosa says. "They had to walk right by you." But at St. John Fisher, players must literally go out of their way to get to the fans. "It’s just too bad if they aren’t willing to come over to you, because you can’t get to them," Joe Fan says.’

‘With thousands of visitors attending Buffalo Bills training camp over the last two weeks, the Bills organization will likely get what it wants — a shot at a larger, more lucrative fan base. But what economic benefit — if any — the Rochester area will gain from hosting the three-week camp is largely unknown. That’s because no one is tracking where camp visitors are from; therefore, no one knows how much money out-of-towners are spending. And the camp’s setup discourages visitors from stopping by local businesses.’

‘A year after making the Bills’ as an undrafted free agent, Carpenter has emerged as the leading candidate — ahead of four-year veteran Daryl Porter and second-round draft pick Travares Tillman — to replace starting free safety Kurt Schulz, who’s now with the Detroit Lions. And in anti-Deion fashion, Carpenter is keeping his cool. "I’m not a flashy guy," explained Carpenter following the Bills’ Tuesday morning session at St. John Fisher College. "I could pull it off back then in high school. Even in college I was a little flashy. But now, it’s just getting down to business."’

‘"It felt good," Wiley said. "The back is fine. Now I just gotta turn it on upstairs and get all that right. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines too long. I gotta get it all in tune – the mind and the body." Wiley thinks he’ll be at full strength by the Sept. 3 opener against the Tennessee Titans. He said there is a 50-50 chance he could play in the Aug. 24 preseason finale against Philadelphia.’

‘Part of the problem is that Buffalo’s cornerbacks, while admirable, are all relatively small. Antoine Winfield, who begins his first full year as a starter, is only 5-foot-9. Reggie Durden, the good-looking rookie from Florida State, borders on tiny at 5-8. The "giant" among the group is starter Ken Irvin, at 5-11. It’s not a rare deficiency. Most NFL teams suffer from it. Top-rank cornerbacks with size are rare and hard to acquire. Two of the best in the last 10 years, Champ Bailey and Chris McAlister, came into the 1999 draft. Bailey was picked by Washington with the seventh selection and McAlister by Baltimore with the 10th. The other part of the problem is that Buffalo’s regular-season schedule is alive with high-quality receivers who virtually have "mismatch" written all over them. Most of the mismatch problems are likely to come against out-of-division and out-of-conference foes. That wasn’t such a problem last year, especially since there were four games against the NFC East, which wasn’t overloaded with big receivers. This season their out-of-conference opponents are from the tough NFC Central, all of whom have good big men. The Bills caught something of a break when 6-4 Keyshawn Johnson forced a trade away from the Jets, eliminating two fearsome meetings, but they’ll still see him on Nov. 26 in Tampa since he’s now a Buc.’