Two Bills Drive

‘No matter what the oddsmakers say, a Bills win would be a mild upset. . . . . But the timing, after a Colts Monday night game, might just be right for Buffalo. Bills, 27-26.’

‘"The style of college football changed so much while he [Peyton Manning] was there [at Tennessee] that his sophomore season was better than his junior or senior seasons," said Archie [Manning]. "Part of it was the offensive line was better, but the SEC, the toughest conference to begin with, was stronger and there were great defensive coaches like Bill Oliver at Alabama and later Auburn, Bob Stoops of Florida (now head coach at Oklahoma) and Woody Widenhofer (the ex-Steeler defensive coordinator) at Vanderbilt.’

‘"As a quarterback, I know any time you face Buffalo it’s tough to move the ball," Manning said. "So when you have it, you really want to take advantage of the possession because you won’t get many. "I think Buffalo has the best defense in the league … and I’m not just saying that, I thought that last year."’

‘When the Bills (2-1) and Colts (2-1) square off today at The Ralph, nobody will say the game doesn’t mean anything. Neither club can afford to slip too far behind the idle New York Jets (4-0) and the 3-1 Miami Dolphins, who also have a ”bye” facing winless Cincinnati. The Bills, coming off a 27-14 loss to the Jets two weeks ago, are in the midst of a critical three-game stretch against division rivals, traveling to Miami next week. Today marks the start of a three-game road trip for the Colts with the first two against division foes Buffalo and New England. Both sides are crying sympathy, if anyone cares to listen.’

‘Bills win if…Their special teams don’t implode again. The only thing Ronnie Jones can ask of his beleaguered unit is to not lose the game. The Bills stack up well in the offense vs. defense matchups, but special teams could be huge…Manning doesn’t have another game like he had last Monday. If he gets hot, it could be lights out for the Bills despite their great defense…Rob Johnson continues to play at the efficient level he has worked at so far, then adds a couple of big plays. The Bills need to score points today, and it would be nice to not have to work too hard for a score such as a 75-yarder to Eric Moulds, Peerless Price or Jeremy McDaniel.’

‘"The Bills were the best team in the AFC at the end of last season, in my opinion," Mora said in his weekly conference chat with Buffalo reporters. "And I mean that 100%. Other than that fluke play against Tennessee, they were probably going to be in the Super Bowl. I felt going into the season they were going to be as good as they were last year."’

‘Bills coach Wade Phillips didn’t rule out Flutie seeing action against the Colts, but didn’t make it sound too likely, either. "We have to play all that by ear, but I think (Flutie’s) a guy that can come in and spark-plug you," Phillips said Wednesday. "But I’m awfully happy with how our quarterback is doing. I don’t think you want to endanger that."’

‘Since the Colts relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, they’ve won twice at what now is Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. Once was during the strike-interrupted 1987 season when the replacement Colts walloped the counterfeit Bills 47-6. Jim Harbaugh led the Colts to a 27-17 victory in 1994, but normalcy has since returned to the series. The home-standing Bills have won five in a row over Indianapolis. "I’ve only been here for two of them,” coach Jim Mora said. "Don’t blame me for the other ones." OK, but the last two have been decidedly one-sided — 34-11 in 1998, 31-6 on the final weekend of the ’99 regular season. "On those particular days," Mora said, "they were a lot better than we were."’

‘Something’s been lacking leading up to this afternoon’s early-season AFC East showdown between the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. Namely, bulletin-board material. Rather than spitting verbal barbs back and forth, the two rivals seemed content to swap sugar-coated superlatives.’

‘Smith, a former first-round pick who rushed for 1,124 yards in 1998, has not taken the demotion well. He lashed out at the decision earlier in the week, saying he was being made a scapegoat for a rushing offense that ranks 16th in the NFL in yards (298) but 25th in per-carry average (3.2). And the bulk of that work has been done by Johnson himself, the team’s leading rusher with 109 yards and a 6.8 average. Smith and backup Shawn Bryson have managed 159 yards on 68 carries (2.3). "There aren’t any scapegoats," Phillips said. "We’re 2-1. Make me the scapegoat if we end up 13-3."’

‘The Bills return from their bye week with the No. 2-ranked defense in the NFL (second to New Orleans, believe it or not), allowing an average of only 248 yards per game. The Colts fly into western New York on the wings of very impressive Monday night mauling of the Jacksonville Jaguars, averaging 460 yards of offense per game. That’s best in the AFC and second to the unbelievable Rams over the entire league.’

‘Colts 27, Bills 16…Colts 27, Bills 24…Colts 31, Bills 24…Colts 27, Bills 17…Colts 27, Bills 14.’

‘The bottom line is without a consistent rush, the Bills could be in trouble offensively.’

‘The only question for the 24-year-old Manning is whether he can catch Kurt Warner and Brett Favre, or have to be content as the NFL’s third-best quarterback. On Sunday afternoon at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Manning’s wares will be on display against the Buffalo Bills and the league’s second-best defense. But Colts’ coach Jim Mora warns that when watching Manning, don’t expect to see a finished product. “Peyton is still learning … he’s still a young quarterback,” Mora pointed out. “Everybody expects these unbelievable things from him … and I probably do too, because he’s done some great things. So I don’t want to sound negative in any way. Still, there are things that happen in games that he hasn’t seen before and that he’ll learn from.”‘

‘The Buffalo Jills, long a sideline attraction at Buffalo Bills games, will move to center stage Sunday for their first halftime dancing and singing performance at intermission of the game against the Indianapolis Colts.’