Two Bills Drive

‘Johnson never will match the things Flutie does best, but he has the physical talent to take a good team a long way. The sooner he returns to the lineup and the more he plays, the more prepared he’ll be when the Bills become a serious Super Bowl contender.’

‘Place-kicker Steve Christie, who has four winning field goals this season and was 3-for-3 in last week’s 16-13 overtime victory over New England, yesterday earned his third AFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award.’

‘"I’m still waiting to get a tryout with some premiership soccer team," Christie said with a laugh.’

‘If Al Gore and George W. Bush can wait, why not Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson?’

‘The more Buffalo coach Wade Phillips insisted Wednesday that there is no quarterback controversy on the Bills, the more controversial it became.’

‘”I’m going back to a stadium where I played seven years and that was home to me,” said Smith, the Bills’ No. 1 draft choice in 1993. “It’s definitely going to be emotional. It’s going to be different coming into that stadium and not being on the home sideline, being on the visiting sideline. I have some emotional ties to it because Buffalo gave me an opportunity drafting me and I’ve been there my whole career.”‘

‘And he’s got a point. The Bears have three quarterbacks who get along and are 2-7. The Bills have two quarterbacks who don’t and are 5-4 and alive for a playoff berth.’

‘"Their two nose tackles present a challenge for any center in the league," coach Dick Jauron said. "Washington is a giant man. And he’s a very talented athlete for that size. They’re not asking him to cover a lot of field, but the field that they ask him to cover, he does it very well. He takes two [blockers] at least, and lets their guys run."’

‘Christie (special teams) and Cowart (defensive player) earned AFC weekly player awards, the first time in club history two Bills were recognized in the same week.’

‘"It’s very, very difficult to single (block) them. The linebackers run; the linebackers are very active. (The 3-4) is a defense that dares you to run laterally and runs you down. And if you try to run inside, you have to deal with that nose tackle, who makes it very difficult."’

‘A teammate entered the fray earlier this week, saying, "No question we’re a better team with Doug in there. All Doug thinks about is helping the team win and how he can do that, while Rob spends a lot of time wanting everybody to like him."’

‘"I don’t think I’m throwing as well since I got hurt," Johnson said following the Buffalo Bills practice on Wednesday. "But it’s only been three practices. You never know by Sunday."’

‘The pair became the first Buffalo Bills teammates to earn AFC Player of the Week honors in the same week following Sunday’s 16-13 overtime win over New England.’

‘The winner gets to lead the Bills on their run for the playoffs, while the loser can hang out with Michael Peca all day, wondering why Buffalo has deserted them.’

‘All of the players would much prefer having all the snaps to themselves, but it looks like the Bills will continue rotating the linemen for the rest of the season.’