Two Bills Drive

‘There were absolutely no surprises yesterday when Buffalo Bills coach Wade Phillips trimmed his roster to the NFL-mandated limit of 53. The only cut that drew even a mild upward turn of an eyebrow was the release of quarterback Mike Cawley, but not because Cawley’s play warranted him a spot on the roster. Cawley was decidedly unimpressive in the brief work he received in the four preseason games, but his departure leaves the Bills dangerously thin at quarterback for the first month of the season. The only healthy quarterbacks are starter Rob Johnson and third-stringer Alex Van Pelt as Doug Flutie continues to recover from a groin pull that will keep him inactive for at least the first three games. Should anything happen to Johnson and Van Pelt had to play, the Bills would be one play away from having to use an emergency quarterback, probably punter Chris Mohr.’

2. Buffalo 9-7

‘The Buffalo Bills cut 12 players, including second-year running back Lennox Gordon, while also acquiring return specialist Chris Watson from the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The cuts bring the Bills’ roster down to the maximum 53 in preparation for next weekend’s start of the regular season.’

‘In a span of one year, Carpenter’s career has taken a dramatic leap forward. He came to the Bills last year as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Virginia Tech, where he was a second-team All-Big East selection as a senior. And while he made the Bills’ regular-season roster, he was still a relative unknown whose only playing time came on special teams. Now many people know Carpenter, who is well aware of how far he’s come in such a short time. "I feel blessed just to have the opportunity to contribute to a great organization like the Bills," said Carpenter, 22. "A lot of guys don’t get this kind of opportunity until their third or fourth year in the league. I was blessed to be put in a perfect situation at the right time."’

‘No team in the division left a bigger impression on the Colts, by virtue of their 31-6 victory in the regular-season finale. "Buffalo dismembered us at the end of the season," said Polian. Though much has been made of the departures of Smith, Reed and Thurman Thomas, all were little more than situational players last season, and their replacements — defensive end Marcellus Wiley, receiver Peerless Price and running back Antowain Smith are already experienced, productive players. "The fellows that they lost, even though they’re very close to my heart and clearly among the greatest players in the history of the game, last year were really just role players for them," Polian said. "So they were prepared to have those players leave and have very adequate replacements on hand." If coach Wade Phillips can massage the quarterback situation to keep it from becoming controversial — he’s made it clear Rob Johnson is the man, with Doug Flutie in reserve — the offense has few holes and the defense is still one of the nastiest in the game.’

‘With this changing of the guard, there is excitement on One Bills Drive that this new herd can stampede its way back to the top of the AFC East and perhaps win a playoff game for the first time since 1995. However, there is also skepticism surrounding a young team that has to find its way with a potentially superb but largely untested quarterback leading the way.’

‘The Bills, sans The Big Three and 15 players overall from last season’s 11-5 playoff club, are relishing the opportunity to disprove the consensus opinion that they’ve lost too much firepower to remain a Super Bowl contender. They say people are overrating the loss of golden-oldie stars like Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith and Andre Reed and underrating their young, talented replacements like Shawn Bryson, Marcellus Wiley and Peerless Price. They say that yes, the team will feature seven new starters, but there are also 15 returnees, forming the nucleus of a defense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL and a No. 11 offense that should be much more explosive with Johnson taking over for Doug Flutie.’

‘Morris proved he’s more than just a reserve blocker in the Bills’ 16-12 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The fifth-round draft choice from Texas Tech is a viable backup option for the Bills at running back this season. Morris gained 101 yards on 27 carries and caught two passes for 41 yards. He did it mostly against backup performers. But he showed the shiftiness and quickness necessary to be a versatile contributor – one who can fill two roles for the Bills. “That was more carries than I had in any other day of reps in camp,” Morris said. “It felt good. I just wanted to run as hard as I could.” “Sammy’s a talented player who’s going to help us this year,” coach Wade Phillips said.’

‘Despite the long ball returning to Buffalo’s offense this preseason under quarterback Rob Johnson, don’t expect the Bills to stop using the run to set up the pass. "We won’t ever be a passing team first. The character of our team is to establish the run and pound it out and throw off that," Johnson said.’

‘After rookie Avion Black had two muffed punt tries last week against St. Louis, coach Wade Phillips used second-year pro Peerless Price against the Eagles. Price, a feared return man at Tennessee, promptly fumbled his first return that Philadelphia recovered to set up a field goal. Phillips wouldn’t say who he’ll use against the Titans, but expressed confidence in Price. "I think we can count on him if we need to," he said.’

‘If you wondered why Wade Phillips didn’t even dress a handful of his starting Buffalo Bills for last night’s preseason finale in Philadelphia, all you had to do was watch the final 27 seconds. That’s when Steve Christie, after kicking a 33-yard field goal, was accidentally hit in the knee by an Eagles’ defender unsuccessfully diving for a block.’

‘The outcome was a triumph for the Bills for a reason more important than the final score. They finished the game without any significant injuries.’

‘There are 4,500 tickets remaining for the Buffalo Bills’ season opener against Tennessee on Sept. 3 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the team reported…The Bills are home in Week Two against Green Bay on Sept. 10. A couple thousand tickets are left for that one. They visit the New York Jets in Week Three and then have a bye. They return home on Oct. 1 against AFC East champion Indianapolis. A few thousand tickets remain for that game as well.’

‘Playoff forecast: Fair to good. Buffalo had a quality team last year and should be talented again. If the Bills find leadership and Johnson proves his worth, Buffalo should be in the thick of the playoff hunt.’

‘Aside from a sprained hand suffered by Antoine Winfield, call it a successful evening for Phillips, and as an added bonus, the Bills defeated the Eagles 16-12. With eight starters — five on offense, three on defense — not even in uniform, the Bills’ reserves had plenty of opportunities to make one last impression before the final cut is made this weekend.’