Two Bills Drive

‘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.’

‘The Bills told him to retire and informed him that for his own good they were not going to let him play for the team. Burroughs sought work elsewhere, but no other team would take a chance, either, and he had no option but to hang up his cleats. "I was bitter," he said. "I stayed away from football a long time. I didn’t even watch the Bills for a couple years. It was mentally more than I could bear, watching my teammates doing it without me. "But I don’t have any regrets. I know that God is a good God, he’s the same God that gave me the opportunity to be drafted in the first round. In the beginning I questioned it, but not anymore, because I know I can walk and that’s bigger than football."’

‘While the Buffalo Bills of the present sweated through drills on the practice fields yesterday, just a few yards away some former Bills reminisced. Only it wasn’t that easy to distinguish the alumni from the current players. "A lot of us look like we can still play," said Tom Day, a defensive end from the AFL championship teams of 1964 and ’65. Day is one of those who remains in marvelous shape. His New York driver’s license says he’ll turn 65 on Aug. 20, and it’s the only way he’ll ever convince someone he’s eligible for a senior citizen’s discount.’

‘"It was just basically to make sure my stability was there," he said. "They say my muscles and structure are fine, now it’s getting hit and getting shock treatment, plus getting my mind back into it." Wiley underwent lower back surgery in mid-July and at the time, his timetable for a return to action was 4-6 weeks. It has been about 3 1/2 weeks, so he still has a ways to go. "I’m trying to do some conditioning because I’m not going to be running around doing all the team work so I have to do my conditioning as well as my drill work," he said.’

‘"He wanted to play for an AFC team, which is why he turned down the Giants and New Orleans," Agnone said. "Second, he wanted a team that was going to win. And third, he wanted a chance to play and make another Pro Bowl."’

‘Reed said he was given a bad rap by the media in Buffalo, a bad rap he hopes to shake. "It’s been on my back for three or four years," he said. "I’m just trying to get that monkey off my back. It’s a new beginning for me. "It’s just something. I say that I have nothing against (the media). I’ve always had something against the media in Buffalo, and that’s where the hostility is coming from. If I’m going to be (in Denver), I want to have a better relationship. "The minute I spoke up for myself and told people how I felt about certain situations, I was in the wrong. But I’m not going to hold back any more. Whether or not that’s the reason they didn’t want me there — I didn’t want to be there anyway. So that’s just that."’

‘"Wiley is ahead of schedule. He’s been working out, and it feels fine,” coach Wade Phillips said. Wiley said he did not expect to play in the Bills’ next two preseason games, and was "50-50” for the final exhibition game at Philadelphia on Aug. 24. He said he should be ready for the regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 3.’

‘Gash was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year even though he didn’t carry the ball once for the Buffalo Bills last season. He did however catch 20 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.’

‘Reed, whose 941 career receptions are second only to Jerry Rice, spent 15 seasons with the Buffalo Bills before signing a two-year, incentive-laden contract with the Broncos on the eve of training camp. He caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in Denver’s preseason opener Saturday at Arizona. The reception came after Doering tore his left Achilles’ tendon and Moore broke his left ankle. "Injuries didn’t have anything to do with me stepping up and being an important part of this team," Reed said. "It’s unfortunate that Chris went down and Muneer went down, but that’s how football is. Opportunity only presents itself so many times, and you’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity."’

"You Make the Call" is a presentation of both real and imagined NFL scenarios, where we invite you to "make the call" based upon the Official Rules for the NFL for 1999. Good luck, because you’ll need it.

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‘In every NFL camp there is a group of rookie free agents who arrive with no shot of making the squad. Some of them know this and show up happy to enjoy the ride as long as it lasts. Fred Jones isn’t one of those. "I’m trying to make a career out of this," said the Buffalo Bills’ outside linebacker. "I have high goals and high expectations." While Jones didn’t particularly stand out in Friday’s preseason victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he has been impressing Bills coaches and teammates in training camp at St. John Fisher College.’

‘"That is what we wanted to address with our team, trying to get as much speed as could the last couple of years," coach Wade Phillips said. "It’s going to pay off for us. You could see that (in this game). Guys are not only going to make plays, but nobody is going to catch them. I thought it was really important for us to establish that we’ve got overall (great) team speed, because we’ve got a lot of it."’

‘The Bills drafted Black in the fourth round to be their kickoff returner. He averaged 34.2 yards a return last year at Tennessee State. He brought three kicks back for touchdowns, including two for 100 yards. He scored a fourth touchdown in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Black, who was clocked by Bills scouts at 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash, was unimpressed by Friday night’s electrifying score. "It’s something a person like me should get used to," Black said. "I feel that’s just the beginning." Black’s confidence and college credentials aside, Bills coach Wade Phillips has said his special teams players must be able to contribute at their other positions to make the roster. Black certainly did his part on Friday.’

‘The Bills have 14 scouts, including General Manager John Butler who is out in the field on a regular basis, and Director of Pro Personnel A.J. Smith, the guy responsible for Doug Flutie’s presence in Buffalo along with that of three of the more promising free-agent defensive backs in camp. Smith’s responsibility is the 30 other NFL teams, NFL Europe and the Canadian and Arena leagues. The Buffalo organization blankets the nation. It knows what’s going on at just about every campus. It ranges from scouts in their mid-30s, like Doug Majeski and Tom Gibbons, to three septuagenarians, David G. Smith, Bob Ryan and Chink Sengel. Ryan, 76, and Sengel, 78, have ruminated about retiring for years. Owner Ralph Wilson always talks them out of it. He understands that his scouts are the heart of the product. This bunch knows where the bodies are buried.’