Two Bills Drive

‘Among those escorted out of Ralph Wilson Stadium for unruly behavior was the jolly ol’ fat man himself. Santa Claus was involved in a skirmish in the stands and while being taken away by some of Buffalo’s finest, had his beard knocked askew, his hat pulled down and quite frankly was an embarrassment to his profession. If you were wearing Titans colors in the Nickel City on Sunday night, odds are you were subjected to any number of threats. One fan returning home said he was struck in the back by an object thrown from behind him and also had Silly String squirted in his face. Another Titans fan said his friend was sitting across the stadium and two Bills fans started with the catcalls, etc., to the point where they started fighting among themselves and were booted from the stadium. The rest of the Bills’ fans got mad at the Titans fan because the two Bills fans were ejected, so he wisely left before the game was over to avoid any further confrontation. Let’s hope Titans fans treat visitors to Adelphia Coliseum with more respect and dignity.’

‘"He hung in there — he is a lot tougher than I thought he would be," Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said. "Defensively, the guys played hard and put good pressure on the quarterback, I’m sure Rob is sore." Titans linebacker Greg Favors sacked Johnson twice, including one hit Johnson never saw coming. "I’ll say this about the guy — he is tough," Favors said. "We hit him with some pretty big licks and he kept getting up."’

‘The indifferent: The Titans fiddled around with their receivers instead of playing their best guys across the board. The two times they threw deep, they got a pass-interference call and would have gotten a big reception from George had he held on. Were the Bills DBs so fantastic no one was ever open deep again?’

‘Rob Johnson was walking around the Buffalo Bills locker room yesterday without a limp, and there seems to be no question that he will be able to play Sunday when the Green Bay Packers invade Ralph Wilson Stadium. Whether Johnson will be able to play the following week, or any of the weeks thereafter, no one is quite sure.’

‘The Colts, one of the least successful teams in the 1990s, are the early pick to be the best team in the 2000s. But next to the Colts, is there a team more likely to be consistently good for years to come than the Bills?’

‘To be fair, Johnson proved a lot in Sunday’s Homerun Payback at Ralph Wilson Stadium, a bit of season-opening revenge for the AFC wild-card playoff loss in January. He proved he could bounce back from a hit, like former Bills great Jim Kelly. Time after time Johnson rose from the turf after being pummelled by Jevon Kearse and the Titans defence. Johnson also proved he could scramble like teammate/chief adversary Doug Flutie, effectively setting up one touchdown and two field goals with his feet, not his much-heralded arm. More than anything, Johnson showed his grit, earning the respect of teammates who had to wonder if there was only break and no bend in his fragile body. Ultimately though, the fifth-year pro who has completed only a handful of NFL games, once again was unable to finish what he started.’

‘But for Toronto’s purposes, the Buffalo situation couldn’t be more perfect. "We plan on being aggressive about this,” said Godfrey, adding nothing specific about their NFL plans. He can’t say anything about this, for now, and for the immediate future.’

‘A little frustrated and plenty banged up, Rob Johnson was back on his feet Monday, saying the feeling and movement has returned to his lower left leg. "I can control the movement. It’s a lot better. It’s just real weak right now and I’m sure in the next couple of days it’ll come back,” the Buffalo Bills quarterback said, adding he expects to practice on Wednesday.’

‘The Buffalo Bills pulled out all the stops Sunday night. They introduced their new mascot, Billy Buffalo. Four parachutists, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, landed on the Ralph Wilson Stadium turf. Shoot, even Sharon Jones, the team’s personal good-luck charm, sang the National Anthem as fireworks lit up the night sky. And did I mention the white pom-poms, which were handed out to the 72,492 wired fans? It was a pregame befitting a Super Bowl. Alas, it resembled one. Offensively, anyway.’

‘Someone get Don King. Find a squared circle in Manilla. The Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills are ready for one more "Thrilla." Sunday, before 72,492 at Ralph Wilson Stadium and a national television audience, the Bills evened what suddenly looks like one of sport’s best rivalries 16-13.’

‘By now, the mode of operation for the Tennessee Titans should be quite familiar. Recent history has taught us that any team coached by Jeff Fisher will rely on a stingy defense, a conservative offense, and the notion that if you keep the game close and don’t make mistakes you can pull the victory out in the end. It didn’t work Sunday night in the 16-13 season-opening loss to the Bills.’

‘This time the Tennessee Titans did not adopt a "show-me" approach. Instead, they decided to show an inexperienced quarterback all manner of pressure to see if he could handle it. He did, but not for a full 60 minutes.’

‘And per usual for the Bills, who led the NFL in overall and passing defense last season, the defense can be credited with the victory. "We’ve got a great defense," Phillips said. "They are capable of doing great things." Indeed, the Bills did just that against the Titans, who could muster only 172 yards of total offense and nine first downs.’

‘The Tennessee Titans’ special teams nearly did it to the Buffalo Bills again. Buffalo avenged its loss in last January’s Wild Card playoff contest 16-13 Sunday but only after it held on against the surging Titans’ special teams.’

‘The popular tailgate T-shirt at Ralph Wilson Stadium read "Wide Right, No Goal, Forward Lateral – Screwed Again." Those eight simple words sum up Buffalo’s infamous history staring at the horse’s rear instead of being perched atop the saddle. The Wide Right refers to Norwood’s field goal from Super Bowl XXV and the "No Goal" references the 1999 Stanley Cup finals when Dallas beat Buffalo on a controversial goal call. The Forward Lateral kept brooding Bills fans waiting for this rematch since the depths of winter, and the game didn’t disappoint.’