Two Bills Drive

‘Asked if he could return to full-time duty after settling into a speciality back role, Thomas, 33, said he’d do it but warned he’d be shot by mid-season. “I’m not ready to go back to full time,” said the man who is ninth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 11,786 yards. “I like the role I’m in, not all beat up and unable to practice until Thursdays. “If I have to play full time, go 60 or 70 plays, I’m ready to try early in the season but once it gets late in the year, I’d have to cut back and rest. It’s just because of my age and I’ve been hit so much in 12 years. It’s just the way it is, like a Marcus Allen.”‘

‘This season, second-year tackle Robert Hicks and third-year man Marcus Spriggs have demonstrated they’re ready to contribute more than shade. Their readiness convinced the coaching staff it was time to reshuffle the deck and find the best starting five. That means the 325-pound Ostroski, one of the strongest players on the Bills, replaces the 298-pound Zeigler, who has struggled for two seasons at center against ever-enlarging nose tackles. It means Hicks, a mammoth 6-7, 340-pounder in the mold of Howard “House” Ballard goes in at right tackle, with the 315-pound Spriggs, presently nursing a hip flexor injury, there to push him. “I think it’s a good combination,” coach Wade Phillips said. “I wasn’t positive we had the best five out there (before). We’ll see if that’s the case now.”‘

“There are two nightmarish injuries for football players who are in running positions. Groin pulls and hamstring strains are the worst kind of physical woes for running backs, wideouts, defensive backs and linebackers. And, suddenly, the Bills’ interest in wayward running back Lawrence Phillips is understandable. It was an horrendous public relations decision, given Phillips low-character history. But it spoke volumes about the Bills’ concern over Smith’s health.”

‘”We brought Jerry back because he’s a good player and he’s versatile enough to play a lot of postions. In this case, it can really help us,” Phillips said. “But there were a lot of factors. Hicks and Spriggs have looked good. Last year, no way could we do this. We didn’t even know who the backups would be. But we’re trying to get a starting unit, the best five, together and give it time to jell.”‘

‘”I prefer to stay here, but sure, I’d love to play somewhere else if Doug’s going to be the man here for a long time,” Johnson said. “This year will tell a lot. Salary cap wise, I’m sure they can keep us both another year and be fine but after that it’ll get tough and I know, from talking to people, there are three or four spots out there where I could start. But they have me for five years if they want. We’ll see. I don’t worry about it now. I’m happy. I’m fine.”‘

‘”We have some exciting new players and some who have been here a while and are ready to blossom,” Smith said. “And we have some older players who just seem to keep getting better and better.”

‘”All I wanted was to be treated fairly,” Reed said. “I just wanted to be paid. That’s all you deserve. Fortunately we got something accomplished, and I’m here to play.”‘

“Smith aggravated his groin in June working out at his home in Alabama. He came to Buffalo to be examined by team doctor John Marzo and a magnetic resonance imaging exam was taken. But after running hard on Day One of camp Saturday, Smith’s groin tightened on Sunday.”

‘”I had a nice talk with Mr. Wilson a week and a half ago, talked about a lot of things, and came to an agreement on a lot of things,” Reed said. “I’ve always wanted to play football. I think that’s what I was born to do, and born to wear red, white and blue. It’s good to be back.”‘

‘”I have to use this camp to prepare to be the starter,” Flutie said. “I’ve got to perform. There’s no security in this profession, and Rob’s one hell of a quarterback.”‘

“Propelled by rigorous workouts and guided by countless hours of studying tape with running backs coach Bishop Harris, Smith is determined to prove that Buffalo made the right choice when it drafted the former University of

Houston star in the first round in 1997.”

“When Buffalo running back Antowain Smith heard that the Bills were taking a serious look at troubled Lawrence Phillips during the off-season, he got moving. He woke up early to lift weights. He went running in the searing heat of Houston’s summer afternoons. He peeled the skin off chicken and piled vegetables on his plate. “They were trying to tell me something,” said Smith, who gained a respectable but unspectacular 1,124 yards last season while averaging what for him was a disappointing 3.8 yards per carry.”

“Jerry [Ross] worked real hard in the off-season and I thought he was committed to playing. But he said his heart wasn’t in it and you have to respect that,” Phillips said. “If your heart isn’t in this game, you’re in trouble, so it’s best he did leave.”