Two Bills Drive

"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.

‘Buffalo Bills defensive end Marcellus Wiley, considered Bruce Smith’s successor on the right side, will miss all of training camp while he recovers from back surgery. Doctors repaired a bulging disc in his lower back last weekend, and he will be sidelined four to six weeks. Wiley hurt his back while working out on his own two weeks ago. He was expected to be released from hospital Monday and begin rehabilitation next week.’

‘The 8th castaway has been voted off Buffalo Bills Island. This former Bill was a steady player who showed up to play every week. His career spanned 7 years with the Bills and 3 more with the Denver Broncos.’

‘These are quotes from off-season conversations with Peerless Price. They don’t include Mike Doser’s questions, rather, it is just pure, uninterrupted comment from Price about his off-season and preparing for his second year with the team.’

‘The novelty of training camp in Fredonia had long worn off and attendance there waned in recent years. Estimated figures say about 10,000 spectators watched the team during the course of the approximately three-week training camp period. The Bills are optimistic that 10 or 15 times that number will sample training camp this summer.’

‘Those interests already are being boosted: The Wegmans-Bills pairing has attracted attention across the NFL. While almost every NFL team has some sort of relationship with a local supermarket, said Chris Widmaire, a league spokesman, the Bills-Wegmans matchup is "unique to the entire NFL." "When we have league meetings and the Bills make presentations about their relationship with Wegmans," said Widmaire, "people are blown away by the breadth and depth of it."’

‘Starting right end Marcellus Wiley will undergo surgery today [Saturday] to correct a bulging disk in his lower back and will be sidelined between four to six weeks, according to media reports. It comes as a shock because Wiley showed no signs of problems in any of the mini-camps.’

‘The Buffalo Bills defensive lineman is one of the most generous players in a league that seems to get more attention nowadays for the ones who commit crimes. With his own charitable foundation he established in 1998, Washington has made it his mission to give. He hands out thousands of pairs of shoes annually, plays Santa every Christmas to donate toys, and offers advice and hope to all. He also has organized a football camp for hundreds of children at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center near Twentynine Palms, Calif., in the Mojave Desert.’

‘The Bills recently signed a sponsorship deal with JetBlue Airways, a new airline based at New York’s Kennedy Airport. The Bills will promote the airline on an electronic billboard in the east end zone and other stadium signs. JetBlue executives are already salivating at the prospect of flying throngs of Bills and New York Jets fans between Buffalo and New York when the teams meet during the upcoming season.’

‘Doug Flutie said recently that he will be back on the field, despite coach Wade Phillips going with Rob Johnson as his No. 1 quarterback. The decision to bench Flutie in the playoffs last year may become Phillips’s haunting legacy. Even former Bills great Jim Kelly said that while he considers Phillips a friend, he can’t approve of the decision to bench Flutie. Another bad sign for this team, which will be one of the league’s youngest, was cutting fullback Sam Gash. The Patriots found out Gash brings an attitude to the offense. The Patriots miss it and the Bills will also. This is also a team void of the great Bruce Smith, who can still be productive. But the Bills have drafted well lately and their young players will be put to the test. The Bills must also replace receiver Andre Reed. At least they have a viable option in Peerless Price.’

‘Wiley will be out of action for four to six weeks due to surgery he will have today to repair a bulging disc in his lower back. The fourth-year right defensive end probably will miss all of the team’s training camp in Rochester. He is scheduled to be back on the field sometime between Aug. 7 and Aug. 21.’

‘The former head doctor to the Buffalo Bills has been sanctioned by state health officials for inappropriate billing. Dr. Richard L. Weiss, of Amherst, agreed not to contest the charges against him, including professional misconduct and filing false reports. He also agreed that his license to practice medicine be permanently limited, although Weiss is retired…Weiss, 71, joined the Bills as an associate physician in 1967 and had been their primary team doctor from 1977 to 1995, when his role diminished…State officials could not say whether the billing was related to the Bills or Weiss’ other patients.’

"Flutie Flakes, which made their 1998 debut in a bright red box, then were switched to a deep blue box in early ’99, will hit supermarket shelves in early August in a new red, white and blue box. Melissa Heher, vice president of PLB Sports, the Pittsburgh company that created Flutie’s hit breakfast food, said the time was right for Flutie Flakes III."

"The Buffalo Bills signed four NFL Europe players Thursday, including wide receiver Kevin Drake, who led the league this season with a record-tying 12 touchdown catches. Also signed were defensive backs Nick Ferguson and Quincy Coleman and wide receiver Todd Floyd, who returns to the Bills after they released him prior to the start of last season."