Archives for October 2001

‘The Bills are at the point in their growth where indiscretion still looks good on them. Raion Hill’s post-throw jab at Doug Flutie is indefensible if their record is 4-1. At 1-4, it’s a badge of honor.’

‘The Hall of Fame’s selection committee said it will trim the list to 14 finalists and disclose those nominees in mid-January.’

No truth to the rumor that Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson went out for fish tacos Saturday night.

San Diego’s Doug Flutie was the winning quarterback Sunday, and played a solid game, but the Bills’ Rob Johnson enjoyed a strong game for the second consecutive week as well. The Johnson-Flutie matchup lived up the hype. Let’s face it — maybe the best thing for both players was getting them separated. Now it’s time to put this Johnson-Flutie talk to rest. Flutie is happy and winning and Johnson is growing every week. It’s best for both players. One thing about this game for the Bills: Owner Ralph Wilson now knows what it’s like to lose five Super Bowls since he propped up this game with that kind of magnitude.

Coaching move of the week:

Gregg Williams. The Bills look much better than during their 0-4 start and were game indeed against the Chargers, but Buffalo’s special teams betrayed them in a 27-24 loss at San Diego.

‘The Edgerrin James Watch began in earnest on Monday as the Indianapolis Colts returned to work after a three-day weekend. Will he or won’t he? Will the NFL’s two-time rushing champion be available for Sunday afternoon’s game against AFC East rival Buffalo or will a sprained left knee force him to miss his first game as a pro?’

‘Also eligible is Bills owner Ralph Wilson and former linebacker Darryl Talley.’

‘The hope here is that Bills fans — and that includes all you card-carrying members of the Doug Flutie cult — finally started to give Rob Johnson his due.’

‘The NFL approved the Buffalo Bills’ request to change the time for Sunday’s home game against Indianapolis to 1 p.m.’

‘Johnson would hate this comparison, but the laid-back 28-year-old actually played like Flutie, 39, albeit without the magic. When plays fell apart, Johnson took off running for first-down yardage. Where have you seen that before? He led his team to two impressive length-of-the-field drives in the final five minutes of the game. Sound familiar?’

‘Johnson twice was hit in ways that would have knocked a lesser quarterback out of the game. He hopped on one leg to the locker room, got taped up and shot up, and ten minutes later ran back onto the field. Shades of Kelly and his broken collarbone in the Pittsburgh playoff game. He got hit well out of bounds, slammed his head on the turf, and got up wondering what day it was. Yet he finished the TD drive and led the final drive.’

‘Rarely does a loss provide a rallying point. But it’s enough for a rebuilding Bills team (1-5) that’s trying to find its identity after getting off to its worst start in 15 years.’

NOTE: The NFL approved the Bills’ request to change the time for this Sunday’s home game against Indianapolis to 1 p.m. It was originally scheduled for 4:15 p.m.

"We got after him early, but he didn’t let that ruin his day. He came out and played tough and made a lot of good throws. Because of him and the receivers they’ve got, it came down to a shootout. After they got back in it, it was hard for both sides I think."

"We’re happy with our situation and I hope they are. His (Johnson’s) last two weeks have been impressive. He started slow. He’s a great talent. He’s an unreal talent. All he needed was experience and a little bitterness to get out of his life. Right now he can’t be bitter at anything."

Johnson had better statistics than Flutie, but threw the interception that could have ended Buffalo’s afternoon and seemingly would deflate the Bills. However, Johnson’s resolve and play showed why the Bills wanted to make him the starter, and he came back to throw a 61-yard strike to Peerless Price to bring Buffalo right back in it.