Two Bills Drive

‘The Bills’ offense averaged 30.1 points per game the first half of last season and 17.2 the second half.’

‘"We’re thinking "all the way,’ too," said Jennings. "We’re excited. This is our first time with the same line two years in a row, under the same system. It’s something you gotta love. We know exactly what to do. If the team goes as we go, we have to take it to the next level. We want to be the combination that opens the lock."’

‘"I told them Tom Donahoe has brought in a lot of good players, but I want to say something about Gregg Williams," Wilson said. "Two years ago, we were really down on our talent and had a tough year. Last year, we were a little better but still weren’t quite there yet. But never once has Gregg complained to me or anybody else in this organization. Never once has he made excuses. And I admire him for that."’

‘” I said, ‘ Gregg didn’t have any material his first year,’ ” Wilson said. ” The second year, we had some better players. But never in these two years did I hear Gregg complain. He never said, ‘ Oh well, we don’t have this, we don’t have that.’ He took what we had and I admired him for that.”‘

‘” I told Josh that it took Peerless four seasons for everything to crystallize for him,” Gilbride said. ” Part of Peerless’ success last year (94 receptions, 1,252 yards and nine TDs), was due to a system and a quarterback that took advantage of his unique skills. But part of it also was him growing into the position and developing an understanding of what it took to be successful at that position in this league. That took four years for that evolution to occur.”‘

‘” The surgery went very well,” Williams said. ” Every indication right now immediately after the surgery was that it was very successful and it was contained. Now we hope he has a speedy recovery and that when Fred gets back, hopefully we won’t have missed a beat.”‘

‘” It doesn’t take a lot to bring a smile to someone,” said Teague, the Bills’ center. ” You’re making someone feel good, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This is the best part of training camp.”’

‘A long-standing National Football League policy has sacked a successful fund-raising venture at Ralph Wilson Stadium that benefits the non-profit Heritage Centers.’

‘If the Bills improve on last season’s 8-8 record, it will be on the legs of Spikes and the girth of Adams, a free-agent acquisition from the Oakland Raiders, as much as on the arm of quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who enters his second season in Buffalo.’

‘Centers was considered a locker room leader in Buffalo, where he played the past two seasons. But the Bills did not re-sign him, feeling his best days were behind him. Centers caught 43 passes for 388 yards last season, bringing his career totals to 808 catches and 6,691 yards. Before landing in Buffalo, he played nine seasons with the Cardinals and two with the Redskins.’

‘“It’s just good to get with a team that has a chance to win it all,” said the 14-year veteran last night. “There’s a good chance this is my last shot at it. I’ve watched their offense for years and I’ve always liked the way they used their backs out of the backfield. I spoke to Charlie Weis (the Pats offensive coordinator) and he told me that they tailor their offense to their personnel not the other way around. It was music to my ears.”’

‘Tom Donahoe came into Buffalo two years ago as the Bills’ general manager, bit the bullet and got the team out of salary-cap jail. Believe me, that’s not an easy thing to do. But after going 3-13 in 2002 and coming back with an 8-8 record last season, the reconstruction of the once-proud franchise is under way.’

‘Chris Kelsay- This guy is a mountain. I didn’t know husking corn was such a good workout. This guys biceps are as big as my head. Looks very quick off the line and has good form. Handled the second string with ease, never saw him against the first. If Jones thinks he has the starting position locked up he is mistaken.’

”’Right now, if I was another defensive guy, I would say, ‘Make them prove that they can beat us with the running game,”’ he said. ”It’s, ‘Can you win running the ball?’ And if we can, then they have to defend that and it’ll open up the opportunities for us throwing the ball again.”’

‘"Radio is more of a challenge," Miller said. "You have to paint a word picture. Television is easy. The picture tells the story for you. But it’s different in radio. You have to give your listeners the feeling as if they were there."’