Two Bills Drive

‘”In our world, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in wins and losses, but you’ve always got to try to remember what’s really important,” Collins said. “Obviously, being in the position I’m in, I’m able to do these kinds of things and I feel like it’s important to do, especially around the holidays.”‘

‘”These guys are very good professionals,” he said. “They understand that 24 hours after the ballgame you have to spit out the bitter taste and get on to the next opponent; and we are working very hard on getting ready for the Giants.”‘

‘Donahoe doesn’t want to turn this final stretch into a glorified tryout process for 2004 but would like to see the Bills iron out some of their problems so there’s a positive feeling going into the off-season. “We’ll evaluate everything when the season is over,” he said. “We still have five games to play and this team has shown it has a lot of fight. There’s no reason to think that’s going to change.”‘

‘The Giants were a playoff team a year ago but are reeling for a lot of reasons, No. 1 being a sudden inability to protect the football. In Jim Fassel’s first six seasons, the Giants were a plus-23 in turnover differential, but this season they are a minus-8. Consider Buffalo’s minus-11 and this game easily comes down to what team makes the fewest mistakes. The Bills and Giants have a combined 22 lost fumbles. The Bills have been horrendous on the road protecting the football, committing 31 turnovers against only five for their opponents during their 1-8 road record dating back to last season. The Giants are giving up 328 yards per game so Buffalo should be able to move the football, but it absolutely can’t stop itself with mistakes and hope to win. Defensively, the Bills match their No. 4 pass defense against New York’s No. 4 passing offense and can win this battle with pressure on the inconsistent Kerry Collins.’

’17 — Number of runs of 10 yards or more than Travis Henry has had in his last five games.’

‘You can argue that no team plays with passion when it can’t move the ball on offense. Tell that to owner Ralph Wilson. He ripped the players and coaches after a loss to the then-winless New York Jets on Oct. 12, saying his team sleep-walked and showed no emotion or enthusiasm. He went on to say that at least Cincinnati, a team the Bills had beaten one week earlier, was aggressive the way his team used to be. Those are not the words Williams, who is in the final year of his contract, wants to hear. Wilson hasn’t been as outspoken publicly since the loss to the Jets, but his assessment of where this team stands certainly hasn’t improved.’

‘Travis Henry and Eric Moulds are not on the injury report, but were held out of practice. Jeff Posey worked some on the side, Mike Pucillo, Sammy Morris with a knee and Angelo Crowell all didn’t practice. Those four players as well as Clarence Coleman are questionable for the Giants game.’

”’It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that,” Henry said. ”There’s a lot of things that we could’ve been doing early in the season but we weren’t. But it comes to a point, I guess, where you’ve got to point the fingers at somebody.”’

‘Aiken appeared in five games for the Bills this season and caught five passes for 49 yards.’

‘”We’ve both committed football sins, so to speak,” said Buffalo defensive tackle Sam Adams. “Turn the ball over, not get enough turnovers, that kind of thing.”‘

‘The Giants have a world of talent on offense, but the team that was supposed to be very explosive this season has failed to produce as expected. From penalties and dropped passes to breakdowns on the offensive line and untimely injuries to RG Rich Seubert and TE Jeremy Shockey, the Giants’ offense has been hampered in one way or another all season long.’

‘”We finally got in the end zone a couple of times, but it just wasn’t enough,” said Bledsoe, who is 2-0 in his career against the Giants. “We just have to keep working at it. That is what we get paid to do. This is the ugly part of this business. When you don’t win it can get ugly. We come back and go to work and do everything we can to win next week. But this is the hard part of this business for sure.”‘

‘”We have to come out and win every week,” said Williams, who is feeling the heat in Buffalo. “That’s how we approach this week. That’s how we approach every week. Our guys battle, they play very hard and prepare hard.”‘

‘Aiken was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, two days after arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee.’

‘“He’s just sick,” coach Gregg Williams said. “We sent him home and we’ll see how he is tomorrow. He practiced the first part of practice. We just took a precautionary thing. There is a bug going around.”’