Two Bills Drive

‘The board of directors of Sandy Beach Yacht Club Women’s Organization will sponsor a spaghetti dinner today during halftime of the Buffalo Bills vs. Washington Redskins.’

‘The Bills now rank last in total yards and rushing yards and 18th in passing yards and points scored. Buffalo has converted just 15 of its last 54 third-down tries and Bledsoe has been sacked 17 times during the club’s four-game slide.’

‘One scout recently said: “Bruce Smith is just limping toward that sack record. The first four games, he seemed to be pumped up, but the last two weeks he looks bad.”‘

‘Explain what the violence in the NFL is really like?

“It’s a sequence of car crashes. I think I read Tiki Barber or Ronde Barber say that the following day you get out of bed slowly and you do a body part check. That’s kind of what it’s like. You don’t know what’s going to hurt the following day. All of a sudden you get out of bed and your back hurts and you don’t remember how it happened.”‘

‘For the Bills, of course, the real issue isn’t Smith, but rather getting back on track offensively.’

‘But a similar loss today, in front of a sellout home crowd with Super Bowl era icon Darryl Talley going on the Wall of Fame, might convince president/general manager Tom Donahoe he has to do something.’

‘Former Bills coach Marv Levy isn’t surprised that Smith is not voluble about the record. Once in Buffalo, Smith requested that the club’s video coordinator provide film on the opponents’ third-down situations and all the sweeps by left tackles, but asked him not to inform the coaching staff of his request. But Levy, who coached Smith for 12 seasons, found out. When Levy asked Smith how often he studied film, Smith was reticent. “He said, ‘No more than anybody else, coach,’ ” Levy recalled Friday, chuckling. “He didn’t want us to know for some reason. He was a closet studier.”‘

‘”We hope he gets the record,” Buffalo coach Gregg Williams said. “We just hope he doesn’t get it this week.”‘

‘That, however, changed over the next four games. Henry and Moulds got injured, and opponents began pounding the Bills’ defense with the run.’

‘For the first time this season, the Redskins will face a mirror image of themselves when they line up to play the Bills today at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘Smith is certain to receive a warm welcome from the fans after recording 171 of his 196.5 sacks during his 15-year career with the Bills. He acknowledged that it would be special to break the record with two sacks today, but he insisted he was more concerned with winning.’

‘Now 40, Smith has clearly lost a step from his burgeoning days as a Bill. He was expected to be a backup this year, but a strong preseason led Redskins coaches to keep him a starter. “He still has all the great moves that he’s developed over the years,” Bledsoe said. “He looks like he’s still a formidable guy even though he’s getting up there a bit.”‘

‘When the Bills used the first-round pick they acquired in the Peerless Price trade to select McGahee in April, observers wondered what the Bills were thinking. They already had Travis Henry, who rushed for 1,438 yards last season. They had signed former Bronco Olandis Gary as a free agent. And at the time, few thought McGahee would be able to play until the 2004 season. Nobody’s questioning the widsom of that move now.’

‘Don’t think the tough and loyal folks in Buffalo will not give Smith at least some positive mention. But they won’t be too forgiving of Bills coaches if Smith sets a record and leads the Redskins to victory.’

‘In just four weeks, Buffalo’s Gregg Williams has gone from a potential Coach of the Year contender to finding himself under heavy fire because of his team’s lackluster performance since a 17-7 loss to the Dolphins.’