Two Bills Drive

‘"Like everybody else around here, I didn’t know much about him before he came," says Bills fullback Larry Centers. "But the thing I’ve been impressed with is his leadership qualities – the ability to not even hesitate, not even blink, to step forward and speak to the team and talk about something that’s not getting done right, something we need to work on as a team. He is willing to speak up. He’s not afraid at all to step on that soapbox."’

‘Today is the deadline to submit your picks for week 1 of the pool. Don’t be left out!’

‘The Bills’ prospects this season are riding on Bledsoe. Their young defense is not looking strong to open the season. The team will need Bledsoe and the offense to play well right away if it is going to have a good start to the 2002 campaign.’

‘So this Sunday, two of the game’s stars will try to prove themselves all over again. It doesn’t matter how well Cowart was playing for the Bills before he went down on that afternoon in Tampa two seasons ago, or how much money the Jets paid him as a free agent. No one really cares what a good soldier Bledsoe was after losing his starting job to Tom Brady during New England’s improbable run to the Super Bowl. No one talks about the $103 million contract he signed before his final, ill-fated season with the Patriots. It’s what you do on the field that matters.’

‘Ahanotu, the 10th-year veteran who started in Tampa and St. Louis, is expected to play most first and second downs against the Jets. But he also will get snaps in pass-rushing situations, both at end and tackle.’

‘"Man, it puts a lot of pressure on me," Cowart said. "I definitely have to step up and meet the requirements. But I think everything will be good. We have a lot of good guys up front, and we have Marvin and Mo (Lewis), guys who are definitely going to help me. If I do what I’m suppose to do in the defense, it’s going to put me in position to make plays."’

‘[Q:] How will Bledsoe hold up playing behind a young offensive line? [A:]We really think that Drew will do a lot of things for the offense and mask several young players as they get acclimated to the league because he’s been in the fires before. The fact that he may have to move around mobility-wise will be some of the things we will design also. So we’re fine with that. The big thing is Drew won’t panic.’

‘Pressure’s on: Gregg Williams, who got the job over the Ravens’ Marvin Lewis a year ago. Williams’ defense was slow to jell and his offense too inconsistent. He can’t afford another 3-13, and he’s got the added pressure of playing in what might be the NFL’s best division.’

‘Newly signed tight end Cory Geason received a crash course in special teams play on Wednesday and could even see duty in short-yardage situations when the Buffalo Bills kick off the regular season against the New York Jets on Sunday.’

‘"Playing in Buffalo, I’d say it’s like watching TV on a 13-inch screen," he told New York reporters when he signed. "Now, you’re getting an opportunity to watch me play on a screen that’s 60 inches."’

‘Bledsoe has opened his teammates’ eyes all summer with his work ethic and leadership. But Bills’ fourth-string wide receiver Charles Johnson, who was his teammate with the Pats as well, has seen something more. “It seems like he’s reborn and I love watching him take advantage of it,” Johnson said. “He probably won’t admit it, but I guarantee you (Sunday) is going to be like early in his career, he’s going to have that nervous energy going.”‘

‘It’s been an eventful couple of years, this tearing down again after the tearing down of the Kelly/Levy axis. Doug Flutie turned into a pumpkin, Alex Van Pelt auditioned to be a starter and Rob Johnson just kept on being Rob Johnson.’

‘”He’s their best quarterback since Jim Kelly and he can do for them what Jim Kelly did for them,” Jets CB Ray Mickens said yesterday, referring to the four Super Bowls Kelly helped lead the Bills to in the ’90s. “He makes them formidable.”‘

‘”More than anything, I’m just excited to be back on the field,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been here a lot longer than I have. This is the time I’ve been waiting for. I want to prove I can still play at an extremely high level.”‘

‘Stevenson was Buffalo’s fourth and final seventh-round pick in last April’s draft. He was released on Tuesday after the Bills claimed four players off waivers.’