Two Bills Drive

‘"I can’t think of a guy who deserves it more because of what he stood for in the league," said former Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson, a member of the ’73 draft class. "Joe D. was that hard-nosed player who played every game. He never took a day or a play off, played when he was hurt and really exemplified what the NFL is supposed to be about."’

‘” Football is special here,” said Winfield, who grew up in nearby Akron. ” In Ohio, all kids want to go to Ohio State and play for the Cleveland Browns.”‘

‘The first-string and second-string units will each get 15-play segments with the following breakdown: Nine plays run like a normal game, so if you achieve a first down, you keep moving downfield, and if you don’t you return to the original drive starting point, probably the 25-yard line. Snaps 10, 11 and 12 will be red zone plays from the 20, and snaps 13, 14 and 15 will be goal-line plays from the 2.’

‘The Bills got the best of it on 11-on-11 drills during the morning practice.’

”’I remember driving down to Cleveland from Buffalo and thinking to myself, ‘Why did the Browns trade for me?’ ” DeLamielleure recalled Thursday as he visited Browns training camp. ”I mean, the Browns already had a line that had been together a long time and was pretty good.”‘

‘Buffalo’s defense mastered the Browns’ running game, which lost Jamel White in the morning session due to a hamstring problem. William Green and James Jackson often spun their wheels.’

‘More than 20,000 tickets were sold in advance, and the club expects a crowd in the 30,000 range.’

‘”He was kind of the missing piece we needed,” retired Bills head coach Marv Levy told The Associated Press. “We had a great quarterback and two good receivers, but we were a three-receiver offense.”‘

”’It can be unsettling,” he said, ”more so because it’s a media frenzy than what happens within the team. So that’s what falls on the two quarterbacks to squash that as fast as they can.”’

‘”There were some good things that we did,” quarterback Drew Bledsoe explained. “I think we’re getting better.”‘

Reprint of Spring Interview….

"I was blessed to be on teams with players like O.J. Simpson, Brian Sipe and J.D. Hill. I was fortunate to be part of the greatest running team in History and with greatest passing team in history. And I loved the game. I would have played for a T-shirt and a cap."

‘The recognition didn’t come until football researcher John Turney released a list ranking DeLamielleure as the NFL’s third-most accomplished offensive lineman in terms of awards received, behind John Hannah and Anthony Munoz.’

SI.com: So do you feel at home yet as a Buffalo Bill?

DB: I do, I really do. But that happened very, very quickly for me here. Both with the organization and the community. This organization and the players here did a great job. I felt right at home when I stepped in the door. This community embraced me and really embraces this team as they have for a long time. So that transition happened very quickly. I was in New England for a long time and appreciated the time there, but I also feel like I’ve been here for a lot longer than just a year.

Dr. Z explains his choices of 15 "Seniors" Finalists for the NFL Hall of Fame from 68 nominess and says: "I voted for… (Tom) Sestak, an underrated rock on the great Buffalo lines of the 1960s." The actual list of 15 Finalists will be released later.

Granted, I think Drew pressed too hard at times and forced some questionable throws, but I don’t think that will be the case as often with the improvements the Bills made to their defense and a greater commitment by the offense to run the ball.Granted, I think Drew pressed too hard at times and forced some questionable throws, but I don’t think that will be the case as often with the improvements the Bills made to their defense and a greater commitment by the offense to run the ball.