Two Bills Drive

‘"We’ve worked hard but we’ve also been fortunate," Donahoe said. "When the Bengals put the ("transition") tag on Takeo, for instance, we didn’t know if we could do enough to get him. But some things went our way. In dealing with (Adams), it was obvious he was close with Pat Williams, and he really liked (defensive line coach) Tim Krumrie. On Marcus Jones, heck, we just signed him on a wing and a prayer, but it looks like it might work out for us. If it all comes together, yeah, maybe we’ve closed the gap now in our division."’

‘The Bills made it to the Super Bowl four times in a row under Levy’s coaching – and lost all four times. Levy remained undeterred, believing that persistence and a positive response to rejection are key to success on the field. "Fight ’til your last gasp," he said. But if you lose, "don’t be too harsh on yourselves, recognize the good, make a plan and then work on that plan because a brilliant idea is just a job half done."’

‘"It’s a business and I’m prepared to move on," Lacina said. "Buffalo would be a great situation. I’d like to finish where I started."’

‘The good news is the Bills play their opener at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The bad news last season was the Patriots whipped the Bills, 38-7, in Buffalo and, 27-17, in Foxboro, Mass. Had the Bills won both of those games, they would have made the playoffs.’

‘But while players and coaches — who view playing on MNF as prestigious and fun — may take that as a slight, the Bills marketing department openly welcomes Sunday games starting at 1 p.m. That’s because it’s much easier for fans from Rochester, the Southern Tier and Canada — about 40 percent of the attendance at Ralph Wilson Stadium — to make the round-trip drive.’

‘The Bills, coming off an 8-8 season, will play 11 games against teams that were .500 or better last year and the schedule includes six games against 2002 playoff teams. Three of the final four games will be against AFC East opponents.’

‘The schedule features two nationally televised Sunday night games on ESPN – September 21 at Miami and October 26 at Kansas City. Those two contests kick off at 8:30 PM (ET).’

‘”You’ve got to be pleased with what we’ve done so far,” said Gray, who has endured two long seasons under severe salary cap constraints. “We filled some needs — a big run stopper, a more active (weak-side) linebacker, a good (strong-side) linebacker and we’ve got some competition back there at safety. Even without the draft, we’ve got competition on the team and that’s going to make everyone better.”‘

‘Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Mike Cawley has signed with the Rochester Brigade.’

Even as an All-America linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh, Marty Schottenheimer used strategy to help determine his outcome on the field. Little did he know then that would be a sign of things to come.

Buffalo's 2003 Opponents

If there is one reason the Buffalo Bills have maintained their competitive position in the AFC despite the rapid turnover of personnel in the NFL, it’s their picks in the NFL draft. The Bills’ 2002 final roster contained 26 of their draft picks. Twelve of those players started in 2002.

‘"They gave [Gash] an opportunity to be a full-time starter," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Sam knew what his role here was. We very much would have liked to have Sam back, but we wanted to give him the opportunity to see if there was anybody out there that wanted to approach him about being a full-time starter. It’s going home for him as well. I hate to lose Sam, but those are excellent circumstances."’

‘"It seems like everybody knows me," Spikes says. "The guy behind the ticket counter at the airlines. Baggage handlers. The people at Children’s Hospital."’

‘Army Staff Sergeant Norbert Reed, 28, is somewhere in the Middle East. Where exactly his family doesn’t even know, claiming that they haven’t been in contact with him much since the fighting began. And somewhere over there, in the Persian Gulf, is Navyman Damian Jolivette, 19, Josh’s cousin who he declares is more like a little brother.’