Two Bills Drive

We knew that the Hall of Fame would be opening its doors to a number of Bills over the next few years, but who would have expected the two who will be going in this year?

‘"They scared every team in the league but us," Banks said. "When we broke down the films, we saw they had abandoned the running game the last six games of the season. Their running game was a swing pass to Thurman Thomas. We said we were gonna play the pass and basically try to intimidate the receivers, punish them every time they got the ball. They ran a lot of crossing routes, similar to what the Raiders do."’

‘In fact, as I see it, even red zone stats, or third down stats, or opposing QB rating stats, aren’t nearly the measure of a championship defense as much as a defense’s ability to force turnovers.’

‘"We’ve got a lot of work to do," Donahoe said. "I like a lot of things I saw with our offense this year. We have the potential to be balanced. We probably threw the ball more than we’d like to in the future. Our defense made some strides, but we have to get a lot better."’

‘”(The Super Bowl) sunk in when Disney asked me to sign a waiver sheet to cover their (rear end),” Johnson said. “To me, backing up is more stressful. You don’t practice all week. But once you get in there, the butterflies go away.”

‘It was a landmark day for the Bills franchise.’

‘…if ever there was a Bill who was a Buffalo type of guy, it was DeLamielleure, a reliable offensive guard who exemplified the town’s blue-collar ethos during his 13-year NFL career – eight of them with the Bills.’

‘The Bills public relations department supplied voters with testimonials from scouts, coaches and former players, along with a chart researched by historian John Turney of White Sands, N.M., comparing DeLamielleure’s career vs. the modern-era linemen already enshrined.’

‘”I will be representing the city of Cleveland and the Browns as much as I will be the Bills.”‘

‘DeLamielleure said he started to think about seven years ago that he wouldn’t be elected. It wasn’t until this year that he survived the cut to 15 candidates. “The longer you wait, the sweeter it is,” he said.’

‘During his football life, Buffalo became home.’

‘DeLamielleure, a salesman who lives in Charlotte, N.C., said he would have played football for “a cap and a T-shirt,” but appreciates the comfortable living the game provided his family.’

‘”I think I was able to help us become a better team,” said Teague, a former star lineman at University School of Jackson and Tennessee. “But we’re not going to be satisfied with 8-8 next year. We have a lot to build on.”‘

‘Cowher also had talked to former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Dick LeBeau about joining his staff as a consultant/secondary coach, where he would be working under Steelers defensive coordinator Tim Lewis. But LeBeau plans to discuss a coaching position with the Buffalo Bills this week. The Bills do not have an opening on their staff, but they are willing to create one to hire LeBeau.’

”’No one blocked me better than Joe DeLamielleure,” hall of fame defensive tackle Joe Greene once said.’