Two Bills Drive

‘"It’s a sad deal," veteran guard Jerry Ostroski said. "I had to deal with my father battling prostate cancer and thank God he’s OK. But I can understand what John’s wife and little girl are going through. I wish them all the best. If there is one guy who can beat this, it is John Butler because he is one tough SOB."’

‘The Marine who saw combat duty in Vietnam, vowed to battle his illness that has a 15 percent survival rate with the support of friends and his family, which includes wife Alice and teenage daughter Andrea.’

‘"It’s a great feeling to have a guy who has confidence and who has experience," Smith said. "Mike will help our football team from his leadership, his experience and the quality person and player he is. And he’ll help our young punter (Brian Moorman) to show him how to be a true pro."’

‘"Even though the majority of the people were rooting against Drew and the Patriots, I always loved my trips there because it always was my picture of what the NFL is supposed to be all about," Mac said. "Those fans know their football. They even cheer the offensive linemen for making good blocks. In most places, the fans don’t even know who their offensive linemen are."’

‘"Bringing (Mike) Williams in was a big key. All these years, we never took a big offensive lineman in the draft. Getting Bledsoe was a great move, but you win or lose games in the trenches."’

‘Hall of Fame spokesman Joe Horrigan figures he knows why so many pilgrims are planning to make the trip from Buffalo. ”This,” he says, ”is shaping up as the Super Bowl celebration Buffalo never had.”’

‘However, Flutie had cult figure status among Bills fans. A family in Fairport named their dog "Flutie." There was even a local family that built a shrine to Doug Flutie in their home. Bledsoe may have to cross in to the world of food endorsements before he can even come close to Doug Flutie–who had a cereal and a Wegman’s sub named after him.’

‘What Fletcher — at 5-foot-9, 245 pounds — lacks in size, he makes up for with intensity and passion. He has quickly emerged as the Bills’ defensive quarterback, calling the plays in the huddle and barking at teammates he believes are letting up.’

Photo gallery of training camp action.

Jonas Jennings has been moved to left tackle, perhaps football's toughest up front position.

‘Among the names on Kelly’s Hall-of-Fame invitation list are the men who coached him in midget-league football 34 years ago. He also invited coaches and teammates from junior high, high school, college, the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League, and, of course, the Bills. Almost every resident of East Brady is invited, meaning the tiny town could very well be all but deserted during the ceremonies.’

‘Every Bill has to weigh in and out of practice. For each pound he loses, he has to drink 20 to 24 ounces of electrolyte-packed fluid – possibly Pedialyte or Gatorlite, a Gatorade loaded with electrolytes. That means if a 300-pound lineman drops five pounds in a practice – which is not uncommon – he has to drink about 100 ounces before his next workout.’

‘"I guess I kind of forgot where I was," Fletcher said. "You don’t really want to hit teammates like that, but those are the only guys we get to hit right now."’

‘That means every game we play, we’re going to go out with the intention of winning that ballgame, and we’re going to do everything we can in our power to make that happen. It’s obvious that in this league, you’re not going to win every game–nobody has in a long time–but at the same time, every game that we will play this year, we’re going to expect to win.’

‘Nikco Sports is offering a limited edition of 5,000 NFL-licensed footballs commemorating Kelly’s Hall of Fame induction, and donating 10 percent of the proceeds to the Hunter’s Hope Foundation, an organization that raises funds to support research efforts to find a cure for Krabbe disease and other leukodystrophies.’