Two Bills Drive

‘Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes got some love from Bills fans who want him to sign here as an unrestricted free agent in 2003. Don’t worry, Bengals fans. The club is prepared to use the "transition player" tag on Spikes, meaning the Bengals can match any offer sheet he signs with another club. "They (Bills fans) were telling me, ‘This is where you belong,’ ” Spikes said. "It was nice to know."’

The hottest name being thrown around in the Cincinatti is Tom Modrak, currently working with the Bills (coincidentally Cincy’s opponent today). The Buffalo personnel man and former Eagle would be interested in becoming a GM, even in Cincy, if Brown decides to restructure.

"I think Gregg did an excellent job and under the circumstances I think that some of the criticism he was taking was unfair and unwarranted. Our coaches in two years have not operated with a full roster. Next year we will. I'm anxious to see them coach and perform with a full complement of players."

"We are disappointed, granted the team did not have a lot of success last year, but I think when we got together as a team and saw what we had we felt like we had a team that could contend and could get into the playoffs and make something happen. So we are disappointed with what has happened this year but at the same time, optimistic looking ahead to next year. I think that we did a lot of things this year that we could build on and we are still a young team."

Drew Bledsoe hooked up with Eric Moulds for 10 touchdowns this season. This is 92nd occasion since 1970 that an NFL QB-receiver combo have teamed up for 10+ touchdowns in one season (two other combos in 2002: Jeff Garcia-Terrell Owens, S.F. and Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison, Ind.)

‘A season dictated by a series of blowouts in the first month of the season fittingly ended in one for the Bengals.’

‘It also was a most discouraging finale for Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna, who came six snaps short of earning a $1.625 million contract bonus. To achieve the bonus, Kitna needed to take part in 61 snaps against Buffalo to appear in 80 percent of Cincinnati’s offensive plays this season.’

‘Capping an outstanding first year in Buffalo, Bledsoe completed 23-of-31 passes for 230 yards to help the Bills (8-8) match a franchise record by registering a five-win improvement over last season.’

‘Contrary to widespread speculation, Gregg Williams likely will remain in Buffalo next season. That doesn’t mean he’s completely safe, but a win over the lowly Bengals should make him a little more secure.’

‘He is still a work in progress. He is not St. Louis’ Orlando Pace or Seattle’s Walter Jones yet. The learning curve is steep for rookie offensive linemen because of all the precise techniques they are required to master.’

‘"I never thought I’d quit coaching," said Levra, the Buffalo Bills’ defensive line coach who is retiring following today’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. "I thought I’d die on the sideline."’

‘Bledsoe could be the Bills’ leader for the next two U.S. presidents. Be happy. There are at least 10 NFL teams without a viable quarterback.’

‘In the team’s first 23 seasons with Paul Brown as coach, general manager or both, Cincinnati was 171-168-1 with two Super Bowl appearances. Under Mike Brown, the Bengals are 55-136 and have never made the playoffs despite drafting in the top 10 nine times.’

‘[Q:] How will you spend New Year’s Eve? [A:] “We’ll be driving back to Colorado. Unfortunately, the season has ended a bit early for us.”‘

‘The Bills are reportedly interested in Spikes as a free agent. So is New Orleans.’