Two Bills Drive

‘I predict that this game will be close early, but we will pull away in the second half. Colts 27 – Bills 16.’

‘Zeigler felt pain Jan. 8 when the Titans pulled off their wild-card miracle victory. After the Bills took the lead at 16-15 with :16 remaining, he remembers players talking about their trip the following week to play Indianapolis. Then Frank Wycheck tossed his barely legal lateral to Kevin Dyson, who went 75 yards for the touchdown and the amazing finish. "After that I tuned football out for the rest of the playoffs, I didn’t even want to watch it," Zeigler said. "People were saying if we had won that game we would have made it to the Super Bowl instead of Tennessee. And we thought we had the game won."’

‘Sports Illustrated has a story on him this week. ESPN and CBS Sports have done features on the Bills’ defense with Cowart as a focal point. He did a conference call with the national media at the request of the National Football League two weeks ago, then followed that up with a 23-tackle performance against the New York Jets. "The attention is nice," Cowart said. "I’m just working hard trying to be consistent and trying to do my best." Cowart is playing so well, he might just be the best linebacker in football right now.’

‘Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell has his favorite horror movies. Scream. Nightmare on Elm Street. The replay of the Indianapolis Colts 43-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Monday night. Peyton Manning, arguably the best quarterback in the NFL in just his third season, threw for a team-record 440 yards and four touchdowns and the Colts rolled up 533 yards offense. Manning is Cottrell’s problem this week when the Bills (2-1) host the Colts (2-1) in a key AFC East Division battle. So how does his No. 2-ranked defense stop the Manning Machine? "We’re hoping he gets a case of the West Nile virus," Cottrell said jokingly, letting out one of his patented bellylaughs. "Seriously, your technique has to be so sound because this guy is a pin-point passer. He can throw it deep, he can throw it short. Our techniques have to be sound against his receivers."’

‘"John [Butler] steered the ship through a lot of uncharted and rocky waters and hasn’t gotten nearly the credit he deserves," Polian said. "He’s brought in high-character, high-performing people. "There’s been a lot of focus on the players they lost, but not nearly enough focus on the players they’ve kept. And the trade for (quarterback Brad) Johnson was a masterstroke." Polian was full of masterstrokes during his tenure in Buffalo. It’s a pattern he is in the process of repeating with the Colts.’

‘The Bills apparently haven’t recovered from last year’s special-teams disaster that cost them in their playoff loss at Tennessee. They are 31st in punt returns (3.2), 29th in kickoff returns (17.7), 31st in kick coverage (35.7) and 18th in punt coverage (9.2). The Bills already have had a field goal blocked, allowed a kickoff to be returned 97 yards for a touchdown and have fumbled a pair of punts. The problem can be traced to massive change. Position coach Bruce DeHaven was fired after Tennessee pulled off its "Home Run Throwback" in the AFC playoffs a year ago. Also, the Bills lost 15 players to free agency during the off-season, and many were special-teams performers.’

‘The Colts have been using a no-huddle in recent weeks. Are there any special adjustments that you make on the defensive front to combat the no-huddle? [Ted] Washington: "We’ve faced no-huddle offenses in the past and I think the best way to defend it is to get it off the field. If you don’t give up a first down and send them off the field, they can’t score. We try to play our same style of aggressive and fundamentally-sound defense and hopefully that’s good enough to get the job done, no matter what they come out in."’

‘Indianapolis Colts punter Hunter Smith is making people forget his disappointing rookie season. "I feel like a completely different punter,” he said. "It’s been an absolutely 180 degree turnaround." Three games into the season, Smith ranks first in the NFL with an average of 52.5 yards per punt. Even better is his league-leading net average of 42.1 yards.’

‘If last weekend’s Jets-Buccaneers showdown was the trash talking game of the year in the NFL, this weekend’s Bills-Colts showdown might be the opposite. Call it the Mutual Admiration Bowl…So it goes when the first big AFC East game of the season is on tap. This isn’t a non-conference game devoid of postseason tie-breaker implications, like last Sunday’s New York-Tampa affair. The Bills and Colts know this game is too important to allow any headlines to get posted on bulletin boards.’

‘The Buffalo Bills rank 13th in passing yards per game and 25th in yards per rushing attempt through three games. Statistics, in this case, don’t lie. Coach Wade Phillips acknowledged Wednesday he thinks his offense will be more effective passing than rushing this season. "I think we’re going to be more of a passing team this year," Phillips said. "I think we’re going to be able to move the ball through the air efficiently. With the players we have this year, that’s where we’re going. . . . I think everybody can see that we’re stronger throwing the ball, and I think we’re stronger at this point certainly than where we were last year. "I think we have to run more running plays off the passing game, rather than vice versa."’

‘When the Bills (2-1) host the high-powered Indianapolis Colts (2-1) Sunday, quarterback Rob Johnson will be missing one of his favorite receivers in Riemersma, a sure-handed 6-5 target who created great mismatches in the opponents’ secondary. If the game turns into a shootout between Manning and Johnson, the second- and third-ranked passers in the NFL, Buffalo’s hoping the dropoff between Riemersma and Collins is closer to stepping off a curb than a cliff. "He’s a great athlete, but he’s young," Johnson said of the 6-4, 250-pound Collins. "Jay’s the starter and one of the best tight ends in the league. Bobby’s been working hard, though. He realizes this is a great opportunity. But he’s got to get ready for a whole game instead of just spot play."’

‘"(Last week) felt like the first week of training camp where you were a fraction of a second later than what you want to be on that throw, or you were seeing everything but thinking a little too much," said Flutie, who received final medical clearance after a positive MRI result Tuesday. "Today was night and day from last week. I think I’ve played long enough that that (rustiness) is not really an issue."’

‘Running back Lennox Gordon was signed by the Indianapolis Colts off their practice squad on Wednesday. Gordon signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills last year and played in eight games, accumulating 38 yards on 11 carries. He also had one kickoff return for 11 yards.’

‘If you’re going to double-up on star receiver Marvin Harrison, you better not forget about Terrence Wilkins. Jacksonville did on Monday night, and Wilkins had a career night – catching nine passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in the Colts’ 43-14 rout.’

‘Catching the ball has always been the easy part for Jerome Pathon. But there is so much more to being a productive wide receiver than that. Assigned routes must be run precisely and consistently. Alternate routes must be learned and adjusted to at a moment’s notice, when necessary. Downfield blocking on running plays is an unattractive, but necessary, part of the job. Perhaps most importantly with Pathon, a relationship with the quarterback must be built, so timing and trust can be developed. After a frustrating 1999 season when he basically dropped off the map, the athletically gifted wide receiver is showing signs of fulfilling the potential he flashed as a rookie with the Indianapolis Colts in ’98. He’s making the catches, sure. But he’s also where he’s supposed to be, and when. And in many instances, the catch has been the beginning of the play, not the end. It might be a little early to say Pathon has arrived, but it’s not too early to say he’s on his way. After catching 14 passes in 10 games last season — and not playing at all in four others — Pathon has come out quickly this year with 11 receptions for 183 yards in three games.’