Two Bills Drive

‘The signing bonus will be the most contentious part of the negotiations. Burrough has proposed a tiered bonus that would pay Cowart a certain amount when he signs, when he passes a physical and the rest when he is activated to the regular-season roster.’

Cottrell spent 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills, the last three as DC, when his defenses never finished worse than sixth in the NFL. His time with Buffalo also overlapped with that of Colts president Bill Polian.

It’s a classic example of too little (one column doesn’t pay nearly enough credit to an 11-year veteran), too late (accolades never came as quickly or often as Hansen deserved). But in a capsule, that was Hansen’s career: He was a great, great player, but there was usually one story, or one guy, that was slightly bigger.

Q: On a percentage basis, what is the chance of Buffalo taking the #4 pick in the draft or trading down in the hopes of gaining additional picks? A: If we are sold on a guy who is there when we pick we?ll stay there and make the pick. If we?re not, and we listen to some different offers and it makes sense we?ll go in a different direction. You don?t really go into a draft leaning one way or another because you have to see who is there.

The extra week of preparation might give Belichick’s Patriots an edge. So, undoubtedly, will the unique character of the Patriots’ defense. Theirs is the only unit in the league that switches back and forth from a 3-4 to a 4-3, defying characterization and confusing opponents. "That gives you fits," Bills coach Gregg Williams says. "It adds practice time and game-plan time. And to their credit, they are flexible enough personnel-wise to do it."

‘Say what you want about the 2001 Bills, but they managed to become more competitive as the season wound down.’

Former Bills DC who lost head coaching job to Gregg Williams is to interview with former Bills GM Bill Polin. Jets GM Terry Bradway informed his coach of the call but it remains unclear when Cottrell will interview for the job.

In his Monday Morning Quarterback column, SI's Peter King makes his rookie of the year picks:

"… Guard Leonard Davis of Arizona, a piledriver from day one, is my offensive rookie, while Buffalo's rookie shut-down corner, Nate Clements, edges Pittsburgh's Kendrell Bell as defensive rookie …"

‘A few million bucks in a $100 million-plus business would be sacrificed but, in the long run, it just might be an investment.’

"I was at my kid’s baseball game on a Friday at 7:30. I got a call from Ralph Wilson on my cell phone and he said "What are you doing?" I said ‘I am at my kid’s baseball game.’ He said, "you made it to the Wall of Fame." I said, "Ralph, that’s great!"

Marcellus Wiley was the only ex-Bill listed on Pro-Bowl roster.

There are only a handful of NFL players that will always be remembered for at least a single play or moment. Most of them are legends of the game: Walter Payton, Franco Harris, Joe Montana, Don Beebe.

‘"The one thing we have to do is be very thorough. Whoever this player is, he’s going to make a lot of money. I’m not against paying great players a lot of money, but this guy better prove to all of us he can be a great player."’

‘"Not much less than what they paid (wide receiver Eric Moulds)," [Cowart’s agent Gene] Burrough said by telephone from his office in Duluth, Ga., when asked what he felt Cowart was worth. "I don’t expect a $12 million bonus, but not too much less."’

‘The Bills have 6 unrestricted free agents, 7 restricted free agents and 6 exclusive rights free agents.’