Two Bills Drive

‘After the Titans tied it with 9:44 showing, Alex Van Pelt replaced a gimpy Johnson and eventually drove the Bills down for a Steve Christie field goal with 31 seconds left. It went down to the wire. This time, the Titans were fresh out of miracles.’

‘Of all the variations on the theme, the best sign inside Ralph Wilson Stadium was hand-lettered on a large piece of cardboard: "Home Run Throw Up!" First runner-up: "NFL — No Forward Laterals."’

‘Rushing offense – F – Ineffective night for Eddie George (17 carries for 37 yards). The Titans were too stubborn with it when things didn’t open up late in the game. On their own 14-yard line with 2:37 they ran him three times and punted.’

‘New season. Same drama. New outcome. Finally, perhaps, the Buffalo Bills can look ahead and stop replaying "The Music City Miracle." "I hope so," Bills quarterback Rob Johnson said Sunday night after Buffalo edged Tennessee 16-13 in a rematch of last year’s AFC wild card playoff game, won by the Titans on the final play. "How sweet it is," Buffalo coach Wade Phillips said. "Not revenge, but victory."’

‘With the Buffalo Bills watching in horror, the Tennessee Titans almost provided a flashback to "Home Run Throwback." The Bills survived Derrick Mason’s long kickoff return and held on for a 16-13 victory over the Titans in a rematch of their thrilling and controversial playoff meeting from last season.’

‘When the league formula dictated that the Bills and Titans would meet this season, the game was booked for the first week … reintroducing that bizarre finish, but at least getting it out of the way in the opener. Even now, some Buffalo fans swear the Bills were jobbed on the play … that Wycheck’s toss was illegal and not a lateral at all. And they’ve found in ally in coach Wade Phillips who has his own name for the memorable play: "Home Run Throw Forward." But, of all people, he has a sympathizer in his Tennessee counterpart. "I just think it’s just his opinion of the play," said Titans coach Jeff Fisher when asked if Phillips’ contention smacked of sour grapes. "I often times put myself in (his) shoes and can only imagine how he feels. After playing the way his team did … having the season his team had … and the expectations they had… to come down to what they thought it took to win the ball game and have it end like that … I could only begin to understand how he feels. I’m sure a lot of people in that organization haven’t had a good night’s sleep since it happened." Especially, since Fisher thought the game was lost with 16 seconds to go.’

‘The electricity on the sidelines was enough to make one’s hair stand on end. The Buffalo Bills had taken what seemed like the best haymakers the Tennessee Titans could throw for three hours. They had seen teammate after teammate get carted off the field. Both starting tackles were injured. Running back Antowain Smith hobbled off. Linebacker Marlo Perry broke his leg and went off on a stretcher. Yet they had hung together. They had fought back. Here they were, in the loudest stadium in the NFL, Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, Tenn. It had been a madhouse all afternoon, but all of a sudden it was dead quiet. Half their teammates on the sideline had just mobbed Steve Christie, whose 41-yard field goal gave the Bills a 16-15 lead. Sixteen seconds remained as they gathered to hear special teams coach Bruce DeHaven tell them how Christie would kick off. Their adrenaline was off the charts. "Everybody was jacked," said Christie. "I had another coach in the league tell me that if you think those guys heard anything you said in that huddle before you went out, you’re crazy," said DeHaven this week from his San Francisco 49ers office. "I’m not sure I totally agree with that." What happened next, of course, is NFL history.’

‘A victory over the AFC Champion Tennessee Titans would do a lot more than exact a tiny measure of revenge for last January’s Music City Miracle. It would give a surprising boost to the Bills’ expectations for the season and send a message to the football world that they are serious playoff contenders.’

‘Antowain Smith can almost hear the whispers coming from the fans. He knows there are two younger players pushing from behind. They might have better instincts. They might have more ability. They might take his job someday soon. Everywhere he turns, he knows there are people doubting whether he should still play a significant role for the Buffalo Bills this season, as if his time here has come and gone. It seems everyone in his world is lurking, waiting for him to make one false move, so they can replace him with Shawn Bryson or Jonathan Linton. No doubt, this is a pivotal year in Smith’s career. He started thinking about the importance of this, his fourth NFL season, moments after the Tennessee Titans ended the Bills’ season last year with that fluke kickoff return. His effectiveness this year could very well decide whether he has another one with the Bills. And nobody is more clear about Smith’s future than Antowain Smith himself.’

‘This was early in the Buffalo Bills’ training camp. A well-known football annual had reached the newsstands and it was the talk of the St. John Fisher campus. The magazine included a feature story that rated all 31 NFL teams by units. The Buffalo defense, which had finished No. 1 in the league less than six months before, was ranked 16th in the story. The defensive backfield, which lost two starters, was rated 26th, somewhat understandable. But the linebacking, with three young starters returning, got a rating of 23. The most startling number was the 28th ranking, just three from the bottom, awarded to the defensive line. "I read it to our defensive guys," said Ted Cottrell, their coordinator. "They were angry. Really mad."’

‘This should be a great game, with the decisive factors being pass rush and quarterbacking. The Titans’ pass rush is a lot more proven and may create pivotal turnovers. . . . Titans 27-20.’

‘Bills head coach Wade Phillips doesn’t need advice from us, but if the Titans score a late touchdown or field goal, and the Bills have the game safely salted away, perhaps he might think of letting his return man lateral the ensuing kickoff to another Bill, who would then throw the ball across the field and . . . Oh, never mind. A victory will be good enough.’

‘Seems the Buffalo Bills will help make some high-altitude history tonight – and we’re not talking about Rob Johnson’s passing. JetBlue Airways says it will make aviation and broadcasting history as it plays host for the first National Football League game to be broadcast live on ESPN in flight – between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans. Each seat comes with a personal satellite TV, featuring 24 channels of DIRECTV programming, provided free of charge.’

‘Never count Bills out until the playoffs.’

‘The Titans and Bills meet tonight at sold-out Ralph Wilson Stadium in one of the most anticipated regular-season openers in history. Just eight months ago, Tennessee thwarted Buffalo’s Super Bowl hopes with a stunning 22-16 wild-card playoff victory in Nashville, scoring the winning touchdown in the final seconds on a controversial 75-yard lateral kickoff return. "We are all expecting a hostile environment going up to Buffalo this time," Titans running back Eddie George said. "Especially the way that playoff game ended. I’m pretty sure they circled this game at the top of their schedule." The Bills don’t deny the memory of Kevin Dyson running untouched up the sideline haunts them. They don’t deny revenge is a powerful motivator.’