Two Bills Drive

‘The education of Marvell Smith in advanced offensive tackle play took additional steps the past three weeks. Russ Grimm, his coach, did everything but paint the proper foot placements on the practice field for Smith.’

‘The 40,000-square-foot hall contains a food court, lockers used by Steelers Hall of Fame players, and jerseys and other artifacts from both Steelers and Pitt football history. It also has banners, murals and 20-foot-high reproductions of the Steelers’ four Super Bowl trophies.’

‘The Buffalo Bills are advising their many Canadian fans to arrive on this side of the border tonight if they plan to attend the game tomorrow because of the long delays at border crossings.’

‘Opposing Bailey will be John Fina, a 10-year veteran, a former No. 1 pick and a player with 120 NFL starts on his resume. "If you look at it from a fan’s standpoint, which I was just a year ago, yeah, you’re thinking … ‘That’s Tony Boselli,’ " Bailey said of his debut. "Once you start playing, you don’t think about that at all, you’ve got to play ball. I’m a defensive end, and he’s an offensive lineman. That’s as far as it goes."’

‘Tomorrow, Donahoe’s old team and old nemesis come to Buffalo, and Donahoe is doing his best to downplay the game. "The game has nothing to do with me and Bill Cowher, it has to do with the two teams on the field," he said. But he did admit, "Obviously anytime you’ve worked somewhere and were raised in a city, the game has a little extra meaning for you, I’m not going to deny that."’

‘Remember Johnson’s diving touchdown to beat Kansas City last season, a play that was termed his "defining" moment? Turns out it was a moment frozen in time. Since then, Johnson has lost the last six games he has started, including this season’s ugly losses to the Saints and Colts. During that stretch, he has thrown three touchdown passes vs. eight interceptions, been sacked 29 times, suffered a half-dozen injuries and gone through more ice than Barry Bonds has baseballs.’

‘"No way am I 100 percent," Moulds said. "But I’m going to go out there and play because I only know one way to play, and that’s play hard and play physical."’

‘The Stillers will go into Buffalo and show they are READY TO DO SOME DAMAGE in the AFC. The Bus rolls on for a 120 yards and 2 TDs while the defense BATTERS Rob Johnson into submission. Stillers win 26-14 and (finally) head to their new home base to battle the, ahem, 1st place Bungles.’

‘It was bad enough that the Steelers have had to live with a loss the past three weeks, but they had to live with, for all intents and purposes, a bad loss.’

‘Williams’ Titans defenses did a great job against Bettis, holding him to an average of 46 yards in seven games. "He’s a downhill, off-tackle runner," Williams said. "Jerome is a guy who’s really strong at the point of attack, and he gets stronger as the game gets on." Bettis disputes that. He said it’s more of a case that defenders get weaker from him pounding on them all day.’

‘Wide receiver Eric Moulds and tackles John Fina and Jonas Jennings were held out of practice again Thursday, but Buffalo Bills coach Gregg Williams has not ruled the starters out for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Williams said Thursday the three players have improved, and he is hopeful they will practice today.’

‘When a play is whistled dead, rather than go back to a huddle Manning takes his team right to the line of scrimmage. What are the advantages of this? Because he can snap the ball at any moment, the opposing defense can’t risk trying to substitute or it could be whistled — like the Bills were — for a too many men on the field penalty. By leaving the same players on the field, the defense not only grows fatigued, it can be caught in bad matchup situations. While he’s at the line, Manning can scan the defense to see who’s on the field and where they’re lining up which gives him a greater chance of making a prudent play call.’

‘Coach Gregg Williams held out hope that Moulds would be able to work out today and be ready for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh.’

‘"That’s just part of the game," he said. "I don’t know how he’s taking it, but I just come to play hard. If he misinterpreted it, I’m sorry for that. It was nothing intentional."’

‘But it isn’t rustiness that concerns the Steelers. It’s frustration. That can surface when a defense faces a team that can’t protect the quarterback, can’t get the ball to their best wide receiver and has an offensive line that is hurting both in performance and health.’