Two Bills Drive

Everything you need to know about Sunday’s game vs. the Jets. It’s a crucial divisional matchup and coach Wade Phillips said the team has to win.

‘The Jets believed last November that Doug Flutie was only human. They set out to prove it with a defense that forced Flutie to stand in the pocket and throw. It worked. Flutie’s numbers: 12-of-30 passing for 154 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Final score: Jets 34, Bills 12. The Jets said Flutie’s passes fluttered because he was too short.’

‘”I thought he did a great job last week,” said quarterback Doug Flutie. “He was where he was supposed to be. He’s got good instincts as far as cutbacks, but he is a physical runner. I have all the confidence in the world in him.” Added center Jerry Ostroski: “I think Jonathan Linton came in and did a real good job filling in for (Thomas). I expect him to do a real good job until Thurman comes back. That’s why he’s here, that’s his role and when it’s your turn to go, you go.’

‘”I feel a lot more comfortable this year than I did in that first game,” said Flutie, who joined the Jets’ Vinny Testaverde in the Pro Bowl last season. “I have a better grasp of what’s going on in this league and how the Jets might play us.”‘

‘Parcells said the Bills are not usually a blitzing team, but suggested they might try some of that to see what effect it has on Mirer. “Because of their talent, they usually line up in a pretty-vanilla defense,” left tackle, Jumbo Elliott, added. “They rely on personnel. Basically, they say, ‘This is who we are; stop us.’ “‘

”’By recognizing me tonight, you make me feel so proud as a parent, because not only do you recognize me but you recognize my son and all of his accomplishments, and for that I thank you very much,” said Flutie, who, with her husband Doug, cofounded the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism 18 months ago. Their son, Dougie, 7, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 1/2. The fund has raised more than $1 million toward research and helping financially disadvantaged families care for their children. Giving it a boost was her husband’s outstanding 1998 season as quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.’

‘Who tailgates best around the league? The fans of the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers make the “All-Madden Team of Pro Tailgaters,” based on “endurance, you know, just being able to play all 60 minutes of the game and be as good at the end as you are in the beginning,” he says. (And, by the way, stick to those football metaphors.)’

‘Buffalo quarterback Doug Flutie mused of the Jets’ injury woes, “It’s the ultimate compliment to a coach … you think of Bill Parcells first. “It’s his team and, no matter who he has on the field, he’s going to get the most of them and have them ready to play good football”. He added “Yeah, Vinny’s down and they have some other injuries but I fully expect the Jets to walk out on the field … line it up … and be ready to roll. You expect no less from a Bill Parcells team.”‘

‘”Obviously,” [Jets Linebacker Chad] Cascadden said, tipping his hat to Bill Belichick, “our defensive coordinator is unique in how he attacks Flutie every time we play him.”‘

‘Tindale did see spot duty at fullback with Buffalo. His most productive offensive game came in September, 1997, against the New York Jets when he caught four passes for 106 yards. Two years earlier, Tindale rushed for 68 yards on four carries in a 37-22 playoff win over Miami, scoring his first NFL touchdown on a 44-yard run. Buffalo released Tindale in April, 1998, after defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips succeeded Levy as head coach and the club signed free-agent fullback Sam Gash…”It’s arthritis, it’s not like a ligament or something that can heal,” Tindale said. “The doctors tell me I have a 60-year-old knee and I’m just 28.”‘

‘Mirer, a journeyman since being drafted No. 2 over-all by the Seattle Seahawks in 1993, is poor at reading blitzes, so look for the Bills to do much more of that than they did in their opening 31-14 upset loss to the Colts in Indianapolis. Buffalo’s blitz threat would also pose problems for the Jets’ favourite spread offence, which leaves no one in the backfield to block for the quarterback.’

‘”I’ve got to improve my play and we need to improve as a team, but I put all the blame on myself,” Smith said Wednesday. “I need to hit the holes better. Now that Thurman’s out, somebody’s going to have to step up.”‘

‘The rarely admired Mirer could never be compared to Johnny U, but does Parcells have confidence in him? “Well, I don’t know that there is any,” said the coach, whose honesty hits harder than Lawrence Taylor. “I’m telling you the truth. All we’ve seen is part of a preseason game with Rick, that’s all we’ve seen. To say, we really know for sure what’s going to happen, we don’t know. All we can do is prepare him the best we can to be successful and see if we can’t give him the right support. Now coming up there, playing this team (the Bills) in this set of circumstances, that won’t be easy for him but that’s the only way we can approach it.”‘

Doug Flutie faces Bill Belichick’s defense once again Sunday. New York’s defensive coordinator shut Flutie down last year.