Two Bills Drive

‘"I think [Rob Johnson’s] proven to everyone he’s the quarterback here," said linebacker Sam Cowart. "On the field he’s a lot more serious, he came in in tip-top shape. I think he’s just established himself." On the field, yes, Johnson is the guy. The Bills want Johnson’s arm in the lineup.’

‘Bills right tackle Robert Hicks, all 6-foot-7, 330 pounds of him, will spend the most time across from Kearse tomorrow night. Buffalo Coach Wade Phillips has said Hicks will get some help at times but on many plays Hicks "is just going to have to rise to that challenge." Hicks was bothered by an ankle injury when the two teams met in the AFC Wild Card game. "It’s a great matchup, I think," Hicks said. "But it’s not a tough matchup just for me, it’s a tough matchup for him, too. "Last time I played a nice game against him on a bad ankle. I’m ready for the challenge and he should be ready for the challenge, too."’

‘It was official the moment the Bills let their all-time leading receiver, Andre Reed, go elsewhere. But Peerless Price said he saw it coming before that. "I was getting an opportunity to play more as last season went on," Price said. "I felt like coming into camp this time the job could be mine. "Andre, I have to thank him. He helped me a lot, but even if he would have been here I felt like I was going to have the opportunity to be in there."’

‘"What happened last year will be a factor the entire week leading up to the game," Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said. "It’ll be the main focal point on the local level and a national level. But when the game starts, it¹s no longer an issue. This issue is what’s taking place between the snap and the whistle."’

‘"Everybody’s going to remember Bruce Smith, and it’s my point to let everyone know who Marcellus Wiley is,” Wiley said as the new-look Bills prepared to open their season Sunday night against Tennessee. "But it takes time. You don’t get 170-some sacks in one year. … It’s important for me to keep that respect and attitude.” Wiley said he and Smith, who landed as a free agent with Washington last offseason, still keep in touch, calling each other about once a week. "He just wishes me the best. It’s kind of a calming situation,” Wiley said. "He tells me, ‘Don’t get caught up in the hype and who you’re supposed to be. Just be yourself and everyone has confidence in that.”’

‘Few cities have suffered as much as Buffalo and its pristine suburbs. From Orchard Park to Amherst, from Lackawanna to Tonawanda, sports fans in upstate New York almost expect devastating defeats rather than championships. Where else can you find fans who suffered through four consecutive Super Bowl losses? Mention former Bills kicker Scott Norwood, and fans flinch at the memory of his missed field goal in the Super Bowl. Bring up Brett Hull and they seethe at the memory of him clinching the Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars with a goal that shouldn’t have counted against their beloved Sabres. But even those hard-bitten fans who became almost immune by experience had a difficult time accepting last season’s 22-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans in an AFC wild-card game. Because Kevin Dyson scored the winning touchdown with three seconds remaining on a 75-yard gimmick kickoff return called "Home Run Throwback," the game became famous in Nashville and infamous in Buffalo as the Music City Miracle.’

‘[Buffalo] is a team people will regard too lightly, what with all of their personnel losses. If WR Peerless Price takes attention away from the outstanding Eric Moulds, the offense could be clicking into January.’

‘"We’re ready," said right tackle Robert Hicks, who is expected to be blocking Kearse most of the game. "We’re ready for whatever they want to do."’

‘You’ve decided to fire the special teams coach. Do you: a) Place an ad on hotjobs.com?; b) Set off on a relentless search that might lead you to a displaced special teams coach of high regard.?; c) Hire a crony who just spent three years as the defensive coordinator at collegiate powerhouse Texas El Paso, the school that your son just so happens to attend, because you know you’re going to lose some more key special teams personnel in free agency and you want an inexperienced coach to meld with your increasingly inexperienced special teams players?’

‘Dolonen Larsen was drafted by the NFL last fall, and if he gets any playing time in the season opener at Tennessee Titans next Sunday, he will be the first Norwegian to star in the NFL during regular playing time.’

‘Buffalo coach Wade Phillips knows he sacrificed leadership during the Bills’ out-with-the-old offseason. But he is equally certain he gained team speed. "It’s going to pay off for us," Phillips says. "Guys are not only going to make plays, but nobody is going to catch them."’

‘”Every year people underestimate the Bills,” Buffalo guard Ruben Brown said. “It would be no different had (Smith, Price and Reed) been here, (the experts) were going to underestimate us anyway. They will pick a reason, they always do. “But we are all excited about the possibilities of where this team can go. We feel we can go a long way.”‘

‘Johnson, acquired by the Bills three years ago, lost the starting job due to injury six games into the 1998 season, vows he is up for the challenge. “There is always pressure,” Johnson said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself so I don’t worry about the pressure people put on the Bills.” Johnson’s primary task will be to open up the passing game, something Flutie’s failing 37-year-old arm was unable to do last season.’

‘The only undrafted rookie free agent to make the roster last season, Carpenter is now the team’s starting free safety, beating out four-year veteran Daryl Porter and highly-touted second-round draft pick Travares Tillman for the job vacated by Kurt Schulz. "I treated it as a great opportunity," Carpenter said. "Some guys don’t get this opportunity in their whole careers. I was fortunate and blessed to get this chance in just my second year. In this league, you’ve got to make the best of your chances. Up to this point, I have, but I’ve got to step my game up another notch, because it’s for real now."’

‘Buffalo in our opinion and many people’s opinion last year was a team picked to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. A lot of people felt that whoever survived that first game would have a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Then you go in and look at the specifics of what took place in our game against Buffalo. It was literally a dogfight. It was a battle war out there where two teams that couldn’t throw, that exchanged series back and forth and just pounded each other and that whole battle was kind of overtaken by the ending. People failed to realize what took place during the game. There were some great match-ups, great individual battles. Eddie had 29 carries for just nearly 100 yards and neither team had 100 yards passing. It was a very physical game and it’s going to be a physical game. Buffalo is a physical team and that’s what we pride ourselves in. So something has to give here. They probably have not gotten a good night’s sleep since that playoff game and have been pointing toward this game since then. And there’s no question that they’ll be ready to play. So we have to go in there in play our best to have a chance to play with them.’