Two Bills Drive

‘It’s conceded that Doug Flutie will be the regular-season starter at quarterback off his inspired effort a year ago. But former first-stringer Rob Johnson is pressing him and, by most accounts, has outplayed Flutie in training camp.’

‘Today’s game will be the first live local broadcast of a sporting event in High Definition Television (HDTV). The system is shown on a horizontal screen (16X9) and gives a panoramic view. It offers five times more resolution than current TV signals, and it has twice the sharpness and CD-quality sound.’

‘The Bills, not looking to restart the debate of who will play quarterback, elected Doug Flutie as their leader. However, if backup Rob Johnson can string together a couple of fine performances in exhibition games, dare we say the words “quarterback controversy.”‘

Another TSN team report. Rookies get good reviews.

Bob Lamb’s preseason pregame preview.

‘”To play at this level he’ll have to get in the weight room,” said Dwight Adams, Buffalo’s director of player personnel. “He gets bounced around.”’

‘His official, if less publicized title with the Bills, also includes the moniker vice president of football operations. It gives Phillips complete say in who plays for him, aside from what general manager John Butler might want.’

‘The Bills want to move their summer home to Rochester for marketing purposes. The Rochester area accounts for 25 percent of their ticket sales. A Rochester-based camp would also provide easier access to clients and fans in Syracuse and the Southern Tier.’

‘With the exception of the last two minutes of each half when an official in the replay booth takes over, each head coach receives two chances per game to challenge calls. The referee watches replays off the television feed on a field-level monitor. If it’s decided the correct call was made, the challenging team loses a timeout.’

‘”…He was running in a drill and [the knee] blew out on him.”

‘”No names, but some of the guys were hitting rugby balls out there, that’s why they were so effective,” said Buffalo Bills kicker Steve Christie, who led the AFC in scoring last season. “By the time they were done with them, they were black. You’d ask, ‘That’s a game ball?’ Yeah, right.”‘