Two Bills Drive

‘"A lot of people are saying we’re a second-rate defense now because of some of the players we lost, but we believe we can be just as good as we were last year," said linebacker Sam Cowart. "We’ll be a little younger. But with youth comes a little more excitement, and I think we’re faster than we were last year as a whole unit." "There’s some writers out there who are doubting us and putting us 26th in the league, and it’s a crock," said defensive lineman Shawn Price. "They can say that all they want but we’re going to surprise people this year."’

‘The Buffalo Bills got a scare Tuesday over a knee injury to reserve running back Shawn Bryson, and also announced that rookie receiver Kwame Cavil will be out 10 to 14 days with a strained calf muscle. Bryson twisted his left knee as he went down hard to the ground on a running play in Tuesday afternoon’s practice. A magnetic resonance imaging test Tuesday evening proved negative. Bryson is listed as day-to-day for practice this week. Bryson, a third-round draft choice last year, was met at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Keith Newman, who had filled a gap on the play. Bryson immediately slammed the ball to the turf after hitting the ground. He was able to walk off the practice field and into the locker room under his own power. The injury occurred to the same knee that underwent reconstructive surgery last year after an injury in training camp. "It’s fine," Bryson said as he made his way to the locker room. Cavil, meanwhile, injured his left leg in Monday’s practice. "It’s going to be close as to whether he’s ready to play for the next game," coach Wade Phillips said, referring to the second preseason game, at Detroit on Aug. 12.’

‘"Once they said they weren’t re-signing Gabe Northern, that gave me great confidence to work even harder to attain the starting job," said Newman, who was active for only four games last year with most of his playing time coming on special teams. "I spent more time up here in the off-season, worked out and ran and I feel like I prepared myself great." So far, there’s no evidence to the contrary. "He wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think he could play," linebackers coach Chuck Lester said.’

‘The Buffalo Bills invited coaches from the Rochester and Buffalo areas to attend practice, and while most don’t even dream about coaching in the NFL and will never coach a future NFL player, they said the experience was very helpful. "The basics are the same at all levels, be it the top league with Vince Lombardi or at the Pop Warner level," said Roger O’Neill, the offensive-line coach for the junior varsity at Wayland-Cohocton. So while the Bills went through drills in the afternoon, the five dozen or so coaches lined the sidelines, took notes and exchanged thoughts with their counterparts.’

‘Miller will be scrutinizing the Bills only once this season — Dec. 11 in Indianapolis. Ostroski said he’ll probably pop in a tape of the broadcast the next day just to hear what Miller said. "I’m sure he’s going to say something, that’s all part of it, it’s no different than what anyone else does," he said.’

‘How much do the Bills mean to I.C. Shah? Well, when it appeared the franchise might run a down and out of town if it didn’t meet its luxury suite sales goal two falls ago, Shah entered a sleep disorder clinic.’

‘Buffalo running back Shawn Bryson is listed as day-to-day after straining his left knee in practice on Tuesday. An MRI test of Bryson’s knee came up negative, a Bills spokesman said. Concerns had initially been raised because Bryson missed his entire rookie season when he tore a ligament in the same knee in training camp last year.’

‘He’s been told he should be cleared for full contact by Aug. 12, which is good news for the Bills, who expect Wiley to take over for the departed Bruce Smith on the right side. Wiley could be ready in time for the Bills’ preseason finale, Aug. 24 at Philadelphia. If not, then Wiley said he’s ready to play in the season-opener against Tennessee on Sept. 3. "It’s all based on my pain, that’s my guide right now, how my back reacts," Wiley said. "And right now I’m pretty much pain-free."’

‘While Giancola acknowledged the difference between the NFL and CFL was "like night and day," he also said the big-money atmosphere of the NFL left a sour taste in his mouth. "The NFL is truly about money and how much you can make," Giancola said. "It’s not so much caring about the fans and how they feel and I’m not that kind of person." Although he was only in camp for a short period, Giancola left his mark with Bills fans. "For the first four days of camp after practice I was the only one who stayed and signed until the last person left," he said. "If you even look at a kid and smile you’re like a god. "On an average, I think I signed between 1,200 and 1,300 autographs every day. "It was the most incredible thing; it was such a privilege."’

‘Spectators at this practice needn’t have been confused. The Bills are not going to use a 4-3 defense, or even a nickel package, regardless of what the crowd might have seen. Wade Phillips explained, "We worked with special defenses for the offense . . .’

‘This Week’s Scenario: Its January in Tampa, FL and the Bills are in the Super Bowl. By some twist of fate, their opponent is Bruce Smith and the Washington Redskins. The opening kickoff is received by the Redskins. Quarterback Brad Johnson leads the Skins down the field for a touchdown. The Redskins are up 6-0, and Coach Norv Turner decides to pull out all the stops. He calls a Fake PAT, scores, and puts the Redskins up 8-0…"

‘Robert Coveney operates a roller during installation of the inlaid logos on the Buffalo Bills new AstroTurf field at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., Monday, July 31, 2000. Coveney said the field will be 99 percent complete today.The Bills’ first preseason game against Cincinnati is on Friday. (AP Photo/David Duprey).’

‘"Shawn is a violent rusher," said Bills defensive line coach John Levra. "He’s a want-to guy. He wants to get to the quarterback. He doesn’t quit when he’s blocked. He fights and scratches to get to the quarterback. He finishes every rush until the play is dead. You have to have that mind-set if you’re going to succeed as a pass rusher."’

‘"We were a couple days away from putting our house up for sale and moving back to Pittsburgh," Van Pelt said Monday after his first workout with the Bills. "I’m glad to be back. I think I missed the camaraderie with the guys the most."’

‘The Bills already found out what they do if Doug Flutie gets hurt. They re-sign Alex Van Pelt. But what happens if they lose an inside linebacker from their stellar defensive unit? Is Jay Foreman up to the job? And what will they do if one of the starting wide receivers were hurt? Jeremy McDaniel has been all-Pittsford, but what will he do in games? Kwame Cavil was a sensation in the minicamps but he hurt his left leg Monday afternoon so the coaches need to look at University at Buffalo grad Drew Haddad and NFL Europe star Kevin Drake. Judging from his work in last Saturday’s scrimmage, Keion Carpenter pulled even with Daryl Porter in the battle to succeed Kurt Schulz as the free safety. The position has to be nailed down in the next two weeks so if rookie Travares Tillman or Nick Ferguson plan to make their moves, Friday night is the time. And how about Carpenter’s old Virginia Tech teammate, Corey Moore, the best defensive player in college football last season as an end? He’s a pro linebacker now, but he’s here mainly as a pass rusher so the big interest is whether he can assault NFL quarterbacks like Cincinnati’s Akili Smith and Scott Mitchell as he did the college variety. For that matter ,how will No. 1 pick Erik Flowers perform in the wake of Bruce Smith’s departure and the absence of the injured Marcellus Wiley? This is one of those cases where the Bills actually do need game conditions to start finding out some of those answers.’