Two Bills Drive

‘Linebacker Sam Rogers sprained his neck during a pass-rushing drill yesterday morning and sat out the afternoon practice. He hopes to return today and plans to play Saturday at Detroit. Rogers said he actually injured his neck in last Friday’s preseason opener against Cincinnati. "In the pass rush drill, I got pushed into a lineman and it bent more than I wanted," he said. "But I should be back (Wednesday)."’

‘It’s hit or miss for Buffalo Bills fans seeking autographs. Many find that the players are harder to grab than they were in a more spartan setting at Fredonia State for 19 years, and some fans long for the good old days. "Fredonia was really good for the kids," says 38-year-old Ken Carosa, a mortgage loan originator from Henrietta. Joe Fan sees signing autographs as part of the Bills’ job. "When fans pay your salary, it’s a little different" than having a normal job, he says. Some Bills also see it that way, but the structure of the camp at St. John Fisher doesn’t encourage their cooperation. At Fredonia, players had to stroll along a path between two rows of roped-off fans after practice to get back to their dorms and the dining hall. "That made a big difference," Carosa says. "They had to walk right by you." But at St. John Fisher, players must literally go out of their way to get to the fans. "It’s just too bad if they aren’t willing to come over to you, because you can’t get to them," Joe Fan says.’

‘With thousands of visitors attending Buffalo Bills training camp over the last two weeks, the Bills organization will likely get what it wants — a shot at a larger, more lucrative fan base. But what economic benefit — if any — the Rochester area will gain from hosting the three-week camp is largely unknown. That’s because no one is tracking where camp visitors are from; therefore, no one knows how much money out-of-towners are spending. And the camp’s setup discourages visitors from stopping by local businesses.’

‘A year after making the Bills’ as an undrafted free agent, Carpenter has emerged as the leading candidate — ahead of four-year veteran Daryl Porter and second-round draft pick Travares Tillman — to replace starting free safety Kurt Schulz, who’s now with the Detroit Lions. And in anti-Deion fashion, Carpenter is keeping his cool. "I’m not a flashy guy," explained Carpenter following the Bills’ Tuesday morning session at St. John Fisher College. "I could pull it off back then in high school. Even in college I was a little flashy. But now, it’s just getting down to business."’

‘"It felt good," Wiley said. "The back is fine. Now I just gotta turn it on upstairs and get all that right. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines too long. I gotta get it all in tune – the mind and the body." Wiley thinks he’ll be at full strength by the Sept. 3 opener against the Tennessee Titans. He said there is a 50-50 chance he could play in the Aug. 24 preseason finale against Philadelphia.’

‘Part of the problem is that Buffalo’s cornerbacks, while admirable, are all relatively small. Antoine Winfield, who begins his first full year as a starter, is only 5-foot-9. Reggie Durden, the good-looking rookie from Florida State, borders on tiny at 5-8. The "giant" among the group is starter Ken Irvin, at 5-11. It’s not a rare deficiency. Most NFL teams suffer from it. Top-rank cornerbacks with size are rare and hard to acquire. Two of the best in the last 10 years, Champ Bailey and Chris McAlister, came into the 1999 draft. Bailey was picked by Washington with the seventh selection and McAlister by Baltimore with the 10th. The other part of the problem is that Buffalo’s regular-season schedule is alive with high-quality receivers who virtually have "mismatch" written all over them. Most of the mismatch problems are likely to come against out-of-division and out-of-conference foes. That wasn’t such a problem last year, especially since there were four games against the NFC East, which wasn’t overloaded with big receivers. This season their out-of-conference opponents are from the tough NFC Central, all of whom have good big men. The Bills caught something of a break when 6-4 Keyshawn Johnson forced a trade away from the Jets, eliminating two fearsome meetings, but they’ll still see him on Nov. 26 in Tampa since he’s now a Buc.’

‘The Bills told him to retire and informed him that for his own good they were not going to let him play for the team. Burroughs sought work elsewhere, but no other team would take a chance, either, and he had no option but to hang up his cleats. "I was bitter," he said. "I stayed away from football a long time. I didn’t even watch the Bills for a couple years. It was mentally more than I could bear, watching my teammates doing it without me. "But I don’t have any regrets. I know that God is a good God, he’s the same God that gave me the opportunity to be drafted in the first round. In the beginning I questioned it, but not anymore, because I know I can walk and that’s bigger than football."’

‘While the Buffalo Bills of the present sweated through drills on the practice fields yesterday, just a few yards away some former Bills reminisced. Only it wasn’t that easy to distinguish the alumni from the current players. "A lot of us look like we can still play," said Tom Day, a defensive end from the AFL championship teams of 1964 and ’65. Day is one of those who remains in marvelous shape. His New York driver’s license says he’ll turn 65 on Aug. 20, and it’s the only way he’ll ever convince someone he’s eligible for a senior citizen’s discount.’

‘"It was just basically to make sure my stability was there," he said. "They say my muscles and structure are fine, now it’s getting hit and getting shock treatment, plus getting my mind back into it." Wiley underwent lower back surgery in mid-July and at the time, his timetable for a return to action was 4-6 weeks. It has been about 3 1/2 weeks, so he still has a ways to go. "I’m trying to do some conditioning because I’m not going to be running around doing all the team work so I have to do my conditioning as well as my drill work," he said.’

‘"He wanted to play for an AFC team, which is why he turned down the Giants and New Orleans," Agnone said. "Second, he wanted a team that was going to win. And third, he wanted a chance to play and make another Pro Bowl."’

‘Reed said he was given a bad rap by the media in Buffalo, a bad rap he hopes to shake. "It’s been on my back for three or four years," he said. "I’m just trying to get that monkey off my back. It’s a new beginning for me. "It’s just something. I say that I have nothing against (the media). I’ve always had something against the media in Buffalo, and that’s where the hostility is coming from. If I’m going to be (in Denver), I want to have a better relationship. "The minute I spoke up for myself and told people how I felt about certain situations, I was in the wrong. But I’m not going to hold back any more. Whether or not that’s the reason they didn’t want me there — I didn’t want to be there anyway. So that’s just that."’

‘"Wiley is ahead of schedule. He’s been working out, and it feels fine,” coach Wade Phillips said. Wiley said he did not expect to play in the Bills’ next two preseason games, and was "50-50” for the final exhibition game at Philadelphia on Aug. 24. He said he should be ready for the regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 3.’

‘Gash was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year even though he didn’t carry the ball once for the Buffalo Bills last season. He did however catch 20 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.’

‘Reed, whose 941 career receptions are second only to Jerry Rice, spent 15 seasons with the Buffalo Bills before signing a two-year, incentive-laden contract with the Broncos on the eve of training camp. He caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in Denver’s preseason opener Saturday at Arizona. The reception came after Doering tore his left Achilles’ tendon and Moore broke his left ankle. "Injuries didn’t have anything to do with me stepping up and being an important part of this team," Reed said. "It’s unfortunate that Chris went down and Muneer went down, but that’s how football is. Opportunity only presents itself so many times, and you’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity."’

"You Make the Call" is a presentation of both real and imagined NFL scenarios, where we invite you to "make the call" based upon the Official Rules for the NFL for 1999. Good luck, because you’ll need it.