Two Bills Drive

‘It was plainly obvious last night that the Buffalo Bills made some positive strides in their 6-3 preseason victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It’s just too bad the all-around improved play will be overlooked by the fact that the offensive line is now in a state of emergency.’

‘Some is Butler’s, who shackled Donahoe with left tackle John Fina and left guard Ruben Brown — two grossly overrated veterans whose big salaries will affect Buffalo’s salary cap for years to come.’

‘At the end of the first half, when the first-team offense was still in the game, the Bills’ line consisted of John Fina, Mike Heimberger, Michael Early, Corey Hulsey and Jonas Jennings. Other than Fina, none of the other four has an NFL start.’

‘You want a scary thought? How about Michael Early, Corey Hulsey and Jonas Jennings lining up from center to right tackle come the regular-season opener against the New Orleans Saints … merely the NFL’s leader in sacks a year ago?’

‘At this pace, the Buffalo Bills could run out of offensive starters before the regular season.’

‘It turns out that there are worse things than preseason cancellations. There are the actual games.’

‘No Eagles were reported to have been injured last night. The Bills lost two offensive linemen, right guard Jerry Ostroski and center Bill Conaty, who went to Camden Catholic High.’

‘All you need to know about this game is that it was about as exciting as the Eagles’ last one. The one that was cancelled.’

‘The Eagles have lost 11 straight road preseason games since Aug. 24, 1995, when they beat the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. They’re 1-14 in their last 15 road preseason games.’

‘Andy Reid figured it was going to be a long night when one of his veteran players fielded the opening kickoff and promptly stepped out of bounds at the Eagles’ 14-yard line. It set the tone for a typical first preseason game against, well, a team that made the typical exhibition opener mistakes the previous week.’

‘Deposed Eagles football operations chief Tom Modrak still hasn’t heard from his successor, Andy Reid. Even last night, Modrak, now the director of football operations for the Buffalo Bills, was unable to get an audience with Reid before their preseason game at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘The offense, with Donovan McNabb and Duce Staley playing the entire first quarter, was shut out by the Bills in the delayed preseason opener. The first unit played four series and never crossed midfield in an uneventful 6-3 loss at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘Bills starting center Billy Conaty, a graduate of Camden Catholic High School, got to run out on the field through a gauntlet of teammates since the offense was introduced to start the game. However, the game ended for Conaty with him leaving the field through the same tunnel midway through the second quarter with a right shoulder injury.’

‘The Bills’ subsequent offensive success came as the result of a difference in coaching philosophies. Reid, who was committed to looking at his younger players, pulled his starters at the end of the first quarter. Buffalo rookie coach Gregg Williams, who was previously Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, extended his starters longer, perhaps because the Bills were playing their second preseason game.’

‘Although Modrak has been with the Bills since June 5, he still lives in Cherry Hill with his wife, Sandy, and spends a lot of time during the summer in Ocean City. And he has no plans to move. He is scheduled to attend most of Buffalo’s home games, but will otherwise spend most of the week on the road scouting the top college players.’