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When last seen, the Buffalo Bills were halfheartedly chasing Miami safety Brock Marion the length of the field at Pro Player Stadium.
Marion's 100-yard return of an errant throw by third-string Bills quarterback Troy Brown capped a 34-7 Dolphins rout, which perfectly punctuated Buffalo's 3-13 train wreck of a season.
The Bills that report to St. John Fisher College in Pittsford later this week won't look much like the overmatched, undertalented assemblage that compiled the franchise's worst record in 16 seasons. They've got new uniforms (which won't be seen in action until the exhibition season opens Aug. 9 at home against Cincinnati) and 44 new faces, including that guy who used to play quarterback for the Patriots.
The shuffling even has Buffalo back on the radar screen of the national media, which lost interest after the interminable Johnson-Flutie debate ended during the winter of 2001 and understandably stayed away for the rest of the year. Don Banks of CNNSI.com rated Drew Bledsoe No. 3 on his list of "10 most notable new faces in new places," behind only a pair of head coaches -- Steve Spurrier of Washington and Tampa Bay's Jon Gruden. John Clayton of ESPN.com wrote of "soaring expectations in Buffalo" and named second-year cornerback Nate Clements as one of his five "breakthrough players for 2002."
Hype is nice, but doesn't score points or win games.
Bledsoe should help do both, but how the rest of the newcomers around him fare will ultimately decide just how much better Buffalo becomes this year.
The overhaul begins on the offensive line, an even bigger culprit than the banished Rob Johnson in last year's putrid 1-9 start. With the selection of Mike Williams with the No. 4 overall pick and the signings of free agent linemen Trey Teague and Marcus Price, it's altogether possible that only left guard Ruben Brown will open the 2002 season at the same spot he occupied in '01.
The situation on the defensive line is just as unsettled, yet less promising. Rookie defensive end Ryan Denney and tackle Justin Bannan were the only significant additions to a unit regularly gutted by opposing running backs. And that was before the retirement of Phil Hansen, the front wall's steadiest performer for more than a decade.
Bills president and general manager Tom Donahoe toyed with the idea of signing Sam Adams, anchor of Baltimore's Super Bowl-winning defense from two years back, before dropping out of the bidding due to salary-cap restraints.
Buffalo figures to bring in at least one lower-priced body in the middle before camp opens or soon thereafter, since Bannan is the only tackle resembling a run stuffer -- and a rookie at that. The front office bounces around Shawn Price's name, but that's not much of an answer. Price has been a valuable backup throughout his career, but even if his knee has healed completed, he's not the kind of guy who can tie up two blockers on every play.
The Dolphins seemingly put another candidate on the market when they released Daryl Gardener last Friday. But the massive tackle missed 15 games over the past two seasons with back problems, and Miami planned on moving him to end this year in an effort to protect his balky spine. That was before he missed 90 percent of the team's offseason workouts, raising serious questions about his dedication to coming back. But if Buffalo can get him cheaply enough, and figure out a way to keep him healthy and motivated, there aren't many out there with Gardener's combination of size and ability.
Aside from the defensive line (where every position but Pat Williams' tackle spot looks wide open) and its offensive counterpart, there will be plenty of competition over the next six weeks. There isn't a whole lot of job security when you go 3-13, but here are a few key positions to keep an eye on as two-a-days begin:
At the other safety spot, Travares Tillman's semi-incumbency (he shared the free side with the departed Keion Carpenter) looks tenuous at best. Pierson Prioleaua jumped from the waiver wire to the starting strong safety spot at the end of last season and provided one of the Bills' few remotely bright spots as they played out the string.
With Price entering the final year of his contract and heat coming from sources both older and younger, Peerless will have to start living up to his name to keep himself on the field. With the addition of Bledsoe and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride (possibly Buffalo's second-biggest upgrade of the offseason), Price is just about out of excuses.
Then Rogers got himself arrested on charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats after a nightclub brawl in New Jersey. He pleaded not guilty and is free on $150,000 bond, but this isn't exactly the ideal way to start a new job.
After Rogers' arrest, Buffalo signed Syracuse product Maurice Jackson, also a receiver and return man. Niagara-Wheatfield alumni and fans should recall Jackson from the Falcons' New York State Far West Regional game at UB Stadium against Marshall High of Rochester a few years back. The diminutive wideout (now listed at 5-foot-8 and 169 pounds) capped one of the wildest high school contests in memory with a pair of long late touchdown catches to deny N-W and legendary coach Armand Cacciatore a shot at a state championship.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | July 23 2002 |