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Bills still concentrate on stopping run

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Posted: Tuesday October 12, 1999 01:51 PM

While a lot of defenses blitz seven players on almost every down, Buffalo's defense concentrates on stopping the run first and rarely sends more than five defenders at the quarterback.

Coordinator Ted Cottrell, who presides over the league's best defense, told me that nine-year veteran Henry Jones is the most underrated safety in the league.

But the heart of Cottrell's unit remains Pro Bowl defensive end Bruce Smith, who is still a force at 36 because he remains dedicated to game preparation. Last week Smith came in on his day off to study game film and the work paid off, as the Bills gave up only 48 yards rushing in the win over the Steelers.

Rhett rammed the Titans

Ravens battering-ram running back Errict Rhett actually knocked out two Titans on one play last week. On a carry in the second quarter Rhett bashed into safeties Blaine Bishop and Marcus Robertson.

Rhett got up and jogged back to the huddle. But Bishop was knocked goofy from the hit and Robertson had to leave the game to fix a screw in his helmet that was jarred loose by the collision.

Cardinals desperate for leadership

The Cardinals have come out of their nosedive for the time being, but the young team is still desperate for veteran leadership after losing tackle Lomas Brown, linebacker Jamir Miller and fullback Larry Centers to free agency during the offseason.

Arizona general manager Bob Ferguson told me he regrets some of the tough business decisions he had to make and if he could do it all again, he'd have kept Centers, the team's all-time leading receiver and a safety outlet for quarterback Jake Plummer who continues to struggle in 1999.

Uh, Mr. Rice, will you sign this?

It may take more than one win by St. Louis to flip the power structure in the NFC West. After helping his team beat up the 49ers on Sunday, Rams tight end Rolland Williams made his way across the field to get an autograph from Niners wideout Jerry Rice.

Favred again in Green Bay

While orchestrating comeback wins against Oakland, Minnesota and now Tampa Bay, Packers quarterback Brett Favre has been so amazing that he's even created a new term. After Sunday's heart-stopping 26-23 win over the Bucs, Tampa Bay quarterback Trent Dilfer put the game into perspective by saying, "We just got Favred."

Consider this

Here are some stats to chew on:

• Since 1996, the Dolphins are 0-19 in games in which they rush fewer than 25 times.
• The lowly Browns haven't converted a single third down in the second half of their last two games.
• Despite setting an NFL record with 212 yards in penalties the Titans still won their 10th consecutive AFC Central game on Sunday.

Watch your language, son

And finally, Ravens coach Brian Billick calls his mom after each game. Last week Billick got quite a scolding for his rather liberal use of profanity on national television. Perhaps to avoid being grounded by his mother, Billick has now pledged to give $100 to the United Way each time he calls an inappropriate audible on the sidelines. Now, if only Billick's mom could work on the Ravens' obscene offense.

Sports Illustrated staff writer David Fleming covers the NFL and appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated.

 

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