| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The beauty of the Bills' "Big Three" was how they dominated their positions
and the simplicity of their names. Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed.
Everyone knew The Big Three.
|  | | Marcellus Wiley will be counted on to replace Bills legend Bruce Smith. |
Those who are wondering who are the Bills' "Next Three" better consult their
spellchecker. Marcellus, Antowain and Peerless. Quick, cover your eyes and
see if you remember their spellings. Smith's replacement, for example, has
been groomed for four years and even Bills fans can't get it right.
"My first statement to the world is I'm Marcellus Wiley, not Marcus
Wiley," said the new Bills starting defensive end. "It kills me. But 70
to 80 percent of the fans call me Marcus. It's funny that people don't see
the 'e-l-l.' My name comes from Cassius Clay's middle name, Marcellus. I'm
losing the uniqueness of my name."
Wiley describes the trio of Wiley, Antowain Smith and Peerless Price as
feeling like they are writing their own comic books. "We can make our own
superhero status," Wiley said. Of course, they also know they are replacing
three Bills legends whose legacy was four consecutive AFC championships in
the early 1990s.
Price actually has the easiest assignment. There is no replacing Reed, the
possession receiver who caught 941 passes for 13,095 yards in 15 seasons.
His style is different. His first name previews what he hopes he can become as a
deep threat in the Bills offense.
"We are two totally different type of players," Price said. "Andre made a
lot of catches. He would go across the middle and take the hits. I like to
use my speed and try to beat guys deep. I'm not trying to be Andre. I'm
trying to be me."
Price being Price posed a threat to Reed's starting status at the beginning
of last season. After fighting back from a knee injury that forced him to
miss two 1999 minicamps, Price excelled during the exhibition season. In the
season opener against Indianapolis, Price caught three passes for 51 yards
during the first 15 plays he was on the field. The proud Reed, who was still
the starter, complained about being phased out of the offense.
"He wasn't babbling about me; he was babbling about getting the ball,"
Price said. "So it took away from my playing time."
Late in the season, coaches decided to give Price the time. He caught five passes for 62 yards in the next-to-last regular
season game and matched that effort in the Music City Miracle loss to
Tennessee in the playoffs.
"Eric Moulds and I are going to be real exciting together," Price said.
|
“ |
If you are talking
about your fantasy league, you better get to know Shawn Bryson. He's a combo back
who has size and speed. He's a sleeper. ” |
|
|
— Peerless Price, Bills receiver |
Wiley's enthusiasm for replacing Smith was hampered for two reasons. Before
camp, he underwent back surgery to repair a damaged disc and remove loose
debris that had been limiting his flexibility. Secondly, he lost one of his
best friends and mentors when the team cut Bruce Smith in February.
"I went from a guy whose first play in practice was trying to use a
bullrush weighing 260 pounds," Wiley said. "Something I realized quickly
was that the back part of my helmet can hit the grass very hard."
Smith liked Wiley, a 275-pound defensive end who was a fullback at Columbia
during his junior year. Smith taught Wiley the tricks of the game. He taught
him the value of practicing hard to prepare for games. He tried to teach him
more than just the "swim" move that he occassionally tried. Now, Wiley is
on his own.
The most pressured of the new threesome is Antowain Smith, the Bills' No. 1 pick
in 1997. Fighting through a groin problem that lingered from the 1998 season
and a bad case of turf toe, Smith had only 614 yards and a modest 3.7 yards
per carry average last season.
"My main thing is to keep my body healthy," Smith said. "There is
pressure on me to produce this year and to silence critics who think I'm not the
kind of back I was when the Bills made me a first-round choice."
He will have a surprise challenger this year. Jonathan Linton, who had 695
yards last season, and second-year back Shawn Bryson are other considerations.
Bryson's the sleeper of the group and the one to watch. He blew out his knee at
the beginning of camp last year but returned during minicamps to show
that he's close to being back to his 4.38, 40 speed while weighing 228 pounds.
"If you are talking about your fantasy league, you better get to know Shawn
Bryson," Price said. "He's a combo back who has size and speed. He's a
sleeper. At Tennessee, everyone was touting Jamal Lewis, but I felt if Shawn
was the tailback, he could have done the same things Jamal was doing."
Price is biased because he was Bryson's roommate at Tennessee. But everyone
needs to stick together these days with the Bills. After all, if the Next
Three don't replace the Big Three, coach Wade Phillips will be looking for
the next Next Three.
John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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