PRO FOOTBALL/WEEK 13 : Buffalo: Another Doggone Disasterous Season Despite Mathison

There have been a few changes in the Buffalo Bills since the Chargers defeated them, 14-9, in the season opener. The Bills have a new coach, Hank Bullough, and a new quarterback, Bruce Mathison.

They also have a new dog hanging around their Orchard Park locker room.

“His name is ‘It,’ ” Bullough said.

He’s not a picky eater.

“We feed him just about anything,” the coach said.

Some things haven’t changed in Buffalo. The Bills still have too much canine in them, as a 2-10 record attests. A 14-game road losing streak is further evidence of the problems facing Bullough.

“We can’t make mistakes and win,” he said, a statement applicable to his team and the Chargers. “We have to be error-free. We’ve been beating ourselves. No team works harder Monday through Saturday, but pay day is Sunday. That’s when the production has to be there.”

The Bills will throw their new quarterback, Mathison, at a San Diego defense that has reverted to its abysmal ways the last two weeks. Mathison knows a lot about the Charger defense, having drilled against it for most of the 1983 and 1984 seasons as San Diego’s No. 3 quarterback.

As he has shown in three starts, Mathison probably has a future in the NFL, but he’s not ready to make anyone forget Dan Fouts.

A week ago against Miami, after the Dolphins took a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter, the Bills reached their opponent’s 30-yard line. Dropping back to throw on second and five, Mathison held the ball and was sacked for a 10-yard loss, aborting the drive.

“I didn’t say anything to Bruce when he came off the field,” Bullough said. “The same as I didn’t say anything when he scrambled for a first down or threw a touchdown pass. Why tell him, ‘Bruce, you shouldn’t have got sacked’? He knows that. It’s a learning experience.

“Overall, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Bruce. He makes mistakes, but he also makes big plays. He moves the team with his passing, and I’ve been happy with him. He’s anxious at times, but he’s also grateful for the chance to play. He’s got too much work ahead of him to worry about things like being bitter toward the Chargers.”

Mathison, who is trying to sell his home in San Diego, assured local sportswriters he wasn’t angry toward the Chargers for giving up on him. And Charger Coach Don Coryell said some nice things about Mathison in return.

What Coryell didn’t say is that the Charger defense is likely to do its part to make the young quarterback resemble an accomplished veteran. That was the case last Sunday in Houston, when unproven Oliver Luck passed for nearly 300 yards in a 37-35 victory that probably crushed the Chargers’ already-slim playoff hopes.

The San Diego defense can’t take anything for granted against anybody. As long memories will recall, Buffalo’s Vince Ferragamo, who began the year as No. 1, commanded an offense that totaled 455 yards against the Chargers in the season opener--the second-highest total San Diego has allowed all year.

Greg Bell gained 79 yards rushing and caught 13 passes for 80 yards against the Chargers. Bell, who leads the team in rushing (672 yards) and receiving (441 yards), returned from a leg injury last week against Miami. He missed the preceding game and a half.

Despite the Bills’ record, Coryell said he was worried about winning.

“They played better than we did in the first game,” he said.

He would just as soon not witness a repeat of last week’s sloppy first half by the San Diego offense, whose five turnovers left the Chargers behind 17-0 at one point.

The Chargers, beginning a three-game home stand, realistically need to sweep their final four games in order to give Coryell a break-even chance to return as head coach.

Kay Stephenson lost the Bills’ job earlier in the year, and he is sure to have coaching company in the coming weeks and months.

Bullough, who has worked no miracles yet, does have the Bills thinking positively.

“Our morale is great,” he said. “We have no long faces. I won’t allow them. I’d get rid of anybody not working. Nobody on this team will be laying down.”

With the possible exception of the mutt, It.