THE NFL PLAYOFFS : Bills Hoping Crowd Can Get Behind Them : Noise Should Be One of Key Factors When They Meet Oilers in Buffalo Today

Forget the “House of Pain.” Buffalo Bills Coach Marv Levy hopes a “Home of Drone” will help bring victory in today’s AFC playoff game against the Houston Oilers.

Levy, well aware of the noisy, home-field advantage teams like the Oilers get in their domed stadiums, wants the sellout crowd at Rich Stadium to do its best to surpass the decibel level found in Houston’s Astrodome.

“I would hope (Bills fans) give us the same advantage that we experience as a disadvantage when we go into places like Seattle, Indianapolis and Houston,” he said.

The AFC East champion Bills, 12-4 during the regular season, will need any advantage they can find to beat the Oilers, who won last week’s wild-card game 24-23 in Cleveland against the Browns.

The Oilers, 10-6 during the regular season, have a multi-faceted offense, a gambling defense and a swashbuckling personality that led to a league-high 1,150 yards in penalties this season.

The Browns-Oilers game was marked by a number of skirmishes, but the Bills didn’t need to watch that game to know about Houston’s style of play. Two Bills were tossed out of a game last season against Houston following a punch-out with an Oiler.

“We let our play do the talking,” said Bills quarterback Jim Kelly. “They do both. They like to talk but they get it done, too.”

Levy has already talked to his team about the need to stay level-headed.

“I’ve told them let’s come to play. Don’t do something foolishly or retaliatory that maybe the other team’s trying to provoke.”

Oilers coach Jerry Glanville protested his team’s “chippy” label.

“We are a hard-nosed team,” he said. “They play at 100 mph and they get after you. I don’t think you should ever have to apologize for that in the NFL. This is football.”

The big challenge for both teams will be to establish a running game if the predicted wintry mix of snow, wind, and cold temperatures materializes.

The Bills’ defense, top-ranked in the AFC during the regular season, will be at a disadvantage because it appears likely their best run-stopper, Pro Bowl linebacker Shane Conlan, won’t play because of a foot injury.

With Mike Rozier expected back in the lineup, the Oilers have four solid running backs in Rozier, Allen Pinkett, Alonzo Highsmith and Lorenzo White.

Pro Bowl guards Bruce Matthews and Mike Munchak anchor an offensive line whose average weight is close to 300 pounds.

“It would be nice to say shut down their running game and you beat them, but they’ve got some other weapons,” Levy said.

With Pro Bowl quarterback Warren Moon doing most of the throwing, wide receivers Drew Hill and Ernest Givens combined for more yardage than any other team’s pair of receivers. The Oilers frequently combine that pair with two more speedy receivers, Curtis Duncan and Haywood Jefferies, in a four-receiver set.

“Their passing game is extremely dangerous,” said Bills linebacker Scott Radecic, who will get the start if Conlan can’t play. “They’re always sending people way downfield and spreading you out.”

The Bills will counter with a running game that features rookie Thurman Thomas in most first- and second-down situations, and veterans Robb Riddick and Ronnie Harmon in short-yardage and passing situations.

Kelly has three primary receiving targets -- Andre Reed, Trumaine Johnson and Chris Burkett -- who could see a lot of action if the Oilers blitz with the frequency they have shown in the past.

“Our major concern is giving me enough time to throw the ball,” said Kelly. “If we get the time to throw, I think we’re going to put some points on the board.”

Putting points on the board has been a problem for the Buffalo offense in losing three of the team’s last four games. The Bills averaged only 13 points a game in those games.

Still, Glanville said he doesn’t see any glaring shortcomings on the Bills.

“I was hoping to find some real reasons why they lost those games and find their weaknesses and be all excited, but the more film you watch, the better the team you see.”

The Bills started the season 11-1 but Levy dismissed talk about a loss of momentum going into the playoffs.

“There’s no such thing, in my opinion, as momentum going into the playoffs,” he said. “You create your own momentum when the time comes.”