Bills’ Smith Says He Will End His Holdout

Buffalo Bill defensive end Bruce Smith says he will end his holdout and play out the final year of his contract for $2.2 million.

Smith is expected to report to practice Monday after receiving $105,000 in fines from the Bills.

“I’m coming in soon,” Smith said Friday from his home in Virginia Beach, Va. “That’s all I can say. You’ll be seeing me real soon.”

Smith was charged with driving under the influence in Virginia Beach after allegedly falling asleep at a red light at 6:21 a.m. last Sunday and refusing to take a breath test.

Even before the arrest, Smith had been the target of fan criticism for not accepting a five-year contract worth $22 million, including a $5-million signing bonus.

Smith, 34, the defensive player of the year last season, has been unhappy about a contract that pays him $2.2 million in each of its final two years.

He turned down the Bills’ latest offer, saying he would rather play this season under the old contract with hopes of becoming a free agent after the season.

Smith still could be designated the franchise player after this season, which would mean he would stay with the Bills and be guaranteed a salary that is among the top five defensive players in the league.

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The Atlanta Falcons botched a field-goal attempt on the final play of the game as the Detroit Lions won the exhibition opener for both teams, 20-17, at Pontiac, Mich.

Billy Joe Tolliver, who completed 13 of 26 passes for 228 yards after replacing starter Chris Chandler, drove Atlanta to the Detroit 24-yard line with 23 seconds remaining. Kicker David Lauder lined up for a 42-yard field goal but holder Tommy Maddox fumbled the snap and was smothered by Detroit defenders.

It was Atlanta’s second botched field goal attempt. Holder Dan Stryzinski, the Falcons’ regular punter, was unable to handle a snap on a 27-yard attempt by Morten Andersen in the second quarter.

Barry Sanders, who held out the first three days of the Lions’ training camp because of a contract dispute, ran for 32 yards in five carries and scored a first-quarter touchdown. He appeared in two series.

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Veteran punter Lee Johnson’s bobbled snap set up rookie Malcolm Thomas’ two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for the go-ahead score in the Indianapolis Colts’ 20-16 exhibition victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis.

Johnson’s mishandling of the snap gave Indianapolis the ball at the Cincinnati 5 and two plays later, Thomas--a rookie from Syracuse--scored to put the Colts ahead, 17-14.

“The snap was fine,” Johnson said. “It was an inside drop, big time, a severe inside drop. I dropped a snap in practice this week, so I thought, ‘Man, this could be a bad omen.’ It happened. In 13 years, I think I’ve missed two or three,” he said.

The game marked the return to the Bengals of quarterback Boomer Esiason, who was traded to the New York Jets in 1993 after nine years with Cincinnati.

Esiason, who went to Arizona last year and returned to Cincinnati this season after signing a two-year contract as a free agent, completed six of nine passes for 40 yards and a touchdown to James Hundon.

Meanwhile, a swollen left knee that kept Cincinnati offensive lineman Willie Anderson out of the game wasn’t as bad as once feared. Anderson’s knee is severely bruised but has no structural damage. He hurt it during a training camp drill Thursday.

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Jerry Reynolds, who became the New York Giants’ starting center when Brian Williams injured his right eye last week, will have to undergo knee surgery.

Reynolds hurt his right knee in practice this week. He had an MRI on Thursday night and it disclosed a tear to the lateral meniscus. Coach Jim Fassel expects Reynolds to be sidelined two weeks.

It wasn’t known how long Williams will be sidelined. He still has double vision 10 days after breaking the lower orbit around his eye.

Rookie Derek Engler will start tonight in the Giants’ exhibition opener at Baltimore. Running back Rodney Hampton is not expected to play after sitting out his fourth consecutive day of workouts because of a badly swollen knee.

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St. Louis Ram Coach Dick Vermeil will coach his first game since 1982 when St. Louis plays its exhibition opener against the Vikings tonight in Minneapolis.

The game will be played in the Metrodome, a stadium that wasn’t open the last time Vermeil brought a team to Minnesota.