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IRVING, Texas - The Bills certainly have made some changes to their defensive line this season, even though they finished with the league's top-ranked defense last year.

They signed veteran defensive end Marcellus Wiley. They moved strong-side defensive end Greg Ellis, the team's sack leader last season (eight), to the right side. And chances are there will be a battle waged for the starting nose tackle job between last year's starter Willie Blade and the likes of Leonardo Carson, Jermaine Brooks and maybe Daleroy Stewart.

But the one constant on this defensive line is defensive tackle La'Roi Glover, who added a fourth Pro Bowl to his resume last year - his second with the Bills in as many years - and who will continue to be the centerpiece of this defensive line.

Glover, a ninth-year veteran, turns 30 on the Fourth of July, so it came as no surprise Bills head coach Bill Parcells openly talked during the team's most recent mini-camp about reducing his work load. That's just sensible since Glover participated in nearly all of the defensive snaps last year, and in several games rarely, if ever, came off the field for a single defensive down.

But the one thing the Bills don't want to reduce is Glover's presence in the locker room, the 6-2, 285-pounder a very insightful leader on this team.

So it's only natural for BuffaloBills.com to listen intently to what Glover has to say, whenever he has to say it.

Does it surprise you that Bill's gonna be a little less patient this year?

Glover: I would expect that to be true, yeah. The second year around, the excuses are out the door. You should know what to expect. There should be no hesitation or anything like that, you know. Just be ready for it. That's the biggest thing I can tell the young guys. It's not gonna be a walk in the park. It's not gonna be fun all the time. It's gonna be real professional and real business-like.

You've had time to reflect on last season - do you consider it a success?

Glover: I think, since coming to Buffalo, it's not enough just to get to the playoffs. You've gotta win a Super Bowl. It's as simple as that. That's always been my goal, my teammates' goal, the coaches of the organization's goal, and I don't think that'll change.

The D-line has improved - what do you expect this year?

Glover: I'm excited about that, too, you know. Adding Marcellus (Wiley) brings an experienced guy. Lots of experience - he can get to the quarterback, he can do all the things that the coaches expect him to do. There's nothing but upgrade. We've got to lift our level of play, the rest of us do, to try to improve on what we did last year.

What are your first thoughts on Marcellus?

Glover: He's gonna give you guys [the media] some good sound bites, that's for sure. He's got a lot of energy, got a lot of personality, a real bubbly guy. But he's a playmaker. He loves to play the game, loves to compete, and he's gonna help us out a lot.

Parcells said that (the team is) better prepared physically this season than at the beginning of last season. Why is that?

Glover: We just re-focused to see the vision to win a Super Bowl. We've never made two bones about it, and that's just how it is in Buffalo. It's not enough just to get into the playoffs - that's not a success. A success is when you win the entire thing. So the guys really realized we have an opportunity to do that, and we're not gonna let it slip away.

What does a "transition to Parcells' system" mean?

Glover: Knowing the routine. Knowing what a full day's work is gonna be like. Knowing what he expects of us. Physically, mentally, how you study, how you prepare. Everyone's gotta lift weights - do conditioning, the whole roster. There's no surprises. There's not gonna be any excuses.

How valuable to do you think Vinny Testaverde can be?

Glover: "From a knowledge standpoint, he can share a lot of knowledge with some of those younger quarterbacks - maybe try to school them up a little bit, get them up to par."

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