Two Bills Drive

‘Although they’re 0-2, the Bills have given up just 13 points in each of their first two games and have allowed a pair of touchdowns — both on passes. They’re also No. 1 in the league in run defense.’

‘”The people here are fed up with the offense,” said Sal Maiorana, who covers the team for The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “It’s not two games, it’s two years. It’s gotten to the point where they’re frustrated with Bledsoe. He can’t move or make a play. The offensive line can’t protect him and they can’t run-block. The expectations are higher with [the coaching changes. The expectation was that they’d be better, and they haven’t done anything. People are at wits’ end. There is some pressure for the Bills to perform, and they know it. Their season is close to going down the drain three games in.”‘

‘While Tom Brady’s star has soared since September 2001, Drew Bledsoe’s has crashed.’

‘Although the Bills now have one of the league’s better defenses and have surrounded Bledsoe with an array of options, the results have been blah.’

‘”I think it is more business as usual this year,” New England linebacker Roman Phifer said. “They’re in our division, and it’s always a big challenge to play them in Buffalo. The emphasis is now more that they are in our division than the Drew Bledsoe issue.”‘

Patriots have memory to feel sorry about (Boston Globe)

They’re like a broken record (Boston Globe)

Watson placed on IR (Boston Globe)

Buffalo debacle still fresh (Boston Herald)

Pats tackle Drew (Boston Herald)

Mum’s the word on streak (Boston Herald)

Knee injury lands TE Watson on IR (Boston Herald)

Take this job and love it (Boston Herald)

Fans have Bledsoe, Bills on hot seat (Providence Journal)

Belichick the model teams now want to copy (Providence Journal)

Patriots’ Watson out for season (Providence Journal)

A tale of two quarterbacks (Providence Journal)

Watch out for Bills’ tricks (Metro West Daily News)

Knee costs rookie rest of season (Metro West Daily News)

Winless Buffalo built around ‘D’ (Woonsocket Call)

Rookie TE Watson out for the season (Woonsocket Call)

A Tight Downward Spiral (Hartford Courant)

Patriots all business with Bills (Springfield Republican)

Knee injury sidelines rookie tight end for season (Springfield Republican)

They even can tackle aging (Portland Press Herald)

Bledsoe gives Pats high praise (Nashua Telegraph)

Bledsoe now in Brady’s shadow (Brockton Enterprise)

Buffalo can’t wing it on steals (Quincy Patriot Ledger)

Injuries hit Pats offense (Quincy Patriot Ledger)

Drew who? (Lowell Sun)

Watson put on IR (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Patriots place TE Watson on injured reserve (AP)

Patriots sign TE Jed Weaver, Place TE Benjamin Watson on IR (Patriots.com)

Bill Belichick Press Conference (Patriots.com)

Tom Brady Locker Room Interview (Patriots.com)

‘Bledsoe, who is 1-3 against his old club and 4-12 in his last 16 games with 10 TDs, 12 interceptions and 55 sacks, needs desperately to put his career back on track and this is the game to do it.’

‘The Bills’ decision to carry rookie quarterback J.P. Losman on their active roster instead of placing him on season-ending IR is looking shrewd.’

‘9 — Number of touchdown passes Tom Brady has tossed against the Bills in four career starts.’

‘One or two good drives, some effective Dillon runs, and a few Vinatieri field goals should be enough for a 23-14 Patriots win.’

‘The Bills may have a disruption in the offensive line. Chris Villarrial is hurt. He’s listed as questionable with an abdominal injury. Mike Pucillo is nursing a sore back and is questionable. Both did not participate in Wednesday’s practice. Ross Tucker worked with the first team.’

‘“It’s frustrating that you can’t win,” linebacker Takeo Spikes said. “We’re disappointed with where we are. But it’s still early. And that’s the biggest thing that we realize. Nobody is in panic mode.”’

‘”We had that extra week to go over and correct some things and work on the things that we weren’t doing good. So we feel like we’ll be better prepared thanks to that extra week,” wide receiver Josh Reed explained.’

‘The book also cites Belichick as being critical of the Bills offensive line, refers to Bills safety Lawyer Milloy another former Patriots player as being ”selfish” and ”a negative leader sometimes,” and cornerback Nate Clements as being susceptible to being beaten by the long pass.’

‘But Bledsoe, once a sure-fire Hall of Fame candidate, is running out of chances in the National Football League. At this point, he had better not focus on prospering. First, he has to find a way to survive.’