Two Bills Drive

‘Belichick also pointed out that, in the past, he’s had players who don’t buy into that concept. They usually don’t last long in his system. “I have seen both. Some players just can’t understand it,” he said. “They just can’t buy into it: ‘It’s okay for me to do my job and for you to make the tackle.’ Some players can’t understand that. They only feel like they have done their job if they make the tackle and therefore if they try to make it and miss it, then they are better off than if they just do their job and let the play go to somebody else.There are other players that have trouble understanding the concept that, ‘It’s not my job to make every play. It is my job to take care of my responsibility.'”‘

‘Even quarterback Tom Brady isn’t playing along. Hey Tom, what are you hoping to get for Christmas this year? “I just want a win,” he responds.’

‘”Right now, we feel like we can line up and play against anybody. It is just sad that we are not in the playoff hunt because I know teams don’t want to face us right now.”‘

‘Even if as many as 10 head coaching jobs open up, Williams won’t be high on anybody’s list of candidates. Donahoe, whose style is to take his time and not react emotionally, believes in top-down management and won’t lay all the blame for this season’s struggles solely on Williams. He also likes stability. So while it would be easy to assume Williams is a goner, it’s also possible Donahoe will choose to stay the course, allowing Williams to keep intact a rising No. 2 defense and staff of assistants, while the focus shifts to revamping the offense.’

‘The Bills and Winfield talked before the season began about a new deal but didn’t come to terms and Winfield now hopes to test the market, especially after his fourth straight season of not tasting the playoffs after getting there his rookie year. “I don’t want to cheat myself,” Winfield said. “I mean, I would love to be back. We have a very talented team. But I want to win and I’m tired of losing. It seems like that has been the thing around here the last three years. I need to go to a contender, or hopefully, we can step up here and do something. I’ll have to weigh my options.”‘

‘Bills fans booed from start to finish in the Miami loss, but one person got a little more creative. He blew up a white balloon, wrote the words “Bye, Bye Gregg” on it in black marker, and released it to be bounced around the stands like a beach ball. Talk about your balloon-o-grams.’

‘”It’s not that hard for me because I’m still learning how to play in the NFL,” he said. “It’s harder on other players who are used to playing every week.”‘

‘…he told me on Tuesday that he can’t even grab a football and there’s no way he could throw this week.’

‘“Something bad might happen, carry over to next year, so I’m going to stay healthy,” McGahee said. “I’m looking forward to next year. You never look back in the past, always look forward.”’

‘At 30 years old, the Washington product had to take steps to secure a quality life. With two trips to the Super Bowl under his belts and one championship ring could he blamed for looking out for No. 1? Of course not. And surely, the New England players will one day accept that. Just not this Saturday.’

‘”We want to go out and redeem ourselves.”‘

”’It’s familiar, it’s quite intimate. It invites you in. He is the neighbor next door,” Smith said. ”You never tired of Van Miller. He could go on for another 50 years and people would still be saying, ‘More.””

‘Bills guard Ruben Brown missed his second straight practice on Wednesday, excused for what coach Gregg Williams called personal reasons. Brown is not on the team’s injury report and the team would not provide further details. The Bills are preparing for their season finale at New England on Saturday.’

‘”I don’t have any prediction with that, really,” Williams said of the chances of being back in Buffalo for the 2004 season. “Next week is next week. We’ll sit down as soon as possible. We’ll talk. We do that every year. We’ll start two days after the season, tearing everything down. We’ll go through every phase of it. [GM Tom Donahoe] and I have done that every year.”‘

‘”It’s very ironic,” Patriots strong safety Rodney Harrison said, “but it’s the perfect setting. We’re at home for the last game and it’s a climactic game. There will be a lot of physical play and emotion.”‘