Two Bills Drive

‘Here’s your chance to ask the long-time voice of the Bills a question!’

‘Colvin was supposed to inject life into the Pats’ pass rush. Yet without him, Mike Vrabel (9.5 sacks), Richard Seymour (8) and Willie McGinest (5.5) have thrived. Colvin was supposed to shore up the run defense that had sagged in 2002. Yet without him the Patriots rank fourth in the league and have allowed only one 100-yard back all season. If this defense is that good without him, logic says it would be downright scary with him.’

‘Saturday will be ”Military Appreciation Day” at Gillette Stadium, honoring personnel representing the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, plus Massachusetts Army National Guard and Air Guard. Four military A-10 jets will conduct a pregame fly-over, and Army Sergeant First Class David Ainslie, a Purple Heart recipient from the war in Iraq, will participate in the coin toss.’

‘”I feel good. It’s not going to be a game of revenge. You guys know I’m going to fly around, and any eventual rage is going to be because I respect all of my (former) teammates over there. Anybody who gains my respect on any opposing team, they know they can expect my best. And hopefully, the way I approach this week, especially with the situation here, my teammates (in Buffalo) can see this is still football, we have a chance to be the No. 1 defense.”‘

‘”You’ve got to give the players credit for making the plays that they’ve made,” New England coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday. “We’ve had a lot of different people step up and make big plays at key times in the game on offense, defense and special teams.”‘

‘Williams has a sprained right knee and Van Pelt has a sprained wrist. Both did not practice Tuesday, although Bills coach Gregg Williams said he is hopeful that Mike Williams will return to practice today. “He’s done better,” Gregg Williams said. “We hope that he will be able to progress throughout the course of the week.”‘

‘”He played pretty well in our game. That’s what I’m going on,” he said. “He played very well against us, the entire team played well. Drew certainly had an outstanding day. We have a lot of respect for Drew. I have a lot of respect for him personally. When you get beat 31-0 you better respect the team that beat you, I can tell you that.”‘

‘It’s believed that Williams was offered three-, four- and five-year deals when he signed with Buffalo in 2001 and elected to take three. When the Bills offered an extension with an option last off-season, Williams declined, believing – it now appears – that if he had coached a playoff team he’d have more leverage and options open to him.’

‘The impact he has had away from the field has been much more profound than those helmet-rattling hits he delivers while covering kicks and receivers on Sunday afternoons at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘The Patriots play exceptional “team” defense. The term is redundant, but realize that it isn’t easy to get 11 to think and play as one.’

‘In a year in which the team is 13-2, won the AFC East, and is jockeying for prime playoff position, Colvin’s season ended after he fractured his left hip in Game 2 against Philadelphia while trying to scoop up a loose ball and run.’

‘The Patriots are averaging 3.4 yards per carry, second-worst in the league. In the offseason Belichick probably will look for a front-line running back. But for now, at least, he’s not looking at next week as the start of his team’s offseason.’

‘Drew Bledsoe is among those who are amazed at how far the Bills have fallen since their blowout win over the Pats in Week 1. ‘`It seems like forever ago,” he said. “It’s been surreal for me to see where we started and see where we are now. It’s been hard.”’

‘So, just what does crow taste like?’

‘”I’m on record that day saying, ‘We’re not as good as everybody thinks we are,’ ” head coach Gregg Williams pointed out yesterday. “We played well that particular day. We capitalized on some of the breaks in the ball game. They turned the ball over uncharacteristically and we capitalized. But I said at the time after that ball game and the second game that a lot of people believe we’re a lot better than we are right now.” He was right.’