Two Bills Drive

‘So now it’s time to unfasten our seat belts. Thanks for the ride, Van. It was fantastic.’

‘”It’s the opposite ends,” he said. “God knows what they’re mindset is right now. Early in the year they probably said, ‘We can’t wait to play these guys again.’ Now, it’s probably like, ‘Man, (who cares?)’ But you have to finish the year out. I hate looking back and regretting.”‘

‘”It was nothing personal. I want to win. Everybody does. Some people may need extra motivation, but I’m going to talk to everybody whether he likes it or not.”‘

‘Patriots are 16-2 in games when Antowain Smith rushes for a TD.’

‘New England has won eight of nine games decided by eight or fewer points this season. By contrast, Buffalo is 1-4 in such games, those four defeats coming by a total of 11 points, effectively extracting them from the playoff race.’

‘”If you’d have only seen one game this season and then (were) talking about the last week of the season one team playing for home-field advantage and the other out of the playoffs, you would have thought the opposite,” Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. “It’s been surreal.”‘

‘”I’ve had a love affair with the Buffalo Bills and it’s not going to stop,” said Miller, who will be in the booth at Foxboro when the Bills meet New England. “It’s been a great run.”‘

‘But the Bills pose a serious threat to New England’s 11-game winning streak for no other reason than they are professionals. And they have pride. And that’s something worth playing for.’

‘What a team. They win by fewer than 10 points per game. The quarterback throws safe passes that are practically handoffs. The receivers are always in the right places. There are almost no dumb penalties. The defense confuses opponents with multiple looks and different faces in different places. And the field goal kicker never, ever, misses an important kick.’

‘The Patriots have that 11-game winning streak. St. Louis holds the second longest streak — seven straight. Denver has won four in a row and Green Bay has run off three consecutive victories. Nobody else in the league is on more than a two-game winning streak.’

‘“I remember sitting at 2-2 thinking we need to get to the bye week at 5-4,” Brady said. “That was a long time ago and a lot of hits ago, too. We really have done some good things and we have put ourselves in a good position. It doesn’t do any good if we lose this week, which is the reason why there has to be attention to detail.”’

‘“He does a great job with the things you have to do as a pro to prepare to play on Sunday,” Williams said. “Those are things that coaches can only do so much with, but the other players get a chance to see through example how the top players in the league go about preparing. He’s been very, very valuable in that area.”’

‘“Basically,” Bledsoe said of today’s homecoming, “I grew up there. I (went to New England) as a 21-year-old kid, and when I left I was 29 and had three kids. It’s still a place that holds a special place in my heart and the hearts of our family. It is special to go back there. Now,” he added, “we have to go back there and win.”’

‘The pick: Patriots by 32.’

‘Yes, Law is now in the fattest years of the seven-year, $49-million contract he signed before the 1999 season. If he doesn’t rework his contract — and he’s been adamant that he won’t — he’ll count more than $22 million against the salary cap the next two years. The fact is, his cap number in 2004 is $9,457,365, just $650,000 higher than it is this season. Given the way he’s played this season, a $650K bump is certainly within reason.’