Two Bills Drive

‘“I sure wasn’t happy about the situation and we’ve made some moves for a tighter defense this season,” Fletcher said. “We did a lot to shore up the front seven.”’

‘Harrison is now the one responsible for setting a physical tone in the Pats secondary. The two-time Pro Bowler is the one who will line up the defense and call out the adjustments. He’s the one who will creep up into the box to stuff the run. He’s the one his teammates will look to as the last line of defense. In other words, he’ll be Lawyer Milloy.’

‘“After a few plays in the game, I don’t think it’s about which team slammed their helmets into their lockers the hardest coming out on the field,” Belichick said. “I think it’s about what team can execute and play under pressure and make adjustments during the game and make good decisions.”‘

‘”I know the type of player I am. I know the player that I see when I look in the mirror,” he said. “To go out and just confirm that is big for me, especially after a situation where I was fired, kicked out, sent away, put on the street, whatever you want to call it. It’s time for me to go out and just make a statement.”‘

‘”It’s cool to get the Bills out of the gate,” he said. “When I saw we had the Bills first, I was kind of happy because it’s cold there. I was happy to get the Bills early on in the season and not in December.”‘

‘The No. 1 running back position has yet to be determined, though Bill Belichick hinted that both Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk will share the workload. They still don’t know who will start at cornerback alongside Ty Law, whether that be Tyrone Poole, Eugene Wilson or Asante Samuel, and they’ve yet to make a decision on who will replace Lawyer Milloy in the secondary among a trio of candidates.’

‘”Ridiculous,” Belichick said. “I am not in anybody’s head. I am just trying to put together a game plan against each opponent that we play.”‘

‘What happens when quarterback Drew Bledsoe goes looking to expose a rookie playing one of the game’s most unforgiving positions? What happens when one or both players have to respond to adversity?’

”’I am sure that whatever they think our weaknesses are, they won’t hesitate to go after them,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. ”Wherever they think they are, I am sure they will try to hit us. Talking defensively in general, as we said at the end of the season, if you are trying to get younger on defense, then you are obviously going to be less experienced there. There is no way to meld those two together. To be younger is to be younger. To be more experienced is to be older. You kind of have to make a choice there.”’

‘“Last year, it was pretty frustrating against them,” Bills receiver Eric Moulds said. “But the good thing about football is you get a new year and you have a new team. We’re coming out this year to erase what happened last year. It’s a fresh start for us. We have a chance to prove we can beat this team.”’

‘Mike Pucillo was a seventh-round draft pick for the Buffalo Bills in 2002. Mike Williams was their first-round pick, chosen fourth overall in the 2002 NFL draft. On Sunday they’ll line up together in the season opener.’

‘"I never played against him before, just practiced just practiced against him," Brown added. "Nobody holds down that position like him. We got our work cut out."’

‘"It’s always good when you can try to improve your team by any measure," Williams said. "He’s an awful good football player. He’s very intelligent. He’s been the quarterback for them on the defensive side of the ball in their multiple coverage packages."’

‘”I think you can already start to see some of his influence in the defensive scheme, some blitz-zoning, some different pressures,” Belichick said of the new-look Bills defense. “They are doing a few things schematically a little different than they did last year on defense. They have added some players like Spikes and Posey, Adams to go with Pat Williams on the defensive line. [Ryan] Denney is starting for them at left end so they look like they have incorporated a little bit of some scheme changes and then also some personnel changes. They look bigger on defense especially with Adams in there and Williams. They have added some pass rushers in terms of Posey and some playmakers in terms of Spikes. They are a good solid team that has added some players and added some scheme things in the offseason.”‘

‘Over 100 individuals from various branches of the United States Armed Forces will be on hand and will assist in displaying a special 10-yard by 30-yard American flag on the field.’