Two Bills Drive

‘”We have to focus on beating the Buffalo Bills. It doesn’t matter who their quarterback is,” Pats receiver Troy Brown said.’

‘It is most likely already over for the Patriots. They’ll probably need to win at least seven and maybe eight of their remaining nine games just to sneak into the playoffs.’

‘This could be a rallying point, but it seems the last thing Belichick would do at this point is invoke Bledsoe as a means of motivating his team. That might not work anyway, given the strong ties many of his players have to their former teammate.’

‘”You’ve got to get pressure on him,” said Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, who pledges to help make his friend Bledsoe’s answering machine overflow with messages this week. “Every play I’ve seen on the highlight films, he’s able to step up in the pocket and throw the ball downfield.”‘

‘That hasn’t stopped local radio stations from referring to this as ”Bledsoe Week,” or a number of Boston media outlets from sending reporters to Buffalo for the game against Detroit. Bills fans have had this game circled on their calendars since Buffalo acquired Bledsoe in a trade last April, a move that prompted immediate lineups at the ticket windows. And it’s a game that has even more meaning now that Bledsoe has rejuvenated the Bills, erasing the memories of last year’s dreadful 3-13 finish.’

”’We had some chances to make some big plays in the game that we were close on but we just didn’t make them.”’

‘”We’re a solid team, but we have to continue to improve. By no means are we one of the best teams in the National Football League right now.”‘

‘”They played better than us,” Harrington said. “I can’t give you an exact answer, I only know what I feel, and I feel like we couldn’t move the ball. I feel like we were on the verge of clicking. But it didn’t happen. It just didn’t click.”‘

‘”It just didn’t happen for me to catch the ball, but the good news is we came away with a win.”‘

‘The Buffalo Bills placed defensive tackle Tyrone Robertson on the reserve/non-football illness list Monday after he completed a four-game NFL suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.’

This morning the Patriots are two games out of first place in the AFC East and a game and a half behind the second-place Buffalo Bills. The Bills are 5-3 because Belichick gave aid and comfort to the enemy when he turned Drew Bledsoe over to them. Bledsoe has now thrown for more than 300 yards in half the games he’s played this season and his team is a half-game out of first place with the season half gone and the Patriots heading to Ralph Wilson Stadium next Sunday.

Gregg Williams on the team’s progress: “This is the midway point of the season. We’ve got a bunch of tough matchups here. We’ve made some progress but we can’t stay where we’re at. If we don’t improve… The good teams will start to stand out in November and December. The teams that show up in November and December give you a chance to play in January. So we’ve got a long ways to go.”

‘What makes the plot more intriguing are the troubles of the Patriots, who have lost four straight games. It lets second-guessers wonder whether New England should have dealt Bledsoe, especially to a team in its own division, and kept Tom Brady.’

OFFENSIVE MVP: Drew Bledsoe — His career has been reborn in Buffalo and the Bills might return to the glory days of Jim Kelly and company. Drew leads the NFL in passing and the 23-10 victory against the Dolphins in Miami convinced me he’s worthy of this award. He’s on course for 5,000 yards passing, and 32 touchdowns. Both would be career highs!

‘The Bills let Detroit stay around a little longer than they would have liked, but put them away at the end. And that, more than the scorching early-season overtime wins over Minnesota and Chicago, makes this surprising 5-3 start more than a fluke.’