Two Bills Drive

The Bills went 11-5 during Brammer’s first season and won their division for the first time since 1966. It was also the first time in six years that they were in the playoffs. Some of Buffalo’s fans were ‘Talkin’ Proud’ and supporting the team Sunday afternoons at Rich Stadium and early Monday mornings at the airport.

Despite the fact he lives in Illinois, Beebe has made several trips back to Buffalo since his playing days. He quickly adds that coming back to visit isn't always easy; he finds it difficult to just sit back and watch.

Kendrick Office (wrist), questionable.

The Bills & Patriots will be meeting for the 85th time ever in the regular season. The Patriots hold a 44-39-1 overall series lead. The 39 wins against NE mark the second-highest total by the Bills against any team (NY Jets – 47). Six of the last nine games have been decided by 4 points or fewer (5 of 8 by three points) and four of the last six meetings have gone into OT.

‘A team source said the Chargers brought in for a workout veteran lineman Shawn Price, who is currently out of football after being released by the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 5. He could be signed as soon as today, pending the result of a physical.’

”’We know what’s in front of us there,” Belichick said, ”but the main thing that’s on our minds now is preparing for Buffalo. We know what happened the last time we played them (a 38-7 Patriots laugher in Orchard Park, N.Y., Nov. 3). I’m sure they’ll make some adjustments. This game will have some different dynamics to it, like it always does when you play a team a second time. It’s never the same, so it’ll be different on our end, I’m sure it’ll be different on their end.”’

‘When Travis Henry reached 1,000 yards rushing last Sunday, no one in Ralph Wilson Stadium was more gratified than Buffalo Bills running backs coach Steve Fairchild.’

‘Would you rather spend Christmas sweating on a beach, or watching a blanket of snow fall in the moonlight on the roof of a hundred-year-old Victorian? That’s why it was a happy coincidence that the Dolphins were in town the day the season’s first storm hit. Around here, it doesn’t get much better than that.’

‘The Patriots beat the Bills in Buffalo not because they beat Bledsoe but because Tom Brady beat up Buffalo’s shoddy defense the way Mike Tyson beats up sparring partners. The same holds true in nearly all of Buffalo’s defeats.’

”’The guys on the team joke with me, telling me that I’m slippery,” said Henry, the latest in a recent line of University of Tennessee runners (Jamal Lewis, James Stewart) to hit the ground running in the NFL. ”So I guess I am slippery. I’m used to breaking tackles. That’s my forte to running. The offensive line blocked well, and I just hit the holes and made something happen.”’

‘“It’s been a very, very difficult year,” said safety Lawyer Milloy. “It’s a year where everyone is geared up to play us. I think the (opposing) coaches are more aware of (Belichick’s) schemes, too. So it’s harder to camouflage it. It’s just a battle. It’s a grind.”’

‘Richard Seymour practiced with the team yesterday, a good sign that the defensive tackle, who suffered what he called a bruised thigh in Detroit last Thursday, will be ready to play Sunday against the Bills.’

‘Wide receivers Eric Moulds and Peerless Price starting making big plays as soon as the season began. It seemed for a few weeks leading up to last Sunday’s game against Miami that defenses had found a way to contain the pair, but Drew Bledsoe was again finding his favorite targets against the Dolphins in what turned out to be a 38-21 victory.’

‘Recognizing a need at safety, the Patriots reacquired veteran Chris Hayes on Monday to fill their roster vacancy. Hayes, 30, was with the Patriots during training camp, but they released him on Aug. 30 before the season began.’

‘So who has the edge at Gillette this weekend? The Patriots have already exposed the Bills’ weaknesses on defense once this season. It’s doubtful that they will execute the exact same game plan, but why stray from what works?’