Two Bills Drive

‘"I don’t know that you’re ever ahead of schedule, but we’re doing some things that are positive," said Ronnie Vinklarek, the offensive line coach. "Our communication is better, our cohesiveness is better and our chemistry is enhancing every week."’

‘Q: This league often has been described as the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. Are you the ultimate example of that? A: When you play in this league, you’re on trial every week. If you play for a long time, maybe you get a couple weeks before your job is on the line. Every player knows if he doesn’t play well he can get yanked. Yeah, I was an example of it last year. I played a lot of years, did a lot of things for the organization, but got hurt. The other guy was playing well, and all of a sudden I can’t get back on the field.’

‘”What I did was take a look at what the situation was and what the options were, and again, made the decisions I felt were in the best interest of the football team,” Belichick said. “There’s a million different scenarios we can always create, but in the end, there’s certain options that were available, and there were certain options that weren’t.”‘

‘Despite Bledsoe’s impressive passing statistics, Buffalo will run the ball early and often with its best ballcarrier, Travis Henry, because New England’s run defense has been shredded regularly, giving up an average of 142.3 yards for a league ranking of 29th.’

When the Bills play the division rival New England Patriots at Ralph Wilson Stadium there will be more going on than just the battle at hand. Bills fans from far and wide will be there to honor the legendary quarterback Jim Kelly one more time.

‘After winning the Super Bowl with unheralded Tom Brady, it was clear they needed to move Bledsoe and avert what would’ve been a debilitating team controversy. But to an AFC East division rival they would have to face twice a year?’

‘[Q:] What is the pain like on Monday mornings after an NFL game? [A:] ”It can be pretty bad. Of course you’re going to come away with bumps and bruises, so you have to take care of your body. The worse part is your fingers because you’re constantly using them, and you have defensive players swatting at them all the time.”’

‘The real quarterback with something to prove is Brady. He may have made Bledsoe expendable in New England and become the youngest player ever to win Super Bowl MVP honors. But a scant nine months after holding the Lombardi Trophy aloft, Brady is walking around with a target on his back as big as the Green Monster.’

‘The Chargers will play the Bills in Buffalo on Dec. 15, and the way these two young teams are improving, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them meet in the AFC playoffs in the near future — perhaps as soon as January 2003.’

‘Their fates are inexorably tied and have been since last April 21.’

‘With a win, the Bills would not only continue their rise to playoff contention, they could land a near fatal blow on the defending Super Bowl champions, who have lost their past four. “Beware the wounded bear,” said Bills defensive end Chidi Ahanatou. “It’s a dangerous thing.”‘

”’I would guess he would roll some coverage to protect Otis Smith [if he plays] out there,” said Zolak. ”I’m not sure whether Bill would stick to what he’s done against Drew or change it up. In the days when Bill was successful against Drew, Drew didn’t have receivers like Peerless Price and Eric Moulds. Those guys can get free down the field. I would think the Patriots would play a Cover-2 defense and probably mix a few other things in.”‘

”’I have tremendous respect for Bill [Belichick] and Scott [Pioli] for what they did there last year,” said Gregg Williams, coach of the 5-3 Bills. ”[General manager] Tom [Donahoe] and I talked an awful lot about that during the season and toward the end of the season, about what was taking place down there. It was on my mind quite a bit when we were identifying the people that we were bringing in here to complement the people that were already here.”’

‘Belichick’s plan and Bledsoe’s response to it will certainly be key factors today, but so will the play selection of Bills offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.’

‘So why DIDN’T other teams jump at a chance to trade for Bledsoe? “No. 1, I was coming off an injury,” said Bledsoe. “No. 2, I was carrying a pretty heavy price tag. There weren’t a lot of teams in the league that could afford, with the salary cap, to do the deal. Maybe there wasn’t as much interest out there as I would have hoped, but I’m tremendously thankful that I ended up where I did. I look around the league and I can’t imagine getting myself to a situation that would be any better — personally or professionally — than where I am right now.”’