Two Bills Drive

‘Although they have played better of late, Buffalo ranks in the lower half of the league in most defensive categories. Controlling the ball with the help of some effective work by Smith could help the Patriots keep the Bills’ potent offense on the sideline.’

‘There is not a more jacked-up, emotion-driven place to be this week.’

‘Not only has Bledsoe had a Most Valuable Player-type season on the field, but he also has become more of a vocal leader in the locker room.’

‘In Belichick’s defense, there weren’t a lot of teams interested in Bledsoe. Which tells you all you need to know about the incompetence that’s running rampant in a lot of NFL front offices. The Cowboys preferred Quincy Carter to Bledsoe. The Bengals preferred Jon Kitna and Gus Frerotte. The Seahawks preferred Trent Dilfer.’

‘Hey, at least we have some honest emotion here, not some phony, “Oh, everything’s OK.”‘

‘In 19 years of coaching University of Utah receivers, Fred Graves worked with some outstanding players and strong personalities: Kevin Dyson, Steve Smith, Bryan Rowley, Cliff Russell and others. None of them quite prepared him for Eric Moulds and Peerless Price.’

‘The 60-year-old former player for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills received a transplant at New York Presbyterian Hospital on Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center.’

‘”It’s like competing against your brother,” Bledsoe says. “When you’re playing against somebody that you’ve gone to war with, that you’ve battled with over the years, you’re going to want to win. … A lot of those guys are still my friends. If we lose the game, I’m going to hear about it all year. That’s the big motivator.”‘

‘Bledsoe realized the situation and rolled with the punches. The fans did their part, too. When Bledsoe left, there wasn’t a mass outcry of “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” As much as they loved and admired Brady, they hated to see Bledsoe go.’

“The Bledsoe era ended suddenly that night in New England, and only time will tell if he’ll join the list of Boston athletes who later came back to haunt their football team.”

‘“He’s still got MVP behind his name,” Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray said Thursday. “And to me that says a lot.”’

‘But his production began to slip. Then so did his playing time. Pretty soon his mail was being forwarded to a new NFL address. And guess what? Somewhere along the way he rediscovered his game, beat his old team and lived happily ever after. For at least one season anyway. The Drew Bledsoe Story, 2002? Maybe. But also the Antowain Smith Saga, 2001.’

”’I really believe, and this is my own personal opinion, that a lot of people were waiting for a bargain sale maybe later on, all the way up to training camp,” Bills coach Gregg Williams said. ”We had a contingency plan that we were not going to let things die, and I think Tom Donahoe (Buffalo’s president and general manager) did a great job of (sticking with it).”‘

‘"I think the biggest thing he’s going to have to contend with is his emotions," said Bills offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. "Just keeping them in check."’

‘Yes, Bledsoe had to go. Whether he had to go to the Bills, an AFC East rival that the Patriots must face twice a year, is another matter entirely. But at the time of the trade, Belichick was a genius, and it was assumed that he believed Bledsoe washed-up and easy to defend.’