Two Bills Drive

@ Tom Donahoe, the Buffalo general manager, reiterated Tuesday the Bills are intrigued by Bledsoe, and said there have been discussions with New England officials. But he emphasized that the Patriots did not set a price on what it would take to get Bledsoe, said he did not know if New England would deal him within the division, and noted that he will not overpay to land the veteran QB. Donahoe hinted the Bills might be willing to part with a third-round draft choice for Bledsoe, but not much more than that.

‘The uncertain starting positions are: quarterback, left tackle, one of the two defensive tackles, one of the two defensive ends, weak-side linebacker, free safety and strong safety.’

‘The Bills apparently were offering Blake a starting job. Redskins Coach Steve Spurrier has said he won’t name his starter ahead of time and will play the quarterback who earns the job. But the Redskins hoped the lure of playing in Spurrier’s high-powered passing offense would sway Blake.’

‘Van Pelt’s pick: Jon Voight. "Don’t think I’m making this selection because I’m an athlete and this is a sports movie. I think it’s tough to play [Howard] Cosell because he’s so familiar. Russell Crowe did a great job as Dr. John Nash in "A Beautiful Mind," but who really knows what Nash is like?"’

@ On behalf of the Bills organization, Jerry will be accepting the Jeff Stoltzenburg Award, which is presented annually for service and contributions to the National Kidney Foundation. Jerry is also serving as the honorary chairperson of the ?2002 Gift of Life Walk,? which will take place on Sunday, May 19 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

This time of the year every one is an expert and everyone is a critic. It seems no matter where you go someone has an opinion on whom a team needs to draft.

‘If the Bills don’t sign Blake, they would have to pay a large price in the Bledsoe bidding. New England is believed to be seeking two first-round draft choices for him. Even if they dropped the demand to one first-rounder, the price likely would be too steep for the Bills.’

‘"Most of his time is dedicated to his family," said Ann Brooker, marketing manager at Kelly Enterprises. "He spends most of his time with his family at home." Kelly turned over his business, Kelly Enterprises, to his brother Dan. The marketing business was taking too much time from the business of fatherhood. Kelly and his wife, Jill, have three children, ages 2, 5 and 7. It is the 5-year-old who occupies most of dad’s thoughts and time. "I just hope and pray Hunter is there in August," Kelly said.’

‘When the former Buffalo Bills great is enshrined Aug. 3, he said more than 1,000 friends and family members will be in attendance. Kelly has reserved every room in two Akron hotels and still needed 50 more rooms in the Canton area.’

‘"Right now, the most important place for me to be is at home with my family," Kelly said.’

‘Buffalo Bills quarterback Alex Van Pelt this week counts down his Oscar picks on buffalobills.com, although he says his formal training was one college course on Japanese film. Monday, he picked A Beautiful Mind’s Jennifer Connelly, explaining: “She reminded me a lot of my wife, and not because she’s married to a schizophrenic.”‘

‘Yesterday, Buffalo vice president Tom Donahoe said that if the Patriots would consider trading their franchise quarterback inside the AFC East, the Bills would definitely be interested. In fact, Donahoe said that conversations between the two teams have already begun.’

‘Alex Van Pelt is a smart man. He realizes that playing quarterback for the Buffalo Bills has about as much upside as waking up next to your cousin.’

‘The owner of the team in one of the NFL’s coldest climates doesn’t like the idea of playing the Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium in the north. "The championship game should be played in championship conditions," Ralph Wilson, owner of the Buffalo Bills, said Monday.’

Gosford Park is a period piece, I believe set in England in the 1930s. As a rule, I try to avoid period pieces so with all due respect to Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith – who were probably excellent – I can’t vote for either of the two nominees from that movie.