Two Bills Drive

‘The Patriots aren’t just playing bad football –they’re also playing undisciplined ball.’

‘Prediction: Patriots, 24-21.’

‘Defeating the Patriots, however, would be the sweetest revenge for the quarterback. Losing the game wouldn’t take away what Bledsoe already has accomplished this season. “I just wanted to show that I’m at the top of my game and playing in Buffalo is better than I could have imagined. I knew in preseason the talent was here,” he said.’

‘There is nothing wrong with the Patriots. It’s called parity. Don’t you just love it?’

‘Bledsoe has thrown 16 TD passes and only five interceptions while turning around the Bills around faster than anyone since the great Doug Flutie. How long before Bledsoe Bran is flying off Buffalo-area supermarket shelves?’

‘One GM who considered making an offer for Bledsoe but decided against it, said if the Patriots were willing to trade Bledsoe, it was an indication they didn’t think he was a special player. “And if he’s not special for you, why is he going to be special for me?” he said.’

‘Defensively, they have been ineffective against the run (five running backs have rushed for more than 100 yards) and porous inside the red zone (teams have scored 18 touchdowns on 22 possessions).’

‘Jones is fast, too, which is one of the things that appealed to the Patriots when they made him the 22nd overall pick of the 1998 draft. He had finished his senior year at Syracuse, his first at safety after switching from running back. Syracuse coaches and players had raved about Jones’s athletic ability. He had size, speed, strength and a vertical jump that allowed him to take off from the free-throw line and dunk a basketball.’

‘”What,” Belichick asked, “were the other options?” The Patriots weren’t about to trade Brady, who won a Super Bowl at 24. They weren’t about to keep Brady and the $100 million contract of Bledsoe. Honk if you were making sport of the Patriots when they were 3-0 and Brady was finding open receivers at will. Bledsoe never reached this stratosphere in nine seasons with the Patriots. There’s no reason to think it would have happened if he stayed.’

‘Yes, Belichick and Brady gave the Patriots their first Super Bowl victory. But what Bledsoe does from this point on might provide Belichick’s real legacy in New England.’

‘In the end, New England did everything right. It replaced an aging and injured Bledsoe with the young quarterback who won the Super Bowl. It isn’t the Patriots’ fault that Bledsoe has recovered and found new life in a place that was supposed to be hopeless. It won’t be their fault, either, if he goes out and throws for 300 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a 10-point win.’

‘Here’s one argument for Tasker, who was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times: The margin between him and the second-best special-teams player was wider than the margin between the best and second-best player at any other position on the Hall of Fame ballot.’

‘Belichick didn’t want to trade Bledsoe to a team in the Patriots’ division, but he had to accept the best offer and worry about the consequences later. Now, later is here.’

The Bills are playing well, though, and that’s a big thing. They aren’t just Bledsoe; they have a good running game with Travis Henry and good wide receivers and a pretty good defense. They really have some things going right now.

‘”I know it’s hard for him,” Bledsoe said of Brady’s struggles. “That being said, I know Tom, along with the rest of those guys, will do everything they can to bounce back. If there is one defining characteristic that overrides everything, the Patriots are, across the board, players of high character.”‘