Two Bills Drive

‘Roman Phifer is considered the Patriots’ best cover linebacker, and he’ll have his hands full against Larry Centers, one of the best receiving running backs ever.’

”’I think the biggest thing from ’97, when I got three starts that year, is the offense we are running,” he said. ”The `West Coast’ is something I was very familiar with from college and I really enjoy running, and I think that’s helped a lot in our success.”’

‘Because of a rash of injuries to the linebacker corps, coach Bill Belichick switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 alignment a month ago. After seeing the results, he’s not likely to switch out of it anytime soon.’

‘So why didn’t Buffalo, under new coach Gregg Williams, try to keep Smith? ”I don’t know,” he said. “The last two years there I was getting weeded out a little bit. I wasn’t really getting the chance to go out there and help the team. So I think the best thing for both of us was just to part ways and move on.”’

‘“Mike is a smart guy,” said coach Bill Belichick, who scouted Vrabel out of Ohio State five years ago and kept tabs on him during his days in Pittsburgh. “He is a hard-working guy. He trains well, he’s in top condition and football is really important to him."’

‘Both on and off the field, Mike Vrabel is the Patriots’ quiet linebacker.’

‘"The only thing that matters," the coach told his players, "is when they cross the finish line . . . Sometimes you are ahead and get further ahead, sometimes you are behind and you catch up. That is what it is about. It is about where we finish, not where we are in the middle of December. Right now, it is Buffalo. That’s it. 9-5. That’s all we can do anything about. There’s where we want to be."’

‘The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Compton is New England’s starting left guard. It’s his first year in Foxboro, but his ninth in the NFL. So, while he’s a new guy on the block, he has brought stability to an unstable situation.’

‘With inside linebackers Bryan Cox and Ted Johnson hurting in recent weeks, the Patriots have played more 4-3 defensive fronts. Vrabel and Phifer have manned the outside spots with Tedy Bruschi, who is playing superbly of late, in the middle.’

‘How does Belichick know when to push and when to pull back? “I think one thing I would gauge it on is that if I’m feeling (tired),” he said, “then everyone else is probably feeling worse.”‘

Hidden Indicator Player: The Bills are cover-your-eyes awful now, but this time last season they were 7-4 and pounding Tampa on the road. Then the above-cited Sam Cowart, who some purists felt was having the best season of any NFL defender last year, including Ray Lewis, went down for the count with a knee. Buffalo honked its lead in Tampa and spiraled toward the water for the remainder of 2000. In this season’s opener, Buffalo was pounding New Orleans, holding the Saints to one first down in the first half. Then Cowart was lost for the season to another injury; the Bills again honked and spiraled toward the water. Since Cowart joined Buffalo, the team is 28-17 when he plays, 3-14 when he does not.

We’re All Professionals Here: Warming up on the sidelines, Buffalo punter Brian Moorman missed the kick-catch net.

‘We viewed them as underachievers the last couple of seasons. This year we view them as overachievers.’

‘"It’s about where we finish, not where we are in the middle of December," said Belichick. "Right now it’s about Buffalo (on Sunday in Buffalo). That’s all we can do anything about."’

“Getting rest and making sure I am getting enough sleep is something Drew (Bledsoe) had told me seven weeks ago,” Brady said. “He said, ‘Hey, Tom, make sure you really get your rest and eat well and take care of your body because you can wear down pretty easily.’ I’ve noticed that.”

Both starting QBs for New England and Buffalo have been injury-injured. For New England, virtually unknown Tom Brady’s 8-3 mark as a starter has him in the starting role likely for the rest of New England’s season. Van Pelt recorded his first win as a starter since 1997 Sunday, he has performed very well and kept Buffalo’s offense moving well in three of their last four games.