Two Bills Drive

‘Bledsoe told the Patriots he would retire rather than return for his 10th season as a backup to Brady and that he preferred to remain in the AFC East. He turned down a chance to be dealt to Cincinnati.’

‘"For many reasons and at many levels, this was a difficult trade to make,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. "He gave our fans some of the greatest memories in the franchise’s history. Drew Bledsoe is a special player."’

‘"It’s a significant difference from when I came here a year ago, let alone at the end of the season," Williams said. "Obviously, we’ve improved it in a lot of different ways. But now it comes time to continue to work. When we open up training camp, we’ve all got to be on the same page."’

‘”They’ve gotten some value,” said Belichick. “We’ve gotten some, too.”‘

‘"Since Jim Kelly, we haven’t had anybody good."’

Gregg Williams – "Obviously this is a very exciting day. It made us a much better football team. I think that we have done a great job since January in improving (the football team) and I think we’ve taken another great step today in improving (the team) with that acquisition."

We are thrilled to have Drew Bledsoe. We think he is a great quarterback. We think he is a tremendous competitor and he is going to bring excitement and energy to our football team and really provide us with, what we think, will be the type of quarterback that can help us as we go into the future.

‘Even before the deal was announced, the Bills opened their box office to accommodate fans who heard the trade was imminent. Buffalo, which failed to sell out four of its eight home games last season, drew 504,709 fans last year, the lowest since 1987.’

Alex Van Pelt, who showed some promise down the stretch in place of the injured Rob Johnson last season, will be relegated to a backup role. The Patriots drafted Louisiana State QB Rohan Davey in the fourth round Sunday, which signaled something may indeed be in the works for Bledsoe, who was the first pick in the 1993 draft out of Washington State and owns nearly every Patriots passing record.

They neglect to mention the life threatening injury last year.

The Buffalo Bills chose not to sign free-agent Jeff Blake as their next quarterback and, instead swung a deal for veteran Drew Bledsoe. That was smart. But it took a first-round draft choice to get him, and that was too expensive.

‘The Bills thought long and hard (according to Bills not at all) about taking Albert Haynesworth here, but in the end Tom Donahoe opted to go for Williams. He’s a big, powerful player who can play right or left tackle — probably right for the Bills. That will allow them to move Jonas Jennings to guard in what shapes up as a decent line. Grade: B. That defensive line still has a huge hole in the middle.’

The Buffalo Bills are now a playoff contender. There, it’s said. Crazy? Did anyone think the New England Patriots could win the Super Bowl last season? Didn’t think so.

College: Tennessee Height: 5-11.6 Weight: 222

Very quick and active run stuffer… Stays under control knifing through the line of scrimmage… Has good strength to take on the fullback to fill the rush lanes… Uses his hands well when covering the tight ends and running backs in the short area passing game… Has the quickness to string plays wide and prevent the long gain around the outside corner… Adjusts to the flow of traffic and has fluid lateral agility… Could shift to fullback at the pro level.

‘Even before the deal was announced, the Bills opened their box office to accommodate fans who heard the trade was imminent. Buffalo, which failed to sell out four of its eight home games last season, drew 504,709 fans last year, the lowest since 1987.’