Two Bills Drive

‘The Buffalo Bills have begun preliminary contract talks with free agent defensive end Chidi Ahanotu, who visited the team on Thursday. Ahanotu, a nine-year veteran, was not re-signed by St. Louis after completing a one-year, $600,000 deal last season.’

‘The deal maker or breaker likely hinges upon whether Donahoe bends on his desire to protect the treasured No. 4 pick or the Pats lighten demand for that first-rounder.’

‘There were several radio and TV reports that Bledsoe was on his way to Buffalo last night and had a reservation at a Buffalo hotel. But at 4:30 p.m. EST yesterday, Bledsoe told the Globe he was on a Montana golf course and had no idea about where the reports were coming from.’

‘The Patriots have not granted Bledsoe or his representatives permission to talk to other teams, and any arrangement on the part of the Bills to bring Bledsoe in to Buffalo before an official trade would amount to tampering. Bills officials would like to talk to Bledsoe to gauge his interest, but they are not allowed to.’

‘[Bledsoe] doesn’t trust Bill [Belichick], doesn’t like him, doesn’t want to play for him. He felt the coach was not straight with him when he returned from his injury last season, but kept his mouth shut and dutifully manned the clipboard. He could have been a huge distraction, but unlike Terry Glenn, he chose not to be.’

‘But more and more it’s becoming clear that the asking price for Bledsoe isn’t "make an offer" but "first-round pick. Firm." So if Donahoe wants him, he knows what it will take. The Bills right now have the cap space necessary ($5 million) to bring in Bledsoe. Soon, they will not. Nor will many other teams. Which means if Bledsoe is going to get traded, a new dynamic enters the picture — the need to restructure Bledsoe’s deal before moving him. That would give the quarterback leverage that he doesn’t have right now.’

‘"Buffalo’s pretty much known as the worst weather city, with the cold and the wind," said Tom Tupa, the former Patriots QB/punter who has played in the AFC East since 1996. "As a quarterback, you have to have a pretty strong arm to play there, and Drew has that. He definitely has the skills a quarterback needs to have there."’

‘Several weeks ago, the Bills offered the Patriots a third-round draft choice in the draft and a conditional pick in 2003 based on Bledsoe’s 2002 performance. But the Patriots, who have been holding out for a No. 1 pick in exchange for Bledsoe, turned that down. The Bills are adamant about holding on to their No. 1 pick, but if they are willing to trade their second-round pick (36th overall) for Bledsoe, plus a conditional pick in 2003 that could be a No. 1, a deal might get done today.’

‘The Patriots must deal Drew Bledsoe today or Saturday – draft day – or they will run the risk of ruining the chemistry that made the team a Super Bowl champion. That’s the bottom line.’

One of the highlights of your career is the 81-yard punt return against (Ronnie Jones led Special Teams of) the Bills in 2000. Have you thought about that at all while you were here?

I thought about that when we (Seattle) came back last year. I was hurt. That was one of my first games coming off my injury and I thought I would come back and just do it again but the coverage teams played well. Obviously they made a big improvement and hopefully we can improve the return game and step the elite of the return teams in the NFL.

‘The Buffalo Bills have begun preliminary contract talks with free agent defensive end Chidi Ahanotu, who visited the team on Thursday. Ahanotu is a nine-year veteran, who was not re-signed by the St. Louis Rams after completing a one-year, $600,000 deal last season.’

‘"My father used to say, and this characterizes Tom Donahoe, (hard work) is 98 percent perspiration, and two percent inspiration," Wilson said on Thursday, after traveling from his Florida home to help take part in this weekend’s NFL draft.’

It appears that a deal to send Drew Bledsoe to the Bills will get done by Friday, sources close to the negotiations said.

Even bigger than the additional draft pick for the Patriots (or improved draft position) would be the enormous clearing of salary cap space.

‘Just how big would a Bledsoe acquisition be for the Bills? Just shy of the size of the splash made when Jim Kelly arrived back in 1986. Bledsoe, a former #1 pick like Kelly, would give the Bills instant credibility coming off their sorry 3-13 season.’

‘He will get the biggest rookie contract in Bills history..that’s a given, so it puts huge pressure on the selection. Whether it’s Mckinnie, Williams, Sims, Harrington, or someone else the Bills Brass deems worthy of that selection, they know whatever the name, he will need to be a household name in Buffalo for the next decade.’