Two Bills Drive

‘At this point of the season, most of the Patriot players realize that making a good showing over the final two games of the year can only help their prospects.’

‘You can quicken the pulse of any red-blooded Buffalonian by turning on the radio as Miller spins out his familiar phrases: "Fan-demonium"…"God’s frozen people"…"Do you believe?"…’

‘"I guess there’s a silver lining in every gray cloud. I’m excited about it. It totally caught me off guard."’

‘"I will always consider myself a Buffalo Bill no matter where I go," he said…I’d definitely love to live there again."’

‘Not one of coach Bill Belichick’s charges was selected for the Pro Bowl team, announced yesterday.’

‘The words remind Redmond how far he must come to show the Patriots’ coaching staff and management that he is the running back of the future.’

‘Tony Simmons’s season reached a new low yesterday, when the former second-round pick out of Wisconsin was told not to take part in practice by coach Bill Belichick…’

‘Steinberg said his intention is to keep Bledsoe among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, but given the complicated nature of NFL contracts, that could mean a wide range of dollar figures.’

‘On Wednesday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick told his players that he wanted to see full effort the last two weeks of the season. Apparently, Tony Simmons didn’t show him that effort.’

‘Simmons’s locker was all but vacant, a clear sign that something was wrong.’

‘In a 31-team league, they are tied for 29th when it comes to sacking the quarterback.’

‘New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick went to a hospital emergency room Thursday night for treatment of flu-like symptoms.’

‘With Flutie set to make a $5.4 million base salary, which translates into about a $5 million increase over this season, speculation has been raised whether that is too expensive a price to pay a backup quarterback.’

‘Somewhat more surprising is Brown, who will be making his fifth straight trip to Hawaii. He has started all 14 games at left guard for a much-maligned offensive line that has given up 55 sacks this season — 48 of them with Rob Johnson at quarterback — and paves the way for a ground attack that ranks 19th in the league in rush yards per game with 109.4.’

‘Even if most players are grasping what they need to do, all 11 must be on the same page for the defense to be effective. On some occasions, communication has broken down, and the result has been too much opportunity for opposing offenses.’