Two Bills Drive

‘“No matter how hard you try to avoid (complacency) and how much lip service you pay it, at some point you do start to take (being a starter) for granted a little bit – and I think I was guilty of that,” said Bledsoe. “But having this change – having to go through what I went through last year and then having a chance to get back on the field – has really renewed my passion for the game.”’

‘Brady may have shown some of the strain yesterday when a reporter asked him if he ever thought that he would be the one dealt from the Pats last spring instead of Bledsoe. “Don’t even think about that (expletive),” Brady snapped.’

‘“The players want to win for Drew,” said Moulds. “It’s an important game as far as the division is concerned, but it’s also important for a guy who is a main guy on the team.”’

‘What the Patriots are clearly worried about is opponents running wild on them, as the last five teams they’ve faced have had a 100-yard rusher. The suspect run defense has limited the Patriots’ ability to attack the passer on third down, because oftentimes opponents are facing third-and-3s instead of third-and-7s.’

‘Bledsoe forced the Patriots’ hand last spring. The Patriots didn’t go with the first option that presented itself. They went with the only option.’

‘"How he handled last year," Bills coach Gregg Williams said yesterday, "was a very large determining factor in us wanting to pursue a deal for Drew as aggressively as we did."’

‘Now, Bledsoe’s career has been reborn in Buffalo, as if he went through Football Hell and came out better for the journey. And the lesson for Brady? It’s all about overcoming adversity. That’s what Bledsoe has learned; it’s what Brady has yet to learn.’

‘"I think they know me pretty well," he said. "And I think they know just how frustrated I get and how much I want to win. After a half-hour of talking, I don’t think that everything you’ve built over the last two years is destroyed by the way it was interpreted. They know the way it’s interpreted by the way I play and the way I try to get ready to play. And I know them, too."’

‘Hayes signed a two-year contract worth more than $2 million after catching 56 passes for Carolina last season. He’s caught 11 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown so far this season. He told The Boston Globe two weeks ago that he was having trouble fathoming the Patriots’ intricate offensive system.’

‘When a team has lost four in a row and has developed the alarming habit of playing lousy football and falling behind early, when some of its members wonder if the team has lost its competitive edge, the last thing it wants is another distraction, like the Bledsoe Bowl.’

‘And while Bledsoe undoubtedly remains much the same man, he is playing like a different quarterback than he did his final seasons in New England. He is certainly surrounded by more talent than perhaps ever before – running back Travis Henry, receivers Peerless Price and Eric Moulds and so on – but he also seems to be throwing the ball with greater accuracy and playing with ummatched gusto.’

‘Drew Bledsoe would like to be able to tell you that Sunday is just another game, but he’d have a hard time keeping a straight face.’

‘"I’m just extremely frustrated," Brady said. "Frustrated that we’re not getting the job done and I think we work on so many things in practice and, as we’ve said before, I think guys practice hard and the guys are energized."

‘"I think a lot of it might have been, not that I can blame you guys for misinterpreting me, but I think sometimes things are said and maybe don’t come off as clarified as I would have liked," Brady said.’

Even so, the Patriots still had some offensive problems with Brady. But they were masked by winning. Remember, with just three postseason offensive touchdowns, New England arguably was the weakest offensive team to win the Super Bowl.