Two Bills Drive

‘The No. 1 running back position has yet to be determined, though Bill Belichick hinted that both Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk will share the workload. They still don’t know who will start at cornerback alongside Ty Law, whether that be Tyrone Poole, Eugene Wilson or Asante Samuel, and they’ve yet to make a decision on who will replace Lawyer Milloy in the secondary among a trio of candidates.’

‘”Ridiculous,” Belichick said. “I am not in anybody’s head. I am just trying to put together a game plan against each opponent that we play.”‘

‘What happens when quarterback Drew Bledsoe goes looking to expose a rookie playing one of the game’s most unforgiving positions? What happens when one or both players have to respond to adversity?’

”’I am sure that whatever they think our weaknesses are, they won’t hesitate to go after them,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. ”Wherever they think they are, I am sure they will try to hit us. Talking defensively in general, as we said at the end of the season, if you are trying to get younger on defense, then you are obviously going to be less experienced there. There is no way to meld those two together. To be younger is to be younger. To be more experienced is to be older. You kind of have to make a choice there.”’

‘“Last year, it was pretty frustrating against them,” Bills receiver Eric Moulds said. “But the good thing about football is you get a new year and you have a new team. We’re coming out this year to erase what happened last year. It’s a fresh start for us. We have a chance to prove we can beat this team.”’

‘Mike Pucillo was a seventh-round draft pick for the Buffalo Bills in 2002. Mike Williams was their first-round pick, chosen fourth overall in the 2002 NFL draft. On Sunday they’ll line up together in the season opener.’

‘"I never played against him before, just practiced just practiced against him," Brown added. "Nobody holds down that position like him. We got our work cut out."’

‘"It’s always good when you can try to improve your team by any measure," Williams said. "He’s an awful good football player. He’s very intelligent. He’s been the quarterback for them on the defensive side of the ball in their multiple coverage packages."’

‘”I think you can already start to see some of his influence in the defensive scheme, some blitz-zoning, some different pressures,” Belichick said of the new-look Bills defense. “They are doing a few things schematically a little different than they did last year on defense. They have added some players like Spikes and Posey, Adams to go with Pat Williams on the defensive line. [Ryan] Denney is starting for them at left end so they look like they have incorporated a little bit of some scheme changes and then also some personnel changes. They look bigger on defense especially with Adams in there and Williams. They have added some pass rushers in terms of Posey and some playmakers in terms of Spikes. They are a good solid team that has added some players and added some scheme things in the offseason.”‘

‘Over 100 individuals from various branches of the United States Armed Forces will be on hand and will assist in displaying a special 10-yard by 30-yard American flag on the field.’

”’The addition of Sam Gash is a big one for us, but it was also very, very unfortunate to see Larry move on. I hope he doesn’t come back and haunt us too much this week.”’

”’We have done a pretty good job of reducing those (sack) numbers through the preseason although they’re just preseason games,” Gregg Williams said. ”But I’ve liked what I’ve seen the last couple of preseason games out of that unit. That’s been an emphasis that we have talked about, reducing negative plays from an offensive standpoint.”’

‘"I thought I would make whatever I make this season and go on," Milloy said. "Then (Belichick) calls me in a week before the game and that really threw me off guard. I wish it would have been handled in a different way (but) that organization and (Belichick) made the process speed up. I thought it was really unfair for what I’ve brought to that organization. The type of leadership and loyalty . . . that’s what really hurt."’

‘Milloy will earn $7 million this season in base salary and bonus with the Bills instead of $6 million over two years, which was New England’s final offer. The rugged 6-foot, 210-pounder – who averaged 121 tackles a season for the Patriots – will also get to play in a defensive system that will use him near the line of scrimmage. The Patriots had gotten away from using him in that role and his statistics fell off sharply in 2002.’

‘Smart? No. But it just shows how confident Belichick is. Or arrogant.’