Two Bills Drive

”’Well at center, you’ve got to be a little more in tune with what everybody else on the line is doing. You have to be able to spit stuff out and get everyone on the same page. It’s true, he’s like the quarterback of the line.”’

‘”Number one, the competition is going to pick up and, number two, I think we’ve opened some people’s eyes in the first seven games. We’re not going to sneak up on anyone … they are going to be looking for us.”‘

‘Clearly, when the Bills acquired him from New England for a first round draft choice last April, there was a perception that Buffalo’s quarterback problem was solved. But did anybody reasonably expect that Bledsoe would be the No. 3-rated QB in the NFL, less than halfway into the season … or that the Bills would have a better record than the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots at that point?’

‘This will be Harrington’s first NFL start in an outdoor stadium.’

‘Bills 30, Lions 20.’

‘Coach Gregg Williams wanted to sign Fletcher for his ability, and for the leadership qualities he brings to the team. Fletcher is 5-foot-10 and 245 pounds, but he has speed and quickness.’

‘Wide receiver Bill Schroeder (hamstring) and tight end Mikhael Ricks (groin) practiced Friday. Neither played last week. Schroeder missed one other game because of a rib injury. With Green Bay, he missed just two games last year and four the previous four seasons. On Saturday, wide receiver Larry Foster was downgraded to doubtful because of a shoulder injury.’

‘Tight end Jay Riemersma was a seventh-round draft pick from Michigan in 1996. He did not play as a rookie but has been a solid starter since. Riemersma almost did not return because of salary-cap considerations. He has 16 catches. "He’s solid," Coach Gregg Williams said. "He’s made some big catches at the end of the ballgame, when Drew has had to come back to the inside part of the field."’

‘”The big thing is if the person at that position can function, you can continue to build your team around that person,” Williams said. “Usually, the quarterback is the focal point of the team because he touches the ball on every play. That player has to do his job so everybody else can do their job.” And Bledsoe, with 15 touchdown passes and just five interceptions, has been doing that job consistently for the Bills.’

‘Harrington has struggled in the red zone in the final seconds of regulation in the last two games. He threw an interception against the Minnesota Vikings that ended a threat to tie the game. Against the Bears, Harrington was sacked on a play that should have ended the game.’

‘Drew Bledsoe has found a home in his kind of town. A small town with a big stadium and a place down the street where he can eat some wings, drink some beers, and be like everybody else in the place. Just another Buffalo Bills fan.’

‘“We thought Travis would have a breakout year this year,” said Williams. “He’s worked very hard to do that. The fact that we’ve been able to get more balance on offense has been good. We had a good team win against Miami because we scored on all three phases. It doesn’t all have to fall on the quarterback’s shoulders, and Travis Henry has been a very big part of that.”’

One young wide receiver who will be at the top of most wish lists if he gets into the free agent market after this year is Peerless Price of the Buffalo Bills. This has been a breakout campaign for the fourth-year veteran and Bills officials are working hard to try to get him signed to an extension that will keep him in Buffalo for a long time.

‘Lions 35 – Bills 32…Bills 31 – Lions 20…Lions 41 – Bills 27…Bills 31 – Lions 21.’

Less than a year ago, Kevin Gilbride was an NFL analyst for Sportsnet. Now, he’s running the league’s most exciting offence in Buffalo.