Two Bills Drive

‘That having been said, it’s difficult to lay what happened Sunday at Bledsoe’s feet. All things considered, particularly given the way his supporting cast performed, you’d have to say he had a pretty good game.’

‘It’s not like we haven’t seen this all before. In truth, we saw it for nine years. Give Bledsoe time, let him find his comfort zone, and he will put up numbers that reside in record books. Get in his face, and he starts looking like someone trying to run against the current. This is not some instant evaluation, like staring at a painting for the first time. This is looking at an artist’s body of work.’

‘"We were coming up the tunnel," Belichick said. "He kind of grabbed me and congratulated me. I told him he was playing really well this year. We wished each other well the rest of the way, probably not in that December game (when Buffalo comes to Foxboro), but other than that." The incident is significant because the relationship between Bledsoe and Belichick has been strained since Bledsoe returned from the chest injury he suffered last season with the Patriots. Belichick opted to stay with Tom Brady at quarterback. Bledsoe said that went against a promise Belichick had made to give him a chance to get his job back.’

‘Nielsen Media Research figures indicated the game, broadcast on CBS affiliate WIVB, generated a 44 rating/69 share, making it the most watched game since meters were introduced into the Buffalo market two years ago. The rating nearly matched the past two Super Bowls, which had ratings of 44.8 and 44.2 respectively.’

”’Yeah, it’s certainly going to leave a bad taste in your mouth for a few days here,” Moore said. ”The only thing that makes it feel better is going out and winning the next week. Unfortunately, we don’t have that chance to do it.”’

More photos of the Buffalo Jills…

Head coach Dick Diminuco of Albion High School has been named the Buffalo Bills' high school football "Coach of the Week" for the ninth weekend of the 2002 season (Oct. 25-26).

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‘Drew Bledsoe turned in a solid, if painful, day’s work against his former team. The vast majority of his teammates should be embarrassed to accept their paychecks. Buffalo’s defense, which acquired a spurious “improved” tag against a trio of battered, inexperienced and/or inept offenses as the Bills won three straight, served as a pathetic foil to the Patriots. The Bills couldn’t tackle their discarded former feature back, Antowain Smith, when he slammed up the middle. Or when he, or any other Patriot, caught a screen pass from Tom Brady. Much blame also falls on the Bills’ coaches, who were out-worked and out-thought by Bill Belichick and his staff. Buffalo offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride never adjusted to the blitzing Patriots or the no-down-linemen fronts New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel threw at Bledsoe. After the game, the Bills continued acting as if they’d never seen, or even imagined, the innovation. Even though the Patriots used it extensively in similarly confusing Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams in last February’s Super Bowl.’

‘Which team had won three in a row and which one had dropped four straight?’

‘”That was picture perfect for us today,” said linebacker WIllie McGinest. “My hat’s off to our offense. They set the tone for us. They came out right away and scored.”‘

‘OK, so the New England Patriots aren’t dead. But they sure made the Buffalo Bills play as if they were.’

‘You want the team you knew and loved last season back? You got it. At least for one afternoon.’

‘This is how bad Drew Bledsoe’s day turned out. The New England Patriots felt sorry for him.’

‘The Pats have had him all year. They just haven’t used him very much.’