Two Bills Drive

”’I have tremendous respect for Bill [Belichick] and Scott [Pioli] for what they did there last year,” said Gregg Williams, coach of the 5-3 Bills. ”[General manager] Tom [Donahoe] and I talked an awful lot about that during the season and toward the end of the season, about what was taking place down there. It was on my mind quite a bit when we were identifying the people that we were bringing in here to complement the people that were already here.”’

‘Belichick’s plan and Bledsoe’s response to it will certainly be key factors today, but so will the play selection of Bills offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.’

‘So why DIDN’T other teams jump at a chance to trade for Bledsoe? “No. 1, I was coming off an injury,” said Bledsoe. “No. 2, I was carrying a pretty heavy price tag. There weren’t a lot of teams in the league that could afford, with the salary cap, to do the deal. Maybe there wasn’t as much interest out there as I would have hoped, but I’m tremendously thankful that I ended up where I did. I look around the league and I can’t imagine getting myself to a situation that would be any better — personally or professionally — than where I am right now.”’

‘Running backs have been benched for less, but Bills coach Gregg Williams said Henry’s job is safe. “It was a huge hit, and I think we showed our confidence in Travis by handing it to him right when he came back in,” said Wiliams. “Travis is our running back, and will continue to be our running back.”’

‘One possible weakness is the sack total. Between the longer patterns and the new offensive line, Bledsoe has been sacked 30 times already, which puts them in 29th place in the league stats in protecting the quarterback.’

‘The Patriots like to design their weekly offense based on the opponent’s weaknesses rather than their own strengths. For the next couple of games, it’s logical to expect Antowain Smith, not Tom Brady, to be the focal point.’

‘Why such an even keel on what is perceived to be a sinking ship? Perhaps it’s because the Patriots don’t see themselves as going down for the count. There seems to be the feeling — espoused by Bill Belichick and adopted by the players — that they have just gone through as tough a stretch of games as any team in the league has faced. They’ve played four of the best teams in the NFL and players on all four of those teams remarked that they played their best games of the year against New England.’

‘“Brady has all the qualities – poise, size, a terrific throwing arm, wonderful relationships with the players and he knows how to be a leader. And I don’t think media criticism will affect him. It’s the first time he’s been involved with losing as an NFL starter and must learn to deal with it, but he doesn’t bear all the responsibility for New England’s struggles.”’

‘”This is a dying city. Poor management. Poor government. All we really have is football to look forward to.”‘

‘Once all the verbal bouquets are tossed, though, this matchup today comes down to one thing between coach and former player. Legitimizing. Bledsoe wants to prove Belichick made the worst mistake a coach could make when he turned his back on him. He wants to embarrass Belichick. Belichick would like his team to simply dismiss Bledsoe today and vindicate the coach for a decision Belichick saw as inevitable.’

‘Belichick wants to get in my head? Fine. I want to kick his butt.’

‘There should be a lot of Kodak moments today, but don’t expect any of Bledsoe with Belichick. The Patriots are sinking, and Bledsoe hopes to drown them.’

‘”One of the things that hurt Drew’s chances of greater longevity in New England was the fact he liked to go deep,” [Chuck] Dickerson said. “Some coaches just don’t want to throw that damn thing up there. But it’s more than that. Belichick decided that he’d depend on the defensive genius that he is, special teams, a running game he started to develop. I see it as an overall plan. Whether he was right or not, who knows? But he did go to the Super Bowl, did win and that’s pretty heady stuff.”‘

‘A loss, and the Patriots might need seven wins in their last eight just to retain playoff hope.’

‘Belichick wanted to rid himself of Bledsoe, and where he went was probably less important than that he went. The home front was certainly quieter, less controversial after the deal was done. The only problem is that so far, Belichick’s losses have been far greater than even he could have imagined. Bledsoe has been magnificent, and Brady has been scuffling.’