Two Bills Drive

‘”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.’

‘”For us as a team, I think after we got through our first mini camp where we were all together, all the veterans were in here, I think we started to see that we had the talent to compete with anybody in the league,” Bledsoe said. “That ultimately is our goal. It really is just that simple. What we want to do is we want to go out each week and try and play at a level that allows us to be in a position to win the game. I think to this point in the season, we’ve done that.”‘

‘Whoever bought tickets to Sunday’s game between New England and Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium expected to see a dominant defense in action. Who would’ve guessed it’d belong to Gregg Williams’ Bills?’

‘The Patriots aren’t just playing bad football –they’re also playing undisciplined ball.’

‘Prediction: Patriots, 24-21.’

‘Defeating the Patriots, however, would be the sweetest revenge for the quarterback. Losing the game wouldn’t take away what Bledsoe already has accomplished this season. “I just wanted to show that I’m at the top of my game and playing in Buffalo is better than I could have imagined. I knew in preseason the talent was here,” he said.’

‘There is nothing wrong with the Patriots. It’s called parity. Don’t you just love it?’

‘Bledsoe has thrown 16 TD passes and only five interceptions while turning around the Bills around faster than anyone since the great Doug Flutie. How long before Bledsoe Bran is flying off Buffalo-area supermarket shelves?’

‘One GM who considered making an offer for Bledsoe but decided against it, said if the Patriots were willing to trade Bledsoe, it was an indication they didn’t think he was a special player. “And if he’s not special for you, why is he going to be special for me?” he said.’

‘Defensively, they have been ineffective against the run (five running backs have rushed for more than 100 yards) and porous inside the red zone (teams have scored 18 touchdowns on 22 possessions).’

‘Jones is fast, too, which is one of the things that appealed to the Patriots when they made him the 22nd overall pick of the 1998 draft. He had finished his senior year at Syracuse, his first at safety after switching from running back. Syracuse coaches and players had raved about Jones’s athletic ability. He had size, speed, strength and a vertical jump that allowed him to take off from the free-throw line and dunk a basketball.’

‘”What,” Belichick asked, “were the other options?” The Patriots weren’t about to trade Brady, who won a Super Bowl at 24. They weren’t about to keep Brady and the $100 million contract of Bledsoe. Honk if you were making sport of the Patriots when they were 3-0 and Brady was finding open receivers at will. Bledsoe never reached this stratosphere in nine seasons with the Patriots. There’s no reason to think it would have happened if he stayed.’

‘Yes, Belichick and Brady gave the Patriots their first Super Bowl victory. But what Bledsoe does from this point on might provide Belichick’s real legacy in New England.’