Two Bills Drive

‘Yes, Bledsoe had to go. Whether he had to go to the Bills, an AFC East rival that the Patriots must face twice a year, is another matter entirely. But at the time of the trade, Belichick was a genius, and it was assumed that he believed Bledsoe washed-up and easy to defend.’

‘Consider this the opposite of the theory about teams with winning streaks. A team that isn’t bad enough to lose five straight won’t. PATRIOTS, 27-26.

‘”They’re a little unique,” Belichick said of Buffalo’s makeshift 46 defense reminiscent of Buddy Ryan’s old Chicago Bears scheme. “They kind of use two systems in one and they complement each other well. Up front they play an over defense with all three defensive linemen on the tight end side of the formation, plus a linebacker outside of the tight end on the line of scrimmage."’

The Bills-Patriots game this Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium is sold out and will be televised locally.

Including this Sunday’s contest with New England, all five home games so far in 2002 have been soldout in time to meet the blackout deadline.

Bills punter Brian Moorman has been selected as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October.

‘”Playing against the Bills teams over the years, I knew coming in here this team was close,” Bledsoe said. “There were just a few pieces (needed) here or there. . . . There was some talent here, and I also came in with the confidence we could turn it around very quickly.”‘

‘"The biggest thing that he does with his defenses is he changes up week to week," Bledsoe said. "One week you see one thing, the next week you see something totally different. And he’ll do two completely different things against the same team in the same year. So one game he’ll approach it one way and the other game he’ll approach it another way."’

‘How Drew Bledsoe fared against defenses (or teams) coached by Bill Belichick…’.

‘If there’s one thing Bledsoe understands after a decade in the NFL, it’s how quickly fortunes turn in this game.’

‘The status of right tackle Mike Williams and cornerback Antoine Winfield for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots remained uncertain as the Bills returned to practice Wednesday.’

"Tom did a great job across the board in what he did. He's a great guy; he's a very hard worker. I think that is his strongpoint. He works his butt off whether it's the off-season, during the week, or whenever it is. He continuously has gone onward and upward. I would expect him to continue to do that."

"Time heals a lot of things. I think that everyone knows that last year was a difficult year for me from the standpoint of going through the injury and going through the situation where I wasn't able to get back on the field. That was a hard year but I am honest about this, I really don't spend much time thinking about it."

‘”A lot of those guys are still my friends. If we lose the game, I’m going to hear about it all year. That’s a big motivator right there.”‘

‘The Bills have issued more than 50 credentials to Boston-area media; the normal amount for a visiting team is about 25, said Scott Berchtold, vice president of communications. “This isn’t unlike a playoff game,” Berchtold said.’

‘Tasker, always a credit to the NFL as a player and now as a broadcaster, deserves the honor of representing all of the relatively obscure players who have put their bodies on the line on special teams.’