Two Bills Drive

Sometimes reality smacks you in the face like a heavyweight boxer in a back room brawl. Just ask the Buffalo Bills.

For a team that is climbing back to the apex of the National Football League, Sunday's game was the most anticipated contest in years.

‘With the 5-4 record in mind, here are the five most positive and four most negative developments of the first nine games…’.

‘"I don’t expect them to win the Bowl. But you know what? If the season ended today, they’d be in the playoffs. So I’m happy. I remember what 3-13 felt like. I remember pulling for them to lose so they’d get a high pick."’

‘The Bills’ great running back will be honored during pregame ceremonies on the field at the Bills-Dolphins home game Dec. 1 and at the Monday Quarterback Club’s luncheon in HSBC Arena the next day.’

‘”The big thing is, it’s the first drive of the third quarter, we’re only down 10 at the time, and New England had been on a short field all day long. It was one opportunity to try to put them on a long field. We would’ve liked for it (the punt) to have been deeper but it didn’t work out that way. But it was still an 83-yard field, and we didn’t get off the field on defense … the big thing is, you’ve got to get off the field.”‘

‘”They had our number,” said fullback Larry Centers of the Patriots (4-4), who snapped a four-game losing streak by dominating Buffalo on both sides of the ball. “In this business, if you fight long enough, you’re gonna lose a game like that. We just have to react in the proper way, diagnose the problems and be honest about what we have to get done. I think the bye week comes at an excellent time. It gives us a chance to do a little bit more soul searching.”‘

‘That’s difficult to answer, but I do know this: It will take a playoff appearance to save some of their jobs.’

‘The Bills were dealt a sobering reminder that they are still very much a work in progress, and they are a team that can’t afford to play poorly against the league’s better teams because if they do, they have almost no chance to win.’

‘The donation is a thanks both to Fisher for hosting the Bills’ summer camp and to the wider Rochester area, Wilson said. “Our fan base in Rochester is important to the Buffalo Bills football team. And when we (Wilson and wife Mary) heard about the need to enhance education at this great college and the possibility of helping to fund a new building … .” they decided to make the donation.’

”’There was a certain point in the game where Buffalo really couldn’t run the ball,” Belichick said. ”And we were able to maintain balance on our side because we were in control of the score. There’s no question that getting off to a good start enables you to do that.”’

‘COACHING – A. A fine design by all involved.’

‘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.’