Two Bills Drive

‘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.’

‘In the end, New England did everything right. It replaced an aging and injured Bledsoe with the young quarterback who won the Super Bowl. It isn’t the Patriots’ fault that Bledsoe has recovered and found new life in a place that was supposed to be hopeless. It won’t be their fault, either, if he goes out and throws for 300 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a 10-point win.’

‘Here’s one argument for Tasker, who was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times: The margin between him and the second-best special-teams player was wider than the margin between the best and second-best player at any other position on the Hall of Fame ballot.’

‘Belichick didn’t want to trade Bledsoe to a team in the Patriots’ division, but he had to accept the best offer and worry about the consequences later. Now, later is here.’

The Bills are playing well, though, and that’s a big thing. They aren’t just Bledsoe; they have a good running game with Travis Henry and good wide receivers and a pretty good defense. They really have some things going right now.

‘”I know it’s hard for him,” Bledsoe said of Brady’s struggles. “That being said, I know Tom, along with the rest of those guys, will do everything they can to bounce back. If there is one defining characteristic that overrides everything, the Patriots are, across the board, players of high character.”‘

”’Players want to win this game for Drew,” Moulds added. ”It’s an important game as far as the division is concerned, but it’s also important for a guy who’s a main guy on this team.”’

‘This monstrosity of facial hair first made its appearance during his injury stint last year, and makes him look like some malnourished lieutenant of Stonewall Jackson. Behind the Hell Beard lurks all of Bledsoe’s ire, and, combined with the Pats’ four-game losing skid to some of the NFL’s best teams, should provide more than adequate drama.’

‘Maybe one will outplay the other in a losing effort and muddy the whole picture, allowing both sides (and there are plenty of folks choosing sides) to claim victory. But since QBs are judged largely on their team’s record, more than likely one camp will issue a full-throated I-told-you-so around 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon.’

‘MVP: AFC – QB Drew Bledsoe (Bills): He’s on pace to throw for 5,000 yards, just 84 shy of Dan Marino’s single-season NFL record. He’s gotten his hands on the ball in two of Buffalo’s three overtime games and both times has thrown the winning TD pass. He’s second in the league in touchdowns (16) and passer rating (98.3). We could go on and on, but you get the point.’

‘”I’ll be playing against an old friend of mine,” Bruschi said. “A guy that will make it fun out there, who will challenge the defense but give me a chance to make plays.”‘