Two Bills Drive

Apparently it helps to be on a winner. Three of the top four play for unbeaten teams, while the fourth – Drew Bledsoe – is on pace to break Dan Marino’s passing yardage record for a season.

‘The Bills are one of just three teams (along with Baltimore and Cincinnati) in the NFL that hasn’t picked off a pass.’

‘"Last year this time I was sitting at home watching games on TV. To know I’m back in football and starting and having fortunate things happening to me is a blessing. The Bills have been good to me."’

‘Drew Bledsoe is on his way back, but he has company. Kevin Gilbride, come on down.’

‘The Bills’ defense allows 5.3 yards per rush and ranks 28th against the run. But it is not for lack of trying. The Bills mass eight, sometimes as many as 10, men on the line to stop the run, meaning the Bears may adjust their approach slightly. “It’s unlike some things that you’ve ever seen, so it gets hard sometimes,” offensive coordinator John Shoop said.’

‘”They’re going to throw the ball 40 or 45 times,” said cornerback Reggie Austin, who stayed after practice Thursday with the wide receivers, running routes to work on his technique for catching the ball. “They know we’re thin, so they’re going to try to get one of us out of there to see who’s coming in next. You definitely have to have your track shoes on.”‘

‘The Bears expect to see quite a bit of passing from Drew Bledsoe, and Knight would like nothing better than to notch his first career sack at Ralph Wilson Stadium against the team he grew up cheering for.’

‘Bryan Knight gets to play in front of his parents Sunday when the Bears play the Bills in his hometown of Buffalo. But chances are good Knight has family almost anywhere the Bears play, since he has more than 100 brothers and sisters.’

‘When the Bears play Sunday in his hometown of Buffalo, Knight likely will have a prominent role as pass rush end much of the time in nickel defenses because of the Bills’ extensive use of multi-receiver formations.’

‘The Bears of the 1980s sent every available warm body across the line to swarm running backs and quarterbacks. Buffalo’s tactics may be similar, but the results have been different. They have managed 12 sacks, tied for fourth best in the league. But they give up big gainers on running plays when the blitz doesn’t stop a runner.’

‘”Overall, I like the food back home better,” Schobel was saying the other day from the Ralph in a drawl thicker than Texas tea. “But I gotta admit that the wings up here are damn good. That’s why I told my folks back at the restaurant to get the recipe. Plop a few buckets of those things down next to me, give me an extinguisher to put out the fire and I’m a contented man.”‘

The Broncos slowed down Drew Bledsoe to a small degree last week, but the Bears face a battle for their respect. Despite last year’s playoff run, the Bears head into Ralph Wilson Stadium as underdogs. They are down three key starters on defense. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ted Washington’s absence leaves them vulnerable to the run.

”’We’ve been pumping it up the whole offseason,” Gray said. ”Well, let’s see us stop living on what we say, and do it on what we do.”’

‘At least for the span between March and May, Reebok, the exclusive manufacturer of NFL jerseys, says that Urlacher’s signature black No. 54 was the sales leader.’

5. Drew Bledsoe, Bills — Sure, they’re 1-2, but just ask Jets, Vikings and Broncos how this guy has made Buffalo a scary team.