Two Bills Drive

‘"If you look historically at the teams that have won championships, they’ve had a good degree of balance," Bledsoe said on Wedne-sday. "Even the Rams with all their success, you look at what they’re actually doing and a lot of it is predicated on the fact that they’ve got a great threat at running back in Marshall Faulk."’

‘Teague was drafted by the Broncos, played his first four NFL seasons there, started 20 games and learned a ton. He doesn’t harbor ill will that Denver coach Mike Shanahan let him sign with the Bills as a free agent. Teague said it was difficult leaving. "Sure it was," he said. "I have friends there, I was comfortable, had a great coaching staff. Everything was difficult about it, but I just felt like my best decision was to come here."’

‘”If there’s a game where we playing against an offence that’s putting up some points,” Bledsoe said, “then we have to put the pedal to the metal and go get it.”‘

‘So it has gone for the madcap Bills. A coach’s nightmare, a spectator’s delight. Until Bledsoe’s arm falls off, that is.’

‘San Francisco and St. Louis have combined for 103 ground yards against Denver. Take away one 31-yard carry by the 49ers’ Reggie Barlow and a 15-yard tote by the Rams’ Marshall Faulk, and Denver has yielded only 57 yards on 31 carries – a 1.8 average.’

‘"This offense has a little bit more flexibility than what I’ve been in the past three, four years," Bledsoe said. "I have more flexibility to change things at the line of scrimmage, more flexibility in the routes and how I’m going to read things. It’s a good offense for me because it’s challenging . . . I’m having a lot of fun."’

‘Drew Bledsoe endured some tough times against the Broncos when he played for New England.’

‘For a short time after Denard Walker’s arrival in Denver before the 2001 season, the Broncos cornerback went through separation anxiety from his defensive backs coach with Tennessee, Jerry Gray. "Getting away from him was like a baby getting away from his mama," Walker said Wednesday. "It was a tough adjustment."’

‘The gaudiest statistic of the young NFL season, not counting Terrell Owens’ false starts, is this: The Broncos’ defense ranks first in the league against the run. If this doesn’t tell you what’s coming, you haven’t been paying attention. Or, possibly, you sit in the club section and haven’t left the bar in a while. The last time the Buffalo Bills played a team that could stop the run – Minnesota, for example, which ranks first in the NFC for some reason – Drew Bledsoe threw the ball 49 times.’

‘The Broncos’ defensive brain trust might not mind facing Gilbride’s wide-open aerial circus – as long as they sack Bledsoe four or five times, intercept two or three of his passes and don’t allow any of his throws to result in Bills touchdowns.’

‘Davis is scheduled to undergo microfracture surgery on his left knee today at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail. He will be unable to walk for two months and will need six months of rehabilitation.’

‘"The reception I’ve received has been outstanding," he said. "It was almost comical how crazy these people went when we came in here. They had a pep rally. The hardest part about that was having all the excitement and all the things that go with that, then not being able to go out and play for a few months. Now that we’re going, I’m really enjoying myself."’

‘"In years past, basically Ed (McCaffrey) was the only guy going in motion," Sharpe said. "Now we have Ed going in motion, myself going in motion, Rod (Smith) going in motion, we have backs out of the backfield. We try to keep it complex, because we never want the defense to know what’s coming next. We’ve done a great job of that the first two games of the season. Hopefully we can keep it going."’

”’Drew has so much presence in the huddle,” said Centers, in his 13th NFL season. ”In every game, there’s a lull in your mentality, a time when you’re doing your job, but you’re just chugging along. That’s when the quarterback steps in and makes sure that everybody’s light is turned on. That’s what they mean by ‘field general.’ Drew’s got all that and then some.”‘

‘Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week, while teammate Mike Hollis won the award for special teams and Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter was honored for defense.’