Two Bills Drive

‘Cornerback was one of the Bills’ most pressing needs. Thomas, last season’s Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, was Buffalo’s only cornerback draftee. Be it the sixth or fourth or second round, he has his chance. "That’s what I want,” Thomas said. "I’ve just got to prove something now. Basically, growing up, I’ve always had to prove myself. It’s another phase. When I prove myself, everybody will see."’

‘”I think if there’s not a bounce in everybody’s step, I’ll be surprised after what’s happened this weekend,” Donahoe said.’

”’I’ve been around this team for many years, and this trade is one of the most exciting we’ve ever made, maybe the most exciting,” Wilson said.’

‘For the first time since 1996 when Jim Kelly retired, the Bills actually have a top-shelf NFL quarterback to guide their offense.’

‘"We were ready to go, and it was a significant draft. And it’s nice icing on the cake when you can top the weekend off with Drew Bledsoe. Our job has just started, but we think it’s a great start."’

‘"I’m disappointed that I won’t get the chance to play but I’ll do what I can to be prepared and to help him (Bledsoe) be successful," Van Pelt said. "As a backup, you’re one play away so I’ll prepare myself like I have for the last eight years."’

‘Bledsoe is New England’s all-time leader in completions (2,544), attempts (4,518) and yards (29,657), and he ranks second in TD passes with 166 behind only Steve Grogan (182). Bledsoe also owns the single-game and single-season team marks in completions, attempts and yards.’

‘Donahoe, just a little more than year on the job in Buffalo, said that is a leading question among the many letters he receives from fans. Credit the Bills, who are seriously trying to develop and re-develop a stronger fan base, with responding.’

‘In the end, Tom Donahoe realized he could expend a decade of first-round picks and possibly never come close to drafting a player with Drew Bledsoe’s talent.’

‘The trading of Bledsoe was the last act of a personal passion play in New England, a story that began as a love affair with a kid from the West Coast and ended as a drama filled with broken promises, angry words (although most of them were mumbled under the breath of the people involved), and the emergence of a second kid from the West Coast who took the Patriots to one of the most unexpected Super Bowl victories in NFL history.’

‘It was a bold move to trade Bledsoe to a divisional rival on the upswing. The Bills drafted well, have up-and-coming players, and now have the quarterback they were missing. All of that may diminish the value of the draft pick New England gets.’

‘In Buffalo, Bills officials opened up the box office to accommodate fans who began lining up after news of the trade broke. There was a steady stream of buyers throughout the afternoon.’

‘There should be no doubt the Patriots kept the better quarterback with the bigger upside and the brighter future.’

‘Going strictly by on-field performances, the Bills get the edge because they now have a legitimate quarterback around whom to continue their rebuilding. Alex Van Pelt had his moments last year in relief of the ineffective and departed Rob Johnson, but he’s hardly a long-term resolution to the passing problem.’

‘From a financial standpoint, the Patriots save $1 million this season by trading Bledsoe. But under league rules, the team will still carry $6 million for Bledsoe on this year’s approximate $72-million salary cap. Buffalo assumes Bledsoe’s contract, a 10-year, $103-million package that was signed March 7, 2001.’