Two Bills Drive

‘The Redskins continued to wait yesterday for a resolution to their negotiations with free agent quarterback Jeff Blake. The Redskins seemed resigned to losing Blake when they were unable to complete a deal with him on Wednesday, but their hopes were boosted a bit when he did not immediately sign with the Buffalo Bills yesterday.’

@ One more item they looked into and didn’t act on. Of course, it came a result of a play involving Buffalo. Remember when David Patten fumbled after making a catch – the ball is in-bounds while his head was out of bounds but the leg was touching the ball. New England retained possession. Is it to tough to say, “If a ball is loose in bounds – it’s a free ball.”

@ If the Buffalo Bills don’t sign free-agent Jeff Blake and don’t draft Joey Harrington, they think they can win with Alex Van Pelt. Honest. If the team doesn’t sign a QG, look for it to draft one next month. That doesn’t mean it’ll be one who’s going to play; Williams and GM Tom Donahoe like what they have in third-stringer Travis Brown.

@ Wasn’t it just a decade ago that we were treated to the wonderful passing wizardry of John Elway, Steve Young and Jim Kelly?

Now we have players like Jay Fiedler and Jim Miller getting lucrative multiyear contracts. Those are two players who spent time in the last five years knocking on doors just to have a job.

The major problem is a lack of aggression on the offensive side of the ball. "I think a lot of us are defensive-minded coaches, which is why maybe there isn’t as much aggression," Bills coach Gregg Williams said.

‘Kelly, a native of East Brady, came to town with his wife, Jill, yesterday to speak at the Engineering Tissue Growth International Conference and Exposition at the Westin Convention Center Hotel. He explained what they go through with their son and the goals of their foundation, Hunter’s Hope.’

‘Van Pelt’s pick: Halle Berry.’

‘Yesterday, conference organizers used the event to put the spotlight on Krabbe disease, a rare, degenerative disorder of the central and peripheral nervous system. There is no cure for the disease and research at the University of Pittsburgh caught the attention of East Brady native and former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, whose 5-year-old son, Hunter, has the disease.’

The Washington Redskins were growing increasingly pessimistic yesterday about their chances of signing free agent quarterback Jeff Blake.

‘Keion Carpenter, who started 10 games at the free spot, and Raion Hill, a 13-game starter at strong safety, have both been waived, with Atlanta signing the former. That says all you need to know.’

@ Alex Van Pelt didn’t get most of the pay, but got most of the playing time in Buffalo last season. The league announced it will reward players for playing-time incentives. For the first time, minimum-salaried players will have the chance to take the biggest chunk of the money.

The idea is that if a player participates in the majority of his team’s plays, yet makes a minimum or low salary, he should be entitled to more compensation. Say a minimum-salary player beats out a high-priced veteran, then that player would be paid a certain amount of incentive money from a money pool for each team.

@ “I’m as much in favor of helping those two cities [New York City and Washington] as anyone here,” said Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson. “But if you’re going to New York, then I can make a case for Buffalo, too. Someone is going to have to be pretty persuasive to get me to commit to this.”

How have you been spending your time this off-season?

I've been relaxing, spending time with my family, working out and we just closed on a new house as well. I'm getting mind to rest while I'm away.

@ Tom Donahoe, the Buffalo general manager, reiterated Tuesday the Bills are intrigued by Bledsoe, and said there have been discussions with New England officials. But he emphasized that the Patriots did not set a price on what it would take to get Bledsoe, said he did not know if New England would deal him within the division, and noted that he will not overpay to land the veteran QB. Donahoe hinted the Bills might be willing to part with a third-round draft choice for Bledsoe, but not much more than that.

‘The uncertain starting positions are: quarterback, left tackle, one of the two defensive tackles, one of the two defensive ends, weak-side linebacker, free safety and strong safety.’

‘The Bills apparently were offering Blake a starting job. Redskins Coach Steve Spurrier has said he won’t name his starter ahead of time and will play the quarterback who earns the job. But the Redskins hoped the lure of playing in Spurrier’s high-powered passing offense would sway Blake.’