Quarterback Drew Bledsoe doesn't need extra motivation to beat the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick.

Belichick was the man who gave up on Bledsoe more than two seasons ago and, history has shown, it was the right move.

But just when it appeared all of the angles had been exhausted, out comes a new book to open up old wounds and add more fire to Sunday's showdown at Ralph Wilson Stadium where the Patriots will be out to make NFL history by winning their 18th consecutive game.

"Patriot Reign," written by former Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley, chronicles New England's unmatched success over the past three seasons, in which the Patriots have won two Super Bowls.

In the process of examining Belichick and his many complexities, it's revealed how Belichick and his coaches really feel about the Bills, with several unflattering comments directed at ex-Patriots Bledsoe and Lawyer Milloy, along with the team's offensive line and defensive secondary.

In the book, Belichick calls Buffalo's offensive line "horse (bleep)" during a staff meeting and it's revealed he never believed Bledsoe had the patience or accuracy to beat a Cover 5 zone. He says he knew he had to get rid of Bledsoe during the 2002 offseason because Bledsoe refused to be contacted and it became "clear to me he didn't want to be on this football team."

Meanwhile, a Patriots team scouting report called Milloy "a negative leader" and "selfish" and that cornerback Nate Clements was "vulnerable deep."

Holley was given access to the Patriots' inner workings during the 2002 season and some of last year.

The book said the coaches panned Bledsoe's relief performance in the January 2002 AFC title game ("one mental error, four bad throws, and four bad choices") and said he wasn't quite the team player he was made out to be publicly after being benched in favor of Tom Brady.

During a conference call with Bills beat reporters, Belichick again defended Bledsoe, calling him "an excellent competitor." But when asked if the authorized book represented his true feelings about Bledsoe as a decision maker, Belichick grew silent.

"I'm not getting into any book talk," he said. "We're getting ready for a game. That book, some of it was done a year to two years ago and I don't think it's very relevant to this week's game."

The Bills feel otherwise.

"You have to use (this) as motivation," running back Travis Henry said. "I know that's what Drew's going to do. We give him time, he's going to pick them apart. It's real motivating."

Bledsoe hadn't read the book but when told that Belichick said he couldn't beat a Cover 5 zone, he responded, "Hmmm. Ok. In general, I've always wanted to attack down the field."

Bledsoe was shocked the normally guarded Belichick would allow a reporter so close to his inner sanctum.

"It's interesting," Bledsoe said. "He's always played his cards close to the vest."

Now that those cards have been spread on the table, Bills rookie coach Mike Mularkey is using them to his advantage. He also hadn't read the book but he has been informed of its contents and is using them to motivate his team as it tries to snap its five-game losing streak and New England's 17-game win streak.

This week, as his players stretched before one practice, Mularkey walked up to several and made references to the New England book, telling the offensive line Belichick thinks "you're horse (bleep)."

Talk about bulletin board fodder from heaven.

"I guess you can (use it as that) if that's what you need for incentive, absolutely," Mularkey said. "That's always there ... book, hard copy, newspaper, whatever."

Indeed, the Bills could use "whatever" against the Patriots, who will be very focused and not likely to bobble away their date with destiny.

Bledsoe, who is 1-3 against his old club and 4-12 in his last 16 games with 10 TDs, 12 interceptions and 55 sacks, needs desperately to put his career back on track and this is the game to do it.

The Bills are 10-5 after bye weeks, fifth best all-time.

"We come out of this bye week having addressed some of the issues that we needed to address with regards to our execution and some of the little things that we've made mistakes on," Bledsoe said. "Playing the defending champions, yeah, it's a great opportunity for us. If we go out and win this one, we kind of get ourselves back on track pretty quick. That's what we're focused on and that's what we're going to do."

As for the Patriots, they just want to book out of Buffalo with a win. The last time they came here, they lost 31-0.

"We got hammered, hammered the last time there, so hey, we have to be ready to play this one," cornerback Ty Law said. "What else can you say? Those guys have a definite home field advantage and if you don't go in there with the right attitude, the same thing will happen again."

SERIES HISTORY
89th meeting of original AFL clubs, Patriots lead the series 47-40-1. New England had won five straight, their longest streak in the series since winning 11 in a row from 1982-87, until Buffalo won last year's first meeting 31-0 in the season opener. The Patriots paid back the favor, beating Buffalo by the same score in the season finale in Foxboro. It marked the first time in NFL history that two teams opened and closed the season against one another, shutting each other out by the identical score.

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