Coach Gregg Williams got three years. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe got three years.

See a pattern here?

It wasn't easy for Buffalo Bills president and general manager Tom Donahoe to release his hand-picked coach after the 2003 season or his hand-picked quarterback this offseason. But both moves were obvious to outside observers and to Donahoe's credit, he put the long-term future of the Bills ahead of his ego.

The debate over who got the better of the blockbuster 2002 draft weekend trade involving Bledsoe, Buffalo and the New England Patriots ended a long time ago. The Bills went 23-25 with Bledsoe with no playoff appearances. The Patriots, under Tom Brady, are 43-11 with two Super Bowl titles without him.

"You never know," Donahoe said. "I think any time you make a trade you hope it's for a long, long time. But circumstances change. We took a young quarterback last year that we like a lot and we have to find ways to get him into a football game."

That would be J.P. Losman, a player the Bills gave first-, second- and fifth-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys last April for the right to draft him.

The Bledsoe trade did make Donahoe look like a genius - for about eight games.

Bledsoe started on fire the first half of the 2002 season, and he wound up making his fourth Pro Bowl after throwing for 4,359 yards with 24 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and an 86.0 passer rating.

But his play dropped like a stone tossed into a pool in 2003 and improved only somewhat in 2004. The Bills won six games in a row to just miss the playoffs with a 9-7 record, but the club's No. 2 defense and No. 1 special teams - which produced a combined 10 touchdowns - were largely the reason as Bledsoe finished 24th in passing yards and 25th in passer rating.

But last season didn't set the stage for Bledsoe's release, it was the season before last.

In 2003, Bledsoe threw for just 2,860 yards with 11 TDs, 12 interceptions, 49 sacks and a 73.0 rating, his worst statistics since his rookie season. Worst, the Bills, 6-10, failed to score an offensive touchdown in seven games, opening the door for the drafting of Losman in the first place.

Bledsoe restructured his contract and was set up to play three more years in Buffalo, but his play in 2004 was mostly uninspiring, particularly in big games. Buffalo went 2-6 against clubs with winning records and Bledsoe completed a mere 53 percent with one TD and five interceptions in losing twice to New England and once to Pittsburgh.

During one stretch of his Bills career, Bledsoe had won only twice in 14 road games and in half of those 16 games he had failed to get his offense in the end zone. That just wasn't going to cut it for a player earning more than $6 million a year who was keeping a more mobile, physically talented younger player on the bench.

Donahoe, who was a staunch Bledsoe defender, quickly distanced himself from heaping praise on his veteran leader after a 29-24 loss to Pittsburgh in the regular-season finale, Donahoe's former team.

That loss personally hurt Donahoe and whatever chance Bledsoe had of returning to the Bills for another season ended that day.

Now Donahoe has hitched his reputation to the untested Losman. On paper, a new Big Three is in place: Losman, running back Willis McGahee, and wide receiver Lee Evans.

"We don't see this as we're changing the course or changing the direction," said Donahoe, who is in line for a contract extension from owner Ralph Wilson. "We're trying to go forward, and we think our best opportunity to go forward offensively is with J.P. at quarterback."

Still, Donahoe sounded like he'd do the Bledsoe trade over in a heartbeat. The classy Bledsoe did rescue the Bills at the box office after a 3-13 season.

"When Drew came here we were in a big black hole with this football team, and he certainly helped us get out of that," Donahoe said. "He brought respectability back to the Bills and he brought credibility to our football team. We owe him a debt of gratitude."

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