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| Sunday, April 21 Donahoe, Bills owner help make trade happen By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com |
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His voice was weary from two days of war room debates and, more significantly, nearly two weeks of arduous negotiating with New England Patriots officials over a trade that eventually netted quarterback Drew Bledsoe for the Buffalo Bills. But if one listened closely enough through the croaking and the raspiness on Sunday night, it was difficult not to discern in Bills general manager Tom Donahoe undeniable enthusiasm over a big-time player, one who will play a huge role in reversing the fortunes of the franchise. "It was a grind," said Donahoe, "but now that it's over, it was worth it. We feel like Drew is a special person and a special player." Clearly the Bills fans, a hearty lot accustomed to winning, agree with that assessment. In an on-line poll conducted by the Bills' team web site, 92 percent of the respondents on Sunday morning said the club should do whatever it would take to complete the trade. As news of the trade began to leak in the early afternoon, fans queued up at the ticket office. Local radio and television stations broke from normal programming for an announcement when the trade was officially consummated. Several veteran Bills players phoned in to confirm the news for themselves. "There's really a buzz here right now," Donahoe said. Having gone to bed Saturday night pessimistic about being able to resuscitate a trade that was on life support, Donahoe woke Sunday determined to take one more shot. Motivation was provided by Bills octogenarian owner Ralph Wilson Jr., who desperately wanted the trade completed and was termed "the catalyst" by Donahoe, and so the Bills raised the ante by offering their first-round choice in the 2003 draft. "I've been lucky to work with good people, but Mr. Wilson is something else, believe me," Donahoe said. "He wants to win. He cares about this team, the city and the fans. I think he wanted this trade even more than some of the football people here did." After a flurry of phone calls and faxes, the trade was made, but then the Bills were asked by New England officials not to announce it until Patriots owner Bob Kraft could break the news to Bledsoe personally. The irony is that the Patriots web site already reported the deal was consummated. Compounding the trade talks the past two days, Donahoe acknowledged, was that they were conducted in concert with the annual draft. Fortunately for Donahoe, director of football operations and longtime sidekick Tom Modrak ran the war room when the general manager had to duck out for a phone call. One of the more important calls of the day finally came late Sunday afternoon, when Bledsoe phoned, and spoke to Wilson, coach Gregg Williams and Donahoe. Because the Patriots had denied the Bills permission to speak with Bledsoe while he was still under contract to them, it was the first conversation between the quarterback the the Buffalo brain trust. Donahoe said Bledsoe left no doubt he is excited by a new opportunity and that he is ready to lead the Bills back to respectability. "We're getting better," said Donahoe, one of the league's best administrators and talent scouts. "This was a long and stressful thing but we are lucky to have had good people working on it. And we want to thank the Patriots, too, for letting this happen." If his voice was fading, one sensed that the weary Donahoe was on an adrenalin high, and simply wanted to savor the moment. "It really is an exciting time around here," he said. "Really exciting." Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. |
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