Revitalization of a Relic: Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe is up to his old tricks, throwing the long ball and pumping life into a career and a franchise that needed rescuing. (NFL).

That smile. Bills receiver Eric Moulds never saw it when Drew Bledsoe was a Patriot, not even in the good times. Bledsoe acted so serious, so businesslike. Doesn't seem to be having much fun, Moulds thought.

That smile. Moulds sees it a lot now, everyone does. It's big and happy and tells so much about what has happened to Bledsoe. It says he never has been more joyful, that his life has taken a new and welcome turn, that patience and class sometimes are rewarded in special ways.

That smile is a keeper. What's to frown about? Buffalo loves him, his teammates adore him, and the franchise has been transformed from dead to contender--do you think the Bills would have filled Ralph Wilson Stadium last Sunday against the Lions without Bledsoe's magic? He's throwing like Dan Marino reincarnated, and, oh yes, maybe now everyone agrees Bledsoe still can perform at the same level as the Patriots' Tom Brady.

We'll find out for sure Sunday. The Patriots come to The Ralph, and don't you think this one has been circled on the Bledsoe family calendar for a long time? What's more, it's a game that has league significance, an unexpected turn considering the Bills finished somewhere south of Cincinnati last season with their awful 3-13 record, and the Patriots won the Super Bowl.

But this being today's NFL, in which teams and careers can be revitalized faster than President…