The figure corresponds to Drew Bledsoe's age. For him, the Patriots yesterday were able to wring a first-round draft selection in 2003 from the Buffalo Bills. This, for a quarterback who can't move, after nine seasons in the NFL has to be somewhat past his prime and is burdened by a salary-cap sum of $5 million.

New England gaining what it did for Bledsoe was an act that could be classified with the team's 20-17 conquest of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Surely, with Bledsoe representing the financial onus to the Patriots that he does, the Bills could have obtained him for less, a third-round draft selection, say, which would have been more than enough.

My assessment of the Bledsoe deal is not shared in Buffalo, where last night the citizens were lining up at the ticket windows. CBS Sportsline, meantime, was becoming giddy.

"The Buffalo Bills are now a playoff contender," it announced. "There, it's said."

Maybe I missed something here. I would contact Angelo Coniglio, a Buffalo resident of my acquaintance. I must tell you about Angelo. Once, too many years ago, he detected a flaw in the NFL's playoff procedure. Aware that I was in sympathy with the American Football League, of which the Bills and the Chargers then were affiliated, he called me late one night and shared his findings. Something about how ties were evaluated. Because of Coniglio's expertise, the NFL had to revise its postseason formula.

One man had found the mighty NFL to be fallible. At that moment, Coniglio became a favorite of mine. He later would do some other things that further endeared him to me. He produced bumper stickers with the message, "Remember the AFL," one of which was posted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Another was on the back of my car until it became weathered. And for years he refused to show up at a Bills game as a means of underscoring how displeased he was concerning the AFL being consumed by the NFL.

An unusual fellow, Angelo, who as a hydraulic engineer when I met him had the assignment of purifying Lake Erie, at the time one of the world's most polluted bodies of water. Today, you could drink from it.

To Coniglio, the Bills' acquisition of Bledsoe, even at the price they paid, was properly reasoned. "I think he was the best quarterback out there, including any possible draftees," said Coniglio. He includes Joey Harrington, whom the Bills might have been able to get had they been willing to trade up a notch with Detroit, which wound up taking the Oregon quarterback.

"No matter how good Harrington might be, he's still a rookie," Coniglio noted, "and you've got a 50-50 chance he'll be a bust. Bledsoe had seven straight 3,000-yard seasons. He's been in Super Bowls twice. Maybe last year shouldn't count, but he was there."

Bledsoe's presence wasn't required while young Tom Brady was working the Patriots' upset of the Rams. To Coniglio, no matter.

"He's been in the crucible," he argued in Bledsoe's half. "Name half a dozen quarterbacks who are better. You probably can name half a dozen, but not many more."

When the Bills severed quarterback Rob Johnson, now a Tampa Bay property, they made a $5.7 million saving, so they should be able to absorb the $5 million that is going to Bledsoe. With Bledsoe, the Bills have nine new veteran players, including London Fletcher, a middle linebacker who in XXXVI was backing up the St. Louis line.

"There's no flies on him," contended Coniglio, who also mentioned Trey Teague, a seasoned offensive tackle, and Charlie Rogers, a punt and kickoff returner obtained from the Houston Texans for Jay Foreman, a linebacker.

The draft also was rewarding for the Bills. In it, they selected Mike Williams, the mammoth offensive tackle from Texas, and Josh Reed, the draft's most productive receiver. At LSU, Reed averaged 145 yards per game with his receptions.

"We have a great receiver, Eric Moulds, but last year we didn't have anybody who could get the ball to him," said Coniglio. "Now we have Moulds and Reed."

And Bledsoe, when he isn't bleeding. Last year his season was limited by internal bleeding that developed after he took a thunderous hit in the Patriots' second game. In his absence Brady, a boy-next-door type, arrived and became the darling of New England.

The Patriots are coached by Bill Belichick, who is no fool. Surrendering a quarterback of ability to a team in one's division is touchy stuff, but Belichick was willing to do it. He has to believe his defenses can cope with Bledsoe.

"Drew Bledsoe is a special player," said Patriots owner Robert Kraft. "For many reasons and at many levels, this was a difficult trade to make."

Getting out from under that $5 million cap figure had to make it a bit easier.

At the news conference at One Bills Drive in Orchard Park, N.Y., at which Bledsoe's acquisition was announced, general manager Tom Donahoe deferred to Ralph C. Wilson Jr., the team's owner. Wilson had a role in the matter, according to Donahoe.

If only unwittingly, Wilson likely did. He is 83 and one of the NFL's great gentlemen. He wants a winner and he might not have too many more years to get one, so the Bills are going for one now. They gave up too much for Bledsoe, but I don't have it in me to belabor the point further.