Stepping back a bit

[TigerJ]

Yes, we're all mad right now. Buffalo again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but think about what we just did. We gave New England all they could handle on a Monday night opener on their turf. Trent Edwards was not spectacular, but he played a good solid game. Alex Van Pelt looked like he's up to the task of filling the OC role. Except for Demetrius Bell struggling at LT, the line had a pretty good game, and the defense contained the Patriots offense pretty well until late. Oh, and the run defense was solid the whole game. Buffalo has a winable game at home next Sunday, and the confidence they gain from beating the Buccaneers and from nearly pulling off a win versus a highly favored NE team might just carry them for a while. This game leaves me a lot more optimistic about this team than a 40-10 pasting that many expected.

[malo]

Good post.

[Throne Logic]

I hope you're right.

But there are a number of players on this team who have been here for a couple years and have to be thinking the same exact thing that we fans are, "Don't get your hopes up. There's still time to find a way to screw it up".

It really seems to have become part of the fragile psyche of this team. At this point it's basically a self-fullfilling prophecy situation.

[The Juice Is Loose]

Yes, we're all mad right now. Buffalo again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but think about what we just did. We gave New England all they could handle on a Monday night opener on their turf. Trent Edwards was not spectacular, but he played a good solid game. Alex Van Pelt looked like he's up to the task of filling the OC role. Except for Demetrius Bell struggling at LT, the line had a pretty good game, and the defense contained the Patriots offense pretty well until late. Oh, and the run defense was solid the whole game. Buffalo has a winable game at home next Sunday, and the confidence they gain from beating the Buccaneers and from nearly pulling off a win versus a highly favored NE team might just carry them for a while. This game leaves me a lot more optimistic about this team than a 40-10 pasting that many expected.

Your post was thought out, and well written.

Get ready to get blasted by a bunch of whiney *****es.

[Mad Bomber]

Yes, we're all mad right now. Buffalo again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but think about what we just did. We gave New England all they could handle on a Monday night opener on their turf. Trent Edwards was not spectacular, but he played a good solid game. Alex Van Pelt looked like he's up to the task of filling the OC role. Except for Demetrius Bell struggling at LT, the line had a pretty good game, and the defense contained the Patriots offense pretty well until late. Oh, and the run defense was solid the whole game. Buffalo has a winable game at home next Sunday, and the confidence they gain from beating the Buccaneers and from nearly pulling off a win versus a highly favored NE team might just carry them for a while. This game leaves me a lot more optimistic about this team than a 40-10 pasting that many expected.
Good post. I have to admit that I was expecting a blowout, and although there's no such thing as a moral victory, I am pleasantly surprised that the Bills were able to give these guys this good of a game. They are a young team that needs to learn to win (an uphill battle with this coach), but all is not as hopeless as one would have been led to believe after reading this message board over the past month or two.

[BillsWin]

I thought Trent had a fantastic game. He had several balls dropped by various wide receivers. He kept his composure even on the final drive and managed to hit several clutch throws on third downs. Not to mention when we needed a score he drove the ball down the field. He had command over the no-huddle and together. he and AVP may take this team places.

He threw for 60% and had 2 TD to 0 INT.

I'd say it was a great game. Especially seeing as he struggled so much in preseason.

[TigerJ]

I hope you're right.

But there are a number of players on this team who have been here for a couple years and have to be thinking the same exact thing that we fans are, "Don't get your hopes up. There's still time to find a way to screw it up".

It really seems to have become part of the fragile psyche of this team. At this point it's basically a self-fullfilling prophecy situation.You could be right. That's really where a team depends on a coach to adjust the team's psyche and make sure it doesn't crumble. Jauron has been soundly criticized, and with a great deal of justification for a lot of things, but at least there have been times when the Bills under Jauron have shown a lot of resilience and have not just given up.

[BillsWin]

Ill take the game we had today over the 56-10 game most "experts" were predicting. We can take alot from this game and get some quality wins coming up.

I tell you what, I love my Bills. And I just got my heart broken again, but I sure like what I saw from the boys for most of this game.

[TigerJ]

I thought Trent had a fantastic game. He had several balls dropped by various wide receivers. He kept his composure even on the final drive and managed to hit several clutch throws on third downs.

He threw for 60% and had 2 TD to 0 INT.

I'd say it was a great game. Especially seeing as he struggled so much in preseason.Yeah, if you compare it to his preseason, I thought he was wonderful. When I say it wasn't spectacular, I mean he didn't put up the gaudy stats you sometimes see from a QB; 300 or 400 yards, 75% completion average and a whole mess of touchdowns. I have no complaints at all about Trent's game.

[TheBrownBear]

We will lose 17-6 next week and the 2-14 posts will be looking awfully prescient.

A win tonight, while it would no doubt feel good, would be fool's gold. Even with a win, that was not a playoff team that we watched tonight. The Bills were dominated in almost every facet of the game. Total yards: Pats 441, Bills 276. That's Dick Jauron football right there.

The sad thing is, this team actually has some talent. And under the right coaching staff could really do some good things.

[Miami_Vice]

The Bills did play better than expected but there are no moral victories in the NFL. You either win or lose. And the Bills choked.

[TigerJ]

The Bills did play better than expected but there are no moral victories in the NFL. You either win or lose. And the Bills choked.I agree. I would never call this a moral victory. About the choking part: well it only takes a few players choking to lose a game, and McKelvin certainly did. I thought the offense was fairly clutch, though 45 seconds was enough time to get in field goal range. Sometimes it goes your way in those situations, sometimes it doesn't. Jauron needs to convince his players that they can win if they play a little bit smarter and a little bit tougher.

[Prov401]

Yes, we're all mad right now. Buffalo again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but think about what we just did. We gave New England all they could handle on a Monday night opener on their turf. Trent Edwards was not spectacular, but he played a good solid game. Alex Van Pelt looked like he's up to the task of filling the OC role. Except for Demetrius Bell struggling at LT, the line had a pretty good game, and the defense contained the Patriots offense pretty well until late. Oh, and the run defense was solid the whole game. Buffalo has a winable game at home next Sunday, and the confidence they gain from beating the Buccaneers and from nearly pulling off a win versus a highly favored NE team might just carry them for a while. This game leaves me a lot more optimistic about this team than a 40-10 pasting that many expected.

Good post, just one thing. Trent played awesome, mistake-free football. He looked like a tottally different QB out there. He stepped up in the pocket mutiple times. He actually had a ton of zip on the ball. He was deadly, pin-point accurate. Hell, along with Jackson and the interior O-Line, he practically won us the game. Some drives were killed because of first downs becomine 3rd and longs due to penalties. Trent played a great game tonight.

[Philagape]

In a way, I don't feel as bad about this as I did after Dallas.
That was a fluke in every sense; this time, the Bills hung with the mighty Pats in their house. I'm very encouraged about most of the O-line. The offense called a great game. The team played hard and tough.
But on the other hand, Bell at LT will mean another season wasted with developing "potential," and the defense just keeps failing and failing and failing in the end. The coaching was exposed yet again.
It's always something with this team.