I am not convinced that it was as close as the final score appeared.

[Ebenezer]

The Pats timing was terrible in the first half. Had Brady & Co. been firing on all cylinders and had their timing down they could have put up 21 in the first half. Schobel makes an incredible play and scores a TD. This game was close on the scoreboard but not in reality. I am pumped for the Tampa game based on what I saw but I am no where near thinking this team can be better than 7-9 based on what I saw last night. Had this been week three NE could have put up 40.

[HHURRICANE]

I get your point but I'm not sure about the logic behind it.

If Evans and Ownes make those easy catches, both on 3rd down, than maybe we are up 21 instead of 11.

The Bills let one get by and in a season where every game counts, this one hurts.

[Syderick]

The defense stopped them on fourth down 2 times!

[cocamide]

Instead of fumbling, McKelvin should've ran that kick back for a touchdown to make it 31-19. You're right, the game wasn't as close as it should have been.

[psubills62]

The Pats timing was terrible in the first half. Had Brady & Co. been firing on all cylinders and had their timing down they could have put up 21 in the first half. Schobel makes an incredible play and scores a TD. This game was close on the scoreboard but not in reality. I am pumped for the Tampa game based on what I saw but I am no where near thinking this team can be better than 7-9 based on what I saw last night. Had this been week three NE could have put up 40.

I can understand these points.

However, you could say the same things about our offense. If our offense had been firing on all cylinders in the first half, who knows how many sustained drives we would have had? If our receivers did their job and caught some passes, we could have easily kept Brady and co. on the sidelines for most of the first half.

And I don't think you can just disregard Schobel's INT and TD as a freak play. No, guys like that don't normally intercept balls and run them back for TD's. But those kinds of things happen in football and it was a result of a great read by Schobel.

[ddaryl]

There were some highlights to be proud of...

BUT I share you sentiment. If Brady was firing on all cylinders he would of tore us and our 10 yard cushion pass D to shreds

I expect a big time different Brady in Dec... and if we are running this same D it will be a much uglier game IMO

In fact any of the playoff caliber teams with Good QB's or any QB who is hot is going to rip our pass D to shreds.

BUT as mentioned if we don't drop 3 key passes early and commit 8 O penalties we oculd of put up a few more points too.

[Cleve]

The Bills let one get by and in a season where every game counts, this one hurts.

Yeah, ESPECIALLY against a division opponent. Buffalo lost every single division game last season, and we've extended this dubious streak by one more game.

[Ebenezer]

I can understand these points.

However, you could say the same things about our offense. If our offense had been firing on all cylinders in the first half, who knows how many sustained drives we would have had? If our receivers did their job and caught some passes, we could have easily kept Brady and co. on the sidelines for most of the first half.

And I don't think you can just disregard Schobel's INT and TD as a freak play. No, guys like that don't normally intercept balls and run them back for TD's. But those kinds of things happen in football and it was a result of a great read by Schobel.
I give Schobel all the credit, no doubt. But plays like that happen once a year; you can't count on that happening again.

[THATHURMANATOR]

The Pats timing was terrible in the first half. Had Brady & Co. been firing on all cylinders and had their timing down they could have put up 21 in the first half. Schobel makes an incredible play and scores a TD. This game was close on the scoreboard but not in reality. I am pumped for the Tampa game based on what I saw but I am no where near thinking this team can be better than 7-9 based on what I saw last night. Had this been week three NE could have put up 40.
Sorry Eb but this is BS.

[DraftBoy]

It was week 1, both teams made mistakes. We know the Pats will get better, the question is will we?

[JD]

A lot of "what if's"... what if TO didnt drop the ball? What if Bell hadn't commit a penalty on Jacksons first down run?

What if, what if, WHAT IF..blah blah!

[trapezeus]

I watched a lot of games on the redzone channel on sunday and i think the NFL has to look at the number of preseason games and cut them down.

No one plays anyone. the first game of the season has gotten sloppier and sloppier for teams, especially the good ones who really don't run their starters at all. Why prolong the whole season and risk those injuries if these teams don't come out looking better.

Bills offense, pats offense. those two extra presesaon games didn't really seem to matter. Both offenses would have made the same mistakes without those games.

As for EB. i see your point, but the game shook down the way it shook down. i think it was close. the bills offense had some killer penaltiies and some worse drops. if TO didn't drop that third down conversion in the first half up 14-7 on a leading drive, the could have potentially really opened up the whole game and made the patriots totally one dimensional.

[Forward_Lateral]

Draftboy is right. The Bills made just as many mistakes as NE. This game could've been 45-44, or it could've been a blow out by either team. Buffalo handed the game to New England just as much as they handed it to Buffalo.

[Cleve]

Ebenezer has a valid point - if you look at the final stats for the game, it looks a lot more lopsided in the Patriot's favor. A 2 to 1 ratio of passing yards for the Patriots, 165 more total yards, more plays, more time of possession and fewer penalties.

<table class="tablehead" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">
</td><td>17</td><td>28</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Total Plays</td><td>48</td><td>77</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Total Yards</td><td>276</td><td>441</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Passing</td><td>186</td><td>368</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Rushing</td><td>90</td><td>73</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Red Zone (Made-Att)</td><td>2-2</td><td>3-5</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Penalties</td><td>9-71</td><td>6-55</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">3rd Down Conversions</td><td>4-10</td><td>10-16</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">4th Down Conversions</td><td>1-1</td><td>0-2</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Turnovers</td><td>1</td><td>1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Defensive / Special Teams TDs</td><td>1</td><td>0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Possession</td><td>22:52</td><td>37:08</td></tr></tbody></table>

[TheBrownBear]

The Pats timing was terrible in the first half. Had Brady & Co. been firing on all cylinders and had their timing down they could have put up 21 in the first half. Schobel makes an incredible play and scores a TD. This game was close on the scoreboard but not in reality. I am pumped for the Tampa game based on what I saw but I am no where near thinking this team can be better than 7-9 based on what I saw last night. Had this been week three NE could have put up 40.

It's funny because I felt the same way last night. But I think that was more a result of watching our collapse while the Pats shredded us to pieces in the last five minutes. Upon reflection, we really played a hell of a game on both sides of the ball up until the meltdown point. We took Brady out of his rhythm by applying pressure, we didn't give up the big play, and we made stops when we needed to. I also thought our offense did a good job of protecting the ball and capitalizing with timely scores.

Assuming we can bounce back emotionally, I think there were a lot of good signs last night. Most of which might be Trent showing signs of growth at the qb position. Remember, he looked completely lost against division foes last year.

[psubills62]

I give Schobel all the credit, no doubt. But plays like that happen once a year; you can't count on that happening again.

Plays like what? Interceptions? Turnovers happen all the time. You could also say that the Patriots got the benefit of a freak play too. Same for the Broncos on Sunday. But the fact of the matter is that it gave both of those teams the win. That's not something to disregard.

[Ickybaluky]

I never understand this kind of thinking. By definition, it was as close as it appears.

That is different from saying it would play out the same way if they played again, but nothing would be the same if they played again. It would all be a hypothetical.

The fact is the Bills did the things they needed to be in position to win the game. They didn't close the deal, though. That is the facts.

[BAM]

Well I guess someone had to start this thread.

Disagree 100%. Both teams made some big mistakes.

[JD]

Ebenezer has a valid point - if you look at the final stats for the game, it looks a lot more lopsided in the Patriot's favor. A 2 to 1 ratio of passing yards for the Patriots, 165 more total yards, more plays, more time of possession and fewer penalties.

<table class="tablehead" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">
</td><td>17</td><td>28</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Total Plays</td><td>48</td><td>77</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Total Yards</td><td>276</td><td>441</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Passing</td><td>186</td><td>368</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Rushing</td><td>90</td><td>73</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Red Zone (Made-Att)</td><td>2-2</td><td>3-5</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Penalties</td><td>9-71</td><td>6-55</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">3rd Down Conversions</td><td>4-10</td><td>10-16</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">4th Down Conversions</td><td>1-1</td><td>0-2</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Turnovers</td><td>1</td><td>1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Defensive / Special Teams TDs</td><td>1</td><td>0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow" align="center"><td class="bi" align="left">Possession</td><td>22:52</td><td>37:08</td></tr></tbody></table>


It's really not THAT lobsided. We had dropped passes and ****ty penalties that cost us 1st downs and subsequently..TIME OF POSESSION/PLAYS/ETC. Add the defensive touchdown in which the ball went right back to the Patriot offense, thats another 7 minutes that could have went on our side instead of theirs.

:cas:

[zone]

The plays that happen during the game are what determine the outcome at the end, nothing less and nothing more. You can not say, "if this" and "if that".

"If" I had a million dollars I would buy dijon ketchup.

[zone]

"If" the game ended 6 minutes earlier we would have won, or even 2 min earlier.

[DynaPaul]

Coulda shoulda woulda... give it a rest. The Gods of Football decreed that we would lose last night. Welcome to Buffalo.

[Nighthawk]

Sorry Eb but this is BS.

No, it's not. I was talking to a friend of mine and I put it this way...do you "watch" the games or do you "cheer" the games? If you are a person who "watches" the game, then you see everything that happens, good, bad, ugly. If you "cheer" the game, you are more likely to not see the reality that is taking place. The reality is that this defense did not play very well and did nothing spectacular besides the Schobel INT. They gave up 441 yards and allowed Brady to throw for 380 yards...hardly a "great" effort. The most important thing is that this defense never makes plays when they are needed most...at the end of games, to win games. This is my biggest concern with this team...the defense looks like it is going to be very mediocre this season. Perry Fewell has to come up with better gameplans and stop coaching "not-to-lose".

On the offensive side, I was pleasantly surprised with the game that AVP called and I'm encouraged to see how he progresses throughout the season. The screen passes were back in the offense and I loved it! Fred Jackson is a man among boys and should become a bigger part of this offense, even when Lynch comes back.

All of this said, the biggest hurdle this team needs to overcome is the coaching of Jauron and the losing culture that he has instilled in that organization. Here is to an interesting season!

[Michael82]

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/user_pics/7-1169656244.gif

[THATHURMANATOR]

No, it's not. I was talking to a friend of mine and I put it this way...do you "watch" the games or do you "cheer" the games? If you are a person who "watches" the game, then you see everything that happens, good, bad, ugly. If you "cheer" the game, you are more likely to not see the reality that is taking place. The reality is that this defense did not play very well and did nothing spectacular besides the Schobel INT. They gave up 441 yards and allowed Brady to throw for 380 yards...hardly a "great" effort. The most important thing is that this defense never makes plays when they are needed most...at the end of games, to win games. This is my biggest concern with this team...the defense looks like it is going to be very mediocre this season. Perry Fewell has to come up with better gameplans and stop coaching "not-to-lose".

On the offensive side, I was pleasantly surprised with the game that AVP called and I'm encouraged to see how he progresses throughout the season. The screen passes were back in the offense and I loved it! Fred Jackson is a man among boys and should become a bigger part of this offense, even when Lynch comes back.

All of this said, the biggest hurdle this team needs to overcome is the coaching of Jauron and the losing culture that he has instilled in that organization. Here is to an interesting season!
It is

[chernobylwraiths]

While I am just getting over the loss, I did go back and checked after reading this.

Sorry Eb, we still lost by only one point. A loss is a loss, but we WERE ahead the whole game until just under a minute left and we did lose by only one point. It WAS as close as it appeared, whether it was because the Pats played poorly or we got lucky, we 'almost' won that game. I guess you can't say we got lucky though.

[Jan Reimers]

The Pats timing was terrible in the first half. Had Brady & Co. been firing on all cylinders and had their timing down they could have put up 21 in the first half. Schobel makes an incredible play and scores a TD. This game was close on the scoreboard but not in reality. I am pumped for the Tampa game based on what I saw but I am no where near thinking this team can be better than 7-9 based on what I saw last night. Had this been week three NE could have put up 40.
The time of possession and total yardage numbers back up your theory, Eb.

[yordad]

The Pats timing was terrible in the first half. Had Brady & Co. been firing on all cylinders and had their timing down they could have put up 21 in the first half. Schobel makes an incredible play and scores a TD. This game was close on the scoreboard but not in reality. I am pumped for the Tampa game based on what I saw but I am no where near thinking this team can be better than 7-9 based on what I saw last night. Had this been week three NE could have put up 40.I agree. Logic would imply when this game is at home, we win, right? I think the Bills get blown out in that game.

In fact, I wish the score was as far apart as the game. It wouldn't have been such a heart breaker at the end.

[Philagape]

The most important thing is that this defense never makes plays when they are needed most...at the end of games, to win games.

The defense will never do that as long as it's designed to allow short passes and thereby stay on the field.
By the end of the game, the D is tired, and the opponent knows how to beat it by seeing so much of it.

[PECKERWOOD]

It all came down to the Leodis McKelvin fumble, I hate to say it because I do believe he is going to be great for us this year so I'm trying not to be too hard on him but logically, that's what lost us the game.

[Saratoga Slim]

I give Schobel all the credit, no doubt. But plays like that happen once a year; you can't count on that happening again.

Ints for touchdowns happen a lot more often than fumbling a kickoff with under 2 minutes left......just saying, this was a football game, and both teams benefited from a good bit of luck. That happens all the time. I think your point that we should have gotten killed is based mostly on a historical and "on paper" perspective of the teams rather than the game that was played last night.

If you knew nothing about either team and just showed up for the game, I think you would have come away with the impression that the teams both had their strengths and problems, but that overall the game was pretty even and the Pats won via a big mistake by McKelvin and Brady's ability to capitalize on it.

"On paper" I'd agree that it's likely the Pats will get better as Brady gets back up to speed - but that's an educated guess. If you take last night in a vacum, I'd say the division is very much up for grabs.