Two Bills Drive

‘Drew Bledsoe turned in a solid, if painful, day’s work against his former team. The vast majority of his teammates should be embarrassed to accept their paychecks. Buffalo’s defense, which acquired a spurious “improved” tag against a trio of battered, inexperienced and/or inept offenses as the Bills won three straight, served as a pathetic foil to the Patriots. The Bills couldn’t tackle their discarded former feature back, Antowain Smith, when he slammed up the middle. Or when he, or any other Patriot, caught a screen pass from Tom Brady. Much blame also falls on the Bills’ coaches, who were out-worked and out-thought by Bill Belichick and his staff. Buffalo offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride never adjusted to the blitzing Patriots or the no-down-linemen fronts New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel threw at Bledsoe. After the game, the Bills continued acting as if they’d never seen, or even imagined, the innovation. Even though the Patriots used it extensively in similarly confusing Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams in last February’s Super Bowl.’

‘Which team had won three in a row and which one had dropped four straight?’

‘”That was picture perfect for us today,” said linebacker WIllie McGinest. “My hat’s off to our offense. They set the tone for us. They came out right away and scored.”‘

‘OK, so the New England Patriots aren’t dead. But they sure made the Buffalo Bills play as if they were.’

‘You want the team you knew and loved last season back? You got it. At least for one afternoon.’

‘This is how bad Drew Bledsoe’s day turned out. The New England Patriots felt sorry for him.’

‘The Pats have had him all year. They just haven’t used him very much.’

Watch video highlights from Sunday's game vs. New England.

‘There’s nothing like the Buffalo Bills defense to cure what ails ya.’

‘Smith said this week he was determined to be a two-way weapon. “I took it upon myself to go out and get better at catching the ball, try and take the pressure off so we weren’t so predictable,” he said.’

‘"Man, it was bad," Bills cornerback Nate Clements said. "They made some good plays, but we were terrible today. We just got beat across the board."’

‘The New England Patriots’ 38-7 drubbing of the Bills was Buffalo’s worst home loss in 19 years, since a 31-0 loss to the Pats in 1983.’

‘"They mixed it up with a lot of different looks to try and confuse our protection," Bledsoe said. "Then when we had to kind of change our approach and attack a little bit more, they were able to try and confuse our protection a little bit."’

‘"Antowain did a super job," Pats coach Bill Belichick said. "You just can’t say enough about Antowain Smith. He’s run hard all year. I’m sure it’s good for him to do it here. He’s a good back. I’m glad we got him."’

‘Most of all, it was a coaching clinic by the Pats’ Bill Belichick. In the pregame hype, the game was billed as "Brady versus Bledsoe" or "Bledsoe versus Belichick." No one contemplated the "Belichick versus Williams" battle, which the Pats’ genius won by a technical knockout.’