Two Bills Drive

There's a common piece of advice that parents give to their kids, and teachers give to their students: Don't be afraid to make mistakes.

That wisdom doesn't work so well in football.

‘On Monday, Bills linebackers Keith Newman and Eddie Robinson faced the possibility that they combined for just one tackle Sunday in a 28-23 loss to the Denver Broncos.’

‘Buffalo’s Drew Bledsoe has thrown for 1,017 yards and six touchdowns; New England’s Tom Brady has 973 yards passing and nine TDs. Both are on pace to break Dan Marino’s record of 5,084 passing yards in a season.’

‘The Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos game on Sept. 22 drew a record TV audience in the Western New York market since meters have been used to measure viewing habits.’

‘Said Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce: “Buffalo caught up to us a little bit, but I think it might have been more Drew Bledsoe than so much the Bills.” Indeed, the Bills have given up 104 points. Only the Jets and Lions have allowed more. But neither of those teams has Bledsoe.’ requires registration

‘The Bills, who have yet to make an interception, are confident that if they keep pressure on the quarterback, turnovers will happen. They forced none against Denver. The Broncos, meanwhile, turned a Travis Henry fumble into a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. That underscored the importance of takeaways.’

‘I like Travis Henry. He’s tough and talented but he’s yet to find a level of consistency anywhere near that of the best ball carriers in the NFL and I’m not sure it’s all his fault. One reason might be the way he’s used. Buffalo has a big offensive line and linemen love to run block. But in these last two games, Buffalo has run the ball just 28 times and passed it 90. Teams pass when they’re behind in the fourth quarter, which the Bills were, but they didn’t bother to establish a running tone early.’

‘Chicago’s defense will pose quite a challenge for Drew Bledsoe. The Bears, led by magnificent middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, limited New Orleans’ Deuce McAllister to 45 yards rushing and they forced three Saints turnovers. This might mean Bledsoe will have to air it out (again), but that’s a scary proposition with big-play safety Mike Brown lurking in the secondary.’

‘"To me, that was a lack of respect," Prioleau said. "I take it as a slap in the face. I think that’s the kind of bitter taste we need in our mouths this week to come out and play a good game. That will definitely carry over."’

Photos of Sunday's 28-23 loss at Denver.

In particular, we’re talking about weaknesses such as Buffalo’s running game, its inability to stop the opponent’s running game and its inability to force turnovers.

he bottom line for us offensively is that we’ve got to be better at starting games. We’re digging holes for ourselves and leaving ourselves with problems at the end of games. It’s hard to overcome those all the time."

‘Like Kelly two football generations before, Bledsoe has given hope to those fans who need it, and entertainment to everyone else. At some point, he might even provide we mean-spirited columnists with a little fodder.’

‘”I think, when we look at the film,” said Bills’ middle linebacker London Fletcher, “we’ll realize that the Broncos didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves.”‘

‘Tellingly, cornerback Antoine Winfield led the Bills with nine tackles, all unassisted.’