Two Bills Drive

Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback: "… you get into the game and see John Fina, supposedly the anchor of this group, playing like an Arena League cuttee and letting the Saints turnstile him on the way to Rob Johnson. Then there's the matter of adjusting to the West Coast offense, a Buffalo first, and switching from the 3-4 to the 4-3. I mean, who in their right mind could have predicted how the Bills would play in the opener, not to mention this season?"

‘After seven months of buildup, the Gregg Williams regime got under way Sunday – with disappointing results.’

‘Whenever they get first-and-goal on the 1-yard line, they had better score a touchdown. And whenever their quarterback throws three interceptions, they are virtually assured of losing. Those were the realities played out in the Bills’ 24-6 season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.’

‘Henry ran for 58 yards on 22 carries in the Bills’ 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, but his performance was better than the numbers might indicate.’

‘"I really didn’t run it in the first half," said the 5-foot-10, 240-pound Williams. "They came out in the Bears’ defense and we practiced all week for it, but I don’t think we really thought they were going to play it. We came out in the second half and gave them some different looks and we did a good job."’

‘He did not get knocked out of the game. That’s a positive. But the new offense was a huge disappointment. It’s supposed to put pressure on defenses by giving the QB multiple options, but that didn’t stop the Saints from taking Moulds out of the game.’

‘Circumstance says it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions on the Buffalo defense Gregg Williams and coordinator Jerry Gray have tinkered with without cease. Are the Bills as good as they looked in the first half? They played the final three quarters minus standout linebacker Sam Cowart. Might they thrive without him if his Achilles injury is serious?’

‘"I’m happy with my start," Arians said. "Obviously, it would be a lot sweeter if it had come in a victory. But I just went out there, tried to relax and hit the ball cleanly."’

‘Big Picture: This was the one the Bills needed to have, and now they’re in danger of getting the Gregg Williams era off to a slow start. Next up are the Miami Dolphins and then the Indianapolis Colts, both on the road, and early indications are both will again contend for the AFC East crown. There’s a very real possibility that Buffalo will be 0-3 heading into its next home game Sept. 30 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.’

‘The secondary’s cause was aided by a relentless pass rush. The pregame focus targeted the Saints’ matchups against the inexperienced right side of the Bills line. But it was right end Joe Johnson who had made the biggest impact, wearing out left tackle John Fina for three sacks and eight tackles.’

‘"This was Saints’ weather," winked Johnson, who spent most of Sunday either putting the hug on quarterback Rob Johnson or creating havoc in the trenches. "As the second half wore on, they were pretty much gassed out. Let’s give some credit to that Thibodaux humidity."’

‘"(Rob Johnson) is a pocket passer," Johnson said. "That’s what he is. You hate to play against the Donovan McNabbs and Jeff Garcias of the world, guys who can move around. So, any time you can play against a pocket passer, you got to take advantage of it."’

‘"The thing about the first half was that we didn’t score many points," Johnson said. "We only scored six points, and we were dominating them. If we could have scored some touchdowns in the first half, it would have been a lot better. "We hit a couple of 30-yard passes but we just didn’t get in the flow offensively. We didn’t have a good idea of what they were doing defensively."’

‘Sunday’s sellout crowd of 71,447 (2,520 no-shows) is not unusual for this football-crazed community. The Bills sold approximately 37,500 season tickets, meaning the walk-up crowd approached 35,000. By comparison, the Saints sold approximately 43,500 season tickets, and more than 15,000 tickets remain for their home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.’

‘In his 19th regular-season start for the Bills – for whom he is now 8-11 in three seasons-plus – Johnson had those three interceptions, was sacked five times and gained an unremarkable 160 yards through the air on 16-of-27 passing. Most importantly, his offense generated two field goals in the first half, produced no points in the second and inspired throaty boos from the sweltering crowd of 71,447 (so many of whom remain staunch Flutie fans) throughout.’