Two Bills Drive

‘Another uninspiring effort by Rob Johnson, who converted just 2 of 12 third downs against Bill Belichick’s defense and was sacked five times (most his fault). Left the game with a serious shoulder injury with 4:17 left so you win the office pool if you picked eight starts as the number of games he would last. D+’

”’We got lucky today,” said Patriots receiver Troy Brown. ”That’s a pretty good football team.” Brown’s comments may be a stretch, because the Bills are far from good. And the Patriots weren’t ”lucky” all the time, at times they were good.”

”’He was very excited. You could tell this morning when he walked in,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who handed the ball to Smith 20 times and watched as he gained 100 yards, the final 42 of which locked up a 21-11 victory at Foxboro Stadium. ”He really wanted to make an impression. He came out and ran hard – he always runs hard – even there at the end, he was real excited to break that one off.”’

‘He lost the ball, he lost great gulps of yardage, he lost a bushel of points from his quarterback rating yesterday at Foxboro Stadium. But he didn’t lose the game.’

‘The Bills finished a borderline morose 2 for 12 (17 percent) on third-down attempts. They totaled only 68 yards rushing and a barely respectable 173 net yards in the air. On an afternoon when neither side showed the ability or inclination to control play, it was the New England defense that did the better job of surviving along the breakdown line on the south side of Route 1.’

‘To prevent that condition from continuing, the Bills installed the West Coast offense in Buffalo this summer, hoping to help Johnson get rid of the ball quicker and hence reduce his sacks and his injuries. Unfortunately for the Bills, by then Buffalo’s offense already had left for the West Coast.’

‘The Patriots are expected to announce within two days that quarterback Drew Bledsoe has been cleared by the medical staff to play Sunday night against the Rams.’

”’If we don’t control the ball on offense and hold on to it, you don’t want to put our defense in position to be on the field that long against that team. We’re on a roll right now. It feels great to be over .500 finally, but we have to play better than we did [today]."’

‘"We lacked the consistency we’d really like to have, but you have to recognize Buffalo (1-7) has a much better team than their record indicates," said the coach. "We’ve had games like this where we’ve had lapses and mistakes and lost. It’s good to get one."’

‘Battling an All-Pro wide receiver mano-a-mano has always been a welcome challenge for Patriots cornerback Ty Law. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Eric Moulds, a two-time All-Pro, has resided in the top strata of the NFL’s pass catchers since breaking into the league in 1996. Decision: Law.’

‘Shake the hand of the big man – Antowain Smith.’

‘For those interested in how the upstart quarterback came back to earth after impressively leading the Pats to a 4-2 record in relief of the injured Drew Bledsoe, Brady did not make excuses for a performance during which he was sacked seven times and fumbled twice.’

‘"We didn’t help him out," said receiver Eric Moulds, referring in part to the Bills’ continued propensity for penalties, especially in the red zone. "I told the guys that we have to help him out in some way. But we keep going backwards, and I don’t know what it is. We don’t have any identity as a team right now. And we haven’t given Rob an opportunity to look over the defense the way he has to if we’re going to have a chance."’

‘The wind was a huge factor, and kicking the ball to the north end zone was hazardous, as Buffalo punter Brian Moorman (kicks of 12 and 20 yards) will attest. Pats kicker Adam Vinatieri, who came into the game having made 13-of-14 field goals, missed twice (from 43 and 45 yards) into the wind.’

‘Playing against a team that is just 1-7 on the season, the Pats did not make it easy on themselves. Their turnovers included two (one interception, one huge fumble late in the game) by quarterback Tom Brady. The seven penalties against the Pats cost them 75 yards. The injury-riddled offensive line yielded seven sacks. Adam Vinatieri missed field-goal attempts from 43 and 45 yards, one wide right, the other wide left. "Certainly, it was a game that we had mistakes," acknowledged Pats coach Bill Belichick.’