Two Bills Drive

‘Sherman, the likable, detail-oriented first-year coach, wasn’t about to take a barrel over Niagara Falls just because his team lost. But he was more realist than optimist after this defeat. "I really thought we could come up here and I really thought we could win a football game, in spite of the fact that this is a great football team," Sherman said when asked in what direction he thought the Packers were headed now. "We had a great week of practice. I think we addressed issues during practice that needed to be addressed. But for whatever reason, we didn’t get it done up here today. We have to look and analyze that. I’m not happy being 0-2. We didn’t perform well enough at any phase."’

‘The…survey, from a Philadelphia firm called CAP Index Inc…rates the safety of neighborhoods where NFL stadiums are located. CAP bills itself as experts on crime. According to their study the New England Patriots play in the lowest-risk location — Foxboro, Mass. The Bills, based in Orchard Park, and Green Bay Packers play in the second least risky location.’

‘But the Bills (2-0) have one of the best defenses in football and dominated the Packers in two ways. First, a week after holding Pro Bowl running back Eddie George of Tennessee to only 37 yards and a 2.2-yard rushing average, they held the Packers to only 40 yards rushing. Second, they dominated the Packers on third down, allowing Green Bay to convert only two of 12 third-down plays.’

‘Antuan Edwards, starting Sunday in place of the injured Mike McKenzie, sprained his left knee midway through the third quarter of the Packers’ 27-18 loss to the Buffalo Bills.’

‘At times, the Packers rushed quarterback Rob Johnson, getting five sacks and forcing an interception. At times, they stuffed the run. Buffalo averaged just 2.6 yards rushing a carry. Yet the Bills still managed to pile up 309 yards of offense, including 85 yards on third down, where a myriad of mishaps plagued the Packers.’

‘On the Green Bay Packers’ second play from scrimmage in their 27-18 loss to Buffalo, Dotson doubled over in pain as his ailing back seized up and forced him to leave the field.’

‘The Packers ran just 16 times for 40 yards and got just one first down via the run. Three times the Packers ran on third down. Three times they were held in check.’

‘If Mike Sherman wants to instill confidence, he can start by putting his offensive background to good use. He needs to get more involved in the play-calling, unless he is to blame for the lame third-down calls, in which case he should get out of his offensive coordinator’s way.’

‘Brett Favre didn’t show any of the rust in the Packers’ 27-18 loss to Buffalo on Sunday that was evident in last week’s loss to the New York Jets. Favre missed the final three preseason games because of tendinitis in his right elbow, and it showed early in his 14-of-34 performance against the Jets. But against the Bills, he completed his first 14 passes and finished 25-of-35 for 269 yards.’

‘The gory details for the winless visitors, as witnessed by 72,722, included four fumbles fueled by a fearsome Bills defense, a close encounter between quarterback Brett Favre and running back Ahman Green and no fewer than five injured players and an equally harsh specter of a season on the brink. The sight of blood on the front of Bills quarterback Rob Johnson’s pants afterward was a testament to how frightening things are going for the Packers after two games. "It isn’t good," said Favre, matter-of-factly.’

‘Edwards, the Green Bay Packers’ 1999 first-round draft pick making only his second NFL start, was picked on relentlessly by a Rob Johnson-led Buffalo Bills offense. The Bills went after Edwards because he was filling in for Mike McKenzie, injured in the season opener, at left cornerback.’

‘The most telltale indication is the disparity in the sacks column. Against the Jets: 0. Against the Bills: 5. "A lot was made of how much pressure we weren’t putting on the quarterback in the preseason," said Packers’ nose tackle Russell Maryland. Unlike the Jets, who ran draw and screen plays and thus forced the Packers to be passive with an otherwise aggressive scheme implemented by new coordinator Ed Donatell, the Bills’ fondness of the pass enabled a hungry group of Packers to let loose. They dropped quarterback Rob Johnson behind the line of scrimmage four times in the first half, only one of which was by a lineman – end John Thierry. The other three evolved out of blitzes by safeties LeRoy Butler and Darren Sharper and linebacker Nate Wayne. "We took a lot more chances, and those gambles that we took, they worked," said Maryland, "as opposed to last week when we may not have run as many, and when we did, we weren’t as successful."’

‘"You win a ballgame like this, it kind of makes the aches and pains feel a little bit better," said Favre, who is less than 100 percent physically with tendinitis in his throwing elbow and a sprained thumb on the same right arm. "But, when you lose, it seems like they’re twice as bad."’

‘The Packers-Bills’ game was scoreless until 44 seconds remained in the first half. But a sequence of plays after Buffalo finally broke through for the game’s first touchdown seemed to make the difference in the outcome.’

‘Given that the Buffalo Bills don’t have a single starter sidelined by injury, let alone four of their 10 best players like the Packers, it should have been a foregone conclusion who would win. All the point spread – Bills by 6 – really indicated is that the oddsmakers haven’t caught up yet to how truly weakened the Packers are.’