An Emotional Win, but There's Work to be Done

This game was not at all like many fans and the team wanted, but they stumbled and bumbled, almost fell down the stairs, but came to life in the last five minutes with a furious passion, stealing the W from a stunned Bills squad. It had all the rainbow of emotions, from anticipation and nervousness to disappointment and a deep despair. But in those minutes of doom, there emerged an optimism that exploded into joy and a euphoria of pleasure. Not many games go through all of these with the intensity of this opening game and hopefully some of the negative ones won't come back for awhile.
It was not a game that was anything like it was planned. Some games are that way as the pundits and analysts have it all pegged way before and the game plays out more or less like they predicted. This one was not at all like that as the Bills played strong most of the game, while the Patriots stumbled and bumbled until their machine like intense comeback.

Momentum Movement-----The Patriots had it at first, but it drained away quickly losing the ball on downs and with a missed field goal, two drives stalled in Buffalo territory. It was here that the Bills grabbed it, got their touchdown and kept it into the second quarter. The Pats had it for a short time tying the game, but just as quickly with Schobel's great interception and run, took it back. It was Buffalo with the momentum into the third quarter with the downing of a punt inside the 5, stopping another Patriot drive on downs and adding a field goal to put then up by a touchdown. This strong momentum peaked in a long drive in the fourth, with a poor call on Thomas and what seemed like a nail in the coffin touchdown to put them ahead by 11. The Patriots quietly regained a bit of it with a score and ripped it from the Bills with a vengeance as McKelvin had the ball it stripped away from him on the kickoff. From that point on, it was the Patriot team that had it until the game ended.

Tipping Point-----Without a doubt, the key play was the fumble on the kickoff. After Meriwether hit him hard and Woods pulled the ball out for the Gostkowski recovery, everything shifted dramatically. Brady and the Pats had the ball and I think all fans knew at this point, it was more a matter of how the Pats took the lead, than if. Ben Watson's big catch in the endzone gave the team the lead, but momentum had shifted incredibly with that special teams takeaway.

Stat Check-----The Patriots held the ball for almost a quarter longer, 37:08 to the Bills 22:52, led in net yards, 441 to 276 and first downs, 28 to 17, but might have lost the game were it not for the late turnover in the game. The Bills were 2/2 in red zone efficiency as opposed to the Patriots, 3/5, and that kept the Bills in ahead in the game.

The Patriots really came out like they were running on a few cylinders missing. There were passes overthrown, underthrown and dropped. And when Mayo went down, it seemed like just another horrible stumble. Of all the players on the team to lose to an injury, Mayo was the one everyone feared. He was the one player that was key on this young defense and early on, he was out and gone. But the defense hung in there and really did not do all that bad, considering their youth and that their most important player was gone.
Moss and Welker had drops on easy tosses early in the game, both open on the short routes, and both would have gained yardage, but that was only part of the Patriot's stall. There were passes by Brady that were way too high or too low and other missteps that slowed the team. And Buffalo did play extremely well on defense at the start. Maroney's 4th down carry was doomed from the start as the Buffalo D was pushing hard against the Pats left of the line. Ellison was in fast with WIlliams and the play stopped with no gain. It was the same later in the quarter as Mitchell and Johnson took down Faulk shy of a first down, forcing a field goal attempt. And the fact that Gostkowski sliced it to the right and missed it, only made the situation worse.
It was Schobel that again proved to be Brady's nemesis. He sacked Brady late in the first and in the second quarter came up with a great interception. As Brady was trying to throw a screen, he got his hand up to tip the ball, but he was able to tip it to himself for the interception. Then, it was off to the races and Morris tackled him right before the goal line, but Schobel's momentum pulled him into the endzone for the score.
In the third quarter, it was all Moss on their first drive, or so it seemed, with passes to the right, to the left and to the middle. They were determined to drive down and complete a series with a score, but a 3rd down pass was low and the 4th down play, just off target away from Welker's hands. Their next drive was similar, with a 3rd down pass being thrown low to Buffalo lineman Schobel, who was in the right place at the right time.
But with their backs against the wall, facing a mountain of adversity, Brady took over and slowly picked apart the Buffalo D, driving upfield for a big touchdown pass to Watson. When they got the ball back seconds later, he continued and carved another, with Watson making a diving catch in the endzone to go ahead. Brady was back with his magic.
The D struggled with Mayo out, the first play after his going out being a screen to Jackson for 21 yards to the 12. The no huddle did not really bother the defense all that much, but the Bills were able to sustain drives when it counted. That big 4th quarter drive lasted over six minutes as they drained the clock. The Patriot D could not stop them at all. On a 3rd and 15, it was a screen to Jackson that went for 18 and on a 3rd and 3, it was Jackson again that took a pitch out and gained enough for the first down. After the Thomas penalty seemed to take the air out of the Pats D, Edwards scrambled up the middle for 9 on a 3rd down play and it was capped with another screen to Jackson for the 10 yard touchdown.
What was really good though was the Patriot defensive backfield. Bodden, Wilhite, Springs and company kept the Bills receivers in check for the most part and that was key. Owens only caught 1, one in that last furious last second drive, only one that was for over 25, and that was a short pass that he ran for yardage after the catch. Evans had 3, but was limited to short catches. Bodden and Meriwether slammed into receivers as they caught the ball and made plays, one of the biggest in the 2nd quarter on a 3rd down. The pass downfield to Evans was on the money, but Bodden hit him hard, the ball loose and incomplete.
Maroney started the game with a big kickoff return, but the big play was key turnover when it counted. Meriwether and Woods both deserve credit for the takeaway. Gostkowski missed a field goal early, but hits two others and made the big fumble recovery at the last minute.

Thumbs Down-----1) Matt Light--He didn't have a good game as Schobel was beating him a lot of the time. The tripping penalty did not help either, but Buffalo got a big advantage early coming in from that left side. 2) Tom Brady (1st half into the 3rd quarter)--This was the rusty Tom, the tentative Tom that was missing on a number of passes at key times. Nervousness, jitters, it was not good and a big disappointment for a lot of the game. 3) The linebackers--They had a lot of trouble on screens and short passes to tight ends, really where the Bills got the large chunks of their yardage on offense. Granted Mayo was out, but there really needs to be improvement in this area.

Thumbs Up-----1) Brady (late 4th quarter)--This was the Brady of old, this time leading the team back from a 11 point deficit with five and a half minutes left. That is the Brady that this team needs. 2) The defensive backfield--They basically blanketed the quick and strong wideouts of the Bills, which was something needed. 3) Ben Watson--He came up with 6 catches,the last two touchdowns, the last one a great grab diving for the ball, and a key third down catch on the Patriot's drive to end the half. 4) Lawrence Maroney--Besides the exploding kickoff return of 52 yards to open the game, he had some nice runs early on.

Bumps and Bruises---New England--LB Mayo--He was out with a knee injury in the first quarter and that really hurt all game long as the Bills offense exploited with short passes. Buffalo--LB Posluszny--He broke his arm in the 2nd quarter. DE Chris Kelsay injured his knee in the final thirty seconds of the half. Both did not return and hurt the Buffalo defense in the second half.

While the team came out with a big W, there has to be little celebrating as the team was sluggish and out of synch for a lot of the game. Against a better opponent, they would have had a lot more trouble and a better quarterback would have picked apart the defense a lot easier. With Mayo out for awhile, they need to make adjustments and stop the short passes. That will be real important in the next stretch of games.
The comeback showed a lot of character and that is a big plus to have, but they can not put themselves in the hole like they did, for against many teams, that will be a hole that they will not come out of.

Play Under the Radar--Although this play was quite above the radar, Gostkowski's recovery was done smartly. He ran up watching the play, but did not just jump into the pile, but hung back a bit klooking closely as to what was happening. When he saw the ball was loose and close, he was right there to make the recovery and grab the ball, knowing where players were and what was needed. It was a smart play and it led to a big win.

The Chalkboard---There were two things that really seemed to stand out. One was how Van Pelt used the screen pass for big gainers. None went for losses, one was dropped, but the others went for some nice yardage. There were 5 to Jackson from a long one of 21 to a 10 yarder that was their final score. All worked and the Pats D did seemed to be clueless as to how to stop them.
On the other hand, it was a big mistake to have McKelvin run the kickoff out of the endzone. Whether this was Demontie Cross's decision or one from Jauron, it really did not make much sense. The Bills had their 'hands' team out there and with many of them up close to the ten yard mark. That left McKelvin back alone with a few blockers and the other players further away than usual. If he had taken a knee, brought it out to the 20, the Patriots would have had a few more seconds and a time out, but was that worth a gamble at losing the ball? It was a bad gamble, especially with the fact that he had fumbled on his return earlier in the fourth quarter. It seemed like a blunder of major proportions.

The Whistle---The two calls against the Patriots for roughing the passer had to be two of the worst of the week in general. The only one close was the call on Al Harris in the Green Bay game and that was so petty, it was truly pathetic. These two were a bit less blatant, but nonetheless still quite bad.
The first was on Wilfork and it was the Brady rule that seemed to be in effect there. The only problem was that Wilfork tackled him waist high, what many consider a real textbook tackle. Edwards was going back and down, so his grasp came down a bit to his thighs, but in no way was it anything close to the rule. That this was called was rather cheap and instead of the Pats getting the ball in good position after the punt, Moorman's backspinner nailed it at the Pats 3. What was so odd with this call was that Edward's throw away, which could have been intentional grounding, was ignored entirely. He was not out of the pocket and just threw it to keep from being sacked. The rule as stated. "A rushing defender is prohibited from forcibly hitting in the knee area or below a passer who has one or both feet on the ground, even if the initial contact is above the knee. It is not a foul if the defender is blocked (or fouled) into the passer and has no opportunity to avoid him." Clearly, Wilfork's tackle was way above the knee, around his waist.
The Thomas one was a bit closer and maybe more understandable, but it was still one that could easily have gone the other way with a no call. If Edwards had stopped his momentum and given up on the play, to me that would have been a good call. But Edwards was fighting to get away arms and legs in motion for that escape. The whistle blew, but it was more in the middle of Thomas's actions. What is a player to do when a quarterback is fighting for yardage? There is no 'in the grasp" calls and when one is called, like last year, when Cassell broke free for an apparent touchdown, it's the other way, called too soon. Edwards was in the grasp, not going down and no whistle was being blown by the ref like it should have been. If the ref blew one, there would have been no throw down and obvious no penalty. The rule as stated. "When tackling a passer who is in a virtually defenseless posture (e.g., during or just after throwing a pass), a defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw him down and land on top of him with all or most of the defender’s weight. Instead, the defensive player must strive to wrap up or cradle the passer with the defensive player’s arms.” Firstly, Edwards was with the ball and not throwing it in a defenseless position. He also did not land on him with his weight, nor was his action unnecessary given that Edwards was doing anything he could to escape being tackled.
I totally understand the sentiments of not wanting a quarterback to be injured, but on the other hand, does the league wish to totally make rules where the quarterback is playing more flag football? I think these two calls has to bring that into question.
A lot of the problem is there is a total lack of consistency of what is being called from game to game. One can clearly write words into a rule book and yet have fifteen or so different ways they are being interpreted. The NFL has done nothing at all to make this any easier for players or for the officials. Given the zillions of hours of game films, it's embarrassing that they have not made efforts to get officials together and to very easily show what is and what is not a penalty, and to decide that for all, so that there would be some consistency. It seems like this could really help bolster the integrity of the game. Instead, it's the judgement of officials, the league twisting logic to justify any call made and many fans wondering if there's not something else going on under the table. The league could do a great deal for themselves, the officials, players and fans by doing something like that in the offseason. Instead, it's rogue officials doing what they have done in the past and fans wondering if it's all legit or leaning more to the WWF.
Even the so called spearing call on Whitner in the last part of the third quarter was questionable. It's time to get officials on the same page instead of different chapters.

Last Thoughts--There is a lot for the team to do to improve. The Jets are not the Bills and already it feels like it's the Super Bowl for the team in Green. It was great that the Patriot team won, but much time is needed on all sides of the ball, so that a miracle finish is not needed.
To those so called fans of the Bills that vandalized McKelvin's property, the only place they need to be is in jail and banned from the stadium. They are more thugs than fans and that is something that is every real NFL knows.