I don't think Jerry Rice would have made any difference today. There were serious protection issues. Brady had no time to throw the ball in the first half today.
He was getting hit by free pass rushers. Of course, the flip side of that is that pinning your ears back, Freeny-style pass rushing, leaves the defense vulnerable to getting gashed by the run game. Which is exactly what happened.
I actually thought the the Pats were impatient with their play calling in the first half. There were several "drives" where they seemed determined to throw the ball, no matter what. Probably shoulda just stuck to the run until Buffalo stopped the Pats from ripping off 5 yards at a crack.
Part of the fun of opening day, I guess.
