By Tim Schmitt
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. — There’s excruciating. As in forgetting to properly administer the anesthesia when you’re going in for organ removal.
Then there’s using a chain saw to get those organs free.
As if you need to know, Monday night’s demoralizing loss on the road to a team universally considered the Super Bowl favorite would fall into the latter.
Usually, a tight loss at Gillette Stadium would be the definition of moral victory. But Monday night’s loss to New England didn’t just put the Bills at an inconvenient 0-1, a spot they hoped to avoid when they signed Terrell Owens in the off-season.
It tried to steal the team’s will to live.
But if, however difficult, the Bills wake up today and realize they went toe-to-toe with the league’s best, there are plenty of good things to glean from this potentially devastating loss:
• The Bills defense is as good as we thought it could be. Although the Patriots rolled through in the fourth quarter, you have to remember that was Tom Brady the Bills were facing. Not Byron Leftwich or Brady Quinn. Tom Brady. And for the most part, Buffalo did a good job keeping Brady off-balance and stuffing the mighty Patriots offense twice on fourth down.
• Reggie Corner continued to show he’s a playmaker. Corner broke up a pass on fourth down and did a decent job on Wes Welker in the slot, even though Welker ended up with a dozen catches.
• Shawn Nelson had a key penalty and a dropped pass, but he proved he’s for real. Nelson saw extensive playing time, making a great play on the offense’s lone touchdown and springing Freddy Jackson free on sizable running gains more than once. Nelson will be the starter soon — maybe even by Week 4. He adds a dimension that Bills haven’t had in a long time.
• Despite four penalties on Demetrius Bell — a few that would not have been called on a veteran tackle — the offensive line did better than any in recent memory. The holes weren’t huge, but Freddy Jackson didn’t have to dodge anyone in the backfield and Trent Edwards was at least afforded the chance to look for his second read.
• Jackson continued to show that he’s a back that deserves more touches in this league. Aside from hitting holes quickly, he made a number of nice catches, after he bobbled and dropped his first opportunity. Jackson is not a retread replacement — he’s a legitimate National Football League threat.
• Maybe Turk Schonert really was the problem. The Bills got people moving across the field, not just downfield eight yards before turning around. If this is the offense the Bills put on display all season, there might be hope after all.
• Jairus Byrd got a ton of time on the field, and didn’t kill the team while he was out there. Buffalo’s secondary was already a strength, and with Byrd and Bryan Scott mixing in, the group only gets better.
Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.
