ORCHARD PARK — Ryan Fitzpatrick was wearing it. Perry Fewell too. Even the ostentatious Terrell Owens had it on display.

A blank look of humility, one that so many Bills players and coaches have brought to the Ralph Wilson Stadium podium over the past decade, was the common thread after yet another lackluster loss to the mighty New England Patriots on Sunday.

Fitzpatrick, Fewell and T.O. didn’t have to say it. You could see it in each one of their eyes as they spoke after the 17-10 defeat.

They know the Patriots are simply better. Coached better. Built better with a better owner and a better talent level.

Forget the infuriating run of the 1970s, when the Miami Dolphins beat the Bills 20 straight times.

This is worse. Here’s why:

When the Dolphins enjoyed their way with the Bills, the league didn’t have measures in place to help bad teams get better and tear great teams apart. Build a nucleus and you had yourself a good team for a long stretch. Sure, the draft helped a tiny bit, giving better players to the worst teams, but the rebuilding process could take years.

But now, between the salary cap, free agency and technological advances, nobody stays bad for long. Guys help a team win a Super Bowl, then jump ship weeks after for a few more bucks. Successful coordinators gobble up head coaching gigs.

Because of the movement, everybody knows what everybody else is doing. Few teams stay dominant.

Then there’s the one-sided relationship between the Bills and Pats. Buffalo comprehends its place in the AFC East caste system. The Bills are like the anonymous henchman trying to slow Austin Powers’ father in “Goldmember.”

You almost expect Tom Brady to look at Chris Draft or Bryan Scott and don an English accent.

“I mean, look at you. You don’t even have a name tag,” Brady would say. “You’ve got no chance. Why don’t you just fall down?”

And they do. With a penalty that negated an opening-drive touchdown. A Josh Reed drop on what would have clearly been a touchdown. Pass interference penalties here. False start penalties there.

Owens said it best when he spoke sincerely after Sunday’s humiliating loss. Humiliating mostly because the Patriots didn’t play well, yet never really had to worry about the outcome.

“I think it’s just going to take some changes,” Owens said when asked what it will take for the Bills to beat the Patriots in a rivalry he’ll never have to worry about after two more weeks.

“Something has to be done, and again, those are not my decisions to make. I’m just trying to live up to my end of the bargain.”

Owens’ tune has changed quickly since coming to Buffalo. He squabbled lightly with the media during the season’s first month, once repeating the same answer over and over. He often slumped off the line of scrimmage and rarely threw a block.

But even Owens has a different podium presence as the season has lumbered on. He no longer looks the part of a brooding superstar.

It’s only taken nine months as a Bill for T.O. to get the glazed look of subservience that so many before him have had.

But at least he’s kept perspective in his new-found role. Changes. Radical changes. Without them, this relationship will continue just like it did Sunday — with the Patriots using the Bills as a play toy.

Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.