SCHMITT: Look at the positives in Monday's loss

Tim's Take

Related Photos

September 14, 2009

By Tim Schmitt The Niagara Gazette Mon Sep 14, 2009, 11:32 PM EDT

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.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Tim's Take

TIM'S TAKE: ‘Stevie’ gives Bills piece to grow on
Sorry to sound skeptical, but as I slink down into the mancave’s easy chair to take in the masochistic experience we call a Sunday Bills game, I’m looking for three things, some of which you’d rarely expect while rooting for the home team.

November 7, 2010
TIM'S TAKE: Late round Bills picks making their mark
As easy as it is to get caught up in an electrifying offensive performance against a Baltimore defense which long held the title of most feared, something kept rubbing me the wrong way during Sunday’s 37-34 overtime thriller.

October 24, 2010 1 Photo
TIM'S TAKE: Women’s soccer timing might be right
It got us talking. Sure, the news that a Women’s Professional Soccer franchise is reportedly playing half its home games at Niagara University is hardly a national headline, but having Niagara County’s first-ever, top-level pro sports team makes the tidbit an interesting one.

September 25, 2010
TIM'S TAKES: Lew-Port scandal sheds light on union work

This is a sad place we’ve reached, where we continue to protect teachers rather than informing parents about the actions of those who deal with our children.

September 11, 2010
TIM'S TAKE: Lee Wallace leaves behind legacy
The telephone. That’s what Lee Wallace was trying to escape when the longtime Niagara County Community College athletics director finally hung it up at the end of last month after more than a decade on the job.

September 4, 2010
TIM'S TAKE: Can Hamilton learn from our mistakes?
The Canadian city is attempting to use the blunders from previous Western New York projects as a harbinger of potential pitfalls that come from failed urban planning

August 21, 2010
TIM'S TAKE: Cooley case
Let’s just say we’re saddened, but not entirely surprised, by the news that Austin Cooley has been told he can’t return to Niagara University.Cooley has, by all accounts, physical attributes to his game that should have made him an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player. Instead, he struggled to get playing time with Alpha dogs like Bilal Benn and Tyrone Lewis in the lineup.

August 14, 2010
TIM'S TAKES: Late notes from Porter Cup
So we’re a week late, but with some Porter Cup thoughts still lingering, why not get them out, right?

August 7, 2010
TIM'S TAKE: Finally, Sabres keep foot on gas
The Sabres have had a knack for taking it easy once they get in front this series. Coasting for a shift or two. Allowing the plodding Bruins a chance to get back in the race. But on Friday, with locker cleanout penciled in to the weekend’s to-do list, Buffalo kept the accelerator fully engaged after scoring twice in the first period.

April 23, 2010
TIM'S TAKE: Playoffs can turn just that quickly
Wanna know just how small the margin of error is come playoff time in the National Hockey League?
About six inches, according to Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.

April 17, 2010
More Tim's Take Headlines

Tim's Take

Search Results

Related Photos

SCHMITT: Look at the positives in Monday's loss

Site Map

Contact Us