Uhh....this is how you rationalize. The Pats schemed to insure Evans/TO did not beat them. The LB's played the underneath route opening up the middle for the rb's/qb to takle advantage of the middle of the field. The Bills, to their credit did take advantage. But Kudo's to the Pats "D"...they followed the scheme taking Evans/TO out of the way, "daring" a middlin qb and back up rb to beat them.  
Posted by rkarp

Offense- OL -C Great to open the game.  Terrible in the middle.  Better at the end.

RESPONSE: The OL did a horrible job run blocking. The Pats are going nowhere if Brady has to takes hits, as will happen when he is being asked to throw 40 plus times per game in order to move the team.  

QB -C Shows rust, but he will come around.

RESPONSE: Just a "C"? Got to give the Terrific One a littlle more credit than that...for his late 4th quarter heroics. 

RB C+ Everyone good except Maroney.  As he always has, runs too much side to side.  Get him out, put in BJGE. WR -B First game jitters as both Moss and Welker drop passes

RESPONSE: Pleaseeee...enough Maroney bashing!! The guy was constantly being hit behind the line of scrimmage. The blame falls on the OL, not the RBs.

TE -A Great performance by Watson

RESPONSE: Amen...perhaps his best game as a Patriot.

Defense - DL - C Horrible.  Could not stop the run and until the end created no pass rush.

RESPONSE: If they were horrible, why give them a "C"? A "C" grade to me means that they were just OK/fair.

LB - C Mostly bad.  Obviously the loss of Mayo hurt, but the Pats are supposed to be able to interchange player - Didn't happen.  They were getting pushed way too deep.  Pierre Woods got smoked all night.  TBC had a great game.  Especially near the end.  Always seemed to be around the ball.

RESPONSE: The LBs gave up too many yards on screens and swing passes to RB Fred Jackson. Remember his name. He'll play for the Pats someday. 

DB's- C Played well with the exception of tackling.  (Actually, the tackling goes for the entire defense).  I liked the hard hitting of the secondary.  Good change from the past few years.

RESPONSE: Bills RB Fred Taylor looked like a man playing among boys, when he broke into the Pats' secondary. But, this unit did a decent job on the Bills' pair of talented WRs. 

Special teams B+ Other than Gost's missed FG, he had great kickoffs and the coverage was awesome. 

RESPONSE: Amen.

Coaching -  Defense- C-.  It seemed like the players on D were always in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

RESPONSE: Coaches were scrambling after the loss of Mayo.

Offense- C-.  I think the Offensive Coordinator grabbed McDaniel's playbook from the first few games last year.  You would think we have a bunch of old, slow receivers.  Throw that ball down the field already!  It's easy to game plan if you only have to worry about a twenty yard area.  Even if it's not there.  Throw it, to keep it in their mind!
 
RESPONSE: Remember, job one for the offense is to keep Tom Brady in one piece. The OL had some protection issues last night...so its' doubtful that Brady would have had the time to air it out. Thats' why the running game is so important. It keeps defenses honest.

Overall grade for the entire team - C.  Granted there were a few key plays that may have affected the score (Wilfork, Thomas, Brady's Int.), I was still disappointed.  Those are my thoughts on this game. 

RESPONSE: It could have been worse. At least the Pats escaped with a win. The offense will improve as the season goes on. But, where was Joey Galloway? It looks like the Pats will miss Jabar Gaffney. But, most importantly, the OL needs to start moving people off the line, and establish a running game. The defense is a work in progress. The Pats can ill afford the loss of Jerod Mayo for any extended period.

For the rest of the season, I am still very optimistic for the year and feel this team will take time to gel.  I think there will be a bunch of 38-31 type scores early this season, with the opponents scoring less as the season goes on, provided everyone is healthy.

RESPONSE: 38-31 games mean that the Pats are going nowhere this year. The Pats' "D" must hold their opposition to under 20 points per game, if this team is to be a legitimate SB contender. 

Posted by jeepguy2358

Obviously, his coaches need to discuss the concept of situational football with this knucklehead. Speaking of coaches, why wasn't McKelvin told before the play to accept the touchback, should Gostkowski's kick reach the endzone?
Posted by TexasPat3

In Response to Re: Bills @ Patriots Report Card : I think the Bills coaches were practicing situational football.  There was 2:06 left.  A touchback runs no time off the clock, so the clock would stop at the 2-minute warning, effectively giving the Pats another time out.  Running the ball out would've burned off 6 sec (you'd think) and saved the Bills one clock stoppage.  I was thinking, before the kick, that a touchback would be great for the Pats, give then the extra time out.....  I'm wondering if the Bills were thinking the same thing.
Posted by Makassar

In Response to Re: Bills @ Patriots Report Card : Mpat-- TexasPat is a real PATs fan. Your name calling does not reflect well on you. It is obvious that many people enjoy reading his posts.
Posted by TSWFAN

In Response to Re: Bills @ Patriots Report Card : Texas Pat, has been an asset to this forum, he puts forth the time and effort to research and forward the info to those of us too lazy to do so. I enjoy his input and hope he considers the source and not shy away from continuing his input. Pat and I have had differences of opinions but that does not mean that I respect him any less. Pat keep up the good work, you are appreciated. Sonieboy!
Posted by sonieboy

           1.) QB:  Lots of work still needs to be done to shake off the rust of what was such a well oiled machine in 2007. Obviously, the Terrific One did not have his timing down with his receivers. Brady missed many 3rd and 4th down dinks and dunks for drive sustaining first downs, which once were so automatic. Horrible interception while under pressure, thrown right to Bills' DE, Aaron Schobel, handing the Bills an easy TD, was unforgivable. That said, Tom was his terrific old self in the final minutes...hurling two lasers to Ben Watson to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.  GRADE: B-       2.) RBs: These guys are of no consequence when the OL is not opening up any running room...as was the case tonight. Usual nice job by Kevin Faulk catching passes out of the backfield.  GRADE: C       3.) OL: Though the big uglies allowed only one sack, the Bills were able to apply constant pressure on Tom Brady for most of the game...until the final five minutes or so of the 4th quarter. Horrible run blocking...as the Bills' front seven generally controlled the line of scrimmage. The lack of a ground game was so pronounced that Brady threw the ball 53 times!! That dog won't hunt. GRADE: C-      4.) TEs and WRs: This group was outstanding, as usual. Randy Moss torched the Bills for 141 yards, while Wes Welker added 93 more. Good to see Ben Watson get involved...hauling in two Brady lasers in less than two minutes to win the game. Is Joey Galloway still on this team?  GRADE: A     II. DEFENSE: The Pats made Trent Edwards look like Drew Brees, as Edwards finished with a 114 passing rating. Though the Bills only had the ball for 22 minutes, they hung up 17 points on the "D". Too many tackles made by members of the secondary. The Pats must cross their fingers that the knee injury to Jerod Mayo is not serious.      1.) DL:  Was able to apply some pressure on Edwards. But, should have been able to dominate a very mediocre Buffalo OL. GRADE: C      2.) LBs: Good game by Tully Banta Cain, who was a thorn in the side of Trent Edwards for mosy of the night...and had a couple of sacks. Dumb penalty on Adalius Thomas after having Edwards clearly in his grasp...and slamming him into the turf after the whistle had clearly been blown. The early loss of Mayo really hurt...as there were far too many tackles made by the secondary tonight. Too many yards allowed on screens. GRADE: C      3.) Secondary:  As mentioned several times above, they made far too many tackles tonight...due primarily to the loss of tackling machine Mayo. As was the case last year, too much cushion was seemingly given to the Bills WRs. But, the Pats were able to pretty much contain TO, and Lee Evans. RB Fred Jackson was a pain in the neck on screen plays, and running the ball...as he finished with 140 all purpose yards, including 83 on pass receptions. Nice hit by Bodden to separate Evans from a 20 plus yard completion.  GRADE: C+ III. SPECIAL TEAMS:  Brandon Meriweather and Pierre Woods combined to strip Leodis McKelvin of the ball, allowing the Pats to steal this one. Stephen Gostkowski was 2/3 on FGs, but also chipped in by courageously diving into a pile of players to recover the aforementioned McKelvin fumble. Nice kickoff return by Maroney to start the game.  GRADE: A- IV. COACHING: The offense showed rust, and needs to be fine tuned, by the time the Pats arrive in NY. A monkey wrench was tossed into the defensive plans when Mayo went down with his injury. If Mayo is out for any extended time, the Pats, with their already thin LB corp, are in serious trouble. Pass rush showed some promise. GRADE: B- V. PLAY OF THE GAME: The strip of McKelvin, setting the stage for the go ahead TD. VI: PLAYER OF THE GAME:  Ben Watson...perhaps his best game as a Patriot with 6 catches for 77 yards, and 2 TDs.       Here is the box score: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=290914017      Thoughts?             
Posted by TexasPat3

     Please, burn those red jerseys...and never dress our team in them again. For most of tonight, the Patriots' performance brought back memories of the bad old days...until the Pats got extremely lucky in the 4th quarter. Thanks to an early Christmas present from Bills' CB/KR Leodis McKelvin, the Patriots escaped an embarrassing loss on national TV. This game actually has me feeling bad for the Buffalo Bills. This was a killer loss for them. Here are my grades: I. OFFENSE:  Despite 441 yards of total offense, and controlling the ball for 2/3 of the game, the Pats still needed a bonehead play by Buffalo KR Leodis McKelvin, to eek out a 25-24 win. Failure to finish drives nearly cost the Pats this win.        1.) QB:  Lots of work still needs to be done to shake off the rust of what was such a well oiled machine in 2007. Obviously, the Terrific One did not have his timing down with his receivers. Brady missed many 3rd and 4th down dinks and dunks for drive sustaining first downs, which once were so automatic. Horrible interception while under pressure, thrown right to Bills' DE, Aaron Schobel, handing the Bills an easy TD, was unforgivable. That said, Tom was his terrific old self in the final minutes...hurling two lasers to Ben Watson to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.  GRADE: B-       2.) RBs: These guys are of no consequence when the OL is not opening up any running room...as was the case tonight. Usual nice job by Kevin Faulk catching passes out of the backfield.  GRADE: C       3.) OL: Though the big uglies allowed only one sack, the Bills were able to apply constant pressure on Tom Brady for most of the game...until the final five minutes or so of the 4th quarter. Horrible run blocking...as the Bills' front seven generally controlled the line of scrimmage. The lack of a ground game was so pronounced that Brady threw the ball 53 times!! That dog won't hunt. GRADE: C-      4.) TEs and WRs: This group was outstanding, as usual. Randy Moss torched the Bills for 141 yards, while Wes Welker added 93 more. Good to see Ben Watson get involved...hauling in two Brady lasers in less than two minutes to win the game. Is Joey Galloway still on this team?  GRADE: A     II. DEFENSE: The Pats made Trent Edwards look like Drew Brees, as Edwards finished with a 114 passing rating. Though the Bills only had the ball for 22 minutes, they hung up 17 points on the "D". Too many tackles made by members of the secondary. The Pats must cross their fingers that the knee injury to Jerod Mayo is not serious.      1.) DL:  Was able to apply some pressure on Edwards. But, should have been able to dominate a very mediocre Buffalo OL. GRADE: C      2.) LBs: Good game by Tully Banta Cain, who was a thorn in the side of Trent Edwards for mosy of the night...and had a couple of sacks. Dumb penalty on Adalius Thomas after having Edwards clearly in his grasp...and slamming him into the turf after the whistle had clearly been blown. The early loss of Mayo really hurt...as there were far too many tackles made by the secondary tonight. Too many yards allowed on screens. GRADE: C      3.) Secondary:  As mentioned several times above, they made far too many tackles tonight...due primarily to the loss of tackling machine Mayo. As was the case last year, too much cushion was seemingly given to the Bills WRs. But, the Pats were able to pretty much contain TO, and Lee Evans. RB Fred Jackson was a pain in the neck on screen plays, and running the ball...as he finished with 140 all purpose yards, including 83 on pass receptions. Nice hit by Bodden to separate Evans from a 20 plus yard completion.  GRADE: C+ III. SPECIAL TEAMS:  Brandon Meriweather and Pierre Woods combined to strip Leodis McKelvin of the ball, allowing the Pats to steal this one. Stephen Gostkowski was 2/3 on FGs, but also chipped in by courageously diving into a pile of players to recover the aforementioned McKelvin fumble. Nice kickoff return by Maroney to start the game.  GRADE: A- IV. COACHING: The offense showed rust, and needs to be fine tuned, by the time the Pats arrive in NY. A monkey wrench was tossed into the defensive plans when Mayo went down with his injury. If Mayo is out for any extended time, the Pats, with their already thin LB corp, are in serious trouble. Pass rush showed some promise. GRADE: B- V. PLAY OF THE GAME: The strip of McKelvin, setting the stage for the go ahead TD. VI: PLAYER OF THE GAME:  Ben Watson...perhaps his best game as a Patriot with 6 catches for 77 yards, and 2 TDs.       Here is the box score: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=290914017      Thoughts?             
Posted by TexasPat3

In Response to Bills @ Patriots Report Card : I disagree on three counts: 1) QB.. Sure Brady was rusty in the first half, but on the last two drives he was brilliant and really picking them apart. The last two drives show why he is the most prepared QB in the NFL and how he is the smartest one. He played on Buffalo's tendency to go red 2 (cover 2 shell) in the red zone where CB play trail on #1, #2 receivers and safeties play over the top and the only way to exploit this is going up the middle, and he called for skinny post on Watson up the middle on man to man (because he knows safeties only go on vertical) and threw to his back shoulder for the perfect catch, timed perfectly for when the MLB turned to look at his man (Watson). This is f****** clinic football at its best. Grade: A  2) Are you serious on grading the secondaries? Do you realized they gave up only ONE pass play for the TD? Do you realize they held TO and Evans to a total of FIVE catches? Moss had twice the yardage of both TO and Evans combined, and that tells a lot. There were also  a lot of hard hitting over the middle which is what we were sorely missing last year. Grade: A. 3) Coaching: leave it up to BB to play solid vanilla D and start pulling stunts only at the very end, on the last Buffalo drive that forced two sacks (although one came on the outside). My guess is he believed Jauron would coach his rookie OL to watch for tricks, but at some point (being rookies) they would let down their guard after seeing no tricks for most of the game.  Grade: A
Posted by patpscyho

C- might be a fair overall grade but, once again, you are overly critical of the OL's pass blocking abilities, Texas Pat. Very poor run blocking but the RBs didn't help out either.  On pass blocking, it's really hard for any OL to shut out a pass rush when the offense is operating out of 4 and 5 reciever sets.  With the RBs and TEs split out, there SHOULD be pressure on the QB.  Theres not 5 OLs in the NFL that can consistenly keep the QB clean for a whole game under such circumstances and the Pats do as good as job as any in those open sets.
Posted by bobomul

In Response to Re: Bills @ Patriots Report Card :      An "A" for the secondary? Please. They were giving up lots of cushion, and didn't tackle all that well. As for your points on Brady and BB (on which I agree), you point out specific instances of fine play during the 4th quarter. When I grade, I take into consideration how the various units performed for the entire game. Surely, you don't rate Brady's boneheaded pick to Aaron Schobel, which handed the Bills an easy TD, as an "A" play, do you? Are we simply to ignore that because Brady performed brilliantly in the late stages of the 4th quarter?
Posted by TexasPat3