Patriots stand guard against winless Bills
Prior to the Patriots' 38-14 victory over the Chargers last Sunday, linebacker Junior Seau was asked about drawing extra motivation from the furor following the NFL's punishment for the Patriots' illegally videotaping signals in the season opener against the Jets.
"If [LaDainian Tomlinson], Shaun Phillips, Jamal Williams, and [Shawne] Merriman and the boys that are coming in Sunday can't motivate you, then I don't know what else will," replied Seau. "So we don't need any extra motivation."
It's not tough to get up to play a Super Bowl contender, but how about a bottom-dweller? That's the challenge the 2-0 Patriots face today, as they face the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Playing their 0-2 AFC East rivals after a pair of emotionally-charged games is as much a mental test for New England as it is a physical one, so the Patriots have been on letdown alert all week.
"We haven't accomplished anything," said coach Bill Belichick, who set the tone when he excoriated an out-of-town reporter who asked him if the Patriots could go 16-0. "If you think that two games is going to get you anything in this league, it's going to take a lot more than that.
"Let's get back to work and see if we can beat Buffalo. They're in the division. It's a big game. I think that's what we need to focus on. I don't really feel like we've done anything this year. That's the way I look at it."
Like a Rorschach test gone awry, the Patriots have morphed the Bills into the Indianapolis Colts, raving about Buffalo's explosive potential on offense, quickness on defense, and potency on special teams, only the last of which Buffalo has exhibited thus far.
It would be easy to look past the Bills. Buffalo is 31st in the league - second to last - in total offense (203.5) and has scored just one offensive touchdown in two games. The other TD came courtesy of a 74-yard punt return by Roscoe Parrish. Buffalo's 23 first downs are two fewer than the Patriots' offense racked up against the Chargers last week. The defense isn't much better, allowing 445 yards per game.
Plus, the Patriots have won the last seven meetings with the Bills and haven't lost to Buffalo at home since 2000, when they suffered a 16-13 overtime defeat. But "Any Given Sunday" isn't just the title of a cinematic football farce, it's an accurate NFL axiom, one that has been drilled into the heads of the Patriots players this week.
"Those guys, as far as I'm concerned, have the potential to be one of the better teams in the NFL," said cornerback Ellis Hobbs. "Obviously, starting off they haven't shown it with their record. You look on film and there are a couple of plays that are either putting them in the game or taking them out of the game. They have an explosive offense, a great defense. I think they're going to be ready to explode soon. I just hope it's not against us."
Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman doesn't seem to think the Bills' offense is that explosive. Following a 26-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, Losman said the Bills needed to open up their offense. Buffalo is last in the league in passing yards with an average of 96.5 per game, but the Patriots aren't assuming that trend will continue.
"They've got some great receivers with [Peerless] Price and [Lee] Evans, [Josh] Reed, Parrish," said linebacker Mike Vrabel. "Those are guys that can hit a home run. They haven't in the first few games, but those are guys that have hit them in the past and will hit them this year. I'm sure of that and I think they are too."
Between the Border War with the Jets, the war of words with the Chargers, and the football-spies-and-videotape saga, the Patriots have had no shortage of incentive in their first two games. A letdown would be natural, even expected, but Seau ruled it out.
"This is the National Football League. Everyone is capable of winning on any week," said Seau. "Complacency is not going to happen in this locker room. It won't. We won't allow it. If we happen to lose, it's not because we were complacent. It's because they were the better team."
