Pats vs. Bills: Quick Thoughts

A win is a win is a win. The Pats showed some mettle, coming back from a 17-7 halftime deficit. That said, they left room for improvement. Like acres and acres of room. Some initial thoughts:

The stark contrast between the first and second halves was all about line play, on both sides of the ball. In the first half, the Pats O-line came out flat and got steamrolled in pass protection. The D-line also had trouble, giving Bills running backs an easy time of it. (Vince Wilfork in particular failed to shed blocks and make tackles.) In the second half, though, the energy visibly ramped up and the Pats started winning the trench wars. This was the difference in the game.

Brady was not up to his own standards, completing only 11 of 23 passes with two fumbles and an interception. In part, this was the fault of his O-line. He was hassled all day. But he also made an uncharacteristically awful throw (short and off the mark) on what could have been a game-changing pick in the final quarter.

I'd like to know why the Pats ran almost no play-action. Given the relative success of the run game, you'd think a few patented Brady ball fakes might have caught the Bills off balance. Was play-action not in this week's game plan for some reason?

Roosevelt Colvin is back, and he's back big.

Laurence Maroney = stud. Vision, speed, agility, power. I'm going to enjoy watching him this year.

Would Deion Branch have been a difference maker today? I don't think so. Brady had little time to throw, and anyway the wideouts generally caught the balls that came to them on target. As I said, the Pats' fortunes in this game rose and fell with their line play. And I expect this facet of their game to improve as the season goes on.

Next week: the Jets. Chad Pennington had a nice afternoon against the Titans, but I'm liking our chances with Gang Green. I foresee a 2-0 start. And there ain't nothing wrong with that.