ORCHARD PARK — The final on the scoreboard that showed Bills 17, Patriots 7 didn’t reveal the full extent of New England’s futility yesterday at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where cold winds whipped under gray skies. For a more accurate read on the day, it’s best to find a snapshot of the pivotal play.
It would show Patriots cornerback Steve Israel on his belly at the 30-yard line, helplessly watching Eric Moulds on his way to a 54-yard touchdown reception from Doug Flutie that
would send the Bills into the locker room at halftime with a 10-0 lead. Israel supplied the perfect picture of the Pete Carroll era in New England: a bellyflop.
If the Patriots, losers of three in a row to fall to 6-5, can right themselves and make it to the playoffs, Carroll can work next season, the fourth of a five-year contract. If they don’t make it, Carroll pays with his job.
It has come to that. Come to think of it, it has always come to that for Carroll, who had the unenviable task of following Bill Parcells.
At least Carroll isn’t in denial.
“I’ll take responsibility,” Carroll said. “We’re not making progress.”
This was an understatement akin to saying Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe didn’t have a great November.
For the third week in a row, Bledsoe played like a less-mobile version of Rick Mirer.
Bills cornerbacks Ken Irvin and Thomas Smith did a magnificent job of throwing a blanket over Patriots receivers, which left Bledsoe standing there, waiting, waiting, waiting, only to get creamed by the pass rush. No blitz was necessary and seldom was one employed by Bills coach Wade Phillips, who saw recent game films of the Jets and Dolphins burying Bledsoe with blitzes, but so trusted his defensive backs he let nature take its course.
The Bills sacked Bledsoe six times and most were of the coverage variety. Bledsoe never has been nimble afoot. Mix in a little gun-shyness and the result is a swarm of blue Bills jerseys. When he chased Bledsoe, all-time great Bills defensive end Bruce Smith had the look of a man of 22 years, rather than 37.
“That tells you it’s one of two things,” Carroll said of all the coverage sacks. “One, the receivers aren’t getting open. Two, they aren’t getting open enough for Drew to feel he can throw the football.”
Carroll has become a sympathetic figure in as much as he must rely on Bledsoe to save his job. A bitter coach on his way out might have put it more like this: “Throw the football, Drew. If you want perfect conditions, go have a catch in your backyard.”
Not Carroll’s style. A 45-yard TD pass to Terry Glenn (benched the first quarter for getting pulled over at 2 a.m. for speeding and for tardiness at a team meeting) with 2:41 left in the game averted a shutout and made Bledsoe’s numbers (18-for-34, 205 yards, one INT, one TD) look more productive than reality.
Before that, the Pats’ only deep penetrations died when Bledsoe threw an interception early in the second quarter and when, midway through the third, Kevin Faulk fumbled the ball away after the Pats made it to the 6.
Bledsoe didn’t completely blame his receivers for failing to shake loose.
“It was a combination of the fact that guys weren’t open very quickly and then there were a couple that were directly attributed to me,” Bledsoe said. “I just have to get the ball out and give the guys a chance to make plays.”
It was obvious eight interceptions in the previous two weeks (he threw only four in the first eight weeks) made Bledsoe fearful of pulling the trigger. Across the field, Doug Flutie did not throw for different reasons. The game plan called for a succession of clock-eating handoffs once the Bills took a 17-0 lead with 10:21 left in the third quarter on a31-yard Flutie-to-Sam Gash pass play.
Rookie middle linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer’s failure to wrap up Gash at the 13 was typical of the that-spark-is-lacking way the Pats rolled over for the Bills (8-4), who at the very least established themselves as favorites for the sixth and final AFC playoff berth.
In directing the Bills’ to their 100th win of the decade, Flutie completed 9 of 16 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. He threw for two more yards than Bledsoe without less than half the attempts.
The Bills head into their bye week with calmed nerves, thanks to the win.
“It keeps us within striking distance of the AFC East title,” Flutie said. “We won’t lose next week, but some teams might.”
The Patriots better not be one of them if they want to maintain a decent shot at saving their coach.
“We need all kinds of help from other teams in the division,” Carroll said.
And he needs help from Bledsoe, a QB in a funk.