ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- For reason's only a history book could explain, Buffalo is known as an
"All-American City," but it was the scene Sunday night of an out-of-this-world performance by the
New England Patriots.
Specifically, quarterback Tom Brady and receiver Randy Moss -- who hooked up for four first-half touchdowns
on their way to leading a 56-10 rout/ romp/roasting (and any other "R" word that means destruction) of the Bills
at Ralph Wilson Stadium -- were downright alien.
Fortunately for me, and not so much for my vocal cords, I was on hand for the pummeling. (It helps to have
friends who think kindly enough of you to throw out a last-minute invite, and even better co-workers who make
it possible.)
The Patriots dismembered Buffalo, which was 5-4, having won four straight I was told, in every facet of the
game. I had watched every New England contest this season on television, but seeing it in person, run as
efficiently as a Ford assembly line, put what they are doing currently on a whole other level.
It's amazing. It's beyond incredible at this point. And I don't think Bill Belichick and Co. can be stopped.
Yes, I know they were playing the Bills, who really felt the affects of not having leading rusher Marshawn Lynch in uniform, which could have at least
kept the Patriots off the field enough to only score in the 40s.
It was so bad, quarterback J.P. Losman was their leading rusher in the first half with two carries for 12 yards.
Sure, my friends and I knew what we were potentially in for when we left Saco Saturday morning and made the nearly nine-hour car ride to Western
New York, but that didn't mean we were any less pumped up to see this offensive juggernaut perform before our own eyes. Though I will admit when
we saw a car with snow on it just outside Buffalo a part of me wanted to turn around and watch from the comfort of my (heated) living room.
Bills fans are known for their passion but from our arrival I got the feeling that us Patriots fans would be amongst friends. That was made evident
when we walked into a local Applebees for dinner Saturday night.
Keep in mind, all we had on that made us stick out were Red Sox apparel, but that didn't stop three slightly larger fellows, all New England fans,
sitting at the bar from announcing to the other patrons, "There's some Pats fans right there."
One of them was easily 300 pounds, as evidenced by his 3XL blue Brady jersey, very Canadian -- I lost count of how many times he said "Aye" while
trying not to laugh as he said it -- and constantly reminded us that planet earth is indeed "Tom Brady's world and we're all just paying rent." He even
physically showed us this by throwing money on our table, which we politely gave back.
(Would you believe these guys didn¹t have tickets to the game, but we nonetheless saw them in The Ralph, as the locals call the stadium.)
The next morning was not as hospitable as we attempted to eat breakfast at the Bob Evans next to our hotel. "Patriots fans seating is outside," the
hostess said. (Good one, perhaps you can fill in for Jay Leno, he¹s not doing anything these days.)
I've never heard the music stop as badly as at that moment when we walked to our table. The place was packed and everyone's eyes were glued to
us as we sat down. It was like that scene in Animal House: "Otis, my man!"
Perhaps we all should have left our Pats jerseys in the car instead of wearing them inside but it wasn't our fault Bills management drafted Erik
Flowers (who?), Travares Tillman (who?), Corey Moore (who?), Avion Black (who?), Sammy Morris (OK, heard of him) and Leif Larsen (who?) ahead
of Brady in 2000, now is it?
Thankfully, the waitress was nice to us anyway and didn't spit in our food, we think.
A quick stop to Niagara Falls preceded our trip to the stadium and wouldn't you know it that place was crawling with Pats fans as well. We high-fived
everyone we saw representing with some kind of apparel and openly mocked those who were brave enough to don Bills gear. We watched the early
games at a bar called "Players" where we encountered more Patriots fans, and a crazed man wearing a Chiefs Priest Holmes jersey, before we
headed over to the stadium.
If you've ever been to Gillette Stadium you know that there is a sense of organized chaos when it comes to the parking lot and its tailgaters. Not at
The Ralph. If you could make your way down the aisle to find a spot you were among the lucky ones.
Like I said, the crowd was about 40/60 Pats fans, which made me fear for my life a little less than our earlier breakfast experience. However, that
didn't stop Bills fans from reminding us how much we "sucked" or what my sexual orientation was. I think I was told "F- you," and reminded that
Buffalo once beat New England 31-0, more than any time in my life so it's now engraved in my brain like my phone number and address.
I just fired back with "have fun leaving at halftime," and something to the effect of this being Brady's world and the price of rent.
Oh, right, our seats. Well, let's just say we were close. Like second-row-behind-the-Pats¹-bench-on-the-45-yard-line close.
Some of the highlights:
Speaking of scoring, and this is staggering: The Patriots have tallied 411 points this season. Their franchise high, set in 2004, is 424! They're over
six points ahead of the all-time single game scoring average, set by the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, who had playing receiver, you might have heard of
him, a rookie from Marshall named Randy Moss.
This truly is a special team, and like the '04 Red Sox, one that might never be duplicated. There are six games left not counting playoffs, I
recommend catching them while you can, since no one in the NFL can seem to.
"All-American City," but it was the scene Sunday night of an out-of-this-world performance by the
New England Patriots.
Specifically, quarterback Tom Brady and receiver Randy Moss -- who hooked up for four first-half touchdowns
on their way to leading a 56-10 rout/ romp/roasting (and any other "R" word that means destruction) of the Bills
at Ralph Wilson Stadium -- were downright alien.
Fortunately for me, and not so much for my vocal cords, I was on hand for the pummeling. (It helps to have
friends who think kindly enough of you to throw out a last-minute invite, and even better co-workers who make
it possible.)
The Patriots dismembered Buffalo, which was 5-4, having won four straight I was told, in every facet of the
game. I had watched every New England contest this season on television, but seeing it in person, run as
efficiently as a Ford assembly line, put what they are doing currently on a whole other level.
It's amazing. It's beyond incredible at this point. And I don't think Bill Belichick and Co. can be stopped.
Yes, I know they were playing the Bills, who really felt the affects of not having leading rusher Marshawn Lynch in uniform, which could have at least
kept the Patriots off the field enough to only score in the 40s.
It was so bad, quarterback J.P. Losman was their leading rusher in the first half with two carries for 12 yards.
Sure, my friends and I knew what we were potentially in for when we left Saco Saturday morning and made the nearly nine-hour car ride to Western
New York, but that didn't mean we were any less pumped up to see this offensive juggernaut perform before our own eyes. Though I will admit when
we saw a car with snow on it just outside Buffalo a part of me wanted to turn around and watch from the comfort of my (heated) living room.
Bills fans are known for their passion but from our arrival I got the feeling that us Patriots fans would be amongst friends. That was made evident
when we walked into a local Applebees for dinner Saturday night.
Keep in mind, all we had on that made us stick out were Red Sox apparel, but that didn't stop three slightly larger fellows, all New England fans,
sitting at the bar from announcing to the other patrons, "There's some Pats fans right there."
One of them was easily 300 pounds, as evidenced by his 3XL blue Brady jersey, very Canadian -- I lost count of how many times he said "Aye" while
trying not to laugh as he said it -- and constantly reminded us that planet earth is indeed "Tom Brady's world and we're all just paying rent." He even
physically showed us this by throwing money on our table, which we politely gave back.
(Would you believe these guys didn¹t have tickets to the game, but we nonetheless saw them in The Ralph, as the locals call the stadium.)
The next morning was not as hospitable as we attempted to eat breakfast at the Bob Evans next to our hotel. "Patriots fans seating is outside," the
hostess said. (Good one, perhaps you can fill in for Jay Leno, he¹s not doing anything these days.)
I've never heard the music stop as badly as at that moment when we walked to our table. The place was packed and everyone's eyes were glued to
us as we sat down. It was like that scene in Animal House: "Otis, my man!"
Perhaps we all should have left our Pats jerseys in the car instead of wearing them inside but it wasn't our fault Bills management drafted Erik
Flowers (who?), Travares Tillman (who?), Corey Moore (who?), Avion Black (who?), Sammy Morris (OK, heard of him) and Leif Larsen (who?) ahead
of Brady in 2000, now is it?
Thankfully, the waitress was nice to us anyway and didn't spit in our food, we think.
A quick stop to Niagara Falls preceded our trip to the stadium and wouldn't you know it that place was crawling with Pats fans as well. We high-fived
everyone we saw representing with some kind of apparel and openly mocked those who were brave enough to don Bills gear. We watched the early
games at a bar called "Players" where we encountered more Patriots fans, and a crazed man wearing a Chiefs Priest Holmes jersey, before we
headed over to the stadium.
If you've ever been to Gillette Stadium you know that there is a sense of organized chaos when it comes to the parking lot and its tailgaters. Not at
The Ralph. If you could make your way down the aisle to find a spot you were among the lucky ones.
Like I said, the crowd was about 40/60 Pats fans, which made me fear for my life a little less than our earlier breakfast experience. However, that
didn't stop Bills fans from reminding us how much we "sucked" or what my sexual orientation was. I think I was told "F- you," and reminded that
Buffalo once beat New England 31-0, more than any time in my life so it's now engraved in my brain like my phone number and address.
I just fired back with "have fun leaving at halftime," and something to the effect of this being Brady's world and the price of rent.
Oh, right, our seats. Well, let's just say we were close. Like second-row-behind-the-Pats¹-bench-on-the-45-yard-line close.
Some of the highlights:
- A touching moment when injured Bills tight end Kevin Everett made a statement before the game on the jumbotron. The emotion lasted right
up until kickoff and completely ended on Randall Gay's interception on the game's fourth play. - I have run out of words of admiration for Randy Moss, who caught 10 passes and now leads the NFL in yards and touchdowns. A heater on
the bench was 20 feet right in front of us and he hung out there the whole game and he never stopped smiling. That happiness is obviously
reflected on the field. He and Brady (31-of-38, 373 yards and 5 TDs Sunday) obviously have a good relationship as No. 12 spent the entire
fourth quarter chatting with him, Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney. Stallworth never stopped looking in the crowd while Moss never looked
back once. - NBC sideline reporter Andrea Kramer is much prettier in person, is left-handed and very short. And I didn't think it was possible, but Vince
Wilfork is much bigger in person. Oh, and Belichick (surprise) looks worse than he does on TV. - Just like I predicted, most of the Bills fans went home at halftime.
- There were two blondes sitting in front of me who had an "I 'heart' Randy Moss" sign and I'm told they made NBC's telecast. I was right behind
them in a Mike Vrabel jersey (in case you care) and they even gave me the sign. - I counted three "Beli-cheat" signs, plenty of Moss afro Halloween masks and gave a high-five to the guy with the Brady touchdown count sign
-- which was at 38 as we left. - The girls from above were pestering Moss the whole game and he never looked over. I repeatedly thanked him for helping me dominate my
fantasy league; he scored me 42 points this week.
Speaking of scoring, and this is staggering: The Patriots have tallied 411 points this season. Their franchise high, set in 2004, is 424! They're over
six points ahead of the all-time single game scoring average, set by the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, who had playing receiver, you might have heard of
him, a rookie from Marshall named Randy Moss.
This truly is a special team, and like the '04 Red Sox, one that might never be duplicated. There are six games left not counting playoffs, I
recommend catching them while you can, since no one in the NFL can seem to.
