That was the title I considered with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter. JaMarcus Russel had completed his ninth pass of the day, and of course it was going to be the game winner. It was one of those queer little Wes Welker receptions that make you want to slam your fist into a cinder block, and that was before you knew it went for an 84 yard touchdown.
23-14. F--k.
This was going to be one of those games you see replayed in your mind when you wonder why the Bills haven't made the playoffs this millennium. A game they should have had, but they came on too late and let their own mistakes and one bad pass kill them. This was the perfect chance to start the season off well and they are going to lose to a team with nine pass completions on the day.
They are trying to kill me, I really think they are.
A team that doesn't want to end your life just lets you down early, but once again Trent Edwards saved his best football for the fourth quarter. I can't even describe the kind of poise and presence he had out there. If you saw it, start throwing out superlatives to attach to those last two drives and I'll accept them. I don't know what's happened to our starting quarterback over the last few weeks, but I really, really like it.
The only thing I can compare it to is Madden. I myself don't play a lot of Madden, I was a NFL 2K fan because I had a Sega Dreamcast and therefore was very, very misguided as a youth. There was always an advantage based on what game you were playing with friends because I liked 2K and they liked Madden. This discrepancy would always show up late in the game, especially if the person playing with "their" game was behind. The player with a much better understanding of the playbook and defense would come from behind, always in complete control late in the game because of that superiority of play calling.
That was Trent Edwards yesterday. He completely understood how the game should flow, what his options were, and what do do. He may as well have played with an XBOX controller out there on that last drive. It was... stunning. When was the last time we've seen a quarterback do that with a leaping/standing buffalo on his helmet? The answer to that is not in years but decades, and this is a second year quarterback doing it.
No, the game wasn't perfect. The Bills turned the ball over and missed some huge chances. There is room for improvement, and Marshawn Lynch still hasn't gone off just yet. HOWEVER, the Bills did the little things right once again. The defense came through when it mattered, Money came up with a few huge conversions late, and Trent Edwards was everywhere. As of this moment, right now, he is the best starter in the division, and until Brett Favre hops into the particle machine from The Fly I stand by that statement.
Check the paper today. The Bills are atop the AFC East and the Dolphins beat the Patriots. Seriously, Ronnie Brown outscored them himself. Even with all that, the Bills will be known as the "surprising 3-0 Bills" and all you will hear about are the Jets.
We have them right where we want them.
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