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What they're saying . . .

Posted by Chad Finn, Globe Staff September 14, 2009 11:25 AM

. . . in advance about tonight's "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Patriots and Bills:

Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan tries -- in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way -- to convince Bills fans who have accused him of being too pessimistic that there is hope for a victory tonight against the Patriots.

A couple of his "arguments":

Richard Seymour, the Pats' former Pro Bowl defensive end, was traded to Oakland last week. Aaron Schobel, the Bills' former Pro Bowl defensive end, returns to action today. I tell you, the gap between the teams is closing by the minute.

And:

The Bills' last win at Foxborough was Nov. 5, 2000. Alex Van Pelt was the third-string quarterback, as I recall, gaining valuable insight for his future job as an offensive coordinator. He knows how to win there.

You be the judge as to how persuasive he is. Our conclusion: Not very.

Also in the Buffalo News, beat writer Mark Gaughan notes that the Patriots have beaten the Bills 11 straight times and in 16 of their 17 matchups.

But there is one notable Bill -- you can probably guess which one -- who says none of that matters now:

One Bill who is oblivious to the Pats' domination of Buffalo is [Terrell] Owens, who spent the past 13 seasons in the NFC.
Asked about the 11 straight losses, Owens said:

"I live in the present."

Asked if he has brought a swagger to the Buffalo locker room, Owens said:

"Well, if I haven't, I'll bring it [tonight]."

Maybe, but it's clear T.O. is not yet in midseason form in terms of his quotes. "I'll bring it tonight" is no match for "Getcha popcorn ready."

The Providence Journal's Jim Donaldson writes that the Bills are not an opponent to be taken seriously, though this comparison might tilt toward the side of exaggeration:

How bad are the Bills?
Really bad.

Terrible, really.

Horrible, actually.

So bad that they make the Detroit Lions seem like a Super Bowl team in comparison.

Finally, in his mammoth "Monday Morning Quarterback" column -- wonder how many cups of Starbucks he needs to crank out all those words each week? We're setting the over/under at 3 1/2 -- Peter King notes the many changes to the Patriots defense since Super Bowl XLII.