On the first play of the game, Kerry Collins tripped over one of his offensive linemen’s feet and nearly fumbled as he barely completed a handoff to Tiki Barber, who gained one yard.
Then it got worse for the Giants.
Midway through the second quarter, Collins faded back and again fell over himself while getting tangled with center Chris Bober, this time losing the ball. He pathetically tried to crawl on his knees to retrieve it, but came up short as Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel made the recovery.
Then it got even worse for the Giants.
It is bad enough when a season gets away and expectations take a dive, but the Giants yesterday sank to a new low. They allowed the Bills, losers of four straight, to waltz in and dominate them to the tune of 24-7 at Giants Stadium, which was fairly full at the start and all but deserted at the grim finish.
No boos accompanied the Giants off the field after they lost their fifth consecutive home game. The sound of silence was deafening, and damning.
“I just told ’em, I’ve been doing this a long time, I’ve been coaching a long time and I’ve never been around a team that will work so hard during the week, pay attention and go out and play that way,” Jim Fassel said. “We do not play the game of football very well. We cannot block people, we don’t tackle people, we don’t cover people, we don’t catch the ball in critical situations. I have never seen it, never in my seven years here, we never played football the way we’re playing right now.
“Honestly, I’m at a loss for words.”
The loss of words will be followed in another month by the loss of Fassel’s job, as the Giants, riding a four-game losing skid (a first under Fassel), dropped to 4-8 and not only look incompetent, but also disinterested.
“He said he hasn’t seen a Giants team play this bad in his seven years and I have to agree with him,” Tiki Barber said. “I’ve been here seven years with him. We didn’t have anything that it took to win this game.”
There were so many culprits to finger here, but start with an offensive line playing without left tackle Luke Petitgout (back spasms), forcing Jeff Roehl in as the third rookie starter. The line was manhandled all day, as Collins was sacked a season-high six times, Barber gained a season-low 20 yards and Schobel had a career-high three sacks feasting on Roehl and pummeling Collins.
“What can I say, man?” said Roehl, asked if he apologized to Collins. “I got him killed a couple of times.”
The Giants did the unimaginable, which is to make the Bills (5-7) look like a powerhouse. When Drew Bledsoe – playing despite struggling during the week with the effects of a mild concussion – on the first play of the second quarter fired a 22-yard scoring pass to tight end Dave Moore, the Bills had a 7-0 lead. It was the first road touchdown in 18 quarters for Buffalo.
There was only one sign of life from the Giants, when Collins and Amani Toomer in the second quarter hooked up for a season-high 77-yard TD pass. It was 7-7, but not for long.
Collins’ lost fumble led to a Bledsoe 22-yard TD pass to Bobby Shaw to make it 17-7, with Shaw running right by safeties Johnnie Harris and Ryan Clark. The defensive breakdowns led to Travis Henry rushing for 113 yards, Bledsoe passing for 252 yards and two TDs, and the final indignity of seeing Henry waltz untouched on a 13-yard scoring romp with 5:30 left in the third quarter. By then, most of the fans had begun the exodus.