Rex Ryan was feeling pretty good in the week leading up to his team's matchup with the Patriots. Chest out, he spoke loudly and confidently.
But when he came to the podium at Ralph Wilson Stadium after a 40-32 loss, he hung his head low and complimented Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
"Belichick out-coached me," Ryan said. "No question about it . . . We did a horse**** job, no doubt about it."
Though his players turned the ball over three times and committed 13 penalties for 125 yards -- the Bills bench was charged with an unsportsmanlike flag for 15 yards -- Ryan blamed himself for Buffalo's first defeat under his leadership.
"I'm gonna tell you exactly like I told our team. First off this loss is squarely on one man's shoulders. It's on my shoulders. We gotta get better as a team there's no question. I have to get better . . . That's how it ended up. It's unfortunate."
The Bills stymied Andrew Luck throughout their season-opening win last week, but Ryan and his vaunted defensive front could not do the same to Tom Brady. The Patriots quarterback threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns on 59 attempts. In all, New England posted 507 yards of total offense.
"The plan has to be better on defense," Ryan said. "You can't give up 500 yards and beat anybody."