ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills rookie cornerback Tre’Davious White says he’s willing to forgive and forget Rob Gronkowski for blindsiding him in the back of the head during Buffalo’s loss to New England earlier this month.
And by forgetting, White apparently means, choosing not to remember some of the accusations he made against the Patriots tight end, such as suggesting a man wouldn’t have done that.
“Nah. You got that twisted up,” White said Wednesday, when first reminded of his past comments as the Bills (8-6) prepare for a rematch at New England (11-3) on Sunday. “I didn’t say that.”
Actually, White did say that on Dec. 7 once he was cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol four days after a 23-3 loss.
He also called Gronkowski a “dirty player,” and referred to the NFL issuing the tight end a one-game suspension as being “a joke.”
White intercepted Tom Brady’s pass and had already been touched down along the Patriots sideline, when Gronkowski led with his forearm and struck him in the back of the helmet.
Now that he’s had time to reflect, White eventually acknowledged his initial reaction to Gronkowski’s hit as being “childish.”
“It wasn’t the way it should’ve been handled,” White said. “Yeah, I can forgive and forget. I got over it. And I’m passed it.”
The only form of payback White now seeks is helping the Bills beat their AFC East rival to continue Buffalo’s late-season push to end a 17-season playoff drought – the longest active drought in North America’s four major professional sports.
This is no time, White said, for him or anyone else to exact any form of retribution.
“If we go out there and try to do anything selfish or anything to hurt the team, we could cost ourselves a playoff spot or cost us one of our main players by going out there and doing something stupid,” he said. “We’re going to put that on the backburner and just focus on winning.”
White is following Coach Sean McDermott’s lead in looking forward, not back.
“Any time we spend discussing that situation is wasted time, and getting in our way of becoming a better football team,” McDermott said.
Defensive tackle Alan Branch will “miss the next few weeks” with a meniscus injury, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. He will not need surgery.
Branch, 33, injured his knee against the Dolphins on Dec. 11, and did not play last week against the Steelers. He has played in 12 games this season for the Patriots, collecting 12 total tackles.
Three running backs are on New England’s updated injury report: James White (ankle) and Brandon Bolden (groin) were limited participants Wednesday. Rex Burkhead did not participate with a knee injury.
It’s hard to find bright spots in a 20-point loss, but the Bills had a few from their game against the Patriots on Dec. 3.
All were in a defensive effort that frustrated Tom Brady to the point where he screamed at offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels after the first series and Gronkowski to the point where he delivered an uncharacteristic cheap shot even with victory well in hand.
Brady threw for 257 yards, but no touchdowns. The Bills’ only TDs came on a pair of Rex Burkhead runs in the third quarter.
“Yeah, we did some good things in the game,” Bills Coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday. “I don’t want to look past that.
“We did some good things, but we’re here to win the game. That’s what we’re working to do.”
That the Bills failed to do so in the previous meeting with the Pats is all that matters to McDermott.
“We lost the game,” the coach said. “We’re not here for moral victories.”
Gronkowski was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 15 after his dominant performance against Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Gronkowski caught nine passes for 168 yards in the game, including 69 yards on the Patriots’ final scoring drive of the game. He also caught a key two-point conversion.
It marks the second time Gronkowski has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in his career.
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