Archives for October 8, 2001

‘The Jets are close to awful, especially on defense, at the moment, but the Bills are awful. There is no other rational way to explain four Buffalo turnovers directly leading to 28 points for the Jets, the first three as they mounted a 21-6 lead in the first quarter.’

‘Mo Lewis yesterday racked up his second knockout of a quarterback in the past three games — and this week’s victim, Rob Johnson, thinks it was a cheap shot.’

‘Smartest play: The Bills opened the game with an onside kick by Jake Arians, which was recovered by DB Lance Brown at his own 41. The Bills ended up losing the ball on a fumble by RB Sammy Morris two plays later, but you have to love the aggressive attitude coach Gregg Williams brought into the game.’

‘"That gave us all a jolt," said defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell in his first visit to Buffalo since leaving the Bills to join Edwards’ Jets staff this year. "And we responded very positively. We got the turnover and that helped our offense."’

‘And backup quarterback Alex Van Pelt replaced starter Rob Johnson late in the first quarter and at times looked more comfortable in running the West Coast offense than either Johnson or the Jets’ Vinny Testaverde. The Bills gained 473 yards overall, 376 coming on Van Pelt’s watch.’

‘On the opposite sideline, the other AFC East team with a rookie coach and first-year West Coast attack is searching for answers. The Buffalo Bills fell to 0-4 after their 42-36 defeat to the Jets on Sunday, getting Buffalo off to its worst start since 1985, when Vince Ferragamo was the team’s starting quarterback.’

‘The Bills took solace in that they didn’t give up. The 36 points were one more than they scored in three previous games combined.’

‘The Buffalo Bills were in a giving mood and the New York Jets were eager to accept.’