Archives for December 27, 2001

‘Until recently, Becht hasn’t had much impact in the pros. But against Cincinnati and Indianapolis, he caught game-winning touchdown passes. He is becoming a more integral part of New York’s offense.’

‘So, with all those similarities, how is there a seven-win difference between these two teams? Two glaring statistics…’

‘If they beat Buffalo and Oakland in their remaining two games, the Jets will win the AFC East and earn a first-round bye in the playoffs.’

‘Glenn is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Buffalo. But there is no doubt in Glenn’s mind that he will play in some capacity against the Bills.’

‘The Bills are the second-most penalized team in the NFL.’

‘Shawn Bryson will get the start again at running back for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but one of his starting blockers may be missing.’

‘The Jets have switched to a version of the West Coast offense this season, and they are using the running of Martin to ignite the offense.’

‘Cottrell and former Bills coach Wade Phillips are said to be atop San Diego general manager John Butler’s wish list, and it only makes sense since they worked for him in Buffalo.’

‘How often have the Bills and Sabres had what turned out to be losing teams playing overlapping schedules? Only three times…’.

‘There is always a chance the Bills will throw in the towel, but with head coach Gregg Williams and general manager Tom Donahoe building for next season, training camp 2002 already has begun.’

‘For anyone who has spent significant time with the Jets – Lewis, Aaron Glenn, Victor Green, Marvin Jones – these chances have been as slippery as Jell-O. Last year, the Jets seemed to have the playoffs firmly in their grasp, only to let it squeeze between their fingers with three straight losses to close out the season.’

‘"It’s not an every-day deal," Edwards said later. "Getting into the playoffs isn’t an every-day deal. Winning 10 games isn’t an every-day deal. Or 11 games. That’s not an every-day deal. They understand that. We have to take advantage of this opportunity."’

‘"We’re going to do what we’ve been doing the last two weeks," said Edwards, whose confidence in the passing attack has grown over the last five quarters. Ah, but there’s a caveat: Turnovers and three-and-outs must be kept to a minimum.’

‘Last time the Jets faced the Bills, the quarterback was Rob Johnson. This time, it’s Alex Van Pelt, whom the Jets perceive as a bigger threat in some respects than Johnson. "Nothing against Rob," Glenn said, "but this dude is a fiery guy. He’s kind of like (Doug) Flutie."’

‘”He’s making the point that the opportunities don’t come along very often,” Testaverde said, “so when they do, take full advantage of it. Don’t mess it up by saying, ‘Ah, I don’t have to lift weights today, I don’t have to take the extra reps . . . just work hard, continue to do the things we’ve done, and good things will happen. Just kinda seize the moment so to speak, because you don’t know what next year’s gonna bring. We talked about the (’98) AFC Championship Game, saying we were gonna win the Super Bowl the next year, and we go 8-8, so . . . You can’t count on next year. You have to take advantage of what’s in front of you now.”‘