Archives for October 2003

‘”Guys had a lot more fun out there today,” defensive tackle Chester McGlockton said. “It was evident.”‘

‘So what was the difference yesterday from the previous four games? Testaverde couldn’t say. “You wish you could put your finger on it and correct it sooner,” he said, “but we don’t really know but we’re glad things worked out for us.”‘

‘”The center didn’t know the quarterback had stepped away,” Thomas recalled of the moment before center Trey Teague sent the snap 21 yards behind the line of scrimmage as Bledsoe motioned for a timeout. When the errant snap bounded past Bledsoe and out of the reach of running back Travis Henry, Thomas tore through a gap and recovered the ball at the Bills’ 17-yard line. “I ran there and hopped on it,” he said.’

‘”When our punt-return team knows he’s going to catch the ball, [they] do a little extra for him to cut him loose,” coach Herm Edwards said. “He can make people miss in space.”‘

‘”It’s just one win,” cornerback Ray Mickens stressed, “but today we played the way we see ourselves. We know we’re not a bad team. We know it.”‘

‘On Becht’s second touchdown, the 18-yarder, the Jets made a halftime adjustment on the play that was called. Basically, they turned the protection in the other direction – something the Bills might not have seen them do before. Becht got open against safety Lawyer Milloy with help from fullback Jerald Sowell, who ran an underneath clearout route.’

‘One number says it all: 53. Incredibly, that’s the number of rushing yards the Jets allowed after giving up an average of 174 in the first four games, which was last in the NFL.’

‘Who is a worse center than Buffalo’s Trey Teague?’

‘The Jets played one of their most spirited halves of the season in the first 30 minutes, holding Buffalo to just 112 net yards, and just 35 yards rushing. Buffalo was 2-of-9 on third-down conversions in the first two quarters.’

‘”We knew Bledsoe would stay in the pocket,” Ellis said. “He’s very brave, so he just stays in there — he’ll hold the ball, try to get the ball downfield. We were able to get some heat on him.”‘

‘The three TDs were the most Testaverde has had in a game since he threw five scoring passes in that memorable Monday night victory over the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 23, 2000. He was modest — even sheepish — about the three TDs.’

‘The Jets simplified their running game and it resulted in a season-high 118 yards. It should be noted that Buffalo entered the game allowing 120 yards rushing per game.’

‘Dumbest play: The Bills were stuffed on a fourth-and-one from the Jets’ 34-yard line trailing 3-0 in the first quarter. MLB Marvin Jones stopped the play for a minus-1. A field goal would’ve tied the score and given Buffalo some confidence. The kick would’ve been from 51 yards out but K Rian Lindell has the leg, had perfect conditions and the field-goal friendly FieldTurf.’

‘”We played the way we’re capable of playing today,” Cottrell said. “That was it, in a nutshell.”‘