Two Bills Drive

‘”I never got caught up in that Super Bowl stuff. I really didn’t,” Wilson said. “Before the season, yes, we signed all these players, good players, but you know, you’ve got to play the game and the other team has good players, too. And they hustle, and they get breaks, and this and that. So I never got caught up in that. I never told people, ‘Hey, we’re going to the Super Bowl.’ I said listen, ‘Let’s just play the games first, because you don’t know what’s going to happen.’ In this league, it’s Sunday to Sunday.”‘

‘”We had momentum in the fourth quarter. We had moved the ball,” he said. “I felt really comfortable that we were going to win the toss. I told the guys on the sideline that we were going to have to go into the wind, so get ready for that.”‘

‘No matter who quarterbacks the Jets, the Bills have to start generating more of a pass rush. Cincinnati’s Jon Kitna dropped back to pass 45 times and he was sacked just once. In the second half the Bills began to use more blitzing schemes and that forced Kitna to make quicker decisions.’

‘Once again the Bills won in spite of their suspect coaching.’

‘FB Sam Gash, who has had almost no role in the offense because the Bills have shunned the running game, was used as a pass receiver against the Bengals. He caught three passes for 32 yards and would have had a fourth if he hadn’t dropped it.’

‘But pleeeeeze. Ask his players how many of them think he should have lined up to kick the field goal on 2nd and goal at the 2. Rian Lindell’s hand would be the only one to go up, and I’m not so sure about that.’

‘With 23 seconds left on the clock, you called for quarterback Jon Kitna to kneel to run out the clock. Could you have tried to shoot downfield for a last-second field goal?

“I’m glad someone asked that. We had one time out left. (In the 20 games per year I’ve coached in), I have never seen anybody do that. (If) somebody (were to) move the ball over 40 yards for a field goal with one time out in that situation, I would want to commend them."’

‘"Eric Moulds is sore. It’s really still too early to tell. We’ve got a couple of days here before we’ve got to get a status on everything. Sam Adams is sore. Travis (Henry) came out of it pretty good, carrying the ball 25+ times in the ballgame running backs are usually a little bit sore. I didn’t notice any residual effect from the ballgame. Just listening and talking to him, no, (Travis) is no worse for the wear."’

DE John Abraham, arrested last week for drunken driving and sent home to South Carolina by Edwards, was not at practice as the team returned from its bye week. Edwards said he expected Abraham at practice on Tuesday. His status for Sunday’s game against Buffalo isn’t clear. Asked if Abraham will play Sunday, Edwards replied: “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do.”

‘“He’s sore but it’s really still too early to tell,” coach Gregg Williams said of his star wide receiver.’

‘Pennington, who had seven pins removed from his left hand and wrist about 10 days is not expected back until the Jets’ Nov. 9 game in Oakland at the earliest.’

‘They lost in Oakland on a field goal in the closing seconds, and let Buffalo tie it with a field goal in the final minute of regulation Sunday, sending it to overtime. The Bengals got the ball first and Jon Kitna severely underthrew uncovered Kelley Washington on third-and-2, forcing a punt that set up the Bills’ winning touchdown. Just like that, another one got away.’

”’He’s just got to play with more confidence and that way everything will iron out,” said Williams. ”He’s made enough plays in his career at all levels of ball that he’ll be fine at this level, too.”’

‘"I think I’m going to have that juice regardless," Cowart said before coach Herman Edwards’ Jets ended their bye week of practices Friday. "Herm has challenged us as a defense and as linebackers. Individual players have to play better. We’re going to have to step up and accept the challenge."’

The East is beastly. The preseason indications that the AFC East was going to be a tough division was somewhat diminished, but now reaffirmed. The Dolphins beating the Giants in NY; New England recouping like they do; even the Bills, although it wasn’t glamourous, got back on the winning track.