Two Bills Drive

‘Ellis said those seven sacks of Bledsoe resulted from good coverage by the Jets’ secondary and from Bledsoe’s stubbornness. “We know Bledsoe stays in the pocket,” Ellis said. “He’s very brave.”‘

‘The sledding looks rough, of course, especially within the division. The Miami Dolphins are 4-1, the New England Patriots are 4-2 and the Bills are 3-3. But the Jets’ next three opponents are hardly world beaters: the Houston Texans, the unpredictable Philadelphia Eagles and the really unpredictable Giants.’

‘Highlights? For a change, plenty.’

‘It was Testaverde’s first three-touchdown game since Oct. 23, 2000 (Miami), and he passed Joe Montana for seventh place on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage list.’

‘”I think Herm’s biggest message to us was, quit thinking about the team we want to be and be the team we want to be,” Pennington said. “Put your words into actions.”‘

‘Having Buffalo stuck in obvious passing situations – and being ahead on the scoreboard – allowed the Jets pass rushers to tee off.’

‘Winfield and Clements, man-to-man specialists, are among the premier cornerback tandems in the league. They held the Jets wideouts, Santana Moss, Wayne Chrebet and Curtis Conway, to six catches for 67 yards. But the Bills left themselves vulnerable to other receivers. Enter TE Anthony Becht. After an early drop, Becht rebounded with three catches for 41 yards, including two TDs.’

‘Coaching: A. Herman Edwards pushed all the right buttons, integrating several young players into the mix, deactivating John Abraham (and not having it backfire) and calling a players-only meeting on the eve of the game. Paul Hackett scaled down the offensive game plan, using only six different running plays. Ted Cottrell turned up the heat by playing more man-to-man and taking more chances on defense.’

‘The Jets’ maligned defense, which entered the game ranked last in the NFL against the run, shut down the Buffalo running game (53 yards) and produced seven sacks, two fumbles and two interceptions – as well as stopping the Bills on fourth down three times.’

‘Testaverde and Becht (two TD catches) weren’t the only stars. The passing game flourished because of the success of the Jets’ running game that earned 118 yards on 33 carries. The Jets’ defense, playing without John Abraham, also came up big with a season-high seven sacks.’

‘The Jets were constantly in Buffalo’s backfield, much to defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell’s delight. “This is how I knew we were capable of playing,” Cottrell said. “We got to see how good we could play. It’s a relief for that to finally happen.”‘

‘”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.”‘