Two Bills Drive

‘Szott, who signed with the New York Jets as a free agent in March, tore the ACL in his right knee during non-contact drills on May 29. He underwent surgery on June 19, but never doubted he’d play this season even though such surgery usually requires a far longer recovery period. Now, after two weeks of light practice, Szott is getting repetitions on the offensive line. He’s likely to slide in at right guard at some point for the inconsistent J.P. Machado, although not this Sunday against the Bills.’

‘”Chad has prepared himself to do that,” New York Coach Herman Edwards said. “When you prepare yourself and you surround yourself with players who are fulfilling their roles, it makes your role a lot easier. That is how he has gone about his business and how he is running the football team right now. It is good for him, and it is good for the guys that are around him. They are playing a lot better right now.”‘

‘[Q:] What kind of mental state are the Bills in after a disappointing loss in Kansas City? [A:] Frustrated more than anything. It was a game they probably should have won. And maybe pretty handily.’

‘”When Vinny had to have surgery this spring,” Pennington recalled, “I was able to take reps with the No. 1 team. That was what started my development on the field and gave me added confidence I could run the show.”‘

ESPN’s Merril Hoge says: “The best way to break Chad Pennington’s rhythm is to combine pressure up front with pressure outside on the receivers. Sometimes, to disrupt a quarterback, defenses have to throw off the receivers. Getting pressure on Pennington is only part of the equation. The Bills can force Pennington to hesitate by changing coverages, challenging the receivers at the line of scrimmage and affecting how the receivers get in and out of their routes.”

‘In the Red Zone: “Really, the thing that allows you to be ultimately successful is your ability to run the ball down there. You get down there and force them to spread out to be conscious of your guys then you run the ball in. “Sometimes you just have to put the ball in Travis (Henry’s) hands and make that extra guy that they bring in miss.”

How fast was cornerback J.D. Williams? He could run 40 yards in about the same length of time it took to read these two sentences. It didn’t him too long to stand out on special teams either. Buffalo’s 1990 first-round draft pick blocked a punt in that year’s season-opener, a 26-10 victory over Indianapolis.

The Bills' 46 wins over the Jets are the most Buffalo has against any other NFL team (the Patriots are next at 39). The last four games in the series have been decided by six points or fewer, including the 2001 season opener. The Bills are looking for their second straight win over the Jets in New Jersey after a 14-9 win there in game 15 of 2001.

‘"After 10 weeks, we have a quarterback over 3,000 yards and Travis is close to 1,000 yards, so I think that speaks for itself," left tackle Jonas Jennings said.’

‘Buffalo Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe leads the AFC in the fan voting for the Pro Bowl and is second behind only Green Bay’s Brett Favre in overall votes.’

‘In his six starts, Pennington has thrown for 1,394 yards, completed an astounding 75.3 percent of his throws, hit for 10 touchdowns, and thrown just 3 interceptions.’

‘He also thinks he can excel on special teams, an area where the Bills are always looking to improve. “That’s a very important part of the game, it can dictate the outcome of the game,” he said. “I take pride in that because I know how important it is. I know games can come down to that.”‘

‘In their past two games, the Bills have made it inside the red zone a total of nine times and have walked out with just two touchdowns and three field goals. That’s leaving 40 of a possible 63 points blowing in the wind.’

‘In last Sunday’s 17-16 loss in Kansas City, the Chiefs’ defence did an excellent job of allowing Bledsoe to complete short passes in place of deep strikes for big gains. It’s a “bend but don’t break” defensive philosophy that has grown in popularity among Buffalo’s opposition.’

‘”We both see the same things when we’re on the field,” Coles said. “When I line up outside, it’s like he’ll look at me, and I look at him, it’s almost like we know what each other is thinking just by looking at the defense. Chad can tell me what he sees. I can tell him, `Look out for this in case I get this type of coverage.’ When Chad wasn’t playing, I would come off at practice and Chad would say, `Did you see this?’ He would say, `I’m going to tell Vinny about this.’ He’s always had that leadership role even though he wasn’t at the controls.”‘