Two Bills Drive

‘The Bills and Jets collide again Sunday in a critical AFC East showdown at Giants Stadium, and while Polk stopped short of making any Bengal-like guarantees, he was steadfast in his belief that Morton won’t be prancing through the kickoff coverage unit this time.’

‘The remarkably fast comeback of Jets guard Dave Szott from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee will give the Jets’ offensive line a boost in the final month of the season.’

‘"The Buffalo Bills are going to feel like, ‘You know what, Drew? Let’s saddle it up, we’re on your shoulders, take us to a win,’ " Malone said. "They’ll come out and throw it every single down, so I think the Jets will have their hands full."’

‘Thanks to the emergence of quarterback Chad Pennington, the Jets no longer have the desperate look of a team that must win now or be rebuilt with a new quarterback, a new coach and a new system. Instead, the Jets are a team with a future and will benefit from the experiences of this season regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not.’

‘Sunday at Giants Stadium, where the Jets and Bills will play each other again, you can be sure that the Bills’ special teams are on serious alert with regard to the Jets’ kick-return game.’

‘WR Laveranues Coles sat out practice yesterday with a sore back but is expected to play Sunday. RT Randy Thomas, who was upgraded from questionable to probable with a sprained right ankle, returned to practice.’

‘Since Morton’s explosion, teams have been more hesitant to kick deep to the Jets, and that may again be the case Sunday.’

‘The Jets, meanwhile, must play Buffalo, at Oakland (Jumbo, take note), Denver, at Chicago, at New England and Green Bay. It will be hard for them to avoid three more losses and an 8-8 finish.’

‘It’s no secret the Jets suffered periodic communication breakdowns last season on offense, resulting in forced timeouts, delay-of-game penalties and sloppy game management. This year, the operation has been much smoother, evidenced by what didn’t happen Sunday in Detroit.’

‘”He is looking like the Sam Cowart of old, so you have to really account for him and find out where he is on the field because he makes so many plays,” Buffalo’s Eric Moulds said. “He is one of those guys that receivers try to stay away from, one of those big-hitting guys. We have so much respect for Sam on this team that it was hard to see him go.”‘

‘Ferguson said the Bills’ kickoff-coverage unit must be “pretty much on alert. Just like we know what happened last time, they know what happened.”‘

‘”We didn’t know that there would be a quarterback change, but hey, there’s been a quarterback change,” Hackett said yesterday. “After he’s played 50 [games], then we can sit and say, ‘OK, what do you think about this quarterback? Now let’s evaluate him.'”‘

‘Henry, a powerful and quick 5-9, 220-pounder, repeatedly burned the Jets on a misdirection play in which he would get the ball, take a step or two one way and then go back the other way, following the fullback. Henry also victimized the Jets with cutback moves once he reached the hole.’

‘Bledsoe has been sacked 36 times, second-most in the NFL, and it’s often his own fault. “Sometimes Drew, and he has already admitted it, he’ll hold the ball a little bit too long looking for the play down the field,” Bills coach Gregg Williams said.’

‘Buffalo special teams coordinator Danny Smith surely has introduced some wrinkles for his kick-cover unit. It could be that all the Bills will bunch up and then scatter at the kick as Miami did. They could jump lanes running downfield, something the Jets do. Kicker Mike Hollis could shorten his kickoffs, or kick it to LaMont Jordan. Whatever they do, said Morton, “They’ve got to be kind of nervous and scared. I would be.”‘