Two Bills Drive

‘It was the Bills game to win, but special teams never gave Bledsoe the chance.’

‘On an afternoon where the Bills accomplished so much offensively — and when a defence lacking in personality knocked Curtis Martin out of the game by halftime with an ankle injury — it was the memory of Chad Morton’s two kickoff return touchdowns, including a 96-yard romp on the opening kickoff of overtime, that stood out in a 37-31 loss to the New York Jets on the opening weekend of the National Football League season.’

‘The defeat, even for a team that lost four consecutive Super Bowl games a decade ago, was heartbreaking.’

‘While the Bills were devastated by their 37-31 overtime loss and the way they lost it — the opening kickoff in OT was run back 96 yards for the winning touchdown after Bledsoe hit Eric Moulds for the tying touchdown with just 26 seconds left in regulation time — they were thrilled with their new quarterback.’

‘The Jets’ defense yielded 149 yards rushing and, 3 rushing touchdowns to Travis Henry. Even in the worst days of the run defense in 2001, the Jets never gave up three rushing touchdowns in one game.’

‘In a blink, Bledsoe had done exactly what Bills management had hoped.’

‘The Bills allowed 300 yards in returns today. They also allowed Jason Glenn’s blocked punt, which led to John Hall’s 33-yard field goal that cut Buffalo’s lead to 24-23 early in the fourth quarter.’

‘The Jets were penalized 10 times, for a total of 90 yards, their worst day in that department since Edwards arrived.’

‘Who would have thought a season opener between bitter division foes, a game featuring Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde and Curtis Martin, would be decided by a 5-foot-8-inch kick returner?’

‘So at the start of overtime, Ray Mickens whispered to Donnie Abraham on the sideline, "If anyone can bring it back, Chad can."’

‘Martin was hurt when linebacker London Fletcher landed across the ankle after a pass play near the end of the first half. He didn’t appear to be limping too badly when the teams returned for the second half. Still, the Jets felt it was prudent to keep him out.’

‘If not for special teams breakdowns, he would have begun the Bledsoe era with a big win. Now, if he can only survive 16 games with an unproven offensive line, the Bills’ trade to get him may pay off.’

‘The little guy from Torrance, Calif., was a long way from home. He looked way out of his element among his teammates. He wasn’t. Morton was big yesterday. He was big news, and a big deal.’

‘Why was Becht a frequent target? The Bills did a lot of blitzing, and Becht became the "hot" receiver in many of those instances. The Bills’ outstanding cornerbacks, Antoine Winfield and Nate Clements, neutralized the Jets’ wideouts, forcing Testaverde to throw to Becht on check-downs.’

‘This was alarmingly reminiscent of last season. Travis Henry burned them repeatedly with cutbacks, rushing for a career-high 149 yards and three TDs. LB Sam Cowart was quiet in his debut. The Bills went to school by reviewing their own preseason game against the Colts. The Jets and Colts play the same scheme.’