Two Bills Drive

‘To some NFL athletes, "Slash" is a four-letter word. But the nickname is music to Tory Woodbury’s ears.’

‘"When I’m healthy, I’ll be ready to come back and play," said Christie, an 11-year NFL veteran who signed a free agent contract with the Bills in 1992 after two seasons with Tampa Bay. "I guess the unfortunate thing is that it won’t be here."’

‘Cottrell, however, isn’t buying into the criticisms being made against Johnson, who has now lost seven straight starts going back to last season. “Rob could burn you if you make some mistakes,” Cottrell said. “I’ve seen Rob have some great games. I know what he can do throwing the ball. I’ve got a lot of respect for his arm.”‘

‘The 1-2 Jets need a breakout game in the worst way and they should be in position to get it Sunday against one of the league’s worst teams, the 0-3 Buffalo Bills, owners of the league’s 29th-ranked defense.’

‘Yesterday’s film review by players of their 18 missed tackles in the Monday nightmare loss to San Francisco made that crystal clear. "The one thing sobering about the game that we had, if they don’t understand the details of how you’re supposed to line up, then, they’ll never understand it," Edwards said. "Because that was a sobering deal, to witness that."’

‘The Bills will be without starting left defensive end Phil Hansen, along with backup defensive tackle Leif Larsen, who got a decent amount of playing time the first three games. It’s a worrisome situation given the already undersized Bills front seven has allowed two straight 100-yard rushers and is bracing for Jets star back Curtis Martin.’

‘No one has confidence in Johnson anymore. Not the coaches, or the players, or Rob himself.’

‘The Buffalo Bills waived place-kicker Steve Christie off the injured reserve list as expected Wednesday and added defensive lineman Kendrick Office to the active roster.’

‘Jets linebacker James Darling got a phone call from his grandmother in Washington state on Tuesday. She wanted to know how the defense gave up a mind-boggling 233 yards rushing to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, how her grandson could be part of such an "embarrassing" performance.’

‘[Q:] What do you attribute so many sacks to? The offensive line? You’ve been sacked 13 times already this season. {A:] I have no idea. I’m sick of commenting on that stuff. Just blame it on me and we’ll go from there.’

‘In NFL telecasts last weekend of both the Chargers win over the Cincinnati Bengals and the Bills loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, CBS showed a detailed graphic comparing the two former teammates. And it’s only going to get more pronounced in the buildup to Oct. 28 when the Chargers and Bills meet in San Diego.’

‘The problem with the defense, as Edwards sees it, is not effort, but execution. Usually, a defense could expect to miss perhaps five or six tackles a game. Monday night, the Jets missed an astonishing 18. Edwards said players are not lining up correctly. And when they are out of position, they are forced to lunge and reach for tackles. A good running back, like the 49ers Garrison Hearst, was able to run through arm tackles.’

‘Under Cottrell’s guidance from 1998 to 2000, the Bills were known as a sound defense that rarely beat itself. In 1999, Buffalo had the No. 1 defense in the NFL. But on Monday night, the Jets’ defensive performance was "disheartening," Cottrell said.’

‘Defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, who spent the previous three seasons in the same position with the Bills, admitted it was a "little disappointing" that he wasn’t hired as Wade Phillips’ successor. He interviewed for the head-coaching position last offseason, but it went to Gregg Williams. "I thought I had a … hey, what are you going to say?" Cottrell said. "You can’t tell people who to hire."’

‘"Oh man," Darling said yesterday, "when something like that happens [allowing 233 yards rushing before a national-television audience], you want to get back out there and prove that wasn’t who we are as a team or who you are as a player."’