Two Bills Drive

‘After the Jets’ free safeties were victimized in three of the Dolphins’ four touchdowns in Monday night’s thriller, Williams, Scott Frost and Chris Hayes have been getting reps at the position in practice this week. As is his wont, Groh was mum on who the starter will be on Sunday in Buffalo.’

‘Let’s hear it for Wayne Chrebet. You won’t hear it from him. The guy isn’t just a clutch receiver, he’s a great clutch receiver. A good receiver makes clutch catches by accident; a great one does it over and over again.’

‘Prediction: Jets 17, Bills 16.’

‘Bills coach Wade Phillips echoed that sentiment when asked about the Moulds-Coleman matchup. "I don’t want to overlook Aaron Glenn because he’s also a tremendous player," Phillips said. "Two corners like that can take a lot of things away. The Jets put them in man-to-man with no help, really. Not many teams have the luxury of doing that."’

‘And if the Jets need to pull another game out, who’s next on the list to do the unexpected? "You never know," [Jumbo] Elliott said.’

‘Victor Green has a pretty good feel for Jets karma – after all, he has been on the scene since 1993 – and he believes the remarkable start is a harbinger of something truly special. As in, Super special. “Hey, the sky’s the limit,” the Jets’ strong safety said yesterday at Hofstra. “I hope it takes us all the way to Tampa (for Super Bowl XXXV). Hopefully, we can continue to have the magic. If we do, we can take it as far as we let it.”‘

‘Jets coach Al Groh, unhappy with the play of his safeties, seems prepared to make a lineup change for Sunday’s game against the Bills (3-4). It’s believed starting FS Kevin Williams will be replaced by Scott Frost, who came off the bench in the last two games. Special teams star Chris Hayes, who has been waiting for his shot on defense, also is practicing at free safety this week and he could split time with Frost in the game.’

‘Bills’ coach Wade Phillips is hoping his team can take advantage of any Jets fatigue. "It was an unbelievable game," Phillips said of the Jets’ comeback over Miami. "I watched until it was 30-7. I expected to see (the Jet loss result) in the paper and it wasn’t there. Of course, I thought Dewey won, too. "It was great win, a great game. I’ve looked at the film a bunch of times and even though we have it on tape it’s still amazing what they did, scoring 30 points in one quarter. "I’ve said all along the Jets have tremendous leaders with tremendous heart on their football team and it shows," Phillips went on. "And, of course Al Groh has done a great job coaching them."’

‘Coleman had three interceptions Monday night, two of them on the same drive in overtime (he fumbled one away). The last one led to John Hall’s game-winning field goal. Coleman nearly had a fourth interception, but he dropped a ball earlier in the game. He is now second on the team in interceptions behind Victor Green, who has four. "If I had three picks, I might retire," Glenn said. "They say they come in bunches, so if you have three, you can’t retire, because you might get four and five." That could happen on Sunday because Coleman figures to be defending against the Bills’ go-to receiver, Eric Moulds, when the teams play in Buffalo. Moulds is Buffalo’s leading receiver and has already caught 53 passes for 695 yards. That is almost 20 more receptions than any Jet has. Part of Coleman’s drop in statistics reflects the fact that opposing offenses avoid throwing to his side of the field. But because Moulds is such an integral part of the Buffalo offense, Coleman is confident he will have plenty of work.’

‘When asked whether he felt he could sway Bills coach Wade Phillips with strong play while Johnson is out (likely for at least two more games), Flutie said it was unlikely. "I don’t have any control over that decision," Flutie said. "I’m going to just try to play the best I can play and if it makes it difficult on them to make a decision, great. But I don’t think there’s going to be a decision to be made no matter what I do."’

‘"It just depends on how well they play," Flutie said. "Yes, they had one less day to heal up, so maybe (Wednesday’s) practice was a little bit sluggish, but that’s about it. After that, everything will be back on an even keel and they’ll be ready to go."’

‘Normally, in the midst of game-planning for the upcoming opponent, he doesn’t watch on Monday night. But since his team hosts the Jets Sunday, Phillips tuned in. "I get the tape at the 6 a.m. (the next day)," he said, "but I had it on because sometimes I can pick up audibles … which you can’t hear on the film. But (on the telecast) you also can’t see as well (the whole alignment of the 22 players) to analyze things as you can on film. "Really," Phillips added, "I was watching the game just to watch it, since we’re playing (the Jets) this week and we know each other so well." And even though he didn’t witness the finish live, Phillips sees nothing but good coming from the Jets’ remarkable comeback. "It can’t do anything but help," he said.’

‘Seven games into the season, he’s on pace to shatter a number of franchise records. His 53 receptions are 37 short of Reed’s mark set in 1994, and he is on track to eclipse his own 1998 record of 1,368 receiving yards. Moulds plays down his performance, saying it means little when the Bills (3-4) are struggling.’

‘Last week against Miami, the Jets played three different players at the free safety position. Kevin Williams started. The Scott Frost took over and he was followed by Chris Hayes. This instability at free safety is starting to hurt the Jets.’

‘Jets players admitted Wednesday that they are starting to amaze themselves with their own heroics. "We certainly have a sense of a little magic in the air," Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet said as he prepared for Sunday’s AFC East game in Buffalo. "Magic and some luck." "I don’t know if it’s magical, but I think something special is a better word for it," Jets safety Victor Green said.’