‘Last season, the Buffalo Bills finished first in the NFL in total defense under coordinator Ted Cottrell, allowing the fewest points by an AFC team in 21 years and setting several team defensive records. The unit not only played hard because it was their job, they played hard for Cottrell, a practitioner of the kind of tough love that endears a coach to his players. Yet, Cottrell’s phone didn’t ring once last off-season when a half dozen NFL head coaching jobs opened up. Ted Cottrell, a former Rutgers assistant coach, is black. "It was kind of discouraging," Cottrell said yesterday from his office, where he’s preparing his defense for a showdown with the Jets on Sunday at Giants Stadium. "It was only for a moment. I got over it. "But you can’t tell people who to hire. Hopefully, if I keep doing a good job, I’ll get a shot. I’m working towards that. This is my profession, and I want to reach the top of my profession. And I don’t just want to get there, I want to be successful."’