Archives for October 2005

Even through all the troubles the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills have faced early in this 2005 season, both are only a game behind the AFC East…

‘Vilma said he heard McGahee was talking trash on the radio this week and just smiled. "We’re cool, we’re close, and it’ll be a great matchup," Vilma said. "It’s going to be fun … I’m going to see him for 60 minutes (tomorrow), so I like that."’

‘"We don’t want people showing up at 9 o’clock, thinking they’re going to get in the parking lots," said Scott Berchtold, the Bills vice president for communications. "We’re not going to allow them in."’

‘An impossible situation, right? Not for Vinny. "I wouldn’t say that I was unprepared for anything that they threw at me," he said. "A guy that’s been on the couch basically for eight or nine months, I don’t think you’re going to try and change too much with the success that you’ve had. Fortunate for us, and fortunate for me, I was able to pick up the speed of the game pretty quick – it wasn’t moving too fast – and I was able to make the right throws to the right guys."’

‘"He’s not a finesse runner, but he has a lot of speed," said Vilma, who worked out with McGahee and several other former Hurricanes during the off-season. "I don’t know what you’d call that, really. You can’t call him just a power back because he can break away from you. He has good vision. He can cut well. He’s explosive. He’s the whole package."’

‘”It was nice to get positive yards, take what they were giving us, not being too greedy and just picking away,” said Campbell, who matched his season total with three catches for 15 yards after not catching any passes in the previous two games. “That’s hard for an offense to do. We’re always trying for big chunks but to have ball control, keep our defense off the field, it was nice to see. Sometimes experience (at quarterback) can do that for you.”‘

‘Then, three Sundays ago, Vinny was on the coach in his Elmont home watching in stunned silence as first Pennington, then Fiedler went down with shoulder injuries in a span of seven plays against Jacksonville. It occurred to Testaverde, who lives only a few miles from the Jets’ training facility in Hempstead, that he might be contacted.’

‘”He’s back to being as good as he ever was,” Vilma said.’

Miami Buddies Expect to Bump Into Each Other Again (New York Times)

Jet ‘D’ talkin’ about Willis (New York Daily News)

Rookie runs to rescue (New York Post)

Doug jolly about Vinny (New York Post)

GM Bradway: ‘This is crazy’ (Newsday)

One for the books (White Plains Journal News)

Vilma is eager to pop his pal (Newark Star Ledger)

Martin sub Houston eyes action (Newark Star Ledger)

Vilma knows Bills’ McGahee is tough (Bergen Record)

Around the Gridiron: Week 6 (NewYorkJets.com)

Jets Have Good Shot in Buffalo (NewYorkJets.com)

10 Questions Unitl Sunday (NewYorkJets.com)

Jets Name Steve Carroll Coach of the Week (NewYorkJets.com)

‘When I look at this game, the hat on offense goes on the Jets’ receivers because I think it’s a match-up the Jets should be able to exploit assuming the weather is good. And I think the hat is on the Jets’ defensive line because I think they are clearly better than the offensive line of the Buffalo Bills. Those are two areas that should lead the Jets to victory this week.’

‘As far as any predictions for this game, I would expect the Bills to pull out a very close battle.’

‘Now Curtis Martin, nursing a knee sprain, will be backed up by rookie Cedric Houston, with Derrick Blaylock out with a broken foot. If they’re going to get untracked, this would be the week. The Bills are ranked first in the league in pass defense, but next-to-last at stopping the run. Without LB Takeo Spikes, out for the season, Buffalo’s defense has not been nearly as imposing.’

‘Bills coach Mike Mularkey has declined to identify his starter, citing the "competitive advantage" of keeping the Jets guessing, but Holcomb has worked with the first unit this week and will get the nod. He will attempt to build on last week’s performance, when he helped the Bills snap a three-game losing streak with a 20-14 victory over Miami.’

‘"I like to fight in there," said Anderson, who will make his second start of the season at defensive tackle Sunday against the New York Jets. "I know you can’t be a nice guy and play on the line, either side, offensively or defensively. It’s a fight in there every day, which I enjoy. I think it’s a good challenge."’

‘No one knows how Mularkey came up with this idea that leaving teams guessing whether it’s Kelly Holcomb or J.P. Losman waylays their preparations. But I have a theory. Remember the final game of last season, when the Pittsburgh Steelers refused to divulge how much they’d play their starters? And the Bills had no choice but to game plan for their regulars? And then the Steelers decided to play predominantly their backups? And the Bills got their butts kicked? Guess you’d have to say Bill Cowher wrung at least 10 percent out of that little caper.’