Two Bills Drive

‘”I knew that (Pennington) would eventually have to be the starter,” Jets coach Herman Edwards said in a conference call earlier this week. “When the time frame was going to come, I didn’t know. “But with the way we were playing, we needed some sort of spark. We are real fortunate he did that. The guys have rallied around him.”‘

‘He does not need to see the official figures to know that, barring an unexpected shift in emphasis beginning today against the Buffalo Bills, there will be an unusually barren line in his career biography for 2002. In his previous seven years in the league, Chrebet has never caught fewer than 48 passes and never had fewer than 12 third-down receptions, and those low numbers came in 1999, when he played in just 11 games. But at his current pace, which is about 3 receptions a game (he was inactive for one game early this season), he would finish with only 45 receptions.’

‘Indeed, Bledsoe is having an MVP-caliber season, wide receivers Eric Moulds and Peerless Price are the most prolific tandem in the NFL and Henry is the AFC’s fifth-leading rusher. Ah, but the Jets do see signs of vulnerability. On film, they see Bledsoe holding the ball too long, waiting for his receivers to break free on their vertical routes. That explains why he has been sacked 36 times, a mouth-watering total for the Jets’ pass rushers.’

‘Edwards says you will notice the difference in the Jets’ remaining six games, except for maybe the one next week in Oakland. The others will be played in North Jersey, Chicago and New England – wind-whipped and frosty burgs.’

‘Could be overtime again. Jets, 27-24.’

‘”We left [Buffalo] thinking no matter what we do we’re going to win,” Jets’ SS Sam Garnes said. “We felt like no matter what, we were going to do something to win. We’d just finished 4-0 in preseason . . . When we stepped on the field we thought we were supposed to win every game.” Then, of course, came the skid that still could cost the Jets a playoff berth unless they win at least four of their final six games and probably five of the last six.’

‘”From the first day I met him, the first day he got to town, he kind of had that swagger to him,” said Moulds, a Pro Bowl player. “He walked up to me the first time I met him and said, ‘Are you ready to do this?’ Let’s go out and change this thing around and become a contender.’ “‘

‘Pruett says the Jets future has just gotten so bright, “they need to wear sunglasses.” Take his word for it. This quarterback will never be blinded by any glare he creates.’

‘One of the Jets’ primary focuses today will be slowing down Bills RB Travis Henry, who in the opener gashed their defense for a 149 yards and three TDs, both career highs. Henry is fifth in the AFC with 874 rushing yards and has nine rushing TDs.’

‘”Everything is new,” Hackett said. “Everything is an adventure, and it’s all improving. Now, can we continue to improve through the season? I would expect us to. Will we have some down games? Yes, I would expect us to, because we’re just figuring this thing out. But the signs are all there.”‘

‘Early this season, Hackett’s detractors were out in full force again as the Jets stumbled to a 1-4 start and then blew an 18-point lead against the Cleveland Browns to fall to 2-5. They laughed at Hackett’s reputation as a quarterback guru. Now, with the Jets at 5-5 and back in the playoff hunt, and quarterback Chad Pennington giving fans hope for the future, both in 2002 and beyond, there is little whining about Hackett as the Jets meet the Buffalo Bills (5-5) today at the Meadowlands.’

‘The Jets are rightly proud of their little receivers who can. Laveranues Coles is emerging as a legitimate future Pro Bowl contender. Wayne Chrebet is old and reliable. Santana Moss is new and volatile. But the Jets’ trio are in danger of being overshadowed today by the Buffalo Bills’ goliath wide receivers. Eric Moulds, Peerless Price, and rookie Josh Reed aren’t that huge in stature – Moulds is the tallest at 6-foot-2 – but their receiving numbers tower over almost all other two- and three-wideout combinations in the league.’

‘”You want to have a good running game this part of the year,” Jets coach Herman Edwards said. “If you can run now it is going to help you, especially when you play outdoors. It’s just the way the season kind of goes at the end of the year. A lot of guys are banged up and tackling becomes kind of bad.”‘

‘While the Jets have scrambled back to the .500 mark by winning four of their last five games, there’s no time to catch their breath. They’re still on the outside of the playoffs looking in with six games remaining, and face an incredibly difficult run of games.’