Two Bills Drive

‘Who would have thought a season opener between bitter division foes, a game featuring Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde and Curtis Martin, would be decided by a 5-foot-8-inch kick returner?’

‘So at the start of overtime, Ray Mickens whispered to Donnie Abraham on the sideline, "If anyone can bring it back, Chad can."’

‘Martin was hurt when linebacker London Fletcher landed across the ankle after a pass play near the end of the first half. He didn’t appear to be limping too badly when the teams returned for the second half. Still, the Jets felt it was prudent to keep him out.’

‘If not for special teams breakdowns, he would have begun the Bledsoe era with a big win. Now, if he can only survive 16 games with an unproven offensive line, the Bills’ trade to get him may pay off.’

‘The little guy from Torrance, Calif., was a long way from home. He looked way out of his element among his teammates. He wasn’t. Morton was big yesterday. He was big news, and a big deal.’

‘Why was Becht a frequent target? The Bills did a lot of blitzing, and Becht became the "hot" receiver in many of those instances. The Bills’ outstanding cornerbacks, Antoine Winfield and Nate Clements, neutralized the Jets’ wideouts, forcing Testaverde to throw to Becht on check-downs.’

‘This was alarmingly reminiscent of last season. Travis Henry burned them repeatedly with cutbacks, rushing for a career-high 149 yards and three TDs. LB Sam Cowart was quiet in his debut. The Bills went to school by reviewing their own preseason game against the Colts. The Jets and Colts play the same scheme.’

‘"That was a game that for spectators was probably fun to watch," Herman Edwards said. "But for a coach, it was a nightmare."’

‘This isn’t any way to win a Super Bowl. But at least the Jets found a way to win a game yesterday so many other Jet teams would have lost. That way was Chad Morton. Chad Morton saved the Jets yesterday.’

‘Bledsoe (26-for-39 for 271 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) scared holy hell out of the Jets when he double-pumped and found Eric Moulds with a 29-yard TD pass through the Jets’ Cover 2 to force overtime. The Jets kept knocking him down and Bledsoe kept getting up. He even leveled nose tackle Jason Ferguson with a smashing block on a reverse to Peerless Price.’

‘The Jets lost Curtis Martin, their franchise running back who just signed a $46 million contract, to a left ankle sprain late in the first half yesterday in Buffalo, though the injury does not appear to be serious enough to keep him out of next week’s game.’

‘"We were all out of whack," Edwards said. "We shot ourselves in the foot a bunch of times. No one was keeping their composure except for me. That’s not us. We’re not that type of football team. We have to clean that up, fix it."’

‘The MVP of a week-old Jets season broke two big plays and plenty of hearts in Buffalo. Morton’s first kickoff return for a score, which covered 98 yards, came immediately after the Bills went up 10-0. And if that touchdown made it a game, the next one ended it.’

‘It should be taken as a good sign that the Jets needed only one game to set a positive tone for 2002. Faced with some of the same calamities that ensnared them early last season – porous run defense, penalties, a decisive disadvantage in time of possession – the Jets shook them off and beat the Bills, 37-31, in a dramatic victory that could be a sign of things to come.’

‘It wasn’t just that Becht caught four passes for 36 yards – including a touchdown – and a two-point conversion, it was the way he did it. Becht caught balls in heavy traffic. And his best statistic of the afternoon? Zero drops.’