Two Bills Drive

‘Buffalo Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe leads the AFC in the fan voting for the Pro Bowl and is second behind only Green Bay’s Brett Favre in overall votes.’

‘In his six starts, Pennington has thrown for 1,394 yards, completed an astounding 75.3 percent of his throws, hit for 10 touchdowns, and thrown just 3 interceptions.’

‘He also thinks he can excel on special teams, an area where the Bills are always looking to improve. “That’s a very important part of the game, it can dictate the outcome of the game,” he said. “I take pride in that because I know how important it is. I know games can come down to that.”‘

‘In their past two games, the Bills have made it inside the red zone a total of nine times and have walked out with just two touchdowns and three field goals. That’s leaving 40 of a possible 63 points blowing in the wind.’

‘In last Sunday’s 17-16 loss in Kansas City, the Chiefs’ defence did an excellent job of allowing Bledsoe to complete short passes in place of deep strikes for big gains. It’s a “bend but don’t break” defensive philosophy that has grown in popularity among Buffalo’s opposition.’

‘”We both see the same things when we’re on the field,” Coles said. “When I line up outside, it’s like he’ll look at me, and I look at him, it’s almost like we know what each other is thinking just by looking at the defense. Chad can tell me what he sees. I can tell him, `Look out for this in case I get this type of coverage.’ When Chad wasn’t playing, I would come off at practice and Chad would say, `Did you see this?’ He would say, `I’m going to tell Vinny about this.’ He’s always had that leadership role even though he wasn’t at the controls.”‘

‘Since Pennington replaced Vinny Testaverde, Coles has 44 receptions for 614 yards and two touchdowns. In the same span, the Bills’ Eric Moulds, whom the Jets face Sunday at Giants Stadium, has 41 for 595 yards and four touchdowns. Moulds, tied for third among the AFC receiving leaders, is a two-time Pro Bowl selection.’

‘Buffalo’s high-octane offense has developed some knocks and pings the last two weeks. Bills coach Gregg Williams said that’s because they’re having problems in the red zone. But it is still a dangerous game for the Jets.’

‘”Basically, I said I was sincerely surprised when I learned they had the highest payroll,” he added. “I didn’t rip into the Jets. I’m a Jets fan and I want to see them win.”‘

‘”He’s having a good year, he really is, but quietly,” Herman Edwards said of Coles yesterday. “I think a lot of people don’t really take note of him, because there are so many good receivers in our conference. Sometimes, he kind of goes overlooked. But the more he plays, the more people will understand he’s having a good year.”‘

‘Several Jets players yesterday acknowledged they came out of the season-opening, 37-31 overtime win over the Bills in Buffalo with an inflated sense of how good they were. “It was an overconfidence,” DT Josh Evans said. “We came out of that game thinking we were a pretty good team. Then we came back the next week against New England and got our brains beat in.”‘

‘”Our goal is to be a Jerry Rice and Steve Young type of combination,” said Coles, selected in the third round of the 2000 draft, in which Pennington was one of the Jets’ four first-round picks. “… We came in together and we wanted to be a duo, and I think we’re working very hard toward that.”‘

‘When linebacker Sam Cowart was struggling early in the season, some people from his former team, the Bills, speculated that his Achilles injury still wasn’t completely healed. Actually, Cowart revealed yesterday that he hyperextended his right knee in Week 2 against New England and was slowed by the injury for several weeks.’

‘In Pennington’s six starts, Coles has 36 catches for 517 yards and two touchdowns.’

‘”It was fun watching it again, watching both the return and how good everybody blocked,” Morton said yesterday. “It brought back memories. It seemed like it was a long time ago.”‘