Two Bills Drive

‘Marcus Coleman heard the whispers last offseason. He had just signed a five-year, $20 million contract to remain with the Jets, and now the club was refusing to meet Keyshawn Johnson’s demands for a new contract. It raised a question: Did the Jets, choked by the salary cap, have their priorities mixed up? "I’m sure people were wondering," Coleman said this week at Hofstra. "If they have any questions now, hopefully they saw the game the other night and have been watching us all year, seeing that I’m a quality player. I’m not a one-year wonder with a big contract, just trying to hang on. I definitely have some things I want to do in this league."’

‘One of the bright spots for the Jets has been the emergence of rookie Laveranues Coles as the No. 3 wide receiver. Coles, who has made 10 of his 13 receptions in the last two games, attributes his rise to an improved line of communication with QB Vinny Testaverde. "Early on, I wasn’t comfortable going up to a veteran such as Vinny and asking him what he’s looking for," Coles said yesterday at Hofstra. "I would sit back and try to get a feel for what everyone else was doing. Once I realized Vinny wasn’t a guy who was going to shut you out, I felt more comfortable going up to him."’

‘Memo to Doug Flutie and the Bills’ offense: Aaron Glenn is getting bored. Throw him a bone. Glenn, the Jets’ two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, has been feeling somewhat left out this season and that was built up even more by the three interceptions his fellow starting corner, Marcus Coleman, picked

off against the Dolphins Monday night . . . in one game. “If I ever have three picks [in one game], I might retire,” Glenn joked. “But, they say they come in bunches, so if you have three you can’t retire, because you might get four, five or six.” Glenn, still in his prime, is not really contemplating retirement. But he would like opposing quarterbacks to throw his way a little more.’

‘Quietly, but with a definite presence, rookie receiver Laveranues Coles is becoming a significant factor for the Jets as a pressure player. Coles, who enters tomorrow’s game against the Bills in Buffalo with 13 receptions, a 12.3-yard average and one TD, has become a go-to receiver for Vinny Testaverde in critical situations.’

‘The transformation for Laveranues Coles occurred about a month ago. A bashful rookie initially content to sit back and observe his surroundings, the third-round pick out of Florida State began approaching Vinny Testaverde and gleaning information. "In the beginning I never said anything; I would just sit back, take it easy and get a feel for what they wanted," Coles said after Friday’s practice. "Then it became easier for me to go up to Vinny and ask, ‘What do you want me to do?’ And he would let me know. "Once I realized that Vinny wasn’t the type of guy who would shut you out and say, ‘I’m totally right,’ I felt more comfortable going up to him."’

‘The problem, said Cowart, centers around running backs Richie Anderson and Curtis Martin because they can line up anywhere on the field and be a threat. Utilizing Anderson and Martin’s versatile was a top priority going into training camp. "They’re definitely one of the toughest teams to prepare for because they run so many different formations," Cowart said. "They use their guys in so many various ways. They’ve got Richie Anderson catching a ton of balls and Curtis Martin lining up wide. "You have to watch out for those guys. They have so many different formations that it gets you confused. They have Richie Anderson out wide and Wayne Chrebet in close. Things like that can make you line up incorrectly. "We’re definitely going to prepare for (the no-huddle). We do a good job each time against the Jets. They haven’t run wild on us or thrown the ball wild on us. But the hurry-up offense is definitely a concern."’

‘It didn’t look like much on the stat sheet. It was only a 2-yard gain, on a night in which the Jets amassed 455 yards of offense. Yet it was one of their most important plays. Richie Anderson’s 2-yard reception from Vinny Testaverde converted a fourth-and-one at the Miami 4 late in the fourth quarter Monday night. If not for that play, there would not have been a Testaverde touchdown pass to tackle Jumbo Elliott two plays later. And the Jets’ great fourth-quarter comeback almost certainly would have been relegated to the status of nice try, as opposed to instant NFL legend.’

‘One thing should be certain about Buffalo’s rematch with the New York Jets on Sunday — the Bills can’t relax, regardless of the score.’

‘The Bills are just 3-4, but the four losses have come against the New York Jets (Sunday’s opponent), Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, teams with a combined record of 23-5. None of those losses was by more than 13 points and despite serious flaws in various parts of each contest, Buffalo had a shot deep into the fourth quarter in three of them. One of the wins was over Tennessee, which has lost just once this year and twice in the Titans’ last 15 games, counting postseason.’

‘Something special is going on when 6-7, 308-pound tackle Jumbo Elliott and cornerback Marcus Coleman have combined for one more touchdown catch than former Jets receiver Keyshawn Johnson has for Tampa Bay (one).’

‘Eric Moulds has been around the NFL long enough to know the good players from the wannabes. So when the Buffalo Bills star wide receiver says you won’t find many cornerback tandems better than Aaron Glenn and Marcus Coleman of the New York Jets, believe it. "I’ve gone against some pretty good corners, and those guys rank right up there," said Moulds, whose Bills host the Jets on Sunday.’

‘"It’s the people who present the award that make it special and this is from the people of Western New York," Smerlas said. "This is where I spent most of career, where I learned about a lot of things. "To play football here, people just bleed football. They take pride in their sports, so much pride . . . Of course, it never began as a love-fest with the city of Buffalo when Smerlas came to Buffalo in 1979 as a second-round draft choice out of Boston College. "No one wants to come here," Smerlas said. "You hear and believe all the stories about it being 60 degrees below in the summer. But then you come here and you never want to leave."’

‘With Larry Felser, it’s always an opinionated day. A columnist and sports editor for the Buffalo News, Felser was among 11 inductees to the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Thursday night. He had a stint as a ball boy with the original All-America Conference and began his newspaper career running copy at the Courier-Express. In 1959, he began covering the Buffalo Bills, then of the new American Football League. For 18 years, Felser provided daily coverage of the Bills, moving to columnist with The Buffalo News in 1977.’

‘No player symbolizes the 2000 Al Groh Jets in a more complete way than Richie Anderson. He’s diligent in his preparation, explosive and dependable in his production and so quiet he goes by almost unnoticed by even the most ardent of Jet fans.’

‘[Marcus] Coleman has three interceptions, all in the last game against Miami, with two coming in overtime. [Aaron] Glenn has two picks, and is hungry for more.’