Two Bills Drive

‘Bills coach Wade Phillips hinted yesterday that he might make a change in his dime defense, and though he wouldn’t confirm it, Daryl Porter all but did. "I’m not going to count myself out, I’m just basically going to learn and try to help out Travares (Tillman) and make sure he knows exactly what he’s doing," said Porter. Porter has been torched the last few games for big plays, including the winning touchdown by the Vikings last week, and it appears that he’s headed for the bench in favor of the rookie second-round draft choice Tillman.’

‘Do not look for a Jets player among the league leaders for quarterback, receiver, running back, sacks or interceptions. The Jets are not ranked among the top offensive or defensive teams, either. There is only one place in a sea of statistics where one can easily find the Jets: atop the American Conference East.’

‘When Al Groh described his halftime tirade during the Jets’ 40-37 Monday night classic victory over the Miami Dolphins in overtime, he smiled. “I sang ’em a lullaby,” he said. Not really; a lullaby puts a baby to sleep. This lullaby would have burned little kids’ ears. It woke up all those big babies in green-and- white uniforms who fell behind, 30-7, before their fourth-quarter explosion on four of Vinny Testaverde’s five touchdown passes. More important, this lullaby showed not only that the Jets’ new head coach is in command, but also that his players will play hard for him.’

‘The first-place Jets (6-1) face the Bills (3-4) Sunday at Orchard Park in a game that screams of a potential emotional letdown. Coach Al Groh, trying to prevent it, addressed the subject in yesterday’s team meeting. "I think they’re well aware of the fact that most of (the Bills) had gone to bed, and so they’re not all that impressed with what we did," Groh said.’

‘It was overshadowed by Vinny Testaverde’s five touchdown passes and Jumbo Elliott’s improbable touchdown and Marcus Coleman’s interception hat trick, but perhaps the most impressive individual performance in the Jets’ dramatic comeback win over the Dolphins was Richie Anderson’s receiving. He caught 12 passes for 109 yards. Think about that for a second: 12 receptions. Only three times in the 41-year history of the Jets has a player produced more receptions in a single game – Clark Gaines (17 in 1980) and Al Toon twice (14 in 1988 and 13 in 1988). Anderson didn’t garner much publicity for his monster game, but it has been that kind of season for him – sneaky good. "A lot of people talk about me being the most underrated back; I think Richie is the most underrated back," Curtis Martin said yesterday at Hofstra. "He means so much to this team. He’s like the motor for this team. Once Richie gets going, a lot of us get going.’

‘"It was very frustrating and it made for a very unsettling offseason for me, personally," Flutie said yesterday in conference call with New York reporters. "I guess we weren’t winning by enough." Flutie, who will start for the injured Rob Johnson (shoulder) Sunday against the Jets at Ralph Wilson Stadium, led the Bills to a 10-5 record last season. He was benched in the regular-season finale and the AFC wild-card playoff game in Tennessee. "I went to the Pro Bowl in ’98, and I was the first alternate at the Pro Bowl last year, yet I’m not good enough to start for the team in the playoffs," he said.’

‘A win over the Bills Sunday would make the Jets 7-1 at the halfway point in the regular season, assure them of sole possession of first place for another week and make them 5-0 against AFC East competition – a huge tiebreaker factor. It, too, would leave the Bills at 3-5 at the turn with a debilitating 0-4 division record, including 0-2 against the Jets. In essence, a Jet win over the Bills Sunday would allow the Jets to just about bury Buffalo the way they’ve buried the 2-6 Patriots with a season series sweep.’

‘Flutie, who’s obviously not a real fan of the Bills’ organization for the way he’s been treated, was asked if he’s playing for his future. "I’m under contract for another two years and it’s very difficult for them to release me because of salary-cap situations," he said.’

‘Al Groh and a number of Jet players yesterday vehemently denied a report that Groh, in his halftime tirade Monday night, called the players "pathetic losers." Groh called the report "totally inaccurate," adding, "I’m not going to repeat what I said, but that’s nothing I would ever think of saying to those players. It’s nothing that I would ever say. It’s a complete and total fabrication." Several Jet players were asked yesterday if they heard those words and none said they did.’

‘The Jets, 4-0 against AFC East opponents, face the Bills Sunday in Buffalo in a game Groh marked down on his calendar long ago as one of the toughest of the season. It is certainly a dangerous game, coming off a thrilling comeback and facing a team that linebacker Sam Cowart said is "in a desperate situation." Buffalo is 0-3 in the division and has wilted with three losses in four games after losing to the Jets.’

‘"A lot of people talk about me being the most underrated back," Curtis Martin said. "I think Richie [Anderson] is the most underrated back, because he means so much to this team. He’s like the motor to this team. Once Richie gets going, a lot of us get going."’

‘"Richie [Anderson] is a big-play guy," running back Curtis Martin said. "A lot of people talk about me being the most underrated back. I think Richie is the most underrated back. He means so much to this team. He’s like the motor to this team. Once Richie gets going, a lot of us get going."’

‘Bills coach Wade Phillips said he watched the Jets-Dolphins game until the score was 30-7 and was shocked to learn of the Jets’ comeback the next morning. "It’s just like with Dewey and Truman," Phillips said. "I expected to see it in the papers and it wasn’t there." Phillips was an infant in 1948 when the Chicago Tribune mistakenly proclaimed Thomas Dewey the winner over Harry Truman in the Presidential election. … Sure enough, The Miami Herald ran a headline touting a Dolphins’ victory on its Web site early yesterday morning.’

‘In general, the Bills are grumpy about their 3-4 record, with all four losses coming in the last five games. Specifically, they weren’t thrilled about nearly upsetting the unbeaten Vikings at Minnesota before falling, 31-27, Sunday. "Especially when you come off a loss," said quarterback Doug Flutie, who will start a second straight game for the injured Rob Johnson, "you’ve got to get a win and get the bad taste of the loss out of your mouth. We can’t wait till Sunday." And while the Bills aren’t saying anything provocative this week, some expressed irritation after they held the Jets to 234 "legitimate" yards and one "genuine" touchdown in Game 3, only to be beaten by Kevin Williams’ kickoff-return touchdown, Testaverde’s 45-yard Hail Mary scoring pass to cornerback-turned-receiver Marcus Coleman, and their own special-teams gaffes.’

‘Al Groh concurred with several commentators who accused him of committing an error during the Jets’ Monday night comeback win over Miami. "It was a mistake by the head coach," Groh said Wednesday of his decision to go for two points after the Jets had cut their deficit to 30-13 early in the fourth quarter. "I don’t have a chart. I just have a gut and a heart and I try to use those. I just made a mistake. It wasn’t good thinking."’