Two Bills Drive

‘There will be Joy in Jetville, because the mighty ghosts will have struck out. Fireman Ed, one of the heroes from September 11, will be hoarse on the euphoric day the Jets defeated the Bills and made it back to the playoffs against all odds with the rookie head coach and 38-year-old quarterback.’

‘Rick Lyle will likely start, but having Abraham around to run around the Buffalo backfield and chase down QB Alex Van Pelt will certainly help.’

‘"He’s very knowledgeable and a good reader of defenses," said Cottrell, who knows Van Pelt well, having been the Buffalo defensive coordinator for the previous three seasons. "He knows how to get rid of the ball quickly and he spreads the ball around."’

‘”(The Bills) have a very productive offense. They’re a team that’s playing very, very hard. That’s the one thing you see on film. They’ll come down here excited about trying to beat us.”‘

‘Jets coach Herman Edwards said Abraham will play against the Bills, but mostly in obvious passing situations. Whether the second-year defensive end will fully resemble the player who is tied for second in the AFC in sacks is another matter.’

‘It’s just intriguing and refreshing to know that coaching with a strong arm and with paranoia isn’t the only way to win.’

‘The Bills, meanwhile, are confident they’ll get to New York on Saturday, enough time ahead of Sunday’s game against the Jets.’

‘He has 23 tackles over the last three weeks, including nine in last Sunday’s loss at Atlanta and half a sack two weeks ago against New England.’

‘Centers stands an excellent chance of being selected to the Pro Bowl as the AFC’s fullback. If he does he’d become just the 6th RB to go from both conferences (Centers went in 1995 and ’96 with Arizona).’

‘Entering Sunday’s game against the New York Jets at Giants Stadium, Newman has three sacks to go with 81 tackles, third most on the team.’

‘They call him Angry Man. And while Jets safety Nick Ferguson is only mildly irritated when his nickname is revealed, he embraces the sort of fearless tackling that has earned him the name from teammates and, earlier in the season, a rare public rebuke from Coach Herman Edwards.’

‘It has been a long time since the Jets were the best at anything, and the players are investing a lot of pride into the chase.’

‘The Jets are still winning. One more win and they’re a playoff team. It may not be the way Herman Edwards does things, but it’s very close to exciting.’

‘Actually, the Jets had been scaling back in recent weeks, practicing in full gear only once a week. Not anymore.’

‘The Jets line has not only allowed the second-fewest amount of quarterbacks sacks in the NFL (16 to the Chicago Bears’ 15), but Curtis Martin is a mere seven yards behind Kansas City’s Priest Holmes in the race for the NFL rushing title – something Mawae yesterday matter-of-factly guaranteed Martin would accomplish.’