JET NOTES
It wasn’t coming easily – nothing ever does for Curtis Martin – but just before the end of the first half yesterday, the greatest running back in Jets’ history quietly moved into ninth place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.
Martin’s nine-yard gain just before the two-minute warning gave him enough career yards to surpass former Steelers’ great Franco Harris.
Next on Martin’s hit list is Marcus Allen, who’s eighth with 12,243 yards.
Martin’s string of 100-yard rushing performances was snapped at three, though he ran hard and well against the Bills’ No. 4-ranked rushing defense.
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Jets’ WR Wayne Chrebet played his best game since the 2001 season with his eight-reception, 90-yard performance against the Bills. Chrebet, as he always has been, seemed to be right where Chad Pennington needed him in the most clutch moments. Of those six catches, five went for first downs.
Chrebet had seven catches for 69 yards against the Dolphins last season, his best performance of 2003. Before that, you have to go back to December of 2001, when he had eight catches for 113 yards against the Colts, to find a better output than he delivered yesterday.
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Jets’ starting RG Brandon Moore left the game in the first half with a left hamstring injury and was replaced by Jonathan Goodwin. Moore came out for second-half warm-ups only to end up walking back to the locker room at the beginning of the third quarter as Goodwin played the rest of the game.
C Kevin Mawae again had his right hand heavily wrapped to protect his fractured finger. That means he snapped lefty for the second game in a row. LG Pete Kendall, who sprained his right wrist in practice last week and was listed as probable, started and played the entire game.
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DE John Abraham continues to emerge as one of the most dominating defensive players in the league. Abraham had two sacks in the first half alone, giving him five for the season. Abraham also had a couple big tackles for losses on Bills’ RB Travis Henry . . . DE Shaun Ellis got his first full sack of the season, giving him 1 ½ for the season.
Rookie No. 1 draft pick, LB Jonathan Vilma, got his first NFL sack when he took down Drew Bledsoe in the third quarter on a key third down play.
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Santana Moss’ 34-yard punt return in the third quarter was his longest of the season.
