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Spikes thought the quarterback had spurned the Bengals in the previous offseason by saying he didn't want to be traded to Cincinnati.

Bledsoe ended up in Buffalo, and so has Spikes. Now one of Spikes' biggest fans is Bledsoe.

"I remember flying up with him from Atlanta - we were coming up for the first mini-camp, and somehow I got routed through Atlanta - and we were sitting there on the airplane," Bledsoe says. "He was like a kid at Christmas. He's a tremendous player, stuck in a tough situation (five years with the Bengals) for a long time, and now he's got a team, a defense around him where he can run around and make plays. I expect him to continue on and have a huge year."

Spikes, AFC Defensive Player of the Week, had seven tackles and two interceptions in the Bills' shutout of the Patriots.

SEPT. 11: Giants players and coaches were among the first celebrities to visit Ground Zero after the attack two years ago, and they've honored their vows to stay involved.

Quarterback Kerry Collins has maintained his relationship with a firehouse in lower Manhattan that he first visited after the attacks. Coach Jim Fassel has raised $500,000 through his foundation to provide assistance to families of victims, including the wife and 10 children of the late firefighter Frank Palombo. GM Ernie Accorsi is covering college costs for a daughter of a deceased firefighter.

BUCK-50: Randy Moss has had nine 150-yard receiving games in six seasons, three against the Packers. Two have come at Lambeau Field. He caught nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown there in the Vikings' Week 1 upset.

DOUBLE DUTY: Tennessee's Joe Nedney had hit a 50-yard field goal right before he was hurt Sunday night. Then punter Craig Hentrich was good from 49, making them the first teammates since 1984 to hit from 45 yards or more in the same NFL game. Steve Cox and Matt Bahr of the Browns were the last.

BIG HOUSE: Of the league's 16 games last week, 15 sold out. Only Seattle didn't. It appears Jacksonville won't sell out its home opener today. The stadium seats 73,000 and is too big for the market, especially when the team has had three losing seasons in a row. The Jaguars are likely to have six of eight home games blacked out. Only the Miami and Tampa games will sell out.

OLD SCHOOL: Based on opening rosters, Florida and Notre Dame tied for the most players on NFL rosters with 40 each. Florida State (37) was next, followed by Georgia, Miami and Tennessee (36), Texas A&M (33), Michigan (31), Ohio State (29), Nebraska (28) and Penn State (28).

ANYONE FOR 18? On the potential for an 18-game schedule: "I've heard concerns every which way," Raider executive Bruce Allen said. "It's the most physically demanding sport in history, so it's a big deal to talk about adding two games on top of that."

QUICK HITS: Also based on opening-day rosters, there were 321 players who weighed at least 300 pounds. ... The Lions are 1-0 after beating Arizona. It's the first time they've been above .500 since 2000. ... Dallas is 5-27 away from Texas Stadium since 1999. ... The Texans are the first expansion team in NFL history to win its first two openers. ... In six AFC East games since joining the Dolphins, Ricky Williams has 819 yards rushing, an average of 136.5. Game 7 is today at the Jets.

AFC NORTH: The Ravens think they can be a playoff team with rookie Kyle Boller starting at quarterback. Since the 1985 season, 22 rookies have started at least eight games in their first season, and only one made the playoffs - Bernie Kosar in 1985 when the Browns won their division at 8-8. Kosar was 4-6 as the starter. The Rams made the playoffs in 1986; rookie Jim Everett started only five games (3-2 record).

A T-shirt sold well in Pittsburgh leading up to the game against Baltimore last Sunday. It read: "Where was Ray Lewis when Joey Porter got shot?" ... Hines Ward, starting his sixth season, moved into third place in Steelers history with 339 receptions, three more than Lynn Swann caught during a nine-year career that ended in 1982. Ward needs 20 to pass Louis Lipps for second place. John Stallworth holds the record at 537.

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Compiled from notes submitted by NFL beat writers.

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