--Bills rookie safety Jairus Byrd is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with seven.

Just think if he was healthy.

Byrd, who has started the past six games for an injured Donte Whitner, has been playing with pain in his abdomen and soreness in his groin area. He underwent surgery for a sports hernia just before training camp and visited with a specialist in Philadelphia on Monday, an appointment apparently scheduled before Byrd left last Sunday's game in the second half.

"I'm feeling all right; I'll be fine," Byrd said. "It's been a couple weeks that it's been nagging at me. The trainers have done a good job getting me through and prepared to go to games. I'm excited we have a bye week so I can try to get healthy and get back on track."

Byrd said he'll be eager to test himself in practice after the bye weekend and he is optimistic he won't miss any playing time.

--It's hard to judge how much the Bills accomplished in practice Tuesday and Wednesday before getting four days off to enjoy their bye weekend. Upwards of 16 players did not participate due to injuries or general soreness.

"The bye week's always an interesting time," coach Dick Jauron said. "We work on fundamentals. We start getting ready for the next opponent. We have a number of guys that really can't work. They're either recovering from injuries or they're just tired at this point and have minor injuries. We had two really good days of practice, well, three counting Monday with our comeback day and now they'll get some rest and hopefully we'll get some guys back off that injured list."

--Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is wracking his brain figuring out a way to get more production out of running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson. Jackson led the AFC in all-purpose yardage when Lynch was serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's conduct code, but his touches have dropped dramatically. Last week vs. Houston he rushed just nine times for 28 yards and caught no passes.

Lynch, meanwhile, had 43 yards, also on just nine rushes.

"It is tough," Van Pelt said. "Fred was doing a great job and Marshawn is doing a great job and you have to get them both touches. I don't think you could go a whole season asking one guy to carry 25 or 30 times a game. That is just the demand of the position so I am just trying to find a happy mix of keeping them both fresh and productive. They are both different styles of backs so with two good guys it is tough to get them as many touches as they need."

Having just 45 plays total, as was the case against Houston, doesn't help matters.

--QB Trent Edwards is feeling much better after suffering a concussion almost three weeks ago against the New York Jets. In fact, he's been cleared to fly and was planning on going home to California for the bye weekend. Right after his concussion, Edwards wasn't allowed to even speak on the phone.

"I'm still kind of getting stronger each day but as far as my weight-lifting and conditioning program I'm still doing a little more each day so it's honestly a day-by-day basis right now," Edwards said. The third-year pro is expected to resume his starting role next week.

--Jauron has been uncharacteristically candid of late. When asked if he misjudged how difficult it would be to win starting three players on the offensive line that had never seen a snap in the NFL, he said, "Yeah, I would have to say that I did misjudge on some of them because we're not doing very well. There's no place to go but me."

--WR Terrell Owens planned to visit Dallas and Los Angeles on his long bye weekend. He wanted to take in a Lakers game.

"I think at this point in time in the season, especially for this team, we've had so many injuries this team needs a break," T.O. said. "I think we've had a lot of guys dinged up a little bit and maybe we can come back refreshed a little bit and maybe that'll be the key for us."

--Some more ugly numbers from Buffalo's offense: It has gone six consecutive games with 160 net passing yards or fewer, its longest streak since 1997; it has gone six straight games with fewer than 300 total yards, fourth-longest streak in team history; and its time of possession against Houston (20:52) was the lowest in four years.

--The Bills are 1-3 at home this season and 1-8 in their last nine home games, counting a "home" game in Toronto last year against Miami. This year, the team plays the Jets in Toronto.

"Terrible," defensive end Chris Kelsay said of the team's home-field record. "It's embarrassing. It's easy to understand why our fans are upset and demanding change. You can't really argue with them."

BY THE NUMBERS
9 -- The number of first downs the Bills offense has managed in consecutive games, the first time they've gone with single digits back-to-back since 1971.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"Right now, I think for myself, the playoff picture is still there. You never know what can happen in the second half of the season. As you've seen so far, a lot of teams have started out 3-0, 4-0, or 5-0 and kind of just fizzled off the last three or four ball games or so. So the sky's the limit and we've just got to go out there and take it one game at a time and take care of business.'' - WR Terrell Owens, putting a positive spin on the second half of the season.

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