BRISTOL, Conn. -- Drew Bledsoe had one Pro Bowl wide receiver to work with when he joined the Buffalo Bills. By season's end, he could have a second one.

Peerless Price nearly produced a career year in this season's first half. His 838 receiving yards, 57 short of his career best, are only second in the league to teammate Eric Moulds. The fourth-year pro has already tied a career high with seven touchdowns.

On Friday, Price was at ESPN, where he sat down for a morning chat and did a quick Q&A session.

Q. We'll get to football in a second but first: Your reaction to the murder of RUN DMC's Jam Master Jay last week?:
A. Shocking. I couldn't believe it when I heard. I don't understand why someone would do something like this to one of the founding fathers of rap.

	Price already has 60 catches for 838 yards with two TDs.

Q. Biggest surprise in the first half of the season?
A. The Rams starting off 0-5. It's surprised me how much parody is in the league. There a lot of teams that have a chance to win their division that I didn't think would have any chance to do so when the season started. Also, I have been surprised by the guys who have been suspended for substance abuse even though they knew the league would be testing this year for Ephedrine.

Q. Your take on the big hits and subsequent fines by the league?
A. Well, I'm biased because I am a receiver. Some of them (should be fined and suspended). But others, like Sean Salisbury put it: Receivers are catching the ball and folding up and are not in the same position, creating helmet to helmet contact. But I think it is an issue and I'm glad the league is addressing it.

Q. Growing up, was there a wide receiver or player at another position you emulated?
A. When I was younger, in middle school, I played tailback and liked Walter Payton. But in high school, I was a Cowboys fan and was playing wide receiver, so I liked Michael Irvin.

Q. Compare and contrast the past couple of years to how things have gone in the first half this year?
A. No. 1 difference as a team is our offense and I have to thank general manager Tom Donahoe and coach Gregg Williams for hiring offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and trading for quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The whole team is a lot closer than in years' past.

Q. Speaking of that, how has it been now that Doug Flutie vs. Rob Johnson is no longer an issue?
A. Me personally, I was happy it was over because we were putting our eggs in one basket with one guy. The media was making it into a circus in terms of who was going to start each week.

Q. Talk about your relationship with Moulds. Clearly he appreciates having a dependable receiver around who takes some of the heat off of him.
A. We're very close on and off the field. We definitely complement each other. I take some of the pressure off of him and he certainly takes a big burden off of me.

Q. Obviously Drew wanted to win last week. Was it as big of a deal for the rest of the team?
A. We were all emotional going into that game. We were up for it, but they just played better. Anytime it's a divisional game, it's big, and then once you consider the circumstances, it's really a big game.

Q. What's your take on Sunday night's showdown between the Jets and Dolphins?
A. If the Jets are able to run the ball, they have a chance to win because Miami plays a lot of two-deep zone to prevent big plays down the field. We were able to run the ball against them, which opened up the pass and allowed us to win.
For Miami, it has to play mistake-free ball. That's been the biggest difference between the team under Jay Fiedler and Ray Lucas.

Q. What's your forecast for the end of the season?
A. I see us getting in the playoffs and making a run for the Super Bowl. If you look at the schedule, we control our destiny. We still have games left against Miami, the Jets and New England in our division and we have some other big games in the AFC.