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Looking Ahead for the New York Jets

2011-01-29T14:54:00.000-08:00

By Tyler Pager

As the New York Jets move forward after a disappointing exit in the AFC championship, the Jets have much to look forward to in the 2011- 2012 season. First and foremost, one more season of experience for quarterback Mark Sanchez. Each year, he will get better and his ‘rookie’ mistakes will soon fade away.

The Jets will also get back Jim Leonard and Kris Jenkins. These two invaluable defensive players will certainly improve a very inconsistent defense. Also, the Jets can look to really improve their roster with some quality rookies coming out of the draft. Two positions the Jets should really be looking for are a defensive lineman and a hard nose running back.

LaDainian Tomlinson is aging and it is starting to show in his play and Shonn Greene and Joe McKnight are not going to cut it. Therefore, if the Jets can either trade or draft a talented running back, then their offense will really be set.

Another position that the Jets are lacking is a nose tackle. After Kris Jenkins went down, the defensive line was really missing him and who knows if he will even play another year. Therefore, the Jets cannot afford to lose out this offseason and not pick up a nose tackle.

If the Jets are successful in getting a running back and nose tackle, there offense and defense will hopefully be ready to finally reach the Super Bowl. However, that leaves out the special teams, which was abysmal and really showed that it needs a lot of work in the playoffs.

Nick Folk and Steve Weatherford need to go. The Jets cannot afford to lose games because their kicker cannot make 20-yard field goals or their punter has an average of 30 yards each punt. Nick Folk only made 77 percent of his field goals and only averaged 62.0 yards on kickoffs in the regular season ranking him 28^thin both categories among NFL kickers and ranking him 28^th. Steve Weatherford is in the same boat as he averaged 42.6 yards per punt in the regular season ranking him 23^rdin the NFL.

If the New York Jets can make these changes in the offseason, they can hopefully move on to their goal, The Super Bowl.

A Jets Fans Dream Come True

2010-08-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

I can’t speak for all of you Jet fans out there but I do know one thing. I absolutely cannot wait for the season premiere of Hard Knocks. The Jets are the most interesting team to look at from many different stand points. They have an incredible amount of talent, they are coming off a very successful (surprising to some) postseason, they have such an absurd mix of personalities, they have the swagger of a young Muhammad Ali and they have a coach who just won’t stop talking (some wish he would just keep his mouth shut but I hope he never stops talking). Before this season I had never really gotten that into Hard Knocks. The past two seasons I really only tuned into find out what kind of antics TO and Ochocinco were up too. However, this year due to the fact that it is the Jets I Just can’t wait. I have watched every preview I can get my hands on, and everything I’ve seen keeps shouting out loud to me that we are in for one hell of a season (with both the show and with the team itself). This season will be like a dream come true for Jets fans, giving us the inside look at what really goes on with our favorite team.

I would also like to tell you Jet fans about another potential dream come true. This upcoming Tuesday afternoon a Hard Knocks Season Kick-Off Rally is being held in Times Square. This event is an opportunity for Jets fans of all shapes and sizes to come out and celebrate what may be the best 5 hours of reality television ever, but also what may be the start of one of the Jets most exciting seasons ever. This is an extremely family friendly event and is something that if I had kids, I would 100% bring them to share in this experience with me. The Rally starts at 12 noon and takes place in Times Square, on Broadway between 42nd and 43rd. Below is the rest of the information about this incredible event. I hope to see all of you there; I’ll be the one in the #74 Nick Mangold Jersey having the time of my life

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!

-HBO® and the New York Jets invite you to kickoff the 2010 season the HBO® Hard Knocks Kickoff Rally Tuesday, August 10th Times Square, Broadway Between 42nd & 43rd starts at 12 Noon

-Join Coach Ryan and Jets players live via satellite from training camp

-Former Jets players will be in attendance

-Cheer on the team with The Jets Flight Crew

-Children ages 8-16 can compete in the Hard Knocks skills challenge*

-10 Preseason Tickets for the Inaugural Game (8/16) at the New Meadowlands Stadium plus Transportation and Parking

*Four (4) winners (children) will win a Jets Assistant Team Captain experience for a Jets preseason football game. Pre-registration begins at 11AM. Must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to participate. First-come, first-served!!

By: InsideGangGreen.com

What Jet Fans Should Fear

2010-06-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

As I said earlier this week I am not worried at all about the Jets signing Darrelle Revis to a contract extension. I am however worried about the Jets ability to sign the rest of their star free agents, starting with three in particular: David Harris and Nick Mangold who are free agents after next season and D’Brickashaw Ferguson who still has two years remaining on his contract. It was these three players who along with Darrelle Revis started the youthful turnaround of the Jets. Although these three players don’t receive nearly as much press as Revis does, all of them are equally important to the success of the Jets.

Mangold and D’Brickashaw are the cornerstones of our offensive line and they are the two players that have allowed the unit to become the dominant force that it is today. They have started every single Jets game since they both were drafted in the 1^st round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Mangold the 29^th overall pick is charged with being the leader of the Jets offensive line and he does so more than adequately. He came into the league having tough shoes to fill, as a rookie he was asked to step right into the position formally filled by Kevin Mawae who at the time was the best center in the NFL. Well in my eyes he definitely has filled those shoes becoming in my opinion the best center in the NFL today.

D’Brickashaw was drafted 4^th overall putting him in a position with equal if not more pressure on him the Mangold. When a team takes the risk of drafting an offensive lineman that early in the draft it puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on that player because the team is saying that they are confident he will become the cornerstone of the offensive line for years to come. In the first few years of his career it appeared as if he wouldn’t quite live up to his billing. However, in his third year he began to turn the corner towards becoming the star player the Jets drafted him to be and last year he proved that the Jets were correct in drafting him in the spot they did. He isn’t the best left tackle in the NFL, he plays in a position that is too deep in talent to say that already, but his performance last year definitely put him in the conversation.

In 2006 the Jets drafted for their offensive line, in 2007 it was all about defense. The Jets took Revis in the first round and then in the 2^nd round they traded up to draft stud Linebacker David Harris. In his rookie year he led the team in tackles with 117 and had 87 in his second season in which he missed 5 games due to injury. Last year he yet again led the Jets NFL best defense in tackles despite the fact that he was playing alongside all-star linebacker Bart Scott. Until he was traded to the Saints, Jonathon Vilma was my favorite Jet; however I was easily able to get over his departure because I knew that David Harris would quickly turn into one of the best inside backers in the game, and he has.

These are only three of the Jets key players who will become free agents in the upcoming two years, but they are all in my mind irreplaceable. If the Jets have any designs on turning themselves into a dynasty, the first thing they need to do is make sure that they will have enough money to lock these three up as Jets for years to come. It won’t be easy; they will have to do so after turning Revis into the highest paid cornerback in the league. That however does not mean a thing. So far the Jets have been both talking the talk and walking the walk since the start of the Rex Ryan regime, but if they hope to continue doing so, they must do so with these three stars going along for the ride. So Mike Tannenbaum and Woody Johnson, I beg you, please find a way to sign them!

BY: Paul Malamood

Don't fear Revis will be Here

2010-06-15T15:56:00.001-07:00

Jets fans need not worry. Darrelle Revis will be a Jet for years to come. I know that Mikey T doesn’t have the best track record with keeping his word about contract extensions but in this case he undoubtedly will follow up on his promise to Revis Island. And here is why, Revis is the best defensive player in the NFL and one of the top overall players in the NFL, Darrelle knows this, Coach Ryan knows this, Mike Tannenbaum knows this, Woody Johnson knows this and every person who follows the NFL knows this to be true. That is what sets this situation apart from Jets contract disputes in the past. Pete Kendall was a great offensive lineman, but he was getting old and was far from the dominate force he once was. As electrifying a player as Leon Washington is, he never had and never will have the ability to be an every down back, and therefore it was not necessary to sign him to an extension last year. Thomas Jones still is one of the best running backs in the league, but in 2 or 3 years he won’t be, and the Jets know that they have one of the future NFL Stars in second year running back Shonn Greene. The Jets have such a bad track record in making promises and not following up with contract extensions because in every single situation there was a very good reason why they didn’t give the player an extension. In the Case of Revis Island there is no reason and everyone including the Jets brass knows it. They are just dragging their feet in negotiations, in hope that Revis will agree to something lower than the ridiculous bench mark set by the Raiders. Which he won’t because Revis is right, he is the best cornerback in football let alone the best defensive player, although the contract that he is aiming to beat is absolutely ridiculous, it is what it is. Revis is the best cornerback in the NFL and he deserves to and will end up being paid that amount, because the Jets brass knows that if they don’t pay it to him, some other team most certainly will.

By: Paul Malamood

The New New York Jets

2010-06-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

So Far my life as a Jets fan as taught me a few things. One of the most important has been to never get too excited about an upcoming season. The reason why? Well I’m sure every Jets fan knows the answer to this. It is simply because I don’t think the Jets have ever been capable of putting together back to back good seasons. Something always seems to go wrong. This was made evident to me in my first game ever as a Jets fan. For some unknown reason the first team I fell in love with was the 49ers. I considered myself as die-heart a fan as is possible for an 8 year old kid. After the 1998 season my dad convinced me that since the Jets and the 49ers were in different conferences that it would be ok to root for both of them and only be forced to choose between them, when they played each other. Needless to say his ploy worked and I soon forgot all about my lost love, the 49ers. Well lucky enough for me I learned very quickly how my life as a Jets fan would turn out.
We all know that going into the 1999 season the Jets were one of if not the favorite to win the Super Bowl. However in the first game of the season and my first as a Jets fan, beloved quarterback Vinny Testaverde went down with a torn Achilles tendon. This forced punter Tom Tupa to take over at QB and effectively ended the Jets Super Bowl hopes. After that year we all know the see-saw that has been New York Jets football. One year in the playoffs, the next a 4 and 12 season. This cycle has seemed to repeat itself every single year since I became a Jets fan (and pretty much all of Jets history). Since 99’ we have been through 6 head coaches (although one in particular only lasted one day) and are now on our 6th starting quarterback. However this year we are all potentially setting ourselves up to yet again fall victim to the Same Old Jets Syndrome. However this year I truly believe that we need not be worried and there are many reasons why.
First off, never in my tenure as a Jets fan have I seen a truly dominating defense, let alone the best in the league. The defense has only gotten better this past off-season and I can tell you as a former defensive player, that a great defense very rarely goes on a vacation. Secondly, we now have a coach who has proven to the fans and the team that he truly has his players’ backs. From the outside looking in, Coach Ryan looks like the kind of coach every player would dream to play for. Not only is he brilliant when it comes to x’s and o’s, but he is a great motivator and has no problem putting his neck out on the line in the media so that his players don’t have to feel that pressure. The Jets also now have an offense that with the potential exception of the left guard spot doesn’t have any holes. We have the best o-line in football, the depth of our receiving core makes it almost impossible to double team one player, we have an incredible running game and last but not least we have a quarterback in Mark Sanchez who proved by his performance in the playoffs (the first half of the AFC championship game in particular) that he very well may be the most promising young quarterback in the league. Taking all of this into consideration, all off-season I have had one huge fear, and that is that the team would get to comfortable with being the paper champs going into the season and under perform greatly. I had been hoping that Rex wouldn’t allow that to happen and I still don’t think he would. However, it wasn’t until I read something online last week that made me almost completely sure that we are in for one heck of a season. I don’t remember where I read it or which player was quoted saying, but it truly made my day. This player said that we need to focus on not getting caught up in being the off-season paper champs, because when push comes to shove, winning the off-season doesn’t mean anything. This is something that every fan knows and fears, but it was incredible actually hearing it out of a player’s mouth. It was this simple quote that finally made me realize that maybe these Jets really are, the New New York Jets.

By: Paul Malamood

Changing Faces

2010-04-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well needless to say the face of the 2010 Jets has changed greatly in the past two weeks. Leon Washington one of my favorite Jets the past few years is now a Seahawk. Alan Faneca, the man responsible for molding the offensive line into the dominating cohesive unit that it was last two years, is gone. As sad as it may be to see these two great Jets go, there is no reason to frown. Jason Taylor is now officially a Jet, so we can now look forward to seeing him make plays like the one that helped seal the deal on the Jets second loss to the Dolphins last season. Except now these highlight reel plays will be helping us to win (yes I do believe that Jets fans are some of the few fans in the NFL who should be allowed to refer to themselves as part of the team). The Jets also drafted another shutdown corner in Kyle Wilson who will play nickel and may eventually replace Cromartie across from Revis if Cromartie is signed away from the Jets after next year. Then in the 2^nd round they got Vladimir Ducasse, the All-American O-lineman and potential replacement for Faneca. In the 4^th round the Jets drafted Leon Washington’s replacement in the do it all back Joe McKnight out of USC. Lastly, the Jets drafted the Full back of the future in the Terminator John Connors out of Kentucky.

I hate seeing Faneca and Leon go because they along with Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhoades (both of whom also aren’t on the team this year) were four of the more important players in transitioning the Jets from same old Jets, to the new brash fun to watch Jets. Leon started it when as a rookie he became the only bright spot in the Jets’ offense after Curtis Martin suffered his career ending injury. He was one of the most electrifying players in Jets history and the entire NFL the past few years. As for Faneca, I give him credit for turning the Jets O-Line into the dominating force that it has become. Nick Mangold was a phenomenal player from the start of his career, but playing next to Faneca for the past few years has definitely turned him into the player that he is today. However his greatest influence has been the impact he has had on D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Ferguson’s first few years in the league he showed great promise, but he was never quite able to put it together. However the experience D’Brickashaw gained from playing next to Faneca is something that can never be replaced. The Hall of famer Faneca took the raw untapped talent that D’Brickashaw displayed his first two years in the league and turned him into the All-Pro that he has become. Leon and Alan you both will be greatly missed and I wish you the best of luck with the rest of your careers. I hope that the Jets decide to give you the Super Bowl ring that you both so rightfully deserve for your contributions in turning this franchise in the direction that it is now going. Farewell!!

By: Paul Malamood

Suspended

2010-04-12T10:36:00.001-07:00

Well, it seems I spoke to soon! An addendum to my previous post, it was just announced that Santonio Holmes will be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season. This is not due to the pending legal issues I had mentioned, but rather because he apparently broke the League’s Substance Abuse policy. I don’t know what substance it is that Holmes used, but hopefully not something serious (Read: Hard drugs or Performance Enhancer’s). Also, we must continue to hope that his legal troubles will not lead to any further suspensions. Jets Fans should remain thankful that the team didn’t decide to turn away from this incredible steal due to Holmes’s off-the-field issues. I think Rex is just the guy to offer Santonio a much needed opportunity to improve his attitude and off-the-field behavior, and am sure he’ll be able to pull the best out of this outstanding pair of hands and legs, and hopefully heart.

By: Paul Malamood

Tannenbaum Strikes Again

2010-04-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

When it was announced late last night that the Jets had traded for Santonio Holmes it became official that they are focusing on winning right now. If you hadn’t noticed from all the headlines coming from Rex Ryan’s mouth for the past year, announcing that the Jets will win the Super Bowl before Obama is out of office. Or if you forgot that just 2 months or so ago, the Jets were 30 minutes away from heading to their first Super Bowl since 1969. And by some chance you missed the fact that the Jets earlier this year brought in 2 pro bowl quality players in the aging Ladainian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie. Well now the Jets have taken it to another level; they have come to your front lawn with a megaphone in order to announce their presence among the NFL’s elite.

The fact that the Jets were able to steal Holmes from the Steelers with a 5^th round draft pick speaks wonders to how fed up the Steelers are with Holmes’s circus act of the field. He has already been in trouble with the league twice before and is now facing pending legal troubles after a Florida woman accused Holmes of throwing a glass at her face. If this hadn’t been the case there is no way that Holmes is going for anything less than a first round pick. I mean he is only one season removed from being the Super Bowl MVP. However, hopefully Holmes will get off on the charges and he won’t be suspended because if he is on the field then the Jets may now have the best offense in football to go along with the best defense.

The Jets are already returning the league’s best rushing attack and now they may have balanced out their offense. They now boost a receiving core that features Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, TE Dustin Keller along with Shonn Greene, Leon Washington and Ladainian Tomlinson at running backs. Also don’t forget about Brad Smith lining up behind center in the Jets Seminole offense. Next Season when young QB Mark Sanchez drops back to pass, he is going to look all over the field and see pro bowl quality players everywhere he looks.

I almost feel like apologizing to other teams in the NFL they already may not be able to score on the Jets defense and now as long as Sanchez is able to builds chemistry with this year’s offensive group then they may not be able to stop them either. Although if teams think they are going to get any apologies from Jet fans or the Jets themselves then they must be crazy. Although some are already trying, Chad Ochocino was the first to ask for mercy last night he sent this tweet to Commissioner Roger Goodell. Saying, "Mr. Goodell the jets are unfairly loading their team up with great players like the Yankees do, we need to stop this now!" Sorry Chad but it’s not gonna happen, there may not be anyone stopping the Jets next year. Although if the Jets do sign Jason Taylor, then maybe I’ll consider giving you your apology.

BY: Paul Malamood

Jason Taylor... a Jet?

2010-04-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

What’s this I hear? The Jets are in serious negotiations with defensive end Jason Taylor. Yes Jet fans, the same Jason Taylor who countless times has voiced his hatred for not only the Jets but also their fans including Firemen Ed specifically. Just last year Taylor expressed his view of what it would talk for him to sign with the Jets saying, "It'd be very, very, very difficult. Very difficult. But at the end of the day, if you can't find a job anywhere else and the Jets call, I guess you've got to retire or go play." If Taylor does end up signing with the Jets I don’t think that it will be because it is the only job between him and retirement. Taylor still has the potential to be an extremely dominating player on the defensive line. I also believe that if he were to be added to the Jets Defense that he would be the final piece needed to turn them from a great defense into a championship caliber defense.

Last year the Jets sported the best defense in football. They were ranked number one in total yards, passing yards and in points given up. However there seemed to be something missing that stopped them from being the kind of defense similar to the 2000 Baltimore Ravens who have the capability to win a Super Bowl by themselves, without the support of a powerful offense. By adding Antonio Cromartie the Jets now have a shutdown corner to trot onto the field across from Revis Island. After this move, in my mind the last piece needed to bring the Jets defense to the next level is a dominating pass rusher and with Julius Peppers already off the market, Jason Taylor is the most dominating pass rusher left on the open market. If the Jets sign Taylor as many expect them to do, I believe it inevitable that their defense will go from being the best in the NFL today, to being one of the best defenses of all time.

By: Paul Malamood

2010 Jets Land 2006 MVP

2010-03-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the Jets to sign an aging Hall of Famer in the twilight of his career. In a move that reeked of the Yankees' trademark obsession with acquiring fading talent for publicity purposes, the Jets bypassed the ever-reliable Thomas Jones and inked a two-year, $5.2 million contract with former San Diego Chargers' running back, LaDainian Tomlinson.

And while, at first glance, the deal may seem like a bargain for the NFL's eighth-leading rusher of all time, 2009's numbers may leave some scratching their heads. For starters, Thomas Jones (whose 2010 $5.8 million contract was deemed "too expensive" for the Jets organization) rushed for a career-high 1,402 yards last year - almost twice the yardage of the soon-to-be 31-year-old Tomlinson. Meanwhile, Tomlinson - whose legs have been described as "worn down" - was cut by San Diego after a 2009 outing that resulted in a career-low 730 yards on 233 carries and a league-leading lowest total-yards-after-contact by a starting running back. Granted, it was the first time in Tomlinson's esteemed career that he ran for less than 1,000 yards and granted that that was at least in part due to San Diego's passy-heavy offense. Still, there's no denying the former No. 1 is entering the final drive of his career; you can't ignore three straight years of decling numbers. In the words of a competing GM: "He might have something left in the tank, but to me, in a complementary role, you want to be able to use him on third down - and I don't know if he can do that. You need to be able to pick up blitzes and block and catch the ball. Tomlinson hasn't done a lot of that."

But while optimists in the Jets' front office see Tomlinson recapturing some of his old magic once he reunites with offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, and settles into Gang Green's run-first sytem, this writer isn't convinced.

Too much of what's been happening lately seems to revolve around promoting the new stadium, while too little attention is being paid to what's best for the team. Releasing Jones may yet prove to be a blunder, and the addition of the increasingly pedestrian Tomlinson to the backfield raises some legitimate questions about the future of Leon Washington, a restriced free agent recovering from a broken leg.

While - in the end - nothing is certain, the Jets had similar high hopes for another aging icon two years ago, and we all know how that little experiment turned out.

For more of John's writing, check out http://allhorrorfilms.com/ and http://www.examiner.com/x-36237-Guy-Movies-Examiner .

The Jets Strike a Deal

2010-03-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

As if Jets fan didn’t have enough to be excited about for next year, yesterday we got one more piece of amazing news. Last night it was announced that the Jets had struck a deal with the Chargers for their Pro Bowl Cornerback, Antonio Cromartie. Cromartie just finished his 4^th year in the league, his 3^rd as a starter. In his 2^nd season with the Chargers, Cromartie recorded 10 interceptions and was elected to his first and only Pro Bowl.

Cromartie’s break out season with the Chargers just happened to be the rookie season of (in this writer’s opinion) the league’s best Cornerback, one Darrelle “Revis Island” Revis. That season, watching Cromartie shut down receiver after receiver while simultaneously making some of the most athletic interceptions I had ever seen, I remember drooling over the thought of a Jets Defensive Backfield featuring Revis and Cromartie across from each other.

So in honor of making this Jets fan’s dream come true, I would like to invite GM Mike Tannenbaum to sit back, kick his feet up, and enjoy a nice cold one to celebrate a job well done. However, 2010 is still young, and that brief pause is the only one I’ll allow him for now. After all, he still needs to find a way to strike a trade with the Denver Broncos for Brandon Marshall!

By: Paul Malamood

Hall of Fame 2011

2010-02-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

The 2010 NFL Hall of Fame draft class consists of 10 elite NFL players, including Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice. Of the ten selected, players like Cris Carter did not make the cut to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Carter, arguably one of the top receivers of his time, is ranked the second on the all-time receptions and receiving yards, only behind the great Jerry Rice. The next batch of potential Hall of Famers include Marshall Faulk, Jerome Bettis, and our very own Curtis Martin. Being that even Cris Carter couldn't get in this year, one must assume he's bound in 2011, which of these three elite running backs will make it to the National Football Hall of Fame in 2011?

Faulk & Bettis were both Super Bowl winners, both having very vital roles in their Super Bowl victories, and are ranked 5th and 10th in rushing yards respectively. Faulk also ranks 7th in career TDs with 136. Both have very good resumes for Canton, statistically, and their Super Bowl rings only boost their chances.

But what about Gang Green's nominee? Here's Martin's Resume for Canton:

3,518 career rushing attempts (3rd all-time)
14,101 career rushing yards (4th all-time)
17,430 career yards from scrimmage (7th all-time)
90 career rushing touchdowns (12th all-time)
102 career passing/rushing/receiving touchdowns
Oldest player to win a rushing title (age 31) in 2004
5 Pro-Bowls
1995 Offensive Rookie of the Year
2x First-Team All-Pro
1x Second-Team All-Pro
Avg. Yards per Carry: 4.0

So with all said and done, is Curtis Canton bound for 2011? Will he go in as a New York Jet, joining Weeb Ewbank, Joe Namath, & Don Maynard as the only New York Jets in the Hall of Fame (Not including the 3 years that John Riggins spent in NY)? As for me: I've already bought my ticket for the 2011 Hall of Fame induction, and I will be wearing my Green & White #28 jersey with honor, respect, and pride.

AFC Championship

2010-01-21T02:53:00.000-08:00

By Ryan Morrison

This Sunday we will finally get to see if Peyton Manning is all he’s cracked up to be as he takes on Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers…Wait…What? They lost to who?

That’s RIGHT all you naysayers.

The good ol' New York Jets are still kicking and kicking hard. This has left many analysts speechless, and many Bengals and Chargers fans suicidal, but that couldn’t matter less to gang green. For the first time in however many years this New York Jets team has been shocked alive by their rookie coach and finally come out with the heart of champions and the attitude of the state they call home. Rooms booked in Miami for the Super Bowl? Sure are! Revis still shutting down any all-star the league can throw at him? Yup! Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene still plowing it through the best defensive lines in the NFL? You bet!

They know they’re the underdogs, they know no one expected this, and they know not too many people are happy with it. When Rex Ryan was asked about the upcoming AFC championship game he answered that it was “A match up that probably nobody wanted, but too bad,” Ryan said. “Here we come.”

There isn’t much more to say after that. Rex and his squad will be coming to Indianapolis and they won’t be leaving without the AFC championship locked up. They are a new team, a young team, and a team full of heart. Many have said what they can’t do but they have left either dropped jaws or shut mouths in their wake. So let me stop and take a moment to apologize in advance Colts fans. It’s been fun, but we have a super bowl to win.

Jets Superbowl Bound?

2010-01-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

by Allen Hall

We are just a few days away from the biggest New York Jets game in the past 12 years. Who would have thought a week 16 win over the Colts could have such an impact? Just picture the irony of this situation that a team that the Colts get into the playoffs be the one that eliminates them. Former divisional rivals clash in just the third time in the playoffs ever. In one corner weighing in with a mighty record of 15 wins and just 2 losses the Indianapolis Colts. And to my right weighing in with a record of 11 wins and 7 loses the New York Jets.

The scene, January 4th, 2003 Giant stadium. After an improbable turnout sparked by a young, accurate quarterback Chad Pennington the New York Jets trounced the Colts 41-0. That New York Jets team was left for dead at 2-5. That lead to the now famous Herm Edwards speech, "Hello you play to win the game." That spark lead to a 7-2 stretch to end the season 9-7 and AFC East Champions.

Flash forward now to Sunday, January 24th 2010 the scene, Lucas Oil Stadium. The head coach of the New York Jets with a championship pedigree in Rex Ryan. His father of course is the famed defensive coordinator of 85 Bears championship team. Rex like his father has the number one ranked defense in points per game, and yards per game.

Much like the 2002-2003 Jets team this is lead by a hotshot young quarterback with the "it" factor in Mark Sanchez. Like the 2002 Jets team its fed of its running game and outstanding offensive line play. Instead of Curtis Martin and Lamont Jordan carrying the rock we have Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene. Greene has really come alive in the last few weeks averaging over 120 yards a game. Shonn last week against the Chargers toted the rock 23 times for 128 yards and 1td. In the 4th quarter against San Diego when the jets needed a play the most he delivered. Shonn took the handoff ran over Charger Safety Eric Weddle on his way to a New York Jet post season record 53 yard touchdown run.

Do the Jets deserve to be in the playoffs? Yes based on the way they have been playing the past 8 weeks winners of 7. Hate the jets or not when you are playing ball well you the ball tends to fall your way. Did the 1992 New York Giants beat the Bills in the Super Bowl or did the Bills just not win it based on the kick of Scott Norwood being wide.

Give the Colts there credit they are the #1 seed in the AFC for a reason. They have a Hall of Famer in the making at quarterback in Peyton Manning. A completely underrated offensive line that gives Peyton Manning all day to throw. Look at his receiving core other then Reggie Wayne or Dallas Clark whoever heard of Pierre Garson or Austin Collie? Raise your hand if you did because I hadn't. The Colts are starting two incredible pass rushers in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. If there is a downside to the Colts defense it's in the secondary. They start two rookie cornerbacks in Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey. Missing from the secondary is former Defensive Player of the Year in Bob Sanders. Sanders, when healthy, is the playmaking, emotional leader of the defense. He is everything you want in a team leader but always hurt. Taking his spot at safety is Antoine Bethea.

The Colts defense is the complete outside of what the Jets Defense is. The Colts are a read and react defense with speed everywhere. The Jets defense is an attacking style defense who bring the pain to the offense. As Rex Ryan said in his opening press conference, " Read-and-react defense is not for us, we're gonna attack, to and through the whistle. If you take a swipe at one of our guys we are going to take a swipe at two of yours."

Prediction: Jets defense force a couple of turnovers but this seasons wild ride ends in Indy. Colts 24-Jets 10

AFC Divisional Round Playoff Preview

2010-01-15T16:35:00.001-08:00

Jets/Chargers AFC Divisional Round Preview

by Allen Hall

Following the loss to the Atlanta Falcons in week 15, the heroics of quarterback Matt Ryan drove the Falcons down the field for the game winning touchdown as time expired, things were looking bleak. As head coach Rex Ryan was quoted as saying, “We're obviously out of the playoffs and that's unfortunate.” Little did he know that the following week against the Colts things would all change. After a highly controversial decision by the Colts in week 16, by pulling out their starters in the second half, things started going the Jets way. After the Jets D turned up the pressure on unknown rookie quarterback Curtis Painter following a strip-sack recovered by the Jets touchdown on D. From that point on it was all New York Jets. In week 17 on Sunday Night Football all the Jets needed to do was win to be in the playoffs. In all likelihood this was the last game at the old Giant stadium. The Jets thrashed the Cincinnati Bengals 37-0. This lead up to wild card weekend matchup rematch between the two teams. This time the game was in Cincinnati.

The Bengals gained momentum early with a huge run back to start off the game. A few plays later Ex Jet Laveranues Coles fumbled giving the Jets the ball. The Jets, despite leaving points on the field on this possesion after a dropped pass by Braylon Edwards, would go on to roll up 24 points as they defeat the Bengals. The Jets rookie running back Shonn Greene had a big game against the Bengals carrying the rock 21 times for 135 yards and 1 touchdown. Also coming up big for the Jets was 2nd year tight end Dustin Keller with 3 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Going into this game there was a war of words going back and forth between Bengals star WR Chad Ocho Cinco and Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Ocho Cinco in the week 17 game was held without a catch for the first time in 120 games. Revis clearly won that matchup in week 17 and was looking to duplicate his success. Ocho Cinco in wildcard round had 2 catches for 28 yards.

Now lets turn our attention to the San Diego Chargers. Chargers are winners of 11 in a row after starting 2-3 and coming off a first round bye. The Chargers are lead by all world Quarterback Philip Rivers and future hall of famer LaDainan Tomlinson. The Chargers passing attack is rated #1 in the entire NFL and has 3 very big targets to throw to all over 6’4”. Vincent Jackson on the season finished with 68 catches for 1167 yards and 9 touchdowns. Antonio Gates had 79 catches for 1157 yards and 8 touchdowns. Malcom Floyd finished with 45 catches for 776 yards and 1 touchdown. Philip Rivers had an outstanding season throwing for over 4000 yards and 28 touchdown passes with only 9 picks. For as good as he was during the season he was even better against the blitz. The Rivers-Rex Ryan matchup will be very interesting since nobody blitzes more then the New York Jets.

The biggest concern as any Jet fan will tell you is Mark Sanchez. The rookie was great against the Bengals but his inconsistency during the regular season cost the jets a handful of games. The rookie threw for the second highest amount of interceptions(20) in the NFL behind Jay Cutler. If the Jets can run with the success they had during the regular season averaging NFL best 172 yards a game, the Jets should be able to control the clock and limit chances for Sanchez to make mistakes.

Prediction Jets 20 Chargers 17

New York Jets’ Quest for the Lombardi Trophy Looks to Wait Another Year

2009-12-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

New York Jets’ Quest for the Lombardi Trophy Looks to Wait Another Year

By: Alexander Fritz Stillings

With just four games left in the 2009 season, the New York Jets’ season is looks as if it is all but over. The streaking New England Patriots continue to hold a lead in the AFC East, and with their remaining schedule, it doesn’t seem as if the Patriots will be absent from the playoffs two years in a row. The Patriots play host to the Carolina Panthers, at the Buffalo Bills, back home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and then finish in Houston versus the Texans. Only the Jaguars have a winning record at 7-5, however they have yet to defeat a team with a winning record thus far this season. New England’s final four opponents’ combined record of 21-25 is favorable in New England’s fashion. This year, New England has lost just once to a team with a losing record, coming last week against an emerging Miami team. Overall, a weak schedule ahead and a 3-2 record in the division for the Patriots leaves them with a great chance at clinching their seventh AFC East crown this decade.

The Miami Dolphins are still in contention, and as of now, they have a better chance than the Jets. They have a vulnerable schedule, playing at Jacksonville and Tennessee the next two weeks, and then host the Houston Texans and a Pittsburgh Steelers team that will still play aggressively. Miami also has the best record in the division at 4-2. The worst part about this, for Jets fans, is that two of those four wins came against the Jets, meaning if the two teams have identical record at the end of the season, the Dolphins will advance (If applicable). Miami will have great competition for the next four weeks and if they prevail, the playoffs could be in their site. As for the Jets, however, the final four games will be quite the hurdle.

After playing a weak Tampa Bay Buccaneers team this week, the Jets will face two teams destined for the playoffs from the AFC, being the undefeated Indianapolis Colts and the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals, and an Atlanta Falcons team that could have both Matt Ryan and Michael Turner back for the meeting in the Meadowlands. A 6-6 record, and a potential 7-6 record after this week, will brighten the spirits for many fans, and many will jump back on the Jets’ bandwagon, but the reality is the Falcons are still competing for the playoffs in the NFC, the Colts are looking for perfection, and the Bengals have a chance at clinching home-field advantage in the final match of the season, despite playing two other home-field advantage hopefuls in the San Diego Chargers and Minnesota Vikings. Even winning two of the next four games will leave the Jets with just an 8-8 record, while the 6-6 Baltimore Ravens, 7-5 Denver Broncos, 7-5 Jacksonville Jaguars, and 6-6 Miami Dolphins still compete for the final two AFC spots in the playoffs. If they can defeat two of the three playoff contending teams in the Colts, Bengals, and Falcons, the Jets would deserve a ticket to the playoffs.

The season isn’t mathematically over, but Coach Rex Ryan’s plan to sit Mark Sanchez for a limited-experienced Kellen Clemens is a shaky decision as to what will occur against the Buccaneers, and possibly even the Falcons if Sanchez isn’t ready to go. But the question is, should Sanchez be playing though the injury to get playoff race experience? Has even Coach Ryan thrown in the towel?

The odds are against the Jets for the remainder of the season, and it may be time to begin thinking about Draft Day and the off-season to come, and filling in the holes for the 2010 season. Regardless of the statistics and odds though, anything can happen. Remember: the great Yogi Berra once said - “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

State of the Jets- A Midseason Report

2009-11-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

By: Conor Reilly
11/11/09

First order of business, a very Happy Veteran's Day to everyone. Our thanks to the men in service is limitless and will never waver.

Well, we are pretty much at the midway point of the NFL season. The Jets have a convenient bye week...right smack in the middle. It's a great time to examine what we have seen and what we will see the rest of the way. First, a pure recap of the season to date:

Wins:
Week 1 @ Houston
Week 2 vs. New England
Week 3 vs. Tennessee
Week 7 @ Oakland

Losses:
Week 4 @ New Orleans
Week 5 @ Miami
Week 6 vs. Buffalo
Week 8 vs. Miami

There it is. 4-4, middle of the road. The wins (Oakland aside) are impressive, but the losses overshadow them greatly. The team that beat New England should never lose to the Bills or both Dolphins games. One perhaps to Miami, but not both. So at first glance, fans would love to see that record at 6-2 instead of 4-4.

But you are what your record says you are. And here's how they stacked up through eight games.

Offense
All the talk going into the season was about quarterback Mark Sanchez. Could he be the next Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco and actually make the playoffs? Or would he go down the road most rookie QB's take--struggle at first and learn the ropes. After looking like option #1 the first three weeks, he has fallen back to earth very, very quickly. Two losses are squarely on his right shoulder (Saints, Bills.) That means he's on pace to lose 4 games on his own which, actually, sounds about right for a rookie. Sanchez may have taken a step back from his first few weeks, but there are not very many people saying the Jets made a mistake in the draft.

At running back, the season took a drastic, gloomy turn when Leon Washington broke his leg. With him gone for the year, rookie Shonn Greene has been thrust into a meaningful role quicker than anyone thought. He has looked promising thusfar. But the team's offensive MVP so far has been Thomas Jones. Everyone predicted a big drop from last year's numbers, but Jones is in the NFL's top 10 for rushing yards and top 5 for rushing touchdowns. Fullback Tony Richardson has been invaluable is the blocking scheme. And with the offensive line is picking it up after a slow start, and the running attack looks to be in a great spot going forward.

In the receiver spot, Jerricho Cotchery looked phenomenal early in the season, trying to dismiss the rumors the Jets needed a true #1 wideout. He then got banged up and, well, the Jets acquired who they hope to be their true #1 receiver. Braylon Edwards came over from Cleveland and has looked sharp thusfar. Jets fans hope that once Cotchery is 100% healthy, Sanchez will have two quality recieivers on the outside, along with tight end Dustin Keller down the middle. Keller has done well when Sanchez finds him open, but most fans agree that he hasn't been found nearly enough. Other pass catchers Brad Smith and David Clowney have been used very sparingly.

Defense
It seems like there are hundreds of different ways to evaluate a team's defense. For what it's worth, the Jets have the second best D in terms of yards against, giving up 1 more yard per game than the first-ranked Giants. Keep in mind, however, that the Jets and Giants combined have just a 9-8 record. So we must take defensive yardage statistics with a grain of salt.

The 'points against' stats are far more fascinating. The Jets are 4th in the NFL with a tremendous 16.8 points against per game. Every other team in the top 7 of this category (Colts, Pats, Broncos, Bengals, Steelers, Cowboys) have a record of 6-2 or better. Except for the 4-4 Jets. The reasons? The kid quarterback and a game lost solely due to the special teams unit we will discuss soon.

All things considered, the defense has more than held up their end of the bargain. The one road contest against Miami is the only game in which they played 'poorly.' Against Buffalo they weren't great, but were good enough. Besides that, Rex Ryan has installed a unit that keeps the Jets in every game they play. You can't ask for much more than that from a defense. But a huge drawback hit the unit when Kris Jenkins tore his knee up. He's the real engine of the defense and to call him irreplaceable is an understatement. The stars of the unit (Revis, Rhodes, Harris, Scott) have to pick up their play even more to try to contain this devastating loss.

Special Teams
Certainly an unheralded aspect of football, but the Jets got a bigtime eye-opener of how important it is. Miami's Ted Ginn brought back 2 kick returns against the Jets that were the difference in the game. It's an absolute nightmare to lose a game with special teams being a primary reason. If the Jets had beaten the Dolphins at home, they would be right in the thick of the playoff race. Instead, they are a middle of the road team that is ensured a bad divisional record. Special teams coach Mike Westhoff is too good to have this unit lose another game on its own, but sometimes just one game can be the difference between the playoffs and the golf course.

Leon Washington's injury hurts special teams along with the offense. Neon Leon has made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner, and his presence will be missed. Hoping to capture some magic of the past, Gang Green brought back Justin Miller to return kicks. Though it was a short-lived era, Miller's knack for a big return did wonders for the Jets back in the day. They hope he can find it again.

As far as the legs, Jay Feely has missed a couple of field goals lately, but he can be trusted. He's in the NFL's top 10 in both kicks made and kick percentage. The Jets knew they wouldn't have a good punter this season, and Steve Weatherford really hasn't boomed too many memorable ones. He's kept things entertaining with some successful fakes, though.

So there's a brief look at how the Jets have gotten to where they are. Here's what they face the rest of the way:

Vs. Jacksonville (4-4)
@ New England (6-2)
Vs. Carolina (3-5)
@ Buffalo (3-5)
@ Tampa Bay (1-7)
Vs. Atlanta (5-3)
@ Indianapolis (8-0)
Vs. Cincinnati (6-2)

Overall, it's probably not the scariest remaining schedule in the NFL. But boy is it loaded near the end. Simply put, the matchups against Jacksonville, Carolina, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay are games the Jets MUST HAVE. It's a roll of the dice in the other four games, including the Jets probably being significant underdogs against the Colts and Patriots. But if they take care of business against the weaker teams, it gives them sole leeway against the big boys.

Let's look specifically at the very-near future. The Jets tail New England by 2 games in the division. But the Patriots play the undefeated Colts this Sunday. If the Jets can beat the Jaguars and the Colts defeat the Pats, the lead shrinks to one game. Wouldn't you know it, the Patriots host Gang Green the very next week. So if things bounce the right way, the Jets have with a chance to come out of New England tied for first place. After the sometimes-glorious, sometimes-miserable 4-4 start, you couldn't ask for much more.

Jets Overtake the Raiders for a Smooth Landing

2009-10-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

It was the best game for the Jets' redemption after the three straight losses of the season. What I had not expected was the easy defeat of the Raiders. I am not upset about it, but I am stunned at the outcome and couldn't be more proud to be a Jets fan. So what happened?

On the opening drive we have Jamarcus Russel, quarterback of the Raiders, making that fumble that just helps give the Jets their first touchdown of the game. The good things kept on coming after the 58 yard drive of the first quarter. I was in mourning after Leon Washington got taken off the field for that leg injury he got.

Rex loves having fun with his defense and we saw that he makes sure that the Jets "swarm the football" or "be football hungry." Well that hunger made Jamarcus Russel give the football to safety man Leonhard for an interception that helped the Jets make the touchdown for a 14-0 lead over the Raiders. Mark made the touchdown on that play by luck as he ran the ball low and slam dunked the football over the field goal. There's nothing like that feeling when you know you have your mojo back after devastating losses. Besides that turnover touchdown, we have Darrell Revis intercepting Russel again for the touchdown that gives the Jets a 21-0 lead. At this point I am feeling that the Raiders must not be happy with Russel's performance. Now this is the third youngest rookie QB of the season, should we give hime some slack? Surveys says NO. (Sorry Jamarcus).

We congratulate Shonn Greene for making his first touchdown of his career and well the Jets are up 21-0. What I love about the Jets is the surprise effect they have. I was happy when I saw that punt fake by Weatherford. The Raiders replaced Jamarcus Russell with Bruce Gradkowsky to change the fate of the Raiders in the second half of the game. I can't say it did much because as Gradowsky tried to pull a Mark fake to get the first down in the third, it did not mean that the game would end in a profitable score. Besides getting sacked on a blitz, there was no break for a field goal or a td at any point in the game. The Jets got help to get their fourth touchdown with the work of Wallace White running close to the end zone. At this point I am wondering if I am watching only the Jets on the field because I see nothing happening on the Raiders field. I even noticed that Raiders' fans stopped booing the Jets and it was pretty quiet in the dome. But of course I was enjoying the fact that this game was the most possession of the Jets all season.

At this point in the fourth the Jets have on the score board a whopping 24 points and we almost have a turnover because of Mark's close fumble and near back injury and well we're moving at 30 points even though Feely missed a field goal. Shonn Greene's go again for the last touchdown of the game that made the final score a 38-0 lead. The Raiders could not catch a break with the Jets' defense in their attempt to get a TD and well we have the clock run out with the Jets colossal win over the Raiders. This must have put the Eagles to shame as their loss to the Raiders was nothing shy of a big embarassment. The Jets break record with the second team since 1960 to have a 300 rush yard game back to back. With all of this I could not have been happier for their comeback.

Now this Sunday, they will be playing the Miami Dolphins. And I am hoping that we're going to have another win. They Dolphins won the first game with the Jets week 5, but then again the Jets have been learning the game since then. The Dolphins were defeated by the Saints and so you have it that at Giant Stadium the Jets might be on point defeating them. They will be playing the Dolphins at 1pm on CBS. Let's look forward to a good game here folks.

Watch Out Kobayashi...

2009-10-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

By: Robert Cowper
10.27.09

This year's most famous hot dog wasn't eaten by Takeru Kobayashi or even Joey Chestnut; nay, it was consumed by one Mark Sanchez.

On the sidelines during their massive win over the lowly Oakland Raiders, Sanchez was caught by cameras eating a hot dog. My first reaction was: a hot dog? Of all the things to grab for a snack on the sideline, I never would have guessed a hot dog. Did they send an equipment manager up to the concession stand with a wig and sunglasses? Did Sanchez grab it from a cooperative Oakland fan? (Hopefully not, otherwise we may hear about some food poisoning this week)

After thinking about it for the better part of the day's Sportscenter, Mike and Mike and First Take cycles, who really cares? It was a damn hot dog. I'm sure plenty of guys get hungry on the sidelines during the game but won't eat because they don't want to get caught up in the storm that Sanchez is now wrapped in. Owen Daniels, among other pros who were asked the question admitted that he's eaten protein bars and sunflower seeds on the sidelines. Maybe it's because Sanchez doesn't know any better. Maybe at the Rose Bowl, Mark used to chowdown on fajitas and chicken parmigiana and this was him toning it down for the prude NFL audience.

Who knows? And again, who cares? Not me.

Let's be happy that Sanchez was on the sideline and didn't go into the locker room to get his calorie fix. Manny Ramirez was recently in the news because he missed how his Dodgers ended up finishing a close game in the MLB playoffs because he hit the showers early. His response? Something to the effect of: "I saw the highlights." I know baseball is a different game than football but at least we don't generally hear about stories like that.

Until we hear about Peyton Manning stuffing his face with caviar or Tom Brady dantily sipping a cup of tea, let's hold off on the media hype and overreaction that this story is getting. Never since The Jungle has processed meat seen so much airtime on the national media.

Jenkins, Jets Take a Huge Tumble

2009-10-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

By: Conor Reilly
10/21/09

Let's start this by making one thing abundantly clear: the New York Jets are 3-3. Out of 16, there are just five teams in the AFC with a better winning percentage. If the playoffs started this very second, they would be tied for the final spot.

Now that those facts are abundantly clear, we can begin.

The Jets are in complete and utter turmoil. Sunday afternoon, Mark Sanchez threw five interceptions. The special teams threw another pick on a botched field goal. With Jerricho Cotchery out, no receiver besides newcomer Braylon Edwards even showed up. The defense, though decent, lost their most important player (Kris Jenkins) for the season. Yes, they ran for over 300 yards. But to accomplish that and still lose the game takes a disaster of epic proportions. We are through week 6 now, and the good teams and bad teams are starting to separate. The two teams I see with the most deceiving records are the 3-3 Ravens (way better than that) and the 3-3 Jets (far more vulnerable than that.)

So what's happened the past 3 weeks? Well, Sanchez had his 'rookie game' in New Orleans (which, by the way, looks like a brilliant performance after what we saw this week.) Rex Ryan and the defense were caught woefully unprepared for the Wildcat in week 2. And on Sunday, Sanchez played like a rookie that doesn't belong anywhere near the field. It was a performance that absolutely terrifies the fans for the future. Throwing in windy Giants stadium after October is no ordinary task. After one game, Sanchez demonstrated that he is not yet up to that task.

At the moment, the mojo has just evaporated for gang green. The loss against Buffalo would have been bad enough with the Bills hitting the field goal at the end of regulation. It would have been quick, less painful, William Wallace-like. But the fans suffered through another 10+ minutes of overtime, which showed them over and over that something truly awful had overtaken the team. At the end, it had lasted nearly four hours, the Jets lost a huge part of their defense, their QB was nearly crying, and fans missed over 10 minutes of The Simpsons Halloween special that started at 8pm. Everyone was cranky. Until the Jets get back their mojo, the things that made them great for three weeks (pass rush, 3rd down efficiency, great special teams, etc.) they will continue to sputter.

But as football Yoda says, 'turmoil does not a season ruin.' There is time to get things turned around. Sunday, the Jets played like a team that should be 1-5. But they are 3-3 because of some great efforts against Houston, Tennessee, and the Patriots. Those three victories count just as much as the three ugly, ugly losses. There are no style points here. Ask the Arizona Cardinals about how much style points they got last year during their 9-7 regular season. Things can happen.

But there is an incredible amount of work to do. It starts in Oakland on Sunday--the same lowly Raiders that beat the Eagles last week. Clearly, as the Jets now know, there are no real pushovers in the NFL.

Dear Jets: Where's the Engine?

2009-10-19T21:31:00.001-07:00

The Jets were at the Bills this Sunday and well if you haven't heard of the worst OT game in football history, mine would have to be this season's Jets v Bills and more than likely yours is too.

By now, after observing four games, we know that Mark is made for interceptions. If I could speak to Rex Ryan I would say: "Rex, we need to have Mark work without interceptions or else everyone will have him “Marked” for the QB with the most interceptions this season." While we can’t have him keep running the ball, something needs to be done about them interceptions. Wind causes fumbles? Maybe we need to stack Sanchez's hands with footballs! I do not encourage Sanchez throwing a football further than 20 yards."Interception" Sanchez, made five interceptions within the game, one of them at the most important point in the game.

Although the Bills' offense may be the ones considered inexperienced, the Jets seem to be in the same boat. After making the one interception early in the game on a good chance of having a good lead, Jets 26, Shephard's illegal contact reversed the interception. As I observed the influence that the windy weather had on this team's loss, I thought that it would probably help Rex to have his team master the velocity of wind and cold weather. We need to increase the high winds and cold atmosphere with the use of some fans and AC during practice (I'm just saying…)

I was happy that Feely made some good field goals. But he did miss that 25 yard field goal--but that fake FG really took me for a head spin. I was wondering: Why you would fake a field goal at a time when winning is essential at overtime?! If the Bills misses on the field goal for the win, why would Sanchez go against giving the field goal a chance and make a TD play? Someone told me that it was windy on the field. We know that! But we saw that as the Bills second attempt on the field goal in OT resulted in a win, that was the best bet. I was curious to know if the Jets actually wanted to win the game on Sunday.

What I loved was watching the effort to the play the game by the defense. I loved watching Jones make that 70 yard TD, endeavoring to make that break from a collar tackle. Every time that I saw Kerry Rhodes (my husband) make a play, I said to myself, "he's earning his keep" He did well on a blitz with Fitzpatrick, almost made an interception that ended up in an incomplete pass, tackled Fitzpatrick and was I think, praying that Jenkins would be healed as he was hoisted off the field with that torn knee ligament. I loved the little tiffs that were taking place between Darrelle Revis and Terrel Owens, with the tackle and startled mishap of a chance incompletion for Owens. We know that Leon Washington earns his paycheck when he made the 33 yard gain on the Bills' 47 in the first quarter.

Now this Sunday we are going up against the Oakland Raiders. We're not home, but I hope that we are realizing that we can't have our streak continue like it's going. Rex is still not shaking his faith in Interception Mark, and neither will I. This might be another nail biter, hopefully with the Jets taking a little flight from their three losses. I am expecting the game to be a win because of the streak that the raiders have been having within the season so far. While the Jets have been 3-3, the Raiders have been 2-4. The surprising thing is that the Raiders might do another upset as they did with Philadelphia and as a Jet fan, I am not anticpating that result. So on my end it's unpredictable. But you can check out what will take place on Sunday on CBS @ 4.

Rookies Fall Back Down to Earth

2009-10-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

By: Conor Reilly
10/14/09

How quickly the tide turns.

Two weeks ago, the Jets were on top of the world. The team was a perfect 3-0. Mark Sanchez had the Rookie of the Year award in the bag. Head coach Rex Ryan wasn't backing down from anyone as the Jets out-muscled opponents. The defense hadn't given up an offensive touchdown, as the frenzied fans tried desperately to name the unit (D-Rex, Broadway Blitz, Revis and the Buttheads, etc.)

Now? Let's just say the fans have a lot more things on their mind than "Name that Defense." Unfortunately, none of these things are very positive. Gang Green fans were perfectly willing to accept the defeat in New Orleans. Tough road game, great offense, and Mark Sanchez is required to have that 'rookie game.' But that loss in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football...now that one's tough to swallow.

Just as Mark Sanchez had his 'rookie game,' Rex Ryan also had one of his own last night. And believe it or not, Ryan's might have been uglier. The Dolphins came into this game 1-3 and, on paper, the vastly inferior team in terms of talent. But the Miami coaching staff took the gameplan Rex presented before them promptly deposited it into the shredder. And then the toilet. If you told a Jets fan that the team was going to score 27 points and the offense wouldn't have a turnover, they would bet their house it would be a victory.

But it wasn't to be. Rex Ryan, deemed the 'mad scientist' for his ferocious defense, had his Frankenstein turned into a Teletubby on Monday. Maybe it was overconfidence, leading to a lack of preparation. Maybe it was that south Florida heat. Maybe the Dolphins are a lot better than people think. But one thing for sure is that there's going to be some silence for a while. The masses will laugh at Bart Scott & co. if they try to preach their greatness this week.

But maybe this isn't a bad thing. Truth be told, the Jets were anointed way too prematurely this year. They have three winnable games coming up (hosting Buffalo, @Oakland, and hosting Miami for what they hope will be sweet revenge.) The media won't hear of their dominance anymore, but maybe the Jets will like this new strategy of 'go about your business first, then talk.' And hey, if they win all three and go into that bye week at 6-2, nobody will have a problem with the mute button being shut off.

At least for a little while.

Week 5 Preview: Jets @ Dolphins

2009-10-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

By: Robert Cowper
10.12.09

As much as those ESPN Monday Night Football commercials would lead us to believe, Monday's aren't always that bad, especially when you have the Jets/Dolphins game to look forward to. Sure, there are definitely sexier matchups during the year, but you should have this game circled for a few reasons.

The Wildcat: It's been oft talked about this past week, but you cannot deny that Rex Ryan's defenses in Baltimore were stout against the run. Throughout the entire 2007 and 2008 seasons, the Ravens did not allow any 100-yard rushers. Considering that the Fins have the NFL's leading rushing attack, the fate of the game will depend on which line (Miami's offensive, Jets defensive) can take control.
The Young QBs: Take a second to go look at the stats for the starters of tonight's game, Chad Henne and Mark Sanchez... I'll wait... Notice anything? Together, the two guys have a total of only 5 NFL starts. As ESPN just reported during one of their forty pre-game shows, it is the lowest total between two starting QBs on MNF. Ever. Being a Michigan Wolverines fan, I've seen a lot of Henne over the last few years, and I have to admit, he does have the skills to be a viable NFL signal caller. I'm not so sure that he has the weapons on the outside, though; Ted Ginn, Jr. and Davone Bess don't really strike fear into opposing defenses. Sanchez, during his first four games, was in the same boat with questionable starting WRs, but the addition of Braylon Edwards may drastically change that. (Some segue, huh?)
Braylon Edwards: For many off-team fans (meaning not Jets or Dolphins fans), this will probably be why they tune in. Edwards was living in near obscurity with the Browns the last year or so. He caught fire in 2007 with Derek Anderson under center, but with all the money and draft picks they spent acquiring Brady Quinn, they had to give him the keys to the Dodge Caravan sooner or later. If Edwards can handle the spotlight in New York, I think he'll find some success with the Jets. Don't expect the torrid 16 TD output from '07, but he could easily rack up 800 yards and 6 TDs in the last 12 games. It all starts tonight.

Broadway Braylon

2009-10-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

By: Conor Reilly

Apparently the Jets don't like that taste of losing.

Because after 3 wins to start the year, New York responded to their first loss by acquiring wide receiver Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns early today. He is a Pro Bowler. He was taken with the #3 pick in 2005. And he is 26, an absolute prime age for an NFL receiver. What did it take to get him? Leon Washington? David Harris? The biceps of Thomas Jones?

The answer: Jason Trusnik, Chansi Stuckey, and 2 draft picks no earlier than the third round. Wow. Let's just say if Edwards plays to a fraction of his ability, this is an absolute steal.

Yes, it hasn't been the best season for Edwards. This week it got worse, as he allegedly put the 'boom boom pow' on the face of someone in LeBron's Cleveland entourage. Not the best for PR. But if that's what drove down his value this low, I think Jets fans will be more than willing to pay the medical bills of LeBron's friend.

So what does this mean for Gang Green? Here are some quick snippets.

This can go one of two ways for Jerricho Cotchery. For the optimists, he will see way less attention from opposing defenses because they have to respect Edwards' deep threat. He will have an easier time getting open and will improve on his already-stellar production. For the pessimists, Cotchery may feel a little slighted that nobody believes in him as a true #1 receiver. He has done everything expected and more for this offense, and the Jets still kinda 'replaced' him at his #1 slot. But Cotchery has been nothing but a team-first guy from the start, and as long as the Jets win, it doesn't matter who gets the ball.
This only goes one way for the running game: POSITIVE. Just look at the Saints defense from Sunday. New Orleans just begged Sanchez and the pass game to beat them, as they committed many defenders to stopping the run. The Jets played right into that and got crushed. With Edwards now going deep, defenses will not dare play that style.
If Edwards can't become a professional in this locker room, he's not going to do it anywhere. Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes, Cotchery, and others will let him know how to do things. His behavior in Cleveland was bad, but the man was in Cleveland, which is currently equivalent to a pool of lava in the NFL. An Eric Mangini no-fun pool of lava. He has a new lease on life for a contending team. If he wants to get his payday and perhaps even get a championship, now's his chance.
I do not see the downside in this deal. Yes, the picks are important in the long run, but let's go back to the not-so-distant past. The Jets nearly gave David Harris for Brandon Marshall just over a month ago. Now they give a special teams role player, a nice but unproven receiver, and 2 picks for Edwards? It's a tremendous move. And remember, Edwards is just months older than Stuckey. This isn't trading youth for some old guy. We may not have see the best of Edwards yet.
This team looks very sexy right now. We all know about the defense, but now offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has his most talented offense to work with. Edwards as a home-run target, Cotchery as a top-of-the-line #2 possession receiver, Dustin Keller roaming the middle, and the 3 capable runners. As long as Sanchez doesn't pull too many more kamikaze missions, I'm not sure how you prepare for this unit now.

So there you have it. I for one am very excited about this move. If you're reluctant as a Jets fan, just think of this... Put yourself in the shoes of a Browns fan right now. Do you think for one second that you got the better part of this deal? Are you excited in any way?

Because I'm sitting here on the other side of the fence. And I'm just giddy.

Schottenheimer Must Go

2009-10-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

By Clifford J. Marlowe 10/4/09

Jets lose 24 – 10 to Saints

Did you notice this week’s loss is very similar to last year’s loss to Denver? Last year, we were coming off a five game winning streak. Here we are on a three game winning streak and boom, we lose. In both cases Brian Schottenheimer “schott” us in the foot with poor play calling, predictable play calling and non-aggressive play calling.

It does not matter if you have the great Brett Favre or the Heisman Trophy winner Mark Sanchez. If the play calling is predictable, then the defense can pick you apart, cause turnovers and win. He kept throwing short slant routes endangering our receivers. He ran a ridicules “wild cat” formations or as we old timers call it “single wing” offense in running circumstances. Why not pass out of it? His lack of Red Zone play calling was a joke.

What is on that play calling sheet he covers his mouth with on the sideline? It might as well be a menu for Burger King. The sad part about it is that he is letting Mark Sanchez take all the blame for the Jet’s loss and his poor selection of play calling. Brian, you need to step up and take some of this blame for your lack of homework.

If he put as much time into the offensive game plan as the defense did on their preparation, we would have won. The defense did their part. To only give up 17 points was nothing against an offense that came in averaging 40 or more points per game. What we did not have this year, just like last year in the Denver game, was good play calling. What we did have was Brian Schottenheimer. Rex, watch out my man. Which goes to show, you can have a great QB and come from a great pedigree, as Brian does, and still lose. It takes more than that. It takes being able to plan properly for any given circumstance and then adjusting to it on the fly to win. When our tight ends were split in a spread formations it was obvious that they were too slow to break free.

Put in fast receivers on spread formation then. How about no huddle for a while and slow down the blitzes? How about some screens and draws? How about staying with play action? Everyone knows Sanchez can run, so leave him in on running downs and use his skills. We can only hope Rex Ryan will hold Schottenheimer to the same high standard he holds Pettine to, his defensive assistant from the Ravens. If I were Rex Ryan I would place Brian in the booth upstairs and take over offensive play calling for a while. He may have inherited the choke from the past coach. In big games we don’t need that.

The Jets have all the right pieces in place, except for one. It appears that it is the Offensive Coordinator’s job. This Jets game was an eye opener. I was once on a team that had a bad offensive coordinator at the start of their season. The players came to the head coach and said, “Coach, we are not going to make it with this guy. His play selection is boring and he does not know how to win. The coach listened and then came back with a new Offensive Coordinator. Our team won the Championship that year. Why? Because the head coach was willing to listen. This is bigger than Brian Schottenheimer and his pedigree.

The Jets want to win another Super Bowl and if Brian is the weak link, now is the time to change it. We don’t have a season to waste with bad play calling again. Reviewing game films is usually done on a Monday. Let’s score Brian’s play calling performance as well. I would give an F to Brian for his part on Sunday. Suggestion: Make Mike Pettine Jr. the new Offensive Coordinator. He has proven he is hard working, putting in tireless hours in preparation. He comes from a great pedigree, too, and maybe better. His dad scored 85% each time he stepped on the field as head football coach. Pettine was also a State Championship QB in high school and QB in college as well. Maybe it is his time now.

Gang Green Makes Respect Contagious

2009-10-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

So this past Sunday was the day we got to see what kind of team the Jets could be, given the right coaching staff and quarterback. We have two rookies, making history with 3-0 opener to the season. Now the irony is that they became the” giants” as they made the Titans fall to their 0-3 loss at the Meadowlands. I must say that I was fearful about this game because Sanchez was making fumbles and throwing one interception and two other possible interceptions like it was nobody’s business. But the result of the game was a fortunate one as the clock ran out and allowed the Jets to realize that they do have what it takes to make it to the super bowl this season--with some serious practice.

Now this surprise streak is keeping everyone on their toes because as my baby Kerry Rhodes said, “The team lacks respect.” I think faithful Jets fan realize the potential the team has to succeed, however with a lackluster coach such as Mangini and a struggling quarter back such as Pennington or a superstar like Favre, the point of the team enjoying the game was gone. You can see that Sanchez and Ryan has that grit and energy that NYers have and you have to love the effort made in trying to maintain the momentum in order to earn that respect back. I was eating it up the first time I saw the Jets kicked butt to the Patriots, you know they wouldn’t have been able to head over to Long Island and tape Rex’s plays so early in the season, right?

What I loved watching was the manner in which Sanchez made some significant plays: from his taking the leap to make that first touchdown to making some fakes and passing the ball to his teammates that stumped the Titans. I know that he won the heart of NYers because he’s demonstrated that he’s got heart for the game. It’s something I’ve always believed: When you love what you do and who you work with, your performance will be great no matter the little mistakes that are made along the way. I am bowing to the greatness that will be rising from the Sanchez.

Rex Ryan is the next man that encourages that flavor that was lacking between Mangini and Favre. He’s a risk taker! He loves to see that his players are making plays that are not seen by the league on a regular basis. He’s coming to the Jets as a former defensive coordinator and you can see that his ideas are being translated to the offense as well. We had some turnovers of our own and some field goals that patched up some of Sanchez’s dirty work, but it’s what you want to see. Everyone’s head is in the game and you’ve got two hardcore leaders sending that message that they are in this game to play hard and win the game. We need to consider how much we rely on Washington, Jones and Cotchery and not take their position on the team for granted. Although Sanchez and Ryan are the ones who suggest the plays, these men are putting it out there too. Supporting Sanchez when he needed a recovery of a fumble, scoring a 46 yard gain or helping make that run to field goal range a little closer is what makes the game unpredictable. You wonder if the risks that Ryan encourages, make the teams’ game winning chances unpredictable and have you love the Jets even more because of it. I am having a flashback to the unsuspecting 2007 Superbowl 47 takeover of the Patriots by the Giants…Only this time I’m seeing green and white jerseys.

Now the Jets will be marching to the Saints this Sunday a little late in the day and I’m hoping that it’s another win. But the Saints are no innocents and I am excited to see what the outcome will be in the 4th quarter. The Jets unpredictable offense against the intimidating defense of the Saints makes my knees shake. Perhaps with Ryan and Spagnuolo defensive tactics, the Saints will keep the game a close one in the 3rd quarter. But I’m hoping that if the Saints and their fan base cause Sanchez to make more than a few fumbles that we’ll have some time to run away with a hard earned victory. I’m thinking this is the game to watch at 4 on CBS. It’s going to be a good one.

Jets Take Off Again

2009-09-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

by Clifford J. Marlowe 9/30/2009

Having lived only two blocks from Shea Stadium, I was fortunate to watch the Jets play football there. My first jersey, number 12, was Joe Namath. When the Jets won the Super Bowl in 1969 all the kids were excited and we felt nothing was impossible for us to accomplish. After that however, I watched many games in disappointment. It has been a long time since that fever pitch has been in the air, but it is back. We always knew our team could score points but what good is scoring points if you can’t stop the other team from scoring more?

Coach Rex Ryan’s personality is a New York personality. He is a “take no prisoners” type of guy and the true “Joe six pack” blue collar man. This makes it a joy for New Yorkers to cheer and yell out loud again. It is in our blood as native Queens, New Yorkers to enjoy having a soar throat come Monday morning at work. But this time it is not from yelling at the refs or from a loss. To be able to turn to a fellow fan and say, “I was at the game!” brings joy.

Let’s get Mark Sanchez a pair of stockings. Let’s buy him a fur coat and let’s get Joe Namanth out again on the field to cheer with us. It is time to take off and soar as we never have before. When I was a child playing football our practice field was across from La Guardia Airport. I would watch the jets land and take off over and over again. It just made the long practice seem to zip right by until game day. Like those jets, our Jets have soared to new heights in the last three games. May your long work week be filled with the joy of watching the Jets land and soar until next Sunday. Take your child to Macy’s as my dad did and buy him a Mark Sanchez jersey. It is time for the Jets to take off again!.

New York's Everyfan

2009-09-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Remarkably, The Simpsons kicked off their 20th season on Sunday. The plot was that the overweight, clumsy Homer Simpson is cast in the movie Everyman, a new comic book superhero that had the ability to absorb powers from any other traditional superhero (Superman, Iron Man, etc.) Everyman was able to adapt and use whatever power was most convenient in a sticky situation.

This is an all-too-familiar story in the sports world, as "Everyfan" existed long before The Simpsons created their superhero. Particularly in football, fans go through more emotions and mood swings than David After Dentist. Take the Jets fans for example. When things go well, Everyfan absorbs the optimistic swagger of Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, etc. When things look bleak, Everyfan takes on the memories of last year's collapse and fear the worst. When things need to get loud, Fireman Ed is absorbed. When things get quiet, they channel their inner Eric Mangini.

Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans was certainly the most trying game of the Rex Ryan/Mark Sanchez era. Things looked great for one quarter, awful for two quarters, and then manageable to finish it off. The defense proved it indeed has room for improvement, while the running game and Sanchez's ball security need some tweaking.

But, as always, the bottom line is 3-0. That is the Jets' record after three games--perfect. Just three short weeks ago, most fans were hoping for 2-2 in the first four games. After all, Calvin Pace was suspended for these games and the schedule presented four teams with playoff-caliber talent. Though it is so difficult at the moment, the Jets Everyfan has to make sure to keep these sentiments from three weeks ago in mind. Mark Sanchez is a rookie, and all rookie quarterbacks have games they will lose on their own. The blitz-happy defense is going to get burned in some games. These things happen.

The key is for Jets fans not to go berserk when they do happen. Rex & Co. took down a talented Houston team on the road before downing the Patriots and fighting-for-their-lives Titans at home. Right now, the fans need to be what I'll call "acceptingly jubilant." Jubiliant because the team is playing some of their best football exactly when the schedule demands it. Accepting because the growing pains and defensive vulnerabilities will at some point rear their ugly head.

Now, nobody is expecting much from the Jets in terms of winning at New Orleans in week 4. They opened up as full-touchdown underdogs. And maybe they do get smacked around by that offense. But even if that happens, they come out of the toughest quadrant of their schedule at 3-1. Three weeks ago that start would have been a dream come true. After three games, let's not make 3-1 seem like a disappointment.

What I'm saying, Everyfan, is to keep an even-keel attitude in these games ahead. Let's not punish the Jets into unreasonable expectations and criticisms just because they have played so well.

-Conor Reilly

Jets Draft Review

2009-04-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

The New York Jets acted so quickly and singularly at Saturday’s NFL Draft, ESPN didn’t even have a chance to play their low-light reel of Jets draft busts, including but not limited to Freeman McNeil, Ken O’Brien, Roger Vick, Blair Thomas and Kyle Brady. As the clock ticked down on the Cleveland Browns’ fifth overall pick, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum swung a deal with the coach he fired a few months ago, Eric Mangini, giving up three players that the Mangenius must have liked (Kenyon Coleman, Abram Elam and Brett Ratliff) more than Tannenbaum did, as well as the Jets top two picks, the 17th and 52nd picks, for the right to move up to the fifth pick to select the new face of the franchise, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. The move was greeted with mostly cheers by the Jets fans at Radio City Music Hall, but that deal and a later trade would put all the Jets eggs of the 2009 draft squarely in Sanchez’s basket. The Jets went into the draft with six picks and left with three players, two of whom are expected to have an impact in 2009.
It’s always risky to take a quarterback that high in the draft. Really, no one can predict weather any player will excel or bust at the NFL level, and the microscope is always more focused on quarterbacks. Everyone commends Sanchez’s leadership ability, locker-room presence and his accurate arm, but his NCAA sampling is very small, just 16 games, and some scouts questioned his arm strength (and as Jets fans, we are all familiar with that question). But Woody Johnson loves having a big-name QB, and as long as he signs the checks he’ll get a big-name to line up behind center, and Sanchez appears to come right out of Hollywood central casting if you want a quarterback that can handle the bright lights and suffocating press and fan base of New York. He goes from a USC program that fed all of LA’s football hunger (along with rival UCLA) to New York, where with no big time college program all the attention is on the Jets and Giants.
The big question concerning Sanchez now is when he gets his first start. The Jets open the season at Houston, come back home for the Patriots and Titans, then head to New Orleans for their first four games. The Texans are believed by many experts to be a team that can make the leap in 2009, while the Pats and Titans are two of the AFC’s best teams, led by two of the best coaches in the business, Bill Belichick and Jeff Fisher, respectively. Rex Ryan might not want Sanchez to have to go up against those two stalwart defense’s right off the bat. Kellen Clemens is still at the top of the depth chart, and he could see the early action of 2009 until Sanchez gets his feet wet.
As for the rest of the draft, well there wasn’t much else for the Jets. The Jets traded three of their remaining four picks at the start of Sunday to move to the top pick of the third round, where they picked Iowa RB Shonn Greene, a bulky runner that should be able to burst through the line for those tough short yardage situations. The pick was clearly a message to current Jets RB Thomas Jones, who has been seeking a new deal of his stellar season, in which he lead the AFC in rushing yards. Even at 31, Jones still has some production left in him, and should still be the Jets top rusher in 2009. But depth is important at running back, and this gives the Jets another choice along with Jones and Leon Washington. The Jets third and final pick, in the sixth round, was Nebraska guard Matthew Slauson, who probably won’t see a lot of time behind Brandon Moore and Alan Faneca.
The Sanchez era has begun in New York. Do the Jets finally have a quarterback they can compare to Joe Namath? Sanchez has the swagger, but does he have the game? We have months to get our hopes up, and I know many Jets fans out there will.

Jason Levy

Mark Sanchez NY Jets - QB - Bio - News

2009-04-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

Mark Sanchez NY Jets QB
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 227
College: Southern Cal
Conference: Pac 10
Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA
High School: Mission Viejo

Mark Sanchez NFL Combine Results:
40 Yard Dash : 4.88 seconds
Vertical Jump : 32.5 inches
Broad Jump : 116.0 inches
3 Cone Drill : 7.06 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle : 4.21 seconds

Mark Sanchez was selected with the number 5 pick of the NFL Draft by the NY Jets after the Jets traded up from the 17 spot. Mark Sanchez spent his college years in the intense spotlight of being a starting QB for the elite USC Trojans. Sanchez will definitely not be leaving the spotlight now as he will be a central focus of attention for the intense NY sports and general media. If there is a QB to take this sort of attention Sanchez might be the guy to do it. It is possible that the Jets learned the importance of having a QB that can deal with the media after their one year experiment with the reclusive Brett Favre at QB in 2008.

Mark Sanchez's strengths as a quarterback are his strong arm, accuracy, and leadership skills. Sanchez is a smart player and a person which as mentioned earlier should help him hold up in the NY media. One of the main selling points for the Jets is likely Sanchez's extensive experience in the West Coast offense which should give him an opportunity to start for the Jets as soon as the 2009 year.

The Jets traded with the Cleveland Browns to move up to get Sanchez and to do so they traded their first-round pick, No. 17 overall in 2009, their second-round pick this year, and defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam and quarterback Brett Ratliff.

Mark Sanchez College - Short Bio: Mark Sanchez left USC after his junior year, he started 16 games for USC completing 64.27% passes. Sanchez through 313 passes for 3,998 yards with 41 touchdowns in 27 games. Sanchez totaled at least 200 passing yards nine times in 2008 showing great consistancy.

Look for continuing coverage of Mark Sanchez as he starts his career with the NY Jets.

The latest news,rumors,bio,talk,photos, and stats for Mark Sanchez of the NY Jets.

Jets 2009 Draft Preview

2009-04-24T10:40:00.001-07:00

It seems like its been forever since we last saw a football game, even more so since we’ve seen the New York Jets suit up, but about halfway between the Super Bowl and Training Camps come the NFL Draft, where teams create a foundation for a hopeful Super Bowl run. It’s odd that the actual event gets so much instant analysis when it will probably take four or five years before anyone can say just how good a player will turn out to be and just how good the draft was overall. Think about how different the NFL landscape would be if the Indianapolis Colts chose Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning. The Colts could have been set back five years, or maybe Leaf leads them to the title and Manning is out of the league. It came close to playing out.
The Jets franchise has often been the butt of many draft jokes. ESPN has a Jets low-light reel ready for the moments leading up to the Jets pick. I won’t go over any of them in detail, we all know what mistakes were made. But recent history has fared better for the Jets draft. In the three drafts GM Mike Tannenbaum has overseen starting in 2006, the Jets have found several players that form the Jets foundation, including D’brickishaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Kellen Clemens and Leon Washington (first, first, second and fourth rounds respectively in 2006); Darelle Revis and David Harris (first and second rounds, 2007) and Dustin Keller in the first round in 2008. The big blotch on his resume so far is last year’s other first round pick, Vernon Gholston, but let’s wait and see what he can do under Rex Ryan before we call Gholston a bust. Before that under Terry Bradway the Jets picked found a couple of mid-round gems, with Kerry Rhodes and 2005 and Jerricho Cotchery in 2004. The Jets best draft of the decade came in 2000, when the Jets used their top five picks (four of which were in the top 27) on Sean Ellis, John Abraham, Chad Pennington, Anthony Becht and Laveraneus Coles, all of whom started for the Jets and had moderate (that’s being kind to Becht) to spectacular (Ellis and Abraham-when he was healthy) success.
The Jets have six picks to work with in 2009, one each in the first four rounds (17, 52, 76, and 115) with additional picks late in the sixth and seventh rounds. With holes to fill at wide receiver, quarterback, defensive end and punter and depth concerns at running back and tight end, the Jets don’t have a lot to work with as far as trading up is concerned. The highest they could probably climb is to eight, where the Jacksonville Jaguars currently are slotted. If USC quarterback Mark Sanchez or Texas Tech wide out Michael Crabtree fall to that pick, they will probably have to use picks 17, 52, and maybe one more to swing a deal with the Jags, because they will face stiff competition from a lot of teams to draft either one of those players at that position. Unless Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan are head-over-heels for one of those guys, the Jets will stay at their position and take the best player available.
At 17, the Jets will likely look for a QB or WR, and it’s tough to say which one they will pick. Ryan has not stopped throwing compliments at Clemens and Brett Ratliff, but the thought of adding a strong-armed first round pick like Kansas State QB Josh Freeman might be too enticing for the Jets (we all know if he is available, the Jets fans at the draft will be chanting for Freeman, and could boo vociferously if he isn’t picked). If the Jets are going to use their first round pick on a QB, they better be damn sure he will be better than one of the guys they already have. And with quarterbacks, it’s never a sure thing. Last year’s first round QB’s, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, lead their teams to the playoffs. The 2007 first-rounders are still being debated (JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn) but the early returns have not been promising. As for the much-heralded class of 2006, one (Jay Cutler) forced a trade when things got dicey and the other two (Vince Young and Matt Leinart, who had just dueled in the NCAA title game) can’t beat out a couple of vets in their late-30’s for the starting QB spot. The QB’s of 2005 have been iffy (Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers and Jason Campbell, no playoff starts between them) while the class of 2004 (Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger) have three Super Bowl rings between them. Of the five QB’s taken in the first round of 1999, only one (Donovan McNabb) led his team to a conference title. Bottom line, it all depends on the situation for a QB, and if the Jets brass isn’t sure that Freeman will run their offense better than Clemens or Ratliff, then they should go for a wide out that can break the game open.
Luckily for the Jets, the 2009 first round is littered with quality wide receivers. Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin will likely be gone by 17, unless the Jets trade up to get one of them. Darrius Heyward-Bey is a burner (4.3-40) but there are questions about his hands. Percy Harvin was a dual threat running and receiving for Tim Tebow’s Florida squad, but a failed drug test at the combine (which counts as a failed NFL drug test, putting him on a short leash) is keeping many teams away. Kenny Britt and Hakeem Nicks are projected to go later in the first, so should be available if the Jets want to grab one. The interesting player in all of this is Harvin. If the Jets can look past his positive test for marijuana, he could be a steal in the middle of the first round. While he would lineup as a wide out, at 5’11 he could get some plays out of the backfield, and add to the explosiveness that Washington brings to the Jets offense.
While the Jets may not have the assets to trade high into the first round, Tannenbaum has been a draft-day wheeler and dealer in the past. The Jets could wind up trading a pick for a player that would become expendable by another draft-day trade. If the Washington Redskins trade up to take Sanchez, current Redskins QB Jason Campbell could become available. He may not have the upside of Sanchez or Freeman, but he has shown he can play, and could thrive in a system where he is not asked to do too much. If all it takes to get him is a second or third round pick, it could be a deal worth making. It’s highly unlikely a QB as good as Campbell will be available that late in the draft.
The draft, even though it’s just reading a bunch of names off of index cards, always makes for great sports theater, and a great way to wet your football appetite. We won’t really know if the Jets improved themselves over the weekend, but we’ll all have a lot of fun arguing about it.

Jason Levy

Jets Schedule Analysis

2009-04-16T11:06:00.001-07:00

The National Football League released their full schedule earlier this week, wetting the beaks of the football hungry, a nice little snack before the NFL Draft next week before fans across the country can start seriously talking football again. The New York Jets, like the rest of the AFC East teams, have one of the hardest schedules in the league (they are officially seventh, facing teams with a combined .568 winning percentage - all the top eight toughest schedules are by teams in the AFC East and NFC South) but that doesn’t mean come December the Jets will have had the toughest road.
Rex Ryan makes his coaching debut on the road, going against the Houston Texans down in Reliant Stadium. The Texans are everyone’s darling heading into 2009, and it will be a tough place to start the season. It won’t get any easier when the Jets come back home for the next two weeks, hosting the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans in weeks two and three. The Jets hosting the Pats has become an early season tradition, this will be the fourth straight season the Jets will host the Pats in the home-opener, and the Jets have not won a home game against the Pats since 2000. The Titans won’t be the same team as last year without Albert Haynesworth, but it will still be a tough game.
The Jets head down south the next to weeks, stopping first in New Orleans for a battle with the Saints. Going against the Drew Brees-led Saints offense is tough in any environment, even more so when they are on their home turf. The Jets will then be in Miami for a Monday night tilt with Chad Pennington and the Dolphins. What did the Dolphins get for their 10-game turnaround last season? The toughest schedule in the league this season. But you can throw out the records in Jets-Dolphins, they are always close contests.
The Jets then head back home and get their first look at the Buffalo Bills with Terrell Owens at wide receiver. We will all be paying attention to Bills a lot more this season, and the Bills divisional games might have as much juice as Jets-Dolphins-Pats matches, but it remains to be seen just how much better, if it all, the Bills will be with TO. The Jets will then head to their own personal house of horrors in Oakland to play the Raiders, who even when they are terrible always seem to give the Jets trouble. After that the Jets come back home to play the Dolphins for the second time in four weeks before the bye week, symmetrically separating the season in to two eight-game halves.
The Jets start the second half of the 2009 season home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that should be better than they were last year, but play in the tough AFC South. The Jets will next head to Foxboro for a tilt with the Patriots. Tom Brady should be back to his old self by then, and the game will be tough to win. The Jets are back home Week 12 to host the Carolina Panthers, and who knows if Jake Delhomme will still be the Panthers QB by then. His performance against the Arizona Cardinals in last year’s playoffs was one of the worst postseason games ever.
The Jets follow that with a trip north of the border to play the Bills in Toronto on a Thursday night. The location could play into the Jets advantage. Instead of potentially windy and freezing conditions in front of rabid Bills fans in Orchard Park, NY, the Jets will play in a domed stadium in font of non-partial and probably non-caring fans. The Bills lost last year’s Toronto game to the Dolphins 16-3. After that the Jets head all the way south to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers, whose 2008 collapse was worse than the Jets. Tampa went from 9-3 to 9-7, losing all four of their games over the last month and missed the playoffs as well.
The Jets head back home Week 15 to play their third NFC South opponent in four weeks, the Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan did everything right in his rookie year, and everyone in Georgia is holding their breath, hoping there is not sophomore slump. The Jets final road game of the regular season is in Indianapolis against Peyton Manning and the Colts. Hopefully, the Colts will have wrapped up their playoff position by then and rest their starters for much of the game. The might be the only way to beat the Colts that late in the season. The Jets close the regular season at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, completing the biggest irony in football that the Jets could very well play the last game ever at Giants Stadium.
As for the schedule quirk the has the Jets playing their first two home games during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Jets might be stuck. Observant Jews that would not go to the games also couldn’t go on a Saturday afternoon (if they really are as observant as they claim) which would be the ideal makeup date. The Pats, the Jets week two opponent, plays on Monday night in week one and won’t let the Jets move the game any earlier, nor should they, going from Monday to Thursday or Friday is too daunting for an NFL team. New York fans also don’t like Monday night games all that much, having to either miss work late Monday or early Tuesday. Jewish Jets fans with season tickets might just have to sell their tickets to friends or on StubHub if they choose not to go to the games. Life isn’t always fair, as Jewish fans in Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego and other NFL cities will have the same problem. NFL games are on Sundays, and that just happens to be the day those Jewish holidays fall on this year. And over the course of the Jets season, there will be a lot more problems to worry about. Otherwise it just wouldn’t be a New York Jets season.

Jason Levy

Jay the Jet…Don’t Hold Your Breath

2009-03-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

As New York Jets fans such as yourselves keep an eye on all the NFL Hot Stove action, one story in particular that allows Jets fans to dream is the Jay Cutler situation out in Denver. After new Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels attempted to trade for his former protégé Matt Cassell, his current quarterback became furious that the organization wasn’t behind him, and the relationship has only gotten worse over the past few weeks. Cutler has officially asked the Broncos for a trade, and there are plenty of Jets fans out their that already have their #6 Jets jersey on pre-order. While the Jets can use Cutler, they remain a long shot to acquire him.
Cutler has more pedigree and experience than current Jets quarterbacks Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff combined. The Broncos traded up to the 11th spot to grab Cutler, who was the third QB taken in that draft, behind Vince Young and Matt Leinert. Right now Cutler is the only one with a starting job and has the best prospects for the future. His dismantling of the Jets defense in a gusty Meadowlands back in December proved to be the beginning of the end of the Jets season. The elements may not faze him, but he couldn’t steer the Broncos from a free fall of their own as the Broncos missed the playoffs. But he will be just 26 at the start of the 2009 season has shown steady improvement in his three years in the league, starting all 32 games for the Broncos in the last two seasons. No one is arguing that he wouldn’t look great in Green and White and make the Jets legitimate contenders in the ultra-competitive AFC East, but there are several other teams looking to snag Cutler, including his current employers.
Cutler isn’t the first athlete to demand a trade, and it doesn’t mean he will get one. With no other top-tier quarterback available, the Broncos could decide to keep Cutler and hope the bridge between coach and QB rebuilds over the season. It makes the most sense from a talent standpoint. And if he continues the spoiled baby routine (will Cutler always go to pieces if there is a trade rumor about him?), other clubs could sour on him or try to lowball the Broncos. The coach or owner Pat Bowlen could decide that they won’t be bossed around by a player and refuse to give in to his requests.
But locker room tension, especially if it revolves around the quarterback, can rip a team apart, and Cutler could be past the point of no return. If the Broncos realize they are out of options, the Detroit Lions will be the first team to give Denver a call. The Lions, fresh off an 0-16 season are desperate to gain any sort of respectability, and while Cutler won’t solve all their problems, it saves new head coach Jim Schwartz from developing a quarterback (like Matt Stafford) and frees up the first overall pick for another position, like offensive tackle or linebacker. The Lions own the 20th pick from the Cowboys, which the Lions can package with other picks or players, allowing the Lions to take a big leap forward while still getting some player in the draft that can contribute. Cutler will be a hero in Detroit before he even steps on the field.
Detroit isn’t the only team looking for a QB. The St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Minnesota Vikings all make logical landing spots for Cutler. Tampa was involved in the Cutler talks that started this mess, Dan Snyder can never say no to adding a big name (no matter the cost or if it will actually benefit the team) and Jacksonville and Frisco have top-10 picks to offer. The Broncos might also favor an NFC team so they only have to face Cutler once every four years.
The Jets have two other big holes to fill on their team, at wide receiver and pass rushing defensive end. Both positions are rather deep in this years draft, with impact players expected to be available at #17. Getting Cutler will certainly cost the Jets that pick and more (most likely a defensive player as the Broncos are in dire need of a rebuilt defense) which could hinder the Jets chances of securing players at the other tow need positions. Remember that Jets head coach Rex Ryan came from the Baltimore system that last year got to the AFC title game with a rookie quarterback (and their backup was the unheralded Troy Smith, the presumed starter until and injury before week 1) and won the Super Bowl in 2000 led by Trent Dilfer, hardly a show-stopper as a quarterback. Trading for a big arm like Cutler would go against that philosophy (although Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has traded for a big name QB before, not too long ago in fact) and they will likely stick to their guns, letting Clemens and Ratliff battle it out in preseason (every time you hear the Jets talk about Ratliff, they fawn over him like he’s the next Tony Romo, let’s hope they’re right) as the leader of a run-first, hard-hitting defensive team. I won’t complain if the Jets get Cutler, I’m just not setting myself up for the disappointment of seeing him on another team. And as Jets fans know, there will be plenty of time for disappointments during the season.

Jason Levy

Offseason Notes

2009-03-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

It didn’t take the New York Jets long to get into the thick of the free agent market. General Manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan are trying to turn the Jets into Baltimore North, building the team around and aggressive defense and mistake-free offense, much like at Ryan’s former home with the Ravens, who rode that formula to the AFC Title game.
Bart Scott is a significant edition to the line backing corps. An inside combo of Scott and David Harris is as good a pair as any in the league. The two should be able to wreak havoc on the oppositions run game and greatly increase the effectiveness of the pass rush. Scott was the Jets target from the first minutes of free agency, as Ryan couldn’t wait to until daylight to get his former player on his new team. Ryan also brought in Jim Leonhard to play safety opposite Kerry Rhodes. Leonhard made an impression on Ryan in his only season as a Raven after three years in Buffalo, taking over the starting job three weeks into the season after Dawan Landry was injured for the season. The transition to a new style of defense will be made easier with Scott and Leonhard on the roster.
The Jets added another bird to their defense to fill a hole that has been vacant for a long time, trading for Philadelphia Eagles corner Lito Sheppard to line up opposite Darelle Revis. Sheppard has had some ups and downs, but he is a quality corner who will be a vast improvement over the likes of David Barrett, Ty Law, Hank Poteat, and Dwight Lowery.
The secondary and linebackers may be set, but the Jets still need to find a defensive end to help the pass rush. If the New York Giants are done snatching up defensive lineman, the Jets could go after former Miami Dolphin Jason Taylor or Igor Olshansky. If the Jets can’t develop a decent pass rush to keep opposing quarterbacks on edge, the rest of their defensive additions will be moot.
The Jets offense is still where it was at the beginning of the offseason. The Jets appear to be willing to let Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff battle it out for the starting quarterback spot. They will need to add a wide receiver now that Laveranues Coles is a Cincinnati Bengal. The landscape of the draft has changed significantly with the trades and signings of the early offseason. Kansas City is no longer in need of a quarterback, Seattle may not be looking for a wide receiver any more and everything in Denver is on hold until the coach and quarterback come to terms. If Detroit decides not to take a quarterback with their first pick, the first may not go until eight (Jacksonville) or ten (San Francisco) leaving the Jets to possibly get one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft. Or if they are looking at receivers, if Seattle passes on Michael Crabtree now that they have T.J. Houshmandzadeh, it could knock each receiver down a peg, leaving one of the better ones for the Jets.
One player the Jets probably won’t go after (nor should they) is recently released malcontent wide out Terrell Owens. He’s 35, on the downslope of his career, and the Jets don’t have the quarterback to contain his ego. If Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo couldn’t coexist with him, could Clemens or Ratliff or a rookie? Owens will land with a dysfunctional team like Oakland or Washington, or a desperate team like Chicago or New Orleans.
The Jets are better with Scott, Leonhard, and Sheppard on board, but Ryan needs to take a look at his offense if the Jets are going to make the leap to the postseason next year.

Jason Levy

Age of Laveraneus

2009-02-26T11:53:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday, the New York Jets released wide receiver Laveranues Coles, who has spent seven of his nine NFL seasons as one of the Jets go-to receivers. In 105 games with the Jets, 74 as a starter, Coles has 459 receptions (fourth all-time on Jets), 5,941 yards (fifth) and 37 touchdowns (tied fifth). He is one of only two Jets receivers to catch over 90 passes in one season (91 in 2006, Al Toon was the other with 93 in 1988).
Any conversation about the Jets best receivers of all time has to include Coles. He fell to the third round of the 2000 draft after being kicked off the Florida State football team due to multiple off-field issues. Joining a rookie class that included Chad Pennington, Sean Ellis, John Abraham, and Anthony Becht (all-first rounder picks) Coles was the 13th receiver taken in the draft, with only Plaxico Burress (eighth overall) having a better career (well, that can be argued now since Plaxico’s November incident). But the one hang-up between player and organization has been about the contract. It’s why Coles left for a two-year sabbatical in Washington, D.C. (as part of a four player Jets exodus to the Redskins) after they offered him a long-term contract, only to be swapped for Santana Moss two seasons later, a trade that would be mutually beneficial. Coles always had a great relationship with Pennington, and was probably the player in the Jets locker room most upset by his release to make room for Brett Favre. That was pretty much a warning sign for his release, as the Jets made it clear they were looking for something different out of the passing game than the Pennington-Coles combo. Coles was never flashy and was never a true deep threat, but he was consistent and a hard worker who always seemed to be underappreciated as a Jet.
Fans and pundits alike have been clamoring for improvements in the receiving game, and now we will at least get something different. After watching Larry Fitzgerald dominate for the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs and Santonio Holmes lead the Pittsburgh Steelers on the last drive to win the Super Bowl, everyone wants a new wide receiver to lead them to glory. Expect many bidding wars for Coles, T.J. Housmandzadeh, Drew Bennett, Marvin Harrison, Devery Henderson, and lesser-known receiver like Jabar Gaffney, Amani Toomer, Mark Clayton, Michael Clayton, Miles Austin, and Nate Washington, just to name a few of the free agents. But all of the aforementioned receivers could wind up costing more than they are worth, and none are really a number one receiver.
For the Jets, the best route for a receiver will likely be the draft (while they find a pass rusher via free agency) with a rather deep draft class for receivers in 2009 to keep the receiving corps young and relatively cheap. At number 17, top-rated receiver Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech won’t fall even with his ankle injury, so unless the Jets are willing to pay a hefty price to move up, you can forget about him. Two players the Jets will likely look at are Jeremy Maclin of Missouri and Percy Harvin of Florida. Neither one is very tall (Maclin is 6-1 while Harvin is 5-11) but both put up respectable 40-speeds at the Combine (4.46 for Maclin, 4.41 for Harvin) and have been part of spectacular offenses the past few seasons in college. Maclin caught balls from Heisman Trophy nominated quarterback Chase Daniel and Harvin was a main weapon as a pass catcher and rusher for Heisman winner Tim Tebow’s offense. In 2008, Maclin caught 82 passes for 1,260 yards and 13 scores, while Harvin had 40 catches for 644 yards and seven scores while rushing for 659 yards and 10 scores. Maclin would be a better fit for the Jets (Harvin seems like a carbon copy of Leon Washington, which may not be a bad thing to have) to team up with Jerricho Cotchery and youngsters David Clowney and Chansi Stuckey to be a formidable receiving corps along with Dustin Keller at tight end and Washington and Thomas Jones out of the backfield.
There is a slight chance Coles comes back for his third tour with the Jets. If he doesn’t get the long-term, high-paying contract on the free-agent market and the Jets don’t find anyone to their liking, a reunion could happen a few months down the road. Keeping Coles and a drafting Maclin would have the Jets set at receiver for years to come. Free agency starts just a few hours from now (about nine hours after this will be posted) as we sit back and watch how the 2009 New York Jets take shape.

Jason Levy

Is this dude for real?

2009-02-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, its good to be back my carnivorous critters. I just got back from Guam. I spent the last two weeks drinking yama from the shells of crabs, overlooking dolphins playing grab-ass with each other on reefs of coral. I landed today and realized something felt different. Something was eerily wrong. Yet it felt familiar. It was weird, I just couldn't put my half frozen from pina colodas, finger on it.
Then I realized, Brett Favre must have retired...again. Then I realized why I was so worked up. I hate saying goodbye...again. This reminds me of a story that an old wise man who lived in a cave twenty miles south of Cambodia knitting scarves and hats for the locals, once told me. He talked of a boy who always cried wolf, and eventually no one believed anything he said. Is this the case?
I think not. I do believe, all joking aside, he's done. And that's fine by me. Montana ended his career with Kansas City, Micheal Jordan with the Wizards, and for those of you who remember when Philly had a decent quarterback, Cunningham with the Vikings. They all do it.
But, does that mean the the Jets are merely the Chiefs, Wizards or Vikings? Cheifs...Wizards...no. Vikings? I'd take it.
So long Brett. I'm sure that after your Oscar worthy performance in "There's Something about Mary", and those Emmy nominated performances for Wrangler jeans, you won't have a problem paying the bills after the game of football has chewed you up and regurgitated you to its young like a wounded mother falcon whose been fighting off poachers and male eagles looking for a piece of those tail feathers.
But let us give credit where credit is deserved, because lets be honest, real recognizes real. Brett, you were amazing. You have almost all the records a quarterback can hold. You have a Super Bowl win, and you are a true iron man in probably the most brutal sport in the world, besides curling.
So where does this leave the Jets?
Well, I hate to say it but, I can see the Jets moving up in the draft to pick up some star, heavily sought after, blockbuster quarterback...but since there isn't one we'll settle for Mark Sanchez. I know, I know, he's from USC, he worked under "Pistol"Pete Carroll, but I don't care. He is no Carson Palmer, or Matt Lienart. Pete didn't want him to go into the draft, not because he wanted him to stay, but because he knew Mark still isn't ready. But given the opportunity the Jets will take him, that's just what they do. Mark Sanchez reminds me of a tag-a-long kid in high school, that thought he was cool because of who he hung out with. When really... he was just lucky the rest of the school didn't make him hang with the boogie eating,I'm-scared-to-talk-to-girls, band geeks, where he belongs. Mark Sanchez should be happy he even played at USC. Hop in your Honda Civic with ten buddies, head on over to Taco Colados and spend the ten bucks you made on selling candles. I don't think they should take him. But, mark my word they will.
Watch for the rolling train and listen for the buffalo...for they carry the truth.

-D.H. Bradway

Bye Bye Brett (Unless He Changes His Mind)

2009-02-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

According to reports on Wednesday, Brett Favre has told his agent to tell the New York Jets he plans on retiring. That might be enough for most players to convince the fans he has hung up his cleats, but with Favre this could change next week. But let’s take him at his word for now. After a roller coaster season that ended in a crushing spiral, the Jets will be searching for a new quarterback, as well as free up some much needed cap space to find some other players. Who that new quarterback will be remains to be seen.
Whether Favre flips again or not, Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan have the go-ahead to plan a future without Favre. The de facto starter is now Kellen Clemens, who held the position before but was vastly unimpressive. He did show some flashes, but not enough to convince anyone around the Jets he is ready to take over the job. But the job is his to lose if the Jets can’t add a quarterback in the off season. But if he can’t win the starting job, expect the Jets to cut or trade him. If he can’t be the starter after two auditions he never will be, and the Jets should get whatever value they can out of him, and allow Clemens to fight for a job somewhere else. Second year quarterbacks Erik Ainge and Brett Ratliff will probably fight it out for the second string spot, with an outside chance (very outside) of vaulting to the starter spot. If one of these kids can overtake Clemens (or a new player) it would be a major coup, and maybe crazy enough to work.
There are few appealing options on the market at the quarterback position. Any veteran available would only be a stop-gap solution that probably wouldn’t be much of a boost over Favre. Jeff Garcia was part of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers collapse worse than the Jets. And the younger signal-callers are all cast-offs and retreads that couldn’t hold on to starting jobs in previous chances.
The draft is becoming an intriguing option. There appear to be three quarterbacks with first round potential, Matthew Stafford of Georgia, Mark Sanchez of USC, and Josh Freeman of Kansas State. Stafford appears to be pegged to the Detroit Lions with the top pick. Sanchez is currently expected to the next quarterback off the board, followed by Freeman. Whether either ones makes it to the Jets pick at 17 is a long way from being determined. There are several teams in front of the Jets that could choose a quarterback, including the St. Louis Rams (2), Kansas City Chiefs (3), Seattle Seahawks (4), Jacksonville Jaguars (8), San Francisco 49ers (10) and Buffalo Bills (11). But none of these teams are a lock to choose one, some with struggling veterans in place (Rams, Seahawks, Jaguars) or the team is already going through the young-QB turmoil (Chiefs, 49ers, Bills) and might not want to go through it again. There is a chance of a Alex Smith to Aaron Rodgers fall-off from the first to second quarterbacks, and the Jets might not be able to pass up that opportunity. You know if Sanchez is on the board at 17 come draft day, the Jets fans in the crowd will be chanting his name, and booing any other name called in that spot.
The Jets off season just got more exciting and interesting. But if this is how the Jet Favre saga ends, (and hopefully it is) than let me close it be saying that I still believe it was a good idea back in August to trade for Favre. While Chad Pennington stuck it to the Jets as a Miami Dolphin, I think he had reached his peak with the Jets. He was never able to stay healthy and play well for two consecutive seasons (Miami fans will want to remember that come September 2009) and the Jets never seemed like they would get beyond 10-6 without him, which this season would not have been good enough for the playoffs in the AFC and teams knew how to attack the Pennington-led Jets offense (you think Mangini would have been as imaginative and daring as the Miami staff with the Wildcat?) and Pennington’s short passes. With Favre the Jets rolled the dice and brought some spark to the team, and for a while it looked like it was going to pay off in a big way. In hindsight, the trade did not work out, and once again the Jets are left searching for a quarterback. But back in August I was cheering the move, and I will stand by that. The Jets ceiling was raised when Favre came aboard, but it wound up in the usual spot for Jets fans. Let’s hope that whoever lines up behind center in September can handle the pressure of being the quarterback of the New York Jets.

Jason Levy

The Free (Agent) Market

2009-02-06T12:38:00.001-08:00

With the NFL season over after a thrilling Super Bowl, its time for 31 teams to figure out what went wrong and work to improve their chances for 2009. So what are the New York Jets going to do? The Jets currently have several pieces in place, as demonstrated by their seven players on the Pro Bowl roster (one of those spots is for Brett Favre, who didn’t really deserve the spot, but he’s taking the Sunday off anyway) but have several roles to fill if they want to compete in the always tough AFC. The draft scene is still in the process of shaping out, with the NFL Draft Combine a big part of that. But there are plenty of veterans available on the free agent market. Many Jets fans were stoked by the recent comments by Ray Lewis saying he would consider signing with the Jets and their new head coach, his old defensive coach Rex Ryan. But who can they get with their perilous cap situation?
Starting at the top with the aforementioned Favre, if the quarterback decides to come back for another year of wildly hocking the pigskin to whoever will catch it, even if they don’t play on his team, he will count for $13 million against the salary cap, putting the Jets over the limit and out of the free agency market. If he comes back, at least the Jets have the QB question answered. If he retires, and the Jets have money to spend, there aren’t a lot of great options. The top choices are veterans nearly as old as Favre, Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner, but it is unlikely either would leave their current teams, each of whom made the playoffs, especially since their respective coaches aren’t to enamored with their young backups (Vince Young in Tennessee and Matt Leinart in Arizona). With not many to choose from, and without a top tier, the second tier includes Jeff Garcia, who is as old as Favre, and Rex Grossman, who did lead the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl, even if he deserved the MVP for being the biggest reason the Indianapolis Colts won. The C-list features retreads currently wearing headsets, including Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch, Chris Simms, J.P. Losman, Kyle Boller, Charlie Frye and do you really want me to continue? None of these options is any better than Kellen Clemens. And forget about Matt Cassell, Bill Belichick would sooner castrate himself than let Cassell go to the Jets.
Several Jets fans want a flashy wide receiver to ignite the offense, especially after watching Larry Fitzgerald lead the Cardinals to the brink of a championship. T.J. Houshmandzadeh leads the pack, but there will be stiff competition for his services. But Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles form a solid one-two punch, and the Jets would be better suited spending their money in other positions, especially if tight end Dustin Keller and all-around dynamo Leon Washington become more prominent in the passing attack. But there are several quality receivers available who could fill the third receiver slot, such as Jabar Gaffney, Miles Austin, Antonio Bryant, Devery Henderson, Amani Toomer, Michael Jenkins, Nate Washington and Michael and Mark Clayton. At the right price, one of these guys could improve the Jets receiver depth, and take a little pressure off the top. The Jets offensive line and running game are all set, with a lot of money tied up in the current crop of players.
On the defensive side, the Jets are in sore need of a pass rusher on the strong side. Carolina Panthers standout Julius Peppers is on the market, and supposedly looking to get out of Carolina. He would look great in Green and White, but he might be too pricy for the Jets. Veterans Bertrand Berry, Chris Canty, Ebenezer Ekuban, Kenechi Udeze and Igor Olshansky could be a better fit. Olshansky has been in San Diego’s 3-4 defense, which makes him perfect for the Jets system.
The Jets have gotten inconsistent play from their linebackers. David Harris is the fixture in the middle, and Calvin Pace had some great moments during the season, but Bryan Thomas has been on and off more than a light switch and Eric Barton is past his prime. Lewis would be a great fit for the Jets, even in his advanced age, as a sparkplug and motivator for his teammates. And he really could end up a Jet, as his younger linebacker teammates, Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs, are unrestricted free agents as well, and each would command large contracts, and the Baltimore Ravens can’t bring back all three, and deal with their other free agents. There is a long list of free agent linebackers, topped with Napoleon Harris, Karlos Dansby, Keith Brooking, Channing Crowder, Angelo Crowell, Willie McGinest, Zach Thomas, Takeo Spikes and Mike Peterson. Crowder would be a great fit next to Harris and out of a Dolphins uniform. Maybe the Jets can find a linebacker on their own team if Ryan can get anything out of Vernon Gholston, maybe whatever it was that caused Eric Mangini to draft him.
It seems the Jets have been looking for a cornerback forever. Darrelle Revis is a cornerstone of the defense, but he needs a corner on the opposite side to help him stop the passing attack. Jabari Greer, Bryant McFadden, Dunta Robinson, Benny Sapp, Ricky Manning Jr. and Dominique Foxworth would fit right into that spot. Abram Elam might not be the long term solution at free safety, but there aren’t any better options on the market. There are even a couple of good punters available on the market, with perennial Pro Bolwer Shane Lechler available to the highest bidder. It must’ve made every Jets fan a little sick to see Ben Graham punting for the Cardinals in the Super Bowl.
If the Jets are lucky, a couple of the players mentioned here will be on the roster for 2009. Cap space and draft positions will determine everything that happens. And how much will the impending cap-less season in 2010 affect some owners and general managers? Championships can be traced back to the off season, and what personnel is brought aboard, and how they fit into the system. Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum have a lot of decisions to make, and hopefully Favre is out of the picture so they have decisions to make. Hopefully there won’t be to much to gripe about, but being Jets fans, I’m sure we’ll find something.

Jason Levy

Super Bowl XLIII

2009-01-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

It’s the greatest sports day on the calendar. Super Bowl Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers, owners of five Vince Lombardi trophies, including a title three years ago, are seven point favorites over the Arizona Cardinals, former league laughingstock that last won a title six decades and two cities ago. Not exactly Jets-Colts, but still the history of one franchise isn’t really in the same league as the other, despite both are long-standing NFL franchises, that even shared a year in 1944 as the Cards-Pitts. Going back and forth over the past two weeks, each team has a legitimate shot at winning the game, if everything breaks right:
For the Cards to pull off the upset, on the offensive side of the ball they will need to keep Kurt Warner protected first and foremost. If starts looking like the Kurt Warner that faced the Jets in week four and can’t hold on to the ball, it will be a blow out. Warner can not turn the ball over for Arizona to stay close. But Warner might only need to make a few plays to Larry Fitzgerald, who has shown he can dominate a game like no other receiver in the league, plus Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston can benefit if the Steelers double Fitzgerald.
On defense, the Cards need to find a way to contain Willie Parker. His speed can wreak havoc on the Cards, but if Arizona can force Pittsburgh to continue to struggle in short yardage runs, it could keep the Steelers out of the end zone. Thanks mostly to Jake Delhomme, the Cards defense has forced the most turnovers in the playoffs. They’ll need to come up with a couple more on Sunday. If Hines Ward is to hurt to be effective (he will certainly play) it will be a major blow to the Steelers offense, who looked awful against Baltimore without him. Ben Roethlisberger had a sub par game in his last Super Bowl against Seattle, and he needs to prove he can step it up in the big game. The Cards will also need to dominate the return game, getting those extra yards against the dreadful Steelers coverage teams could mean the difference between zero and three points, or three and seven.
The one intangible the Cards have is their coaching staff, particularly head coach Ken Wisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm. Both were on the Steelers staff for years under Bill Cowher, were on the coaching staff for Super Bowl XL, and were considered top candidates to replace Cowher before Mike Tomlin came along. They know the Steelers offensive personnel, and how the defense operates. That will play a big part in how the Cardinals game plan and adjust. It could be enough to put them over the top.
But the case is just as compelling for the Steelers. For Pittsburgh to win a record sixth Super Bowl, Roethlisberger will need to play a much better game than he did against Seattle. If Ward is out, he’ll need to connect with Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington on a couple of big plays. If Ward is healthy enough to be effective and spark his teammates, it will make his job a lot easier. The offensive line needs to keep Roethlisberger vertical throughout the game, easier said than done for that group sometimes. But the Steelers offense will likely go through Parker. If he can get those big yardage plays, and allow the Steelers to dominate the time of possession, Pittsburgh will be in great shape.
On the defensive side, the Steelers need to use their hard-hitting linebackers to confuse Warner with various blitz packages and knock him around as often as they can. The Steelers will also be tough with the Cards receivers, getting as physical with Fitzgerald, Boldin and Breaston as the refs will allow. How many of the Cardinals players will think of Willis McGahee when they seen Ryan Clark barreling towards them? The Steelers were the hardest-hitting defense in the league this year. The vaunted Steelers run defense may not factor in the game, the Cards would be crazy to try and force the run when they are a clear pass-first team. As long as the Steelers can play an average special teams game, and not let up any big returns, they will be in prime shape to win.
The Steelers’ big intangible is the environment of the Super Bowl. Besides the fact they have more players with Super Bowl experience, the way things are shaping out could turn Super Bowl XLIII into a de facto home game. The Steelers are a national franchise with rich history and a legion of fans across the country and are the most beloved team in their city (sorry Penguins and Pirates) while the Cardinals have a much smaller fan base, virtually no good history, and its still hard to determine how popular the Phoenix fans are about the Cards. But who do you think is more likely to pony up the dough in this economy to head to Tampa (much cheaper and less chic than say Miami or New Orleans) for a football game, fans in freezing cold Pittsburgh or warm and comfortable Phoenix? It could be 65 percent Steelers fans, and much of the rest being neutral or unconcerned fans. Do the Cardinals beat the Eagles or Falcons without the home crowd?
Another factor that could have an impact is the Bruce Springsteen halftime show. Could The Rising encourage the Cards and their fans to rise to the occasion? Or could Born to Run inspire Willie Parker to wild. This is going to be a close game, and it could come down to the last drive again. I’ve changed my mind a few times, including while writing this sentence. The Steelers defense looks too good, and they will force a couple turnovers. This games has some of the makings of Ravens-Giants (the last Super Bowl in Tampa), but the Cards have the playmaker to keep it close. In the end, Pittsburgh wins it 23-21 on a late field goal. MVP- Larry Fitzgerald, only the second Super Bowl MVP from a losing team, who scores all three Arizona touchdowns.

Jason Levy

Jets "Inaugurate" new coach Ryan

2009-01-26T18:22:00.000-08:00

By: David J. Ford, II 1/22/2008

While the country celebrates the election of a new president, so to did the New York Jets in a manner of speaking. Rex Ryan was introduced yesterday as the 17th head coach when expectations could not be higher. Rex takes over a team recovering from a 1-4 finish over their last five games and a 9-7 record overall.

While his methods may not be so simple, his message to the media and fans was just that: "we are going to be the most physical football team in the league" Strong words from a strong man, but will that translate into wins for an underachieving franchise? During his time as defensive coordinator in Baltimore, his defense averaged an overall ranking of 4th and proved that his aggressive, opportunistic style of defensive can carry a team deep in the playoffs. Go ahead and doubt Jet fans, I dare ya.

So how do you get a defense which managed just an average ranking of 17th over the past four seasons to perform to "Baltimore" standards? Ending the "read and react" era of Mangini might be a good start; something that Ryan plans on eliminating for the upcoming season. The main criticism of the Mangini defense was the inability to close out games and to play down to their competition. Don't let me convince you of that, just look to last season. In the second half of the year, it took Favre magic to beat New England after having a 24-6 lead, and a lucky defensive play to beat to Buffalo 31-27 after the Bills had scored a combined 6 points in their previous two games. Not to mention the losses to San Francisco and Denver, in which the Jets secondary made Shawn Hill and Jay Cutler look like pro bowl quarterbacks. Ryan has his work cut out for him, but I expect an end to the soft defenses that Jet fans are so accustom to seeing.

I should have counted how many times Ryan used the word "aggressive" in his press conference; but I don't have that much free time on my hands. He did make it quite plain that this Jet team will be "aggressive on both sides of the ball and a physical football team". Of the many positives that Ryan brings to the table, he knows the formula for success in January: an all weather offense and an aggressive defense. However, I'm not convinced that he won't try to turn an offense that was in the top ten in yards and scoring last season into a run first "Billickesque" predictable type of team.

One thing above all impressed me the most about Rex Ryan. He implored the fans to get more involved at home games this year and be just as aggressive as his defense will supposedly be. This is a man who thrives on the homefield advantage and believes that teams "don't score on us at home" Last year the Ravens allowed opponents to a measely average of 10 points a game at home. If that doesn't convince you that Ryan isn't all talk, I don't know what will.

So at a time that Jet fans are still scratching their heads knowing that their team blew a golden opportunity for playoff glory, optimism has been renewed. The timing couldn't be more ironic and it even fooled Rex Ryan himself who admitted that he thought the new president was there with all the flashbulbs and cameras in the press room.

"That's ok" Ryan said, "I think we'll get to meet him (Obama) in the next couple of years anyway."

Works Cited:

All statistical data provided VIA www.nfl.com/statistics

Ryan, Rex. "New York Jets Head Coach Press Conference." New York Jets. Atlantic Health Center, New Jersey. January 21 2009.

Who are the Jets trying to fool?

2009-01-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

Hello again, my intelligent creative and handsome followers. Sorry for the hiatus...unlike you weirdos, I have a life. So lets get started...
For some reason, the New York Jets think that everyone who follows their organization is, I don't know...an absolute idiot. Like we only pay attention to the Jets or the NFL during commercials of The Real Housewives of Orange County and Americas Best Dance Crew (or ABDC as the dirtballs who watch call it). Hello! We know who Rex "I only got a head coaching job because of who my dad is" Ryan is. I mean, this is your answer to not making the playoffs? This is your answer to spending all that money last off-season and getting nothing in return? This is your answer to one of the biggest season let downs in history? Rex Ryan!? Are you kidding me?
I don't know who's worse Obama or Ryan, or who made the worse first decision. Obama shutting down Gitmo Bay or Ryan wanting to keep Schottenheimer.The OC that led us to one of the greatest seasons ever, an awesome, winning season. The season where...wait...oh, that's right...NONE OF THAT HAPPENED!!!
I would have gotten rid of Schottenheimer, or "Lil' B." as I like to call him, before anybody. What is this? Do we just hire guys or continue to pay them more money in a year then I make in ten, just because of who their sperm donors are? If hiring people simply because of who their fathers are worked, then Chris Simms would be a starter somewhere. If this is the route we're going to take why don't we offer our special teams job to Archie Manning's other son...who? That's right, there's a third. Or maybe one of Andy Reid's sons, in between recreation and lights out, could battle for the head coaching job. They'd probably do it if the pay consisted of ammo and crack pipes. We could sweeten the deal by upgrading to hollow points and crystal meth for ten or more wins. One of em would do it.
C'MON JETS!! Give us a break. I'm sick of being used. I feel like a Bangkok prostitute when it comes to this ball club. Why don't you just throw my beaten body in the weeds by some interstate, when your done violating me. Please.
I don't know, we'll see. But I'm predicting 5-11 next year (that's if Favre returns). Without him, 3-13. That's right...he's only worth 2 games...he's done!
Well, I'm glad I could make everyone feel better. Keep listening......THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.

--D.H. Bradway

J-E-T-S-Rex-Rex-Rex!

2009-01-19T10:48:00.001-08:00

It appears all but certain that Rex Ryan, the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, will become the head coach of the New York Jets, likely to be officially announced Wednesday. Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum can thank the Pittsburgh Steelers for that, as they eliminated the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, freeing Ryan from his duties and allowing the Jets to make the announcement now as opposed to in early February. Ryan will likely keep offensive coordinator Brain Schottenheimer around to run the offense.
I’ve been touting Ryan since the season ended and Eric Mangini was canned, and this looks like a great hire. Ryan has tremendous football pedigree. He is the son of Buddy Ryan, the Jets defensive line coach from 1968-1975, including holding the great Baltimore Colts to seven points in Super Bowl III, defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears (including the infamous Bears D that won Super Bowl XX, and where he created the “46” defense) and Houston Oilers and head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. And his brother, Rob, is currently the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders, which as all of us Jets fans know, was pretty darn good this season. Rex has been with Baltimore since 1999, rising to defensive coordinator in 2005.
Ryan ran a 3-4 defense in Baltimore, which certainly helped his stock with the Jets since they spent the past offseason retooling their 3-4 personnel, but it’s not the same 3-4 Mangini ran. Ryan’s is much more aggressive in rushing the passer and forcing turnovers. Ryan uses the 3-4 as it was intended, to disguise the blitz and coverage packages so the quarterback doesn’t know which defender will do what from play to play.
Of course, a lot of that has to do with the Ravens players, including greats like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Could Ryan turn Jets linebacker David Harris and safety Kerry Rhodes into New York’s version of Lewis and Reed, tormenting opposing offenses? Can he find the potential in Vernon Gholston that led Mangini to draft him with the sixth pick last year? What will he do with veterans Shaun Ellis, Eric Barton, David Barrett, and others? Could he attract free agents from Baltimore’s defense, such as Lewis, Bart Scott or Terrell Suggs? If anything, the Jets defense will be more aggressive than in years past.
That aggressiveness will also play well with the media. Ryan is much more bombastic and outgoing than Magini (or he had us believe) which should play well with the New York media and fans, who never grew accustomed to his Belichickian abrasiveness and unemotional demeanor (winning helps people forget those traits) and ultimately made it easier to let him go after this year’s collapse. Ryan will have an offseason honeymoon, but like all coaches, how much he is liked in his city will be determined by the wins on the gridiron.
And all of this leads to the 222-pound gorilla in the room, the status of quarterback Brett Favre. Will Favre want to play for a defensive-minded rookie head coach? Does Schottenheimer staying mean Favre is more inclined to come back? Will Ryan have a say in the matter (all indications are that Woody Johnson wants Favre back)? What will Ryan make of Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff, and Erik Ainge? If Ryan is not convinced one of those aforementioned quarterbacks is not the answer, where will he find it? The Jets offseason is just beginning. But with Rex Ryan at the helm, the pastures just got a little greener.

Jason Levy

Conference Championship Sunday

2009-01-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

And then there were four. It has been ten seasons since the New York Jets have made it this far. The Jets entered the 1998 season with high hopes. It was the second year of the Bill Parcells era. Curtis Martin was brought in from the New England Patriots as a free agent in the summer, adding fuel to the ever-burning fire of the Jets-Pats rivalry, and the Jets had a new quarterback in…Glen Foley. Neil O’Donnell was cast aside, and Foley got the reigns from the Tuna. But his stewardship of the Jets was short lived as injuries and poor play lost the job for Foley as veteran QB and Long Island native Vinny Testeverde stepped in and led the Jets to their best season in three decades, capturing a 12-4 record and their first AFC East crown (their last division title was the AFL East in 1968, as four teams from the AFC East made the playoffs that year) as well as a first round bye in the playoffs. After dispatching of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round, the Jets went out to Denver to play the defending champion Broncos led by John Elway. Even though the Jets led 10-0 in the third, the Broncos stormed back with 23 unanswered points for a 23-10 victory en route to their second straight Super Bowl. The Jets have never advanced as far since.
Unlike the rest of the Jets fans out there I’m optimistic about the future. Their potential next coach could be on the sidelines this Sunday, trying to coach his team into the Super Bowl. And if the moribund Arizona Cardinals can get that opportunity, so can the Jets.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals
The consensus for this game is pretty evenly split. Six weeks ago, these teams didn’t look like they deserved to be in the playoffs. Now one of them will be in Tampa for the Super Bowl. Nobody outside of Scottsdale thought the Cards would make it this far, and if the home crowd advantage can work like it did against Atlanta, a victory could be in the Cards. But Donovan McNabb is no rookie. This is likely the last chance McNabb and coach Andy Reid will have to make the Super Bowl together. This is their fifth NFC Championship game together, but they only have a 1-3 record (But compare that to the Cowboys zero playoff victories since 1996, the Giants only playoff wins of the decade coming last season, and the Redskins have not been past the second round since 1991, and the Eagles look very successful in that span). The Eagles will have to pressure cornerback Kurt Warner (much like the Jets did back in week 4) and contain Larry Fitzgerald, who has emerged as the undisputed best wide receiver in the league. They also need a big game (or a couple big plays) from Brian Westbrook, who scored four TDs against Arizona in their Thanksgiving Night tilt. McNabb and Co. won’t let this opportunity slip away. The Eagles will fly to Tampa.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
If not the best, this is the most brutal rivalry in football. These defensive-oriented run-first teams hit hard on both side of the ball, and they truly detest one another. The Steelers won both games this year by a combined seven points, but it’s known if that helps or hurts their chances on Sunday, as it is extremely difficult to beat a team three times in one season, especially one as good as the Ravens. Joe Flacco has proved unflappable so far in the postseason, using a smart and steady hand to get the Ravens this far. But the Steelers defense he faces is the most viscous of them all, outside of his own defense. He will need to play another zero-turnover, zero-fumble, zero-sack game to beat the Steelers this time around. The Ravens defense struggled containing Tennessee’s Chris Johnson before his injury last week, and Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker is another fast back that could get past the Ravens D. Just tell Ben Roethlisberger (writers HATE writing that name, and announcers don’t like to say it much either, which is the only reason he is on a first-name basis with the media. It is much easier to say and write “Ben”) to keep the ball away from Ed Reed. Each of these teams has Super Bowl winning players on the roster, and this game will be treated like one. The Steelers were the only team to defend home field last week. Their home field advantage and fast, smart defense could be enough to throw Flacco off his game and send the Steelers back to the Super Bowl.

Jason Levy

Forty Years Later

2009-01-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

It was 40 years ago today, January 12, 1969 that the New York Jets forever entered American sports lore as Joe Willie Namath led the AFL champion Jets over the 18 point favorite NFL champion Baltimore Colts, the biggest upset at the time (and arguably still) in sports history.
But as Jets fans all know, we haven’t been anywhere close to recapturing that moment in the four decades since. Sure, runs to the AFC title game in 1982 and 1998 were nice, and the playoff victories of the past decade are memorable, but they don’t compare to a Super Bowl victory.
As a young Jets fan, I have only seen the Jets Super Bowl win in archive footage format on ESPN and other media forums. Maybe it’s because I haven’t suffered through all of the four futile decades that followed that I still have hope for the immediate future of the franchise.
The Jets will find their head coach. The stocks of Rex Ryan and Russ Grimm certainly shot up this past weekend. If the Jets believe one of those guys really is there man, they should have patience and hire their coach when he is free of his 2008-09 duties. And that new coach will be able to find a quarterback, via the draft, free agency, or someone already on the roster.
If you go back to August, perhaps the only one of the final four teams people thought would make it this far is the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want back to the first week of December, people would have only picked the Steelers out of these four. The Ravens, with their vicious defense and mistake-free offense, the resilient Eagles who battled back from literally rock bottom (tie against the hapless Bengals and Donovan McNabb pulled a week later against Baltimore, not to mention needing Chicago and Tampa to lose in week 17 to have a shot) and the Cardinals facing doubters at every turn and battling some monstrous historical demons (and you thought the Jets were bad, at least they won a title in the era of visual media) to make it to the conference championship games says how in the NFL, you can never count a team out year to year, or even month to month.
On January 12, 2009, the Jets are in a flux. And even though the anxiety will be there through the draft, free agency, mini-camps, preseason, season, and (fingers-crossed) post season, the 2008 football season has proved that a franchise can put the pieces together in a snap, if everything works out right. If the Cardinals (repeat, THE CARDINALS) or a rookie QB, or a star-crossed coach and quarterback combo that looked beyond done two months ago, can feel the Super Bowl in their grasp, it can happen for the Jets. I guarantee it.

Jason Levy

NFL Divisional Playoffs

2009-01-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

This is perhaps the best weekend of football during the season. Four games featuring eight good to great teams spread over two days. What else can a gridiron geek ask for? Of course it would be nice if our beloved Jets were still playing, but alas, it was not to be. Let’s look at each game, and how they relate back to the Jets (this is after all, a New York Jets blog):

Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans
Of course, the high point of the Jets season was their 34-13 win in Nashville to end the Titans unbeaten run. It was the best the Jets would look the rest of the way. In a way both teams serve as a model of what the Jets hope to create in 2009. Both teams feature an immoveable-object defenses; controlling the opposition’s running game and creating turnovers to set up their offense. Both teams also feature a dominating platoon of rushers, the LenDale White and Chris Johnson for Tennessee and Willis McGahee, LeRon McClain and Ray Rice for Baltimore. The only difference is Tennessee has the veteran quarterback in Kerry Collins, while Baltimore has rookie Joe Flacco. But both just try to avoid mistakes, especially in the fourth, and use the weapons that are at their disposal. Depending on what is available this spring in the draft and free agency will depend on what direction the Jets go in. Baltimore could play a big part of that. As I have previously written, Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is one of the top candidates for the Jets head coaching position. We’ll see how much of an impact this game has on that decision. Tennessee won in Baltimore 13-10 in week five. The Ravens have improved, but it’s hard to believe a rookie quarterback on the road for the second straight week. With the teams close to equal everywhere else, Collins gets his revenge against the Ravens from Super Bowl XXXV and reminds everyone just how good the Titans are.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers
The Jets had one of their more impressive wins of 2008 against the Cards in week four, taking advantage of seven Cards turnovers and scoring 34 points in the second quarter en route to a 56-35 win. The Cards have had a few embarrassing games after that, but won the putrid NFC West and used their home field advantage to beat the Atlanta Falcons last week. They also feature a potential Jets coach in offensive line coach Russ Grimm. But this probably won’t be a game Grimm wants on his résumé. The Cardinals had the reverse fortunes of the Jets; losing all five east coast games they played (at Washington, Jets, Carolina, Philadelphia, and New England). The game against the Panthers was a close one, with the Cardinals holding a 17-3 lead early in the third quarter before the Panthers came back with a couple Steve Smith touchdowns. The Panthers were the only team to go 8-0 at home this season, and have one of the best running combos in the NFL with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. If any game turns out to be a blowout, it will be this one. Expect the Panthers in the NFC Championship game.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants
This game also features a potential Jets head coach in Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Spags could possibly have his pick of the coaching jobs as the Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, and the Oakland Raiders still have coaching vacancies as well, and he’s at or near the top of everyone’s list. He’ll certainly send Justin Tuck and company at Eagles QB Donovan McNabb to snap his mojo. The Eagles have been finding ways to win. They’ll need a healthy and effective Brain Westbrook to get that accomplished. He amasses 203 total yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles victory at the Giants in the Eagles’ December 7 victory (the teams split the season series, with each team winning on the road). The Eagles are rolling with fate the same way the Giants did last year, and are possibly the only team in the NFC that could win in Giants stadium. I think I speak for all Jets fans when I say that it was nice to see the Giants stop the Patriots last year (and it truly was, thank you Giants) but the Giants fans are becoming too annoying, and another Super Bowl year will be too much to handle. Plus, I’d really like to see McNabb win a Super Bowl, as a Syracuse alum and to see make Terrell Owens shut up.

San Diego Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Jets lost to the Chargers in week three on Monday Night Football, 48-29, an early sign of their West Coast troubles. The Chargers didn’t look that good again until December, as they rallied form 4-8 to go 8-8 and win the worst division in football. And they got the perfect matchup in the wild card round against the Indianapolis Colts, a team the Chargers always seem to be able to figure out. The November meeting between these two produced the first 11-10 game ever in NFL history, and it was a sloppy and confusing game, and it could be the same way again. Will Darren Sproles reproduce his insane numbers from last week? Can Mike Scifres? The Steelers have one of the best defenses (possibly the fastest) in football, and their field is best described as muck, which could slow down Sproles. The big question mark is Ben Roethlisberger’s health after his concussion. If he’s still wobbly, it’ll be tough for Pittsburgh to win. But I think the Steelers D won’t let this one slip away. They could remind us that the Chargers were a bad team for most of the season.

Eyes On The Assistants

2009-01-06T13:03:00.001-08:00

You can be sure that New York Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum will be paying attention to the divisional playoffs. Not necessarily because he’s a football fan in search of the winter’s drama and excitement, but he’s got homework to do. The next Jets head coach is likely prowling the sidelines of one of these games. The Jets aren’t letting on their hand, but it appears that the top three candidates are New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, and Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Russ Grimm. The Jets are just one the teams to talk to Spags already, and Ryan and Grimm will sit down for a chat after their respective team’s season has ended.
Neither one has had coaching experience, similar to the last three Jets head coaching hires, Al Groh, Herm Edwards, and Eric Mangini, all of which were up and coming coordinators, each with their shares of success and heartbreak. If you go just by what you saw on the field this past weekend, Ryan has to look good right now. The Ravens defense knocked Chad Pennington off his mantle (that the sports media and most of New York put him on the previous week) something the Jets would have liked to see on December 28th at the Meadowlands. Yes, a lot of that has to do with Hall of Fame bound players like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, but it takes a coordinator like Ryan to bring the most out of his players. Maybe he can get a couple more years out of Shaun Ellis, keep Kris Jenkins refreshed throughout the full season, and see if Vernon Gholston can actually play. He won’t need to change much of his scheme, as the Jets have the 3-4 personnel already.
But the sexy pick that most of the Jets fans are salivating over is Spagnuolo. If his Giants defense can disrupt Donovan McNabb’s game, that stock will soar higher amongst the Gang Green faithful. The Jets defense was noticeably absent of a working pass rush, which could be fixed with Spag’s blitz heavy packages. He is also familiar with the pressure of coaching in New York, which if the last few weeks demonstrated, a coach’s relationship with the media and fans can be the difference in the support he gets from the organization. But he would likely change the defense back to a 4-3, which after last offseason’s spending spree may not work. Would players like Ellis, Calvin Pace, Eric Barton, and Bryan Thomas need to be cut to make this feasible (that may sound good from a talent perspective, but do they have the cap flexibility?) and the entire defense could be overhauled.
Grimm is an interesting candidate, the only one so far that is from the offensive side. His arrival could mean the departure of Brain Schottenheimer, which means whoever is the Jets quarterback next year will have a whole new offense to learn. He came with Ken Wisenhunt to the Cardinals after the Pittsburgh Steelers after they passed them both over for Bill Cowher’s old head coaching job. Grimm would probably bring a similar system that Cowher employed in Pittsburgh, relying heavily on the rushing game and having a quarterback who takes care of the ball and can make key plays late in the game. Don’t expect to see the vertical passing attack of the Cardinals, the Jets personnel doesn’t fit the system.
Should their teams win over the weekend, the drama will continue for at least another week. So Jets fans are (as usual) in a precarious position. Root for your next-head-coach of choice and you’re rooting for the Jets offseason search to continue for another week. The Jets need to have patience and pick the guy they think is right for the job, not just the first available guy.

Jason Levy

Random Thoughts In Jetsville

2009-01-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

New coach? - No problem

I'm hoping that everybody will relax about the state of the Jets' head coaching position. I guarantee you all, by September, there will be a new head coach, he will hire a staff, they will coach the team, and the Jets will play sixteen games next year. At least sixteen. These things take time. In my opinion, if Bill "The Chin" Cowher just "had" to talk to the owner, he wasn't the right guy anyway. Mike Shanahan? I'd like him if he didn't insist on being the G.M. as well as the head coach, and we knew who he would bring as the defensive coordinator. I think Mike T. is good at what he does, and I think he will bring in more quality players for the Jets this year, as he has done every year he has run the draft (see Leon Washington, D'Brick, Nick Mangold, Dustin Keller, etc) Which brings me to who I think will end up as the new HC of the NYJ - either Stevie Spags or "Sexy" Rexy Ryan, either of which would be fine with me. With Favre hopefully out as the passer, a defensive minded coach will improve the areas the Jets need most improvement in - defense and sticking to the running game! The name of the game is kill the quarterback, and run the ball, and whoever does it the best and the most wins (see 2007 New York Giants and/or today's Raven/Dolphins game, but more on that later). I think with an improved defense and more of a commitment to getting TJ and Leon Washington the ball in space, the Jets could win 10 or 11 games next year with either Clemens, Ratliff or a veteran free agent signal caller. Looking around and seeing vets like Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins still playing, and the success of first year QB's like Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, I don't think it's out of the question to win here with somebody not named Favre. Or Pennington. That's the story on that, and I'm sticking to it.

Anyone Else Want "Penny" Back?

As I predicted, the Ravens defense would remind us why Woody Johnson and Mike T. went all in this year and took a gamble on a first ballot hall of famer. Remember, Tom Terrific wasn't hurt in New England yet when they made the move, and they couldn't count on the Pats not winning 13 or 14 games this year. Building a team to win ten games with Pennington and lose in the first round of the playoffs is tired, and god knows we've been there and done that. Chad is the Herm Edwards of QB's - with a good team or a soft schedule he'll win you ten games, but once the competition gets stiffer, forget it. Remember how sickening it got to be watching Belichick outsmart Herm twice a year? Didn't we all get sick of strong armed QB's outplaying Chad? Pennington made a point of saying that this was his most enjoyable year in football. Well, old buddy, today was really enjoyable for a lot of people too. We'll se you again next year, and maybe the guy who was running the defense that made you look like the rookie out there will be running the show for the NYJ. As you said, sports are funny that way. I'm banking on it.

Playoffs? Playoffs???

I was glad to see the other team in green and white win today, as well as the Chargers and Ravens. I was pretty indifferent about the Falcons-Cards, so congrats to old man Warner and the red birds. I think the games were all good, solid contests, and I think next week is going to be simply outstanding football. For the record I like the Eagles over the Giants, the Panthers over the Cardinals, the Chargers to upset the Steelers and the Titans in a close one over the Ravens, although I don't feel as sure about that one. The Ravens "D" is playing like the Ravens "D" again. I'm seeing an Eagles-Chargers Super Bowl, with the Eagles in a close one. We shall see.

Next to Fail...

2009-01-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well...who's next to fail? The Jets now, after failing to make the playoffs, after firing their "genius" head coach, have to make some decisions. First, a new coach. Lets think about this, what type of coach do we want?
Well, I want a beast of a man. And when I say that I don't mean physically, I mean intelligently. I want someone who thinks about the density of an obtuse triangle, or the weight properties of ergonomics in an Einstein equation...divided by two. I want someone who will make the players this team spent so much money on, actually work. I want someone who will break down the o-line and teach them the meaning of "protection".
Now, forget WHAT we would like, lets talk about WHO we would like. I once heard a tale of a giant of a man. A man who breathes fire and walks among the clouds. A man whose voice shatters stone and whose been known to chew concrete. A man's man, a man among men.
Who is this warrior that I speak of? William P. Cowher.
I know. I know. The reports say he wont coach the Jets and his upitty agent says he doesn't want the job. But I don't believe it, not for a second. The Carolina job wont be up grabs (Cowhers daughter goes to school down there). So why not New York. He's use to the weather and New York has the funds to give him one of the most attractive head coaching contracts ever.
Now, I do have a second candidate, and many of you might not agree. But I think its a sexy pick... Michael T. Ditka! How awesome would that be?
Imagine Ditka screaming and yelling on the sideline, his face turning a blistering maroon, steam pouring from his ears like a bull on a crack high, snot running from his nose like Nigerian track star. AWESOME!
Whoever it is, its time to swing for the fences. Don't go after an assistant coach to some genius on a good team again. Go after a proven professional, someone who knows what its like to win. Someone who knows how to punish, motivate and relate to the giant payroll of players we now accommodate.
This is the Jets chance to give us hope for 2009. Jason Garrett wont cut it. Greg Williams wont cut it. And the rumors I'm hearing of Marty Mornhinweg (asst. head coach/off. coordinator for the Eagles), wont cut it. That sounds about as sexy as Greta Van Susteren posing for playboy.
Either way, don't let us down. Pick someone who is surrounded by the fantasy that he might actually make something of this team. Oh, and by the way Tim Tebow looks awfully attractive now doesn't he. Even if Favre comes back, its not going to last forever, so look towards the future. That's if he decides to come out.
It doesn't matter, maybe I'm just wasting the effort of my fingers, we'll probably be let down again. And we'll be having this conversation again next January.
Its pathetic, good bye.

--D.H. Bradway

Random Thoughts and Playoffs

2009-01-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

As we enter Wild Card weekend in the NFL, the New York Jets offseason drama is already in full swing. Bill Cowher is out, and current playoff defensive coordinators Steve Spagnuolo (New York Giants) and Rex Ryan (Baltimore Ravens) are at the top of the Jets’ wish list, with former Denver Broncos head honcho Mike Shanahan in the mix. Of the three, Ryan might be the best fit since he employs the same 3-4 defensive scheme the Jets already have the personnel for. Spagnuolo has experience in the New York market, and could bring some of that blitzing Giants defensive strategy to the Jets, who sorely need a pass rush. Shanahan is the biggest name and could work the best with Brett Favre, however. All three coaches will be heavily pursued for each of the head coaching vacancies.
Meanwhile, there is dissension in the Jets locker room about Favre. The recent comments of Thomas Jones, Kerry Rhodes, and those who remain anonymous painted Favre as distant and aloof, a veteran quarterback who never formed a bond with his teammates. Of course, over the season, the Jets players defended Favre at every turn (as they should have for the sake of cohesion) and all they could talk about was how great it was to play with one of the all-time best quarterbacks. Not so now. If Favre decided to give it one more try, he better become THE leader in the locker room, garnering support from all of his teammates. A team won’t go anywhere if they are divided against their quarterback. Remember Jets fans, the offseason is only five days old, there’s a long way to go.
But its playoff time in the NFL. Let’s take a look at the Wild Card matchups.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals
These two birds have had their shares of woe throughout their histories, but things are looking up for each team. The Cards host their first playoff game in Arizona, led by their high-octane passing attack with receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquon Boldin, and quarterback Kurt Warner. Unfortunately, that’s all the Cardinals have. With no defense or rushing game, they will be hard pressed to control the temp against the Falcons. Atlanta running back Michael Turner should run all over the turf, and as long as Falcons rookie QB Matt Ryan doesn’t make any mistakes, expect the Falcons to fly into the next round.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings
Everyone likes the Eagles in this game. That usually means pick Minnesota, but everyone is probably right on this one. The Vikings needed a last second field goal to top the Giants backups, how will they fare against the hottest team in the NFC? If you’re brave enough to back Tavaris Jackson, be my guest. The Eagles meanwhile resemble the 2007 Giants; a veteran team that has been close to the top before, only miss their opportunity and bottom out, only to rise again. This could be it for Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid. The tie in Cincinnati and McNabb’s benching in Baltimore were the low point. Can they take the road to the top? It can all start in Minnesota.

Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers
If the Colts were playing any other team, they’d be a cinch to win. But the Chargers always play them tough, including knocking them out of the playoffs last year, despite injuries to LaDanian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers. The Chargers struggles all year, rallying to finish 8-8 and win the worst division in the NFL. After struggling early, the Colts won nine straight to finish right behind the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South. This might not be the best Colts team of the decade, but they might be the most determined. Likely NFL MVP Peyton Manning won’t let the Colts lose this one.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Miami Dolphins
Jets fans will watch this one and wonder what might have been. This matchup features two rookie head coaches in John Harbough for Baltimore and Tony Sparano for Miami. Can they hold on to the success that brought them this far. Will there be a road sweep in the first round? It will be interesting to see the battle of the Dolphins mistake free offense against the Ravens turnover happy defense. It’s hard not to like Baltimore, but as Jets fans are well aware, Chad Pennington has been underestimated before, only to quietly prove the doubters wrong. He’s beaten Peyton Manning and Drew Brees in the Wild Card round before, and he can add Joe Flacco to that list. It won’t be pretty, but Pennington and the Dolphins will eek out a win in Miami. And the Jets fans’ suffering continues…

Jason Levy

Yup they couldn't get it done

2008-12-30T19:54:00.001-08:00

Sunday's lost was a disappointment for all Jets fans. A few weeks ago we all thought "Oh crap maybe we might get that subway Super Bowl." But of course we were let down. Yet again the Jets just didn't have it and was out played by a team that went 1-15 last year. To sum up this game - the defensive line looked lost, Brett Farve couldn't make the right throws and they lost too many opportunities to turn the game around. So of course they lost, Miami had it together and the Jets didn't. The Jets basically handed Chad Pennington his revenge and he didn't have to do much. Nice job guys.

Now on Monday they fire Mangini which we all felt coming, but where will this leave the Jets? Even though we've seen it happen where a team gets a new coach and the following year they make it to the playoffs, but sometimes it doesn't always work that way. They could end up having a 1-15 season or be like the Lions with their amazing 0-16 record next year. I guess we will have to wait, pray for a miracle and hope gang green can come back next year.

- Verla Roberts
NY Jets Blog

Postcards of the Hanging

2008-12-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

Images From Dolphins @ Jets
More...

You Don't Know What You Chad, 'Til It's Favre

2008-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to get some words up on this site for some time. But I didn't want my first post to be a downer. I didn't want to be attacking the Jets - the squad that I root for and dole out money for - in my debut submission to this here forum. The blogosphere is rightfully derided for its self-indulgent second guessers and I didn't want to help bolster that argument by spouting off with complaints right from jumpstreet. I wanted to be positive. Especially since this endeavor - hatched by men with greater game-planning acumen than a certain defensive coordinator whom we've all come to know and loathe - was still getting its feet wet. And, besides, my father taught me to say nothing when I had nothing nice to say. And, that's why I haven't been up here lamenting the overabundance of empty backfield sets and the lack of carries for Thomas Jones. Even though I told the guys who run this show that I was ready. And willing. That's why I haven't been up here ranting about the lack of aggressiveness in our defensive schemes and the complete miscasting of our top draft pick as a linebacker when he was a pass-rushing end in college. But these same old Jets have left me with no choice. There is nothing left to do but contemplate what is and what should never be again. With the season closed in epic fashion on Sunday, there is no choice but to rant and rave and rend. So, let's have at it. But where to begin?

Like Vizzini said, when things go wrong we should go back to the beginning. Not, the Big Bang beginning, not the AFL beginning, the Shea Stadium beginning or even the beginning of the Tangini Era but, rather, the beginning of the end of this season. The beginning of the caper that was the 2008 Jets football season.

August 7, 2008. That is when this began.

That is when Jet Favre was delivered unto the masses of Rutherford. When his coming was heralded in Hempstead. It was billed as the final move. Faneca, Jenkins, Woody, Pace, Richardson and Keller were already in the fold. Swapping out incumbent Chad Pennington for Brett Favre was supposed to be the over-the-top piece. It was supposed to be the spine-rip fatality dealt to all foes.

On the 6th of August, Chad Pennington was head and shoulders (mostly head) ahead of Kellen Clemens in the QB race, yet things were uncertain. The media and management had turned on Pennington during the previous 4-12 campaign. They wanted him out and they wanted him to fall behind Clemens in the depth chart. They had spent the entire offseason strong-arming fans when it came to the lately-injured quarterback who they perceived as too noodle armed to lead the team into the future. A future containing personal seat licenses and a seemingly insurmountable Patriots juggernaut. So, they pulled the trigger. They brought in Favre and sent Pennington packing. Done and done. And, that single personnel move - more than anything else - is why we are were we are today: coachless, potentially quarterback-less and utterly alone in the footballing world.

Not only did Favre submarine the Jets chances with his own performance on the field but his self-aggrandizing personality and my-way-or-my-way approach to scheming brought out the worst in many others. It's often said that the great ones make their teammates better. And, perhaps there was a time when Favre was capable of that sort of play. But this year he made everyone worse. From the executives right on through the coaching staff, the players and the fans. Favre revealed the crass, starf&*king side of Woody Johnson and showed that he is at least equally concerned with selling seat licenses as he is with winning football games. Favre exposed the lack of guile in GM Mike Tannenbaum who went after the graybeard QB like an Anthony Michael Hall-alike goes after the washed-up prom queen at a high school reunion. Meanwhile, the savvy Bill Parcells picked up Pennington in a heart beat, knowing that mind can triumph over muscle in today's NFL. Favre punctured "the system" Mangini was trying to implement in his third year and broke all that the young coach had tried to build in his first two seasons. Favre pushed our young offensive coordinator away from the running game and forced him into a horrific playcalling vortex in which he kept trying for big passing plays to make up each down that we gave away. Favre kept sending Kris Jenkins and company out onto the field because he couldn't sustain a drive and the big man tired noticeably as the season went along. Favre caused the New York media machine to amp out of control after the 8-3 start, making the decline so much more painful. And, Favre played on the desires of us fans for another Joe Namath, causing us to turn our backs on one of the two signal callers in franchise history to lead the team to the playoffs on three occasions.

He brought out the worst in all of us.

And then Sunday's game against the Dolphins happened. Favre threw three interceptions, the running game was all but abandoned in favor of empty backfield sets, and the ghost of Jets quarterbacks past led his new team to the division title in front of a sold-out crowd. That just happened.

--WWOD? (for more of the same, head over to What Would Oakley Do?)

The Coaches and The Quarterbacks

2008-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

There is no player-coach bond in all of sports as important as the one between quarterback and coach in the NFL. The success of each, and of the team, often rests on how the two get along, how much trust the coach instills in the signal-caller, and how the quarterback likes the head-honcho’s system. You don’t need to be an NFL expert to figure out that the future of the New York Jets rests on who will be their quarterback and who will their head coach be for 2009 and beyond. The only question is which will come first, and how that will impact the other. This can go in several different directions.
The first thing that must be determined is the health of Brett Favre’s right arm. If there is significant damage, does that explain his end-of-the-season slide? Jets fans know how secretive ex-coach Eric Mangini (How good does it feel to read that? It felt even better to type it) was when it came to injuries, something he learned from Bill Belichick. But does Favre have the patience at 39-years-old to recover from an injury? Could he fully recover? Let’s look at each realistic scenario:
1. Favre is injured and retires- The search for a new quarterback begins with looking at the current roster. Kellen Clemens showed some ability two years ago, but it seems like if the Jets believed he was the guy, Favre wouldn’t be here in the first place. Jets management is high on youngsters Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge, but they are both unknown quantities. Sure, one of them could turn into the next Tony Romo, but how much do you want to bet on that? The Jets have the 17th pick in the draft, can they use that pick on a QB, especially when they desperately need a pass-rushing defensive end? There’s also no guarantee that a difference maker like Georgia’s Matt Stafford (possible new QB in Detroit) or underclassmen Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) or Mark Sanchez (USC) would be available in the middle of the round (or in the latter two’s case, enter the draft) so Jets fans can stop dreaming about their own version of Joe Flacco. It’s likely the Jets would sign a quarterback, but the potential list of available QBs won’t lead to Super Bowl aspirations. Derek Anderson, Jon Kitna, Gus Frerotte, Marc Bulger, Brian Griese, Alex Smith, and Rex Grossman could be some of the quarterbacks that are available, but does any Jets fan think they can get the job done?
With no quarterback in place, the Jets will likely go for a younger coach who can build their own system. Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, and maybe University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer could pop up on the Jets radar in that case. Spags would be the top choice of Jets fans, after watching two years of his blitz-happy Giants wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines, would love to see the Jets form a sorely-needed pass rush.
But like it or not, Favre might still be the Jets best hope at quarterback entering 2009. And don’t kid yourself, if Favre leaves the Jets it will only be because he wants to. Jets owner Woody Johnson loves the idea of Favre as a Jet, and would love to have him for at least one more season, maybe two so Favre can open the new stadium. Which leads to the other scenario…
2. Favre stays on as Jets QB: With Favre back and several pieces still in place, the Jets will go for a big name coach for a short-term shot at glory. Rumors are already circulating about how the Jets will bend over backwards for Bill Cowher. He would be the one coach you do that for. His Pittsburgh Steelers teams blew some home games, but he has two Super Bowl appearances and a win, with his teams consistently in contention. But that’s still a pipe-dream at the moment; Cowher won’t leave his cushy CBS job unless the situation is perfect. Other possible vet coaches include Marty Schottenheimer, who would keep his son Brian on as offensive coordinator, Jim Fassel, who has taken a New York team to the Super Bowl and has been begging to get back into the league, or a west-coast offense guy like Steve Mariucci could be brought in, or maybe Mike Holmgren would put off retirement for one or two more years to reunite with quarterback who got him his only ring (and vice-versa). The big question mark with one of these scenarios is what the Jets will look like a few years down the road. Many of the veterans will be long gone, and how many of those aforementioned coaches are looking for a rebuilding project?
No matter what the Jets do, they need a timely decision from Favre to do it. There will be plenty of competition for these top coaches, and the Jets don’t want to be left in the dust. A rookie coach can’t build a system with a short-term quarterback, and a vet head coach most likely won’t want to train a QB on the fly when they expect to be in contention. The Jets need an answer from Favre in the next few weeks, and they need to accept that answer as final, whatever it is. That strategy didn’t work for the Green Bay Packers this season, but it’s the only way it can work. Come Kickoff 2009, this could be a very different Jets team.

Jason Levy

The Aftermath

2008-12-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

Eric Man"genius", We Hardly Knew Ye

In the aftermath of another colossal collapse in Jets land, we say goodbye to a young, smart, hungry, hard working, dare I say it, good guy/head caoch. Most likely a guy who at 37 was in a bit over his head, but a guy who did the best damn job he could. Mangini had a fun and goofy sense of humor, was a good family man, and a guy who obviously loved a good meal as much as he did football. My first thoughts are wistful thoughts of what if and what will be. What if the Packers kept Favre, and the Jets had played on this year with Chad Pennington? I have a feeling the Jets would be hosting the Ravens on Sunday if that had happened. What will be of Mangini? Will the Jets be Mangini's Cleveland Browns? Will Mangini go on to greatness elsewhere, like Belichick did? One we'll never know, the other, we shall see. While I agree with the decision to move on at this time, I personally feel bad for the guy, and I have a feeling he'll do quite a bit better the next time he gets a chance. And he will get another chance, and somewhere, someday, he'll probably beat the Jets once or twice. Hopefully, for him, he's ready to step out of the second rate Belichik imitation and do it his way.

Hoping Brett The Gunslinger Hangs Em' Up

I'm thinking it's time for the old cowboy to called it a day, ride off into the sunset on his John Deer tractor and mow the lawn on his ranch, coach a little flag football, hunt and fish, chew tobacco, drink beer, or whatever it is retired rich guys from Mississippi do. I think Mangini's career in New York was prematurely ended by the great one's end of season collapse. Were the Jets a bit flat in Frisco? Seattle? Maybe. They probably were, actually. But if Favre didn't keep putting the defense on the field with mind-boggingly stupid turnovers, the Jets, at the very least, win both of those games, and we're having a very different conversation right now. As far as his sore shoulder, if he was playing in pain, he should have said something, and either taken a week or two off, let Clemens or Ratliff have a shot at the Broncos and/or Niners, and come back to finish the season rested. Don't get me wrong, I think the "Favre Experiment" was a gamble the Jets had to take, because as well as Pennington did this year we all damn well know he's not a championship quarterback. I'd bet the farm Ray Lewis and company are going to remind us of that on Sunday. I agreed with the move for Favre at the time and I agree with it now. I just don't see how at age 39 Brett comes back and plays better next year. If he does come back, I pretty much see the same scenario playing out next year - good start, competitive until December, and then a same old Jets vanishing act. Tannenbaum drafted Kellen Clemens three years ago and Brett Ratliff flashed in the pre-season showing mobility, poise and a heck of an arm. I think 2009 is either the year to give them a shot to fight it out in camp for the starting job, or get somebody else, maybe a Matt Cassell type.

Look In-House First

It's been reported, thankfully, that Sutton and Schotty are gone, and I think Mike Westoff should be a given a good hard look as head coach, and Bill Callahan a look at offensive coordinator. Westoff has been a respected coordinator for a long, long time, and he's smart, and fiery, maybe the ingredient Mangini lacked but desperately needed at the end. Callahan's prowess as an offensive coach is well documented and he's now had a year being around Clemens and Ratliff. The continutiy he and Westoff would bring could mean success next year, with a team bulit to "win now". In this scenario, of course, the last piece of the puzzle would be a veteran 3-4 defensive coordinator who could take the players we have, add a few pieces, like a corner to compliment Revis, a hard hitting safety who can cover somebody, and some depth on the defensive line, where Kenyon Coleman has been invisible for two years and Sean Ellis isn't getting any younger, light a fire under them, coach with some passion, some smarts and teach them to, for once and for all, ATTACK!!! I'd favor something along those lines over a complete overhaul, which may mean one or two more middlin' years before any real progress is seen. It's already been forty years, I can't wait that long.

Just another day in Jets Land. Someone else is out as the HC of the NYJ, and the Giants roll on.

Go Eagles!

by Jim Josselyn

After another Jets Collapse, Time to Hire a Real Head Coach

2008-12-29T12:36:00.000-08:00

Good job Jets, way to blow what was once a very promising season. It is completely mind-boggling that this team went from 8-3 and on top of the world to a 9-7 3rd place finish. Obviously Mangini isn't the only person deserving blame but unfortunately players don't get fired, coaches do. Favre played absolutely atrociously down the stretch, when the Jets needed his magic the most. It is time for him to hang up his spikes. Overall he did much more harm than good for this team. Sure he sold tons of jerseys and his presence made the idea of PSL's easier to swallow but he just makes too many mistakes. We all knew that going into this. There were going to be times of great plays and there were going to be horrible mistakes. Unfortunately he made too many mistakes for this Jets team to overcome, especially playing with a defense that couldn't stop anyone the last 5 games of the season. It's hard to win football games when you can't execute properly on either side of the ball.

The poor execution has to be blamed on the coaches. Sure you can blame individual players for not executing properly, but when the entire defensive unit can't defend, that is the coaches problem. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton should have been the first to go. Mangini is gone and Sutton will in all likelihood be gone within the next few weeks as well. Now the Jets need to get a real head coach. This time it can't be a rookie.

Mangini didn't work out the way we would have liked. He had two winning seasons, but this season is just as bad if now worse than the 4-12 season because of how much promise we showed. To be 8-3 and then miss the playoffs is inexcusable.

Before Mangini we gave Herm Edwards his first head coaching gig. He took us to the playoffs a few times, and with him the Jets were a Doug Brian field goal away from the AFC championship game but overall made poor decisions on the field and although the players loved him was not a good coach (as he is showing again in Kansas City).

Obviously the most appealing name to the Jets is Bill Cowher, but honestly I don't see it happening. There are reports that he doesn't want to coach next year (although $8 to $10 million a year might change that). Even if he does come in the Jets are looking at a difficult situation. The next 5 years of the Jets all depends on what Favre decides to do. If he comes back the Jets have to stay in their win now mentality and the coach coming in knows that after a season he has to rebuild. If Favre does us all a favor and truly retires this time the Jets can start the rebuilding process this year by having a new coach come in and groom a QB for the years to come. I think we already have our QB of the future in Brett Ratliff but all we have seen of him has been preseason games against 2nd and 3rd string defenses. If not Ratliff then the Jets need to draft a QB with their first round pick. Everyone can see that Clemens just isn't going to be a good QB in this league. And I do not want Matt Cassel. He will not be a good QB with any other team. Look at the talent he is playing along side with in New England.

Other possible head coaching candidates with previous experience are Marty Schottenheimer, Andy Reid, Mike Holmgren, Jim Fassel, and Brian Billick. Marty is a proven winner in the regular season but has never gotten it done in the post season. Andy Reid, if let go in Philidelphia can bring McNabb with him and the Jets could be very good for the next 5 years, Holmegren could have one last shot to do something special with Favre. Fassel couldn't get it done with the Giants (but at least got them to s Super Bowl) and is desperate for a job. Billick is supposed to have a great offensive mind but never turned the ravens into anything special offensively.

Steve Spagnolo, the Giants defensive coordinator will get a head coaching job next year. I just hope its not with our team. We cannot let another man with no previous head coaching experience be our coach. We need a coach who has a proven track record of winning. Therefor I see only a few options. Do everything you can to get Cowher to come to New York. If we can't get him and we know Favre won't retire, get Holmegren to stay in the league for one more year. Otherwise the only option for the Jets is Schottenheimer (which sucks because this means his son will still be our offensive coordinator) or Andy Reid if he brings over McNabb. However since the Eagles somehow managed to get into the playoffs and could do some damage over the next few weeks, I see both of them staying putt in Philly.

So its either Schottenheimer or Cowher. Jets please do us all a favor. Do whatever it takes and get Bill Cowher on the New York Jets sidelines next season.

Oh Yea, reports are coming out saying that Parcells may be able to opt out of his deal and still get paid everything on his contract. He didn't like Woody Johnson so I don't see him coming back and even if he would come back it seems like he doesn't want to be on the sidelines anymore. But if he showed interest in coming back to be our coach, do it. The Jets have been lost since he left so please Woody do whatever it takes to give us a real Head Coach. The fans will be disappointed if anyone besides Cowher or Parcells is hired.

Matt Nashban

Hurts So Good

2008-12-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

The world titles won by the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies this decade really put the hurt on New York fans. Aside from seeing the biggest rivals of the New York Yankees and New York Mets claim championships, New York Jets fans won the dubious honor of becoming sports’ most masochistic fan base. We don’t just expect the pain of defeat, we’ve learned to love it. During games, we look for every way the game can be lost. We ponder the conceivable outcomes of the defeat; who can be vilified, who can we bring in to do a better job, how will the good teams beat us, how pathetic are the Same-Old-Jets? You’ll be hard to find a Jets fan now who hasn’t turned his back on 2008 entering the final week and expects Chad Pennington to get his revenge as he leads his Miami Dolphins into Jersey to take on the Jets, with the AFC East title in the balance.
It seems like years ago, but it was only September 7th when Brett Favre made his Jets debut against Chad and the Dolphins in Miami, a 20-14 Jets victory that included a circus-touchdown-catch by Chansi Stuckey and a near Dolphins comeback in the closing minutes. Since 1998, the Jets are 17-4 against the Dolphins, their best stretch against the Dolphins since the 1960’s back in the AFL, when the Fins were just an expansion team. And one of those 17 wins was the Monday Night Miracle comeback. The Jets seem to find ways to beat the Dolphins.
You would think that would give the Jets fans hope entering Sunday. But the thought of a Jets victory sends a shiver down the spine of Gang Green faithful, because that would likely send the New England Patriots, sans Tom Brady, to the playoffs as AFC East champs if the Pats take care of the Buffalo Bills. Yes, the Bills gave the Jets life two weeks ago and showed some fight themselves with Trent Edwards back behind center in the Bills win at Denver last Sunday, but the Pats are not the Broncos. They are better. It will be hard to imagine the Pats losing to the Bills with the playoffs at stake, but stranger things have happened on the gridiron.
Remember 2002? The 9-6 Dolphins were playing the 8-7 Patriots at 1 pm while the Pennington led, 8-7 Jets hosted Favre’s Packers at 4 pm. Needing a Pats win to stay alive for the division, the Patriots won a thriller, 27-24 in overtime, coming back from a 24-13 hole in the final five minutes. The Jets then throttled the Packers 42-17 in front of a delirious Meadowlands crowd. The cast of characters is strikingly similar in 2008, but the roles have changed. Victories by the Bills and Jets will give Favre’s crew a home playoff game, something not seen since 2002. Maybe if the Bills, fighting for some pride and to save Dick Jaroun’s job, can pull off the upset, the Jets fans will regain some of their optimism, feeding into the Jets players to rally for a victory. Somewhere on those sidelines is the Jets team that went on a five game winning streak, knocking off the Pats and Tennessee Titans, dominated the run on both sides of the ball, and features a league-high seven Pro Bowlers. It could be like 2002 all over again.
But that’s not what Jets fans expect, and some may even admit it’s not what they want. Those openly masochistic Jets fans want the Same-Old-Jets to crumble against the Dolphins, see Chad get his sweet revenge, keep Bill Belichick out of the postseason, and to see Eric Mangini get fired, along with most of his coaching staff. The Meadowlands crowds can get really ugly when the Jets fall apart, and many will head to the stadium looking for an excuse to let off some steam to end a disappointing 2008.
Can the Jets fans live without the disappointment? Can the Jets earn the sympathy of the football gods and win the division? Would they be the Same-Old-Jetss if they beat the Dolphins and send the Pats to the playoffs? What do Jets fans want for their belated Christmas gift? Most people don’t ask for Santa to put coal in their stocking. But those people aren’t Jets fans. Win or lose, the Jets fans could find something to be angry about on Sunday, even if it’s the thought of Mangini coaching another year after securing the division title. Who am I rooting for? I'll know Sunday a shortly after 4 pm.

Jason Levy
NY Jets Blog Writer

Can the Jets take the AFC East and the Wild Card Spot?

2008-12-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

Can the Jets pull it together? Many are giving up at this point after Sunday's debacle of a game. The Jets lost 13-3 against the Seattle Seahawks, a team already eliminated from the playoffs, costing them their first place spot in the AFC East.
Seattle was ready to play, but where were the Jets? It's starting to look as though Brett Favre is loosing his game after some what of a great season. In the last four games Favre has thrown six interceptions which hasn't helped. To make matters worst the Jets defensive line, one of the best in the league, couldn't put the pressure on a okay Seattle offensive. To put the game more in the toilet, Jets head coach Eric Mangini made three questionable calls. The biggest one of them all came early in the fourth quarter. Jets kicker Jay Feely, kicked a 45-yard field goal, but was no good since the Jets recieved a delay-of-game penalty. Mangini choose to punt the pall istead of letting Feely kick again and added three more points. All in all Sunday's game was a dissapointment.
Where does this leave the Jets? The team now needs to win next Sunday against Miami and their ex-quarterback Chad Pennington, a team who almost beat them in week one. Also to get back their number one seed and take the AFC East, the Pats need to lose against the Buffalo Bills. This will also get them into the playoffs as a wild card. In the event the Pats win, the Jets still need to win plus they need Baltimore to lose. It now all comes down to one game.

- Verla Roberts

Do it gently, Jets.

2008-12-24T06:24:00.000-08:00

Last week I wrote how if we woke up on Monday and had to face the fact that Seattle had beaten our Jets, how terrible that would feel. Well guess what...its real. Its real, it's here and it hurts! The Jets have let us down. Again.
I cant do this anymore. I mean it, its getting to a point where I believe getting struck repeatedly in the face by an angry mother pit viper, might be less painful. I mean, come on already. Is it that hard to win games consistantly? Huh? Despite the Patriots pretty much trying to give us the division this year by Brady taking the season off, we have still managed to be exactly where we should be...on the bubble. And guess what, I'm no bubbleologist but I dont think that bubble is sturdy enough to carry us into January. Its going to burst.
Merry freaking Christmas Jet fan, this is as good as it gets. As a Jets fan, I expect to make the playoffs like children in Zimbabwe expect to wake up tommorrow morning and make snow angels in six inches of a cold, white, powdery substance. It just wont happen...and it sickens me.
You see teams like the Pats, the Colts, the Titans...they all win consistantly, and besides the Titans, have done so for years. We have a good quarterback, a great running back, decent recievers, our special teams is good; I just dont get it. Besides our defense faultering recently, we havent played that bad...I wonder what the problem could be? Hmmm...
Oh, I got it! Its got to be that gun shy, over-rated, wanna-be Italian calling the shots in between stuffing his face with canolis and biscotti. You would have thought that when he was working for New England and following Belichick around like a stray puppy, asking him if his coffee took one lump or two, he would have taken something away from that experience. I guess not. He cant win games, but I bet we makes one hell of a latte...just ask Bill.
So, where do we go from here. Well, if your Mangini, the unemployment line sounds good to me. If your Favre, to Mississippi to fill out your AARP information also sounds good to me. If your Thomas Jones, to a new team (because he deserves better then here).
I dont know, maybe I'm just hurt, maybe I expect to much from this team, maybe I think to highly of them, maybe I'm just setting myself up for disappointment, maybe tommorrow I'll walk to the middle of the Ben Franklin Bridge, remove my clothes (except for my Jets hat), and swan dive on to an under-passing tug boat, missing the water completely. That would, in the long run, probably hurt much less.
Thanks alot Jets. Thanks for rekindling that 15 year old heroine habit I thought was kicked. Thanks for giving me absolutely nothing to brag about this year except how Mangini can eat 44 hot dogs in two and a half minutes...what...that wasn't him? Oh well. It sounded good.
You got one more week to let us down...do it gently.

--D.H. Bradway

The Crash of the Green Comet

2008-12-23T16:16:00.000-08:00

In the second-to-last episode ever of the Sopranos ("The Blue Comet," originally aired on June 3, 2007), Tony, who’s world appeared to be falling apart, and Carmela are dining at Nuovo Vesuvio when Tony’s friend Artie Bucco (the restaurant’s owner for those who didn’t watch the show) drops by the table and slyly whispers that at a nearby table is “Mangenius,” a.k.a Eric Mangini, the rookie wunder-kid head coach of the New York Jets, fresh off a playoff appearance in his first season as a head coach. An impressed Tony, probably happy for a distraction, saunters over to the table to share some kind words, and maybe some dieting tips with the gridiron guru.
No one realized it at the time, but Tony and Eric swapped fortunes. While Tony would survive (as far as the on-screen action would show us a week later), the coaching career of Mangini was at its peak in the summer of 2007. A 4-12 run in later that year and a devastating final month of 2008 could cause Mangini’s Jets tenure to cut to black.
Two spectacular road wins over their archrival New England Patriots and the previously unbeaten Tennessee Titans put the Jets at 8-3, in first place in the AFC East, and had Jets fans planning their Super Bowl trips to Tampa. One extremely lucky win and three frustrating losses later have the Jets at 9-6, third in the AFC East, and needing the same Buffalo Bills that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the Meadowlands to keep the Jets season afloat to knock off the Patriots, while the Jets need to dispatch of Chad Pennington’s high-flying Miami Dolphins to get into the playoffs.
But the win over the Bills, and losses to the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have exposed the Mangenius as an average boy, the same one the picked up tees for Bill Belichick in Cleveland, looking lost on the sidelines.
Teams figured out how to beat the Jets, and the Jets never made an adjustment. They just made the same mistakes over and over again. On offense, the play calling of Brett Schottenheimer never seemed to match the situation. Against the Seahawks, why call for a down-field pass into double-coverage on a fourth-and-four play? Leon Washington, one of the NFL’s most dynamic players, rarely touched the ball, accumulating only 17 touches (seven runs, 10 catches) over the last four games. Isn't this a player you want to get the ball to once a series, instead of just four times in a game? We know Brett Favre is a few years Mangini’s senior, but can’t the coach pull his QB aside after one of those ridiculous, off-his-back-foot, across-his-body, the-receiver-has-no-idea the-ball-is-coming-to-him-interceptions, and tell him to use his head, and he should know better?
It gets worse on the other side of the ball. Below-average backups Shaun Hill, J.P. Losman and Seneca Wallace look elite when they don’t face a pass-rush. It never looks like the Jets try anything new with their 3-4, which is designed to decieve quarterbacks and offensive lines so they don’t know where the extra rushers are coming from, but doesn’t work if you only send three each time. The lack of a pass rush gives receiver plenty of time to scramble, break routes, and put plenty of space between themselves and the Jets defensive backs, hauling in reception after reception, and keeping the tired Jets D on the field.
You can blame the players for not playing up to their potential and wearing down, but when the entire team fails to learn from and correct their mistakes, that is the fault of the coach. When the entire team can’t handle a cross-country flight, something is wrong with the leadership. Mangini never adjusts a game plan at halftime, never gets in a player’s face after a bad play, and never shows any fire on the sidelines or in front of a microphone. He just stands there, stoically looking on like the captain of a sinking ship, wondering where that iceberg came from and why his feet are soaking wet.
There is not any evidence of the Jets play over the past month to suggest they can beat the Dolphins on Sunday. At least with the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars in the late afternoon means the Jets will still be alive at kickoff. The crowd will be calling for Mangini’s head at the first sign of trouble. Every Jets fan knows how ugly the fan base can get when things turn sour, and the dashed expectation of 2008 are as bitter a pill Jets fans have had to swallow in a long time. If the Jets can’t become the team that overcame their mistakes against the Patriots and knocked around the unbeaten Titans, Mangini could be riding the Blue Comet alongside Bobby Bacala. If there is any genius hiding in the man, he better show it Sunday. If not, it’ll be the end for Little-Boy-Eric.

Jason Levy

Same old, same old

2008-12-22T15:08:00.000-08:00

FOOL A FOOL

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me for about, oh, thirty years, shame on me. What cliche can we use that hasn't been used? How can we find a new way to say what's already been said about the same old lousy, break your heart into a million pieces J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets that hasn't already been said. Who else could be on top of the football world in week eleven, beat two of the best teams in the conference in their buildings and then completely fall off the face of the earth, with NO MAJOR INJURIES? A HALL OF FAME QB? SEVEN PRO-BOWLERS? and then lose to the Broncos, Niners and Seahawks? Only our beloved Jets. You can't make this stuff up. Anyone at this point think Namath actually did sell our souls for SB111?

BYE- BYE ERIC

The sad thing is that I think this latest debacle was the end of the road for Mangini. I think I can speak for most Jets fans when I say that it would have been great if he was the guy. Thirty something years old, hungry, he seemed to have so much to offer as a coach when he got started here, and if he was a winner he could have had this job as long as he wanted it. As he likes to say "It''s all Jets, all the time". At the very least he was the anti-Herm, a no-nonsense x's and o's "smart" guy from the Parcells/Belichick coaching tree. What more could we have asked for? Well, it turns out he wasn't quite all that, and I think, frankly he's in over his head. The first year he (and maybe the schedule) somehow willed a mediocre Jets team to ten wins and "the nickname" started. As Rich Kotite famously said "I'm NOT a genius". Turns out, either is Eric Mangini. Question is, how can Woody Johnson look us straight in the eye, ask us to fund his new stadium with those ridiculous PSL's, and bring Mangini back after this collapse? I think there is alot of talent on this team, and they could be pretty damn good next year with a smart, solid off season and the right guy at the helm. The $64,000 (PSL) question is...who is the right guy? It's time for Mike T. to tell his buddy the bad news, find his replacement and do the deed. We're close and with the right leadership we can compete in this league.

LOOKING AHEAD

So it comes down to this. Most likely our joy will be the loser's joy of knocking a hated rival out of the playoffs, the consolation prize. And, oh, by the way, our ex quarterback's the hated rival's leader. Half of me says go ahead, Chad, win and go do something in the playoffs, you were the innocent in this whole mess. You were so easy to root for, a stand-up team first guy of the highest caliber. If you ever had the arm to match your brains and guts you'd have been unstoppable. Now, don't get carried away and win the superbowl, but win a game. I'd much rather see Pennington in the playoffs than Belichick and the Pats, and I think that's what it comes down to. I don't see how in the world the Jags beat the Ravens or the Bills beat the Pats, and the way the Jets are playing, how in the world can they beat the Dolphins? Unless those football gods I spoke about last week are just messing with us, and have cooked up this crazy scheme where the Jets get the last laugh. I don't know and right now I don't care. I'm so disapointed now I probably won't even watch the game this week. I mean, I've got better things to do like take down the christmas tree, put away the holiday decorations, spend the entire day with my wife, kids and in-laws. Well, maybe I'll just watch the beginning of the game, see how it starts out, and take it from there. Fool me once, indeed.

Jim Josselyn

P.S. The biggest mistake yesterday was not going for it on fourth down with two minutes left. The way the Jets were playing defense they weren't going to stop the Seahwaks from running out the clock. The mistake was throwing a 45 yard bomb when we only needed four yards. Whatever happened to the short passing game and Leon Washington and Dustin Keller?

Same Old Jets

2008-12-21T17:13:00.000-08:00

They have done it to us again. Loosing to a now 4-11 Seattle team, has crushed the Jets playoff hopes. After starting 8-3 the Jets now are 9-6 going in to the final game of the season. They no longer have the division lead and no longer control their own destiny. They will need to beat Miami next week and have the Patriots loose to the Bills (Not likely but not impossible) to win the division or have the Ravens loose to the Jaguars couples with a Jets win to clinch the last wild card spot with the 6th seed. The Jets had control of their destiny and now no longer do, they have collapses like so many other Jets teams have done over the year.

Today they showed nothing that would imply they have the ability to beat a surprisingly good Miami team next week. The only aspect of the game the Jets are performing well in is the running game, but we again failed to play to our strengths, passing the ball all day even though they were playing in the snow. Leon Washington again got almost no touches (3 to be exact). He needs to get the ball more. He makes big plays, that is what he does, but he can't make the explosive play if he isn't given the ball.

Favre needs to realize he is not the QB that he used to be. His arm just can't make the throws he once could. Knowing this he has to stop throwing the ball up for grabs. His 1st interception today had no chance of making it to Cotchery. You could tell it was a pick the moment it left his hands.

The defense needs to get their act together. They can't stop the run and can't defend the pass. Where is the defensive from 4 weeks ago?

And can the coaches let the players play. How can Mangini not let Feely kick from 50 yards out. He booted the practice kick from 45 yards out with enough distance to go at least 55 yards before the delay of game penalty. Do you not watch the game Eric? Let him kick the damn ball.

Now I can't fault him for going for it on 4th and 4. The way our defense has played who knows if we would have ever gotten the ball back. But what kind of play call was that. 4th and 4 with the season on the line and you throw a deep ball? Now Coles should have made the catch, it was the only pass Favre put on the money all day, but it shouldn't have come to that. 4 yards to keep your season alive you try to pick up 4 yards you don't go for the home run.

The Jets have done it to their fans once again. The players change but the outcome of the team always stays the same. They suck you in, making you a believer, and then loose the games that they're supposed to win.

Now the season isn't over but its pretty darn close. The Jets need to win and then they need some help. Nothing would be worse than seeing the Dolphins with Chad Pennington as their leader dance on our field as division champions next week. The Jets need to figure out a way to not be the same old Jets, to find a way to beat Chad and the Dolphins, and then pray for a holiday miracle, needing either Buffalo to win at home against the Patsy's or Baltimore to loose at home to Baltimore. Good job Jets, way to blow another promising year.

Matt Nashban

Time for Favre and Jets to Step Up

2008-12-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

There are two games left for the Jets in a regular season that shouldn’t have come to this point. They were 8-3 after beating the Titans on the road and were fighting for a first round bye. Now they are fighting just to stay alive and be one of the six participants to represent the AFC in the playoffs. If it weren’t for the miracle in the meadowlands last week, the season would already be over. Never the less, they have two regular season games left to play and have control of their destiny.

During these last two weeks it is time for the team to step up. This is why the Jets brought Favre in back in August. He needs to be the leader and take this team to the playoffs much like he did all those years playing in Green Bay. The Defense needs to get their act together and at least create the illusion that they are actually out there on the field. The coaches need to take advantage of the players they have (Leon Washington only 1 rush last week).

It is time for this entire franchise to step up and prove that they are not the same old New York Jets. Everything was in place for the Jets this year. Brady went down in week 1. Favre came in, in the preseason along with a revamped offensive line and a defense that finally fit the 3-4 scheme. They started 8-3 and were on top of the world. Now they have sunken back to reality and need to regroup and get the two wins needed to get into the playoffs.
This team has no excuses. They play a 3-11 team this weekend and it shouldn’t matter where the game is being played. Football is football. It is the same game on the east coast as it is on the west coast. If the Jets cannot beat a 3-11 team they do not deserve to be in the playoffs.

Then in the final week of the season They’ll meet Chad Pennington and the Dolphins at home in a game that will most likely decide the division. The game will be in prime time; it will be a cold windy night in the meadowlands, the type of weather people say Pennington can’t play in because of his lack of arm strength. If Pennington beats the Jets to win the division for the dolphins in front of the Jets faithful it will be the worst possible ending to a season, one that could only happen to a team that is as cursed as the New York Jets.

For now, lets not think about that worst of all possible scenarios. The Jets have two weeks remaining to show that they are not the same old Jets. Two games to prove this team is different. Two games to show that they made the right decision bringing in Favre and all of the other offseason actuations. Will this team crumble like so many Jets teams before it? We’ll know in two weeks.

Matt Nashban

Are the Jets going to let us down…AGAIN?

2008-12-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

There’s an old Foreigner jingle that sums up the feeling of the majority of Jets fans going into this weeks “blockbuster” match-up against the Seahawks in Seattle, and it goes a little something like this…”I want to know what love is, I want you to show me.”
Well, Man-Genius…show me. Show us all. We can not afford to wake up Monday morning, three days before Christmas and realize that the team that we took so much stock in this year is now 9-6 in one of the tightest and toughest playoff races in football. I mean it. I can’t do last year again. Last year was a monstrosity. I’d rather C.C. Sabathia pitch a pipe wrench into my grill, then live through another last year. Now, some of you might say we’ve already done better then last year. And yes, that is the case, record wise, but if you don’t make the playoffs…no, scratch that. If you don’t win the Super Bowl, the outcome is the same. You don’t think the Jets front office spent more money then any other team in the league this off-season to be 9-5 right now do you…huh? I don’t believe so either. I don’t think they went out, signed Favre and got rid of Chad “Wet Noodle” Pennington to be tie with the hated Patriots and “The Noodle’s” new team, the Miami Dolphins. Yes, the Dolphins.
Yes, we are at the top of the division. Yes, if the playoffs were tomorrow, we’d be in. Yes, if Favre goes out and avoids interceptions, and if Thomas Jones runs ramped like a sexually transmitted disease through Hoboken, then we should be okay. But on the other side of that disturbing coin, if my aunt had a set of junk she’d be my uncle…but she’s not.
So, I guess time will be the deciding factor. Will Jet fan spend next week at gatherings with family and friends wishing his drunk cousin from Michigan would choke on the under cooked turkey that seems to be on his face more then in his mouth? Or will he spend next week throwing down shots of some Jet-green drink and chanting “J-E-T-S JETS, JETS, JETS”, at two o’clock in the morning while running naked down a snow covered street in Long Island? Only time will tell.
So come on Jets, there’s only two games left. Don’t let the Giants get all the credit. We deserve some too. Do it for the city, do it for the respect, do it for the homeless guy outside my building that smells like Chinese food and urine, (he might be the biggest Jet fan ever). So from all Jet fans…we want to know what love is, we want you to show us.

--D.H. Bradway

The Showdown Before The Showdown

2008-12-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

As a Jets fan for 30 years, since that fateful day when I first saw the Joe Namath poster in my cousins Gary's bedroom, I've seen alot. I've never seen a Jet quarterback raise a single finger in the air in ultimate victory, other than on replays of Super Bowl 111, but I've seen alot. Blown calls, blown games, stupid coaching decisions, future genius coaches mumbling resignations, miracle wins for the opponent, and as recently as last week, a miracle win for the Jets. Maybe, just maybe, as the Jets prepare to face the Seahawks this Sunday this last lucky break is a sign of things to come. Maybe Brett Favre will show the form he showed in beating the Pats in overtime or dismantling the then undefeated Titans when, for a brief moment, the Jets were on top of the league. Make no mistake about it, the Jets fortunes lie solely on the right shoulder of their aging gunslinger. Without any consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the sudden inability to stop the run and simply tackle and big Kris Jenkins three week disappearing act, the Jets offense is going to have to put points on the board to win this game, this supposed calm before the storm heading our way in oh so pretty teal and orange on December 28th. Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has been a mentor, father figure and dear friend of Brett Favre's for many years now. Maybe the Big Show will let an old pal have one, steal one at the end, or make just one call at a crucial point in the game that lets the Jets come out of the Pacific Northwest with a W. I wouldn't count on that, though. I expect the Jets to have to play their best to beat the Hawks in Holmgren's last home game, and that means letting TJ and Leon Washington do what they do best and Brett Favre making big plays in the passing game, and making those plays to the guys with the green and white shirts on. The football gods seemed to pre-ordain this one the day the Jets traded for Favre, and sealed the deal a day later when Pennington signed with the Fins. Of course Chad was going to have a great year and lead last year's laughingstock Miami Dolphins into the Meadowlands with the division on the line the last game of the year and of course the Jets would lose games to Oakland and San Franciso any legitimate playoff contender would have no business losing to make the last game do or die. Here's to hoping our old pal Chad has just enough left in that painfully average but accurate right arm of his to keep the game exciting enough to enjoy, but not quite enough to win. The showdown before the showdown, indeed, IF the Jets win this week. I think they will, and I think the football gods agree.

- Jim Josselyn

Wanted NY Jets Writers

2008-12-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

Wanted NY Jets Blog Writers! NYJetsmix.com is currently looking for freelance writers and super fans to contribute on a weekly basis to the center blog section of NYJetsmix.com! This is a great chance to have your views reach a louder audience or accomplish your writing goals. If interested please contact us at writers@sportsmixed.com.
Wanted NY Jets Blog Fan Talk! NYJetsmix.com always welcomes any fan talk from Jets fans, please submit your writing to fantalk@sportsmixed.com and we will publish any civil submissions.

2008-12-06T07:41:00.001-08:00

Recent Jets Blog Articles

2008-12-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

Hurts So Good
Can the Jets take the AFC East and the Wild Card Spot?
Do it gently, Jets.
The Crash of the Green Comet
Same old, same old
Same Old Jets
Time for Favre and Jets to Step Up
Are the Jets going to let us down?AGAIN?
The Showdown Before The Showdown

NYJets Blog Writer Bio

2008-12-01T21:18:00.000-08:00

NY Jets Blog Writer Bio
Jason Levy

I got my Bachelor's Degree in mass communications from Quinnipiac University and my Master's Degree in print journalsim from Syracuse University. Based out of Long Island, I am a long suffering Mets, Jets, Islanders, and Knicks fan. I have previously written for the Quinnipiac Chronicle, Long Island Press, Syracuse Post-Standard, Ultimate Athlete Magazine, Touchdown Illustrated, College Hoops Illustrated, and more.
Articles Archive

NY Jets-Broncos Preview|NY Jets game Score,TV,Recap

2008-11-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

The NY Jets vs Broncos at home - game time Sunday, November 30, 4:15 PM ET. Get the latest live NY Jets game score on this page. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Broncos is on CBS. Find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest NY Jets blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest Jets game preview,score, news and more at Jetsmix.com!

Brett Favre Jets Serve Notice to AFC Defeat Titans|Score,Recap

2008-11-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Brett Favre led NY Jets defeated the Titans by a score of 34-13 to hand the Titans there first loss of the year. Brett Favre threw two touchdowns on the day and Leon Washington ran for two more. Favre had this to say of the victory, "I'm not going to sit here and say we've established ourselves as the best team in football," "All it says is I think we beat the best team in football today, definitely if you go by record and the way that they've played. They have been the best team in football." The Jets were able to beat the Jets by winning the battle for time of procession, It felt like we were on the sideline forever just watching Brett Favre play," Titans fullback Ahmard Hall said. "The defense, I felt bad that we on offense couldn't get anything going and keep them off the field."

Wanted NYJets Blog Fan Talk! Are you a big NY Jets fan with something you want to share, we will post all civil items submitted to FanTalk@Sportsmixed.com in the NY Jets blog section. Wanted NY Jets Featured Writers! NYJetsmix.com is looking for 3-5 writers to write on a more regular basis about the NY Jets, if interested please contact us at Writers@Sportsmixed.com

NY Jets-Titans| Preview, NY Jets Score,TV,Recap

2008-11-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

The NY Jets at Titans- game time Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live NY Jets game score on this page. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Titans is on CBS. Find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest NY Jets blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest NY Jets game preview,score, news and more at NYJetsmix.com!

Jets Poll - Jets Fly to Super Bowl?

2008-11-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

It is never to early to be talking playoffs when the Jets are sitting at the top of the AFC East standings. So how far do you think these Brett Favre led Jets can go in the Playoffs?

Brett Favre and Jets Atop AFC East After OT Win

2008-11-14T21:02:00.000-08:00

The new look Brett Favre New York Jets now sit atop the AFC East after defeating the rival Patriots by a score of 34 to 31 in OT. The game became dramatic in the second half as the Patriots came back from a score of 24-6 Jets at halftime and tied the game with one second left on a Randy Moss touchdown grab. The Jets however did not fold under the leadership of veteran QB Brett Favre as he helped engineer a drive that saw the Jets convert on third and fifteen and setup Feeley for a game winning 34 yard field goal. Sure these were not the Patriots of old and the defense gave up huge numbers to new Patriots QB Matt Cassel, but these Jets got the job done. The reward is the Jets are flying high atop the AFC East, and playoffs hopes are rising. Brett Favre returned to football to get one more chance with the Packers to go to the Super Bowl, now he just could get it with the Jets.

NY Jets vs Patriots|Preview, NY Jets Score,TV,Recap

2008-11-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Final Score
NY Jets 34 (OT)
Patriots 31

Blog Recaps Around the Net:
Jets vs Patriots Recap

The NY Jets at Patriots- game time Thursday, November 13, 8:15 PM ET. Get the latest live NY Jets score on this page. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Patriots is on NFL Network. Find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest NY Jets blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest NY Jets game preview,score, news and more at NYJetsmix.com!

Wanted NY Jets Fan Talk! Are you a big Jets fan with something you want to share, we will post all civil items submitted to FanTalk@Sportsmixed.com in the NY Jets blog section. Wanted NY Jets Featured Writers! NYJetsmix.com is looking for 3-5 writers to write on a more regular basis about the Jets, if interested please contact us at Writers@Sportsmixed.com

A Hard Fall For Justin Miller

2008-11-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

The NY Jets cut Justin Miller to make room for addition Ty Law. You never would have seen the possibility of Miller being cut at the start of camp. Two years ago he was a Pro Bowl kick returner and he was listed as a starting cornerback at the start of this years camp. Miller lost his job to rookie Dwight Lowery in the preseason while he suffered from having a dislocated toe. The Jets say they cut Justin Miller because he had a lack of versatility and they did not seem him on the active roster this week. You have to wonder if part of the reason for Miller's departure is not being a good influence in the locker room after losing the starting job, while NFL players have no job security this is a fast fall from grace.

Wanted NY Jets Fan Talk! Are you a big Jets fan with something you want to share, we will post all civil items submitted to FanTalk@Sportsmixed.com in the NY Jets blog section. Wanted NY Jets Featured Writers! NYJetsmix.com is looking for 3-5 writers to write on a more regular basis about the Jets, if interested please contact us at Writers@Sportsmixed.com

NY Jets vs Rams|Preview, NY Jets Game Score,TV,Recap

2008-11-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

The NY Jets at home vs Rams- game time Sunday, November 9, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live NY Jets game score on this page. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Rams is on FOX. Find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest Rams blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest NY Jets game preview,score, news and more at NYJetsmix.com! Submit all game talk for the Jets to FanTalk@Sportsmix.com, all submissions posted.

NY Jets-Bills Preview, NY Jets Score|TV Time,Stats

2008-11-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

NYJetsmix.com - The latest live NY Jets Score,News and Talk! The NY Jets at home vs the Bills - game time Sunday, November 2, 1:00 PM ET. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Bills is on CBS. Find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest NY Jets blog talk and rumors. Also find the opponents news spin.

NY Jets Score-Chiefs|NY Jets Live Score,TV,Time,Preview

2008-10-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets at Home vs the Chief- game time Sunday, October 26, 12:00 PM ET. Get the latest live NY Jets score on this page. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Chiefs is on CBS. Find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest NY Jets blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest NY Jets game preview,score, news and more at NYJetsmix.com!

Big Kick Jets Lose in OT-Jets Final Score, Stats

2008-10-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets lost to the Oakland Raiders by a final score of 13-16 on a 57 long game winning field goal by Janikowski. The kick by Janikowski set a Raiders record and had at least another 7 yards of distance as it split the uprights right down the middle. Jets QB Brett Favre had stats of 21-for-38 for 197 yards and two interceptions with no touchdowns. Favre was disapointed with the game and said these were the types of game he came to the Jets to help them win. Jets running back Thomas Jones ran free against a bad Raiders defense finishing with stats of 24 carries for 159 yards and 1 touchdown.

NY Jets-Raiders|Final Score,NY Jets Score,TV,Recap

2008-10-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets at Raiders
Sunday, October 19, 4:15 PM ET
TV:CBS
Final Score:
Jets 13 - Raiders 16
Game Recap
Get the latest live NY Jets game score on this page. Find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest NY Jets game preview,score, news and more at NYJetsmix.com!

Thomas Jones NY Jets Defeat Bengals|Jets Final Score,Recap

2008-10-14T21:11:00.001-07:00

Thomas Jones helped the NY Jets defeated the Bengals by a final score of 26 to 14, Jones finished with two touchdowns on the day despite getting only 17 carries for 65 yards. Brett Favre did not have nearly the game he had a week ago as he finished with stats of 25 of 33 passing for 189 yards, 1 touchdown and two interceptions. The Bengals could not get much offense going as they were led by backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick as starter Carson Palmer missed the game with a sore shoulder

NY Jets-Bengals, NY Jets Score|Game Preview,TV,Recap

2008-10-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

Always get the latest NY Jets Score, game preview, news and more at NYJetsmixmix.com! The NY Jets at home vs Bengals - game time Sunday, October 12, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live game score on this page. Also find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Bengals is on CBS.

Bye Week

2008-09-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

Bye Week

Next Game

SUN, OCT 12

Bengals at NY Jets

Brett Favre Catches Fire - Jets Roll Over Cardinals-Jets Final Score

2008-09-29T06:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes Brett Favre plays his best games when he is hurt or things are not going well. In the NY Jets defeat of the Cardinals by a score of 56-35 Brett made Jets and fantasy owners giddy as he threw six touchdowns on the day. The six touchdowns tied Broadway Joe Namath's Jets record. Brett has had 5 touchdown games three other times but this was his first six touchdown day.

Brett Favre's Game Stats

Comp-24
Att-34
Yds-289
Pct-70.6
Y/A-8.5
Sack-2
YdsL-5
TD-6
Int-1
Rating-123.7

NY Jets Bengals Score -Preview, Game Stats, Time, TV,Jets score

2008-09-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Always get the latest NY Jets score, news and more at NYJetsmix.com! The NY Jets at home vs Bengals - game time Sunday, October 12, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live game score on this page. Also find NY Jets game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Bengals is on CBS.

NY Jets vs Cardinals Score -Preview, Game Stats, Time, TV

2008-09-24T22:51:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets at home vs Cardinals - game time Sunday, September 28, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live score on this page. Also find game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Cardinals is on Fox. Always get the latest NY Jets score, news and more at NYJetsmix.com!

Bad Monday Brett Favre - Jets Final Score, Game Stats

2008-09-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

The New York Jets lost to a Chargers team hungry for a win by a final score of 29 to 48. Brett Favre's first Monday night start with the New York Jets did not go as well as so many of the prior Monday Night's with the Packers. Brett threw two first half interception one of which was returned by Antonio Cromartie 52 yards for a touchdown. In addition two more Favre passes could have been intercepted with ease in particular Cromartie was unable to catch what would have been a sure touchdown in the first quarter. For the day Favre finished with stats of 30 of 42 passing for 271 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Favre also missed the last series of the game after rolling his ankle early in the third quarter. Thomas Jones led a feable running attack for the Jets with final stats of 10 carries for 37 yards. Jerricho Cotchery was Favre's favorite receiver with 10 catches for 76 yards.

The Jets now look to break there two game losing streak at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

Jets Game Day

2008-09-22T18:01:00.001-07:00

Jets at Chargers

Jets lose 29-48
September 22, 8:30 PM
ESPN Monday Night Football

NY Jets Game Score Live - Final Score

2008-09-22T17:36:00.001-07:00

Get the latest NY Jets Game Score Live right on this page. Also Get the final Jets score for every game in 2008 on this page.
2008 Final Scores
Game 1:
Jets at Dolphins
Score - 20-14 W
Game 2:
Jets vs Patriots
Score - 10-19 L
Jets at Chargers
Score - 29-48 L
Jets vs Cardinals
Score - 28-49 L
Jets vs Bengals
Score - 26-14 W
Jets vs Raiders
Score - 13-16 L
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NY Jets Score vs Chargers-Preview, Recap, TV, Time, Game Stats

2008-09-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

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The NY Jets at Chargers - game time Monday, September 22, 8:30 PM ET. Get the latest live score on this page. Also find game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Chargers is on ESPN. ESPN Monday night football.

NY Jets vs Chargers Score -Preview, Recap, TV, Time, Game Stats

2008-09-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets at Chargers - game time Monday, September 22, 8:30 PM ET. Get the latest live score on this page. Also find game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Chargers is on ESPN. Always get the latest NY Jets score and more at NYJetsmix.com! Monday night football.

Brett Favre Not Enough Jets Lose to Patriots, Jets Score, Recap, Stats

2008-09-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

Brett Favre and the New York Jets lost to the Patriots by a score of 19 to 10. Favre had stats on the day of 18 of 26 passing for 181 yards 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Favre interception was on a third-and-22 play from their own 11 yard line, the ball was under thrown to Chris Baker and intercepted by Brandon Meriweather. Favre's interception led to a Sammy Morris 1 yard run. The win by the Patriots was there 21st straight regular season win. Matt Cassel starting for the injured Tom Brady won his first game as a starting quarterback since highschool.
Thomas Jones led the NY Jets rushing stats with 17 carries for 70 yards. The receiving corps was led by Laveranues Coles stats of 3 catches for 52 yards with a long of 54.

Box Score: 1 2 3 4 F
Patriots 3 3 10 3 19
NY Jets 0 3 0 7 10

Ny Jets Score Summary:
Second Quarter
Jay Feely 21 Yd Field Goal
Fourth Quarter
Chansi Stuckey 2 Yd Pass From Brett Favre

NY Jets Score vs Patriots-Preview, Recap, TV, Time, Game Stats, Brett Favre

2008-09-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets at home vs Patriots - game time Sunday, September 14, 4:15 PM ET. Get the latest live score on this page. Also find game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Patriots is on CBS. Always get the latest NY Jets score and more at NYJetsmix.com!

With the season ending injury to Tom Brady there will be a lot of focus on the quarterbacks in this game. Brett Favre wil be making his second start for the NY Jets, and will be looking to build on a solid performance last week. The Patriots will prove a much stiffer test for Favre, however than a Dolphins team which likely is not much better than last years team. If the Jets defeat the Patriots they will help show they are contenders in a changed NFC East division.

NY Jets vs Patriots Score-Preview, Recap, TV, Time, Game Stats, Brett Favre

2008-09-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets at home vs Patriots - game time Sunday, September 14, 4:15 PM ET. Get the latest live score on this page. Also find game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs Patriots is on CBS. Always get the latest NY Jets score and more at NYJetsmix.com!

With the season ending injury to Tom Brady there will be a lot of focus on the quarterbacks in this game. Brett Favre wil be making his second start for the NY Jets, and will be looking to build on a solid performance last week. The Patriots will prove a much stiffer test for Favre, however than a Dolphins team which likely is not much better than last years team. If the Jets defeat the Patriots they will help show they are contenders in a changed NFC East division.

Brett Favre 2TD-NY Jets Win, Score, Recap, Game Stats

2008-09-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Brett Favre in his first regular season start for the NY Jets threw 2 touchdowns as the Jets defeated the Dolphins by a score of 20 to 14. Favre threw his first touchdown to Jerricho Cotchery a 56 Yd pass to open the Jets second series. Favre's second touchdown was a 22 Yd pass Chansi Stuckey in the second quarter. Thomas Jones 6 yard run was the last of the Jets scores, Jones also led the team in rushing with 101 yards on 22 carries. For the day Favre finished with stats of 15 of 22 passing for 194 yards and two touchdowns, he also fumbled twice and lost one fumble. The Miami Dolphins led by former Jets quarterback Chadd Pennington struggled to find an offense, however had a chance to win the game on the last series of the game.

New York Jets Score, News, Game Stats, Brett Favre, TV

2008-09-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

The New York Jets at the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, September 7, at 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live game score and photos right on this page. Also get the latest talk and game news after the game updated constantly from local and national news and blogs. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs the Dolphins is on CBS.Always get the latest live game score for all the games at NYJetsmix.com.

NY Jets at Dolphins, Time, Live Score, TV, Stats, Photos, News

2008-09-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets at the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, September 7, at 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live game score and photos right on this page. Also get the latest talk and game news after the game updated constantly from local and national news and blogs. TV coverage of the NY Jets vs the Dolphins is on CBS. Always get the latest NY Jets score at NYJetsmix.com!

Brett Favre Watches Game From Sidelines - Jets Score, News, Talk, Game Stats

2008-08-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

NY Jets win last preseason game versus the Eagles by a score of 27 to 20. Brett Favre threw a couple of passes before the game but none during as he watched the game from the sidelines like most of the other NY Jets starters. Fourth string quarterback Eric Ainge played most of the game for the Jets and had stats of 10 of 16 for one touchdown and no interceptions. Ainge a fifth round pick out of tennessee in 2008 is battling to be the third QB, and while he had a nice night he is likely headed to the practice squad after final cuts.

Game Score Summary:
1 2 3 4 F
NY Jets 0 10 7 10 27
Eagles 10 3 0 7 20

New York Jets Score, News, Game Stats

2008-08-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

The New York Jets at the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, August 28, at 6:30 PM ET. Get the latest live game score and photos right on this page. Also get the latest talk and game news after the game updated constantly from local and national news and blogs.

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NY Jets at Philadelphia Eagles, Time, Live Score, Stats, Photos

2008-08-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

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The New York Jets at the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, August 28, at 6:30 PM ET. Get the latest live game score and photos right on this page. Also get the latest talk and game news after the game updated constantly from local and national news and blogs.