Jets seek historic first win over Chip Kelly's lowly Eagles ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

. -- The good news, New York Jets fans? Cornerback Darrelle Revis, wide receiver Eric Decker and running back Chris Ivory were spotted on the field at practice Friday morning, with their helmets and stretching with the team.

The bad news  ?

All three left the field when practice actually began with special teams work.

Yes, those three aren't special teams players. But they walked out of sight and possibly back inside the fieldhouse, while the rest of their teammates not participating on special teams remained on the sideline.Revis (groin), who worked on a limited basis Thursday, did return to the sideline before the portion of practice open to the media ended. Decker (knee), who did not work Thursday, was walking back to the field as the media exited.

It appeared Ivory (quadricep), who also did not work Thursday, had not returned to the field, at least as of yet.We'll have more information from Jets head coach Todd Bowles after practice, at approximately 1:15 p.m. ET.Linebacker Trevor Reilly (finger) and cornerback Darrin Walls (hamstring), the other two players who did not work Thursday, had baseball caps on, meaning they almost certainly will not work Friday either.

>   http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/54473/darrelle-revis-eric-decker-chris-ivory-practice-status-uncertain

[kelly]

he Philadelphia Eagles desperately need a win this weekend after starting out the 2015 NFL season with an 0-2 record. The bad news for the Birds is that it probably won't be so easy. The undefeated Jets have looked good on their path to 2-0. The New York defense figures to provide a tough challenge for an Eagles offense that can barely manage to get a first down without assistance of a penalty right now.

The good news for the Eagles is that if history is on their side, they will win this game. OK, so that's not exactly how it works, but the Eagles are 9-0 all-time against the Jets, dating back 42 years ago to 1973. The Eagles have outscored the Jets by a total of 247 to 154, which equates to an average of 27.4 to 17.1. Not only have the Eagles always beaten the Jets, but they've beaten them decisively.

The last time the Eagles beat the Jets was back in 2011 at Lincoln Financial Field. Quarterbacking for New York at the time was Philadelphia's current backup, Mark Sanchez. The Eagles won that game by a final score of 45-19.The bad news is that, as mentioned earlier, the Eagles' streak appears to be in serious jeopardy. The Jets have definitely looked like the better team through two games so far. New York's defense has managed to force 10 turnovers and allow just 17 points. If the Eagles are going to save their season, it needs to start this week. They need to extend their all-time against the Jets to 10-0.

Now you can all complain about how I jinxed it.

>    http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2015/9/24/9391485/philadelphia-eagles-new-york-jets-head-to-head-record-history-all-time-9-0-streak?_ga=1.19377919.670292737.1436212797

[kelly]

 -- New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, wide receiver Eric Decker and running back Chris Ivory are questionable for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jets coach Todd Bowles said Friday that all three players will be game-time decisions.Revis (groin) is the most likely to play. He practiced on a limited basis for the second day in a row Friday."He’s getting better," Bowles said. "He’s still sore. We’ll warm him up on Sunday and see how he does."

Decker (knee) did not practice at all this week. Ivory (quadriceps) was limited on Friday, an indication he could play.Two players have already been ruled out by the Jets: wideout Chris Owusu (knee) and linebacker Trevor Reilly (finger).Cornerback Darrin Walls (hamstring) is doubtful, and guard Willie Colon (knee) is questionable but expected to play.

Rookie linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin was a full participant in practice Friday, and Bowles said Mauldin will play Sunday, just two weeks after being knocked unconscious against the Cleveland Browns and being hospitalized."With the concussion protocol, I never thought that it would take just one week to get back, I thought it would take two or three weeks," Mauldin said. "But I tend to be a fast healer. Just glad to be back."

One final note: Bowles said he has yet to make a decision on who will be his backup quarterback Sunday, Geno Smith or Bryce Petty. But he spoke positively about Smith."He was sharp, he threw the ball around," Bowles said. "[He] kind of knew a lot of the offense from meetings, and stood in there, and he made some good throws."

>     http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/54482/darrelle-revis-eric-decker-chris-ivory-questionable-vs-eagles

[kelly]

Eagles are 9-0 against Jets, while Rich Kotite is 1-1

-- The Philadelphia Eagles have never lost a game to the New York Jets.

A regular-season game, that is. The Eagles lost to the Jets just 24 days before their Sunday meeting. That 24-18 Jets victory at MetLife Stadium was a preseason game.

In the regular season, the Eagles and Jets have played only nine times. The Eagles have won all nine games, beginning with a 1973 meeting at Veterans Stadium. The teams have played five times in Philadelphia and four times in the Meadowlands.This will be the first regular-season meeting at MetLife Stadium. The Eagles are 4-1 there against the New York Giants.

The last time the Eagles and Jets played in the Meadowlands, at the old Giants Stadium, was in 2007. The Eagles won that game, 16-9.Chip Kelly will become the seventh Eagles head coach to face the Jets in the regular season. Mike McCormack was the coach when the teams first met in 1973. Dick Vermeil faced the Jets twice. Buddy Ryan and Ray Rhodes each faced the Jets once.

Rich Kotite was part of two consecutive meetings between the teams. Kotite was the Eagles head coach when the teams played in 1993. He was the Jets head coach when they next met in 1996.Andy Reid coached against the Jets three times in his 14-year tenure with the Eagles.

>    http://espn.go.com/blog/philadelphia-eagles/post/_/id/13733/eagles-are-9-0-against-jets-while-rich-kotite-is-1-1

[kelly]

This is a dangerous game for the New York Jets, one of the early NFL surprises: Short week, sore bodies, tired legs and a desperate opponent that can't possibly be as bad as they played last week. You might as well put "Potential Letdown" in neon lights.Coach Todd Bowles doesn't see it that way. He's approaching the Philadelphia Eagles (0-2) no different than last week or the week before."You treat everybody the same," the Jets' coach said. "You take off their jersey colors and their numbers and you treat every week the same."

Bowles' philosophy is definitely closer to Bill Belichick than Rex Ryan, who hypes certain games as Armageddon. We'll see how it plays out Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The top storylines :

1. The offense is a mirage: Don't buy in just yet. Yes, the Jets have six touchdowns in two games, but consider some of the scoring drives -- 9, 28, 19 and 9 yards. Thanks to a turnover-minded defense, they've been playing on short fields. There's nothing wrong with that, but they need to develop more consistency on offense. After Monday night's win, Brandon Marshall said they "stunk it up." It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great, either.This week, they may have to rely on the passing game more than usual because the Eagles have a stout run defense (3.1 yards per rush), but an injury to wide receiver Eric Decker (sprained knee) could complicate the plan. Can they function if Decker is out and Marshall is getting doubled on every play? They may have to do something radical, like throw to a tight end. Remember, Chris Ivory (strained quadriceps) is hurting, too, and might not play, so the running game could lack some bite.

2. Putting on the Fitz: Ryan Fitzpatrick might be the most popular guy at One Jets Drive. He's had a calming influence on the offense, winning the respect of key veterans. Clearly, he has the trust of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who wasn't afraid to put the game in Fitzpatrick's hands when the Indianapolis Colts closed to within three points in the fourth quarter. He joined Boomer Esiason (1993) as the only quarterbacks in Jets history to post a 90-plus passer rating and two touchdown passes in each of his first two starts.But now he faces new challenges, namely the Eagles' blitz. They've blitzed on 40 percent of their opponents' dropbacks, the fifth-highest rate in the league. Also know this about Fitzpatrick: He hasn't won three straight starts since the beginning of the 2011 season, when he played for the Buffalo Bills. The Jets, too, haven't won three in a row since 2011.

3. Dealing with the hurry up: Chip Kelly's offense is fast, fast, fast -- and that could be problematic for the Jets, who had only five days rest after the Monday night game. This will test their conditioning as well as their ability to communicate calls and adjustments. The Eagles move quickly, so there's less time to make calls and change personnel. Once again, the Eagles are leading the league in tempo, averaging 30.6 seconds (real time) between plays from scrimmage, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The next-fastest team is the Houston Texans, a distant second at 34.1 seconds. The Jets' Antonio Cromartie believes the Eagles are slower than last season, but the stats say otherwise. They've been almost a full second faster than last year (31.5). To a man, the Jets say the key is winning on third down, preventing the Eagles from developing a rhythm.

4. Bad history to good history: The Jets have 10 takeaways in two games, which is mind boggling. Consider: They're the first team to have five or more takeaways in each of its first two games since the 1992 Pittsburgh Steelers. This is coming from a team that was historically bad in this category. In 2013 and 2014, the Jets made only 28 takeaways, the fewest in any two-year span in NFL history. They should be able to rack up a few more against Sam Bradford, a Nervous Nellie last week against the Dallas Cowboys. His interior blocking is highly suspect, so look for the Jets to unleash blitzes into the A and B gaps. The No. 1 concern is Darren Sproles, a two-way threat who could cause major problems. Defending him "takes all 11," said Darrelle Revis (groin), who is expected to play.

>   http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/54470/jets-need-more-consistency-from-stinking-offense-to-beat-eagles

[rillo]

Make it happen Jets, 3-0 going to London.

[slats]

Yes, the Jets have six touchdowns in two games, but consider some of the scoring drives -- 9, 28, 19 and 9 yards. Thanks to a turnover-minded defense, they've been playing on short fields.

[..]

[Fitzpatrick] joined Boomer Esiason (1993) as the only quarterbacks in Jets history to post a 90-plus passer rating and two touchdown passes in each of his first two starts.

Wow, couple sobering quotes.