JETS ARTICLES - FRI 12/15

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Jets to Feel at Home Inside the Dome

Published: 12-15-06

By John Beattie

John Beattie is a reporter for the Jets and contributes to newyorkjets.com.

Article Permalink: http://www.newyorkjets.com/articles/jets-to-feel-at-home-inside-the-dome

As an unseasonably warm second week of December sweeps through Long Island

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http://www.nj.com/jets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1166161738211060.xml&coll=1

Vilma sacks claim 3-4 scheme isn't for him

Friday, December 15, 2006

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Following last Sunday's 31-13 loss to Buffalo, Bills left tackle Jason Peters echoed the sentiments of the media by saying Jets inside linebacker Jonathan Vilma and the 3-4 defensive scheme are a bad marriage.

Vilma, who has struggled making the adjustment from the 4-3, was credited with just one tackle against the Bills.

"I got up on him a couple of times," Peters told Jets Confidential The Magazine. "He doesn't like it when somebody gets up on him and blocks him. He's more of a sideline-to-sideline, fill-the-gap type of guy. He's more of a 4-3 guy. The 3-4, I don't know. It's going to be hard for him to make plays in the 3-4."

Ouch.

"That's fine if he thinks that," Vilma said yesterday. "The coaches say I'm playing well in it (the 3-4 defense). I think I'm doing fine in it. I'm not really worried about what he thinks. So, cool, I guess. To each his own."

Peters, at 6-4, 340 pounds, outweighs Vilma by at least 110 pounds. Vilma disputes the fact he only had one tackle. Buffalo rushed for 174 yards on 34 carries.

"I had more tackles than that," said Vilma, who has 97 tackles, no sacks, one fumble recovery and an interception this season. "I played a good game. I graded out well. Coach said I played well. So I'm fine."

K Mike Nugent, who has hit a career-best nine straight field goals and 14 of his past 15, including a career-best 54-yarder, has rebounded nicely after a slow start.

Nugent, a second-round pick (47th overall) in 2005, started his streak after missing an extra point and two field goals (30 and 34 yards) in the opener vs. the Titans.

Since then, he only has missed a 52-yarder against the Browns in Week 8.

"I'm just thinking that this shouldn't start halfway through the season," Nugent said. "What I need to focus on now is do what I can to keep it consistent throughout the rest of this season."

Nugent said he has had rough starts in his first two seasons (his first career attempt was blocked in Kansas City last season) and his goal is to start fast next season.

Rookie free-agent WR Wallace Wright was a walk-on at North Carolina, where he started only one game (on Senior Day) and finished with just 23 career receptions for 312 yards and four touchdowns in four seasons.

He was an undrafted free agent who wasn't even signed after the draft. He was invited to Jets training camp only after a tryout.

Yet he has played in the past two games on special teams after spending the first 11 games on the practice squad. He had a tackle against the Bills.

"I think about (how far I've come) sometimes, but I'd much rather think about where I'm going," he said. "I'm fortunate that I was in the right place at the right time. I feel this is the first time I'm getting the opportunity to really be the player I'm capable of being."

The Jets will be facing Vikings CB Antoine Winfield for the first time since he backed out of a verbal agreement with the club as an unrestricted free agent at the start of free agency in March 2004.

Winfield reneged on the deal late on the first evening of free agency, was picked up from Long Island by the Vikings on a private jet in the wee hours and signed with Minnesota the next day. He had agreed in principle on a six-year, $30 million deal that included a $10 million signing bonus with the Jets.

Minnesota offered a six-year, $36 million package with $10.8 million to sign. Word is Winfield's wife didn't like New York. A solid cover corner, he has four interceptions (tied for the team lead) and 50 tackles (third on the team) this season.

QB Chad Pennington, a Marshall product, saw a screening of the new movie "We are Marshall" and gave it two thumbs up. The film is about how the school's football program was reborn following a 1970 plane crash.

RB Cedric Houston worked with the first team in practice yesterday, while rookie QB Kellen Clemens practiced with the second team for the second week in a row.

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http://www.nypost.com/seven/12152006/sports/jets/pro_bowl_voting_coming_to_close_jets_mark_cannizzaro.htm

PRO BOWL VOTING COMING TO CLOSE

By MARK CANNIZZARO

December 15, 2006 -- This week is the final chance for NFL players to make a final impression for Pro Bowl voting.

The Pro Bowl teams will be announced on Tuesday. The Jets have two realistic candidates to be voted onto the team - safety Kerry Rhodes and kicker returner Justin Miller.

Miller leads the NFL with a 29-yard average and he has two returned for TDs.

Rhodes is tied for the team lead in INTs with four. He also has four sacks and three forced fumbles to go along with 82 tackles. A year ago, in his rookie season, Rhodes had one INT, one sack and no forced fumbles.

"I haven't been thinking about it, but every player wants so be recognized for doing something good,'' Rhodes said yesterday of the Pro Bowl. "It would be an honor for me, just for players, peers and coaches to think you had a good year. If it comes, it would be a great accolade.''

*

The Jets yesterday extended their sympathies to Lamar Hunt's family for the passing of the Kansas City Chiefs' owner, whose pioneering ways made it possible for the Jets to join the NFL.

"The first thing I would like to say is how sad we were to hear of the passing of Lamar Hunt. Obviously losing a man like him who was a pioneer, an innovator and such an important part of the league is an incredible loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," Eric Mangini said.

"It's a sad day for sports fans around the world," Jets' owner Woody Johnson said yesterday in a statement. "Lamar Hunt was truly a pioneer and had a lasting impact on a number of professional sports. In creating the AFL, he likely did more to change the NFL over the last half-century than any other single person.

"Without Lamar Hunt, there would be no Super Bowl, a term he originally coined, and there would be no New York Jets franchise. Lamar's energy and ideas have helped shape the American sports landscape over the past five decades."

*

The Jets have been practicing in the practice bubble for the first time all season in preparation for playing in the Metrodome. Mangini has been blaring loud music during practice to simulate loud fan noise.

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http://www.nypost.com/seven/12152006/sports/jets/picks_up_artist_jets_mark_cannizzaro.htm

PICKS-UP ARTIST

By MARK CANNIZZARO

December 15, 2006 -- Here's a prediction that you can carry to the bank and cash in when the business day begins Monday morning: If Chad Pennington plays poorly, the Jets will lose to the Vikings on Sunday in the Metrodome.

As Pennington goes so go the Jets.

In the Jets' seven wins this season, Pennington has been intercepted just four times. In their six losses, he's been picked off 11 times, including twice in last Sunday's loss to the Bills, against whom he also lost a fumble.

For the season, Pennington has thrown a career-high 15 interceptions, a bright red flag for a player whose success has been heavily predicated on making fewer mistakes than the next guy.

As the 7-6 Jets, who cannot lose a single one of their final three regular-season games and realistically make it into the playoffs, enter Sunday's game, the pressure probably falls on the shoulders of Pennington even more intensely than on any other Sunday.

The 6-7 Vikings, quite simply, have a defense that cannot be run on with any consistency. Making matters even more complicated, the Jets have a spotty rushing attack with no true No. 1 back.

When the Vikings have been beaten this season, they've been defeated through the air. The Patriots, who had the most success against the Minnesota defense, won 31-7 by spreading the field. Tom Brady threw 43 times for 372 yards and four TDs.

That puts the onus on Pennington. It means he cannot turn the ball over.

"In this league, turnovers lead to the demise of your offense," Pennington said. "That's something that I need to improve on, something that in the past that I've been relatively good at, and this year I haven't done a good job of that.

"I definitely need to protect the football at all costs. Even when our offense isn't being as productive as we would like for it to be, you still have to take care of the football and make sure at the end of the game you have a chance to win."

With his start Sunday, Pennington will tie his season career high of 13 starts, accomplished in 2004. He threw 16 TDs and had nine INTs that year. He entered this season with an outstanding career ratio of 55 to 30.

This season, he has an un-Pennington-like 14 TDs and 15 INTs.

"I think there are multiple reasons. One could be getting used to the new system," Pennington said of his increase in picks. "Another could be forcing some throws. Another could be just mere circumstance of a tipped ball or something like that, a high throw here or there.

"With all that said, I have to concentrate on what I can control, and that is decision-making, being more consistent in decision-making, making sure that if I don't make the perfect decision, let's not make the worst decision to put my team in a bad spot.

"In the first three quarters, you can't win the game, but as a quarterback you can cause your team to lose the game because of turnovers and inconsistent play. That's where I have to be better."

Vikings' coach Brad Childress was asked if he views Pennington as a more "mistake-prone" quarterback than he's been in the past.

"I probably see him as just the opposite," Childress said. "He's not afraid to take risks. He's a timing thrower. He's very smart. He's orchestrating that offense at the line of scrimmage. You have to know where all the keys on the piano are in order to do that, whether its protection or routes or what have you.

"I don't see him as a mistake-prone guy at all. I see him as a consummate pro. Obviously, he's battled back from [two shoulder injuries], but I don't see any ill effects from that."

Pennington's teammates are behind him with full confidence.

"Unfortunately, when we don't play good offensive football, it falls on Chad to try to win the game," Jets' LG Pete Kendall said.

"Chad can't win the game on his own," Jets' WR Laveranues Coles said. "And that means he can't lose the game on his own."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjets155016502dec15,0,4643996.story?coll=ny-jets-print

Trading benches

Bollinger, Mosley seeing little playing time for new clubs

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

December 15, 2006

When the Jets traded quarterback Brooks Bollinger to the Vikings for defensive lineman C.J. Mosley, a rare player-for-player deal in the NFL, each team figured to be trimming some dead branches.

Bollinger, who started nine games in 2005 when injuries crippled the Jets, was the fourth man in a four-man open quarterback competition in training camp. With tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams forging one of the toughest run defenses in NFL history, Mosley, a second-year player, was doomed to a superfluous role.

While the trade allowed each team to chop extraneous parts, it was also supposed to fill a need on each squad and give each player a fresh start. So far, the additions have not lived up to the subtractions.

Bollinger and Mosley may have swapped helmet logos, but their lot as backups has not changed. New surroundings couldn't get these guys far off the bench, though each is starting to emerge in his new system.

"The last two to three weeks, C.J. has really made a case. It was heard. He was given the opportunity," Jets coach Eric Mangini said of giving the 315-pound tackle his first significant playing time of the season on Sunday against the Bills. Mosley had been active for only one other game this season, but his four tackles and an assist against the Bills were the most among defensive linemen.

"He finally got his shot and produced pretty well," Mangini said.

Mosley joked that he had never even heard of a 3-4 defense before arriving at the Jets. He wasn't joking when he said he'd never played in such a system, and changing his techniques and instincts to adapt to the scheme took some time. And some coaching. A lot of coaching.

"I just knew I had to let myself be open to all of the criticism in order to help me learn," he said. "I was getting fingers pointed [at me] from everywhere."

Mosley said playing in the games has made him feel more a part of the team - even though his two appearances have come in the team's worst games of the season, the 41-0 loss at Jacksonville and Sunday's 31-13 Bills loss.

"I thought I was going to get the opportunity to play a lot earlier," he said, "but it takes time."

Nose tackle is a position the Jets will need to address during the offseason. While starter Dewayne Robertson has grown more comfortable in the position, he is probably more suited to a defensive end spot in the Jets' scheme. Rashad Moore has been Robertson's backup most of the season along with Bobby Hamilton. None has the girth the Vikings have up front with the Williams Boys.

As for Bollinger, he has appeared in two games for the Vikings, spraining his left shoulder when he replaced an ineffective Brad Johnson two weeks ago. The injury likely cost Bollinger a chance to become the starter.

As for facing the Jets on Sunday, Bollinger said it would have been fun to play against them (which is unlikely as he is listed as questionable on the injury report and was the emergency third quarterback for the Vikings last week), but it will be nice to see some old teammates who went poof! when the trade was completed. "I mean, I left work one day and that was the last time I saw them," Bollinger said.

As for his tenure with the Jets - and particularly his experience in the four-man competition during training camp - Bollinger said he holds no hard feelings.

"Chad [Pennington] separated himself," Bollinger said. "Who knows if behind the scene I was out before the competition started or what, but I can only control what I can control and I don't think I played as well as I could have with the reps that I had in practice."

That fresh start for each player has yet to be realized. But there is still time this season and beyond.

"Each guy is a little different," Mangini said. "Some guys you see and hear a little earlier on. Some guys a little later. I don't think there's necessarily one path to getting the opportunity."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/ny-spedmac155016500dec15,0,819846.story?coll=ny-giants-print

NFL GRIDIRON GUIDE

ED McNAMARA

December 15, 2006

Jets: Win or else

Jets (7-6) at Vikings (6-7)

Line: Vikings by 3 Over/Under: 41

Time to channel WFAN Jets freak Joe Benigno: "You knew, you knew, that just when the Jets were looking really good that they'd find a way to break your heart one more time." The flop against the Bills, which Rich the Jets fan feared, removed any margin for error. Even if the Jets win at the noisy Metrodome, Christmas night in Miami screams "Ambush!" Disregard the Vikings' 30 points against the pathetic Lions, because Minnesota's offense is bad. The Vikings' run defense is excellent, but Chad Pennington can pick Minnesota apart with short passes.

The pick: Jets

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjnotes155016501dec15,0,6963007.story?coll=ny-jets-print

Wright as usual

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

December 15, 2006

Rookie Wallace Wright has come out of nowhere to be part of the Jets active roster the last two weeks and made his first special teams tackle on Sunday against the Bills. But that's just the kind of ascension Wright is used to making.

He was a walk-on in college at North Carolina, eventually earning a scholarship but starting only one game in his career -- on Senior Day. He was a walk-on in the NFL, too (though the proper term is unsigned rookie free agent). He impressed the Jets enough during a tryout that they signed him to the squad for training camp, then kept him with the practice unit for most of the season.

"I've always really liked the idea of giving people opportunities that may have been overlooked," Jets coach Eric Mangini said, adding that assistant director of player personnel JoJo Wooden coordinated the players at the tryout.

Wright is listed as a wide receiver, the position he played at North Carolina, but after playing defensive back on the practice squad he could be used on either side of the ball in a pinch. He practices as a receiver now, though he seems destined to run under punts and make tackles -- he was a special teams captain at North Carolina -- which is fine for him.

"It's a dream come true," he said. "Words can't describe how happy I am to be here."

Mourning Hunt

The Jets took some time yesterday to remember Lamar Hunt, the owner of the Chiefs who died on Wednesday night.

Jets owner Woody Johnson noted Hunt's contributions in a statement: "In creating the AFL, he likely did more to change the NFL over the last half century than any other single person. Without Lamar Hunt there would be no Super Bowl, a term he originally coined, and there would not be a New York Jets franchise."

Jet stream

Mangini said quarterback Chad Pennington joked that the Jets were preparing in case the roof at the Metrodome leaks on Sunday as the team spent part of its practice in the rain on Wednesday,

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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/story/480195p-404036c.html

Wright time, right place for Jet

By RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Before heading to New York last spring for a tryout at the Jets' rookie camp, Wallace Wright bumped into a former college teammate-turned-Super Bowl hero at a McDonald's in Durham, N.C.

Wright received a few McNuggets of wisdom from Steelers tailback Willie Parker, who blazed the trail he was hoping to follow. Like Wright, Parker was an unhappy backup at North Carolina who didn't get drafted. Undaunted, he made the Steelers' roster as a free agent and became a cog in last season's Super Bowl run.

Parker's message to Wright: If I can defy the odds, you can, too.

Wright has become the Jets' version of "Rudy." He landed a contract at the rookie audition, played well enough in training camp to earn a spot on the practice squad and, after 11 games of waiting and wishing, he was promoted to the active roster two weeks ago when wide receiver Tim Dwight (foot surgery) went down for the season.

Wright's breakout moment occurred in last week's loss to the Bills, when he made an open-field tackle on dangerous punt returner Roscoe Parrish. Wright hopes to get another opportunity Sunday at the Metrodome, where the Jets face the Vikings in a virtual must-win for both teams.

No matter what happens over the final three games, Wright has exceeded expectations. That he made it to training camp was an accomplishment. To get this far, "It's definitely an amazing story," he said. "Words can't describe how it feels to be here right now."

If he's speechless, imagine how his former North Carolina coaches feel.

They never thought Wright was good enough to be a starter, so he spent four years as a kickoff returner and backup wide receiver. He finished his career with only 24 receptions. This was the same coaching staff, headed by the recently fired John Bunting, that never made Parker a full-time starter.

"A lot of politics," said Wright, who initially made the Tar Heels' team as a freshman walk-on.

His pro stock took a big hit last November, when he fractured his leg. When the NFL scouts came around in the spring to time the seniors, Wright, still feeling the effects of the injury, ran a disappointing 4.5 seconds in the 40. His usual time was 4.38, he said.

Around draft time, Wright got the double whammy: No one picked him and no one offered a free-agent contract. The Jets promised a look, no guarantees.

"I've always liked the idea of giving people opportunities that may have been overlooked," Eric Mangini said.

He mentioned Chargers All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates as a prime example, adding, "How many people wish they had answered that call?"

Despite his skimpy college resume, Wright was determined to become the second athlete in his family to play pro ball. (His father, Wallace, Sr., was a career minor leaguer in the Expos' organization.) His chance meeting with Parker only steeled his resolve.

"He gave me words of encouragement, like, 'Don't let anything stop you,'" Wright said. "He knows the situations are similar between me and him. He was like, 'Just look at me.'"

What makes Wright's story even more remarkable is that he's playing both ways. He has practiced most of the season at defensive back, noting that Mangini "wants me to be a Troy Brown type of guy" - a reference to the Patriots' wide receiver/occasional cornerback.

In the locker room, Wright's stall is between those belonging to Chad Pennington and Shaun Ellis. Yep, he's come a long way. It's a super-sized dream come true.

TAYLOR-MADE: Vikings RB Chester Taylor, who missed last week's game with a rib injury, expects to play. The Vikings list him as questionable. ...WR Laveranues Coles, who often complains about Mangini's tough regimen, was asked on a Minnesota conference call if Mangini was a good hire. Said Coles: "What I think really doesn't matter." ...Rookie LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who allowed three sacks last week, is tired of talking about his poor performance. "I'm not harping on it," he said. "It's over." ...Mangini and owner Woody Johnson spoke glowingly of late Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, founder of the old AFL. "Without Lamar Hunt," Johnson said, "there would not be a New York Jets franchise."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nysportsday.com/news/jets/1166186533.php

Jets Need to Run the Ball

by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day | Friday, December 15, 2006

HEMPSTEAD, NY - Minnesota’s rushing defense may be on the verge of history, but the Jets could see their playoff hopes dashed at the Metrodome if they allow the Vikings offense to move down the field when the two play this Sunday.

Points will not come easily for the Jets, who did little offensively against Buffalo last week and will be facing a run defense allowing only an average of 54 yards per game. Regardless of the tailback rotation coach Eric Mangini settles on this week, they will be up against a unit looking to break the NFL record currently held by the 1942 Bears.

That historic team gave up just 47.2 yards under the direction of Hall of Fame coach George Halas. It was the lowest average since the league started keeping records in 1920. The Vikings also surrender just 2.7 yards per carry, meaning the Jets will need to play strong defense to allow the running back committee of Kevan Barlow-Leon Washington-Cedric Houston to keep it close and sustain the team’s long-shot playoff hopes.

Minnesota does not possess an offense that will be making any history, but still can score behind veteran quarterback Brad Johnson and RB Artose Pinner. During a victory over the Lions last week that improved the team’s record to 6-7, Johnson threw for just 159 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Pinner bailed out the 15-year pro, and the player who started as the backup running back but filled in for the injured Chester Taylor by rushing for three touchdowns and 125 yards against Detroit.

Taylor is listed as questionable with a rib injury and did not practice Wednesday, meaning Pinner could start for the second week in a row. In his four NFL seasons, the 28-year-old never started more than two games in a single season but will look to improve off a career-best performance.

“It’s one thing to run around in shorts and jerseys and it’s another thing to get whacked,” Vikings coach Brad Childress said. ”That’s going to be on going this week. Artose did a nice job of coming in and filling the gap, but that’s what 53-man rosters are all about. You believe the people you keep have a chance to step in ably and contribute.”

The Jets will try and atone for a 31-13 loss to the Bills, who scored a touchdown off a Chad Pennington interception but also cut through the defense. Willis McGahee scorched the defensive line for 125 yards on 16 carries, including one 57-yard run. Pinner is still adjusting to the feature role, but showed last week he can break off a big run.

“Whenever you watch a film after a loss it’s hard, because mistakes that are made are little things that you know can be corrected and that you don’t expect to make,” linebacker Victor Hobson said about shrugging off the Bills defeat. “At the same time, we just have to learn from it and build off of it.”

While the 7-6 Jets need to win all three remaining games and possibly get some help to secure one of two wildcard spots in the competitive AFC, the Vikings are still viable contenders in the top-heavy NFC.

Like Mangini, Childress is in his first season as a NFL head coach. So far, the former Eagles quarterbacks coach actually has a defense outperforming the side of the ball where he specialized in. Johnson has a woeful touchdown-to-interception ratio, tossing eight touchdowns against 15 picks.

Marcus Robinson is the only receiver to distinguish himself as an end zone threat so far, catching a team-leading four touchdown passes. Travis Taylor leads all Vikings with 45 receptions and 507 receiving yards, though he recorded just one touchdown so far.

Tight end Jermaine Wiggins has been a good complementary target, finding space in the slot and in the downfield seams for 41 catches. Overall, the Vikings are averaging 326 yards of total offense per game, which ranks in the middle of all teams.

Brooks Bollinger is second on the QB depth chart and could see some more time if Johnson’s struggles continue. Bollinger was traded to Minnesota this summer, but became the Jets quarterback last season after Pennington and backup Jay Fielder went down with injuries.

Bollinger started nine games last season after making appearing in only one game his first two years in the league. The 6-1, 205-pound passer finished 150-266 for1,558 yards and seven touchdowns during his 11 total games in 2005, throwing just six interceptions despite only playing as an emergency starter.

“We played the Jets every year in the preseason at Philadelphia and I was able to kind of follow him,” Childress said about why the team traded for Bollinger. “I remember a 75-yard drive during the preseason that he took down the field, which ended up beating us in the preseason, which is no small thing when you think about who you’re playing with at the end of the game. He has incrementally gotten better as he’s been in the NFL.”

The Jets were uncertain about Pennington coming back from a second surgery on his throwing shoulder and held an open competition for the position in training camp. Bollinger was one of four contests for the job along with Pennington, rookie Kellen Clemens and Patrick Ramsey.

Ramsey signed a contract extension, the team used a second-round draft pick on Clemens and Pennington won the starters’ job, meaning Bollinger was the odd-man out. While the former Wisconsin stand-out would like to play Sunday and end the post-season dreams of the team that traded him, Bollinger said he enjoyed his time in New York.

“I learned a lot about football, learned how to be a pro from some great pros,” said Bollinger, who is 13-18 for 146 yards in two relief appearances this season. “Both personally and professionally, while I was out there I got married and had my first child. There were a lot of things both off-the-field and on-the-field and I don’t have a bad thing to say about anybody that I worked with there.”

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/SPORTS01/612150422/1108

Jets' Ferguson, Mangold provide support for each other

By Andrew Gross

The Journal News

(Original Publication: December 15, 2006)

HEMPSTEAD - The NFL draft was too hectic for the realization to instantly hit either D'Brickashaw Ferguson or Nick Mangold. But once things started to calm down that April day, each offensive lineman was thrilled the Jets had also picked the other.

It's good for any rookie to have a built-in support system, let alone a first-round pick in New York. So having somebody going through the same thing is a bonus.

"It's just little things,'' Mangold said yesterday. "Not so much football-wise, usually the older guys take care of that. But little things going on outside football or inside the locker room, sticking up for each other if one's getting picked on. To have a buddy like that who's going through the same thing is nice.''

Ferguson, a 6-foot-6, 312-pound left tackle picked fourth overall, and Mangold, a 6-4, 300-pound center selected at No. 29, have each started the first 13 games as the Jets (7-6) head into Sunday's game at Minnesota (6-7).

But Ferguson is coming off one of his tougher games. Buffalo defensive end Aaron Schobel recorded three sacks in the Bills' 31-13 win, and Schobel pancaked Ferguson on another occasion.

"There were some things that was like, 'OK, this is not how I would want the game to have gone,' '' Ferguson said. "You can always learn from what you do. You can always analyze and say, 'Let me change this up.' I think initially it was, 'Man, I didn't play the way I wanted to.' But it's one game. If you're ever going to improve, you can't always hover on the fact that I didn't play as well as I wanted to.''

In fact, one thing that Mangold said has impressed him about his linemate is Ferguson's ability to keep a consistent approach.

"You've got to move on,'' Ferguson said. "There's time to look and reflect and there's also the fact that I have another opponent this week. I can't be worried Saturday night like, 'Damn, if I would have had that block.' Even if I did a great job, I can't be like, 'Wow.' You've always got to keep your eyes on the target.''

Actually, the spotlight may be more on Mangold and guards Pete Kendall and Brandon Moore this week since Minnesota's interior linemen - Pro Bowler Kevin Williams and Pat Williams - are the stalwarts in the NFL's top-rated run defense.

The Vikings are allowing opponents just 54.1 rushing yards per game.

"I don't think you can ever fall into that trap,'' Ferguson said when asked about the strength of the Vikings' defensive line. "Every week you can go out there and have somebody on top of their game. The minute you take the foot off the pedal is when the problems start.''

Ferguson, who went to Virginia, met Ohio State's Mangold at the Senior Bowl in January. The first night there, they were asked to attend a fund-raiser in conjunction with the bowl game. The relationship grew stronger during the Jets' mini-camps.

"Being the No. 4 pick you might think he could have a big head,'' Mangold said. "But he was the same guy he was in January, since mini-camps. He stayed the same guy, the same level, the same preparation.''

One thing that has changed, however, is Ferguson's willingness to speak up during team meetings, even if the Long Island native does have a reputation for being soft-spoken with the media.

"I really like the way that he's becoming more and more vocal,'' Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "Not just on the field but in the meeting rooms. That happens with playing with the same guys and feeling more comfortable and really understanding what's happening.''

Notes: The Jets practiced inside their bubble for the second straight day to get used to the conditions they will face Sunday in the Metrodome. … Neither the Jets nor the Vikings made any changes to their injury report, so Minnesota's 1,000-yard rusher, Chester Taylor (ribs), remains questionable and missed practice for a second straight day.

[Sperm Edwards]

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Jet RBs ready to test Vikes

Friday, December 15, 2006

By RANDY LANGE

STAFF WRITER

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The Minnesota Vikings are the tallest mountain among NFL run defenses. They're not just the best this season. They're probably the best since the 1970 merger. They're possibly the best of all time.

And like Everest, some opponents choose not to climb, others go up and don't come down, and still others live to tell about a successful experience.

The Jets feel they'll be in the third group when they test themselves Sunday in Minneapolis.

"I love those kinds of challenges," running back Cedric Houston said Thursday. "If somebody's the No. 1 run defense, obviously I'm going to see where I'm at. They won't scare me off."

Guard Pete Kendall, one of the linemen who will try to open some crevices for Houston to squeeze through, jested:

"I'd prefer to face the 32nd-ranked run defense. ... Can we run on them? I hope so. We'll find out."

Wide receiver Laveranues Coles set a Minnesota reporter straight when he was asked if he's excited at the Jets possibly needing to throw the ball 50 times.

"No, because I don't think that's something we would do," Coles said. "I don't think we would turn ourselves into a one-dimensional team. You still have to try to run the ball and see if they would take it away. Our game has been trying to run the ball and then working off of that, so we'll just see how that works out for us and go from there."

There's no denying the Vikings are legitimate. Built from a sturdy triangle of nose tackle Pat Williams, under tackle Kevin Williams and middle linebacker Napoleon Harris, they lead the NFL not only in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (54.1) but also in yards per carry (2.7).

In the last month, Miami managed 7 yards on 13 carries, Arizona 17 on six, Detroit minus-3 on 10.

"You don't run the ball inside very often or very easily against our defense," first-year coach Brad Childress said.

Further, the Vikes will beat the 2000 Ravens' post-merger record of 60.6 yards allowed per game if they hold their final three opponents to 266 yards or less. And to better the all-time record of 47.2 set by the 1942 Bears in 11 games, Minnesota must yield 51 yards or less combined.

"We'll worry about that stuff later," Pat Williams told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "Our main goal every week is to smash the run. We don't need to worry about any records."

The Jets would seem to be ripe for the taking. They started the year averaging 2.5 yards a carry in their first two games and are only three weeks removed from 27 yards on 26 carries vs. Houston.

And with 69 runs ending at or behind the line of scrimmage for 95 yards in losses, they're on pace for their worst figures in both categories since 2000.

Yet it's always possible, now that the historical comparisons have been wheeled out, that the Vikings will be distracted.

A modest 52 yards by the Jets will finish those comparisons with the '42 Bears. A puny 3.0 average could be enough of a threat to sustain Chad Pennington's still superb play-action passing.

Rookie Leon Washington put a mature spin on what's ahead for him and his offense.

"Sometimes it's not the quality but the quantity of the runs," Washington said. "We know it's going to be tough. I keep overemphasizing this, but we're just going to go out there and do what we need to do to give ourselves the best chance to win."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nfl/SIG=12g8cn8p3/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-jets-goingindoors&prov=ap&type=lgns

Jets go indoors to prepare for the Metrodome

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr., AP Sports Writer

December 14, 2006

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -- The music was cranked up inside the New York Jets' practice bubble and the players needed to yell or use hand signals to communicate with one another.

Welcome to the Jetrodome -- you can pick up your aspirin on the way out.

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"It gets pretty loud in there," safety Kerry Rhodes said Thursday. "Actually, I had a headache yesterday. Nah, I'm just kidding, but it's loud."

With a crucial game Sunday at the Metrodome against the Minnesota Vikings, coach Eric Mangini is doing all he can to simulate the experience. Not that he particularly enjoys being indoors.

"I don't love practicing in the bubble, but I think playing in the dome, it's just another environment that you have to get used to," Mangini said.

Mangini has blasted music during practices since training camp, usually theme-based songs before road games, depending on the city of the opponent. He brought the noise indoors this week for the first time.

"The nice thing about the music is playing inside the bubble, it's louder," he said. "I don't know what the scientific reason is, but it definitely felt a little louder."

It's the only regular-season game the Jets will play in a dome, and is the first since they lost in Atlanta's Georgia Dome last year.

"I think psychologically, it plays on your mind that you're indoors, so your body has to react to it," rookie running back Leon Washington said. "It's been good, but at the same time, we've been practicing outdoors all year long and that's helped with Green Bay and New England, so hopefully this will help us out a lot."

Washington said he's played in domed stadiums a couple of times over the years, including the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans' Superdome in his freshman season at Florida State.

"I'm kind of familiar with how it is, the lighting and things like that," Washington said. "It's kind of weird, so guys have to walk through and get used to it. You have a couple of blind spots and you kind of lose track of the ball, but a lot of our guys have played in domes before."

Guard Pete Kendall, an 11-year veteran, spent his first four NFL seasons playing in Seattle's Kingdome while with the Seahawks.

"Before that, I had only played in a dome a few times -- at Syracuse a few times and Tulane at the Superdome -- but yeah, if you haven't done it before, it's a little bit different," he said. "You can't blame the conditions other than the difficulty of dealing with the noise. Other than that, the footing should be fine."

Those are important factors for the kicking units, especially for kicker Mike Nugent and punter Ben Graham -- both in their second NFL seasons.

"It's the perfect conditions," said Graham, who played in mostly outdoor stadiums during his 12-year career in the Australian Football League. "I envy the punters who are in a dome eight, 10 or 11 games a year. We can practice in the bubble where you take out the wind, you take out the field and you can put things more in your favor."

Graham, Nugent's holder on field goals, said the pair knows what to expect in the Metrodome.

"We run a pretty smooth operation, so if there's anything that happens, we have our signals just in case we can't communicate verbally," he said. "We're aware of all the things we have to deal with. That's why we like to get out there early and test the conditions."

Nugent, who has made nine consecutive field goals, said his preparation for Sunday's game will be no different from any other. He kicked at the Metrodome against Minnesota as a freshman at Ohio State.

"I'll read on the day what it feels like distancewise, just like I would on a day where it's really cold or really hot or with the wind, things like that," he said. "And I think we're used to (noise) with having the music and stuff. We did that a little bit in college, but we do it so consistently here, so I think that definitely helps."

The offense will also have to rely on being able to communicate despite the loud conditions, and quarterback Chad Pennington has been successful in his limited appearances in domed stadiums. He's 53-of-76 for 629 yards and eight touchdowns and one interception at Detroit, Indianapolis and St. Louis -- but is 1-2 in those games.

"I think everybody realizes that it's going to be loud and has the possibility to be the loudest place we've played all year," Kendall said. "A lot of that all really depends on the flow of the game."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://jets.lohudblogs.com/2006/12/14/merry-fill-in-the-blank/

Merry (fill in the blank)

December 14

It’s the holiday season which means one of two things: you’re thinking about the NFL playoffs or you’re thinking about giving and getting gifts.

Since the Jets are not allowed to think about the playoffs, linebacker Bryan Thomas had some good lines today about Christmas past.

Q: What was your best Christmas gift?

BT: The Nintendo. I had the Atari, but, after that, I got the Nintendo and that was probably the best one. (Side note: I will forever have fond memories of my senior year at Syracuse because we purchased the original Atari gaming system and spent countless hours playing Spider-Man and Beach Volleyball. Both were sort of the same, stick figures that went side to side).

Q: What was your worst Christmas gift?

BT: A shirt my dad gave me. I mean, it was terrible. It was probably the worst gift I ever got.

On a more serious note, I asked Eric Mangini about possible changes to the roughing the passer guidelines. As per his nature, Mangini wouldn’t tip his hand as to whether he wants to see the rules relaxed or continue to make sure the quarterback is so well protected. But it sounds like the Jets will have their say.

``There is a process in place after the season where each club can present ideas to the competition committee which they review,’’ Mangini said. ``So with any of the different rules that come up throughout the course of the season or as (GM Mike Tannenbaum) and I talk or the staff, if there’s things that we want to explore then we would extend that organizationally and that would go to the NFL body.

``They are really trying to rule on that in an objective way and try to make it consistent for everybody,’’ Mangini said. ``As long as everybody is under the same guidelines, then, really, that’s fine.’’

Finally, Mangini may be a heck of a coach, but I’m not sure how much science he understands (not that I’m one to talk). Mangini had the team in the bubble again today, preparing for Sunday’s game against the Vikings in the Metrodome, and he seemed somewhat surprised the loud music that he plays for outdoor practices sounded louder in the bubble.

``I don’t know what the scientific reason is but it definitely felt a little louder today,’’ Mangini said.

Like I said, I did not do all that well in my science courses but I’m thinking this is all about acoustics and the fact that the bubble reflects the sound waves back downward whereas they dissipate quicker outside.

Maybe the Jets will hire me as a music quality control coach.