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Def article and now we know why Law was in the airport


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Jet 'D' blitzes Donnie

Meeting is heated

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Donnie Henderson described it as a "powwow." John Abraham said they "held hands and sang 'Kumbaya.'" He was joking, of course. Truth is, there wasn't much happy talk in Monday's defensive meeting, which, at Henderson's behest, turned into an open forum/gripe session.

The Jets' defensive coordinator requested feedback from the players on the unit's recent struggles, and he got an earful. Details of the one-hour, 45-minute summit have come to light the last two days, including:

# The level of frustration with Henderson's calls apparently ran deeper than initially portrayed. Yesterday, Shaun Ellis used two taboo words - "passive" and "vanilla" - to characterize the defensive approach this season.

# The session was heated at times, with Ellis saying it included "a couple of arguments." According to Abraham, the most animated person in the room was Henderson, who "talked a lot of trash." That was a welcomed change. Some felt Henderson's trademark fire and brimstone had been missing.

# While players such as Abraham, Ellis and Jonathan Vilma led the meeting, Ty Law, the most accomplished player on defense, was conspicuously absent. Law, who was signed to provide veteran leadership, was excused because of a "family situation," according to Herm Edwards.

Dissension on the defense?

The Jets emerged from the meeting as a harmonious family, according to all parties. The players asked Henderson to be more aggressive with his approach, his calling card last season. He promised to try as long as the players hold up their end, eliminating the mental errors.

"A lot of people voiced their opinions on what's wrong with the defense," Abraham said. "It was needed."

Said Ellis: "Some good things came out of it, some bad things came out of it." He didn't elaborate on the latter.

The first test comes Sunday against the Panthers (6-2), led by dynamic wide receiver Steve Smith. Smith leads the league in receiving yardage (903) and touchdown catches (nine). If the Jets tackle him the way they tackled the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson, it's going to be another long afternoon.

The Jets' rank-and-file is looking forward to an aggressive game plan, the way it used to be. Abraham expects to see more linebacker and safety blitzes, getting more players involved in pressure schemes. A telling stat: In 2004, the linebackers and safeties produced 6-1/2 sacks. This season, they have only a half-sack.

"We haven't been ourselves," Ellis said. "Last year, we were attacking more. This year, we've been playing more passive. ... Sometimes certain calls come in and we're just sitting and waiting. It's like we've been playing just vanilla."

Despite retaining eight starters from last season, the Jets' defense has slipped dramatically, especially against the run. They are ranked 30th in rush defense, 25 spots lower than their 2004 standing. They've already allowed six runs of 20-plus yards, one shy of last season's total.

Henderson admitted he has become conservative, saying he's reluctant to go back to a certain call if it doesn't work the first time. He vowed to be more flexible. That he asked the players for input was a popular move. Of course, it's all rhetoric until their play improves.

At least Henderson got fired up. The players were glad to see that again.

"He has that fire he had last year," Abraham said. "It hasn't gone anywhere."

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ALL RIGHTY THEN.........

Law did look pretty anxious in the airport..you could tell something was on his mind...I was just praying he didn't have a meeting with Saban and was discussing a trade lol

(I know, trading deadline, it was a joke)

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The level of frustration with Henderson's calls apparently ran deeper than initially portrayed. Yesterday, Shaun Ellis used two taboo words - "passive" and "vanilla" - to characterize the defensive approach this season.

Donnie holding it back for next year's scrimmage with the Giants. It started to look like Teddy was back.

It Fxxking football, Play agressive!

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