Jets News 9-26

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Holmes unhappy with inability to adjust

September, 25, 2011

Sep 25

11:36

PM ET

By Rich Cimini

OAKLAND -- The Jets expected one thing from the Raiders and got another -- and that pushed Santonio Holmes to the brink of complaining about the play calling in their 34-24 loss.

The Jets prepared to see a heavy dose of man-to-man defense from the Raiders, but the Raiders switched to zone when they lost CB Chris Johnson early in the game to a hamstring injury. They also lost S Michael Huff (concussion) early in the game.

The offense, according to Holmes, didn't handle it well.

"We've got to do a better job of adjusting on the fly as an offense," said Holmes, making a veiled criticism of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. "You can't be forced to continue doing the same things when those guys are doing something different. We have to open up the game plan a little bit and have a little bit more fun.

Faced with more zone than expected, QB Mark Sanchez struggled to get the ball to his wideouts, with Holmes and Plaxico Burress combining for only four catches. Burress scored a late touchdown. Sanchez (27-for-43, career-high 369 yards) threw underneath all day, completing 18 passes to his backs and slot receiver Derrick Mason.

When RB Shonn Greene (seven catches) is your leading receiver, something ain't right. LaDainian Tomlinson led the team with 116 receiving yards, including an 18-yard touchdown and a 74-yard catch and run that set up another score.

"Our quarterback was on the ground too many times," Holmes said. "Obviously, something didn't get adusted for us. I guess we have to go back to the lab and make it right."

Sanchez was sacked four times, all in the second half.

Holmes said he wasn't complaining about his lack of involvement. A week ago, Burress was the forgotten man. This time, it was Holmes.

"As a veteran receiver, you understand you're not going to have eight to 10 catches and 12 to 15 targets a game," he said. "Sometimes you have to deal with it. We have to have other players step up and make plays."

Rex Ryan didn't agree that the passing game struggled, noting that Sanchez threw for a career high -- but 150 yards came in the fourth quarter, when the Jets were trying to rally back from two touchdowns.

"Sanchez was throwing to somebody -- he had 369 yards -- so somebody was open," Ryan said.

Sanchez admitted they were caught off balance for a stretch.

"They completely changed their stripes," he said of the Raiders. "They played a lot of zone and they throttled us a little bit in the third quarter. Once we got adjusted, we moved the ball right down the field. But it was a little too late to make a comeback."

Holmes scoffed when asked if he tough the Oakland secondary was too tough for them.

"We knocked two of their guys out of the game," he said. "So I don't think they were tough at all."

They were tough enough.

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LT continues to shine in 3rd-down role

September, 26, 2011

Sep 26

12:11

AM ET

By Rich Cimini

OAKLAND -- Before Darren McFadden took over in the Raiders' 34-24 victory, the best back on the field was LaDainian Tomlinson. Just like he always used to be.

Tomlinson helped the Jets to a 17-7 lead, with a 74-yard reception that set up a touchdown (he was pushed out at the 1) and an 18-yard scoring catch. He became the third player in NFL history to score 160 or more touchdowns, joining Jerry Rice (208) and Emmitt Smith (175).

Tomlinson finished the game with five receptions for 116 yards, the third 100-yard receiving game of his career and his first since 2003.

He's a Raiders killer, dating to his years with the Chargers. Tomlinson said he heard it from the notoriously unruly fans as soon as he stepped on the field. Asked to recall the worst thing he heard, he said, "You're old."

Didn't look it, though.

On his touchdown, Tomlinson circled out of the backfield and beat OLB Quentin Groves for the easy play. On the 74-yard play, it was blitz-beater, a well-executed screen pass against an all-out blitz.

"Unfortunately, we wasted his efforts," Rex Ryan said.

INJURY REPORT: In addition to CB Antonio Cromartie (bruised lung), TE Jeff Cumberland suffered a potentially serious ankle injury. He will have an MRI exam Monday morning. Without Cumberland, the Jets couldn't use their three-tight end package.

SLOPPY: The Jets were penalized seven times for 61 yards. Cromartie was flagged four times, plus LB Calvin Pace, TE Matt Mulligan and LG Matt Slauson.

SILVER LINING: The Jets' defense didn't totally stink. It held the Raiders to 0-for-8 on third downs. Since the 11:21 mark the fourth quarter in Week One against the Cowboys, the Jets have held opponents to 3-of-24 on third down attempts. This was the third time under Ryan that the team has not allowed a third down conversion.

FIRST BLEMISH: The Jets dropped to 1-6 in non-divisional AFC road games under Ryan.

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Jets vs. Raiders replay

Monday, September 26, 2011

The Record

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Star of the game

Darren McFadden (right) had the best individual rushing performance against the Jets during the Rex Ryan era. McFadden rolled for 171 yards on 19 carries, including a 70-yard TD in the second quarter. He also scampered around right end for a 2-yard scoring run to cap the Raiders' first possession.

Turning point

Five plays spanning the third and fourth quarters wrecked the Jets. McFadden ran for 27 yards, and then WR Denarius Moore went 23 yards for a tie-breaking score on a reverse. Jets' CB Antonio Cromartie flubbed and then literally booted the ensuing kickoff, and Taiwan Jones recovered at the 13. Two plays later, Michael Bush burst through a gaping hole for a 1-yard TD run and a 31-17 lead.

Costly mistakes

Mark Sanchez's first-quarter interception in the end zone from the Oakland 24 wasted rookie Jeremy Kerley's 53-yard punt return on the previous play. … A holding penalty on Jets' LB Calvin Pace helped extend Oakland's drive that resulted in a game-clinching field goal. The Raiders would have faced a third-and-8 from their 32 with only a seven-point lead.

Eye-catching

Reserve TE Jeff Cumberland failed to make a contested catch in the end zone on first down from the Oakland 24 in the second quarter, and suffered an ankle injury on the play. He didn't return and will have an MRI today. … Subbing for injured Cromartie (ribs) on Oakland's final kickoff, backup RB Joe McKnight had a 50-yard return. … Kerley failed to field a fourth-quarter Shane Lechler punt that was downed at the Jets' 7. No matter, Sanchez then led the offense on a 93-yard touchdown drive.

Coaching decisions

Ryan chose to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Oakland 37 in the third quarter on a drive that began at the Jets' 20. But Sanchez threw slightly behind Plaxico Burress for an incompletion. … Ryan also chose to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2 in the final minute, and Sanchez was stopped short on a keeper. Down by 10, the Jets could have kicked a chip-shot field goal and then tried an onside kick. … Oakland coach Hue Jackson had Sebastian Janikowski try a 56-yard FG in the second quarter. It was wide right and the Jets used the good field position to drive for a field goal and a 17-7 lead.

Looking ahead

The Jets (2-1) continue their three-game road trip with a nationally televised game at Baltimore on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. (Ch. 4). The Ravens (2-1) rebounded from a home loss to Tennessee with a 37-7 road rout of St. Louis.

— J.P. Pelzman

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Raiders notes: Campbell prefers wins over lofty stats

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By Jason Jones

jejones@sacbee.com

Published: Monday, Sep. 26, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 5C

OAKLAND – In two wins this season, Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell has thrown for 261 yards and one touchdown.

Not that he's complaining.

With the Raiders 2-1 after Sunday's 34-24 win over the New York Jets at O.co Coliseum, Campbell is gladly trading big passing days for wins.

"A lot of people get caught up in stats sometimes, but last week I threw for what (323 yards) and we lost," Campbell said. "And this week I throw for (156) and we win.

"So it's not about that for me. It's just about moving the team and keeping the team in good position to score and have a chance at the end to win it."

Campbell said the Jets' cornerbacks did a good job of taking away the deep throws the Raiders sought. That meant playing it safe with short passes and running the ball.

"As a quarterback, you don't like to throw the ball out of bounds or throw it over their heads in those situations," Campbell said. "But the way they were playing, if you throw it down the field, it's almost a pick.

"It was tough, but at the same time, the receivers didn't get frustrated. I didn't get frustrated. We just kept trying to work it, and I was able to move the ball."

Nevertheless, Oakland's threat to go deep had an impact. The Raiders drew two pass interference calls on Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie when he tried to cover rookie Denarius Moore.

Asked if Cromartie had a tough day, New York coach Rex Ryan said, "He did. They were running some nice double moves on us. … We've got to get better from it, clearly."

Cromartie left the game in the fourth quarter because of a rib injury.

Mixing it up – The Raiders seemed to throw the Jets off by playing a lot of zone defense.

New York wide receiver Santonio Holmes had a theory as to why Oakland, dealing with injuries in the secondary, did so.

"They didn't have the confidence in those guys to play man (to man)," Holmes said.

Zone worked on Holmes. The Jets' big-play wideout had one catch for 19 yards. New York's top receiver was running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who made five catches for 116 yards.

New York quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for 369 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted once and sacked four times.

"They matched a lot of zone underneath and kind of throttled us a little bit in the third quarter," Sanchez said. "Once we got adjusted to it, we moved the ball right down the field with our two-minute stuff, but it was just a little too late to make a comeback."

Getting tricky – The Raiders' third-quarter drive for the go-ahead touchdown featured back-to-back trick plays.

A halfback pass from Darren McFadden to Campbell wasn't open, so McFadden ran for 27 yards. Moore followed with a 23-yard reverse that gave Oakland a 24-17 lead.

Raiders coach Hue Jackson said he's not afraid to call such plays.

"That's kind of the way I live my life," Jackson said. "I like to live on the edge. That's just the way it is, and that's the way it's going to be. It's a calculated thought process because I truly believe in my players, and I believe they will make good decisions when I call those plays, and they do."

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/26/3938228/gfhgfjkdhgfdjkghfdjkgj.html#ixzz1Z3yvwOb3

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Source: Antonio Cromartie suffered bruised lungs in Jets' loss to Raiders; Jeff Cumberland feared to have torn Achilles

BY Manish Mehta

A week after Antonio Cromartie earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after his two-touchdown performance against the Jaguars, the Jets cornerback was injured in a 34-24 loss to the Raiders on Sunday.

The Daily News first reported on Twitter on Sunday night that Cromartie suffered bruised lungs in the second half. The Jets announced after the game that Cromartie was taken to Eden Medical Center for a rib injury, but returned to the team shortly thereafter.

Cromartie's timetable for recovery is about pain tolerance at this point, according to a source. He was hurting, as expected, after the game and didn't talk to reporters in the lockerroom.

Antonio Cromartie was presumably injured late in the third quarter on a kickoff. He bobbled the kickoff, kicked it forward and unsuccefully tried to scoop it up. The Raiders recovered at the Jets 12 and eventually scored.

NOTE: The Daily News has also learned that the Jets fear that tight end Jeff Cumberland suffered a torn right Achilles. The team announced that he will undergo an MRI on Monday for an ankle injury.

twitter.com/TheJetsStream

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By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:15 AM, September 26, 2011

Posted: 3:00 AM, September 26, 2011

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OFFENSE

The Jets piled up the yards (439 total), but it felt like the offense vanished for a long stretch in the middle of the game. Mark Sanchez (27-of-43, 369 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) threw for a career high in yardage and marched the Jets down the field twice at the end of the game. The rushing offense had a better day, but still was not dominant. Shonn Greene (15-59) may have found something running to the outside more. B

DEFENSE

Rex Ryan’s face must be red today from either embarrassment or anger. Ryan’s vaunted defense gave up 383 yards, 234 on the ground. The Jets have never given up that many rushing yards under Ryan. Antonio Cromartie committed four penalties, and no one came up with a big play. Their only sack came when Jason Campbell tripped. F-

There were plenty of positives. Rookie Jeremy Kerley had a good day returning punts (4-80). Joe McKnight had a 50-yard kickoff return. Nick Folk booted another field goal. But Cromartie’s muffed kickoff return in the third quarter was a huge momentum changer that sealed the Jets’ fate, dragging this grade down. B

COACHING

The biggest indictment on the Jets coaching staff was the way the team came out to start. The Raiders marched down the field in 2:24 to score a touchdown on the opening drive. The Jets did not look ready to play. Brian Schottenheimer called a good game most of the day, but the Jets did not make a quick enough adjustment to the Raiders playing zone defense. You can debate Rex Ryan’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter, but the 37-yard line is a sort of no-man’s land. C

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_report_card_sN6zncA25VxovGTxpcg4kI#ixzz1Z3zwd9He

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Inconsistent Cromartie flops again for Jets

Jets Blog

By RICHARD J. MARCUS

Special to The Post

Last Updated: 8:45 AM, September 26, 2011

Posted: 3:08 AM, September 26, 2011

OAKLAND -- Will the real Antonio Cromartie please stand up?

Three games into the season, the Jets cornerback has been defined by inconsistent play.

Cromartie had a poor game in a Week 1 win over the Cowboys by giving up two touchdown passes, a great game last week with two interceptions in a win over the Jaguars and a horrendous game in yesterday's 34-24 loss to the Raiders at O.co Coliseum.

To make a bad day even worse, Cromartie left the game in the fourth quarter with what the Jets termed a rib injury. Cromartie dressed gingerly in front of his locker after the game, in obvious pain, and did not speak to reporters. He was taken to Eden Medical Center for testing and returned to New York with the team. Multiple reports said the cornerback has bruised lungs, though that was not confirmed by the Jets.

FUMBLE! Antonio Cromartie muffs a third-quarter kickoff, leading to a crucial turnover in the Jets' 34-24 loss yesterday in Oakland.

EPA

FUMBLE! Antonio Cromartie muffs a third-quarter kickoff, leading to a crucial turnover in the Jets' 34-24 loss yesterday in Oakland.

Cromartie's miserable day was highlighted by a critical fumble on a kickoff return with 40 seconds to play in the third quarter. Cromartie literally booted the ball at the Jets' goal line and tried to fall on it, but the ball squirted out and was recovered by the Raiders on the Jets' 13-yard line. The Raiders scored two plays later to take a 31-17 lead.

"He did [have a tough day]," coach Rex Ryan said. "Sometimes those things happen."

In addition to the fumbling gaffe, Cromartie was flagged four times (two for defensive holding and two for defensive pass interference), accounting for more than half the Jets' seven penalties.

"I think some of those calls could have gone both ways," cornerback Darrelle Revis said.

Cromartie also was the last tackler with a shot at bringing down running back Darren McFadden on a second quarter, 70-yard touchdown run, but couldn't shed the downfield block by receiver Chaz Schilens.

"Through the penalties and stuff, I was right there by his side," Revis said. "That's all you have to do. You have to lift your teammate up. We are all in it together -- I think that is the biggest thing."

The breakdowns by Cromartie against the Raiders come after he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week last week.

"He did have an unbelievable week last week," Revis said, "but this week is a different story."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/cro_week_to_weak_cXR65d477QMJ76Yr7lOnqJ#ixzz1Z40CFE1X

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From usually chatty Jets, silence says it all

Last Updated: 8:50 AM, September 26, 2011

Posted: 3:13 AM, September 26, 2011

OAKLAND — There was a time, not so long ago, when it was fashionable to pile on the Jets whenever they lost because it’s always fun to gag a gasbag and bottle up a bully. The Jets jabbered constantly and swaggered incessantly and occasionally even hit you in the mouth on the field, too.

And even when they didn’t, even when they lost, even when the performance you saw with your eyes didn’t match the descriptions coming out of their voiceboxes . . . well, you still knew they were in the room. They didn’t stop talking until there were no more games left to play and no one left to listen.

I’m feeling nostalgic for those Jets.

UPDATES FROM OUR JETS BLOG

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PHOTOS: RAIDERS BEAT JETS, 34-24

Because these Jets not only failed to walk the walk yesterday afternoon in the eardrum-shattering echo of the O.co Coliseum; they’ve also gotten a lot more careful about talking the talk, too. Time was, the Jets didn’t much care what the scoreboard said, even after losses.

Maybe that was hard for some to hear. Maybe that made them hate-able. But you know something you never heard inside a Jets locker room, even after a game like the one they played yesterday, an inexcusable 34-24 stinker that hurts a little now and could hurt a lot more in a few months when the Jets are counting up wins and wondering why they’re packing their bags — either for another playoff road trip or to go home for good?

You never heard this much humility.

“It was embarrassing,” defensive tackle Sione Pouha said yesterday, before upgrading that description to “humiliating.”

“We know we’re better than that,” said Darrelle Revis, his usual brilliant self yesterday even as the rest of the defense morphed into a big, old down pillow. “And we know we have to be better than that.”

“Ridiculous,” Rex Ryan whispered. “It’s my responsibility to fix this.”

ENOUGH.

Sorry. When the Jets talk like this, they sound exactly like any other soundly thumped team, and they sound an awful lot like so many of their spiritual antecedents dating back to 1960. Here’s the dirty little secret about the Ryan-era Jets: They’ve had good talent, not great. Mostly, they’ve played above themselves for two-plus years.

Why is that?

Here’s one man’s vote: because they believed far more in themselves than they really had any reason to. Even in the face of evidence that they were playing a better team, they believed they were the better team. Even at the end of games when it seemed they were completely out of luck, they willed themselves to make their own luck.

It was a clever bit of self-deception. There’s long been a school of thought that the Jets were holding themselves back by talking too much; I see it exactly the opposite. I think their loose lips and chatty nature forced them to play better, in order to own what they were saying.

If it was all the more satisfying for teams to shut them up? It was equally gratifying for the Jets when they backed it up.

Now?

Now the Jets seem far more tentative, on both sides of the ball, than they have since Eric Mangini haunted the sidelines. The Raiders were the team with all the swagger yesterday, Darren McFadden tearing through the Jets defense the way he used to torch the Southeastern Conference back at Arkansas, the defense swarming Jets receivers and making key stops whenever it needed them.

“This stings,” Ryan said. “No question.”

The coach was as down in the mouth as he’s ever been on the job. Even last year, in the moments after the Patriots flattened him in Foxborough in the regular season, there was a defiance lurking behind the praise he heaped on Bill Belichick and the boys. Even after Pittsburgh ended their season, as he walked away from the AFC Championship Game, he said more than once: “I really thought we were gonna get ‘em there at the end.”

And he really believed it, too.

That has been the Jets’ fuel under Ryan, their nourishment. Ryan embodied that. Bart Scott was his first lieutenant; now Scott issues one vanilla quote after another if he clears his throat at all. The locker room has become far more gentlemanly. Maybe that was inevitable.

But it sure was more fun the old way.

More important, the team sure looked a lot better the old way, too.

michael.vaccaro@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/usually_chatty_gang_silence_is_deafening_SWz0G9ffuIK7LdNe2QBkEP#ixzz1Z40aSYa1

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Raiders run over Jets like no opponent has

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:55 AM, September 26, 2011

Posted: 3:18 AM, September 26, 2011

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OAKLAND — Even Rex Ryan seemed speechless after this one.

The boisterous Jets coach struggled to find the words after his team, particularly his defense, was embarrassed by the Raiders, 34-24, in front of 61,546 fans at O.co Coliseum.

“This thing stings, there’s no question,” Ryan said quietly.

The Raiders rolled up 383 yards, 234 rushing, on the Jets defense that Ryan touted as the best in the NFL to hand the Jets their first loss of the season. It was the most rushing yards the Jets have given up under Ryan, and Darren McFadden’s 171 yards were the most a single rusher has gained on Ryan’s Jets. According to ESPN, a Ryan-coached defense had not allowed that many rushing yards since 1995, when he was an assistant with the Cardinals under his father, Buddy.

“It’s embarrassing,” Jets nose tackle Sione Pouha said. “It’s humiliating for us to have something like that happen to us.”

The Jets led 17-7 in the first half, then let the Raiders score 24 unanswered points. The Raiders took control late in the third quarter after the Jets failed to convert a fourth-and-2 on the Oakland 37 with the game tied at 17-17. Rookie receiver Denarius Moore scored on a 23-yard reverse to put the Raiders up by a touchdown. Then Antonio Cromartie muffed the ensuing kickoff, and the Raiders punched it in for a 31-17 lead two plays later.

“We lost to a team that was not as good as us, inferior to us,” outside linebacker Calvin Pace said, before later retracting the word inferior. “But give them credit, they made plays and we didn’t.”

This was the beginning of a three-game road stretch for the Jets that could be the most difficult period of their schedule. They face the Ravens next week in Baltimore before going to New England. A loss to the Raiders was not the start they were looking for.

And Ryan knew exactly where to point the finger.

“It wasn’t our offense,” Ryan said. “Our defense let us down clearly. We gave up way too many big plays and [had] way too many penalties.”

Those seven penalties for 61 yards were costly for the Jets, but not nearly as crucial as the defense falling down in trying to stop McFadden. Amazingly, the Raiders did not convert one third down (0-for-8) and still put up 34 points.

“We didn’t execute the way that we need to to win,” safety Jim Leonhard said. “You give up that many points and that many rushing yards you’re going to have a hard time winning in the NFL. That’s been proven year in, year out.”

The Raiders came out firing on the first possession, running a lot of no-huddle, and driving 76 yards in five plays, capped by McFadden’s 2-yard touchdown.

“We didn’t come out ready to play, there’s no doubt about it,” Leonhard said. “You can’t point any fingers anywhere. When a team comes out and goes 77 yards that quickly, you weren’t ready. We’ve got a lot of issues we have to clean up.”

The Jets offense had a decent game. Mark Sanchez, who was sacked four times in the second half and may have suffered a broken nose, threw for a career high 369 yards, and the Jets gained 100 yards on the ground for the first time this year.

Gang Green had a 17-7 lead with 5:06 left to play in the first half, then McFadden took over. He broke a 70-yard touchdown that brought the Raiders right back in the game. Tight end Kevin Boss pancaked Bart Scott on the edge to allow McFadden to hit the corner, then he broke a Leonhard tackle and sprinted past Cromartie.

The Raiders tied the game at 17-17 on a 54-yard Sebastian Janikowski field goal as time expired in the half.

The Jets made a late push to make it a game when Sanchez connected with Plaxico Burress for a 17-yard score to make it 31-24 with 5:38 to play. But the Raiders got Janikowski into field-goal position three minutes later and his 49-yarder made it a 34-24 game.

Sanchez thought he cut the deficit to a touchdown when he was ruled to score from 2 yards out on fourth down with 52 seconds left, but the touchdown was wiped out upon review.

brian.costello@nypost.com

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Jets blitz

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 9:04 AM, September 26, 2011

Posted: 3:14 AM, September 26, 2011

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HERO

Raiders RB Darren McFadden crushed the Jets defense. His 70-yard run in the second quarter turned the game around for the Raiders. He wound up with 171 yards rushing, more than any other back has gained against Rex Ryan in his time with the Jets.

UNSUNG HERO

Sebastian Janikowski gives the Raiders an edge no other team has. They begin thinking field goal when they cross midfield. The Raiders kicker made a 54-yarder to tie the game right before halftime, then iced the game with a 49-yard field goal with 2:37 left in the game, making it 34-24.

One week after he played a great game, Antonio Cromartie returned to Earth. He picked up four penalties, muffed a kickoff and failed to take down McFadden on the 70-yard run.

KEY MOMENT

The Raiders had just taken a 24-17 lead with 1:17 left in the third quarter when Cromartie muffed the ensuing kickoff. Taiwan Jones recovered for the Raiders and they scored two plays later to take a two-touchdown lead.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_blitz_yeLoVJ8mR8NtZR3VJohMcI#ixzz1Z41Cdn00

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NY Jets need to tighten up defense if Rex Ryan, Gang intend to make playoff push

Tim Smith

Monday, September 26th 2011, 4:00 AM

OAKLAND - Under Rex Ryan, there has been a cultural change with the Jets. They have gone from a team that expects to lose in the end to one that expects to win - all the time.

Where once the Jets and their fans always expected the other shoe to drop, Ryan wants to put that shoe firmly in the rear end of his opponents. He has also instilled an attitude into his defense that no one will ever run on or over the Jets.

It was with those thoughts that the Jets, full of hope and promise, traveled to Oakland for a game Sunday against the Raiders at the O.co Coliseum, a house of horrors for the Jets under any name.

For one half - the second and most important half - the Raiders (2-1) stomped on everything that Ryan has held sacred in his tenure with Gang Green. Oakland running back Darren McFadden trampled the Jets defense and helped guide the Raiders to a 34-24 victory. McFadden scored two TDs and had 171 yards rushing, the most yielded by the Jets under Ryan.

"We didn't play to our identity," said cornerback Darrelle Revis.

There were no easy answers for this brewing identity crisis coming from the locker room after the loss, which nose tackle Sione Pouha termed "embarrassing and humiliating."

"I don't know what it is. Communication, physically getting beat? We'll look at it all. I'll look at it," Ryan said.

The Raiders exploited it in ways the Jets never imagined. The defense gave up pass plays of 36, 35, 34 and 31 yards. They got snookered as McFadden ran around and through them for a 70-yard touchdown. They whiffed on a reverse by Raiders receiver Denarius Moore that went for a 23-yard touchdown.

They couldn't hold the Raiders even after Mark Sanchez, who had enjoyed a victory hot dog on the bench during his previous trip to Oakland, hit receiver Plaxico Burress on a 16-yard TD pass to help put the game within striking distance at 31-24 with 5:33 to play. Instead, the defense allowed Jason Campbell to guide Oakland down the field for Sebastian Janikowski's 49-yard field goal to make it 34-24 with 2:56 left. Don't even mention that four of the Jets' seven penalties were committed by cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who also had a costly fumble on a kickoff return that contributed to a 14-point surge that broke a 17-17 tie in the third quarter. "The offense was good enough to win, but we weren't good enough to overcome our defense's poor play, and again that starts with me," Ryan said.

Now the defense, Ryan's pride and joy, has to see if it can put the steel back into its identity before heading to Baltimore in the second of three road games that were sure to test the team's mettle even before the loss to Oakland. If it can't, then no amount of boasting will keep opponents from kicking the Jets in the teeth and grinding their playoff hopes to dust. "We just had a hiccup," said linebacker Bart Scott. "Unfortunately, it happened. We don't want it to happen. We'll fix the things that we need to fix."

Poet Gertrude Stein once said of her hometown Oakland, "there is no there there." But for the Jets, their "there" - a three-game stretch on the road - was to begin in Oakland. A victory here would have made things a bit smoother heading into Baltimore and then Foxborough.

Plus the Jets (2-1) took the field with an added bonus: the Bills had defeated the Patriots, presenting Gang Green with the opportunity to establish itself as the preeminent force in the AFC East.

For the Jets, this game presented a test of their resolve and toughness. The offense passed. The defense failed. The Raiders presented that challenge from the opening snap. The Jets won the toss, and as usual Ryan deferred and kicked off. Campbell marched the Raiders down the field for a lightning-quick TD, seemingly before the Jets could even get off the bus. The five-play, 76-yard drive took just 2:24. It was capped by a 2-yard TD run by McFadden, who rushed for 121 yards in the first half.

The Raiders' quick score was the equivalent of a boxer walking across the ring at the opening bell and hitting his opponent in the mouth. It certainly got the Jets' attention. "We didn't come out ready to play, no doubt about it," said safety Jim Leonhard.

The Jets were stung by what happened to them in Oakland. "All we can do is make the corrections and do what we can do to bounce back," Pouha said.

If not, then the Jets will look back at this day and say that Stein was right about Oakland.

timsmith@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2011/09/26/2011-09-26_no_defense_for_gangs_not_so_big_d.html#ixzz1Z41f9Py7

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Defense Assesses Damage After Oakland Loss

By Andrew LeRay

Posted 2 hours ago

After losing to the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday afternoon, disappointment was the common theme among the Jets’ defensive corps. Throughout last week’s practices, an emphasis was placed on stopping, or at least slowing, Oakland RB Darren McFadden. As the final seconds ticked off the clock and the Raiders came away with the 34-24 victory, McFadden had completed a career day: 171 yards and two TDs on 19 carries.

“McFadden had a huge game,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “Against a kid like that, you'd better set the edges. He outran us and made some great plays.”

Overall, the Jets defense surrendered 234 yards on the ground and an average of 7.3 yards per carry. It was a sobering day for the normally stout Jets run defense, and Ryan felt he was responsible for the hiccup.

“They made plays, we didn’t. I think that starts with me," the coach said. "You’ve got to look down deep, you’ve got to start with yourself to see why it happened. It’s my responsibility, and we’ve got to get this thing fixed.”

It was a frustrating four quarters for the Jets as they amassed over 400 yards of offense, outgaining the Raiders by 56 yards. While the offense played well enough to win, the despondent defense grudgingly accepted the final outcome.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” said S Jim Leonhard. “You game-plan for a team, then you allow them to dictate what they want to do. It’s embarrassing. You can’t expect to win in the NFL giving up 200 rushing yards in a game.”

Coming into the Week 3 matchup, the Jets had allowed 176 yards on the ground in their first two games combined. The offensive explosion by the Raiders runners was merely an aberration according to Jets’ defenders, who are already looking forward to righting their ship.

“This was a tough environment,” said LB Bart Scott of the O.co Coliseum home-opener crowd of 61,546. “Next week doesn’t get any easier. We have to rise up. You’ve got to give them credit, but we know our mistakes are very fixable things.”

Making matters more difficult for the Jets were the penalties that continually plagued both sides of the ball. The Jets, who weren't penalized once in their opening-night win over the Cowboys, racked up seven penalties for 61 yards during Sunday’s loss.

“I was shocked,” said Ryan. “Both teams were penalized seven times apiece, and there were some big ones — pass interference penalties, defensive holdings.”

After recording seven takeaways over the first two weeks of the season, the Jets did not force a single turnover in Oakland. The Green & White defense came up short in many aspects on Sunday, but their performance on third downs was encouraging as the Raiders were 0-for-8 on conversion attempts.

Still, there was no celebrating the third-down dominance. Veteran and defensive captain Sione Pouha was not proud of his group’s performance, and didn’t try to sugarcoat the effort.

“We take it on ourselves,” said the defensive tackle. “We pride ourselves on playing Jets defense. We didn’t do that today.”

Even with the disappointing showing by the defense, QB Mark Sanchez insisted that there is blame to be accepted on the offensive side of the ball as well.

“We all had our hand in this,” said Sanchez. “I don’t think there’s one side of the ball to blame. We had momentum going in our favor and we kind of let them hang around. I wouldn’t point the finger at the defense, because there is plenty more we can do on offense as well.”

The road ahead for the Jets doesn’t get any easier. A date with the Ravens in Baltimore next Sunday night is followed by the first AFC East battle of the season against the Patriots at New England on Oct. 9.

Ryan knows that even though the loss to the Raiders was particularly painful, it still is only one loss. He tried putting the game in perspective before the team flew from Oakland back home.

“The season is not over. We’ll get it corrected, and I have all the confidence in the world in that," he said. "We have a great staff. We’ve got a defense that’s been together. And we know if we play it right, we’ll get it fixed.”

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Jets Fall in Black Hole, Lose to Raiders 34-24

By Randy Lange

Posted 13 hours ago

Who would have thought that after three weeks of the season the team in undisputed possession of first place in the AFC East would be the undefeated ... Buffalo Bills?

That is exactly the case tonight as the Jets lost their first game of the season, falling from ahead to suffer a 34-24 defeat at noisy Oakland in the Raiders' home opener, roughly three hours after the Bills came back from a 21-0 deficit to rough up the Patriots, 34-31, and also improve to 3-0 and drop the Pats to 2-1.

The Jets lost today despite amassing 439 yards of offense, including a career-high 369-yard day from Mark Sanchez and 154 yards (116 receiving and 38 rushing) from LaDainian Tomlinson. But it was an uncharacteristic Sunday for a defense that allowed 234 yards on the ground as Darren McFadden had a fabulous day at the Black Hole, racing for 171 yards and two TDs.

"You have to give the Raiders a ton of credit — they played a great game today. On both sides of the ball, I thought they played really well," said head coach Rex Ryan. "Obviously McFadden had a huge game. They made plays, we didn't. It starts with me. You have to dig down deep, you have to look at yourself."

The turning point in the game that was played evenly through most of three quarters was some Silver & Black trickery. McFadden, who scored on short and long TD runs in the first half, got the halfback option call late in the third, saw no one open — primarily his intended receiver, QB Jason Campbell, on a passback — so he tucked the ball and ran 27 yards to the Jets 23.

On the next play, Denarius Moore took a reverse toward the same side as McFadden's conquest, outran a Jamaal Westerman tackle try, ran inside of Bart Scott, leaped as he was hit by Darrelle Revis inside the 5 and extended the ball over the goal line just before he landed for the 23-yard score and a 24-17 Oakland lead with 40 seconds left in the quarter.

Then on the next play, Antonio Cromartie tried to field Sebastian Janikowski's kickoff at the goal line. But it was a hard, low line drive and Cro kicked it as he tried to catch and run. Then he fumbled with the Raiders recovering. In short order, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Michael Bush ran up through the middle of the Jets' defense for the 1-yard touchdown that made it 31-17, Raiders, with 14:58 to play.

"We didn't play to our identity. They outplayed us," said CB Darrelle Revis. "The plays they made, you don't usually see that from us."

Sanchez rallied the Jets for a 93-yard drive that culiminated with a 16-yard TD pass to Plaxico Burress in single coverage with 5:33 to play, slicing the Raiders' lead to 31-24. But the Silver & Black appeared to ice it with Janikowski's 49-yard field goal with 2:32 to play, giving the hosts a 10-point lead with the Jets having no timeouts left.

The franchise signalcaller battled to the end and at first appeared to score in the final minute to draw the Jets closer at 34-30, but his 2-yard keeper on fourth down was taken off the board when it was ruled by replay officials that his knee was down before the ball crossed the goal line.

"I think we all had our hand in this," Sanchez, who played for the first time as a pro without Nick Mangold as his center, said of the outcome. "I don't think there is one side of the ball to blame."

It's a shame the Jets' game finished the way it did because the day started out very promising, thanks to the hot first-half receiving combination: Sanchez to Tomlinson.

It's not that Tomlinson wasn't up to it — "third-down back" is one of his roles this year, after all. But the ageless future Hall of Fame RB came up with a couple of outstanding LT highlight-reel-type plays: a 74-yard catch-and-run to set up Sanchez's first-quarter keeper, and an 18-yard grab for the TD to put the Jets on top, 14-7, in the second.

That score gave Tomlinson one more distinction. He became the third player in NFL history to reach 160 touchdowns, joining Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice in that exclusive club.

The Jets certainly missed Mangold, who stayed home with his high ankle sprain and had streaks of 82 consecutive starts and 89 starts including playoffs snapped by his injury. With free agent rookie Colin Baxter making his first pro start, the Jets' line didn't appear to miss Mangold in the first half, but Sanchez was sacked four times in about 16 minutes of second-half clock time as the Raiders grabbed the game's momentum in front of their raucous fans.

Back-and-Forth First Half

Ryan and the Jets returned to their pre-Jacksonville ways as they won the opening coin toss and chose to defer their decision on receiving until the second half. That gave the Raiders the ball and they treated their loud, not-quite-a-sellout home-opening crowd to an opening-drive treat, moving out of the no-huddle to Darren McFadden's 2-yard touchdown run on five plays covering 76 yards. Twenty-five of those yards came on Cromartie's interference call against Moore, the rookie WR.

Sanchez came out firing with completions to Burress and Dustin Keller on the Jets' first two drives, but the series stalled at the Raiders 40. T.J. Conley's nifty drop punt was fair-caught by Moore at the Oakland 8. With strong minus plays on the first two downs, the defense pitched its first of three consecutive three-and-outs. But then Raiders punter Shane Lechler won the next field position battle, as Jeremy Kerley retreated to field the 57-yard punt and gained only 3 on the return to the Jets 29.

But then the Jets showed they would be in this one for a while. On second-and-14, Sanchez took a one-step drop and threw a dart to Tomlinson, who broke two tackles and was off and running toward the Raiders goal line before being pushed out of bounds by Tyvon Branch at the 1. The 74-yard reception was LT's longest in seven seasons, equaling a career long that he set in 2004. It also was the longest by a Jets RB since Leon Johnson went 82 yards for a TD against the Colts in 1998.

Most important, the play set up Sanchez's bootleg right and drive across the goal line to tie the score at 7 on the seventh rushing game of his young career.

The sevens seemed to be unlucky when Kerley reeled off the first big punt return of his career, a 54-yarder — and Sanchez promptly threw his fourth pick of the season to Branch in the end zone.

But yet another three plays and punt by the visitors' rejuvenated defense got the Jets moving again to the Sanchez-to-Tomlinson TD pass, beating single coverage from LB Quentin Groves. Then came an exchange of field goal attempts, which went better for the Jets than the Raiders.

The Jets opened the lead up to 10 points, shortly after Janikowski, who beat the Jets with a 57-yard field goal in '08, missed from 56 yards out. With Shonn Greene running hard, the visitors moved to the Oakland 3 before the Silver & Black stiffened. On came Nick Folk for a 21-yard field goal that made him 6-for-6 this season and made the Jets 17-7 leaders with 5:03 left in the half.

That set up the Raiders' quick strike offense, not through the air but with McFadden's feet. He knifed through the Jets D, slipped a tackle and outran Cromartie to the end zone for a 70-yard score that cut the lead to 17-14.

"Against a kid like that, you have to set the edges," Ryan said. "He outran us and made some great plays."

And despite a 53-yard net punt by Conley, Oakland moved back into "the Seabass zone." This time Janikowski, again kicking off the skin baseball infield from almost the same spot as his miss, drove through a 54-yarder as time expired in the first half to tie it at 17.

Game Notes

Cromartie (ribs) was taken to Eden Medical Center for further testing after the game but then returned with the team. TE Jeff Cumberland suffered an ankle injury and will have an MRI Monday. ... Kerley's 54-yard first-quarter punt return was the Jets' longest since Santana Moss' 75-yard TD return in the 2004 playoffs. ... McFadden's 70-yard run was the longest vs. the Jets since the Raiders' Charlie Garner went 80 yards for a TD in the 2001 playoffs also at Oakland.

Jets wore white jerseys/white pants for 20th time in regular season and postseason under Rex Ryan. Their record after the loss: 14-6. ... Jets' game captains were Sanchez, Joe McKnight, Garrett McIntyre, Colin Baxter and Patrick Turner. ... The Jets' six inactives besides Mangold were QB Kevin O'Connell, WR Logan Payne, S Emanuel Cook, RB Bilal Powell, Rob Turner and Kenrick Ellis.

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Mark Sanchez Banged Up Again; Bruised Lung For Jets’ Cromartie?

September 26, 2011 7:21 AM

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — By the time Mark Sanchez made his way to the podium, a red welt had formed under his right eye and stretched across the bridge of the Jets quarterback’s nose.

There was no in-game snack on the sidelines for Sanchez this time at the Coliseum. He was having enough trouble just trying to breathe correctly after getting hit in the face.

And he wasn’t even sure who smacked him.

“I have no idea,” said Sanchez after passing for a career-high 369 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ 34-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. “I just came off the sideline and my nose was killing me.”

He was going to have X-rays to see if his nose was broken. It has been a rough start for Sanchez, who was tested for a concussion after the opening win against Dallas, and bruised his right arm against Jacksonville last week.

This time, Sanchez wasn’t the only one hurting in New York’s locker room.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who drew four penalties and committed a costly turnover when he fumbled away a kickoff return late in the third quarter, suffered a rib injury and was taken for X-rays. The team had no immediate word on his condition.

Multiple reports say Cromartie suffered a bruised lung.

The Jets defense could probably use some help, too, after giving up 234 rushing yards and blowing a 17-7 lead.

“I’ve never had that happen I don’t think in my life, but it just happened,” coach Rex Ryan said. “This thing stings, there’s no question. You have 439 yards on offense and you lose the game. It’s unbelievable.”

Darren McFadden bullied the Jets on the ground and Raiders bloodied Sanchez in a most satisfying victory in their home opener.

He ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns as part of the most productive rushing day against New York since Ryan took over as coach in 2009.

“McFadden is always a threat to anybody’s defense,” Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis said. “He crushed us today. It was the little things that we didn’t focus on that caused us to fall behind, and we didn’t catch up.”

Sanchez had a much rougher second trip to Oakland in his career, getting bloodied on one of Oakland’s four second-half sacks and needing a visor to protect a cut on his face. It was a far different end than his game here two years ago, when he was caught on camera eating a hot dog on the sideline in the closing minutes of a 38-0 victory that was the most lopsided home loss in Raiders history.

Ryan was miffed no penalty was called when Sanchez got hurt.

“He took a shot in the face, wasn’t called, so it must have been in the shoulder,” Ryan said. “But something happened to his face.”

Sanchez completed 27 of 43 passes, cutting Oakland’s lead to 31-24 with a 16-yard pass to Plaxico Burress with 5:33 remaining. He also ran for one touchdown and had a second overturned by replay in the final minute, ending New York’s last gasp.

But a week after blowing a game defensively in the second half in Buffalo, the Raiders never gave New York a chance at a comeback. Campbell scrambled 10 yards for a first down and found Bush for a 28-yard gain after buying time with his feet to set up Sebastian Janikowski’s 49-yard field goal with 2:32 left to ice it.

“We all had our hand in this,” Sanchez said. “We had momentum on our side, we let them hang around at halftime then they came and knocked us around a little in the third quarter.”

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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Jets: Effort Against McFadden’s Raiders An Embarrassing, Humiliating Shocker

September 26, 2011 7:53 AM

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — Darren McFadden ran past, around and through the Jets unlike any back has since Rex Ryan turned New York into one of the NFL’s biggest bullies after arriving two years ago.

About the only thing McFadden was unable to do was throw a pass — not for a lack of trying.

He schooled New York’s ballyhooed defense, rushing for 171 yards and two touchdowns. McFadden turned a broken halfback option play into a 27-yard run that set up the go-ahead score in the Raiders’ 34-24 victory over the Jets on Sunday.

Jets defensive lineman Sione Pouha called the game “embarrassing.”

“It was humiliating for us to have something like that happen to us,” he said. “It’ll sink deep.”

“This thing stings, no question,” said Ryan. “To have 439 yards in offense and lose the game, that’s unbelievable.”

“I’ve never had that happen, I don’t think, in my life,” he added.

Listen: Ryan after McFadden carves up defense

After getting Oakland (2-1) back into the game with his 70-yard touchdown run in the second quarter — twice as long as any previous run in two-plus seasons against Ryan’s Jets — McFadden helped the Raiders seize control during a dizzying stretch beginning late in the third.

“I told you guys I think he’s one of the best players in football and he demonstrated that today,” coach Hue Jackson said.

It started when rookie Chimdi Chekwa broke up a fourth-down pass to Plaxico Burress. Three plays later, Jackson called for a halfback option play that didn’t work when the Jets covered Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell.

“I wanted to throw the ball, but Jason being a quarterback, he was kind of covered, so I felt like it was in my best interest to just go ahead and run it,” McFadden said.

McFadden did just that, running 27 yards while faking a pass about 8 yards down the field.

On the next play, rookie Denarius Moore took a reverse that the Jets appeared to have stopped. But Moore cut upfield to elude David Harris and Samson Satele flattened Jim Leonhard with a block, springing Moore for the touchdown that made it 24-17.

“Let your players make plays,” Jackson said. “That’s what I’m trying to create here. I’m going to create an environment where our great players can do something special.”

Antonio Cromartie mishandled the ensuing kick and Taiwan Jones recovered the fumble at the 13. Michael Bush scored from 1 yard out 42 seconds after Moore’s touchdown to make it 31-17 one play into the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t play to our identity,” said cornerback Darrelle Revis. “It’s a shocker for a lot of us.”

That was one of four touchdowns on the ground on a 234-yard rushing day that was the worst the Jets (2-1) had allowed in 41 games — including playoffs — with Ryan as coach.

Mark Sanchez had a much rougher time on his second career trip to Oakland, getting bloodied on one of Oakland’s four second-half sacks and needing a visor to protect a cut on his face. He also said after the game that he would have an X-ray to check if his nose was broken.

It was a far different end than his game here two years ago, when he memorably was eating a hot dog on the sideline in the closing minutes of a 38-0 victory that was the most lopsided home loss in Raiders history.

Sanchez completed 27 of 43 passes for a career-high 369 yards, but threw a costly interception in the end zone in the first half. He later cut Oakland’s lead to 31-24 with a 16-yard pass to Burress with 5:33 remaining. He also ran for one touchdown and had a second overturned by replay in the final minute, ending New York’s last gasp.

“I just feel like they’re a revamped Raiders group,” Sanchez said. “We had momentum on our side, we let them hang around at halftime then they came and knocked us around a little in the third quarter.”

A week after blowing a game defensively in the second half at Buffalo, the Raiders finished against New York. Campbell scrambled 10 yards and found Bush for a 28-yard gain after buying time with his feet to set up Sebastian Janikowski’s 49-yard field goal with 2:32 left to ice it.

Campbell was 18 for 27 for 156 yards, but the Raiders won this game in the trenches.

“They’re a physical football team and I felt like that played right into our hands,” Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. “Because we’re pretty physical up front on the offensive and defensive lines. Any time a team wants to come in and play that type of game with us, I like our chances all the time.”

The Raiders showed no hangover from last week’s second-half collapse. They took just five plays to drive 76 yards for the opening score against the Jets, with tight end Kevin Boss making a 28-yard catch in his Oakland debut to set up McFadden’s 2-yard run.

The Jets responded with the next 17 points thanks to big plays from LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson broke a tackle from Rolando McClain and took a short pass 74 yards down to the 1 to set up Sanchez’s 1-yard TD run. Tomlinson later caught an 18-yard TD pass for his 160th career touchdown, including 26 against the Raiders.

But McFadden’s long run and a 54-yard field goal by Janikowski on the final play of the half tied the game at 17.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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Green Lantern: Memo To The Jets: Defense Never ‘Takes Week Off’ In NFL

Disgraceful Effort Against The Raiders Should Put Everyone On Notice

September 26, 2011 9:05 AM

By Jeff Capellini, CBSNewYork/WFAN.com

NEW YORK (WFAN) — Now we’re going to see what this team is made of.

It would be easy to chalk up the Jets’ disgusting 34-24 loss in Oakland on Sunday to the defense just having a bad day, a theory that seems to be a running theme on many Internet message boards right now. It would be logical to assume, those fans contest, that the effort will be much better next week on Sunday Night Football at Baltimore.

But as we all know logic rarely plays a role in how a team performs on a week-to-week basis. Only game-planning and execution matters.

And right now Rex Ryan’s bunch looks like it has no clue how to do either.

The Jets may have thought they had the right plan to handle the Raiders’ Darren McFadden, but it’s clear they had no clue how to pull it off. It’s also fairly apparent that the issues with the pass rush have not gone away and you have to hold your breath every time Antonio Cromartie is on the field.

The Jets’ pride and joy took a beating on Sunday. The defense never made a play. It didn’t force a single turnover and recorded just one sack, and that came because Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell slipped. What’s worse and simply stunning is the fact that the Raiders went 0-for-8 on third down, but still amassed 23 first downs and 234 yards rushing.

Cromartie had arguably his worst game as a professional, getting flagged four times for more than 40 yards and butchering a kickoff in a manner I had never seen before prior to leaving the contest with an apparent rib injury. We all know he’s a feast or famine player and that consistency has never been his strong suit, but Sunday was absurd. Hell, he didn’t even get burned for a touchdown and yet was arguably the Jets’ most ineffective soul on the field.

Defense-wide, the Jets had no clue how to handle the Raiders’ hurry-up offense. They got beat by trickery. They got beat up the middle and around the ends. They had five penalties prolong drives.

It certainly wasn’t the type of effort the fan base has grown accustomed to over the last two-plus years.

And this notion that somehow offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is even partly to blame for the loss is comical. Yes, the Jets’ offense went into the tank in the third quarter. The play calling appeared to be conservative, though ultimately it’s up to Mark Sanchez and his offensive line where the ball ends up being thrown. The running game, after finally getting some legs under it in the first half following two games of complete ineptitude, disappeared after halftime. Shonn Greene caught an early flight back to the East Coast. LaDainian Tomlinson’s stellar first half as a receiver out of the backfield quickly became ancient history. Santonio Holmes caught one pass all game.

I get all of that, trust me. But before you go sick on Schottenheimer keep in mind the fact that the Jets’ offensive line was horrendous after the intermission. It should not have been asked to constantly pass protect, yet it was because the defense couldn’t shut down a high school offense, let alone one from the NFL.

When you build a 10-point lead against a team that pretty much is one-dimensional you have just one job: force that opposing offense to explore other dimensions. The Jets didn’t even come close to making Campbell feel uncomfortable and never disrupted his short passing game. The Raiders scored 24 unanswered points after falling behind 17-7 and they did it with creativity in some cases and basically by telling the Jets what was coming the rest of the time.

I assumed Rex Ryan would reach into his bag of oratory tricks during the intermission and basically challenge the defense to get its head out of its collective butt, or make some kind of adjustments that would control McFadden. Maybe he did scream at his team, but if so the message wasn’t received. Rex, himself, deserves a ton of blame for the debacle because whether he tried or not the bottom line is the Raiders — not the Jets — played Sunday like it was their Super Bowl. On top of that, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine actually was way too conservative with his schemes. When the Jets did blitz they seemed like they didn’t have the heart to see each play through to its conclusion.

So now what? Well, maybe the Jets didn’t know this stretch of three straight road games would be pivotal, but I and 99 percent of the fan base sure did. What no one expected was New England looking equally abysmal defensively in a last-second loss up in Buffalo. So, the Jets sort of caught a break, but at the same time shot themselves in the foot. The Bills are much improved, no question, but they shouldn’t be challenging the Jets and Patriots for the AFC East title in December.

I’d like to say Sunday was an aberration and that next week the defense will get back to being itself. But on the other hand, there was entirely too much chest pounding following the 32-3 win over Jacksonville last week. The Jaguars are arguably the worst offensive team in football. To wear the defensive effort in that game as a badge of honor was ridiculous then and even more hysterical now, knowing what we know and have seen.

The Ravens are an infinitely better offensive club than the Raiders. Running back Ray Rice can singlehandedly destroy any defense, as a runner or receiver. Joe Flacco is Joe Namath compared to the Raiders’ Campbell. The Ravens have receivers all over the place and you already know what their defense is capable of on a weekly basis.

The question now becomes, what will the Jets’ defense do? If this unit is not embarrassed and humiliated by what went down Sunday, it will never be. It was humbled. It was exposed. And it has no excuses.

Talking the talk and then walking the walk is probably the most overused cliche in pro sports, but in the Jets’ case it’s apropos. And this new-found pressure to prove something beyond talking smack or beating up on the weak sisters of the league is now as much on Ryan’s shoulders as it is any player that laid an egg Sunday against the Raiders.

And you know who you are. The list is long and distinguished.

One bad effort could be considered an anomaly, but two in a row marks a trend. The Jets’ defense better regroup and quickly because nobody signed on for the type of stupidity we saw Sunday. They better fix it now rather than later or this little bit of a hot seat the players are on will quickly become flammable.

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Winners & losers from Jets loss to Raiders

| More Print

10:05 AM, September 26, 2011 ι By BRIAN COSTELLO

The Jets suffered their first defeat of the season Sunday, a 34-24 loss to the Raiders. Here is a look at the winners and losers from that game:

WINNERS

1. Mark Sanchez – Sure, he had another terrible interception but overall Sanchez played well. The Raiders took away his wide receivers for big chunks of the game by surprising the Jets with a zone coverage. But Sanchez hit his running backs and tight end Dustin Keller to pick up big yardage. He completed 63 percent of his passes (27-of-43) for a career-high 369 yards. He also led the team down the field twice in the fourth quarter, once for a touchdown and the other ending on the 2-yard line.

2. Jeremy Kerley – The rookie that was so impressive in training camp has had a quiet start to the regular season. But Kerley had a good day returning punts Sunday with four returns for 80 yards, including a 53-yarder that put the Jets in great field position. Kerley showed his toughness on one return when his helmet came off and he took a shot to the head.

3. Colin Baxter – The focus all week was on center Nick Mangold missing his first start, but the rookie replacement did pretty well in his place. The Raiders moved Richard Seymour over him at times, and Baxter handled himself well. The other offensive linemen said there were not any communication breakdowns with Baxter in there. The Jets did run to the outside more, perhaps to cover up any deficiencies in the middle.

LOSERS

1. Antonio Cromartie – The Jets “other” cornerback had a terrible day. He committed four penalties, a few that were just back-breaking. One week after intercepting two passes against the Jaguars, Cromartie was a walking penalty flag. He also muffed a kickoff return, giving the Raiders the ball at the 13. Two plays later they went up by two touchdowns. Cromartie left the game and has a bruised lung, according to multiple reports. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can bounce back.

2. Bart Scott – The Jets inside linebacker was lined up on the edge on Darren McFadden’s 70-yard run. He got pancaked by tight end Kevin Boss, and that let McFadden hit the edge and off he went. Scott also had a clear shot at Denarius Moore on his 23-yard touchdown run but whiffed on the tackle. Scott has played well this year but Sunday is one he’d like to forget. After the game, Scott had to be convinced to talk to reporters by a Jets official. Scott said the only reason he spoke to the media was because it was a league rule.

3. Rex Ryan – The Jets coach did not have his team ready to play. His vaunted defense got shredded on the first series of the game, looking like they still hadn’t gotten off the bus. Ryan said his defense would be the best in the league. They’ve given up nearly 400 yards in two out of three games. Too bad they can’t play Luke McCown every week.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/jetsblog/winners_losers_from_jets_loss_to_iggag4q5Iz8GxTErq892RL#ixzz1Z4phxl4B

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Jets lose uglily

by Ted Berg on September 26th, 2011 at 10:01 am

It seems like some in the media and blogosphere want to partly exonerate Antonio Cromartie for his brutal performance in the Jets’ 34-24 loss to the Raiders yesterday. I do not. Sure, at least one of his four penalties was probably a bad call, but most of them weren’t.

Cromartie finished second on the team with five tackles, but that’s generally a bad sign for cornerbacks. Darrelle Revis, for example, finished without a tackle. With Revis playing his typical dominant coverage, the Raiders obviously targeted Cromartie from the start — so much so that it became easy to forget Revis was even playing for long stretches of the game.

But worst of all, Cromartie followed a strong special-teams performance against the Jaguars with a backbreaking boot and bobble of a kickoff that led to the Raiders’ second touchdown in about a minute, a massive momentum shift that doomed Gang Green.

Not long later, Cromartie added injury to ineffectiveness, hobbling into the locker room with what is supposedly a bruised lung.

The Jets’ offense managed 24 points, impressive considering the sad state of their offensive line. Rookie center Colin Baxter played a hell of a lot better than he did against Jacksonville, but was physically overmatched by the Raiders’ strong defensive line on multiple plays.

It didn’t help that the rest of the Jets’ offensive line struggled, missing blocks and blowing assignments. The Raiders sacked Mark Sanchez four times. Most of the Jets’ best plays came on roll-out passes and runs outside the tackles, away from the overwhelmed interior linemen.

Sanchez had a good day, considering the constant pressure from the Raiders’ defense. But his lone interception came on an awful decision, throwing on the run to a multiply covered Derrick Mason in the end zone on a broken first-down play.

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aking News:Jeff Cumberland Out for the Season

AUTHOR: Alan Schechter | IN: Jets | COMMENTS: None Yet |

Home » Jets » Breaking News:Jeff Cumberland Out for the Season

Bad news for the Jets backup TE.

Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News has reported that an MRI on Jeff Cumberland has confirmed a torn achilles tendon, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. Tough break for a guy primed for a breakout year.

Timeable for his recovery is 6 months.

[Aten]

Winners & losers from Jets loss to Raiders

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10:05 AM, September 26, 2011 ι By BRIAN COSTELLO

The Jets suffered their first defeat of the season Sunday, a 34-24 loss to the Raiders. Here is a look at the winners and losers from that game:

WINNERS

1. Mark Sanchez

Mass delusion.

[flgreen]

September 26, 2011 12:39 PM 1 comment

Source: Tight end Jeff Cumberland out for the season with torn Achilles

BY Manish Mehta

Update: Cumberland is keeping a positive attitude and told the News: "I'll be okay... and come back stronger than before."

The Daily News has learned that tight end Jeff Cumberland is out for the season with a torn right Achilles suffered in yesterday's loss to the Raiders. Cumberland underwent an MRI this morning that revealed the tear, according to a source. The recovery timetable will be six months.

The News reported last night that the Jets had feared that the pass-catching tight end may have torn his Achilles. Cumberland had made great strides in training camp and the preseason. The Jets had incorporated him more in their two- and three-tight end sets.

Cumberland was injured on the second play of the second quarter on an incompleted pass in the end zone. He came up limping right after the play. The team announced shortly thereafter that he underwent x-rays for an ankle injury.

The second-year tight end had two catches for 35 yards in the first two games. His presence had given the Jets a dimension that they wanted to use more often as the season progressed.

[flgreen]

Holmes Questions Schottenheimer’s Adjustments

by Bassett on September 26th, 2011 at 11:57 am

Santonio Holmes has questioned Brian Schottenheimer before - he did so the last time the Jets lost a game that counts and he did it again last night after the Jets loss to the Oakland Raiders.

“We’ve got to do a better job of adjusting on the fly as an offense,” said Holmes, making a veiled criticism of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. “You can’t be forced to continue doing the same things when those guys are doing something different. We have to open up the game plan a little bit and have a little bit more fun.

Faced with more zone than expected, QB Mark Sanchez struggled to get the ball to his wideouts, with Holmes and Plaxico Burress combining for only four catches. Burress scored a late touchdown. Sanchez (27-for-43, career-high 369 yards) threw underneath all day, completing 18 passes to his backs and slot receiver Derrick Mason.

When RB Shonn Greene (seven catches) is your leading receiver, something ain’t right.LaDainian Tomlinson led the team with 116 receiving yards, including an 18-yard touchdown and a 74-yard catch and run that set up another score.

“Our quarterback was on the ground too many times,” Holmes said. “Obviously, something didn’t get adusted for us. I guess we have to go back to the lab and make it right.”

The Jets were playing well in the first half on offense with the designed bootlegs and sprintouts, short passes, whether to running backs or receivers and then the Raiders changed it up. The Raiders started playing more zone defense and it was harder to isolate players on mismatches and the Jets offense started bogging down.

The ironic thing here, is that when it comes to the pass, zone defenses have holes inside them and can be vulnerable on the perimeter. So the response is, find the holes in the zones (I’ll look tonight and see if I can spot where they should have attacked more) and can move more quickly from one gap to the next to make big plays. As the type of receiver that Santonio Holmes is – and based on his longer tenure with Sanchez than Mason or Plax, it makes perfect sense why the Jets should try and get the ball to him in those cases, but they didn’t – thus why Tone is probably frustrated.

As far as the running game, I really think we start to see some of Tom Moore’s influence – we saw something yesterday football fans are very accustomed to seeing Peyton Manning do all the time. The Raiders were showing zones, and Sanchez repeatedly went to the draws out of the gun to get some yards on the ground, keep the chains moving and pinch down those zones to get better looks in the passing game on successive downs. While there was stuff that I didn’t like, I did like seeing the Jets successfully add that offensive wrinkle to their potential gameplan.

As far as the protection issues that Holmes was talking about? There were some real issues, I’ll go back and look again later, but there were plays where both Moore and Slauson were looking to help inside and the help was needed on the outside. Or plays where Wayne Hunter was standing looking for someone to block a yard beyond the line of scrimmage, while his QB was getting front-backed by two unblocked defensive linemen.

There’s issues on this offense – and getting Nick Mangold back will only do so much to cover them. Can they be worked out? I do think so, but can the Jets cover over them in the meantime?

[Integrity28]

Holmes Questions Schottenheimer’s Adjustments

by Bassett on September 26th, 2011 at 11:57 am

Santonio Holmes has questioned Brian Schottenheimer before - he did so the last time the Jets lost a game that counts and he did it again last night after the Jets loss to the Oakland Raiders.

“We’ve got to do a better job of adjusting on the fly as an offense,” said Holmes, making a veiled criticism of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. “You can’t be forced to continue doing the same things when those guys are doing something different. We have to open up the game plan a little bit and have a little bit more fun.

Faced with more zone than expected, QB Mark Sanchez struggled to get the ball to his wideouts, with Holmes and Plaxico Burress combining for only four catches. Burress scored a late touchdown. Sanchez (27-for-43, career-high 369 yards) threw underneath all day, completing 18 passes to his backs and slot receiver Derrick Mason.

When RB Shonn Greene (seven catches) is your leading receiver, something ain’t right.LaDainian Tomlinson led the team with 116 receiving yards, including an 18-yard touchdown and a 74-yard catch and run that set up another score.

“Our quarterback was on the ground too many times,” Holmes said. “Obviously, something didn’t get adusted for us. I guess we have to go back to the lab and make it right.”

The Jets were playing well in the first half on offense with the designed bootlegs and sprintouts, short passes, whether to running backs or receivers and then the Raiders changed it up. The Raiders started playing more zone defense and it was harder to isolate players on mismatches and the Jets offense started bogging down.

The ironic thing here, is that when it comes to the pass, zone defenses have holes inside them and can be vulnerable on the perimeter. So the response is, find the holes in the zones (I’ll look tonight and see if I can spot where they should have attacked more) and can move more quickly from one gap to the next to make big plays. As the type of receiver that Santonio Holmes is – and based on his longer tenure with Sanchez than Mason or Plax, it makes perfect sense why the Jets should try and get the ball to him in those cases, but they didn’t – thus why Tone is probably frustrated.

As far as the running game, I really think we start to see some of Tom Moore’s influence – we saw something yesterday football fans are very accustomed to seeing Peyton Manning do all the time. The Raiders were showing zones, and Sanchez repeatedly went to the draws out of the gun to get some yards on the ground, keep the chains moving and pinch down those zones to get better looks in the passing game on successive downs. While there was stuff that I didn’t like, I did like seeing the Jets successfully add that offensive wrinkle to their potential gameplan.

As far as the protection issues that Holmes was talking about? There were some real issues, I’ll go back and look again later, but there were plays where both Moore and Slauson were looking to help inside and the help was needed on the outside. Or plays where Wayne Hunter was standing looking for someone to block a yard beyond the line of scrimmage, while his QB was getting front-backed by two unblocked defensive linemen.

There’s issues on this offense – and getting Nick Mangold back will only do so much to cover them. Can they be worked out? I do think so, but can the Jets cover over them in the meantime?

Ugh....

It pains me that Schotty has kept his job this long, and they continue to surround him with guys that he can learn from... and he continues to do the same thing every week.

[Larz]

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — By the time Mark Sanchez made his way to the podium, a red welt had formed under his right eye and stretched across the bridge of the Jets quarterback’s nose.

There was no in-game snack on the sidelines for Sanchez this time at the Coliseum. He was having enough trouble just trying to breathe correctly after getting hit in the face.

And he wasn’t even sure who smacked him.

“I have no idea,” said Sanchez after passing for a career-high 369 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ 34-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. “I just came off the sideline and my nose was killing me.”

this reminds me. isn't it a no-no in the nfl to punch QB's in the face ?