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Esiason Sees Sanchez Making a Quick Rebound

Posted by Eric Allen on October 6, 2011 – 6:29 pm

The question seemed innocent enough, but Boomer Esiason responded with a headlock to make a point. After the current CBS analyst interviewed Rex Ryan this afternoon, I asked the former Jets QB how he thought Mark Sanchez was seeing the field and reading defenses in his third-pro season.

“Let me ask you a question. If I had my hand around your neck like this, how would you see the field? You wouldn’t see the field real good, would you? It wouldn’t be good, right? It’s almost impossible to do that when someone’s hanging on your neck,” Esiason said before releasing me with a wise grin.

Even though Sanchez was sacked 11 times and has accounted for nine giveaways during the Jets’ 2-2 start, Esiason is not worried about the 24-year-old passer.

“You can see that he’s tough. You can see that it means something to him. That’s what you want and things will turn around,” Esiason said. “They’ll get confidence in one another again. All it takes is one win in the NFL and if they’re able to beat the New England Patriots next week, we’re standing here and it’s a completely different perception about this football team.

“I’m not worried about the young man,” he added. “I would be worried if Nick Mangold would be out the rest of the year, but the moment Nick Mangold gets back, the better it will be for him.”

After turning it over four times against the Ravens, including three plays that were returned for touchdowns, Sanchez will see a less menacing defensive unit late Sunday afternoon in Foxboro, Mass. Sanchez was 16-for-25 for 194 yards with three scoring strikes in the Jets’ 28-21 AFC Divisional Round win over the Pats in January.

“The New England Patriots are a different kind of defense — they’re not like [the Ravens], they’re not pressure-oriented. They sit back and they’re kind of cumbersome. They’re large and they kind of bait you into mistakes as opposed to forcing you into mistakes like the Ravens do,” Boom said. “I would suspect this week that he’s going to have a really good game. He’ll have a bounceback game like most really good quarterbacks do and I’m not worried about it.”

The Green & White are trying to find their way on offense. Expectations are high and patience isn’t a word many in Jets Nation want to hear. But Esiason thinks an eruption could be only days away for a team that appeared powerless in B-More.

“They came into the season thinking, ‘We have a third-year quarterback, we have Santonio Holmes, who we’re paying $50 million to, and we have Plaxico Burress, who thinks of himself as an all-star, so we have to start using these guys,’ ” Esiason said. “I think they’re still trying to find out how to get in a rhythm — they really haven’t had that situation yet where they’ve had that real top-notch, on-point game. I’m telling you, the defense of the New England Patriots could be a defense that allows them to have that.”

Perhaps it will be time to press the panic button if the Jets offense doesn’t respond this week and Sanchez endures some more brutal shots in New England. But Esiason’s belief in Sanchez has not wavered after an interesting first quarter of the season when you consider three of his top four receivers are new and he lost his center for two-plus games of action.

“This is all a growing process. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s a really, really, really top-notch football player as evidenced by the fact that he has four road victories in the playoffs and nobody else at our position can say that and people don’t realize how hard that is,” Esiason said. “So he’s the New York Jets quarterback and he’s going to get a lot of scrutiny, but it’s just part of that.”

You’ll be able to watch the entire interview — including the headlock — shortly on newyorkjets.com. (Maybe I’ll get some revenge on our good friend Boom on the ice in the coming months.)

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Jets Dealing With Same Old Doubts

By BEN SHPIGEL

Published: October 6, 2011

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Sione Pouha had spent the last five minutes or so discussing the Jets’ challenges Sunday at New England, so it seemed only equitable that he offer one in kind: type “New York Jets” and “underestimated” into an Internet search engine and see how many results show up.

“A lot,” Pouha said. “Exactly how many, I don’t know. But that’s what we always are, underestimated.”

The Jets, in a perverse way, enjoy being characterized like that, funneling doubt into motivation. It pushes and prods them to muzzle the cynics, none of whom, they note, work at 1 Jets Drive. What bothers them is the root of that label — that, by playing poorly, they have put themselves in position to be underestimated so often during Rex Ryan’s tenure as coach.

They are prone to stretches of crushing losses, when their offense sputters and their defense reels, as has been true the past two weeks, at Oakland and Baltimore. They also have a remarkable capacity for soaring wins that seem to surprise everyone but themselves. On Sunday, they return to Gillette Stadium, the site of their best and worst games of last season and, they hope, their defining victory of this one.

“We’ve got to get this fixed right now,” Ryan said.

Six weeks after a humiliating 45-3 defeat to the Patriots on a Monday night, the Jets eliminated New England, 28-21, from the playoffs. Aside from advancing to the A.F.C. championship game, the most rewarding aspect of that game, Darrelle Revis said, was “silencing the critics.”

In the week leading to that game, Revis said the critics were louder than at any juncture of his career — louder than during the twin three-game losing streaks in 2009, louder than before their playoff wins at San Diego and Indianapolis, louder than before their regular-season victory last December in Pittsburgh.

Indeed, Dustin Keller likened this matchup to that game against the Steelers, which came after they had been outscored, 55-9, in losses to New England and Miami. They arrived at Heinz Field with a feeble offense and wounded pride. They left, after beating one of the N.F.L.’s elite teams, with their swagger restored and a playoff berth all but secured.

“Every time this happens, some people overlook us, or say that we’re overrated, but that’s not the case,” Keller said. “We have a few bad games and everybody wants to say that the Jets lost it. No. That game we had against the Ravens, you’re not going to see more of those.”

The Jets have tried banishing from memory that game against the Ravens, focusing instead on the problems that threaten to derail their season. Most involve their offense, which has not scored a touchdown in the last six quarters.

The offensive line has failed to protect Mark Sanchez, who last Sunday committed four fumbles, losing three, and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The expected return of the injured center Nick Mangold will supply a boost, but so would the reappearance — appearance? — of their running game, which ranks 30th in the N.F.L. but, for the sake of their mental health, will not much longer.

Ryan raved about Thursday’s practice, calling it the best of the season, sentiments that were echoed by several players, including LaDainian Tomlinson, who loved the tempo.

For the Jets to topple the Patriots, that effort must translate on Sunday to points — and a fair amount of them. Controlling the clock, via completions or rushes, keeps Tom Brady and his high-octane offense off the field.

The Jets, after being outcoached and outplayed in that 45-3 thrashing, developed a masterly defensive game plan to contain Brady in the playoffs. They mixed coverage, changing looks before or right after the snap, and flooded the middle of the field with defensive backs. But, as safety Eric Smith said, “you can’t go out and line up in the same thing because they’re going to figure out what it is.”

The Jets have noticed that Wes Welker, on pace for 160 catches, is being used as more of a deep threat than in years past, and they must adjust. They also noticed that the Patriots ran for 183 yards last week in Oakland. In the past, the Jets have dared them to run, expecting that their strategy to rattle Brady would hold true.

“I don’t know if that plan will be able to hold up for the entire game,” the defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said, adding: “There’s no team, I think, that’s better at figuring out your plan, making adjustments and then rolling up some yardage on you as the game goes on. That’s why the plan has to be deep.”

The Jets must contend with themselves as much as the Patriots, the problems that are self-inflicted. It would be easier for everyone at team headquarters if they did not pin themselves in such a difficult situation — having to win on the road to avoid falling deeper into the pack in a competitive division and conference — but since they are so accustomed to it, they almost do not mind anymore.

“This is the third time in three years where this has happened, and we’ve always finished strong,” Matt Slauson said. “So, our confidence isn’t shot, it’s not gone. Our season isn’t over by any means. We’ve just got to get everything fixed and we’ll get back on track.”

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Jets' Mangold will be 'ready to roll' Sunday against Patriots

Thursday, October 6, 2011

BY J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

The Record

FLORHAM PARK – Matt Slauson was praising teammate Nick Mangold for everything he does as the starting center, and then the third-year left guard went perhaps a little too far.

Talking about New England nose tackle Vince Wilfork, Slauson noted that “Vince is a load and he’s quick too, [but] Nick seems to have him figured out, so we’re all really happy” that Mangold will return from an ankle injury.

Not so fast, said Mangold. Not about coming back, but about Wilfork.

“I do not have him figured out,” the Jets’ sixth-year center said Thursday. “God bless [slauson] for saying such things.”

At least, however, it appears Mangold will renew his rivalry with Wilfork on Sunday when the Jets visit New England. Mangold has missed the past two games with a high ankle sprain, but has practiced on a limited basis the last two days. Coach Rex Ryan said Mangold is “ready to roll” for Sunday’s contest, and when asked if he would play, Mangold said, “I plan on it.”

Mangold’s presence should benefit a Jets running game that is ranked 30th in the NFL through four games. The Jets were fourth in the league in that category last season, and averaged 4.1 yards per rush in their upset playoff win over New England in January, helped by Mangold often winning the one-on-one matchup with Wilfork. A strong running game also would control the clock and keep Tom Brady and the high-powered New England offense idling on the bench.

It also should help the Jets that they are facing a yielding Patriots defense allowing 4.8 yards per carry. But Mangold said those statistics can be misleading.

“When you look at a team,” Mangold said, “you can’t get sucked in by numbers. You have to look at them on film and see what they’re doing, and know also that this is a huge rivalry and the game is always a fantastic matchup and [the atmosphere] seems to elevate the performances.’’

When asked about improving the ground game, veteran running back LaDainian Tomlinson said, “part of it is doing it a little bit more, being more balanced and part of it is … execution, understanding what we’re up against, executing the play exactly. On offense it’s tough because if one person, and I’m sure you guys have heard this, if one person doesn’t do their job, then [the play] breaks down.”

So there figures to be fewer missed assignments with veteran Mangold making the line calls, as opposed to undrafted rookie Colin Baxter, who had started the past two games.

“Having [Mangold] back is a sense of comfort for all of us on offense,” said Tomlinson, who has 59 yards on 20 carries. “I can’t tell you how easy he makes our jobs on offense. We don’t have to do as much. Nick makes all the calls and he gets people in the right places. … So we really enjoy having him back. We hope it stays that way and he continues to be healthy.”

“I think everybody here knows how we are capable of running the football,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “This is the first-quarter mark of the season. We’re four games into it, coming off a very poor performance, and again, we’re not panicking, we’re working, and I think that’s all you can do. You roll your sleeves up, you get back to work, you point out the things that need to get corrected both as players and coaches, and you realize that you’ve got to move on and move forward, and that’s what we’re doing.

“We’re confident that when this thing is all said and done [we’ll] be an extremely good running football team.”

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com

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Cromartie dares Brady to throw at him

Posted by Mike Florio on October 6, 2011, 10:23 PM EDT

New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie breaks up a pass intended for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Derek Hagan in Oakland Reuters

On Wednesday, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he doesn’t care what Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie says about him.

Brady may be interested in Cromartie’s latest.

On Thursday, Cromartie dared Brady to throw at the Jets’ No. 2 cover man. “I hope I’m a target this game,” Cromartie said, per the Associated Press. “I want to be a target every game.”

With Darrelle Revis expected to cover receiver Wes Welker most of the time, it’s safe to say that Cromartie will indeed get what he wants. And Cromartie said that he plans to rough up whoever he is assigned to watch.

“To beat the hell out of their receivers, that’s our game plan on the outside,” Cromartie said. “It’s to try to mess up their timing routes as much as we can.”

It’s one thing to do that against receivers Chad Ochocinco and Deion Branch. It’s quite another to do it to tight ends Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez. Though the latter has been sidelined with a knee injury, Hernandez returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday, which means that he could play on Sunday.

Bottom line? The Patriots may have too many weapons for the Jets to shut down. And so the chess match will come from the ability of the team’s front seven to get to Brady before he can find an open man.

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Jets notes: No hard feelings between Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes

Friday, October 7, 2011

The Record

No hard feelings

Coach Rex Ryan said there are no lingering problems between QB Mark Sanchez and WR Santonio Holmes over comments Holmes made about Sanchez’s four-turnover meltdown in the loss at Baltimore, and said that from now on such comments would remain "in-house." "Those two guys are fine," Ryan said, adding that Sanchez "threw like 20 balls to him [in practice Thursday], so I don’t see that as a problem at all."

Ryan said he won’t muzzle players. "Just be yourself and we won’t tell guys what to say and what not to say," he said. "This is a close team. It’s been this way since I’ve gotten here and it’ll stay that way. … Those guys are fine. They’re competitive guys, they’re ready to roll. I’m sure whatever was said, it’s over with. We’re moving forward."

RB LaDainian Tomlinson said he wasn’t aware of Holmes’ comments, adding, "But whatever was said, I’m sure Santonio meant it in a positive way. It may not have come out the way he wanted it to, but our message was don’t be distracted by anything. If we had a bad game, we lose together. Let’s all make sure we’re all on the same page and we’re all saying the same things."

Briefs

WR Plaxico Burress returned to practice a day after sitting out with inflammation in his left elbow. LB Calvin Pace (abdomen) returned on a limited basis. Ryan said both will play Sunday at New England. … Reserve LB Garrett McIntyre, who could be in line for more playing time because of the season-ending injury to Bryan Thomas (Achilles), sat out with a concussion and his status for Sunday is uncertain.

— J.P. Pelzman

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Jets vs. Patriots: To stop Wes Welker, Jets plan to mix up defense

Published: Friday, October 07, 2011, 4:15 AM

Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

w England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker has 40 receptions, 616 receiving yards and five touchdowns in four games.

Video: Jets excited for first game against the Patriots Video: Jets excited for first game against the Patriots New York Jets beat reporters Jenny Vrentas and Conor Orr preview the Jets game against the Patriots and how the team is excited for the big match up. (Video by Frances Micklow/The Star-Ledger) Watch video

There is a way to shut down Wes Welker, the New England Patriots slot receiver who leads the NFL in receptions and yards. This much Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine knows.

There are coverages in the playbook specifically designed to take away Welker’s specialties, all his leverage-reading quick outs, and ensure he doesn’t have a stamp on Sunday’s game.

In theory, the Jets could deploy Darrelle Revis on Welker exclusively and neutralize the problem. But ...

“Would the final result be what you wanted?” Pettine asked. “I think there’s too many other weapons. ... Against them, he’s not the only guy. One of the reasons he has so many catches is, the way teams have defended them, he’s been the mismatch most of the time.”

Thursday, Pettine and Jets coach Rex Ryan revealed as much as they have all week about the way they’ll try to defend a player who has amassed 616 receiving yards, has 40 receptions and scored five touchdowns in four games.

Revis will have an opportunity to play Welker in certain situations, Ryan said, but the key will be throwing out a bevy of different looks to prevent Patriots quarterback Tom Brady from adjusting and utilizing his other weapons.

Revis, just like everyone else, will be moving around.

“The way we do it, with a quarterback like this, you have to mix the coverages,” safety Brodney Pool said. “You just can’t go out there and give one look. Because if you look on film, most teams that do that, they just give one look, he tears them up. As long as we mix and match, we want to keep them on their toes. We just want to open up.”

During their most recent victory over the Patriots in last season’s divisional round of the playoffs, the game plan called for much more zone than normal. Brady finished with 259 net passing yards, a 5-for-14 mark on third down and gained just 5.4 yards per passing play.

“This year, I don’t know exactly how we are going to do it because we’ve got a lot of coverages we can throw at them, so we’ll see,” Pool said. “He’s a smart guy, he knows where to go with the ball. If you can just get him to hold it for that extra second, that works in our favor.”

The problem will be pairing these coverages against the Patriots on the fly. Pettine cautioned that New England’s “flavor-of-the-week” offense almost always changes from the week before. And that is the challenge.

“Welker only has 40 catches,” Ryan said, laughing. “Not like he’s done anything yet.”

Satff writer Jenny Vrentas contributed to this story.

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

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Jets know reviving run game against Patriots means they have to get physical

Published: Friday, October 07, 2011, 4:00 AM

Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger By Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

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Damien Woody, the former Jets right tackle, believes ground and pound is more of a mentality than a week-by-week decision.

Well, now that the Jets have made the decision to again ground and pound the football, their mentality is they’re going to excel at it against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

“As long as the defense takes care of business, we feel like we can really get after them in the running game,” left guard Matt Slauson said. “We’ve always had a lot of success on the ground there.”

The numbers bear that out: Under coach Rex Ryan, the Jets have averaged 4.2 yards per carry in five games against their division rivals, a good clip, and nearly 126 yards per game.

On one hand, a commitment to running the ball may help slow down the pace against the league’s No. 1-ranked offense. On the other, the Patriots are ranked last in the league in pass defense with a banged-up secondary, so there could be some opportunities in the air.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said the buzz of this week — the 2-2 Jets committing to reestablishing a run game, after passing on 63 percent of their plays through the first quarter of the season — is mainly about reasserting their physical presence.

“The ground and pound, as Rex (Ryan) and I talked about, that’s always been a mentality more than a run-pass call sheet,” Schottenheimer said. “I think that’s the big emphasis that he’s making is, ‘Hey, let’s get back to being physical.’ It doesn’t mean we’re going to run it 50 times; it doesn’t mean we’re going to throw it 50 times. It means we’re going to be a physical team that’s going to do whatever it takes to win the game.”

There has been a change this week as the Jets work to become that team again. Running back Joe McKnight said the padded practice Wednesday — the only one of the week allowed under the new collective bargaining agreement — included an intense nine-on-seven period. The team hadn’t done these “team run” drills, McKnight said, for the past few weeks.

There has been an emphasis on getting back to the basics, too, Schottenheimer said. Working on fundamentals like the quarterback-center exchange and ball-handling, and cutting out some run and pass plays.

The offensive line has stayed late, watching film for at least an extra hour as a group. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan also suggested a couple tweaks to his players’ technique, according to Slauson, “very small, minute changes” to the timing of their steps in order to execute plays better.

The Jets are 30th in the league in rushing, averaging just 71 yards per game. That’s a spot from which Schottenheimer said they can “absolutely not” be an effective offense.

“We’re not panicking,” he said. “We’re working.”

Slauson said the Jets have had success running against the Patriots in the past because their opponent’s 3-4 scheme often allowed for holes in the middle. This year, though, New England is operating out of a base 4-3 defensive front to make use of their big talents in the middle.

All-Pro nose tackle Vince Wilfork can move to different spots, though the Jets will benefit from likely having center Nick Mangold back from a high ankle sprain.

More coverage:

Slauson said he is studying four or five Patriots defenders this week, expecting the multiple fronts coach Bill Belichick is known for throwing at the Jets: 3-4, 4-3 and “the jam” with five down linemen.

Schottenheimer on Thursday expressed his confidence in lead back Shonn Greene, though the third-year player is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.

He also didn’t rule out McKnight, who had a 107-yard kickoff return last week, getting a few chances on offense, “if we can get him away from (special-teams) coach (Mike) Westhoff.”

Turning back to the run game may not be as easy as flipping a switch, but Schottenheimer believes the Jets are well-equipped because ground and pound has been their identity for the past two years. Can they pull it off at this point in the season?

“Can we? I think we absolutely can,” Schottenheimer said. “Will we? That all depends week to week.”

For more Jets coverage, follow Jenny Vrentas on Twitter at twitter.com/Jennyvrentas

Jenny Vrentas: jvrentas@starledger.com

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NY Jets see room for running backs Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Patriots defense

BY Manish Mehta

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Friday, October 7th 2011, 4:00 AM

Santonio Holmes' belief that the Patriots' defensive numbers "speak for themselves" isn't entirely accurate: Their 18th-ranked rush defense may actually be worse than the statistics reveal.

New England's high-octane offense has masked glaring defensive holes through the first four weeks. Tom Brady has helped disguise the deficiencies of a defense giving up 4.8 yards per carry.

Bill Belichick's team, which ranks last in total defense and pass defense, has led at halftime by an average of 9.5 points. The Patriots' winning formula is maddening for opponents: Get an early lead and force them to abandon the run.

The result: The primary running backs for New England's first four opponents haven't been difference-makers. Bills running back Fred Jackson's 79 yards is the most given up by the Patriots. Darren McFadden, who excoriated the Jets in Week 3, only managed 75 yards on the ground last week against New England. Ryan Matthews of San Diego picked up 64 yards. But each of the three backs averaged more than five yards per carry.

"You get the carries early because it's a tight game ... I've seen it a hundred times from them," Jets right guard Brandon Moore said in the run-up to Sunday's game in Foxborough. "Then, they score right before halftime. This is just how it works. Then, teams maybe lose their composure coming out of halftime and get away from running because they're so afraid of Tom getting the ball back and scoring. ... Before you know it, the game's over."

Rex Ryan has underscored the importance this week of his team returning to its physical roots on offense. The Jets have the 30th-ranked rush offense (71 yards per game) after boasting one of the league's elite ground attacks in his first two seasons. Although Ryan said the shift won't guarantee 50 carries a game, he promised a more balanced approach to swing the pendulum away from the 62-38 pass-to-run split during the first month of the season.

"The 'ground and pound' (has) always been a mentality more than a run-pass call sheet," offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. "It's a physical mentality."

It's also probably Gang Green's best way to keep Brady & Co. off the field. The Patriots' potent offense has proven that it doesn't need much time to light up the scoreboard. In 22 scoring drives this season, New England has had only four longer than five minutes and one longer than six.

In other words, controlling the clock will be paramount for the Jets.

"They rely on Tom Brady to just explode and make it so the opponent has to be in two-minute (mode) and throw it all over the field," left guard Matt Slauson said. "As long as our defense takes care of business, then we really feel we can get after them in the running game."

The Jets' rushing attack has had success against the Patriots; Ryan's team had 120 yards on the ground in last season's AFC divisional playoff win. The defense's ability to confuse Brady in that game played a significant role in the Jets' success on the ground.

"A good defense affords you the luxury to be able to do that," Moore said. "When your defense can hold Tom Brady on some three-and-outs and force them to punt, that give (opportunities) for the offense to run the ball, eat up some clock, score some touchdowns and wear them down."

Twitter.com/TheJetsStream

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2011/10/07/2011-10-07_jets_can_see_running_room.html#ixzz1a6PXBhdu

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It would be good as Mangold

BY Kevin Armstrong

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Friday, October 7th 2011, 4:00 AM

Rex Ryan expects center Nick Mangold to return from his high right ankle sprain Sunday against the Patriots.

"He's the best center in football," the coach said Thursday. "He knows the whole picture and that gives you confidence."

Mangold missed the previous two games, but practiced last week. He was a game-time decision but failed to convince coaches and trainers to activate him. Rookie reserve Colin Baxter stood in, and the Ravens' aggressive defense wreaked havoc, preventing any running game rhythm from developing and swarming all wideouts.

"We certainly expect to see him," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of Mangold.

FOOT FAULT

Where's Welker?

That's the questions the Jets' secondary will ask Sunday when the league's top wideout breaks off the line and looks for cracks to slip through.

"Clearly, I'm sure Darrelle (Revis) will get an opportunity to cover him," Ryan said.

Wes Welker has woven his way through opponents' schemes for 616 receiving yards in four games.

"I feel like this is the best I've ever felt, this is the best I've played in my career," Welker said.

Welker ended last season on a sour note. He was benched to begin the playoff game against the Jets for repeatedly bringing up the subject feet during a press conference. He did so to mock Ryan, who allegedly appeared in a foot fetish video that spread on the Internet.

"That's in the past," Ryan said.

MANY RETURNS

Special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff had rookie punt returner Jeremy Kerley field extra balls kicked inside the 10-yard line following practice. Kerley struggled with not downing a bouncing ball against Oakland in Week 3, but was one step from breaking out for a touchdown last week. "He's coming on," Westhoff said.

ACHES AND GAINS

WR Plaxico Burress (elbow) and LB Calvin Pace (abdomen) are expected to play Sunday.

At Patriots camp, meanwhile, former Jets RB Danny Woodhead (ankle) missed practice for the second straight day. DL Albert Haynesworth (back), DT Mike Wright (concussion) and TE Aaron Hernandez (knee) were upgraded to limited in practice after not performing Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2011/10/07/2011-10-07_it_would_be_good_as_mangold.html#ixzz1a6QUbpWo

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Jets need to turn into mistake-free team to top Patriots

Jets Blog

By JUSTIN TERRANOVA

Last Updated: 9:31 AM, October 7, 2011

Posted: 2:16 AM, October 7, 2011

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From mistake-filled to mistake-free in just seven days.

That is the kind of turnaround the Jets will need against the Patriots on Sunday after their debacle against the Ravens, when they turned the ball over four times. Three of those were returned for touchdowns in a 34-17 defeat.

“When you go up against [Tom] Brady, your margin of error is diminished,” Sirius XM host and CBS analyst Rich Gannon said. “You can’t afford a mistake or two because that’s just giving them more opportunities. You almost have to match them score for score and that has to be your mindset going into the game. Every drive for [Mark] Sanchez will be absolutely critical. He’s got to make the most of it.”

Mark Sanchez was beaten up and turned the ball over four times against the Ravens. He’ll have to be much better to beat the

Mark Sanchez was beaten up and turned the ball over four times against the Ravens. He’ll have to be much better to beat the Patriots.

UPDATES FROM OUR JETS BLOG

Sanchez made the least of it Sunday night in Baltimore. The quarterback was responsible for all four turnovers with three fumbles and an interception. The Jets’ two touchdowns came on a kickoff return return and an interception. Gannon, who quarterbacked the Raiders to an AFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance in 2002, worked out with Sanchez before last season.

“They concern you, there’s no question about that,” Gannon said of Sanchez’s mistakes. “He definitely deserves credit for the success they’ve had, but now he’s in his third year and you expect him to take the next step and that was a step back and he’s got to get it straightened out. A lot of it was recognition, I thought, and some poor decisions. He’s got to get that cleaned up, because that’s what is really holding him back.”

The lack of a running game has not helped Sanchez this year, either. Coach Rex Ryan blasted the offense this week and suggested the Jets would try to return to the ground-and-pound approach that has led them to consecutive AFC Championship games. But when the Jets have tried to run the ball, they have been pounded into the ground averaging 3.1 yards a carry, good for 30th in the 32-team NFL.

So, the pressure may remain on Sanchez to keep up with the Patriots’ high-scoring attack.

“Usually quarterbacks when they go into their third year, that’s usually the year they take off,” ESPN analyst and former Jets and Patriots lineman Damien Woody said of the quarterback he used to protect before retiring this offseason.

“The first couple of years you find your way, but usually that third year is where they take off. That was the whole premise when Rex said we are going to let Mark take the reins a little bit more, we are going to let the training wheels off a bit more. Having that experience for two years, especially in the playoffs, he’s ready to take the next step. I am not saying he can’t do it this year, but what Rex and the coaching staff have to take it as [is] what is our best option to win football games?”

It’s a question not many teams have found the answer to when facing the Patriots. But the Jets did deal New England a painful loss in the divisional round of the playoffs in January.

“This is a veteran team that knows how to deal with adversity, there’s too much talent there,” Gannon said of the Jets. “They have to get healthy along the offensive line, their quarterback has to settle down they, have to run the ball better. The defense had plenty of problems the other night, too. This is too good of a team not to turn it around, [but] they are starting to concern you a bit because they have been inconsistent.”

justin.terranova@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/gang_green_need_top_turn_into_mistake_FvHxVGmoCLgfc0sp3gbA8N#ixzz1a6RpHN8r

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Belichick orders Patriots to keep quiet on Jets

Jets Blog

By BART HUBBUCH

Last Updated: 8:49 AM, October 7, 2011

Posted: 2:52 AM, October 7, 2011

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- If laser-beam stares and zipped lips translate into touchdowns and defensive stops, the Jets are in big trouble Sunday.

Humorless Bill Belichick has never been a fan of his team providing bulletin-board material, but the so-called "Patriot Way" is being put into overdrive this week with New England so obviously intent on avenging last January's AFC playoff loss to Gang Green.

"You ain't going to hear nothing from us, that's for damn sure," a veteran player told The Post under his breath Wednesday. "Boss' orders."

That would be a not-so-subtle reference to Belichick, who has struck fear even in veterans usually unafraid to speak their minds by making it clear he expects little more than name, rank and serial number be given to reporters this week.

Chad Ochocinco -- one of the most opinionated and flamboyant players in the sport -- hasn't showed his face to the media during the daily media sessions while conveniently claiming a lost bet is keeping him off Twitter for the rest of the month.

Wes Welker, so famously benched in the playoff loss for mocking Rex Ryan's alleged foot fetish, also has been a ghost to reporters this week. The same goes for fellow wide receiver Deion Branch.

But perhaps the best example of the Patriots' steely focus heading into this weekend's matchup at Gillette Stadium was normally light-hearted Tom Brady gritting his teeth through a news conference Wednesday that he stormed out of after just five minutes due to one too many questions about Antonio Cromartie.

The same record-setting quarterback who as recently as this summer described the playoff loss to the Jets as the worst of his storied career suddenly came down with near-amnesia about it this week.

"That was a long time ago, so that game doesn't have much bearing on this week," Brady said. "We're a different team."

Belichick set the tone publicly on Wednesday, claiming with a straight face just three days after Rex Ryan's team was completely dismantled by Baltimore on national TV that the Jets "look good, as they always do."

Belichick also did not deny telling his team to keep its collective mouth shut when asked about the Patriots' notable silence.

"We try to focus on what we need to do to beat the Jets," Belichick said when asked if he had issued a gag order. "That's what we're here for. I mean, what else is there to talk about?"

An even more obvious example of Belichick's commentary crackdown has been the continued disappearing act of Branch. The veteran wideout, who had blasted the Jets as classless immediately after the playoff loss for dancing and mimicking jet landings on the Patriots' field, told The Post in August his teammates hadn't forgotten those incidents.

Branch also mocked the Jets in that interview with The Post for being too giddy about winning a playoff game that wasn't the Super Bowl, but he continues to show no interest in adding to those comments this week.

The three former Jets now on the Patriots -- defensive end Shaun Ellis, defensive back James Ihedigbo and running back Danny Woodhead -- appear to have been given even stricter marching orders to avoid riling up their old team.

Both Ellis and Ihedigbo claimed rather unconvincingly that facing the Jets added no extra motivation, with Ellis even describing his former club as "just another team to me." Woodhead, meanwhile, has been absent from media sessions all week, although that's more likely because he is missing practice due to injury.

Part of the reason for Brady's seriousness was blowback from a comment he made before the Patriots' home game last month with San Diego that fans "start drinking early. Get nice and rowdy. It's a 4:15 game, a lot of time to get lubed up."

Asked if he had similar advice this week, Brady snarled.

"I'm not joking anymore," he said.

The same goes for everyone else in a Patriots hoodie or uniform this week

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/silent_treatment_ppRSA6wF7If6BhPRezMfNO#ixzz1a6SqmHpM

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Jets not concerned with underdog label

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 9:37 AM, October 7, 2011

Posted: 2:55 AM, October 7, 2011

More Print

The underdog role is nothing new to Jets receiver Plaxico Burress -- especially when it comes to facing the Patriots.

That's just where Burress and the Jets find themselves this week as they head to Foxborough. They are 9-point underdogs, according to Vegas.

"

It's what you've got to expect if you go out and lose two games that you should have won," Burress said. "With the fashion in which we lost Sunday night, we expect to be underdogs.

"Why would anybody on the outside, as far as analysts, prognosticators, whatever, have us going in and being able to compete with Tom Brady and a Bill Belichick-coached football team? We expect it, but it doesn't bother us all."

Of course, Burress made the biggest catch of his career to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII when the Giants were two-touchdown underdogs.

"No doubt," Burress said when reminded of that.

After brutal losses in Oakland and Baltimore, the Jets have plummeted from a trendy Super Bowl pick to a team no one trusts. The Jets know people are not giving them much of a chance to beat the Patriots. From former teammate Damien Woody to franchise legend Joe Namath, the Jets have absorbed a ton of criticism this week.

"I don't know what the line is or anything else, but we got beat by Oakland by 10 points [and] got beat by Baltimore by 17," coach Rex Ryan said. "Maybe people don't think we're very good, I guess. I don't know."

Ryan knows the Jets will have a tough time beating any NFL team, never mind the Patriots, if they play like they did against the Ravens on offense or the Raiders on defense.

"We obviously need to be a lot better than we were those last two weeks going against the Patriots," Ryan said. "If we're not at our best, we won't win this game."

The Jets were encouraged by what Ryan labeled as maybe their best practice of the season yesterday. Players said it was a crisp practice without many mistakes. The emphasis all week has been returning to what the Jets did well over the last two seasons.

"[We have] kind of just been getting back to the basics," running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. "That's how I would define this week, getting back to the things we do well, being ourselves, stuff we know and that's how we're going to get it done."

The Jets have heard the critics this week from Woody saying he doesn't think the Jets can turn it around to Namath questioning the leadership on the team and their offensive line.

"That's how this league is," wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "You're only as good as your last game. If you lose two, then you win two all of a sudden you have momentum. But if you win two, then you lose two then, oh, you're a terrible team. That's how this league is. It's a fickle league. . . . You can't allow your emotions to get drawn into it."

Facing the Patriots might be a blessing for the team because it's refocused them after the Ravens debacle. There has not been time to dwell on everything that went wrong Sunday night.

The Jets don't pretend like games with the Patriots don't mean more. There's always a different feeling during Patriots week.

"They are the standard-bearer in our division," guard Brandon Moore said. "They've owned our division for the past 10 years or more, so it's definitely a big challenge for us. We talked about wanting to make the playoffs and all these other things, you want to win your division and they've owned it, so it's definitely a big challenge for us."

brian.costello@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/defying_the_odds_1PvXbaveXUDa5djQyJKLGJ#ixzz1a6TuZbnx

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Patriots TE Hernandez likely to face Jets

Jets Blog

By BART HUBBUCH

Last Updated: 9:35 AM, October 7, 2011

Posted: 2:55 AM, October 7, 2011

More Print

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady has so many receiving weapons it almost seems unfair that he is likely to have another one at his disposal Sunday against the Jets.

Tight end Aaron Hernandez, sidelined the past two games by a knee injury, participated in a full-pad practice yesterday and appears to have a good chance of lining up against Gang Green.

Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski offer one of the most dangerous combinations of receiving tight ends in the NFL, so much so that cornerback Darrelle Revis hinted this week that he might make an unconventional switch and cover Hernandez part of the time if Hernandez plays.

Hernandez, who had seven catches and a touchdown in each of the Patriots' first two games this season, smiled at the possibility of Revis yesterday.

"I think it would be a good matchup," he told a crowd of New England reporters when pressed on facing arguably the league's top cornerback.

Asked by The Post if he liked his chances in that matchup, Hernandez backtracked slightly.

"You can change that into a story, now, so [no comment]," he said, laughing.

Having both Hernandez and Gronkowski -- whom Hernandez described as "a beast" yesterday -- would only add to the Jets' coverage headaches in the wake of Wes Welker's monstrous start to 2011.

Welker enters Sunday's showdown with 40 catches for 616 yards and five touchdowns, putting him on a pace for a 160-catch, 2,400-yard season that would smash the NFL record books.

bhubbuch@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/hernandez_likely_to_go_for_pats_3kPw8HSeZTwmMx8DKVEdjJ#ixzz1a6Uuwcq8

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Jets coach says no issue between Sanchez, Holmes

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 9:30 AM, October 7, 2011

Posted: 2:56 AM, October 7, 2011

Coach Rex Ryan said there is no problem between quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes after Sanchez said Holmes should have kept his postgame criticisms in-house.

"

Those two guys are fine," Ryan said. "I think he threw 20 balls to him [in practice]. I don't see that as a problem at all."

Sanchez said Wednesday that he addressed the issue of keeping things out of the media earlier this week. ESPN reported that Sanchez gathered the offense at practice Monday and talked about staying united as a team. This came after Holmes was critical of Sanchez and the offensive line following Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Ravens.

"Our message was, 'Hey, guys, you know don't be distracted by anything,' " running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. "If we have a bad game, we lose together, we win together. Let's all make sure we're on the same page and all saying the same things and not putting one of your teammates down but being on the same page and encouraging each other."

*

As expected, the Jets will have center Nick Mangold back for Sunday's game. The All-Pro increased his workload in practice yesterday, and Ryan said he is a full go for Sunday.

Mangold has missed the last two games with a high right ankle sprain, and the team has felt his loss, as the offensive line has struggled.

"That's a huge plus for us," Ryan said.

*

With Bryan Thomas out for the season, the Jets plan on using a committee to fill his role. Expect to see some packages with four defensive linemen, plus a mix of Jamaal Westerman, Aaron Maybin, Josh Mauga and Bart Scott on the outside.

*

The big question this week is will the Jets use cornerback Darrelle Revis on Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker. Ryan is not tipping his hand, but said they will use several different schemes against Welker, some will include Revis.

"I'm sure Darrelle will get an opportunity to cover him," Ryan said.

*

OLB Calvin Pace (abdomen) and WR Plaxico Burress (elbow) practiced yesterday after missing Wednesday. Burress went through the full practice, while Pace was limited. OLB Garrett McIntyre (concussion) did not practice, and probably will not play. . . . For the Patriots, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (back) and tight end Aaron Hernandez (knee) returned to practice, but were limited.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/no_issues_between_qb_holmes_rQwyLvIKBvSoq9k7iJODAK#ixzz1a6VYcFqy

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To beat Patriots, Jets QB must rise to the occasion

Jets Blog

Last Updated: 9:38 AM, October 7, 2011

Posted: 2:58 AM, October 7, 2011

Mark Sanchez doesn't have to be Tom Brady for the Jets to beat Brady and the Patriots Sunday in New England.

He has, after all, done something Brady hasn't done the last two years by simply being himself -- lead his team to the AFC Championship Game.

Yes, it's true, Sanchez looked small last Sunday night in Baltimore and he needs to play big at Gillette Stadium, Brady's house, where the Patriots have won 29 consecutive regular-season games with Brady starting.

If he doesn't, the Jets' spiral from 2-0 and Super Bowl bound will continue and they will be in the throes of a full crisis with a three-game road losing streak and a 2-3 record, and will be two-plus games behind the Patriots in the AFC East.

But Sanchez doesn't need to produce Brady numbers for the Jets to win. He simply needs to play the solid, efficient, low-mistake football he has played against them in the Jets' three wins the last two seasons.

If you have any question about how much the Jets' success against the Patriots is tied to Sanchez's performance, check these numbers out:

* In the Jets' three wins over the Patriots in the last two seasons, Sanchez has completed 71.4 percent of his passes and thrown seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

* In the two losses during that span, Sanchez's completion percentage is 46.3 percent and he has thrown one touchdown and seven interceptions.

There were plenty of reasons Sanchez looked overwhelmed and overmatched in Baltimore, beginning with the porous offensive line.

The Jets' offensive line, which expects to have starting center Nick Mangold back after he missed two games with a sprained ankle, never gave Sanchez a chance and the result was his 11-for-35 performance with four turnovers leading to 24 points scored by the Ravens.

That, in turn, has resulted in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately sports radio culture to lash out at Sanchez this week, with fans dismissing him as if he has never won a big game for the Jets and will never amount to anything.

Former Giants quarterback Phil Simms, who will call the Jets-Patriots game for CBS on Sunday, is confounded about the flood of negativity that follows Sanchez.

"He's been in two AFC Championship games in his first two years," Simms said yesterday. "I'm amazed there are certain guys in the NFL -- like Sanchez -- that take so much heat. I don't get it. If I'd have gone to championship game my first two years, my God, I'd have probably said, 'Here's my contract. I need more.'

"The offseason talk perpetuates the story," Simms added. "It's 'Can Mark Sanchez make the next step?' Or, 'He needs to raise his completion percentage.' What do we want? After Michael Vick threw an interception on the last drive when [the Eagles] could have beaten the Packers [in the playoffs last year], I didn't hear one word about how Michael Vick didn't do it in the clutch.

"If Sanchez did that, the nation would be trying to run him out of New York."

Simms said of the Ravens game: "To look at that game and to make any judgment about his ability is absurd. He had no chance. He went 11 for 35 and when it was over I went, 'Hell, I don't know how he hit 11.' "

Jets veteran backup Mark Brunell, who's an invaluable sounding board for Sanchez, said: "If he goes out and has the game we expect him to have against the Patriots and we win the game, then all this stuff that's being said right now is completely forgotten and he's the greatest thing since sliced bread."

Sanchez is not a put-the-team-on-his-shoulders-and-carry-it type of quarterback the way Brady can be. Because he's probably never going to lead the NFL in all the flashy statistics and be one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the league, Sanchez is always going to fight the fluctuating perception of how good he really is.

Another win over the Patriots Sunday will give you a pretty good idea about that -- regardless of what the stat sheet tells you. That's all that should matter.

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

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Morning take: Aaron Maybin X factor?

October, 7, 2011

Oct 7

8:00

AM ET

By James Walker

Here are the most interesting stories Friday in the AFC East:

Could linebacker Aaron Maybin be an X factor for the New York Jets?

Morning take: Bryan Thomas' season-ending Achilles injury opens the door for Maybin to get more playing time. Maybin performed well in the preseason. But this week's game against the New England Patriots is the biggest of his young career.

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork talks about his potential meeting with Jets Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold.

Morning take: This is a key matchup, as the Jets have made it known they want to run the football this week. The best way to beat New England is to try to run a lot behind Mangold, who missed two games with a high-ankle sprain.

The Miami Dolphins have had 15 starting quarterbacks since Dan Marino retired.

Morning take: Backup Matt Moore is expected to be No. 16 when the Dolphins play the New York Jets on Oct. 17. Some of the names include Cleo Lemon and Joey Harrington. Maybe No. 17 will be Andrew Luck.

When will Buffalo Bills receiver/quarterback/kick returner Brad Smith make an impact?

Morning take: We've been asking this question for a few weeks in Buffalo. The Bills made Smith one of their big free-agent signings. But Smith seems lost in the shuffle with other productive players on offense.

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For Jets, Stopping Patriots Begins With Tom Brady, Wes Welker

October 7, 2011 8:38 AM

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) – Antonio Cromartie dares Tom Brady to throw in his direction all day.

Go ahead, the Jets cornerback says. He’s ready for the challenge.

“I hope I’m a target this game,” Cromartie said with a smile, while standing firm on his controversial comments toward the quarterback from last season’s playoffs. “I want to be a target every game.”

Well, he better be careful what he wishes for, especially with the way the New England Patriots’ offense is playing. The struggling Jets (2-2) have to figure out how to stop Brady, Wes Welker and the high-scoring Patriots (2-2) on Sunday, and know it won’t be easy – whether Cromartie is up to the task or not.

“We use the phrase, ‘chasing ghosts,’ and sometimes you have to do that,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said Thursday. “You don’t really know what their formations are going to be, what their personnel groupings are going to be and you might work against something all week and not see it, see something totally different. So you have to be very flexible in your approach when you play New England.”

The Patriots are ranked No. 1 in overall offense, along with being the top passing team in the NFL. Their running game isn’t too shabby, either, ranking ninth overall. And that’s what’s making things so tough for opponents early on: Will they pass or run?

“They were tough enough when they were one-dimensional,” Pettine said. “Now having the threat of running the football certainly presents a problem.”

Not that the Jets are intimidated, of course.

“You realize he’s one of the great quarterbacks of this generation,” linebacker Aaron Maybin said. “At the same time, nobody’s going to be out there with their spectator hat on and wanting to give him praise for how great he is. We want to go out there and make it hell for him.”

That’s much easier said than done, as the numbers show. Brady is off to a sensational start, throwing for a league-leading 1,553 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Welker already has 40 catches – 13 more than Dallas’ Jason Witten, who ranks second in the NFL. Throw in a running game that’s averaging nearly 123 yards a game, and that’s a lot to deal with for opposing defenses.

The Jets are No. 2 against the pass, though, but are a stunningly low 28th against the run. New York typically has used a smaller lineup with more defensive backs against the Patriots.

“I don’t know if that plan will be able to hold up for the entire game,” Pettine said. “So our menu is a little fuller this week because they are a flavor-of-the-week offense and it’s smart because it’s typically something you haven’t practiced against.”

It all starts with Brady, of course, and putting pressure on him. Rex Ryan’s team has done a pretty good job of that in his five previous games against the Patriots as Jets coach. New York has won three of those matchups, including in the playoffs in January when the Jets sacked him five times.

“If you just play standard coverage against him, you’ve got no chance,” Ryan said. “I mean, zero. You better hope for a hurricane or something because that might be your only chance. Quite honestly, I’ve been in the sideline wishing there was a hurricane because he’s that kind of guy. He’s as good as it gets right now.”

The Jets players agree, and they all respect what Brady can do on the field – and that includes Cromartie, who made headlines in the playoffs when he called the Patriots quarterback an expletive and then said earlier this week that those comments still stand.

The Jets aren’t revealing their defensive strategy, but Ryan said he’s “sure” All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis will match up with Welker at times. Cromartie might be on him, too. And, who knows who else? It might take a few guys to shut him down.

“It’s him and Tom,” Revis said. “They have a 1-2 punch with each other, great chemistry. They work well together. He’s got 40 catches already, over 600 yards, so he’s Tom’s go-to guy. He’s always looking for him. He’s tough in the slot. He’s probably the toughest receiver to cover in the slot.”

Oh, and then the Patriots also have Deion Branch, Chad Ochocinco and tight end Rob Gronkowski to contend with.

“To beat the hell out of their receivers, that’s our game plan on the outside,” Cromartie said. “It’s to try to mess up their timing routes as much as we can.”

Or, Brady can turn around and hand it to New England’s three-headed backfield with BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead.

“Coach Ryan said it best: If anybody’s got as good a formula for trying to beat the Patriots, it’s us,” said Maybin, a newcomer to this rivalry who saw plenty of the Patriots during his first two seasons in Buffalo. “We’ve been able to have some success defensively in the past.”

That certainly doesn’t make the Jets less concerned heading into this game. They know Brady, coach Bill Belichick and the rest of the Patriots have had that playoff loss in the back of their minds for months.

“The easy thing to say is, `Well it worked the last time we played them,’ and then just blow the dust off of that one and just use it,” Pettine said. “I know there were more than a few days in Foxborough, whether it was over the lockout or since the season started, preparing for our defense, knowing that we had success against them in the playoff game.

“It’s a challenge for us to make sure that we kind of forge ahead with some new things, but at the same time, not get away from what’s been successful against them in the past.”

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The Rundown: But Still, Where Did the Lighter Fluid Come From?

by Bassett on October 7th, 2011 at 8:45 am

Going into this game, the Patriots have to be wondering .. are the Jets still doing their ‘little tricks’?

Do the Patriots still consider the Divisional game last postseason a ‘little trick’? It’s hard to say, but I get the feeling they do. Either way, Sunday will go a long way in proving which team has the lighter fluid up their sleeve.

Antonio Cromartie surely must be hiding some butane under his tan blazer. While Cro might be a more recent arrival to the Jets than many of his teammates, but after one year, he’s feeling the rivalry more intensely than most – at least based on what he’s telling the press.

"I hope I’m a target this game," Cromartie said with a smile. "I want to be a target every game."

[…]

"To beat the hell out of their receivers, that’s our game plan on the outside," Cromartie said. "It’s to try to mess up their timing routes as much as we can."

If you’ll remember heading into the Patriots divisional game last year, we posited that the Jets (specifically Ryan & Cro) were doing their best to bait Brady leading up to the game, knowing the Patriots affinity for bulletin board material. The press greedily clamped their jaws on the story like an attack dog, and the rest as they say, is history. It worked to the Patriots disadvantage as the Jets pressured Brady up front, while creating complex trap zones that confused Brady all game.

So that Cromartie is trying to bait Brady again is interesting. I do think that the Jets want Brady to look more Cromartie’s way than Revis, because I’m sure the Jets will be building more traps into their gameplan around him than they might be for Revis. It just stands to reason.

Whatever the Jets plans are, it’s clear that Mike Pettine understands that having a fluid gameplan and a bevvy of counter moves and parries to the Patriots is going to be key to the Jets success on Sunday as he told the press last night.

I think you need to match at times but then be multiple, again, as any of those quarterbacks you play, and Brady is front and center in that group, you have to play the chess game with them and not allocate your resources the same way all the time and allow them to draw a beat on it. There’s no team I think that’s better in the NFL at just figuring out your plan, making adjustments, and then rolling up some yardage on you as the game goes on. I think that’s why the plan has to be deep, you have to have the ability to change by the series, change by the half, because if you’re giving them consistent looks, they’re too precise, they’re too good.

Pettine’s exactly right. If the team tries to do one thing all game, Brady will just adjust the first time, then methodically tear them apart the rest of the game. The one area that’s the most vulnerable, it would seem is in the middle of the field, and the Jets are aware of it, according to Bob Glauber of Newsday.

"What you’re seeing is that teams have basically decided to avoid going on the outside and they’re going more toward the middle [on pass plays]," Leonhard said. "When you’ve got cornerbacks likeDarrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, what are you going to do? You’re going to attack the safeties."

So with all the questions about whether the Jets will assign Revis to cover Wes Welker one-on-one, the bigger issue just might be how well the Jets’ safeties can hold up against Brady, who loves to attack the middle of the field on intermediate-range passes. Whether it’s Welker, who has an NFL-best 40 catches in only four games, or tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has five touchdown receptions, or wide receiver Deion Branch, a former Super Bowl MVP, Brady has any number of options over the middle.

Which means that Leonhard, Smith and safety Brodney Pool have any number of potential headaches to deal with Sunday in Foxboro.

And this is why this whole “we have three starters at safety” rhetoric is so compelling to me. Rex went to the trouble to annoint Smith at the start of camp, and now we’re seeing something a little different. When it comes to coveage, I’m not complaining, because I’ve grown tired of picking at this scab. I’d much rather see Pool on the field than Smith.

Which takes us back to the Jets ‘little tricks’ (ILLUSION, MICHAEL). I think that the Jets will do their best to disguise it, but look for them to work against the Patriots spread-offense with more linebacker and defensive back sub packages than base packages this weekend to best mitigate the Patriots offense. The Patriots are also running a fiendish variant of the spread now since their Tight Ends are so good at catching passes that uses Tight Ends as replacements to receivers. Help me Bryan Thomas … you’re my only hope. But with Thomas out, it means more work for Mauga, who might backfill inside to allow Scott & Harris to work more outside in the pass-rush, or in coverage on some of the Patriots Tight Ends.

That then means Pouha, DeVito, Wilkerson and the rest of the lineman are going to need to get their push up front with little help. Last year Shaun Ellis was a big reason for that Jets win in January … who’s going to step up this time?

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Belichick tells Pats to keep quiet

Posted by Mike Florio on October 7, 2011, 10:01 AM EDT

Bill Belichick AP

The Jets have been doing plenty of chirping in preparation for the renewal of their rivalry with the Patriots. The Patriots, in turn, are saying nothing.

“You ain’t going to hear nothing from us, that’s for damn sure,” an unnamed player recently told Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. “Boss’ orders.”

Coach Bill Belichick dodged the question of whether he has told the players not to talk. “We try to focus on what we need to do to beat the Jets,” Belichick said. “That’s what we’re here for. I mean, what else is there to talk about?”

From the Jets’ perspective, plenty. And that highlights the fundamental differences between the franchises, and their coaches. The Jets are willing to risk angering the opponent if chatter will create confidence. The Pats prefer to take no chances.

And the players know there will be repercussions. In January, receiver Wes Welker was benched at the start of the game after making a string of wise cracks about the foot-fetish nonsense that came to light in December regarding Jets coach Rex Ryan.

There’s no right answer or wrong answer, and we’ve got a feeling that all of the talking (or non-talking) becomes irrelevant once the ball is kicked.

[Bleedin Green]

When will Buffalo Bills receiver/quarterback/kick returner Brad Smith make an impact?

Morning take: We've been asking this question for a few weeks in Buffalo. The Bills made Smith one of their big free-agent signings. But Smith seems lost in the shuffle with other productive players on offense.

The funny thing about this is while it may not seem like a great FA signing because of this, you have to give the Bills a lot of credit for figuring out in a matter of weeks what Schotty was incapable of figuring out over the course of Smith's 5 years on the team. Sure Smith isn't getting used as some would thought, but the fact is that when your offense is having the kind of success that the Bills' are currently having, with Fitzpatrick spreading teams out and picking them apart and Jackson running all over the place, you don't start pulling players off the field in order to run gimmick plays with a guy who isn't really a WR, RB or QB.

Granted he also hasn't really done much as a returner either, but this year has just further proven that the Jets endless list of successful KRs over the past 11 years has a lot more to do with Mike Westhoff than it does with any one player.

[Jetsfan80]

The funny thing about this is while it may not seem like a great FA signing because of this, you have to give the Bills a lot of credit for figuring out in a matter of weeks what Schotty was incapable of figuring out over the course of Smith's 5 years on the team.

They would have been better off figuring out what we all knew about Brad Smith BEFORE giving him $16 million.

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Jets C Nick Mangold, WR Plaxico Burress, OLB Calvin Pace at practice

Published: Friday, October 07, 2011, 11:34 AM Updated: Friday, October 07, 2011, 11:43 AM

Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

With one last team practice before the trip to New England, the Jets appeared healthy with all of the banged-up players from earlier in the week present and accounted for.

C Nick Mangold (high ankle sprain), WR Plaxico Burress (elbow), OLB Calvin Pace and OLB Garrett McIntyre (concussion) were all dressed.

Head coach Rex Ryan had been saying that he was confident Burress and Pace would play. He was uncertain about McIntyre, depending on how he responded to the concussion.

Mangold has been taking almost all the reps with the first-string offense this week and is confident that he'll play Sunday.

[Bleedin Green]

They would have been better off figuring out what we all knew about Brad Smith BEFORE giving him $16 million.

Be that as it may, if you're going to make a mistake, it's better to learn from it than to make it over and over again while doing a schitty job.

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Week 5 NFL Picks: Giants Win, Jets Lose

by Jared Smith • Oct 7, 2011 12:02 PM EDT

Week 4 of the NFL Season brought me another winning record, the second one of the season. For the first time this year, I went a perfect 2-0 picking the local games, the New York Giants and Jets. So far, this season I am 3-3 picking local teams. What does that mean? Well, nothing.

This week the G-Men are big favorites as they host the Seattle Seahawks (1 p.m. on FOX), while the Jets are big underdogs against the host New England Patriots (4:15 p.m. on CBS). Other picks this week are: Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1 p.m. on FOX), Atlanta Falcons vs. Green Bay Packers (8:20 p.m. on NBC) and the Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears (Monday, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN).

After the jump are my Week 5 NFL picks...

Star-divide

Giants (-10) vs. Seahawks: This week, New York is a popular pick in survivor pools and it all makes sense considering Seattle needs to come to the East Coast and play a 1 p.m. game for the second time in four weeks. Everybody knows that's hard to do. However, spotting the shaky G-Men 10 points is a lot. I think New York wins outright, but doesn't cover the spread. Pick: Giants 24, Seahawks 17.

Jets (-9) vs. Patriots: New York is in need of an easy win to get back on track, however, beating New England is never easy. Yes, there are a lot of good match ups for the Jets to exploit, but this is the Patriots and they're still upset about losing to Buffalo in Week 3. The Jets keep it close to cover the spread, but will not pull out the victory and fall to 2-3. Pick: Pats 34, Jets 28.

Bills (-3) vs. Eagles: Philadelphia needs a victory. The Bills lost to Cincinnati last week. Ralph Stadium will be rocking, but it will not be an issue for Michael Vick, who will lead his team to an easy victory. Pick: Eagles 30, Bills 17.

Falcons (+6) vs. Packers: Aaron Rodgers has Green Bay rolling on all cylinders, while Atlanta is still trying to figure things out. That doesn't bode well for the Falcons in this Sunday night match up. Pick: Packers 34, Falcons 24.

Lions (-6) vs. Bears: Detroit is undefeated, but Chicago is good enough to end its perfect run during Monday night football. Pick:

Bears 21, Detroit 20.

Last week: 3-2. Overall: 8-6-1.

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Friday practice report

October, 7, 2011

Oct 7

11:59

AM ET

By Jane McManus

It was old school Friday in Florham Park as the Jets prepared to face the Patriots in Foxboro on Sunday. C Nick Mangold and WR Plaxico Burress were both out and practiced with their groups the portion of practice the media was allowed to watch.

Linebacker Garrett McIntyre, who sustained a concussion in the loss to the Ravens, was in uniform but worked out to the side. Newly signed offensive lineman Dennis Landolt practiced as well.

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Jets look to avert crisis in New England

With their season spiraling out of control, Rex Ryan & Co. hope to get back on track

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Cimini By Rich Cimini

ESPNNewYork.com

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Gang Green Report: Jets In New England

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- When Rex Ryan's loud and cutting words stopped reverberating Monday afternoon in the meeting room, the New York Jets rebooted and started to focus on the New England Patriots.

They've done it with big words, small deeds and a little creativity.

The Jets, their season teetering on the brink of crisis after two ugly losses in a row, have emphasized mental preparation. They see the Patriots as the smartest team they face, the one that makes the best in-game adjustments, so the Jets hit their playbooks for extra studying and the film room for longer looks at the Patriots.

Week 5: Jets at Patriots

Gang Green is slumping. Up next? The rival Patriots. Jets Center » Blog »

And the buzzer for ... well, more on that in a bit.

"We're playing the No. 1 team in the division," Ryan said, "so we have to get everything fixed -- now."

On Monday, Mark Sanchez called the offense together on the practice field and delivered a stick-together speech. He wanted to squash possible dissension (see Santonio Holmes' pointed postgame comments) and set a positive tone for what would be a trying week.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, after reviewing the Baltimore debacle, decided to scale back this week's game plan, hoping to eliminate mental mistakes. There was a back-to-basics approach in practice, right down to extra work on the center-quarterback exchange.

Line coach Bill Callahan tweaked a couple of run-scheme techniques. His embattled linemen decided to stay late each day, watching extra tape as a group. They asked the scout-team defensive linemen to mimic specific pass-rushing moves used by the Patriots.

Wide receiver Derrick Mason volunteered for double duty, running with the scout team just to give the starting defense a better look.

On Thursday, the coaches went outside the box to help Sanchez. They timed pass plays and used a buzzer to force him into a quicker delivery to avoid unnecessary hits. Hold it too long and ... buzzzzzz! If the Patriots' pass rush gets to him, he won't be hearing footsteps, he might be hearing buzzers. But Thursday it resulted in the sharpest practice of the season, according to Ryan.

Five things to watch

Mark Sanchez 1. Motivated QBs. Both Mark Sanchez and Tom Brady have something to prove. Sanchez is coming off one of the worst games as a pro, and his leadership is being tested by Santonio Holmes' grumblings. Brady still is Brady in terms of posting ridiculous passing numbers, but he wants to avenge last year's playoff loss. At the time, he said, "I'll never get over that. That's as painful a loss as we've ever had here."

Darrelle Revis 2. Finding Revis Island. The burning question is whether the Jets will put CB Darrelle Revis on WR Wes Welker, who already has 615 receiving yards. The answer is yes, but how much? They're reluctant to use their best corner inside because he'd be vulnerable to "pick" plays, but this might be an exception. Why not put best on best? Chances are, they'll use a variety of packages, depending on down and distance.

Tom Brady 3. Attacking Brady. Hmm, what to do? Do you dust off the coverage-based game plan from the playoffs, which worked so brilliantly? Or do you cook up a new plan, assuming Bill Belichick has figured out adjustments? Know this: Brady is lighting up blitzes, averaging 12.1 yards per attempt when opponents rush five or more, per ESPN Stats and Information. The Jets could flood the field with DBs, as they did in the playoffs, but that would leave them vulnerable to the Patriots' improved running game.

4. Nick of time. Nick Mangold's anticipated return from an ankle injury coincides with Rex Ryan's "Back-to-running-the-ball" declaration. Coincidence? Hardly. Maybe, just maybe the Jets can get something started on the ground. The Patriots are allowing 4.8 yards per carry, and they'll be without talented LB Jerod Mayo (knee). If Mangold can handle big Vince Wilfork, they should be able to run between the tackles.

Dustin Keller 5. Soft middle. The Patriots' pass defense in the middle of the field is highly suspect. In fact, they're allowing a 79.2 completion percentage (worst in the league) and 9.6 yards per attempt, according to ESPN Stats and Information. There should be some prime opportunities for TE Dustin Keller and slot receiver Derrick Mason.

--

Rich Cimini

Yes, the Jets have taken a let's-get-serious approach, but as Bill Parcells used to say, they don't give medals for trying. The only thing that matters is what happens Sunday in Foxborough, where they return to the scene of their greatest triumph since Super Bowl III -- the stunning upset in last season's AFC divisional playoffs.

Right now, there's no resemblance to the team that made magic last Jan. 16. They're lacking cohesion, purpose and energy, not performing close to their talent level. Ryan admitted as much, saying, "I'm bothered by the fact that we're a better football team than how we're playing right now" -- a brutally honest self-indictment.

This isn't Ryan's first rough patch as a head coach, but it's the most difficult set of circumstances he has faced in two-plus seasons. Unlike the two three-game losing streaks in 2009 and the near collapse last December, this can't be blamed on the growing pains of a young quarterback.

No, Sanchez isn't playing well, but he's not the only leak. Fissures have formed all around him -- poor pass protection, no running game and inconsistent defense. Lately, the Jets can't win a quarter, let alone a game. It's shocking because they've always been a tough, smart and resilient team under Ryan.

They realize there's a nation of Jets bashers reveling in their misery, and they hope to feed off that.

"Since Rex got here, we're the outlaws of the NFL," guard Matt Slauson said. "Everybody wants to beat the Jets, everybody wants to shut up the Jets. I think we kind of like that. We embrace that role. That's OK, because they aren't going to be happy come December and January and the first week of February. They're going to be sad."

For now, the goal is to duplicate Jan. 16, but it won't be easy. You can fool Bill Belichick once, but twice in a row? That day, the Jets got into Tom Brady's head and gave it a spin, making him so disoriented that he couldn't have read an eye chart from five paces. This time, the Patriots will have answers.

It's certainly not the biggest regular-season game of the Ryan era, but it could turn out to be the most telling. We'll learn a lot Sunday evening, a lot about Ryan and his ability to navigate a potential crisis. It's going to take more than a faux Hall of Fame blazer, and some funny lines, to fix his team.

"If we're not at our best, we won't win this game," Ryan said. "We have to be at our best and we'll see. I feel confidence we can win."

But some of the bedrocks of the Ryan foundation are cracking.

The Jets have always been a very good road team, but they've dropped two straight for the first time since early 2009. A loss to the Patriots would be their first three-game skid under Ryan. They've always punished opponents with their ground game, but now a 4-yard run is a victory.

They've allowed 34 points in back-to-back weeks, something that didn't happen at all in the first 27 games under Ryan. In case you're counting, it's happened four times in the last nine games.

They've been outscored in the first and third quarters, 55-40, an indication they're not as prepared and not adjusting at halftime as well as they have in the past.

Sanchez said there was "tough coaching" during the week, starting with Ryan's high-decibel rant in Monday's team meeting. Ryan vowed a return to Ground and Pound, a tacit admission the Jets have lost their offensive identity.

This team has issues, but nothing can cure a malady like a win over a hated rival.

Let's face it, Ryan has the blueprint on how to beat the Patriots; he's 3-2 versus Belichick. In the playoff game, he and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine cooked up a coverage-based game plan that absolutely befuddled Brady, who was sacked five times.

"If you just play a standard coverage against him, you've got no chance -- zero," Ryan said. "You better hope for hurricane or something."

The Jets flooded the field with defensive backs, using at least five on 37 of Brady's 45 pass attempts, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Their defensive ends lined up wider than usual, baiting him into throwing to the middle of the field -- and the Jets choked the middle with cornerbacks and safeties.

"The easy thing to say is, it worked the last time ... just blow the dust off that [game plan] and use it," Pettine said.

Ah, but that probably wouldn't work, and Pettine knows it, so they have to add wrinkles. The Patriots are difficult because they use a "flavor-of-the-week" offense, as Pettine called it, unveiling new formations and personnel groupings each week. You prepare for stuff you may never see in a game.

"It's chasing ghosts," Pettine said.

The Jets made Brady see ghosts last January, a day when the imperfect team played a near perfect game. It seems so long ago.

Follow Rich Cimini on Twitter: @RichCimini

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DeVito: Defense’s Confidence Remains High

Posted by Eric Allen on October 7, 2011 – 1:28 pm

So you say the Patriots are averaging 507.5 yards and 33.8 points per game? And Tom Brady is on pace to throw for 6,212 yards, WR Wes Welker is on target for 160 catches, 2,464 yards and 20 TDs and TE Rob Gronkowski for 72 receptions, 1,184 yards and 20 TDs? And they’re also running it well?

“I think we can completely shut them down. That’s what we’re going to go in there to do,” said Jets DE Mike DeVito. “If you’re not going in there thinking that, you’re thinking the wrong thing. We have the defense and we have the players, so we’re going in there trying to shut down this offense.”

DeVito is one of the most humble players you’ll ever meet and he’s not one to talk a lot of trash. His response came after he was asked if the Jets have to go into this one hoping to contain this prolific Pats offense with solid third-down and red-zone defense. His answer was honest, refreshing and exactly what you’d like to hear from a veteran who’s tasted a lot of success against the Patriots.

The Jets have won four of the last six in this rivalry, including a dominant performance in January in the AFC Divisional Round at Gillette Stadium. Brady passed for 299 yards and two TDs that afternoon, but he was sacked five times, hit on numerous other occasions and continually frustrated by the Jets’ coverage schemes as the Pats converted just five of 14 third downs in the Jets’ 28-21 win.

“That was last year and that’s behind us now,” DeVito said. “I think the confidence comes from what we’ve done this season thus far, what we put in during training camp, the work we put in and the guys we have on the field. That’s where our confidence comes from now and we’ll be ready to go.”

“I have a feeling that there were more than a few days in Foxboro spent — whether it was over the lockout or whether it was since the season started — preparing for our defense, knowing that we had success against them in the playoff game,” added defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. “Again it’s a challenge for us. We’ve got to make sure that we kind of forge ahead with some new things, but at the same time not get away from what’s been successful against them in the past.”

The Jets defense ranks No. 8 overall entering Week 5 and they played well in defeat last Sunday night in Baltimore. They held an improving Ravens offense to just 267 yards and 6-of-18 on third down while forcing three takeaways and scoring on a 35-yard David Harris interception return in the second quarter.

It was Harris’ first-quarter INT in January that set the tone against Brady and company. While the Pats will always have a strong pass attack with Brady slinging the rock, they’ve created some balance and currently rank No. 9 in rushing. In a Week 4 win over the Raiders, rookie Stevan Ridley (10-97) and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (16-75) combined for 26 attempts and 172 yards.

“It’s such a great offense. We’re going to have to go out there and be clicking on all cylinders,” DeVito said. “They’ve stepped up their run game. They still have Tom Brady and still have a lot of threats on offense. As a defense, man, we have to come out there and play Jets defense. We can’t have any lapses in this game because they’re too quick to take advantage of it.”

“They have a potential mismatch at virtually every position. Now add to it that they’re running the football,” Pettine said. “That’s a pretty good offensive line. Gronkowski has really stepped up and become one of the better tight ends in the league.”

If the Green & White elect to play small against the Pats by loading the field with DBs, the challenge will be to control the run game in sub packages. Brady won’t have to worry about longtime nemesis Shaun Ellis this time around as the Big Katt, who racked up two sacks of Brady in the winter playoff win, will be taking aim at Mark Sanchez.

“He is one of the big reasons I made the team,” an appreciative DeVito said of Ellis. “I could have come in here and he could have given me a hard time, but he didn’t. He took me under his wing and he helped me progress as a player. Coming in as a rookie, it’s intimidating and he helped me right off at the beginning. He is somebody I have a lot of love and respect for.”

Referring to Ellis as his “big brother,” DeVito will exchange pleasantries with him after this contest. The 6’3”, 305-pounder, an undrafted free agent out of Maine in his fifth season, attended Nauset Regional HS in North Eastham, Mass., and the matchup with the Pats holds a lot of weight in the standings and for his family.

“It’s huge. Everybody’s up there,” he said. “If we lose this game, it’s not just me who has to hear it — my dad has to hear it, my mom has to hear it. So it’s big for us as a family to go up there and win this game.”

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A. Sherrod Blakely

By A. Sherrod Blakely

CSNNE.com Celtics Insider

FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots are a close-to-the-vest, even-keeled team regardless of who the opponent may be.

That lock-and-load focus has been on another level leading up to Sunday's game against AFC rival New York Jets.

Of course, having focus always helps.

Healthy bodies? Even better.

The Pats are certainly moving in the right direction on the health front, with a couple of key players -- tight end Aaron Hernandez (knee) and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (back) -- returning to practice this week.

"Anytime you got another weapon out there, it helps out and really helps us move the ball and get us working down the field," said Pats wide receiver Wes Welker, whose success of late has been in part because of the absence of Hernandez. "The more weapons we can have out there, the better we can be."

The same goes for the Patriots defensive line, which came into the season with one of the deepest, most experienced lines in the NFL.

In addition to Haynesworth, who hasn't played in the last two games, New England's defensive line also includes battle-tested veterans such as Andre Carter (32-years old), Vince Wilfork (30 next month), Shaun Ellis (34), Gerard Warren (34) and Mike Wright (29) who returned to practice this week after being out due to another concussion - he missed final 7 games of last season due to a concussion.

The plan going into the season was to platoon players along the defensive line as much as possible, which would keep a fresh, hard-charging body on the field on almost every down.

But the absence of Haynesworth, 30, has meant more reps for the veterans. And over the course of a game, their ability to impact a game diminishes.

Getting injured players back on the practice field is just part of the process involved in their return to actually seeing action and contributing in a meaningful way. As important as the first day back is in a player's recovery, Day Two is even more telling.

"The question really is the second day, was that too much? Do they need to back off a little bit? Was that something they could easily handle and are we able to escalate the workload?" Belichick said. "If that second day goes good, that's probably a good indication the player is ready to move up. If it doesn't or it levels off or starts to stress whatever the injury is, then the medical people will back him off a little bit until we're able to raise up and get to a higher level."

A. Sherrod Blakely can be reached at sblakely@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Sherrod on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sherrodbcsn

[BroadwayJoe12]

Has anyone heard any additional news on Gilbert switching over to TE?? The kid is athletic as all hell and certainly has the frame for it, I was pretty damned intrigued when I first read about it.

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Rex Ryan likes C Nick Mangold's chances to play; Jets use practice buzzers to help offense

Published: Friday, October 07, 2011, 1:54 PM Updated: Friday, October 07, 2011, 2:46 PM

Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

Rex Ryan said that Nick Mangold (high ankle sprain) will be listed as questionable for Sunday, though that may be just a formality.

"I feel good about it," Ryan said.

Mangold, too, said he thinks it's all but inevitable at this point. He was limited in practice today.

"Hope it's not a decision, (we) haven't discussed it yet but I'm ready to go," Mangold said.

OLB Garrett McIntyre (concussion) will not play on Sunday, though he did some limited work in practice today. Ryan had listed him as one of the candidates to supplant Bryan Thomas, who is out for the year with an Achilles injury.

With respect to Thomas' vacant active roster spot, Ryan said that a move is coming.

The following will be probable for Sunday: WR Plaxico Burress (elbow), DB Antonio Cromartie (ribs), DT Mike DeVito (shoulder), LB David Harris (toe), OLB Calvin Pace (abdomen), S Eric Smith (triceps) and DT Muhammad Wilkerson (shoulder). They were all full participants in practice today.

* * *

Rex Ryan integrated an old Bill Parcells trick into practice this week in order to help his offense sync up.

The team installed buzzers which blare during plays after a set amount of time, forcing the quarterback to get rid of the ball. But, as Ryan said, it also had some beneficial trickle-down effects:

"You give them a certain time and that challenges really your whole team," Ryan said. "The offensive line's gotta protect, the receivers have to run their routes at this kind of speed and the quarterback has to get rid of the football.

"It just puts a little thing in their head and I'll be honest with you, their tempo was great. I started off, I had (quarterbacks coach) Matt Cavanaugh go over every single pass and say 'OK, this needs to be out in two seconds, three seconds, four seconds, whatever it was that started that way.

"And by the time practice was over we'd already trimmed a second off each one. That ball was coming out quick, routes were great and full speed and I think it added for our practice."

* * *

Earlier in the week, coaches said that without Bryan Thomas, the defense may go to some looks featuring four down lineman. This prompted a question to defensive coordinator Mike Pettine about third-round pick Kenrick Ellis, who has not been active for any games so far this season.

Pettine said that Ellis was in the conversation as a last man up, and has been for a few weeks.

Today, though, Ryan said that the team will likely go in a different direction, though Ellis remains in the hunt each week for the last active roster spot.

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Has anyone heard any additional news on Gilbert switching over to TE?? The kid is athletic as all hell and certainly has the frame for it, I was pretty damned intrigued when I first read about it.

That isn't anything you will be seeing on the field this week. If I'm not mistaken Gilbert is on the PS. IF it happens it will be a while

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Patriots' Welker looks to continue hot start vs. Jets

Last Updated: 3:51 PM, October 7, 2011

Posted: 3:51 PM, October 7, 2011

More Print

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Wes Welker's mouth landed him in hot water prior to the New England Patriots' divisional playoff game against the Jets last season.

Whether plotted or improvised, planned or impromptu, the wide receiver's verbal jabs seemingly directed at Jets coach Rex Ryan and his reported foot fetish left him sidelined for the Patriots' first offensive series.

The Jets had the last laugh, though, silencing Welker and the Patriots with a stunning 28-21 victory at Gillette Stadium.

Entering the AFC East rivals' first meeting of the season Sunday, Welker's hands are now doing all the talking he needs.

Carving through defenses like a piece of soggy wood, the distinctly diminutive receiver is off to a record-setting pace, leading the league in catches (40) and receiving yards (616) while swiftly blossoming into quarterback Tom Brady's prized target.

"I think just working together for the past five years now and offseason training of getting together and running routes and knowing each other's thinking against each and every coverage and different things like that," Welker said of his sizzling start with Brady, a potent pairing that has New England (3-1) atop the league in total offense and passing yards per game.

"At the end of the day, it's just getting open and him making his reads and putting it where it needs to be. So far it's worked out pretty well."

It's not as if he wasn't already one of Brady's favorite weapons since his arrival in New England in 2007, when he burst onto the scene with the first of three consecutive 100-catch, 1,000-yard seasons.

But the 5-foot-9, 185-pound receiver's production through one-quarter of this season dwarfs that of any other year, not to mention every other receiver in the league. Dallas tight end Jason Witten is second in receptions with 27, while the next nearest receivers are Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin and Atlanta's Roddy White with 26 each.

Yet Welker still insists his approach is nothing different than in years past.

"That's what the offseason's for," he said. "Every time I go out there and train it was to make sure I'm ready to go on Sundays and make sure I'm ready to outlast my opponent and outwork them and outrun them and do everything necessary that I need to do to get open and do well on the football field. All that plays a big part whenever you're out there training.

"Really every day of work you put in, it's something we call kind of putting it in the bank and then make some withdrawals as the season goes on."

The Patriots are hoping he's not overdrawn just yet.

Welker ignited this ridiculous run with the longest play in team history, a 99-yard, catch-and-run touchdown in the Patriots' season-opening win over the Dolphins. He followed that two weeks later with another record-setting performance, hauling in 16 catches for a franchise record 217 yards and two touchdowns in a last-second loss to the Bills. Another nine receptions and 158 yards against Oakland last Sunday now has Welker on pace for 160 catches, a torrid total that would break former Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison's mark of 143 in 2002.

Fellow Patriots receiver Deion Branch sees the same crafty, diligent player he witnessed up close last year and from afar before that.

"This guy works hard in practice, he knows exactly what he's doing on the field, Tom trusts him," Branch said. "All the things that he's been doing the years he caught those 100 balls, it's nothing different."

Perhaps payback for that January press conference when Welker made multiple references to Ryan's reported foot fetish, the Jets' outspoken coach jokingly slighted the eighth-year veteran in his conference call on Wednesday.

"It looks like to me that Welker is struggling this year - 40 catches," Ryan said. "This offense in general is struggling - you talk about our offense, but New England is (tied for) second in scoring offense, so if you want to talk about struggling I think they need to look at themselves first."

Making Welker's blistering start even more remarkable is he is only 21 months removed from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in the 2009 season finale. He battled back and returned nine months later for the 2010 opener, eventually leading the squad with 86 catches and 848 yards.

"He's certainly ahead of where he was physically last year at the beginning of the season," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "Wes has always been a good player. He's had a lot of production through the years, before coming here and since he's been here. It comes and goes in different games.

"I don't think it's planned or I don't think he's running routes differently or eating more broccoli or anything. It's something that it just kind of happens."

Welker's increased production may warrant uncharacteristic coverage by the Jets (2-2) this weekend. Reports indicate Ryan may opt to place Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis on Welker in the slot rather than in his traditional spot on the outside.

"It would do a lot of things for all of us, not just me personally," Branch said. "Whatever happens we'll see it pretty early and then we'll go from there.

"I'd be glad if they double anybody except me," he added with a laugh.

Ryan, however, wouldn't divulge his blueprint for Revis or Welker.

"We have (a plan) but that doesn't mean I have to tell you or anybody else," he said. "Whoever we put him on, he'll cover - if that's Branch, if it's Welker, if it's Chad (Ochocinco), or Randy Vataha. It doesn't matter, he'll cover them."

Regardless of the coverage, Welker has flourished in his last four meetings against the Jets, highlighted by a 15-catch, 192-yard assault in November 2009.

Ryan hasn't forgotten that game.

"Welker, trust me, he's miserable," he said. "I think he broke the all-time record against us one week - he had like 20 catches.

"He is obviously a tremendous player."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/patriots_welker_looks_to_continue_pPAMM1IPwgcWQxztaMpsSM#ixzz1a83a6aNd

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Ngata fined $15k for Sanchez hit

October, 7, 2011

Oct 7

4:00

PM ET

By Rich Cimini

Haloti Ngata's strip sack of Mark Sanchez was costly for the Jets because the Ravens recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown -- and it was costly for Ngata, too.

The Ravens' DT was fined $15,000 for roughing the passer because he lowered his head and led with the helmet while hitting Sanchez in the back. No penalty was called on the play, which occurred in the third quarter of the Jets' 34-17 loss to the Ravens.

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Namath's take on Jets-Pats

October, 7, 2011

Oct 7

3:53

PM ET

By Rich Cimini

Joe Namath, known lately as a Jets critic, changed gears and provided some thoughts on how his former team can slow down Tom Brady & Co. Sunday in Foxborough.

Namath knows exactly how he's deploy CB Darrelle Revis.

"I'd like to see our best defender covering Wes Welker," Namath said Thursday on 1050 ESPN Radio.

Namath said the key to beating Brady is to put as much speed on the field as possible, meaning extra defensive backs.

"I'm not afraid of the New England running game," he said. "Force them to prove to us they can run the ball. Let's get on that field with some fast people that can blitz and put pressure on Brady as well as cover the receivers."

Namath doesn't think Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine can use the blueprint from last January's playoff game because the personnel has changed.

"Bryan Thomas isn't there, (Shaun) Ellis isn't there and I'm not sure our guys have the speed our guys had last year," he said. "No, I don't expect them to use the same blueprint. New England will be looking for that as well. I can't emphasize enough the importance of having speed on the defense to put pressure on Brady and take away Welker with our best guy if that's possible."

Namath expressed concern that maybe the Jets are rushing C Nick Mangold (high-ankle sprain) back too soon. Mangold is listed as questionable, but is expected to start.

"I tell you what, I'm worried a little bit," Namath said. "It's big-time important that Mangold is in the lineup. However, that ankle needs to be well enough ... My thing is, there are 11 games left after this game. If Mangold re-injures that ankle, he might not be of use to the Jets for the rest of the year. I hope it's healed enough for it not to get re-injured."

Namath was asked about his recent criticisms of the Jets, and the reaction from players. Santonio Holmes and Matt Slauson both fired back at Namath.

"I'm sensitive, but I tell you what it is: It's the we-against-the-world attitude," Namath said. "The team, they need that. They thrive off that ... Believe me, I'm pulling for them. The way they feel about my comments, tough luck. Tough luck. I'm going to be criticial when I see something going on on the football field. If I'm asked about it, I'm going to give a piece of my mind. But I do want to see the Jets in the Super Bowl, I promise you."

[flgreen]

However Jets travel, Patriots thankful for Chung's return

Oct 7, 2011

By Phil Perry

CSNNE.com

FOXBORO -- Rex Ryan says the Jets want to regain their identity. He says they want to get back to the "ground and pound" kind of game that's made them successful in the past.

He says all kinds of things, all the time; he's a talker. But can the Jets really all of a sudden turn to their running game and make it work? They've passed the ball on 63 percent of their plays through four games this season, and it isn't because Mark Sanchez is a world-beater (he has a 75.9 quarterback rating).

If the Jets' running game was better, they'd probably be using it more. They're 30th in the league in rushing, totaling about 70 yards a game on the ground. The return of center Nick Mangold should help, but it'd be logical for them to continue to throw.

The Patriots are last in the league in pass defense, and despite Ryan's pleas for more rushing attempts, New England is expecting Sanchez to come out slinging again on Sunday.

"We definitely notice they've been in a lot of 11 personnel -- three receiver sets," said Patriots defensive back Kyle Arrington. "I guess you would say it's a little more than we're accustomed to seeing them (throw) . . . It's a tad more, but whatever the offense is, whatever the game plan is, it's our job to go out and defend it."

Gary Guyton, who will likely have more responsibilities in the linebacking corps with Jerod Mayo (knee) out of action, was quick to point out that even though they've been throwing the ball through four weeks, things can change.

"It's a brand new week, who knows what they're gonna throw at us this week," Guyton said. "Whatever they're gonna do they're gonna do it. We just gotta be prepared."

If the Jets to choose to stick with their passing attack, the Patriots will be bolstered by the presence of safety Patrick Chung. The Patriots gave up 344 yards and a late touchdown to Jason Campbell last week in Chung's return to action after he missed Week 3 with a thumb injury.

T

hough it wasn't a shutdown effort by anyone's standard's, Chung made his presence felt, not only by picking off a gift of an interception from Campbell, but with his leadership on the field.

"We're confident in anyone and everyone who's out there," said Arrington. "But with Patrick, he brings an element of physicality, speed -- he just looks hungry out there when he plays. He's an inspiration.

"You can definitely tell he's taking more of a leadership role. He's a lot more vocal than when he first got here, he lines us up, gets us in the right places. More importantly, he leads by example."

Chung said he doesn't worry about being a leader. It's just part of doing his job.

"You gotta be vocal," he said. "Especially at the safety position. You gotta be vocal, you make so many calls, that's kind of like the quarterback of the defense. You gotta make sure everybody's on the right page. If everybody's on the right page, we're good, we can play fast."

They'll have to be if, regardless of Ryan's wishes, the Jets continue to fly through the air.

Follow Phil on Twitter at @PhilAPerry.