Jets News 7-11

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Schwartz: Shuffling Into First Place

November 7, 2011 9:26 AM

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LaDainian Tomlinson #21 of the New York Jets rushes during NFL game action against Drayton Florence #29 of the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on November 6, 2011 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

A month ago, the Jets and their fans would have signed on the dotted line if you told them that Gang Green would be playing in the postseason. The odds weren’t good after a three game losing streak had the Jets at 2-3.

But a month later, the Jets aren’t only back in the playoff race. They now have destiny in their own hands when it comes to winning the AFC East.

Sunday’s 27-11 win over the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium improved the Jets record to 5-3 and they

are now in a three way tie for first place in the AFC East with the Bills and Patriots.

I’m thinking that Woody Johnson had to have called John Mara and Steve Tisch to say thank you for the Giants’ 24-20 win over the Patriots. That sets up quite the juicy rematch on Sunday night when the Jets host the Pats at Met Life Stadium.

Maybe Rex Ryan called Tom Coughlin to say “nice job and we’ll return the favor against the Eagles in December!”

But let’s get back to the win in Orchard Park first.

The Jets defense came though big time. They confused Ryan Fitzpatrick all day and forced three turnovers. Without that effort, the Jets are in big trouble as they were fortunate to be leading the game 3-0 at halftime. The offense finally started to click in the second half, but a lot of that also had to do with the defense giving them good field possession.

The Jets have now won three in a row but things are far from perfect. They still have a lot of cleaning up to do, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

At 5-3, the Jets close the first half of the season where they thought they would be before the season started.

In first place!

It’s just that they didn’t expect to have three losses. But give Ryan and the staff credit for keeping the team together and staying focused. They have survived adversity before and it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that they’ve done it again.

The AFC East is now set up for a changing of the guard. The Patriots are reeling with back-to-back losses. To quote Green Bay Packers play-by-play voice Wayne Larrivee, the Jets might be able to come up with the “dagger” on Sunday night.

Last week, the Jets had, perhaps, their best week of practice this season coming out of the bye.

They can’t afford to take their foot off the pedal this week, a critical period for the Jets who also have to do some advance work on the Broncos who they face in Denver a week from this Thursday.

It shapes up as an exciting week in Florham Park.

Could you have imagined this a month ago?

JET LINERS

The Jets captains were Ellis Lankster, Jim Leonhard, Aaron Maybin, Jamaal Westerman, and Matthew Mulligan.

Plaxico Burress set season highs with five catches for 79 yards. He now has 23 receptions this season for 322 yards and five touchdowns.

Undrafted free agent fullback/tight end Josh Baker notched his first NFL reception, a five-yard catch from Mark Sanchez in the 2nd quarter.

Sanchez may have turned the ball over twice with an interception and a fumble, but he did have a passer rating of 92.9. That’s the fourth time this season that he notched a passer rating of 90 or more.

Ladainian Tomlinson picked up his first rushing touchdown of the season. With 161 career touchdowns (145 rushing and 16 receiving), he ranks third in NFL history behind Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (175) and Jerry Rice (208).

Nick Folk converted two of three field goal attempts. He converted boots from 49 and 50 and missed a 50-yard attempt. That was his first miss of the season. Folk has hit on 12 of 13 attempts in 2011.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Jets will watch film on Monday before getting a day off on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Jets will be back on the practice field to begin preparations for Sunday night’s showdown with the Patriots.

That’s all for now. Check back on Friday for a preview of Sunday night’s Jets/Patriots game.

[Steveg]

Remember last week: Bills edition November, 7, 2011 Nov 7 9:00 AM ET By James Walker We warned you, Bills Mafia. Someone had to lose Sunday's game between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Therefore, one side had to eat a lot of crow for the immense trash-talking on both sides. The Jets backed up their talk with a convincing 27-11 victory. But let's take a look at what Bills fans had to say leading into Sunday's game. Enjoy.

• Mumdawg21 writes: Buffalo will have a field day with the Jets' secondary.
• 14Fitzmagic writes: Mark Sanchez will throw at least three picks to the Bills, one for a touchdown. Bills will win by 10-15 points. Say goodbye to the playoff race Jets fans.
• Bk2421 writes: Man, you Jets fans REALLY enjoy looking at what happened in the past and not what is going on in the present. Oh, we did this last year to the Bills. This happened over the stretch of these years to the Bills. Blah blah blah.
• Taskerisgod writes: Jets, you don’t matter. Stop posting. You are third and don’t matter. You are the easy game on teams schedules.
• jp123544 writes: B-I-L-L-S...BILLS BILLS BILLS...BUFALLO BILLS!! RUN FREDDY RUN...That's what he's gonna do.
• SOSSED UP writes: Redskins offense>Jets offense.
• ChrisHer1125 writes: Fred Jackson will rush for more yards than the Sanchise will have through the air.
• Dcon522 writes: From the Jets fans I've talked to, they think they are playing the Bills of two years ago.
• Faw67 writes: The Jets are the JETS -- the team the fails no matter what. The team that make fans put a paper bag over their heads. A team whose acronym says "Just End This Season".
• Rich Baco writes: Unlike Jets fans...Buffalo will do it's talkin' on the field.
• Huey5711 writes: Jets lose and lose big, Franchize throws three picks, 34-14.
• NorthShorepsbc writes: Bills fans don't know what you are up against. You are facing a team that has guaranteed more consecutive Super Bowl championships than any team in NFL history.
• NYxHITMANx writes: Hey remember the last time the Jets were in the Super Bowl? Neither do I.
• Hanneman28 writes: Buffalo doesn't need the approval of other teams fans to be awesome and hard to beat. The just need to be hungry and fired up that way those same fans can call them a fluke at the end of the season while they are watching the playoffs from home. Go Bills!
• Cuse271 writes: Have you ever studied the Bills offense? You clearly don't know anything about football. They clearly stumped Bill Belichick. Oh, that’s right, you know more than the best coach in the NFL? The Bills are for real, and not one of their fans expect them to collapse.
• Jpicc8049 writes: Jets are No. 28 in rush offense. Pure awesomeness.
• BigBS7980 writes: Apparently Fred Jackson isn't someone you Jet fans take into consideration. Better hope they game plan for him or it will be a long long day for your Yets.
• Fifi592003 writes: I have a feeling the Bills and their fans will treat this game like the Super Bowl. Trust me, the Bills will be pumped up. This is why I see the Jets losing.
• Khorvat2 writes: Bills 27 - Jets 17 #Yessir
• Depor78 writes: It's gonna be a Happy Sunday at my crib son. Bills 38, Jets 7.
• Secondfh writes: 90-0, Bills.

Remember last week, Bills fans?

Ahhhhhhhh...I love this post!!!

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07 Nov 2011

Audibles at the Line: Week 9

compiled by Rivers McCown

Each Sunday, the FO staff sends around e-mails about the games that each of us are watching. We share information about the games that the rest of the group might not be watching, ask questions, and keep everyone else informed about which games they might want to tune into (if they can).

On Monday, we compile a digest of those e-mails and produce this feature. By its nature, it can be disjointed and dissimilar to the other articles on the site.

While these e-mails are generally written with Audibles in mind, they do not represent a standard review of all the games each week. That means we aren't going to cover every game, or every important play. We watch the games that we, as fans, are interested in watching, so your favorite team's game might not be covered to your fullest desires or even at all. (If you are a Seahawks or Patriots fan, you are probably in luck; if you are a Bills fan, not so much.) We have no intention of adding new authors to cover every game on a given Sunday, nor will we watch a different game from the ones that we're personally interested in watching, just to ensure that Audibles covers every game.

New York Jets 27 at Buffalo Bills 11

Aaron Schatz: The Jets marched down the field easily on their second drive, all the way into the red zone. Then Mark Sanchez proceeded to throw the ball five feet over the head of a completely covered Dustin Keller and into the arms of a Buffalo safety. Terrible throw. You can try to throw it ahead of Keller where only Keller can reach it. You can try to throw it high and hope he can use his strength to beat his man for the ball. What you can't do is throw it five feet above him and hope he suddenly imbibes the vial that says "drink me."

Got to give a hand to the Buffalo defense. Looks like good tight man coverage today, this isn't just Sanchez struggling.

Well, the Jets-Bills game got completely out of hand in the second half. Bills just couldn't get anything going on offense, and while they seemed to generally play good pass coverage on the Jets receivers, they got nicked by a couple of huge defensive pass interference penalties and a few passes that yielded massive yards after the catch.

Mike Kurtz: Really, the story of Bills-Jets is the complete domination of the Jets offensive and defensive lines. Buffalo's complete inability to adjust for this, like the fourth-and-inches play where they line up looking like they're going to run up the middle, and then proceed to do so, only further compounded the issue. Three Jets hit Fred Jackson in the backfield after rushing in unblocked. The Bills just weren't playing to their strengths, and they got manhandled in general.

[stoicsentry]

NY Jets coach Rex Ryan says media criticism motivates Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress

Ryan says media should pick on Dustin keller next

BY Hank Gola

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, November 7 2011, 12:00 AM

Best headline of the day!

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November 7, 2011, 11:17 am

As the Patriots Reel, the Jets Look Like They’re for Real

By BEN SHPIGEL

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Just as everyone believed a month ago, the Jets are tied for first place in the A.F.C. East. Just as everyone believed four weeks ago, the Jets are rolling and the Patriots are reeling. Wait. That wasn’t the common perception four Mondays ago, the day after New England sent the Jets to their third straight loss?

The Jets, naturally, are not surprised.

“We feel like there’s nobody that should beat us,” Matt Slauson said.

In their vernacular, nobody is just another way of saying “New England,” which – stop if you’re heard this before – lost to the Giants on Sunday on a late touchdown pass from Eli Manning to a guy wearing No. 85.

The Patriots visit MetLife Stadium on Sunday night in what will be the Jets’ biggest game of the season, this after their previous biggest game of the season, a 27-11 dismantling of the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. A late touchdown by Buffalo made the score somewhat respectable.

In the topsy-turvy A.F.C. East, the Jets have beaten the Bills, who have beaten the Patriots, who have beaten…the Jets. It has all added up to a three-way tie atop the division, with each team 5-3.

As Buffalo embarks on a stretch of three consecutive road games – ask the Jets how much fun that is – the winner of the Jets-Patriots showdown will be in position to take control of the division.

The Jets are a much different team than the sputtering outfit that lost at New England on Oct. 9. It starts with their defense, which over their last six quarters has held the potent Chargers and Bills to a total of 11 points, all scored in the second half Sunday.

“The way people talk about us, you wouldn’t think we’re the No. 6 defense in the league,” Bart Scott said. “But we play to our standards, which are very high.”

As are the Jets’ expectations for their running game. In winning their last three, the Jets have averaged 130.7 yards on the ground. They have rushed for more yards (392) in those games than in their first five (381).

“We just didn’t have our team together, we didn’t have that rhythm,” LaDainian Tomlinson said, adding,

“It takes the middle part of the season and on to really find your team, to find what kind of team you are, the identity of your team. We’re playing good football at the right time.”

No doubt, the Jets will be ready for New England. And no doubt, New England will be ready for the Jets.

But will the Jets’ “good football” enough be enough to overtake the Patriots on Sunday?

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The New York Jets Had A Pretty Good Day, and They Can Also Thank the Giants

NFL Jason Lisk November 7th. 2011, 11:15am

On a swinging Sunday, no team saw their fortunes swing as much as the New York Jets in the span of 6 hours. Leading into the week, I looked at an AFC playoff picture that had the Jets just on the outside, with New York needing to win key games against the Bills and Patriots to reverse the outlook. The Jets dominated the game in Buffalo, 27-11, pulling away in the third quarter. New York’s pass defense limited Fitzpatrick to less than 50% completions and he threw two interceptions, and Fred Jackson’s costly fumble set up the Jets’ touchdown that made it 13-0 in the third quarter.

New York left Buffalo with an identical 5-3 record, a road win in hand, and then got more good results in New England. The Patriots offense did not score in the first half, the result of consistently poor field position, coming up just short on third down to sustain drives, and costly turnovers. Brady threw an interception on the first drive of the second half, leading to a field goal, and fumbled on a sack on the next one, resulting immediately in a Brandon Jacobs’ touchdown run. Through the first three quarters, the Patriots defense played better and kept them in the game while the offense struggled. As the offense finally came on late, the defense fell apart, though. New England twice had leads in the fourth quarter, and surrendered two touchdown drives to the Giants, both coming in the last 3:07.

So, we are left with this. The Patriots have now scored less than 21 points in three straight games, losing the last two, after going 13 straight regular season games with at least 30 points. The defense continues to give up yards and could not make a stop at the end of a close game. The Jets and Patriots are now tied at 5-3, leading into the game this Sunday in New York. The winner is the favorite to win the AFC East.

Other AFC teams had big days as well. The Ravens won with a late touchdown drive last night, sweeping Pittsburgh. The Bengals won a key swing game at Tennessee, and as a result, now need to play the Steelers and Ravens evenly to have a shot at the postseason. The Texans are lurking at 6-3 after another dominant win over a weak opponent, and with the day’s results in New England and Pittsburgh, are just one-half game off the conference lead, with the easiest schedule over the second half. The Broncos are somehow just one game back in the AFC West, after the rest of the division plays hot potato with the football.

None though, had as big a day as the J-E-T-S, who now find themselves in position to shoot past the Patriots and Bills after a wild Sunday.

[photo via Getty]

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Turnovers spell recent trend vs. Jets

By Chris Brown, Lead Journalist

Posted 7 hours ago

• 
  

With Sunday’s win over Buffalo (27-11), the New York Jets have now won six of the last seven against their division rival dating back to the 2008 season. Four of those games have been decided by less than 10 points, while the other three were more lopsided. One prevailing problem for the Bills in all of them has been taking care of the football.

In their last seven games against the Jets, the Bills have an astounding 22 turnovers averaging better than three per game. In contrast, New York over that same stretch with Buffalo has just 12 total giveaways, with a half dozen coming in one game.

Buffalo committed a high of six giveaways in their season finale at MetLife Stadium last season. In each of those seven matchups with the Jets the Bills have committed at least two turnovers.

Ten of Buffalo’s giveaways have happened in the four home dates against the Jets. In those games New York turned it over just three times. Not surprisingly, the Jets won all four of those games on the road against the Bills, including Sunday’s 27-11 final.

The Bills had a pair of interceptions and a second-half fumble Sunday. Though the three giveaways only resulted in seven points for the Jets the players know that trend has to stop.

“It was just how I got hit,” said Fred Jackson of his third quarter fumble. “I’ll take that one on the chin. That was my fault. I let my team down when I let the ball go. I can’t do that. We can’t have turnovers like that.”

Buffalo is still very healthy overall in the takeaway-giveaway ratio this season as they currently sit at a plus-8 at the midway point of the season. Still, there is no denying that the Jets have a way of getting the best of the Bills when it comes to getting the ball back.

The only game the Bills have won in this seven-game stretch dating back to 2008, was the six-turnover game against the Jets that Buffalo won in 16-13 on Oct. 18, 2009. Buffalo picked off then rookie QB Mark Sanchez five times in that game and needed overtime to pull it out.

The Bills haven’t been careless with the ball this season, with the exception of the Jets with Buffalo’s three giveaways Sunday a single-game season high.

“They’re an aggressive team,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick. “We knew what they were going to do coming in. We knew they were going to play man coverage. That’s what they did in the first half and unfortunately some of the stuff we had planned and prepared for that really didn’t pan out. We didn’t make the throw. We didn’t make the play.”

Knowing they face the Jets in three weeks time better ball security will be essential knowing the Bills haven’t finished a game against New York without a turnover since Nov. 7, 2004.

“Nobody wanted to lose against the Jets,” said Stevie Johnson. “So when the time comes we’ve got to be ready for them in three weeks.”

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Seven-step drop: Here come the Jets

November, 7, 2011

Nov 7

2:00

PM ET

By James Walker<p>Here are seven notes and observations in the AFC East:

• I'm convinced the Buffalo Bills could play the New York Jets 10 times and probably lose seven or eight of those games. It's not that the Bills are a bad team. The Jets simply have superior personnel at key positions that match up perfectly with what the Bills like to do. New York is one of the few teams comfortable going with six or seven defensive backs. The Jets were all over Buffalo's receivers, which made life tough for Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Jets were far from perfect Sunday, especially on offense, and still won going away by 16 points. If the Jets did not make key mistakes on offense, they could have scored 40 points. The game was that lopsided.
  
• 
  
  
  [+] Enlarge
  
  
  Tom Szczerbowski/Getty ImagesRex Ryan has the Jets in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East.
  
  
• Jets head coach Rex Ryan brought up an interesting point in Sunday's postgame news conference. He challenged the New York media to pick another target who is struggling in order to motivate that player. It's worked all season for the Jets. The New York media at different points jumped on the back of the offensive line, wide receiver Plaxico Burress, tailback Shonn Greene and receiver Santonio Holmes this season. Each time that player or group responded with better performances and/or big plays.
  
• 
  
• We are about to find out the road mettle of the Bills (5-3). Four of their next five games are away from Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo will start a string of three consecutive away games Sunday with a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys (4-4). The Bills then travel to play the Miami Dolphins and have a rematch against the Jets. Buffalo also plays at San Diego (4-4) on Dec. 11. The Bills, who are 1-2 on the road, have the ability to win these games but have to be more consistent. How Buffalo comes out of this stretch will determine whether they have a chance to stay in the AFC East race.
  
• 
  
• Bills receiver Steve Johnson showed me something against the Jets. New York corner Darrelle Revis was in his usual all-world form. I've seen plenty of receivers shut it down in the second half while on Revis Island. But Johnson kept playing hard and eventually got a 52-yard reception over Revis. It was one of the few big plays Revis gave up this year. Johnson will see Revis plenty of times in his career and this was a learning experience. Johnson had three receptions for 84 yards.
  
• 
  
• New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady showed more frustration with receiver Chad Ochocinco Sunday than we've seen all season. Brady later backed Ochocinco in interviews after the game to prevent controversy. Ochocinco was targeted five times and had zero receptions in a loss to the New York Giants. The pair can't get on the same page. New England runs a very crisp and precise passing offense. That's not the type of receiver they have in Ochocinco, who had a reputation in Cincinnati as a "freelancer." Often Ochocinco would run the wrong routes, but Carson Palmer and Ochocinco played together long enough where they would still make plays. Brady and Ochocinco don't have that chemistry. Plus, New England is the type of team that won't bend the system to fit any one player.
  
• 
  
• Why has New England gone away from the running game? The Patriots are 1-2 in their past three games. A major reason is New England is averaging just 83.3 rushing yards in those contests. The Patriots are a capable running team but they have gone away from that balanced attack. They have become more predictable and allowed defenders to easily drop in coverage. That has led to an usually high amount of turnovers from Brady.
  
• 
  
• I feel odd writing this, but the Dolphins could have a lot of say in who wins the AFC East. Miami has been competitive the past three weeks. The Dolphins finally were rewarded with a 31-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Playing at this level, Miami has a chance to upset someone at the top of the division. If the Bills, Patriots or Jets are sleeping, the Dolphins could dish out a surprising loss that would be a big blow to one of these teams' playoff chances.
  

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Seven-step drop: Here come the Jets

November, 7, 2011

Nov 7

2:00

PM ET

By James Walker<p>Here are seven notes and observations in the AFC East:

• I'm convinced the Buffalo Bills could play the New York Jets 10 times and probably lose seven or eight of those games. It's not that the Bills are a bad team. The Jets simply have superior personnel at key positions that match up perfectly with what the Bills like to do. New York is one of the few teams comfortable going with six or seven defensive backs. The Jets were all over Buffalo's receivers, which made life tough for Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Jets were far from perfect Sunday, especially on offense, and still won going away by 16 points. If the Jets did not make key mistakes on offense, they could have scored 40 points. The game was that lopsided.
  
• 
  
  
  [+] Enlarge
  
  
  Tom Szczerbowski/Getty ImagesRex Ryan has the Jets in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East.
  
  
• Jets head coach Rex Ryan brought up an interesting point in Sunday's postgame news conference. He challenged the New York media to pick another target who is struggling in order to motivate that player. It's worked all season for the Jets. The New York media at different points jumped on the back of the offensive line, wide receiver Plaxico Burress, tailback Shonn Greene and receiver Santonio Holmes this season. Each time that player or group responded with better performances and/or big plays.
  
• 
  
• We are about to find out the road mettle of the Bills (5-3). Four of their next five games are away from Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo will start a string of three consecutive away games Sunday with a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys (4-4). The Bills then travel to play the Miami Dolphins and have a rematch against the Jets. Buffalo also plays at San Diego (4-4) on Dec. 11. The Bills, who are 1-2 on the road, have the ability to win these games but have to be more consistent. How Buffalo comes out of this stretch will determine whether they have a chance to stay in the AFC East race.
  
• 
  
• Bills receiver Steve Johnson showed me something against the Jets. New York corner Darrelle Revis was in his usual all-world form. I've seen plenty of receivers shut it down in the second half while on Revis Island. But Johnson kept playing hard and eventually got a 52-yard reception over Revis. It was one of the few big plays Revis gave up this year. Johnson will see Revis plenty of times in his career and this was a learning experience. Johnson had three receptions for 84 yards.
  
• 
  
• New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady showed more frustration with receiver Chad Ochocinco Sunday than we've seen all season. Brady later backed Ochocinco in interviews after the game to prevent controversy. Ochocinco was targeted five times and had zero receptions in a loss to the New York Giants. The pair can't get on the same page. New England runs a very crisp and precise passing offense. That's not the type of receiver they have in Ochocinco, who had a reputation in Cincinnati as a "freelancer." Often Ochocinco would run the wrong routes, but Carson Palmer and Ochocinco played together long enough where they would still make plays. Brady and Ochocinco don't have that chemistry. Plus, New England is the type of team that won't bend the system to fit any one player.
  
• 
  
• Why has New England gone away from the running game? The Patriots are 1-2 in their past three games. A major reason is New England is averaging just 83.3 rushing yards in those contests. The Patriots are a capable running team but they have gone away from that balanced attack. They have become more predictable and allowed defenders to easily drop in coverage. That has led to an usually high amount of turnovers from Brady.
  
• 
  
• I feel odd writing this, but the Dolphins could have a lot of say in who wins the AFC East. Miami has been competitive the past three weeks. The Dolphins finally were rewarded with a 31-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Playing at this level, Miami has a chance to upset someone at the top of the division. If the Bills, Patriots or Jets are sleeping, the Dolphins could dish out a surprising loss that would be a big blow to one of these teams' playoff chances.
  

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New England Lineman Matt Light Complements Giants, Doesn't Hate Jets

by Ed Valentine • Nov 7, 2011 2:05 PM EST

New England Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light was on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston Monday to talk about Sunday's loss to the New York Giants. Light also talked about the rival New York Jets.

Sports Radio Interviews has the full transcript. Excerpts after the jump.

Whether the Giants defensive line is the best the Patriots have faced all year:

“They’re up there, yeah. I mean, look, they’ve got a unique front in the fact that they’ve got not just four, but five or six guys that can all rush the passer; they’re very accomplished, they’ve got multiple moves, and that’s kind of rare to find. Usually you’ve got a couple guys, maybe a couple edge guys like they’ve got in Indy, or maybe one guy inside and one edge guy. But these guys across the board can get it done. They’re pretty dangerous.”

If he’d say that he ‘hates’ the New York Jets:

“No, I just hate losing. It is what it is. The players on that team aren’t always the same each and every year, there’s so many differences from year to year. But losing is never fun. I hate that.”

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Brady says Jets game will show what Patriots are 'all about'

Jets Blog

POST STAFF REPORT

Last Updated: 3:07 PM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 2:43 PM, November 7, 2011

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady does not expect things to get any easier against New York's other football team.

After a heartbreaking 24-20 loss to the Giants on Sunday, New England gets the Jets in primetime in Week 10 with first place in the AFC East on the line.

"We've lost two straight and we're going on the road against a damn good team," Brady said on WEEI on Monday morning. "It doesn't get any tougher than that -- on a Sunday night stage where you're the only team playing. We're going to see what our team is all about. We're going to see the level of commitment that we have. It's been good all year."

The Patriots were 5-1 and alone on top of the AFC East two weeks ago, but consecutive losses to the Steelers and Giants dropped them into a three-way tie with the Jets and Bills. The Jets arguably played their best game of the season on Sunday: crushing the Bills in Buffalo. The Patriots beat the Jets 30-21 in Week 5. Their three losses have all been by one score.

"I think that's why we're in these games," Brady said. "Even the games we lost, we're in them until the end and we're fighting to the last whistle. That's what it takes. We don't have any quitters on our team.

"That's not the character of this team. Nor do we have guys that aren't mentally tough or are going to make excuses. We're just going to go out there and try to work harder and prepare harder and ultimately try to do a better job."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/brady_says_jets_game_will_show_what_GC7T8LxuUWCVTv4Zxm5JmM#ixzz1d3XLpA00

[JiFtheOracle]

• Jets head coach Rex Ryan brought up an interesting point in Sunday's postgame news conference. He challenged the New York media to pick another target who is struggling in order to motivate that player. It's worked all season for the Jets. The New York media at different points jumped on the back of the offensive line, wide receiver Plaxico Burress, tailback Shonn Greene and receiver Santonio Holmes this season. Each time that player or group responded with better performances and/or big plays.
  
• 
  

Ha! So true. Maybe we should make it a tradition here. Whenever we need a certain player to be awesome, we should start a thread about how bad he sucks.

[JohnnyHector]

Ha! So true. Maybe we should make it a tradition here. Whenever we need a certain player to be awesome, we should start a thread about how bad he sucks.

Obvious response is obvious.

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Winners & losers from Jets win over Bills

10:56 AM, November 7, 2011 ι By BRIAN COSTELLO

The Jets made a statement in upstate New York on Sunday, taking the upstart Bills apart in a 27-11 victory that moved them into a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East. Here’s a look at the team’s winners and losers in the game:

WINNERS

REX RYAN – The Jets head coach deserves kudos for turning his team around over the past month. Admitting he made a mistake by employing a pass-happy offense was a great step. The Jets offense has gotten better in recent weeks, and their defense belongs among the elite in the league. Ryan had his team focused on work after the bye week and increased the intensity in practice. It paid off Sunday with his team coming out fast.

SIONE POUHA – The big man in the middle of the Jets defense does not get a lot of publicity, but he deserves it after Sunday. Pouha led the team with seven tackles and forced Fred Jackson to fumble in the second half. Playing without Mike DeVito, the Jets defense shut Jackson down until late in the game. Pouha led the way.

ANTONIO CROMARTIE – You did not hear his name Sunday, and that was a good thing. The good Cromartie showed up and shut down Donald Jones, holding the Bills receiver to one catch for six yards. When Cromartie is playing his best, the Jets defense is a bear for opposing offenses. Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick kept searching for somewhere to throw the ball, but the Jets secondary did a great job getting physical with the Bills receivers.

LOSERS

DUSTIN KELLER -- The fourth-year tight end has to be smarter than to try to jump over players on the sideline. As Mark Sanchez said, Keller should be barreling people over. He’s lucky he came away from his leap and fall without a concussion. Sanchez relies on Keller, and if he had to miss time the Jets offense would suffer.

MATTHEW MULLIGAN – With Keller out of the game, Mulligan had to play more. He did not fare well, picking up two penalties. Mulligan has shown he is a good blocker, but the Jets cannot keep him on the field if he continues to commit penalties.

THE SKEPTICS – The Jets quieted the doubters, myself included, with this victory. After they suffered three straight losses, it was fair to wonder just how good this team is. They have rebounded in a major way. Sunday’s win was a dominating performance against a division foe. The Jets announced they are back in the division race, and they just might be the best team in the AFC East.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/jetsblog/winners_losers_from_jets_win_over_A5kbJheWH8J1sXSjkIi5AP#ixzz1d3gDopST

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Is Joe McKnight the New Wildcat Quarterback?

by John B on Nov 7, 2011 3:42 PM EST

Rick Stewart - Getty ImagesMore photos »

One play late in yesterday's game was notable for two reasons. The first was Mark Sanchez was called for a holding on a Wildcat run by Joe McKnight. This leads to plenty of questions about why the Jets would leave Sanchez exposed to injury like that with the game out of hand.

The second is we saw New York's Wildcat package return, and McKnight was the trigger man. Jeremy Kerley took the snaps in preseason for the package, which the team has seldom used. Kerley had experience playing it in college and looked like a decent thrower for the role.

I am all for McKnight taking over. It is an extra chance to utilize him, putting the ball into the hands of the roster's most explosive player to try and break something big. McKnight did just that if not for the hold on Sanchez. I am not sure the Jets would be wise to trust him throwing the ball, but I think he could have a lot of success in the role.

Wildcat plays are usually not based on deception as much as many think. It is primarily a running package. Defenses can play up and stack the box. It is mainly about execution, both blocking and running. New York's offensive line is certainly capable of getting a push in power sets. The most surprising thing to me about McKnight with the Jets is how well he reads his blocks and cuts accordingly. I knew he was a great athlete, but the way he sees things develop sets him apart.

I hope to see more of this experiment in coming weeks. How about you?

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Jets' Jim Leonhard says Patriots' losses show 'they're not invincible'

Published: Monday, November 07, 2011, 4:15 PM Updated: Monday, November 07, 2011, 4:53 PM

By Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

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Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerSafety Jim Leonhard also says the Patriots are not a team that panics over losses.

Sunday night's game between the Jets and Patriots is a divisional showdown with important ramifications for both teams' seasons.

The Jets enter on a three-game winning streak. The Patriots, meanwhile, have lost two in a row, to the Steelers and the Giants.

"It happens. They're not invincible," safety Jim Leonhard said. "They're a great football team, but they’ve got beat by some pretty good football teams, as well. So I don’t think they're going to panic up in New England, and we’re not going to feel sorry for them, either."

"They're a team that doesn’t panic," Leonhard added. "They’ve been through this before; they’ve won a lot of games, big games. They know what it takes. They know the style of football that wins for them, and they won't veer too far away from that. Their backs are against the wall just like we were a couple weeks ago ... they’ll come out swinging. There's no doubt about it. The leadership in that locker room is very strong, and we know more than to take it lightly because they're struggling right now. They’re going to come out and give us the best game they’ve got."

Leonhard said the common thread in both New England's losses is that each of their opponents -- the Steelers and the Giants -- have physical defenses that get after the quarterback. Doing so is always a priority when the Jets face their greatest rival.

But the Jets don't see the Patriots as a vulnerable team.

"A team like New England is going to always be hungry; they're not a team that really takes the vulnerable route too easy," linebacker Aaron Maybin said. "Tom (Brady) is a heck of a competitor, and so are the rest of guys in that locker room. And obviously anybody who knows anything about football knows that Bill Belichick knows what hes doing back there. From our standpoint, we know they're going to be ready to play we’re not expecting that they're going to come out sluggish or anything. They want to win just as bad as we do, and we’re going to have to come with our 'A' game."

The Jets know about coming out of a losing streak, having lost three straight games earlier this season. Now 5-3, after a 2-3 start, they feel good about their identity and direction. They're suddenly in a three-way tie for first atop the AFC East.

"We got our confidence back," Leonhard said. "You start losing football games, and you start questioning things or maybe trying to do a little bit too much. We've gotten back to what's worked, running the football and being physical on defense. We do those two things, and someone beats us, you kind of tip your hat to them and move on. We lost games out of character, and we let teams do things we don’t normally let them do. We feel like we got back to playing the brand of football that we’re used to and that will win for us."

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Good, bad and very little ugly

November, 7, 2011

Nov 7

5:25

PM ET

By Rich Cimini

Positives and negatives from Sunday's win:

THREE UP

• Rex Ryan. He did some of his best coaching of the season, getting the Jets through their bye week without allowing them to lose their physical and mental edge. Clearly, Ryan and his staff used the two weeks to their advantage, because they were ready for everything.

• WR Plaxico Burress. He made more headline with his three-TD game against the Chargers, but this was actually a better overall performance -- five catches for 79 yards. Not bad, considering he almost didn't play because of a stiff back.

• NT Sione Pouha. He played perhaps his best game of the season, leading an injury-depleted defensive line. He forced a fumble and led the team in tackles.

THREE DOWN

• TE Matthew Mulligan. His holding penalty wiped out Shonn Greene's longest run of the season, 41 yards. Mulligan received an earful from teammate Brandon Moore and O.C. Brian Schottenheimer, and he deserved it.

• TE Dustin Keller. What was he thinking? Someone needs to tell him he's not Superman; he can't leap over tall buildings in a single bound -- or even tall defensive backs.

• QB Mark Sanchez. He committed two turnovers -- a red-zone interception and a fumbled shotgun snap. To his credit, Sanchez rallied, but he can't make those big mistakes now that the stakes are getting higher. He also needs to work on his blocking technique.

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AFC East Power Rankings preview

November, 7, 2011

Nov 7

4:30

PM ET

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By James Walker

So...where do we go from here?

How do you rank three teams in the AFC East with similar records when they've all beaten each other this season? That will be the biggest challenge for me during this week's Power Rankings.

Here is a preview of what you can expect in the division:

New England Patriots (5-3)

Last week: No. 5

Result: L, 24-20 against Giants

Analysis: New England has looked very ordinary the past few weeks. The offense can't score more than 20 points and the defense, as usual, makes too many mistakes. The Patriots are a very beatable team right now. Expect them to slide several more spots for the second consecutive week. They have a big game against the New York Jets coming up on the road with first place in the AFC East on the line.

Projected ranking: No. 7-9

Buffalo Bills (5-3)

Last week: No. 7

Result: L, 27-11 against Jets

Analysis: The Bills are showing their youth and inconsistency in the past month. Buffalo is just 2-3 in its past five games. The Bills played one of their worst games of the season against New York — the final score wasn’t indicative of how badly the team was outplayed. Things won’t get any easier for the Bills, who have three consecutive games on the road while trying to stay in the AFC East race.

Projected ranking: No. 10-12

New York Jets

Last week: No. 13

Result: W, 27-11 against Buffalo

Analysis: The Jets are finally looking like the physical, ground-and-pound team most expected in the preseason. They have won three in a row and are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Expect New York to make the top 10 for the first time in a while. You can rank New York above the Bills. But can you rank New York above the Patriots? New England beat the Jets earlier this season.

Projected ranking: No. 7-9

Miami Dolphins (1-7)

Last week: No. 31

Result: W, 31-3 against Kansas City

Analysis: How about those Dolphins? Not only did they get their first victory, but they did it so convincingly that you wonder where this team has been all season. Miami has talent, but sometimes executes like a high school team. The Dolphins seem to finally be going into the right direction. Expect Miami to move up the Power Rankings this week.

Projected ranking: No. 28-30

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Nov 7th 2011

Jets Mulligan refuses to comment on getting calling out by team

AUTHOR: Marc A. Greenberg | IN: Jets | COMMENTS: None Yet |

Jets Mulligan refuses to comment on getting calling out by team

If you watched yesterday’s New York Jets win over the Buffalo Bills, you are aware of the train-wreck called Matt Mulligan, which almost derailed the victory.

First Mulligan was flagged for a holding call which negated a 41 yard run by Shonn Greene. That earned Mulligan a tongue-lashing from Guard Brandon Moore.

For Mulligan’s second penalty call, he received a similar punishment from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

For his part, Mulligan was all mums on the incidents.

“Brandon had a really good game yesterday. Schotty coached a realy good game, a lot of play-calls. So I think there’s a lot of positive things, never any negative,” the tight end said.

“A lot of guys had a good game, we all played well,” he said. “There’s a few things we could work on this week, little things we could fix.”

And that’s that.

Mulligan is tied for Wayne Hunter for the team lead with five penalties against this season. Of course Hunter plays about 95% more than Mulligan.

Mulligan replaced Dustin Keller in the second quarter after Keller left the game with a head injury.

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Patriots Offense Struggling After Strong Start

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 7, 2011 at 5:24 PM ET

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The latest news, notes and analysis of the N.F.L. playoffs.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots have had the NFL's lowest-ranked defense almost all season. Now their offense is struggling, too.

The Patriots lost to the New York Giants on Sunday, 24-20, and didn't score until 5:29 remained in the third quarter. Tom Brady threw inaccurately on several passes. Others that were on target were dropped.

They scored at least 30 points in each of their first five games but no more than 20 in their last three. And they've lost their last two, only the third time in nine seasons that they've dropped back-to-back games.

Now the Patriots must prepare for the tough defense of the New York Jets, who have won three in a row. The rivals, tied with Buffalo for the AFC East lead, meet Sunday night.

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Rex Ryan expects a healthy Jets team heading into Patriots game

Published: Monday, November 07, 2011, 6:10 PM Updated: Monday, November 07, 2011, 6:12 PM

By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

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US PresswireShonn Greene underwent concussion tests and said he was fine. Rex Ryan expects him to play against New England.

Rex Ryan seemed confident today that he'll have a pretty healthy roster heading into Sunday night's matchup against the Patriots.

RB Shonn Greene, who left in the fourth quarter with a head injury and passed a test for a concussion, and Dustin Keller, who also passed a concussion test after getting flipped while trying to leap a defender, appeared fine to the coach.

"We feel good about them," Ryan said. "Certainly we'll look at them, we'll make sure they don't have any setbacks but we feel good that they're ready to go."

Ryan reiterated that he told Keller not to take the unnecessary risk to his body again (video here).

Keller's detailed evaluation, which was first obtained by ProFootballTalk.com and later distributed by the Jets, was a rigorous process. Here is a look at some of it:

Keller was evaluated by Dr. Damion Martins, the team internist and sports medicine specialist trained in concussion evaluation. The results each test along with any additional player evaluation

"were all reviewed and cleared by the head team physician, Dr. Kenneth Montgomery."

He had to clear balance testing (BESS Testing) and an exercise stress test. "Dustin returned only after all tests passed as good or better than baseline testing, and symptom free," the team said.

All evaluation was done in the locker room "to assure a quiet and distraction-free environment."

Keller was tested right off the field with a "simple sideline questionnaire" because he said he felt "dizzy," which is why the Jets classified it as a head injury and then was taken into the locker room for the evaluation. Keller participated in team meetings at halftime and was tested after each subsequent offensive series for the remainder of the game to ensure his safety.

"We were concerned enough to perform the testing, but all signs and tests suggest that he did not have a concussion," the team said.

Ryan said DT Mike DeVito (knee) should be a go, and wanted to play "in the worst way" against Buffalo. Yesterday he told reporters simply "next week" when he was exiting the stadium.

"He was close," Ryan said. "He was definitely close to being back. But I think we'll be ready to go and we'll need him. He played really well against New England the last time we played them so we have to have him."

S Brodney Pool, who injured his knee early in the first quarter, is "probably pretty sore," Ryan said, but should also be fine. Pool re-entered the game shortly after the injury and played the remainder of the game.

"I think Brodney played, never even had a brace on his knee or anything else and he payed almost the whole game. Usually, when that happens you're usually good for the next week but we'll see."

* * *

After two costly penalties, TE Matt Mulligan received a pretty public scolding by G Brandon Moore and then offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

He didn't respond directly when asked about it.

"I'll tell you what, Brandon had a really good game yesterday and Schotty coached a really good game too, a lot of good playcalls," Mulligan said. "So, I think there were a lot of positive things, never any negative."

Mulligan did not say whether he took any of it personally. He was first called for a false start and then a holding penalty that nullified a 41-yard run by Shonn Greene.

Mulligan is currently tied with T Wayne Hunter for the team lead in penalties.

"I'm just saying, a lot of guys had a good game, we all played well, there were a few things we could have fixed, little things that we'll work on this week, but as far as everything else goes..."

* * *

On Mark Sanchez's blocking snafu, which resulted in a holding penalty on a long Joe McKnight run (Sanchez was lined up at wide receiver while the team was in Wildcat) Ryan had this:

"I like the way he baited Drayton Florence in the first place, you know, showing him that he was scared of him," Ryan said.

Ryan said he jokingly asked Florence not to go after Sanchez too hard before the play but Sanchez ended up turning on the intensity.

* * *

Tonight, the Eagles will honor Ryan's father, Buddy, who coached the team from 1986-1990, as well as some other members of those teams.

In Ryan's tenure, the Eagles made the postseason three times and the brash coach became a fan favorite after pulling the organization out of the NFL cellar.

"I think it's great," Rex said. "It's really great they're doing that...that's really something. I guess it's been 25 years since my dad was a coach in Philly and he took over that team. And believe me, it seems like it was yesterday or a couple of years ago.

"Certainly those are times he feels great about, he was proud to be the head coach of the Eagles, I think he just wished he had a little more time, he felt like he never had a chance to really finish the job."

Rex was referring to the three first-round playoff losses.

"The thing they appreciate about my dad, he did things his way but a lot of the Eagles fans took to him," Rex said. "They understood that it wasn't by lack of effort that they never accomplished their ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl."

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Bills Down, Patriots Up Next for Improving Jets

Posted by Randy Lange on November 7, 2011 – 6:18 pm

Rex Ryan’s message today to his players and to beat reporters is that it was a nice business trip up to Buffalo for their 27-11 win over the Bills the day before, but bigger business lies ahead.

“Obviously there’s satisfaction that we accomplished our mission for that week,” Ryan said at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center late this afternoon, “and that was to get a victory against a good Buffalo team at their place. So that was a good win for us. But we put it in a four-game area to see how this division’s going to lay out.

“We’ve had to get better as a football team and we’ve gotten better. We’ll see if we’ve gotten substantially better when we play this game.”

“This game” is of course the rematch with New England on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

With the help of the Giants’ last-minute win over the Patriots, which concluded just around the time the Jets were deplaning from their charter at Newark Liberty Airport Sunday night, the Green & White are back in the thick of the AFC East race, tied with the Pats and Bills at 5-3.

That tired old phrase “if the season ended today” means nothing. There are eight games to play in this season. The Patriots’ edge on the Jets by virtue of their 30-21 win at Foxboro a month ago will disappear with a Jets win at their Meadowlands place in primetime.

And Ryan, while not dismissing work and corrections that need to be made coming off the Bills triumph, has every reason to feel confident. For one thing, the Ryan Jets are 2-0 against the Pats at home. In ’09, the Jets prevailed, 16-9, making them the only opponent that has held Tom Brady and New England without a touchdown in a game in the last five seasons. Last year the verdict was 28-14, making the Jets the only opponent to have held the Pats to 14 points or fewer twice in those same five seasons.

But that’s the past. The Jets know that the Red, White & Blue come marching down I-95 with a still potent offense and a pride and approach that will make them very difficult to put away in what Mark Sanchez on Sunday called “the divisional championship game.”

What is in the present are a couple of trends that the Jets have done a good job of establishing so far this season.

“Two of the things we talked about focusing on most this offseason were playing better at home and playing better in the red zone,” Ryan said. “Right now we’re fourth in the league in the red zone and we’re undefeated at home.”

The RZ effect has been strong. Sanchez’s interception was a disappointing end to the Jets’ opening drive vs. the Bills (at 10:09, it’s the Jets’ third-longest drive by clock time to end without points since 1984). But it established the concept that the Green & White could move the ball on those Bills and set the stage for three consecutive red zone TD drives in the second half.

With a game left tonight to wrap up Week 9 in the NFL, the Jets are fourth-ranked offense in the NFL in RZ TD percentage at 64.0 percent (16-of-25) and also have a 92.0 percent score rate and are averaging 5.3 points per trip inside the opponents’ 20, all of which would be 25-year bests for the franchise if they hold up for the season.

And at 4-0 at MetLife, the Jets are one of four remaining undefeated home teams in the league (Baltimore and New Orleans are also 4-0, Green Bay is 3-0) and have the opportunity to join the 1985 team as the only outfits in franchise history to open 5-0 at home.

“Now this week my shoutout’s going to be to our fans,” Ryan said. “We’re going to need them, just like the first year when we called out our fans and they made the difference in that first game. The way I see it, the fans are coming off a bye week and a road game. They’re rested. … I expect a huge performance from our football team but also from our fans. I’m excited the game’s here.”

And the hype of the next important Jets-Patriots week begins.

Injury Prognosis

Ryan feels the Jets’ health could be, well, healthy for the Patriots. WR Plaxico Burress had a strong game despite his balky back. S Brodney Pool and DT Sione Pouha left the field with injuries but returned and played well in finishing off the Bills. TE Dustin Keller and RB Shonn Greene both had head scares but both passed their concussion tests. Keller returned for the second half and Greene was held out as the Jets wrapped up the fourth quarter with LaDainian Tomlinson and Joe McKnight running the ball.

And Mike DeVito (knee) and rookie Kenrick Ellis (ankle), who sat out Buffalo, could be ready to return.

“We feel good about them,” Rex said. “DeVito was definitely close to being back. He wanted to play in the worst way. But I think he’ll be ready to go, and we’ll need him. … I’m feeling pretty good about where we’re going to be at.”

No More Keller Liftoffs

Ryan reiterated his advice for TE Dustin Keller to keep himself earthbound after catches.

“I haven’t talked to him about it [today] but I certainly mentioned to him and every teammate mentioned it to him, every coach,” Ryan said of Keller’s attempt to hurdle CB Terrence McGee early in the second quarter that ended with him jarring his shoulder and maybe his head and costing him the rest of the quarter in the locker room.

“That extra yard … we want you healthy,” the coach said. “But he does that. Sometimes a competitor, he’s trying to make a play. That’s just it. But as hard as he hit the ground, maybe he’ll think twice about it.”

Keller, who also tried a high hurdle at Chicago late last season, was asked in the locker room Sunday if he had heard Ryan’s reference to Dwight Stones, the record-setting high-jumper in the Seventies and early Eighties.

“Yeah, I heard about it … and I think I could compete,” he said of doing a little Fosbury flopping himself. “I was a little mad because I felt fine and I had to go back in and obviously do all the procedures and everything. I went through them over and over and over again.”

Despite his hiatus, Keller wound up with four catches, all moving the chains, for 64 yards, and he continues to lead the Jets with 29 receptions, 436 receiving yards, a 15.0-yard per-catch average and 21 receiving first downs. All good numerical reasons for DK to YAC it up while running rather than flying.