Jets News 11-9

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In the middle of a call ... click!

November, 9, 2011

Nov 9

2:34

PM ET

By Rich Cimini

Patriots WR Deion Branch was in the middle of a conference call with the New York media Wednesday, and he was answering a question about whether doubt is starting to creep into the locker room. In case you haven't heard, the Patriots have lost two straight and the sky is about to fall across New England.

"No doubts around here, and that's me being honest," Branch said. "We see in the film room what we're doing wrong."

Click! Line dead. Branch gone.

Did he pulled a Revis and hang up? Did the notoriously paranoid Bill Belichick pull the plug? No, it was a power outage in Florham Park, N.J., and it affected the Jets' facility and surrounding areas. (Now I know why the traffic lights were dark on the ride in.)

Branch was re-connected and he continued, with, "Like I said earlier, everything is still the same ..."

Yada, yada, yada.

There were no connection issues during Belichick's conference call with the New York media. Belichick doesn't give away too much, but he started off with a funny line. Asked about the challenge of preparing for a team they played only a few weeks ago, he said:

"It's one of those deals where they know that we know that we know that they know that we know," he said.

Get it?

Belichick didn't provide much insight into the decision to release DT Albert Haynesworth.

"Anytime you bring a player onto the team, you bring him onto the team with the expectation that it'll be a positive and productive thing for your team," he said. "Of course, that doesn't always happen. We know that. When you feel like it's time to move on, then you make that decision. That's basically where we feel like we are."

He probably knows that we know what he knows: Haynesworth is a chronic underachiever.

Belichick was asked about Rex Ryan's upcoming appearance in an Adam Sandler movie in which he plays a Patriots fan.

"I'll tell you, he'll have to do some acting on that one," Belichick cracked. "That's a new one. I'm sure it will be entertaining."

Asked if he ever had a movie offer to play a Jets fans, Belichick told the Boston media, "I was there for a couple of years (as a Jets assistant), so I was a Jets fan."

Five words you never thought you'd hear roll off Belichick's lips: I was a Jets fan.

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Pats-Jets II: Home field matters

November, 9, 2011

Nov 9

3:00

PM ET

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By James Walker

Sometimes with very intense rivalries, it doesn't matter which team plays at home and which team plays on the road.

But that doesn't apply to the New England Patriots-New York Jets rivalry.

Home-field advantage matters in this AFC East grudge match. The hosting team has won in five consecutive regular-season meetings.

But, with all that said, New York won perhaps the most famous recent meeting on the road in the playoffs. New York played a great, efficient game at Gillette Stadium to beat the Patriots, 28-21 last January.

Can New England return the favor and beat the Jets at Met Life Stadium? New York is a stellar 4-0 this season at home. Since joining the Jets in 2009, head coach Rex Ryan has never lost a home game to New England and head coach Bill Belichick.

Ryan and the Jets have a lot of trends pointing in their favor.

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Really Bart? lol Weird.

[

Thats what thd dude does...remember he was a game time decision with the Giants ever week.

I came in here to find some news on DeVito and I'm very excited to see that he's practicing.

Have no clue what happened to McKnight.

Just listened to Rex's presser. McKnight has a sore toe, but is expected to play.

He had a great line that cracked everyone up. Was running through the injuries, and he came to Greene and said "Greene has a head and groin injury. I have no comment on how that happened"

[JetsFanInDenver]

Asked if he ever had a movie offer to play a Jets fans, Belichick told the Boston media, "I was there for a couple of years (as a Jets assistant), so I was a Jets fan."

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Ryan: We're back to our style of football

November 9, 2011, 2:25 pm

Rex Ryan says the Jets are back to doing what they do best.

PATS REPORT: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

FOXBORO -- This is not your Week 4 Jets team.

The first time New York met the Patriots in 2011, Rex Ryan's club was 1-2 and struggling with an identity crisis. A season-opening 32-3 win over the Jaguars proved the obvious; losing 34-24 to Oakland in Week 2 proved they could be bullied by a weaker team; they followed that with a 34-17 loss to the Ravens -- a game that included three Baltimore defensive touchdowns -- which proved Mark Sanchez is still unreliable.

The Patriots feasted on these weaknesses. Tom Brady completed 24 of 33 passes for 321 yards in New England's 30-21 win. Sanchez threw for just 166 yards against the league's worst defense.

Things have since changed.

This is the ever-fickle NFL. In the last three weeks the Patriots lost two back-to-back games off the bye. New York heated up a three-game winning streak, including last Sunday's 27-11 triumph in Buffalo.

Rex Ryan says this is what his team does. Remember 2009? When the Jets falter, they regroup and rally against the world. "Everybody loves Cinderella stories," linebacker Bart Scott said last week about the Bills. "We've always been portrayed as the bad guys, but we relish in that role."

It gets them back to winning.

"I just think we got back to playing our style of football," Ryan said Wednesday. "We've been a team that plays good solid defense, solid special teams, and the ability to run the football. I think that's who we've been and that's who we are. I think we got back to those roots a little bit.

"Buffalo's a good football team, there's no doubt about it, but we had a lot of confidence going into the game. Our defense is a little different than other people's defense, but we feel good about it. We're multiple in what we do defensively. Sometimes with the personnel we can give you problems. That's how we approach the game and we executed our plan pretty good."

The odds favor New York to continue that trend.

According to Bodog.com, the Jets are a 1-point favorite in the tilt against New England. It's not much, but the number does reflect the way each team has played lately. Does the switch in position mean anything to Ryan? Not in the least.

"It's not going to change how we approach the game: we're trying to win," he scoffed. "If we're the favorite or an underdogs by 50 points it makes no difference in the game. That's who we are. I'm not betting on the game so I really don't care what the spread is."

It's still, after all, too early to bet the house on Sanchez. The quarterback has improved but remains inconsistent. At least when he has bad games the lows aren't as low -- that range has narrowed some. Ryan says he likes what he's seen out of Sanchez this season while maintaining that some things need to be cleaned up.

"He's made a couple mistakes, but a lot of people make mistakes," Ryan said. "I like the way he bounces back. We had a great drive [10-minutes, 87 yards], like, the second longest drive in the NFL this year, and then we turned the ball over in the end zone. We really have to do a great job protecting the football, especially against New England. You can't turn the ball over and expect to beat New England. You still have to be aggressive, but I think there's a fine line."

Sanchez's decision-making will need to be even better than it has been lately. Yes, even against the NFL's worst defense. Ryan has enough bad memories of Week 4 to feel overconfident, no matter how much the Jets have overcome since then.

"I think the big thing is we'd like to not have seven three-and-outs, I think would probably help us a little bit," Ryan said. "We did, in that game, have seven three-and-outs so obviously we're not going to beat anybody if you do that. I think if we're able to move the ball consistently we'll be able to run it more and throw it more. That certainly will be our plan."

[Bleedin Green]

The first time New York met the Patriots in 2011, Rex Ryan's club was 1-2 and struggling with an identity crisis. A season-opening 32-3 win over the Jaguars proved the obvious; losing 34-24 to Oakland in Week 2 proved they could be bullied by a weaker team; they followed that with a 34-17 loss to the Ravens -- a game that included three Baltimore defensive touchdowns -- which proved Mark Sanchez is still unreliable.

Now this is some quality reporting right here. Nothing better than starting your article with a game by game analysis of a team that completely forgets about that team's actual season opener.

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November 9, 2011 5:14 PM 0 comments

Rex wants Jets fans to make Sunday 'miserable' for Patriots

BY Stefan Bondy

Rex Ryan again called on the fans to do their part against the Patriots Sunday at Met Life Stadium.

"I love the fact that we're playing at home. Our fans could be the difference. That's the challenge I'm taking to our fans this week. That we're here, we're undefeated at home, and let's make it miserable [for New England]. See if you can't make them burn timeouts. See if our fans can't make them false start. I truly believe, I wouldn't ask our fans to do this if I feel they couldn't be the difference."

* Brandon Moore was a captain for the last four games, but it wasn't until this week that anybody in the media noticed.

As Ryan pointed out, "that'll tell you about an offensive lineman. He could have gone the whole season and nobody would have known except his own family."

Ryan said the decision - made before the last game against the Patriots in Week 5 - was a no-brainer.

"It was kind of an oversight on my part. Here's a guy I kind of lean on as much as anybody, getting feedback. I think he does a great job representing players. I was like, 'Brandon should be a captain.'"

Moore's appointment has coincided with improved play from himself and the team.

"Brandon Moore is back to being that dominant right guard," Ryan said. "He had the hip surgery in the offseason and now Brandon is playing like Brandon."

* Bill Belichick actually made an attempt at humor when asked about Rex Ryan's role as a Patriots fan in the upcoming Adam Sandler movie.

"I'll tell you, he'll have to do some acting on that one. That's a new one. I'm sure it'll be entertaining."

And we're not sure if his quote about being familiar with the Jets was also an attempt at humor.

"It's one of those deals where they know that we know that we know that they know that we know."

Huh?

* WR Dexter Jackson, who played for Marty Schottenheimer in the UFL earlier this year, was signed to the practice squad. DT Jarron Gilbert was released from the practice squad. Plaxico Burress (back), Joe Mcknight (toe) and Brodney Poole (knee) did not participate in practice. Marcus Dixon (shoulder) and Josh Mauga (back) were limited. Rex Ryan felt good about all them playing except for "maybe" Poole, who said he sprained his knee and is hopeful about Sunday.

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Sanchez refuses to grade himself

November, 9, 2011

Nov 9

7:29

PM ET

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By Rich Cimini

It's the midpoint of the season, a time when mid-term grades are handed out. Mark Sanchez wanted no part of a self-critique. Asked Wednesday to grade himself, the Jets' QB pulled a Rex Ryan -- he deferred.

"I think we're 5-3 ... so 5-3 (is my grade)," he said, eschewing the traditional A, B, C, etc. "I don't know. We just want to keep winning."

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Sanchez's touchdown-interception ratio (13-7) is roughly the same as last season (10-5) at the same point. He's on pace to set career highs in completions, completion percentage, yards and touchdowns, but he's also on his way to a career high in turnovers. He's on a 24-turnover pace, which would exceed his rookie total (22).

"You can't give away some cheap ones, and really, you look at the seven interceptions, they're some dumb ones," he said.

Ryan also was asked to rate Sanchez, and he, too, gave it the 'ol grade-him-on-his-record answer -- classic coachspeak. This, from a coach who called Sanchez an "elite" quarterback before the season started. Curiously, Ryan wasn't his usual effusive self when discussing his QB.

"I think he's been like our team," Ryan said. "I like to judge quarterbacks on the win-loss record. He's 5-3."

Ryan went on to say Sanchez has done "a lot of great things for us," praising his improved play in the red zone. But as Ryan noted, "He's had two bad decisions in the red zone," including last week's interception after a 15-play opening drive.

But Sanchez has become less-mistake prone since the shift back to Ground & Pound in Week 5. Since losing to the Patriots in Week 5, Sanchez has posted the second-highest passer rating (94.7) in the AFC. Check it out:

Quarterback ---- Rate --- Pct. --- Yds --- TD --- INT

Roethlisberger .. 104.6 ... 64.5 ... 1,484 ... 12 ... 3

Sanchez .............. 94.7 .... 60.7 .... 770 ..... 7 .... 2

Dalton ................. 92.6 .... 64.7 .... 828 ..... 8 .... 3

Brady ................... 88.3 .... 65.2 .... 1,150 .. 7 .... 5

Fitzpatrick ........... 86.5 .... 67.8 ..... 890 .... 6 .... 6

[JetsFanInDenver]

But Sanchez has become less-mistake prone since the shift back to Ground & Pound in Week 5. Since losing to the Patriots in Week 5, Sanchez has posted the second-highest passer rating (94.7) in the AFC. Check it out:

Quarterback ---- Rate --- Pct. --- Yds --- TD --- INT

Roethlisberger .. 104.6 ... 64.5 ... 1,484 ... 12 ... 3

Sanchez .............. 94.7 .... 60.7 .... 770 ..... 7 .... 2

Dalton ................. 92.6 .... 64.7 .... 828 ..... 8 .... 3

Brady ................... 88.3 .... 65.2 .... 1,150 .. 7 .... 5

Fitzpatrick ........... 86.5 .... 67.8 ..... 890 .... 6 .... 6

Interesting!