Jets News 11-11-11

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Notebook: Keller knows his months

November, 10, 2011

Nov 10

9:10

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By Rich Cimini

Dustin Keller clarified rumors that he messed up during a verbal concussion test, administered by a Jets staffer on the sideline Sunday in Buffalo.

An Internet video shows Keller reciting the months of the year -- it's easy to read his lips -- and apparently stumbling. Not true, according to Keller, who received the video from a friend.

"I was going through the months backwards, and I was absolutely correct," said Keller, who was dazed in the first quarter when he landed on his head while trying to jump over a defender.

Keller was taken to the locker room, where he underwent a battery of concussion tests, following NFL protocol. He was cleared and returned in the second half. He said his scores were actually higher than his baseline scores.

"I got smarter," he said. "(The concussion) actually knocked some sense into me."

GIVING THE FINGER: This is weird. Three players showed up on the injury report Thursday with finger injuries -- NT Sione Pouha, CB Antonio Cromartie and RT Wayne Hunter. The injuries aren't serious, as all three players practiced fully.

TOUCHY, TOUCHY: CB Darrelle Revis bristled when asked if he's surprised teams are throwing at him as much as they are.

"That's the last time you're going to ask me that," he said. "I'm not surprised teams are coming at me (laughing). I appreciate it. I wish they'd come at me all the time. You'll be giving me opportunities to make plays and compete out there."

ODDS AND ENDS: If Joe McKnight (toe) can't play, the options to return kickoffs are Cromartie and rookie RB Bilal Powell, according to Ryan. Don't bet on Powell, through; the fourth-round pick has yet to dress for a game ... Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said he's talked with TE Matt Mulligan about cutting down his penalties. A holding call against the Bills nullified a 41-yard run by Shonn Greene.

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Northjersey.com : Sports : Pro Sports : Pro Football : Jets

Plaxico's cranky back should be OK for Sunday's game

Thursday November 10, 2011, 9:40 PM

BY J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

The Record

FLORHAM PARK – Plaxico Burress couldn’t practice Thursday because of ongoing tightness in his lower back, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t working hard.

AP

Despite missing two days of practice with tightness in his lower back, Plaxico Burress should be ready to face the rival Patriots on Sunday.

Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said that veteran Jets’ wideouts Burress and Santonio Holmes both “think the game,” noting that “Plax had an idea [Thursday] that I won’t share with you, but something where we were looking at a couple of things from a coverage standpoint [by New England’s defense], and he said, ‘What about this?’ It was a great idea, and so we’re going to put it in and use it.”

That analytical approach to the game is the main reason why the Jets believe that missing two days of practice so far this week won’t hinder Burress when the Jets host the Patriots on Sunday night.

Burress isn’t worried about the injury, which has troubled him for more than a week and made his availability a game-time decision for last Sunday’s game at Buffalo. Burress had five receptions for 79 yards as he played through the pain during the Jets’ victory.

“It’s feeling pretty good,” Burress said of his back. “I’m getting better each day and making progress and getting all the rehab and everything I’m supposed to be getting. So I’ll practice [today] and everything will be fine.”

If Burress misses practice time and plays Sunday, that will be somewhat reminiscent of his 2007 season with the Giants, when he often missed practice because of a sprained ankle, yet performed very well in the games. But he doesn’t expect his back to be a chronic problem.

“It’s not that kind of [thing]. That was an injury,” Burress said. “I’m just working out soreness. I missed [Wednesday] and [Thursday] and I’m not really looking at it that way. I’ll be out there [today] and I’ll be ready to go on Sunday and we’ll go out and try to win a football game.”

Schottenheimer doesn’t believe Burress’ missed practice time will be a negative factor.

“I think he’s been really into meetings,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s been great in that regard. And I think we’re to the point now where Mark [sanchez] and he have a very good feeling for one another, the me-to-you factor.”

Burress said he and Sanchez are “in constant communication, looking at a lot of film and going over some of the looks and different things like that. [We’re] just trying to get a feel for what we see from a vision standpoint, at least on what [the Patriots] want to do, and looking at some of the film on how they played us the first time around.”

Burress’ veteran savvy also helps him adjust to not getting many practice reps, and it helps in games, too. Schottenheimer recalled with a smile Burress’ 18-yard third-quarter catch to the Buffalo 1 to set up the Jets’ first touchdown of that game.

“His body control is outstanding,” Schottenheimer said. “The thing that pleased me the most about the catch last week, the one down in the [red] zone was the effort. He kind of got away with a little bit of a shove, but he uses his size to do that. Don’t tell him I said that.”

“We’re taking the right strides to get to where we want,” Burress said, “where we’re out there just pitching and catching.”

As for Sunday’s first-place showdown with New England, Burress said, “this is what you sign up for. This is what you love about this business.”

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Jets' Aaron Maybin, a former Penn State player, wishes interim coach Tom Bradley the best

Published: Thursday, November 10, 2011, 9:40 PM Updated: Friday, November 11, 2011, 1:36 AM

By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

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William Perlman/The Star-LedgerAaron Maybin said that the news coming out of State College, Pa. has been a "sensitive subject" for him.

Watching the news come out of State College over the last few days hasn't been easy for the Jets' Aaron Maybin, who saw Joe Paterno's career as head coach end after 46 years late Wednesday night.

"I don't have anything else to say about it to tell you the truth," he said. "It's a sensitive subject, I'll be perfectly honest with you all, I really don't want to talk about it at all. But (interim) coach (Tom) Bradley is a great coach and I think he's going to do well there. But that's all I have to say."

Maybin said that it will be tough sledding ahead for the next coach to take over at Penn State.

"Obviously, yeah. There's no following up Joe Paterno," he said. "It's going to be tough for him but obviously we're all wishing him the best."

But in Bradley, who Maybin got to know well from his time at Penn State, Maybin said the team has someone who can lead them during this difficult time.

"He's a good coach, he was my defensive coordinator when I was there and me and him had a great relationship," Maybin said. "He's a high character guy, someone who's going to do a good job for them."

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

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Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said he's talked with TE Matt Mulligan about cutting down his penalties. A holding call against the Bills nullified a 41-yard run by Shonn Greene.

Somebody needs to tell Mulligan when he was told he would be taking over the role of Hartsock, that didn't mean as the douchebag who has the highest penalty to snap ratio in the NFL.

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Concerns for Belichick: Jets ... and the Patriots

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots' head coach, watched his team run during practice in Foxborough, Mass.

By PETER MAY

Published: November 10, 2011

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In Bill Belichick’s perfect world there is one overriding constant: an intense focus on the task at hand with no time or room for distractions.<p>

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• Jets Need Own Plan to Defeat the Patriots (November 11, 2011)
  

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

Kevin Faulk said of a losing streak, “It's not anything that anybody's thinking about.”

Maybe privately this week, in between watching film of his league-worst defense and his struggling offense, Belichick might have talked with confidants about the scandal at Penn State, the N.B.A. lockout or Rick Perry’s debate stumble. But publicly, his attention is solely on the Jets, who host his New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Nothing else matters.

On Tuesday, Belichick released Albert Haynesworth, an impact defensive lineman in previous incarnations but a spectacular underachiever — three tackles, no sacks in six games — for the Patriots. Belichick knew there would be questions Wednesday and, in trademark fashion, he swatted them away.

“I’ll just say this on the Albert situation: I thought that both he and myself — speaking for the staff — we really tried to make it work,” Belichick said. “He had a few physical limitations to overcome when he got here, but I thought he really tried to do what we asked him to do. We tried to work with him. In the end, it just didn’t work out. I think the best thing we could do was just move on.”

A subsequent question elicited a muted response: “It’s all done with. It’s on to the Jets.”

Jets Coach Rex Ryan had more to say about the Haynesworth move than did the man who made it.

“To be honest with you, our concern was not Albert Haynesworth,” Ryan said. “They have a lot of big guys.”

He added: “It wasn’t like, specifically, we had to know where he was. He’s just a big guy. But they have a lot of good ones. Vince Wilfork’s the guy. I think the Kyle Love kid is underrated and then they have the big kid from Boston College back. I guess Haynesworth does have some good ability, but he wasn’t a guy that we were absolutely concerned with.”

Of more immediate concern for the Patriots were issues both daunting and almost unthinkable for a Belichick-coached team: avoiding their first three-game losing streak since 2002; improving the 32nd-ranked defense in the league, including the 32nd-ranked pass defense, a task made more difficult by the loss of safety Josh Barrett; stanching the turnover flow (four or more in three games, a first under Belichick); and resurrecting the conference’s best offense, which has scored 20 or fewer points in three consecutive games after scoring 30 or more in 13 straight.

The last three-game losing streak for New England came in late September and early October 2002, when the team lost four straight en route to a 9-7 record, the only season the Patriots have missed the playoffs with a healthy Tom Brady. The current two-game streak is just the third for the team since 2003.

“Two in a row? Three in row? Four in a row? It doesn’t even matter,” running back Kevin Faulk said.

“You lose the game. It’s not anything that anybody’s thinking about. The race is still going on. We still have a football season to play and we have a big game on Sunday against one of our archrivals. That’s what matters right now.”

The Patriots’ porous pass defense has been glaringly apparent since Week 1, when Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins passed for 416 yards. It has been ranked no higher than 31st and has been last for the last seven weeks. The only positive for the unit going into Sunday is that the Jets like to run the ball.

The Patriots turned the ball over four times against the Giants last Sunday, as they did against the Bills on Sept. 25 and the Cowboys on Oct. 16. Brady has thrown 10 interceptions and has as many in the last three games — four — as he had all last season.

“I’ve just got to make better decisions,” Brady said. He added: “We’ve shown we can produce.

We’ve made plenty of good plays. We’ve got to eliminate some of the ones that are holding us back, namely the turnovers.”

The Patriots led the N.F.L. and set a team record with a plus-28 turnover margin in 2010. After eight games this season, they are even, with 14 takeaways and the same number of turnovers.

The offense is still ranked No. 1 in the A.F.C. and No. 2 over all behind New Orleans but has not been the scoring juggernaut it was in the first five weeks, when it averaged 33 points a game. That average has dropped to 19 over the past three games. The Jets, meanwhile, have allowed fewer than 13 points a game in their current three-game winning streak.

And it is the Jets who are front and center this week for Belichick and the Patriots. As Belichick sees it, why belabor the obvious?

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Jets Need Own Plan to Defeat the Patriots

By BEN SHPIGEL

Published: November 10, 2011

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Jets’ opponent Sunday night is familiar, and so is the challenge facing their defensive staff.

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Ray Stubblebine/Reuters

The Jets' Darrelle Revis could again be assigned to cover the Patriots' top receiver, Wes Welker, whom Revis held to a single 4-yard catch while covering him in the Jets' 30-21 loss at New England on Oct. 9.

They must devise a scheme that incorporates what has worked well in the past against New England and quarterback Tom Brady. But they must do so with the knowledge that the Patriots will adjust after losing the past two weeks.

If the Jets thought they could win by merely mimicking the strategies used by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Giants in beating New England, they would. But they do not.

The Jets must decide how to defend Wes Welker, Brady’s favorite receiver, and whether to stick Darrelle Revis on him, as they did in a 30-21 loss to the Patriots on Oct. 9. They also have to decide how to approach the Patriots’ running game, which surprised them in their last meeting by picking up 152 yards. And they need to decide which elements of the Steelers’ and Giants’ game plans are even applicable to their personnel.

The Giants have a dynamic defensive front, which the Jets do not. And the Steelers rely primarily on zone coverage against the pass, while the Jets, with cornerbacks like Revis and Antonio Cromartie, favor a man-to-man approach.

“With Brady, you never feel comfortable, like, that’s the game plan and you’ve figured it out,” the Jets’ defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine, said. “That’s a pretty intelligent group up there. The first thing they do when they study that is: ‘O.K., this is a copycat league. Somebody else is going to do this to us. What are our answers to it?’ ”

The Jets allowed 446 yards and 7 third-down conversions in the teams’ last meeting, but they have not yielded a touchdown in 9 of the last 12 quarters, a stretch that coincides with an offensive downturn by New England, which has been limited to 57 points over its last three games. What the Jets have distilled from analyzing videotape is that the Giants, Pittsburgh and Dallas, which lost to New England on a late touchdown, all succeeded in pressuring Brady, knocking him out of his rhythm.

“You can tell teams are playing them different,” Revis said.

In an interview, the former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison said Brady had not looked comfortable over the last few weeks. Pettine described it as “more anxious.”

“Before you would see him sit in that pocket and set his feet and not move and scan the field,” Pettine said.

The Steelers flummoxed Brady by surprising him with physical man-to-man coverage that disrupted his receivers’ timing. On the outside, the Steelers’ tight coverage prevented receivers from breaking free downfield; Brady’s longest pass, to tight end Rob Gronkowski, went for 23 yards. On the inside, Ike Taylor blanketed Welker, who caught six passes for only 39 yards and no touchdowns. And the Steelers often deployed one safety, Troy Polamalu, in the middle of the field, about 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage, to take away crossing routes. Brady finished with 198 yards passing, a season low.

“It works because the Patriots don’t have a deep threat,” said Harrison, now an analyst on NBC’s

“Football Night in America.” “Deion Branch is quick, and he runs great routes. But he’s not a fast guy — he can’t create that separation. Cornerbacks are starting to sit on their wide receivers, and that’s why they’re having so much trouble getting open.”

Even if the N.F.L. is a copycat league, as Pettine said, there is only one Revis. He usually lines up on the outside against a team’s top receiver, but Welker is most effective out of the slot, where there is more traffic and fewer opportunities for Revis to get his hands on him.

“The type of guy he is, he can move around and cover anybody,” Jets safety Brodney Pool said of Revis.

Coach Rex Ryan likened Welker to “this age’s Wayne Chrebet” — the former Jets receiver — “and then some, maybe. He’s a guy that’s almost impossible to cover in the slot.” Pause for effect.

“Unless you’ve got Revis.”

Defending Welker on more than half the Patriots’ offensive snaps on Oct. 9, Revis neutralized him, holding him to one reception for 4 yards, with his only long gain — a 73-yarder early in the second half — coming after Revis released him inside to Eric Smith. The Jets did not divulge their coverage plans for Welker — as if Bill Belichick would share his ideas for bottling up Shonn Greene — but

Ryan did hint that they would tweak a different aspect of their strategy.

A hallmark of the Jets’ approach against elite quarterbacks has been flooding the middle of the field with defensive backs, with the smaller personnel grouping intended to dare passing-oriented teams to run more. The strategy worked for the Jets in their playoff game against New England in January.

It did not in October at Gillette Stadium, when the Patriots surprised the Jets by running on 11 of 13 plays during a clock-controlling drive late in the fourth quarter.

That drive set up a victory-icing field goal and haunted the Jets into this week. “That’s not us,” Pettine said of the defensive performance in October. “And that’s not where we are now. We feel we’re a different team.”

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NY Jets' Plaxico Burress declines to answer questions about Eli Manning's recent hot play for NY Giants

N.Y. Jets' Plaxico Burress refuses to comment on the great play of former teammate Eli Manning this season

BY Stefan Bondy

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, November 10 2011, 11:26 PM

Ron Antonelli/New York Daily News

New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress (17) talks to New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes (10) as he sits out the team's practice at the Jets training facility in Florham Park with a sore back.

Don’t ask Plaxico Burress about Eli Manning. At least not during Patriots week.

The Jets wide receiver bristled Thursday when questioned about his former teammate in the locker room, twice telling a reporter that he wouldn’t comment on his former Giant teammate’s recent stretch of great play.

“I’m not talking about any of that,” Burress said, abruptly turning away from the huddle of reporters and walking away. “I’m not talking about it.”

Burress’ silence could be because he has more important things to worry about — including a sore back that kept him out of a second straight practice — but he has admitted to a fractured relationship with Manning in an interview in Men’s Journal.

The last time Manning and Burress linked up was in a Super Bowl victory against the Patriots nearly four years ago. Now Burress is trying to build that kind of chemistry with Mark Sanchez.

Despite missing practice, Burress said he expects to play Sunday night. He also has been strengthening his relationship with Sanchez and Santonio Holmes in morning meetings.

“Now (Sanchez) gets a better understanding of who Plax is as a player. Where he likes to catch the ball, how he likes to catch the ball on the field,” Holmes said. “That’s making strides for us as a group that we can look forward to in the future. It has helped calm Sanchez down a lot. It has allowed us to have more fun at practice. Veteran leadership from both wide receivers (initiating these meetings), carrying our young quarterback under us and teaching him the things that we see that he hasn’t seen.”

REX: NEVER MIND ME

Before the Week 5 loss to the Patriots, Rex Ryan declared it was a game defined by himself against Bill Belichick.

Not this time. The responsibility is on the players.

“This one’s about how much our team has improved,” Ryan said. “We’re going to judge the winner of this game. If we don’t win this game, we’re in trouble for the division and we understand that.

“So this is a big game. We don’t deny it. Is it about me and all that? As a competitor, you want it that way, but I think this is the whole group of us. This is our football team against theirs.”

POOL PROBLEMS

Brodney Pool again missed practiced with an ankle sprain, and Ryan acknowledged concern that the safety wouldn’t play Sunday night. Pool, who would be used extensively against the Patriots, said he sustained a second degree sprain. “It’s painful but I’m from Texas so I’m tough,” he said.

RB Joe McKnight (toe) also didn’t participate in practice. Antonio Cromartie, who injured his finger in practice, would field kickoff returns if McKnight is unavailable.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/ny-jets-plaxico-burress-declines-answer-questions-eli-manning-hot-play-ny-giants-article-1.976023#ixzz1dPKtlDP8

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NY Jets seek to ground New England Patriots and suddenly interception-prone Tom Brady

Brady finally looks mortal and Jets are looking to take advantage in Week 10

BY Manish Mehta

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, November 10 2011, 11:10 PM

Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News

Pressure gets to Tom Brady as Patriots fall to Steelers and Giants in past 2 weeks.

A year after Tom Brady pulled off one of the most mind-boggling seasons in NFL history, New England’s Superman has looked mortal at times. Although the heartbeat of the Patriots offense remains one of the game’s elite quarterbacks, he’s been far from flawless as he prepares to face the Jets on Sunday night.

Brady already has more than twice as many interceptions (10) than he had all last season (four). His career-high in picks? 14.

Translation: The Patriots, losers of two in a row, are vulnerable right now.

“We don’t care what difficulties they’re in,” said Rex Ryan, whose team has held opposing quarterbacks to an NFL-low 59.4 passer rating. “Each team goes through dips in the road.”

The Steelers and Giants rattled him in the past two weeks. The Patriots have looked out of sync during their funk, good news for a defense that has resembled the 2009 outfit that carried the Jets to the AFC Championship Game. Two weeks ago, Pittsburgh took a page out of the Jets’ defensive playbook by deviating from eithr its core zone concepts and playing a more man-to-man, in-your-face style that took Brady out of his comfort zone. The Giants leaned on their hallmark four-man rush to create pressure.

“Tom Brady does throw interceptions, the last time I checked,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said.

“Looking on film, you can tell teams are playing them different and they’re getting pressure on Tom.”

The Jets will certainly have to tweak their approach that allowed 446 yards in their Week 5 loss in Foxborough. The Patriots’ various personnel groupings always present a challenge.

“You got to figure the puzzle out,” Revis said.

Added safety Eric Smith: “We’re confident that if we execute our scheme, then they’re not going to move it like that again. If we play the exact same defense, they’ll pick us apart. They do such a good job studying. So you do have to mix and change some things.”

Brady’s ability to take care of the ball has failed him this season. He threw 335 straight passes without an interception in 2010, but already he has had three multi-pick games in the first half of this season.

“It seems to me he gets a little more anxious at times,” Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said.

Brady has also fallen victim to some bad luck. Only four of his 10 interceptions weren’t tipped by defenders or his teammates. The Patriots have uncharacteristically struggled on third down during their losing streak, with a 32% conversion rate .

It won’t get an easier on Sunday night against Ryan’s opportunistic defense that is tied for third in the league with 13 interceptions and tied for second with 19 takeaways. Although the Patriots like to use spread formations like the Bills did last week, Brady & Co. will attack in a very different way.

Buffalo’s scheme was predicated on the quick, short passing game. The Patriots have different wrinkles.

“Brady’s going to let the play develop and then throw the ball,” Smith said.

Gang Green will also have to do a better job of slowing down a Patriots rushing attack that racked up 152 yards in their first meeting. The Jets fell apart on a critical 13-play drive in the fourth quarter that included BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ 10 carries for 59 yards that iced the game for the Patriots.

“Game on the line, I’d rather put it in BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ hands than Tom Brady’s hands,” Ryan said. “And it backfired on us.”

Pettine’s defense has played a lot like the dominating group that led the league in total defense and scoring defense two years ago. The Jets’ suffocating performance against the high-powered Bills last week bodes well for the second half of the season.

“There’s always room to improve,” Revis said. “We’ve been playing confident and well the past three games. We’re on our way.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/ny-jets-seek-ground-england-patriots-suddenly-interception-prone-tom-brady-article-1.976017#ixzz1dPLgyuQX

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New England Patriots ‘D’ has earned an ‘F’ through Week 9 of the NFL season

Pats defense deserts game plan

BY Hank Gola

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Friday, November 11 2011, 12:36 AM

Mary Schwalm/AP

New England nose tackle Vince Wilfork is congratulated by teammates but it has for most part been a lost season for Patriots' defense.

FOXBOROUGH — You have to wonder what’s going on inside that gray hoodie.

It used to be a swirl of X’s and O’s, all synchronized perfectly to foil the likes of Peyton Manning.

Now the biggest thought in Bill Belichick’s head has to be how in the world did this defense get so screwed up?

Even the mastermind has had no schematic solutions for a defense ranked last in the NFL with a pass defense on pace for the worst of all time. Starting cornerback Leigh Bodden was cut two weeks ago, presumably for lack of effort, although his agent announced Thursday he had surgery for a herniated disk. That move continued a gutting of the secondary that began with James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather. DT Albert Haynesworth was released on Monday, an experiment that didn’t pan out.

The situation was workable when Tom Brady was making up for a lot of errors, but now that the QB seems to be pressing to put enough points on the board, the defense has to start carrying more of the weight starting Sunday night against the Jets.

And the players know it.

Vince Wilfork, the veteran leader of that unit, has implored everyone to work that much harder this week or, “it’s going to be another long day,” he said.

“It’s not tough. We’ve just got to continue to believe,” he said. “The last time we played the Jets they were on a two-game losing streak on the road and we beat them. But ever since then they turned it around and started playing better football. They’ve got it together. Now the tide has turned. Now we’ve got to come together, play good football. I think we can do it. It’s not like we’re getting blown out or not competitive. It’s just small things that lead to big things.”

Actually, it’s also the big things. The Pats are allowing an average of 314 yards a game through the air when no one in history has ever given up more than 284 on average for an entire season. Their coverage problems haven’t been helped by a pass rush that has produced just 15 sacks, which is 24th in the league, which has helped opposing QBs compile a 91.14 passer rating, which puts the Pats at 25th in the league.

While Mark Sanchez was one of just two quarterbacks (Eli Manning was the other) who have failed to pass for more than 300 yards against the Pats this season, he will face an even thinner safety crops this week. Safety Josh Barrett had to be placed on injured reserve this week while starter Patrick Chung is fighting an ankle injury sustained late in last week’s Giants game.

That would leave just two pure safeties, Sergio Brown — who was nailed for a critical interference penalty last Sunday — and ex-Jet James Ihedigbo. They’re also trying to get Sterling Moss, promoted from the practice squad when Barrett went down, ready to play safety.

“What we have in this locker room is what we have,” Wilfork admitted. “This is what we’ve arrived with and we’re going to die with, what we have in this lockeroom. We have something good in that locker room. It’s not always going to be perfect. But when it’s not perfect what are you going to do?Are you going to hang tough and handle the situation or will you just fold and give into the critics and everyone who says we can’t do it?

“I have faith in this team, I really do,” he said. “We’re going to grind for one another and it starts on the practice field. We had a good day yesterday and we have to be better today and better on Friday and better going into Sunday. That’s where we’re at as a team.”

I

hedigbo says he’ll have a chip on his shoulder when he returns to the Meadowlands Sunday night.

“It’s a divisional game and these type of games mean a lot. We’re really determined to play our best and earn a W,” he said. “We talked as a defense. Games like this where a lot’s riding on the line, you win games like this by how you practice during the week. We made it our goal to have our best week of practice and our hardest week of practice. I think it was a step in the right direction.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/england-patriots-earned-f-week-9-nfl-season-article-1.976063#ixzz1dPMQ0hdK

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NY Jets coach Rex Ryan set to turn tables on New England Patriots in NFL Week 10

With New England in slump, Jets see time to take off

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, November 10 2011, 11:56 PM

Matt Campbell/EPA

The Jets can see the power shifting in the AFC after watching the Giants and Steelers beat up on Wes Welker and the Patriots.

The Jets know it. You can read it in their constricted pupils, hear it in their veiled answers. The Patriots are not quite the Patriots anymore. They are more vulnerable than in recent years, slumping, hurting and ready to be bullied Sunday night at the Meadowlands.

“Watching the film, you see how teams are trying to play ’em physical,” Darrelle Revis said Thursday. “You see the Steelers knocking around Wes Welker. And it’s a copycat league.”

The Pats are no patsies, but this is definitely one of those crossroads moments in a transition season for the AFC. Always used to be, you could pencil in the Pats, Steelers and Colts into playoff spots before the season even started, then fill out the field from there. Now the Colts are hopeless without Peyton Manning, the Steelers are in third place and the Patriots have dropped two straight.

There is a new order rising, and the Jets very much want to think they are part of that. Easy to say, tougher to believe, hardest to accomplish. But that’s what is on the table in East Rutherford, during this prime-time showdown. The Jets, wearing a lean and hungry look, will lay claim to the throne, once and for all.

Rex Ryan has wanted to be that kind of royalty now for a lot of years in Baltimore and now with the Jets, only to have the ruling powers in Pittsburgh and New England put down his revolts on a regular basis. Ask him about the triumvirate of New England, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, about the top AFC teams in the league over the past decade, and Ryan insists the Jets belong there, too.

“You want to put the Jets up there the last two years,” Ryan said. “And Baltimore when I was there.”

Ryan will bow to no rulers, kiss no rings. His given name, after all, means “king” in Latin. About the most he’ll concede is that the Cardinals were not among the power elite when he was in Arizona as an assistant. This rivalry with the Patriots reminds him a lot of his attempts to topple the Steelers when he was defensive coordinator with the Ravens.

“Very similar,” he said. “They’re the ones winning in your division. No offense to Cleveland or Cincinnati, but we expected to beat those guys every time.”

Ryan keeps saying his team is much better than when the Jets lost, 30-21, up in New England in Week 5. He’d better be right, because the Patriots tore the Jets’ defense several new, gaping holes that day. Tom Brady threw for 321 yards, Welker’s receptions produced 124 yards and BenJarvus Green-Ellis surprised Ryan most of all by running for 136 yards.

Ryan takes the blame for that, says he was concentrating so much on stopping Brady that he forgot to play rush defense. Last winter, Ryan kept hyping the playoff game against New England as himself versus Bill Belichick. This time, he offers a different theme.

“This one’s about how much our team’s improved,” Ryan said.

He knows how much is at stake here, control of the AFC East. Meet the new boss, different than the old boss.

“If we don’t win this game,” Ryan said, “we’re in trouble with the division.”

All they have to do is beat a Patriot defense that couldn’t stop the Giants last week during two late drives and a Patriot offense that couldn’t solve the physical Steelers. How hard can this be?

The Jets won’t exactly say it will be easy, which just might mean they think it is.

“Don’t ask me if this is the end of an era,” Brandon Moore said. “If we want to be up there with the great teams like the Patriots, you got to win Super Bowls. That’s what you got to do to get attention.”

Moore, it turns out, is a diplomatic Jet. An oxymoron, in the Age of Rex.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/ny-jets-coach-rex-ryan-set-turn-tables-england-patriots-nfl-week-10-article-1.976042#ixzz1dPNxsi43

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Jets notes: Joe McKnight, Brodney Pool still hurting

Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Record

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Sidelined

RB Joe McKnight, who is leading the NFL in kickoff-return average, sat out practice for the second straight day Thursday because of a toe injury. S Brodney Pool, who has a sprained left knee, also has not practiced this week.

Coach Rex Ryan didn't rule out either player for Sunday's game against New England, but he sounded less than certain about their availability.

The coach said he is a "little concerned" about Pool, who played through the Buffalo game despite being injured early in that contest. He said that McKnight's availability will be "more of a wait and see."

If McKnight is inactive, CB Antonio Cromartie would return kickoffs. Cromartie began the season as the primary kickoff returner, but McKnight took over in the season's fourth game after Cromartie was injured against Oakland.

Rookie RB Bilal Powell, who has yet to be active this season, would replace McKnight on offense.

Paterno reaction

OLB Aaron Maybin, a former Penn State star, refused to discuss the ouster of longtime Nittany Lions' coach Joe Paterno in the wake of a sexual-abuse scandal involving a former Penn State assistant, Jerry Sandusky. But he did speak highly of interim coach Tom Bradley, formerly the team's defensive coordinator.

"If anybody's groomed for the job, it's him," Maybin said. "He's been around there about as long as just about any of the other coaches. He's going to be as familiar with the staff as anybody else that they would be able to find on such short notice to handle the job the rest of the year. … There's no following up Joe Paterno, so it's going to be tough for him, but obviously we're all wishing him the best."

— J.P. Pelzman

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Jets aim to stop Tom Brady, Patriots with a re-energized defense

Published: Friday, November 11, 2011, 4:15 AM

By Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

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Jim Rogash/Getty ImagesThe New England Patriots' Wes Welker catches a pass in front of Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis last month at Gillette Stadium. The Pats won the Week 5 meeting, 31-20.

The Jets' defense used tape of the Week 5 loss at New England as a “study” this week, safety Eric Smith said. And the players and coaches didn’t like what they saw.

There were misalignments and poor tackling. Five defensive penalties for 63 yards and three automatic first downs. The Patriots’ 13-play, fourth-quarter scoring drive sealed their 30-21 victory.

“We didn’t play well at very many positions,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “The guys, especially up front, looked at it and said, ‘Who is that impostor wearing my jersey?’ … That’s not us, and that’s not where we are now, and I think that’s one of the reasons we feel good about this week.”

The Jets enter Sunday night’s critical rematch against New England hoping to prove they are an improved team, and part of that quest includes doing a better job of stopping Tom Brady and company.

Since that game in mid-October, the Jets have undergone a renaissance of sorts, which on defense has meant reclaiming an identity as an aggressive, impose-your-will unit. Their talent was offset by inconsistency and “self-inflicted wounds” through the early part of the season, players said, until the Patriots loss marked a season turning point.

“That was kind of like the beginning of us making our way back to playing at a high level,” linebacker Bart Scott said. “I think since then, we have every week gotten a little bit better; I think last week (against the Bills) was our best performance to date. We know it’s going to take that same type of effort, if not a greater one, to try to beat these guys.”

The most frustrating part on film from the teams’ first matchup was that final Patriots drive, which sucked 6:12 off the clock and resulted in a field goal, leaving the Jets with a nine-point deficit and just 1:02 left to play.

The Jets dared the Patriots to run, with multiple-defensive back personnel groupings, and even when they subbed in more of their bigger guys they couldn’t stop BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ 59 rushing yards on that final drive.

“We didn’t get the job done,” Scott said. “It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t drive you. It’s more about us playing and getting the job done and not letting it come down to that situation, period.”

But while the Jets believe they are a different team in this matchup, the Patriots are also not in the same position they were in October. They have lost two straight games, against the Steelers and Giants, and have seemed to put on tape a blueprint of how to be beaten.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis said he can tell from his film sessions that “teams are playing them different.” Pittsburgh used aggressive man coverage, while New England expected zone looks. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Giants were able to get after Brady, and he was affected. Brady’s lowest passer rating of the season, 75.4, came in last week’s loss to the Giants.

“It seems to me he gets a little more anxious at times, where before you’d see him sit in that pocket, set his feet and not move. Scan the field,” Pettine said. “It’s a credit to the teams he’s played. I think we got him off his spot a couple times, but it wasn’t enough.”

The Jets are coming off a top-notch defensive performance against the Buffalo Bills, when they stopped a spread offense with a strong run game. They are looking to build on that performance on Sunday — and also to affirm that their defense has indeed grown by leaps in a matter of weeks.

“We’re a different team,” Pettine said. “We’re much improved over that performance the last time.”

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

Jenny Vrentas: jvrentas@starledger.com

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Politi: Jets to face a New England Patriots team that no longer looks like a dynasty

Published: Friday, November 11, 2011, 4:00 AM Updated: Friday, November 11, 2011, 4:07 AM

By Steve Politi/Star-Ledger Columnist

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Greg M. Cooper/US PresswireQuarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick will lead a New England Patriots team looking to break a two-game losing streak Sunday against the Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

“They are still the New England Patriots.”

These are the seven words that were repeated again and again in the Jets' locker room this week, from players suddenly determined to say the right thing — even if what they’re saying is wrong.

The rare two-game losing streak? "They are still the New England Patriots.” The historically bad pass defense? “They are still the New England Patriots.”

The fact that, spotted a two-game lead on their nasty division rivals this season, they limp into MetLife Stadium in a three-way tie in the AFC East and look like a dynasty that has finally reached its end?

“They are still the New England Patriots.”

It’s good that the Jets keep saying this, and it’s even better if they actually believe it. This is not the right opponent to take lightly, no matter how they’ve looked at times this season.

Still: They are not the New England Patriots — at least not the dominant, fear-inspiring team that dominated most of the past decade. They still have Tom Brady at quarterback. They still have Bill Belichick on the sidelines.

But take them both away, and the Jets might as well be playing the Washington Redskins this week.

The running game, ranked 17th in the league, scares no one. The defense can’t stop anyone when it matters. Eli Manning was hailed for leading the Giants to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives last week, and rightly so.

But look at the players he torched. Kyle Arrington, an undrafted cornerback who has already played for three teams in three season, picked up a critical pass interference penalty and was beaten for a touchdown. Sergio Brown, an undrafted safety who spent last season on the team’s practice squad, picked up the pass interference penalty that put the Giants at the 1-yard line on the final drive.

The Patriots are not merely bad at stopping the pass. They are on a pace to set records in futility. They are giving up 314 passing yards a game, a full 54 more than the 31st-ranked Colts, who are 0-9.

Even the offense isn’t its usual model of perfection. Brady had four interceptions all of last season — a ridiculously low total. He has 10 already this year. He and Wes Welker are still among the most feared quarterback-receiver combos in the league, but even Rick Perry would be excused if he couldn’t name the Patriots’ third receiver.

Of course, try telling all this to the Jets. “They can get this turned around at any time,” tight end Dustin Keller said. “It’s still Bill Belichick. It’s still Tom Brady. They’re still good. I don’t care what happened the last couple games.”

The point is not to dismiss the Patriots. The AFC lacks a single dominant team. They could still beat the Jets on Sunday, win the division and make a run all the way to the Super Bowl.

But they are very beatable. This is more than just a chance for the Jets to finally take control of their division. This could be a changing of the guard, another sign that poor drafts and personnel decisions have chipped away at what once made the Patriots the best in football.

Albert Haynesworth? Chad Ochocinco? The first offseason reclamation project was cut this week after an embarrassing performance against the Giants. The second was equally ineffective but is still on the roster — and, even harder to understand, still a frequent target for Brady.

The Jets, meanwhile, again looked like the team they were hyped to be — the dominant defense, the ball-control offense — in their victory at Buffalo. Small sample sizes in the NFL are dangerous, but the Jets know the enormous opportunity they have this week.

“A lot of people wrote us off after we lost three in a row, but now we’re in a position to knock them off and win our division,” running back Shonn Greene said. “It’s a much different position that we’ve been in the last few years.”

But when pressed on the real reason the Jets’ position is different — the sudden decline of the opponent — Greene went back to the company line: “They are still the New England Patriots.”

Yeah, so we’ve heard. But Sunday is an opportunity for the Jets to show the Patriots are that in name only.

Steve Politi: spoliti@starledger.com; Twitter: @StevePoliti

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November 11, 2011, 6:00 am

Week 10 Matchups: The Rivalry Everyone Is Talking About

By MIKE TANIER

Patriots (5-3) at Jets (5-3)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m.

Line: Jets by 1

The seventh annual Patriots Dynasty Deathwatch is under way. The team has lost two straight games, prompting the usual hand-wringing about eras ending and la belle époque coming to a melancholy fin. We have now endured over a half-decade of laments about how a team that routinely wins 11 to 16 games per year is not what it used to be, simultaneously criticizing Bill Belichick for his recent personnel decisions and genuflecting before the altar of his past accomplishments. No wonder otherwise sane people ardently root against this team.

The Patriots’ need to prolong their dramatic swoon to William Shatner lengths, coupled with the usual noisy Jets’ chest thumping, has turned this into the most torturously overblown rivalry in the N.F.L. Unless you are a lifelong Jets or Patriots fan, you feel you have been clamped to your seat, eyelids taped open, neck immobilized and forced to watch. It’s less a battle of two great teams (both are highly flawed this season) than a battle of attention hounds of differing styles. The Jets should win easily — the Patriots have only one starting-caliber cornerback to handle three very good Jets receivers — but “let us again bid fond farewell to the glorious Patriots” conversations that will dominate the following week make it almost not worth the trouble. Pick: Jets.

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Harrison says Patriots give Jets chance to air it out

Jets Blog

By JUSTIN TERRANOVA

Last Updated: 8:43 AM, November 11, 2011

Posted: 2:13 AM, November 11, 2011

Check the flight schedule at Newark, it might be time to fire up Air Rex again.

The Jets have won three straight games, thanks in large part to coach Rex Ryan’s ecision to return to his team’s ground-and-pound philosophy. But NBC analyst and former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison said the Jets best chance to beat New England on Sunday night at Met Life Stadium is by exposing its “timid” secondary.

“When you are playing against the Patriots, you have to come out and play aggressive,” Harrison said. “If you’re the offensive coordinator and you know there’s a weakness, you come out and go after it. If there’s a doubt in a player’s mind, you go after him. They should go out and attack these corners, attack these safeties, make them make plays in open space and see if they can recapture that confidence.”

Getty Images

Getty Images MARK SANCHEZ SHOULD HAVE A BIG DAY SUNDAY VS. PATRIOTS’ PITIFUL SECONDARY.

The Jets did not do that the first time these teams played this season when the Patriots won, 30-21. In Ryan’s first attempt to reestablish the ground game, spurred by an embarrassing 34-17 loss to the Ravens the previous week, the Jets started the game in Foxborough with four straight three-and-outs and fell in a 100 hole. But the Jets have not lost since and come into this game off their best performance of the season: a 27-11 dismantling of the Bills.

Meanwhile the Patriots come in losers of two straight, and now there are three teams (the Jets, Pats and Bills) tied atop the AFC East.

“Their guys are really playing with a sense of urgency,” Harrison said of the Jets. “To go into a hostile environment in Buffalo and play a confident team was something that was really impressive.

Defensively, I saw guys moving around, causing confusion instead of just lining up in a vanilla defense. They are just really competing.”

But Harrison doesn’t see those traits in his former team. The two time Super Bowl champion still thinks the Patriots will win the division, but only if coach Bill Belichick changes his brand of defense.

“Flat out, I think those guys back there in the secondary are playing timid,” Harrison said. “They lost confidence and they don’t want to make mistakes.

“I am not a fan of playing the soft coverage. I like playing mantoman and taking your chances, forcing a quarterback like Mark Sanchez to throw in those tight windows and tight pockets. I just don’t see the Patriots doing that right now.”

That could give Sanchez a chance for a breakout game and allow the Jets to gain critical tiebreakers over the Patriots. Because New England has already lost in Buffalo, the Jets would own the divisional record tiebreaker that comes after head-to-head if they are able to beat the Bills at home and win at Miami later in the season.

“If you can get Mark Sanchez to stop making some of those mistakes and start hitting those players down the field, combined with that running game that’s getting going, this team can be dangerous,’’ Harrison said. “The Jets are peaking at the right time.’’

justin.terranova@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/ahead_of_the_game_RYiqsffLRwfGC1Bq5yta6L#ixzz1dPVlDFFB

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Jets, Patriots have no secrets

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:39 AM, November 11, 2011

Posted: 2:50 AM, November 11, 2011

Here’s how Patriots coach Bill Belichick summed up the familiarity between his team and the Jets: “It’s one of those deals where they know that we know that they know that we know.”

Got it?

Sunday’s meeting will be the seventh time these two teams have played since Rex Ryan became head coach in 2009. It is the third time they will meet this calendar year. These teams know each other better than Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian.

In the six meetings since Ryan came into the rivalry, it is an even split at 3-3. If you remove the one blowout, the 45-3 Patriots win last December, the teams have played to a near draw, with the Jets outscoring the Patriots just 107-105.

With these two teams familiarity breeds not only contempt but a war of wits between the coaching staffs. These teams punch and then counter-punch every time they meet, adding wrinkles to wrinkles and adjustments to adjustments.

“If you have success against them, next time you play them you can’t take the week off and say, ‘We’re just going to come out and play the same plan,’ ’’ Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “Because they’ll have made adjustments to it. But at the same time, you don’t want to stray away from, ‘Here’s what we did well, why should we be different?’ So it’s a blend, and bit of a balancing act.”

When the Jets beat the Patriots in the playoffs last year, they did it using a flood of defensive backs to baffle quarterback Tom Brady. The Jets used a similar plan in October, and the Patriots countered by giving running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis the ball 27 times for 136 yards. On the Patriots’ last drive of that game, the Jets expected the ball to be in Brady’s hands, but the Patriots ran Green-Ellis successfully and chewed up the clock before kicking a field goal to ice the 30-21 win.

The moves and countermoves leave both team’s coaching staffs searching for something new to show the opponent.

“It’s tough because they’ve seen everything already,” Jets safety Eric Smith said. “It’s hard to put in new stuff. You can kind of change the way you do some things depending on what they’ve been doing this year but they’ve pretty much seen everything already.”

Belichick, of course, is at his best coming up with defensive curveballs. Jets right guard Brandon Moore first played against the Patriots on Dec. 20, 2003, during their Super Bowl heyday. Moore said the Patriots defense has evolved as players like Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison have departed. The Patriots are more of a 4-3 team now than 3-4.

Matt Slauson, the Jets’ left guard, said whatever the Jets see on film that week from the Patriots usually changes on game day.

”They’ll play every team leading up to our game the same way every time and then when they get to us they throw everything at us -- every front possible,” Slauson said. “It’s evident that Belichick wants to beat us so badly every time.”

The feeling is mutual from the Jets’ coaching staff. They know that Belichick knows that they know that he knows ...

“There’s always a couple wrinkles here and there,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “They do what they do but they always disguise things, move some parts around. That’s what’s fun about the chess match. That’s what makes it so hard to start fast against them because there are always a couple of surprises here and there. I’m sure [belichick will] have a couple of things for us this week.”

brian.costello@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/in_the_know_no_secrets_when_rex_3JVCDtwGeB38qASwidGnNN#ixzz1dPWe6S87

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Jets owner calls on fans to be Green Monster

Jets Blog

Last Updated: 8:52 AM, November 11, 2011

Posted: 2:52 AM, November 11, 2011

Steve Serby

The owner of the Jets urges his fans to bring throat lozenges. He wants Tom Brady to have to call for the earplugs.

In the biggest game of the season, and one of the biggest of his ownership, Woody Johnson wants MetLife Stadium to be a Green Monster Sunday night for the Patriots.

His shoutout to Jet New York:

“Bring your passion to the game. The Jets fans are very intelligent, they’re the smartest fans in the country, so they know how important it is.

“Let it all hang out. Don’t hold anything back.

“If the fans are our 12th Man, we can win this.”

UPDATES FROM OUR JETS BLOG

LET’S HEAR IT: Jets owner Woody Johnson is calling on fans to pump up the volume for Sunday night’s home game against the Patriots.

When Jets fans arrive for this first-place showdown with Brady and Bill Belichick, stadium personnel will greet them with: “Let’s Go 5-0.” In addition, there will be “Let’s Go 5-0” and “Beat the Pats” signage all over. The Jets are 4-0 at home.

“It’s a great building,” Johnson said in an exclusive interview with The Post. “The end zones are very steep -- steepest in the league, so it’s a wall of people. But it’s really the fans ... they give the building life. And when they’re turned on -- as they will be this week -- this will be sold out, sold out.

We’ve got a bunch of single [tickets] that we’re keeping as fans show up. ... Really there’s nothing left.”

Johnson, the owner since 2000, was asked if he expects this to be the loudest crowd during his time.

“Absolutely, yes,” he said. “The fans are starting to get used to the stadium and how to react to things better.”

The fans hate the Patriots, and his players hate the Patriots. This game could signal a changing of the guard, finally.

“The rivalry is our most intense and has been for most of my ownership,” Johnson said. “As you remember the (Drew) Bledsoe hit that we (Mo Lewis) put on him introduced the new era of Patriots football.”

I asked Johnson: “How badly do you want to overtake the Patriots?

“Well, you’re not in this sport unless you like competition,” he said. “And so the competition has been brutal over the last 10 years. It’s a divisional game No. 1, so it’s worth more to us than just a regular football game. This is particularly important, because we have developed a pretty intense rivalry as our fans appreciate.”

Belichick ran to Robert Kraft not long after it was established that Johnson would succeed Leon Hess. Johnson stole Eric Mangini away from Belichick.

“We have (Bill) Parcells, Curtis Martin ... there’s a lot of things that have happened back and forth to make this relationship and this rivalry as special as it is,” Johnson said.

Do you feel like this is your time?

“I think we’re getting better each year, and I think our arrow is definitely pointed up,” Johnson said.

He said he considers the Patriots ”a model franchise.”

Do you think you are?

“I think we’re a model franchise as well,” he said.

You don’t hate the Patriots?

“I look at them as a big rival, because they are good,” he said. “If they weren’t any good, I wouldn’t consider them a big rival.”

Johnson’s confidence in Rex Ryan has only grown. “His football sense, his leadership skill, his motivational skill is the best I’ve ever seen,” he said. “He’s really something special.”

And Mark Sanchez? “He still has that kind of enthusiasm that he had the first day I met him, which is infectious,” Johnson said. “His particular unique brand of leadership works here.”

The owner is comfortable having Sanchez quarterbacking his team against Brady.

“Absolutely. .... You can never count him out,” Johnson said. “His resiliency and his fight and his ability to pull it together when everything’s breaking apart, and he can pull his team together and make it happen.”

Johnson believes that the Santonio Holmes-Brandon Moore turmoil may prove to be a great moment.

“I wasn’t concerned at all,” Johnson said. “Football’s a very emotional game and emotions run high, and those things happen. You get two star players like that interpreting events differently, that happens, that’s all straightened out.”

Johnson feels that the three-game losing streak has hardened the Jets.

“Those games may have given us what we need to win,” he said.

“Just to give us the resolve, to know what it felt like, No. 1, and knowing how to prepare better even though we’ve been together for a while now.

“Sometimes that kind of adversity can really set the pace for us. That gives us a reference point from which to take off.”

His team is ready to provide the fury, his fan base the sound.

“I’m very excited,” Woody Johnson said, “and very confident.”

steve.serby@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/woody_wants_green_monster_DnhSXx2sonbRxLrvtebGqO#ixzz1dPXKUdfL

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Jets ready to get rough with Welker

Jets Blog

By BART HUBBUCH

Last Updated: 8:39 AM, November 11, 2011

Posted: 2:53 AM, November 11, 2011

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Opponents are finding out good things can happen against the Patriots when you leave a few bruises on Wes Welker.

And with one of the NFL’s most physical cornerbacks in Darrelle Revis leading the way, it sounds as if the Jets intend to become the latest team to take the wood to Welker.

After watching how the Cowboys and Steelers kept New England’s explosive-but-undersized slot receiver firmly under wraps by beating him up at the line of scrimmage, Rex Ryan’s team sees that as a key going into their big AFC East rematch Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

AP

MAKE HIM HURT: Darrelle Revis, bringing down Wes Welker, and the Jets plan to get physical with the Patriots receiver during their Sunday night matchup.

“I saw the Steelers knock Wes Welker around a little bit, and it’s a copycat league,” Revis said yesterday. “That seems to be the way to go, the way you have to stop these guys.”

Welker was practically unstoppable the first five weeks of the season, averaging an incredible 148 receiving yards per game -- including 124 yards on just five catches against the Jets -- as the Patriots jumped out to a 5-1 start.

But Rex’s brother Rob Ryan, now the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, hit on something in Dallas’ trip to New England a month ago that worked -- at least against Welker.

The Cowboys’ corners were ordered to get physical -- at least within the rules (wink-wink) -- with Welker, who didn’t respond well at all to the physicality and finished with just six catches for 45 yards.

Pittsburgh promptly took the baton from Dallas the following week, except the Steelers put their trademark oomph into it with relentless hits on Welker that sometimes bordered on illegal (we’re looking at you, Troy Polamalu).

With Ike Taylor and Ryan Clark all but mugging Welker at the line, Tom Brady was robbed of his safety valve as the Patriots wideout disappeared with six catches for a mere 39 yards -- by far his worst game of the season.

Even though the Giants beat New England last week, Big Blue played off Welker at the line and used mostly zone coverage. In the process, the Giants added fuel to the “beat up Welker” theory because he took advantage of the softer approach to ring up 139 yards on six catches.

The Jets feel as if they wrote the book on how to stop Brady and Welker during January’s playoff upset in Foxborough, flooding the field with defensive backs and being unafraid to pound all of New England’s receivers in man coverage.

Even so, Ryan and Revis sounded yesterday as if the Jets will put what they saw from the Patriots’ last three games into their game-planning stew.

Ryan was coy about the strategy, saying everyone would have to wait until Sunday to see what the Jets come up with. But Revis came off like he was ready to lace up the boxing gloves for what should be regular one-on-one matchups with Welker.

“Watching the film, you see how teams are trying to play them now,” Revis said, referring specifically to Welker. “We always feel confident in how we play these guys. We’re not afraid to let them know we’re here.”

bhubbuch@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_promise_to_mess_with_wes_laAPa19y1FoNUfVq8icBtI#ixzz1dPYFoZLn

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Jets' Pettine has plan for getting to Brady

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:39 AM, November 11, 2011

Posted: 2:22 AM, November 11, 2011

Everyone around the NFL has asked the same question about the Patriots’ Tom Brady this year:

What is wrong with the once flawless quarterback?

Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine had some insight yesterday.

”I think losing the center [Dan Koppen] has affected him,” Pettine said. “It seems to me that he gets

a little more anxious at times, where before you would see him sit in that pocket and not move and scan the field.”

The Jets have always tried to get pressure on Brady using exotic blitzes. After watching the Steelers and Giants beat him up the last two weeks, expect the Jets to do some of the same things.

Anthony J. Causi

BRADY CRUNCH: The Jets’ defensive plan -- patterned after the Steelers’ and Giants’ the last two weeks -- is to get after Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on Sunday, like Jamaal Westerman did the first time the teams met this season.

”I think we got him off his spot a couple of times [the first time the Jets and Patriots played], but it wasn’t enough,” Pettine said. “I think some of the teams that have stepped up and were able to do it, certainly Pittsburgh, they got him on the move a little bit, and the Giants, especially that front four, was able to get after him.”

* WR Plaxico Burress did not have much to say about his former quarterback, Eli Manning, and the hot stretch he has been on with the Giants.

“I’m not talking about Eli,” Burress said yesterday twice before walking away from reporters.

Burress did not practice for the second straight day due to a sore back, but said he will practice today and play on Sunday.

* WR Santonio Holmes and Burress have been meeting privately with QB Mark Sanchez for several weeks now. Holmes said the two receivers have offered “veteran leadership.”

“It’s helped calm Sanchez down a whole lot,” Holmes said. “It’s allowed us to have more fun at practice and go back and watch film after practice together and just talk about all the little things so that we communicate better on the field.”

* S Brodney Pool (knee) and RB/KR Joe McKnight (toe) did not practice yesterday. Coach Rex Ryan said Pool, who has a second-degree sprain of his left MCL, could miss Sunday’s game. Pool has been a key player this season as the third safety and on special teams. Ryan said Emanuel Cook could take Pool’s place on defense.

McKnight hopes to practice today. He leads the NFL with a 40.2 average on kickoff returns. If he cannot return kicks Sunday, Antonio Cromartie will take his place. Ryan said rookie running back Bilal Powell will be active for the first time if McKnight can’t play.

* Today is Sanchez’s 25th birthday. ... Pettine, who coached high school football in Pennsylvania and whose father is a legendary high school coach in the state, said he had two players go to Penn State. He commented on coach Joe Paterno’s ouster: “It’s sad. There’s nothing else, there’s no positive spin you can put on this. It’s a tragic way for the career to end. ... It’s affected me personally as it has a lot of other people that I know from back home and that have close ties to the program.”

brian.costello@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/centered_on_tom_NqWva4mwr2CzWV2wGAY6UN#ixzz1dPYpB1Uh

[Bleedin Green]

November 11, 2011, 6:00 am

Week 10 Matchups: The Rivalry Everyone Is Talking About

By MIKE TANIER

Patriots (5-3) at Jets (5-3)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m.

Line: Jets by 1

The seventh annual Patriots Dynasty Deathwatch is under way. The team has lost two straight games, prompting the usual hand-wringing about eras ending and la belle époque coming to a melancholy fin. We have now endured over a half-decade of laments about how a team that routinely wins 11 to 16 games per year is not what it used to be, simultaneously criticizing Bill Belichick for his recent personnel decisions and genuflecting before the altar of his past accomplishments. No wonder otherwise sane people ardently root against this team.

The Patriots’ need to prolong their dramatic swoon to William Shatner lengths, coupled with the usual noisy Jets’ chest thumping, has turned this into the most torturously overblown rivalry in the N.F.L. Unless you are a lifelong Jets or Patriots fan, you feel you have been clamped to your seat, eyelids taped open, neck immobilized and forced to watch. It’s less a battle of two great teams (both are highly flawed this season) than a battle of attention hounds of differing styles. The Jets should win easily — the Patriots have only one starting-caliber cornerback to handle three very good Jets receivers — but “let us again bid fond farewell to the glorious Patriots” conversations that will dominate the following week make it almost not worth the trouble. Pick: Jets.

Ok, credit where it's due this article, particularly the opening line, is pretty funny. While there is some truth to this declaring the death of the Patriots, the main difference is never before have the Patriots owned the league's worth defense. And while Brady has certainly been important to this team in the past, they have also never been so heavily dependent on him as they are this year. I said this the last couple of years and it becomes more and more true each year, the Pats have turned into the early 2000s Colts. Although I'm not sure if those Colts defenses were ever even this bad, at least they had a pass rush.

[flgreen]

Schwartz: Patriots Vs. Jets Preview

November 11, 2011 7:06 AM

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(Getty Images)

By Peter Schwartz

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What seemed impossible a month ago is now reality.

The Jets and Patriots meet on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium with first place in the AFC East on the line. Heading into play this weekend, the Jets, Pats, and Bills are all tied at 5-3.

“It’s a big game,” said running back Ladainian Tomlinson. “The division is on the line. They beat us the first time and they did what they were supposed to. They took care of their home field, and we’ve got to do the same.”

Four weeks ago, the Jets were 2-3 after three straight losses and there were many who thought that the Jets season was going nowhere.

Perhaps the only people who still believed were those who work at One Jets Drive in Florham Park, New Jersey.

“I don’t know who would’ve counted us out, but we certainly didn’t count ourselves out,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “We knew that our team could improve. We knew we put together a good football team. We thought we could get better, and we have gotten better. So, we’ll see how much. This is the tops. If you want to win your division, you’ve got to beat these guys.”

The Jets have won three in a row with their last defeat coming against these very same Patriots in Week 5. Since that time, the Jets have showed improvement every week. While the Jets have cleaned things up a big on both sides of the ball, there is one word to describe why the Jets now own a share of the AFC East’s crowded penthouse.

“Execution,” said center Nick Mangold who anchors an offensive line that has made tremendous strides since the losing streak. “We’re hitting our assignments and techniques pretty well. I know that’s been a big help to this success.”

Depending on what the Bills do against the Cowboys on Sunday, at least a share of first place in the division is at stake Sunday night. This is the time of the year that the Patriots usually excel. Since 2002, they are 24-7 against the AFC East in games from November until the end of the season.

That winning percentage of .744 is the highest in the NFL for any team against division foes.

The Jets would like to push the worm in the other direction. This game is a match-up of two teams going in opposite directions. While the Jets have won three straight, the Patriots have dropped two in a row including this past week to the Giants. Even though the Pats are struggling, the Jets aren’t about to take them lightly.

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

There are two ways of looking at the Patriots. You could say that they are in a vulnerable stage right now but it’s also safe to say that they are a desperate club. Whichever way the Jets view the Pats, one thing is for certain.

They better bring it.

“A team like New England is always going to be hungry,” said linebacker Aaron Maybin. “They’re not a team that takes the vulnerable route too easily. We’re not expecting that they’re going to come out sluggish or anything. We know that they want to win just as bad as we do, and we’re going to have to come with our A game.”

The Jets weren’t at their best during their last meeting against the Patriots, a 30-21 setback up in Foxboro on October 9th. That was the last time that the Jets lost a football game.While the Jets suffered their third of three straight losses that day, there were signs that the Jets were coming out of their funk. Most notably was the improved play of the offensive line and the running game.

Since that time, the Jets have won three in a row. A big reason why is the play of the defense. In fact, the Jets have now held opposing quarterbacks to an NFL-low 59.4 passer rating. This week, that unit will be facing Tom Brady, who leads the AFC with a 100.0 passer rating.

The Jets have recorded at least one interception in each of their last five contests including two in each of the last three games. Gang Green is second in the NFL with 19 take-aways.

On the other side of the ball, the Jets offense has begun to take flight.

The running game has picked up in a big way as the Jets have returned to their “Ground and Pound” mentality. Since the loss to the Patriots, Shonn Greene has averaged 86.3 yards a game.

But even though the Jets have gotten into a rhythm on the ground, you couldn’t blame them for thinking about an aerial assault on Sunday. The Patriots are dead last in the NFL giving up over 416 total yards per game and 314 yards a contest in the air.

The Jets aren’t giving away any secrets, but they feel that they have the right recipe for a successful game plan.

“I’m excited about it,” said Sanchez. “I think our game plan’s great. “I don’t care if we throw it 100 times or run it 100 times, as long as we’re winning. We’re in the winning business and we’ve got to win, so whatever it takes.”

One of the areas that the Jets were looking to improve in this year was their offensive success inside the twenty-yard line. They now rank second in the NFL with a 64% conversion rate inside the

“Red Zone”. A big reason why is wide receiver Plaxico Burress. He has finally developed chemistry with Sanchez including a three-touchdown performance against the Chargers.

“That was a huge emphasis in the off-season,” said Sanchez. “We’re getting down there, we’re getting more touchdowns than we did last year.”

Execution inside the “Red Zone” is a big reason why the Jets signed Burress and it has worked out. The Jets have already scored 16 touchdowns inside the 20 this season after scoring 20 all of last season.

The atmosphere Sunday night should be electric and the fans could play a huge role in the outcome. That was the case in 2009 when Ryan called on the Gang Green faithful to make life difficult for Brady and the Pats. In that game, the Jets fans affected the Patriots communication causing New England to commit penalties and burn timeouts.

Rex would like to see it happen again Sunday night.

“Our fans could be the difference,” said Ryan. “That’s a challenge that I’m taking to our fans this week. We’re undefeated at home and let’s make it miserable (for the Patriots). I think, without question our fans are going to be ready. They’re going to be excited about this game and be there throughout that whole game. Let’s see if you can’t make them burn timeouts. See if our fans can’t make them false start. Our team is going to be ready, there’s no doubt. Their team is going to be ready. I wouldn’t ask the fans to do this if I didn’t think they can be the difference.”

There’s no question that Jets vs. Patriots is one of the best rivalries in the NFL.

“We’ve been competitive, they’re competitive,” said Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. “I think that’s what we’ll get on Sunday. Two good football teams going toe-to-toe. I think we’ll have a very competitive game.”

The Jets.

The Patriots.

First place will be on the line.

To quote Faith Hill…”I’ve been waiting all day for Sunday night!”

THE PREDICTION

Under normal circumstances, I couldn’t see the Patriots losing three games in a row. But these are not normal circumstances. The Jets have battled back from their three game losing streak and have their AFC East destiny in their own hands. Two things come into play here.

First, the Jets are on a roll and they are starting to click on both sides of the ball. They’ve been good all year on special teams.

Second, they have a chance to kick the Patriots when they’re down.

I can’t see Ryan not having his team prepared for this one. The changing of the guard in the AFC East begins on Sunday night.

Jets 28 Patriots 20.

THE JETS/PATRIOTS SERIES

This rivalry, dating back to the old AFL days, is dead even.

Including postseason play, the Jets and Patriots all-time series is knotted at 52-52-1.

“Oh, it’s fantastic,” said Nick Mangold of the Jets/Patriots rivalry. “The New York-Boston rivalry, it spans across different sports. We’ve been going back-and-forth since my time coming in. We’ve had some great games and that’s what makes sports awesome when you get rivalries going. It makes for exciting football.”

Sunday night marks the 103rd regular season meeting between the Jets and Patriots. Gang Green holds a 51-50-1 edge overall and they are 8-5 against the Pats in primetime games.

The last time these two teams met in primetime was last season when the Patriots crushed the Jets 45-3 in Foxboro. Three years ago Sunday, the Jets beat the Patriots 34-31 in overtime on a Thursday night up in Foxboro.

Earlier this season, the Patriots beat the Jets 30-21 at Gillette Stadium, so New England is looking to sweep the Jets for the 14th time. The Jets and Patriots split their season series in 2009 and 2010. Since Rex Ryan took over as Jets head coach in 2009, the home team has won all five games in the regular season series.

The Pats have won two out of three postseason meetings against the Jets.

FOOD DRIVE SUNDAY

The Jets will be holding a food drive on Sunday to benefit the Interfaith Nutrition Network. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations (no glass items) to the game. The items will be collected at all gates when you enter the stadium.

The Interfaith Nutrition Network, founded in 1983, addresses the issues of hunger and homelessness on Long Island by providing food, shelter, long-term housing and supportive services in a dignified and respectful manner for those who seek their help. They are a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization with a dedicated staff, a broad base of community support and a commitment to educate the public about these issues.

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

There’s no question that many women love football, even if it means losing their husbands or boyfriends on Sundays from September to February.

But as the NFL has grown in popularity, women have grown to love the sport, learn the rules, and be there for their men on gamedays!

Just look around stadiums and you see more and more women experiencing NFL football.

But getting your nails done at a football game?

OMG!

On Sunday night, Suzanne Johnson, wife of Jets owner Woody Johnson, will host the first ever “NFL

For Her” Lounge celebrating football fashion and the newest Jets gear for women.

It takes place on Sunday night at the Jets/Patriots game from 6:20 until 10pm at the Verizon Gate on the plaza of MetLife Stadium.

The first 50 people in line will receive a free hat or t-shirt.

Raffle tickets will be given out for the chance to win an Anastasio Moda Jets Handbag (value of $900) and a women’s Apparel Gift Pack (value of $250). The event also will include a meet & greet with Jets Flight Crew Cheerleaders, complimentary manicures featuring Jets colors as well as a DJ and refreshments.

Manicures? At a football game?

What has the world come to?

That’s all for now. Enjoy the game! Check back for more on Monday!

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Morning take: Tony Sparano unpopular

November, 11, 2011

Nov 11

8:30

AM ET

By James Walker

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

• In a Sporting News player poll, Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano was the second-least-popular coach in the NFL.
  

Morning take: Sparano only trailed New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin. But Sparano and Coughlin are not similar coaches. The vote probably had a lot to do with the constant losing in Miami.

• Buffalo Bills cornerback Aaron Williams practiced for the first time Thursday since suffering an injury to his collarbone area.
  

Morning take: This is good news for the Bills. Williams was playing decent football for a rookie the first three games before the injury and can help Buffalo.

• Is New England Patriots receiver Chad Ochocinco an X-factor against the New York Jets?
  

Morning take: Ochcoinco only has nine catches in the first eight games — not nearly what the Patriots expected. He can only improve in the second half of the season.

• Jets receiver Plaxico Burress (back) says he will play Sunday against the Patriots.
  

Morning take: Burress hasn't practice all week and will try to get some work in Friday. The Jets need him as healthy as possible in this big AFC East showdown.

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Plaxico promises that he’s playing Sunday night

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 11, 2011, 9:40 AM EST

AP

Plaxico Burress has looked more and more like the old Plaxico Burress the last few Jets games.

He’s even started to work in his old Giants practice routine, which essentially involves little to no practice. He missed practice again Thursday with a lower back issue, but says it won’t be an issue on Sunday night.

“I’ll be out there [Friday] and be ready to go Sunday,” Burress said.

“I just feel confident he’ll be ready to roll,” Rex Ryan said at his press conference.

Burress backed up his three-touchdown game with five catches and 79 yards against the Bills. He showed surprising physical play when he ran over a few Bills defenders, and also made some nice catches over the middle.

Between Burress and Santonio Holmes, the Jets should have matchups they can win on the outside Sunday night. They just need to let Mark Sanchez be aggressive.

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Angelica's Transition Game from Dance to Cheer

By Andrew LeRay

Posted 55 minutes ago

• 
  
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This season we've seen the emergence of RB Joe McKnight as a multitalented threat. A tailback by trade, McKnight has adapted to his role as kickoff returner and has ascended to the top of the league in average yards per return. His instincts as a running back certainly helped ease the transition, as the two jobs require similar skill sets.

Rookie Flight Crew member Angelica can relate. She has used her skills as a dancer to segue into an opportunity to cheer for the Jets.

“The transition at first was difficult because I had to break some habits that I had as a dancer,” said Angelica, this week's Gameday Girl leading up to the Jets-Patriots game Sunday night. “I had to learn the style of a cheerleader because I had never done it.”

A lifelong dancer, she used her skills to secure a roster spot with the Flight Crew when she auditioned for the first time in April.

“During our training camp, I really used that time to work on my cheerleading style," she said. "The other girls have really helped me out a lot. I always solicit them for advice and help, and I copy their style. I try to make it look like I’ve been doing it forever.”

Now 20, Angelica lives on Long Island and works as a dance instructor. She is in her fourth year of teaching jazz, tap, ballet and hip-hop to girls from the ages of 8-13.

“I want to help them. Even if they don’t want a career in dance, I want to make this the best experience they can have," she said. "It makes me realize how much I love it. It brings dance to another level for me.”

In addition to helping her students, Angelica has found that her experiences as an instructor have helped her hone her own craft as well.

“You’re trying to make them the best dancers they can be," she said, "and you even see things in yourself that you can work on, things that you hadn’t thought about as a little girl and now you realize are really important.”

The opportunity for Angelica to blend her love of dance with a burgeoning interest in football was an easy decision. She had watched the game from a young age and became even more involved as she got older.

“I started to really enjoy it in high school. I was the team manager my senior year just for fun," she recalled. "I’ve been watching football for a while now, and watch it every Sunday when I don’t have a game. This year made me love it even more.”

In particular, Angelica points to her Flight Crew debut as the top moment of her season. Walking out onto the field at MetLife Stadium for the first time is an indelible image that will last her a lifetime.

“That feeling, I’ll probably never get that back," she said. "I remember thinking, everything I worked for in the summer is about to pay off. Looking to the left and the right at the other girls — all that excitement that we had — it was the best feeling in the world.”

Still a rookie, she has already adopted the mentality of a veteran, and hopes to bring her leadership to the Flight Crew in coming years.

“I feel like I’ve grown so much. I would love to help the rookies next year in their process on this team, to share with them everything that I know and that I’ve learned," Angelica said. "If I get the opportunity to do it again next year, I definitely would.”

[flgreen]

Rex Ryan’s Defense Showing Signs Of Dominance

November 11, 2011 10:06 AM

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(credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Some players shook their heads. Others couldn’t help but cringe.

The New York Jets’ defense sat in the film room, stunned while watching the video of the last time it played the New England Patriots. There was Tom Brady leading his offense on a clock-chewing, victory-sealing drive, and the Jets unable to stop them.

“The guys, especially up front, those guys looked at it and said, ‘Who is that impostor wearing my jersey?’” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said Thursday. “There were a bunch of guys that I think felt that way. That’s not us, and that’s not where we are now.”

Not even close. Since that game — a 30-21 loss at New England on Oct. 9 — the Jets have turned their defense around. Not that it was at all bad at the beginning of the season. Far from it. It’s just that the dominant defense Rex Ryan insisted the Jets would have has started to show up in a big way.

“It’s all about executing and playing better football,” linebacker Bart Scott said. “You look at that film and we didn’t execute, we didn’t tackle well. That was kind of the beginning of us trying to make our way back to playing at a high level. I think since then, every week we have gotten a little bit better.”

The Buffalo Bills found that out the hard way last Sunday, when the Jets caused turnovers, stuffed the run and put constant pressure on the quarterback. Next up: Brady and the Patriots on Sunday night in an AFC East showdown for first place.

“I think last week was our best performance to date,” Scott said. “We know it’s going to take that same type of effort, if not a greater one, to try to beat these guys.”

In the last meeting, the Jets got within six points at 27-21 with 7:14 left in the game on a 21-yard touchdown catch by Santonio Holmes. Suddenly, a game in which the Patriots had mostly held a comfortable lead throughout was turning into a possible nailbiter. All New York had to do was stop New England from scoring and give the offense time for a winning drive.

Brady went to work, though, leading the Patriots on a 13-play drive that lasted 6 minutes, 12 seconds and was capped by a field goal by Stephen Gostkowski that put the game out of reach.

“That’s something we always stress every week is getting off the field,” safety Eric Smith said.

“There were times we could’ve gotten off the field, penalties extended drives, things like that. Self-inflicted wounds.”

The Jets gave up 446 yards to the Patriots in that game, including 136 yards rushing by BenJarvus Green-Ellis. It’s the last time New York allowed a 100-yard rusher — and the last time the Jets lost.

They allowed 308 yards against Miami the following week, 268 against San Diego, and 287 last Sunday against a Buffalo team that had been one of the NFL’s best.

Fred Jackson had a quiet 82 yards rushing, and Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled mightily with a 15-of-31 performance that included a late touchdown, when the game was already decided, and two interceptions.

“We’ve been trying to get rolling these last couple of weeks,” said linebacker David Harris, the AFC’s defensive player of the week after getting five tackles and an interception.

The Jets were ranked eighth in overall defense the last time they played the Patriots, and are in the same spot entering this matchup. But the last few games have proven that New York’s defense is now much more of a presence.

“We feel good about this week,” Pettine said. “We feel we’re a different team. We’re much improved over that performance from the last time.”

In the three games since, the Jets have five sacks, six interceptions, seven forced fumbles and a whole lot of confidence.

“We’re just stopping the mental mistakes,” said cornerback Darrelle Revis, who is having another Pro Bowl-caliber season. “We’re being a little bit more aggressive on defense.”

And that’s exactly the way Ryan likes it. Especially with the Patriots up next.

“We weren’t good enough to beat them the last time we played them,” Ryan said. “I think we will be this week, but we’re going to find out.”

New York might be wise to borrow from the defensive game plans Pittsburgh and the Giants used to beat New England the past two weeks. The Steelers had primarily played a zone defense this season, but surprised the Patriots with a lot of press coverage in a 25-17 win two weeks ago. The Giants won 24-20 last Sunday, helped in large part by their front four putting consistent pressure on Brady — always a key part of the game plan to beat him.

“It seems to me that he gets a little more anxious at times,” Pettine said, “where before you would see him sit in that pocket and not move and scan the field.”

As evidenced by his 10 interceptions after four all of last season, Brady can be forced into mistakes — something the Jets intend to do.

“Oh, yeah, he’s mortal,” Harris said with a laugh. “He’s not an alien, after all.”

Notes: WR Plaxico Burress refused to answer a question about the terrific play recently of Giants quarterback Eli Manning, his former teammate. “I’m not talking about Eli,” he said, before repeating it. Burress has chosen to focus only on his current teammates. … Burress, Holmes and quarterback Mark Sanchez have started meeting together in the morning, just the three of them. “It’s veteran leadership from both wide receivers,” Holmes said. “Carrying our young quarterback under us and teaching him things that we see that he hasn’t seen.”

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

[Steveg]

Jets aim to stop Tom Brady, Patriots with a re-energized defense

By Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

The Jets' defense used tape of the Week 5 loss at New England as a “study” this week, safety Eric Smith said. And the players and coaches didn’t like what they saw.

There were misalignments and poor tackling. Five defensive penalties for 63 yards and three automatic first downs. The Patriots’ 13-play, fourth-quarter scoring drive sealed their 30-21 victory.

“We didn’t play well at very many positions,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “The guys, especially up front, looked at it and said, ‘Who is that impostor wearing my jersey?’ … That’s not us, and that’s not where we are now, and I think that’s one of the reasons we feel good about this week.”

The Jets enter Sunday night’s critical rematch against New England hoping to prove they are an improved team, and part of that quest includes doing a better job of stopping Tom Brady and company.

Since that game in mid-October, the Jets have undergone a renaissance of sorts, which on defense has meant reclaiming an identity as an aggressive, impose-your-will unit. Their talent was offset by inconsistency and “self-inflicted wounds” through the early part of the season, players said, until the Patriots loss marked a season turning point.

“That was kind of like the beginning of us making our way back to playing at a high level,”

linebacker Bart Scott said. “I think since then, we have every week gotten a little bit better; I think last week (against the Bills) was our best performance to date. We know it’s going to take that same type of effort, if not a greater one, to try to beat these guys.”

The most frustrating part on film from the teams’ first matchup was that final Patriots drive, which sucked 6:12 off the clock and resulted in a field goal, leaving the Jets with a nine-point deficit and just 1:02 left to play.

The Jets dared the Patriots to run, with multiple-defensive back personnel groupings, and even when they subbed in more of their bigger guys they couldn’t stop BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ 59 rushing yards on that final drive.

“We didn’t get the job done,” Scott said. “It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t drive you. It’s more about us playing and getting the job done and not letting it come down to that situation, period.”

But while the Jets believe they are a different team in this matchup, the Patriots are also not in the same position they were in October. They have lost two straight games, against the Steelers and Giants, and have seemed to put on tape a blueprint of how to be beaten.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis said he can tell from his film sessions that “teams are playing them different.” Pittsburgh used aggressive man coverage, while New England expected zone looks. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Giants were able to get after Brady, and he was affected. Brady’s lowest passer rating of the season, 75.4, came in last week’s loss to the Giants.

“It seems to me he gets a little more anxious at times, where before you’d see him sit in that pocket, set his feet and not move. Scan the field,” Pettine said. “It’s a credit to the teams he’s played. I think we got him off his spot a couple times, but it wasn’t enough.”

The Jets are coming off a top-notch defensive performance against the Buffalo Bills, when they stopped a spread offense with a strong run game. They are looking to build on that performance on Sunday — and also to affirm that their defense has indeed grown by leaps in a matter of weeks.

“We’re a different team,” Pettine said. “We’re much improved over that performance the last time.”

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Bart Scott wants to get his shot this time

Updated: Nov 10, 2011 09:43 PM

By BOB GLAUBER

Multiple Page View

FLORHAM PARK, N.J.

With each successive run by Patriots tailback BenJarvus Green-Ellis , Bart Scott stood helplessly on the sideline, his arms folded, his countenance deflated.

Eight yards around right end. Fifteen yards around left end. Six yards off right guard . . . and on and on and on.

With the Jets still within reach of the Patriots after Mark Sanchez 's touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in last month's game at Gillette Stadium , the Patriots went on a game-clinching march that barely featured Tom Brady 's arm. Instead, the Patriots had Green-Ellis run the ball down their throats.

For Scott, one of the Jets' most effective run-stoppers, it was an agonizing way to watch the game end. With Green-Ellis running 11 times for 62 yards to set up Stephen Gostkowski 's 28-yard field goal to put the game out of reach with 1:02 left, the Jets ' defense had failed them.

And Scott couldn't do a blessed thing about it, essentially having been left out of the game plan. In the same stadium where he helped the Jets reach the AFC Championship Game in a divisional-round upset of the Patriots, after which he uttered his famous "Can't Wait!" message in an ESPN interview, he was a bystander. And it hurt.

"Of course, my pride, I would love to have been in there," he said. "But I understand the situation, the studying that the coaches do."

But Rex Ryan guessed wrong this time. He loaded up his lineup with defensive backs to more effectively deal with Brady's arm, but the Patriots fooled the Jets by going smashmouth down the stretch.

"They ran the ball more effectively than we wanted them to or even expected them to," Ryan said Thursday. "It backfired on us. The kid [Green-Ellis] did a great job. New England was patient, and they were able to win the game that way."

Ryan admits he was outfoxed by Bill Belichick . "They had us in that situation," he said. "Again, it's my fault. I take responsibility for it. I was trying to have a better defense against Brady. I never thought they'd run the ball there as much as they did. That's a credit to them."

I mentioned to Ryan that Scott was the odd man out that game and asked if the same would hold true when the teams meet again Sunday night at MetLife Stadium. The coach grinned. "I don't know," he said. "We'll have to see."

Will Scott lobby Ryan to play more? "I don't lobby," he said. "I think you trust your leadership. That's how we went about our business that time, and we weren't successful. But that's not to say we would have been successful if I was in there."

But make no mistake: With a national audience tuning in to a game pitting two of the NFL 's biggest rivals, there's no way he wants to be caught holding his helmet on the sideline. "I'd like to be in there," he said. "This week, we'll see. Maybe it will be something different."

This hasn't been quite the dominating season Scott envisioned, especially after helping the Jets rebuild the defense and advance to back-to-back AFC Championship Games. With David Harris developing into a Pro Bowl performer, Scott isn't even the team's best inside linebacker. But this is no longer about numbers for him.

"I'm all about winning," he said. "I didn't come here to worry about stats and all that type of stuff. I came here to win. I think I've had decent stats before, but that's not my biggest concern. I don't mind doing whatever needs to be done to try and win a Super Bowl."

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Noise at MetLife should help Jets vs. Pats

Originally published: November 10, 2011 8:38 PM

Updated: November 10, 2011 9:22 PM

By RODERICK BOONE roderick.boone@newsday.com

Photo credit: Getty Images | Plaxico Burress #17 of the New York Jets celebrates his third touchdown of the game against the San Diego Chargers. (Oct. 23, 2011)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The way LaDainian Tomlinson sees things, the Jets, not the Patriots, hold the upper hand in Sunday's prime-time game.

Sure, the Patriots got the best of the Jets on Oct. 9, sending them to their third straight defeat. But Tomlinson believes it should be different this time around, partly because the AFC East rivals are meeting on the Jets' turf at MetLife Stadium.

"For us, we definitely feel like we have the advantage," the running back said Thursday. "We are playing at home behind our crowd and hopefully things go like we want them to go. We've played well against them at home and I think part of that really is the fans. When they are on offense, it's kind of hard for them to [audible] and do a lot of stuff they can do at home.

"Our crowd gets loud and the play clock starts to go, and they still haven't communicated their signals and their checks, and it makes it hard on them. So that's one way they've had trouble with us."

The Jets' home turf hasn't been kind to Tom Brady since Rex Ryan arrived. The Patriots lost their two last visits here and Brady was pressured each time, posting numbers that don't mirror the ones he puts up against the Jets at Gillette Stadium.

In his past two visits to New Jersey, Brady completed only 51.8 percent of his attempts (43 of 83), for an average of 232 yards, 5.6 per attempt. He had a 62.8 rating, with three interceptions and two touchdowns. He was sacked only once but was hit constantly.

Compare that to Brady's machine-like efficiency against the Jets in the past two regular-season games at New England. Brady connected on 70 percent of his passes (49 of 70), averaging 318 yards a game and 9.1 yards per attempt, with a 123.8 rating. He threw five touchdown passes, was not intercepted and was sacked five times.

"Their offense is built so much on his ability to communicate," defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said, "not only with his receivers, but on his offensive line. With some of the things we do blitz-wise, they cause some problems for them, more so here because it's hard for him to maybe change a protection and re-identify the [middle linebacker]. When he's pointing out the key for protection for the linemen, it's a lot easier to do that at home, where he can do it verbally.

"We feel like we have the best crowd in the NFL, and our guys feed off that."

Ryan has pleaded all week for the crowd to be into it, hoping to make things as difficult as possible for the Patriots. The Jets would love to recreate the boisterous atmosphere at Giants Stadium during the Jets' 16-9 win on Sept. 20, 2009.

"People said the old Meadowlands, they've never heard it that loud before," Pettine said. "I just remember being in the press box, and on the last fourth down when it went incomplete, you could feel the ground shaking. Our guys love that, feed off it."

Bart Scott said: "The energy of our crowd, when you are tired, when it's tough, the crowd lifts you up. We feed off of that energy, and usually when we play the Patriots at home, it's a lot of energy.

People are jacked up. It's good that finally we get to host a prime-time game and face them here in that type of event, because I think our fans are excited. They understand how important it is, but they also understand how important they are and how important they've been.''

Notes & quotes: S Brodney Pool (knee) and RB Joe McKnight (toe) didn't practice, and Ryan said he's concerned Pool won't be available Sunday.

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Jets WR Plaxico Burress participates in practice

Published: Friday, November 11, 2011, 11:29 AM Updated: Friday, November 11, 2011, 11:43 AM

By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

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Tim Farrell/The Star-LedgerPlaxico Burress (low back) was at practice today participating in drills.

As he promised yesterday, Jets WR Plaxico Burress (low back soreness) was at Jets practice participating in drills for the first time this week.

Rex Ryan had said throughout the week that he was confident Burress would play against the Patriots on Sunday night.

RB Joe McKnight (toe) and LB Josh Mauga (low back) were dressed and participating in team drills, but S Brodney Pool (knee) was off to the side with trainers doing some light work.

Of all the players on his injury report, Ryan said he was the most uncertain about Pool, who sustained an MCL injury against Buffalo but played for the rest of the game.

DT Mike DeVito (knee), DT Kenrick Ellis (ankle), RB Shonn Greene (head, groin), WR Santonio Holmes (foot), C Nick Mangold (ankle), OLB Calvin Pace (groin), G Matt Slauson (neck) and DB Isaiah Trufant (hamstring) — all full Wednesday and Thursday — were all present today.

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"I got smarter," he said. "(The concussion) actually knocked some sense into me."

douchnozzle cimini at it again. Didn't the tests prove that it was not a concussion?

GIVING THE FINGER: This is weird. Three players showed up on the injury report Thursday with finger injuries -- NT Sione Pouha, CB Antonio Cromartie and RT Wayne Hunter. The injuries aren't serious, as all three players practiced fully.

This is actually pretty funny. Looks like Rex is tweaking Belichiik with the injury list, I'll bet the middle fingers were the ones that were injured. LOL

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Jets coordinator: Brady gets a “little more anxious”

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 11, 2011, 11:18 AM EST

Getty Images

The Jets have been noticeably quieter this week leading up to their Sunday night game against the Patriots, although it’s clear they aren’t lacking for confidence.

Antonio Cromartie thinks he has the book on Wes Welker. Jets coordinator Mike Pettine doesn’t see the same Tom Brady on film that he usually does.

“It seems to me he gets a little more anxious at times,” Pettine said Thursday.

Pettine is right. Brady appeared to feel pressure a few times the last two weeks even when it wasn’t there, which is rare to see from him. His accuracy against the Giants faltered, which is even more surprising.

“Tom Brady does throw interceptions, the last time I checked,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “Looking on film, you can tell teams are playing them different and they’re getting pressure on Tom.”

It’s hard to argue with what Revis is saying. It’s also hard to imagine Brady and the Patriots not cutting out these quotes and using them for motivation.

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Jets will have jam session with Patriots wideouts

November 11, 2011, 1:03 pm

Wes Welker and the Patriots receivers will be ready for press coverage on Sunday night.

PATS REPORT: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11

FOXBORO -- The Patriots know what's coming from the Jets defense Sunday night.

Cornerbacks up in the faces of New England's wide receivers, one safety playing centerfield and an intense effort to mess up the timing of every single pass play.

Meet the press (coverage).

"We been playing them for a long (time)," said Deion Branch. "We know exactly what they're gonna do. That's the game. They play Cover-1 (one deep safety), that's what they do, that's where we gotta be."

As the season's worn on and opposing defenses have seen the nature of the Patriots' offensive leanings -- bang it to Welker and Branch on underneath and routes in the flat and hit tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in the seam -- the counter has been to apply more pressure.

The Patriots haven't shown an ability yet to have a receiver beat the press and run past that one deep safety to make defenses pay. So the press coverage continues.

But Branch bristles at the suggestion the New England offense is struggling the past few weeks.

"I'm trying to understand what you mean (about struggling the past few weeks)," he said in response to a reporter's question about diminishing passing yards. "Where are we ranked? Our offense?

What do we rank? Our job is to go out and execute our plays. Somebody pressing, that don't make any difference. Everybody press. Every game. That's what it is."

For the record, the Pariots are second in total offense, averaging 437.3 yards per game. They have the most productive passing attack by yards per game (325.6).

But the Jets are going to be a tough matchup. They've won three straight since the Patriots beat them a month ago. They harassed the face off of Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick last week, forcing him into a 15 for 31 day with 191 yards and two picks.

The key is corner Darrelle Revis who will probably be asked to mark Welker frequently.

"He's a great player," said Welker. "Fast, patient, strong. He does a lot of good things and he's a smart football player. You have to come up with creative ways to attack him."

Jets corner Antonio Cromartie pointed out this week that the key to slowing the Patriots is knocking Welker around.

“Every team is starting to notice that if you bang him around, their timing is knocked off,” Cromartie said.

"It's a physical game," Welker said Friday. "That's the way it's supposed to be played. You just gotta be ready for it and make sure you're being physical out there and playing the way you need to."

Welker says there's an art to breaking free of jams.

"A lot of the routes are won at the line of scrimmage so you're always trying to find little things about a guy that he does and really be on top of it and that you're attacking what he's trying to do to you," said Welker.

The Patriots wideout studies both the corners and what other wideouts do. There's a lot to process.

"You just watch film on different guys and pick up different stuff and see things," said Welker. "You try it, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Inside releases, outside releases, inside leverage, outside leverage. (You need to combine all the factors). You're not going to be 100 percent (in beating it)."

Said Brady, "The Jets have done this for years against every team so it's probably the thing they do best. Get up to the line of scrimmage and force your guys to get off the line of scrimmage and into their route. It's important this week, it's important every week they decide to do it and if they do, you gotta make them pay."

We'll see what the cost ends up being on Sunday night.

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Jets’ Calvin Pace: “On to the Evil Empire, the New England Patriots”

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 11, 2011, 1:26 PM EST

Getty Images

In a week when Rex Ryan hasn’t made too many brash comments, and no New England players have pulled a Wes Welker, we’ve been a little short on trash talk for Sunday’s big Patriots-Jets game.

Fortunately, we’ve just been reminded that Jets linebacker Calvin Pace got the week started by taking a shot at the Patriots.

“It’s on to the Evil Empire, the New England Patriots,” Pace told the New York Post after the Jets’ victory over the Bills.

Pace using the same term to refer to the Patriots that Ronald Reagan used to refer to the Soviet Union strikes me as harsher rhetoric than Welker making a few foot jokes, but Pace’s statement didn’t get anywhere near as much attention this week as Welker’s comments got before last season’s Jets-Patriots playoff game. We saw it only when the New York Post‘s Bart Hubbuch tweeted about it today.

Maybe we haven’t seen much focus on the trash talk because everyone is actually focused on the game.

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Jets Will Put On Their Sunday Best: All White Unis

Posted by Eric Allen on November 11, 2011 – 1:25 pm

The Jets will don white pants and white jerseys Sunday night at MetLife Stadium when they play host to the New England Patriots in their key divisional matchup.

They sported the same look against the Patriots in a pair of home wins the past two seasons. In Week 2 of the 2010 campaign, the Green & White went on an 18-point second-half run and captured a 28-14 decision in the Meadowlands. Mark Sanchez had an excellent day at the office, completing 21 of 30 for 220 yards as the Jets scored their first ever victory at their new stadium.

In the last ever meeting between the two rivals at the old Meadowlands and the second game of the Rex Ryan era, the Jets used a stifling defensive effort to gain a 16-9 Week 2 triumph over the Pats in 2009. The Patriots committed 11 penalties in that contest, a game that a number of current players and coaches still boast as the loudest they’ve ever played in.

“I know the first year that we beat New England, our fans, we gave them a game ball and everything else. They were the difference,” said Ryan this week. “Two good football teams going at it, but they were the difference. It affected their communication, they had penalties and they had to use timeouts and all that.

“That’s a challenge that I’m taking to our fans this week. We’re here, we’re undefeated at home and let’s make it miserable.”

Since 2000, the Jets have worn their white-on-white ensemble five times at home and own a 3-2 mark. But this is no whiteout — the Jets want to see plenty of green in the stands and they want Jets Nation in the seats early.

“The fans know what this game means to this organization,” said ILB David “Hitman” Harris. “They’re going to cheer from the first whistle to the last whistle. Our fans are the greatest fans in the NFL and we just have to go out there and do our part.”

“I’m expecting to the stadium to actually rattle,” said DL Marcus Dixon. “I know in Seattle they have their 12th Man — I want to top that. I feel like our fans can do that.”

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November 11, 2011 1:50 PM 0 comments

Rex Ryan stays quiet in advance of showdown with Pats

BY Kristie Ackert

You can tell this is a regular-season game against the Patriots.

Unlike last January's back-and-forth trashtalking, things were relatively quiet in Florham Park today.

When told LB Calvin Pace called the Patriots the "Evil Empire," the always ready for a war of words coach Rex Ryan just shrugged and said "Sure why not."

Ryan did compare it to an Ali-Frazier bout.

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WR Plaxico Burress and (lower back) KR Joe McKnight (toe) practiced and are expecting to play and are listed as probable. McKnight said he hyper-extended his toe, but felt fine in practice and is ready to go.

"It's Patriot week, I got to go."

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TE Shawn Nelson (illness) and S Brodney Poole (knee) are questionable. DE Mike DeVito (knee) said he is 100% and ready to go.