Jets News 11-29

[flgreen]

NY Jets Plaxico Burress holds fire over Bills' Stevie Johnson's touchdown celebration

NY Jets receiver keeps calm despite mock

BY Kristie Ackert

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Originally Published: Monday, November 28 2011, 9:30 PM

Updated: Tuesday, November 29 2011, 1:41 AM

Robert Sabo/New York Daily News

Jets' Plaxico Burress provides some theatrics of own on but WR and Jets draw line at Stevie Johnson's over-the-top act that ridcules his accidentally self-inflicted gun wound.

The “old Plaxico” Burress would have met Stevie Johnson in the parking lot after the Bills’ wide receiver tried to embarrass him during Sunday’s 28-24 Jets win at the Meadowlands.

But the “new” Burress just called Johnson’s drawn-out interpretive dance insult, which mocked Burress’ 2008 accidentally shooting himself in a nightclub, “immature.”

Speaking on 1050 ESPN radio Monday, Burress said Johnson had texted and called to apologize. Burress, who spent 20 months in prison on a gun charge because of that incident, seemed to forgive the 24-year-old Johnson.

“He’s young, and he made a mistake,” Burress said. “I don’t look at him as any less than I did before. And I don’t want everybody just saying he’s a bad guy because he made a mistake. I’ve made a few in my life.”

Johnson’ celebration after scoring on a 5-yard touchdown reception not only included an interpretation of the shooting, but also a shot at Jets WR Santonio Holmes’ “fly boys” routine, as Johnson simulated a jet crashing. The celebration led to a 15-yard penalty on the kickoff, which led to the Jets scoring the tying TD just before halftime.

“I don’t think he took consideration for everything that happened to me when he did it,” Burress said. “And I think a day later he’s realized what he did and how he made himself look - he embarrassed his team, his organization, his players, his coaches and everything like that. But those are things you learn; it’s being young and being immature at times.”

Johnson also did not take into consideration mocking a plane crash just miles from where two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in terrorist attacks in 2001, nose tackle Sione Pouha said.

“Us being from New York, we like to hold ourselves with integrity, and that airplane thing was kind of a dagger, considering the circumstances we just celebrated in remembrance on Sept. 11,” Pouha said. “It was unprofessional, in my opinion.”

Pouha clarified that he did not believe Johnson meant to disrespect the survivors and victims of 9/11, but that he felt Johnson had not thought enough about the people in the region who are sensitive to it.

CB Darrelle Revis, who was covering Johnson on the TD, did not see the entire celebration until after he had left the stadium. He agreed with Burress.

“It was a young guy, him being a young guy, just young and immature a little bit,” Revis said.

“Because I felt it had nothing to do with the situation. If anything, you scored on me, so come at me if anything. But that’s just wrong. To me, it wasn’t smart on his part.”

Johnson, in his fourth year out of Kentucky, has not proven to be too smart when it comes to celebrating touchdowns. Last year he was fined $5,000 by the NFL for lifting up his jersey to display a T-shirt emblazoned with the question “Why so Serious?” after a score.

Sunday, after he tried to make Burress, Holmes and the Jets the butt of his joke, Johnson dropped a wide-open pass on the 20-yard line in the final minute and ended up playing the clown.

“Well, he shot himself at the end of the game, he didn’t win it,” Pouha said. “I don’t know what shot’s worse.”

URBAN RIGHT

C Nick Mangold, who started for three years at Ohio State, said he was excited that the Buckeyes had hired former Florida coach Urban Myer as their new head coach. He said he hoped Meyer would continue to honor the tradition that he and others had built there and manage to keep interim coach Luke Fickell on staff.

“I think it was a tough spot that Luke Fickell was put into and he did a great job, I hope he stays around, he’s a good book guy,” Mangold said. “I hope Urban continues the traditions we set there and I wish him luck.”

DEVITO OUT

Defensive end Mike DeVito, who hurt his MCL in his left knee against the Bills, is likely out for Sunday’s game against the Redskins. “I don’t think he’s going to play this week,” Rex Ryan said.

DeVito injured his right knee before the Oct. 23 game against the Chargers. He missed two games with that injury.

Ryan said he hoped to have WR/PR Jeremy Kerley (knee) back this week. . . . Jets cut S Emanuel Cook and will replace him with S Tracy Wilson from the practice squad. Ryan would not say what his reason was for the move, but noted that Wilson “was doing a tremendous job,” on the practice squad. . . . Jets re-signed LB Ricky Sapp to the practice squad and cut LB Eddie Jones from it.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/ny-jets-plaxico-burress-holds-fire-bills-stevie-johnson-touchdown-celebration-article-1.983691#ixzz1f6Pnp2Pi

[flgreen]

Ryan says Jets have plenty of room for improvement

Monday November 28, 2011, 10:20 PM

BY J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

The Record

Print | E-mail

FLORHAM PARK – As Rex Ryan sees it, the end of the Jets’ victory over the Bills on Sunday was simple.

AP

Jets coach Rex Ryan was pleased with Sunday's victory over the Bills but knows his team must play better to fulfill its ultimate goals.

“We closed out the game,” Ryan said Monday.

That they did, but with plenty of help from the Bills’ offense in the final frantic minute. Not only did wide-open Stevie Johnson drop a pass that could have gone for a touchdown, but quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick misfired on two subsequent passes to Johnson that could have been scores.

“Was it pretty? No, I wish it was cleaner,” the Jets’ coach finally admitted. “But I’ll take the victory.”

The Jets (6-5) shouldn’t throw it back, considering it kept them from sinking in the crowded AFC wild-card race. But they also know they will need to play better down the stretch to secure a third consecutive wild-card playoff berth.

“We know we can play a lot better,” nose tackle Sione Pouha said. “We’re equally as harsh on ourselves in terms of correcting [mistakes after] a victory as much as we are on a day [after] we lose a game. There’s no relax mode or anything just because we won the game. We take it just as seriously as we would if we would have lost the game.”

The Jets’ defense had allowed a 95-yard go-ahead touchdown drive to Denver late in the fourth quarter of the previous game, and was unable to get off the field down the stretch in road losses to Oakland and New England earlier this season, allowing one-score deficits to become two-score margins, negating the chances of a comeback.

“It’s hard to get wins in the NFL, it really is,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said. “You want all the games to be the perfect game, but [sunday], it wasn’t. There were mistakes out there [and] there were positive plays as well. We have to really focus on the mistakes and get them corrected, because this has been going on throughout the course of the year. … We’ve got to really focus in on the little things that we do on defense. We cannot make mental mistakes out there.”

When pressed, Ryan noted, “We have to keep improving. There’s no question. We’re not going to win [and] we’re not going to reach our goal if we don’t get better. But we definitely plan on getting better.”

The Jets will visit Washington (4-7) on Sunday. The Redskins snapped a six-game losing streak with a comeback victory at Seattle on Sunday, and took a suddenly hot Dallas team to overtime at home last week before losing. And if the Jets couldn’t get a more decisive win against a Buffalo team ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball, then no game is a walkover for them, no matter the opponent’s record.

BRIEFS: DE Mike DeVito, one of the Jets’ best run-stuffers, isn’t expected to play Sunday because of a knee injury, Ryan said. The injury, which occurred in the third quarter of the Jets’ win over Buffalo, is to DeVito’s left knee. He sprained the MCL in his right knee in practice before the San Diego game last month. Marcus Dixon likely would start in DeVito’s place.

Buffalo WR Johnson, who mocked Jets’ WR Plaxico Burress with a touchdown celebration Sunday that included pretending to shoot himself in the leg, told reporters Monday he exchanged text messages with Burress and apologized to him.

“Everything’s cool” between the two of them, Johnson said.

Burress was not available in the locker room Monday but told ESPN 1050 Radio that Johnson is “young, and he made a mistake. I don’t look at him as any less than I did before. And I don’t want everybody just saying he’s a bad guy because he made a mistake. I’ve made a few in my life.”

Pouha said Johnson’s display wasn’t only disrespectful to Burress, but offensive to those who went through the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Johnson also pantomimed a plane crashing, although that likely was intended as a slap against the “Flight Boys” celebration sometimes used by Jets’ WR Santonio Holmes.

[flgreen]

Notebook: Greene toughs it out

November, 28, 2011

Nov 28

9:39

PM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments6
  

By Rich Cimini

Shonn Greene, still bothered by the rib injury he suffered two weeks ago in Denver, delivered a gutty performance Sunday against the Bills.

"It looked like a bunch (of pain)," Rex Ryan said Monday. "He was getting up (slowly) like Jim Brown every time. But, hopefully, he'll get better and better as the week goes on, and hopefully that pain will be behind him. It was clear that he was in discomfort, for sure."

Greene enjoyed one of his most productive days, rushing 13 times for 78 yards (6.0 average), catching three passes for 12 yards and making a key block on Mark Sanchez's game-winning TD pass to Santonio Holmes.

Backup RB Joe McKnight had seven touches. It'll be interesting to see how they divide the workload if LaDainian Tomlinson (sprained knee) returns this week, which is possible.

JORDAN-ESQUE: NT Sione Pouha said Plaxico Burress' acrobatic catch on the game-winning drive was Jordan-like.

"I describe it as one of those spectacular Michael Jordan dunks," Pouha said. "When he gets the ball out in the open, you want to be amazed but you can't be amazed because it's Michael Jordan. Same with Plaxico. You want to be amazed, but you're like, 'Oh, it's Plaxico.'"

Interestingly, Burress said he didn't think Sanchez made a wise throw. It came on a cornerback blitz.

"I didn't think it was a good choice, but he's our quarterback, he made the signal and he put it in a place where only I could get it, obviously," Burress said Monday on 1050 ESPN New York.

Burress said the Bills used a blitz they hadn't seen, which "actually kind of fooled both of us." Once the corner blitzed, Burress was picked up by a safety, with another safety over the top.

KUDOS: Ryan singled out WR Patrick Turner, LB Aaron Maybin (six QB hits, two sacks), Pouha, LB David Harris and P T.J. Conley for exceptional performances. Turner turned in perhaps the best blocking game by a receiver this season, according to Ryan.

[flgreen]

Revis: Favre threw interceptions

November, 28, 2011

Nov 28

6:17

PM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments3
  

By Jane McManus

Darrelle Revis may be a modern legend, but even a man and his island can have a bad game, which Revis in a 28-24 win over the visiting Bills Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

“I mean, Brett Favre threw interceptions before,” said the Jets cornerback. “You’re not going to have a perfect game all the time, you’re not going to have your best game all the time. I’ve have had horrible games in the past.”

Revis got beat by notorious-celebrator Stevie Johnson for the headline touchdown, where Johnson shot himself and then crashed a plane for a 15-yard penalty. He was also was involved on the potential touchdown throw on the last Bills drive of the game. Revis admitted he could have played it better, and that Johnson would probably have had the game-winning score if he hadn’t let the ball slip right through his hands.

“It was scary,” Revis said with a nervous laugh of yet another do-or-die defensive stand.

Revis said the team needs to get better and quickly. The Jets are 6-5 and continue to make critical mistakes on the field, but not enough on Sunday to lose the game.

“I think there’s still room to push our team,” Revis said.

The Jets will likely have to win four of the last five games to make the playoffs, if not win out altogether. Revis said he lets coach Rex Ryan keep track of the playoff standings, but he has confidence in this season’s team.

“I believe in this team and what we do, this is the time to do it right now,” Revis said. “We’ve got one game under our belt after the two losses and we just got to keep on winning. This does Look like Rex’s first year here when we barely got into the playoffs that year, and we struggled that year. You got to treat that almost like the same, but we still can control what we do.”

[flgreen]

Curious move: Cook is cut

November, 28, 2011

Nov 28

6:25

PM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments4
  

By Rich Cimini

One day after recovering a botched kickoff, a key play that led to a Jets touchdown in Sunday's win over the Bills, backup S Emanuel Cook was waived by the Jets.

Rex Ryan declined to give a reason, saying, "Every decision we make is generally for the benefit of our football team. I'm not going to get into the specifics of what led us to make a decision." A cryptic answer, to be sure.

Sources said it stemmed from something that happened Monday during the team's workout, the usual day-after conditioning session. The details are sketchy, but it appears the strength-and-conditioning coach thought Cook was late for the workout when he was actually there. Some close to the team believe Cook was released because one of the higher-ups in the organization was watching the workout and felt he wasn't running hard.

No matter what happened, it's curious. Cook's ouster definitely stunned some players. By the end of the afternoon, his locker was cleaned out and he was on the waiver wire. Obviously, he's not a big name, but he appeared in eight of the 11 games, contributing mostly on special teams.

To replace Cook, the Jets plan to sign S Tracy Wilson from the practice squad, according to Ryan.

In other moves, the Jets released LB Eddie Jones from the practice squad and re-signed LB Ricky Sapp.

[The Crusher]

NY Jets Plaxico Burress holds fire over Bills' Stevie Johnson's touchdown celebration

NY Jets receiver keeps calm despite mock

BY Kristie Ackert

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Originally Published: Monday, November 28 2011, 9:30 PM

Updated: Tuesday, November 29 2011, 1:41 AM

Robert Sabo/New York Daily News

Jets' Plaxico Burress provides some theatrics of own on but WR and Jets draw line at Stevie Johnson's over-the-top act that ridcules his accidentally self-inflicted gun wound.

The “old Plaxico” Burress would have met Stevie Johnson in the parking lot after the Bills’ wide receiver tried to embarrass him during Sunday’s 28-24 Jets win at the Meadowlands.

But the “new” Burress just called Johnson’s drawn-out interpretive dance insult, which mocked Burress’ 2008 accidentally shooting himself in a nightclub, “immature.”

Speaking on 1050 ESPN radio Monday, Burress said Johnson had texted and called to apologize. Burress, who spent 20 months in prison on a gun charge because of that incident, seemed to forgive the 24-year-old Johnson.

“He’s young, and he made a mistake,” Burress said. “I don’t look at him as any less than I did before. And I don’t want everybody just saying he’s a bad guy because he made a mistake. I’ve made a few in my life.”

Johnson’ celebration after scoring on a 5-yard touchdown reception not only included an interpretation of the shooting, but also a shot at Jets WR Santonio Holmes’ “fly boys” routine, as Johnson simulated a jet crashing. The celebration led to a 15-yard penalty on the kickoff, which led to the Jets scoring the tying TD just before halftime.

“I don’t think he took consideration for everything that happened to me when he did it,” Burress said. “And I think a day later he’s realized what he did and how he made himself look - he embarrassed his team, his organization, his players, his coaches and everything like that. But those are things you learn; it’s being young and being immature at times.”

Johnson also did not take into consideration mocking a plane crash just miles from where two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in terrorist attacks in 2001, nose tackle Sione Pouha said.

“Us being from New York, we like to hold ourselves with integrity, and that airplane thing was kind of a dagger, considering the circumstances we just celebrated in remembrance on Sept. 11,” Pouha said. “It was unprofessional, in my opinion.”

Pouha clarified that he did not believe Johnson meant to disrespect the survivors and victims of 9/11, but that he felt Johnson had not thought enough about the people in the region who are sensitive to it.

CB Darrelle Revis, who was covering Johnson on the TD, did not see the entire celebration until after he had left the stadium. He agreed with Burress.

“It was a young guy, him being a young guy, just young and immature a little bit,” Revis said.

“Because I felt it had nothing to do with the situation. If anything, you scored on me, so come at me if anything. But that’s just wrong. To me, it wasn’t smart on his part.”

Johnson, in his fourth year out of Kentucky, has not proven to be too smart when it comes to celebrating touchdowns. Last year he was fined $5,000 by the NFL for lifting up his jersey to display a T-shirt emblazoned with the question “Why so Serious?” after a score.

Sunday, after he tried to make Burress, Holmes and the Jets the butt of his joke, Johnson dropped a wide-open pass on the 20-yard line in the final minute and ended up playing the clown.

“Well, he shot himself at the end of the game, he didn’t win it,” Pouha said. “I don’t know what shot’s worse.”

URBAN RIGHT

C Nick Mangold, who started for three years at Ohio State, said he was excited that the Buckeyes had hired former Florida coach Urban Myer as their new head coach. He said he hoped Meyer would continue to honor the tradition that he and others had built there and manage to keep interim coach Luke Fickell on staff.

“I think it was a tough spot that Luke Fickell was put into and he did a great job, I hope he stays around, he’s a good book guy,” Mangold said. “I hope Urban continues the traditions we set there and I wish him luck.”

DEVITO OUT

Defensive end Mike DeVito, who hurt his MCL in his left knee against the Bills, is likely out for Sunday’s game against the Redskins. “I don’t think he’s going to play this week,” Rex Ryan said.

DeVito injured his right knee before the Oct. 23 game against the Chargers. He missed two games with that injury.

Ryan said he hoped to have WR/PR Jeremy Kerley (knee) back this week. . . . Jets cut S Emanuel Cook and will replace him with S Tracy Wilson from the practice squad. Ryan would not say what his reason was for the move, but noted that Wilson “was doing a tremendous job,” on the practice squad. . . . Jets re-signed LB Ricky Sapp to the practice squad and cut LB Eddie Jones from it.

Read more: http://www.nydailyne...1#ixzz1f6Pnp2Pi

Wow.. Good for Plax. He ****ed up but seem like he learned something from it.

[flgreen]

Curious move: Cook is cut

November, 28, 2011

Nov 28

6:25

PM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments4
  

By Rich Cimini

One day after recovering a botched kickoff, a key play that led to a Jets touchdown in Sunday's win over the Bills, backup S Emanuel Cook was waived by the Jets.

Rex Ryan declined to give a reason, saying, "Every decision we make is generally for the benefit of our football team. I'm not going to get into the specifics of what led us to make a decision." A cryptic answer, to be sure.

Sources said it stemmed from something that happened Monday during the team's workout, the usual day-after conditioning session. The details are sketchy, but it appears the strength-and-conditioning coach thought Cook was late for the workout when he was actually there. Some close to the team believe Cook was released because one of the higher-ups in the organization was watching the workout and felt he wasn't running hard.

No matter what happened, it's curious. Cook's ouster definitely stunned some players. By the end of the afternoon, his locker was cleaned out and he was on the waiver wire. Obviously, he's not a big name, but he appeared in eight of the 11 games, contributing mostly on special teams.

To replace Cook, the Jets plan to sign S Tracy Wilson from the practice squad, according to Ryan.

In other moves, the Jets released LB Eddie Jones from the practice squad and re-signed LB Ricky Sapp.

WOW

Strange set of circumstances for a guy who made a big play.

The higher up would have to be Mike T. Tough break for the kid

[flgreen]

Why was Sanchez angry?

November, 28, 2011

Nov 28

9:22

PM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments11
  

By Rich Cimini

Maybe it's nothing, maybe it's something. But it deserves to be pointed out because, well, you couldn't help but notice Mark Sanchez's mini-eruption when he got to the sideline after his game-winning TD pass to Santonio Holmes with 1:01 left in Sunday's win over the Bills.

The CBS cameras followed Sanchez on the sideline. They showed him sitting on the bench next to QBs coach Matt Cavanaugh, who was smiling and put his arm around Sanchez.

Sanchez wasn't smiling. He didn't look like someone who has just rescued his team from a potentially devastating defeat.

Next, the cameras showed him stalking the sideline, wearing a scowl on his face. Then came the moment: Sanchez leaned between Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard and screamed a few words at someone not in the frame. Brodney Pool was on the edge of the frame, but it's hard to imagine why he'd yell at Pool.

After the outburst, Sanchez walked away, still fuming. Was he shouting encouragement to teammates? Doubt it, not with that look on his face. Was he firing back at Rex Ryan, who tweaked Sanchez last week by sitting him for a few practice reps?

I asked Ryan Monday if he and Sanchez had a moment after the game-winning TD, or after the game, to discuss last week.

"No," Ryan said. "We probably popped off at each other like we normally do. I don't remember."

Sanchez doesn't speak to reporters on Mondays, so he wasn't available. Come to think of it, only a handful of players showed up in the locker room during the media period. The silent Jets? Now we're talking strange.

[flgreen]

Even Darrelle Revis rips NY Jets defense for shaky effort against Buffalo Bills

Says mistakes need to stop if Gang wants to make playoffs

BY Manish Mehta

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, November 28 2011, 10:52 PM

Ron Antonelli/New York Daily News

Darrelle Revis knocks down a pass meant for wide receiver Stevie Johnson, one of few times star cornerback gets best of Bills’ dance-crazed big mouth.

Less than 24 hours after an uneven winning performance, Darrelle Revis left little doubt that the Jets’ defense needs to get its act together to have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs for a third consecutive season. “Time is ticking,” Revis said on Monday. “It’s (almost) December. You can’t be making these mistakes.”

Despite several breakdowns, including a couple on the Bills’ final drive that ultimately didn’t cost them, Rex Ryan didn’t subscribe to the notion that his team escaped with a “lucky” 28-24 win on Sunday.

“I don’t care if I’m known as the luckiest coach in the league,” Ryan said. “That’s great. As long as we win, that’s fine with me. . . . It is funny how if we make a mistake, we’re horrible. There could be bad luck there, too. But if we make a play, ‘Oh, we’re just lucky.’ The old saying is (you’d) rather be lucky than good. I’d rather be both. And I think we are.”

The Bills’ self-inflicted wounds on the final drive had as much to do with the outcome as anything. Stevie Johnson dropped a perfectly thrown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick for what likely would have been a 47-yard game-winning touchdown. Fitzpatrick later misfired to an open Johnson in the end zone.

In the meeting room on Monday, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine preached the need to be more consistent. “I think there’s more so a sense of frustration,” said outside linebacker Aaron Maybin, who had two sacks against his former team. “Because it’s not a case of guys not playing hard. . . . If we’re going to really consider ourselves to be one of the best defenses in the NFL, we can’t have those inconsistencies. That is what he was trying to hammer home.”

A little over a week after Tim Tebow engineered a 95-yard, game-winning drive, the Bills nearly delivered a season-ending dagger to Gang Green. On Johnson’s drop with 31 seconds to go, the Jets played a Cover 2 scheme (two safeties splitting the field) with man-to-man coverage underneath. The Jets were expecting Johnson to run a corner route (toward the sideline) to stop the clock, but the Bills’ wideout ran a post pattern toward the middle of the field, which fooled safety Brodney Pool and Revis.

“We thought they were playing to get out of bounds to get a few more plays,” Pool said.

Johnson didn’t have a defender within a few yards of him, but inexplicably dropped the pass in stride at the 25-yard line. It appeared that Johnson could have either darted past a charging Jim Leonhard or cut to the right for the score if he had held on to the ball.

“He was wide open,” Revis said. “If he would have caught it, he’d probably score.”

Three plays later from the Jets 24, Johnson had another opportunity for the game-winning score when Pool drifted too far to the sideline in the end zone in the Jets’ zone scheme. But Maybin forced Fitzpatrick to step up and make an errant pass.

Ryan’s defense gave up 200 of the Bills’ 336 total yards in the second half and allowed Fitzpatrick to complete 67% of his passes. For the second time in the past three games, the defense gave up three touchdown passes.

“We know we have to play better,” Pool said. “We know we’re good, but we want to be great. And stay great.”

http://twitter.com/TheJetsStream

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/darrelle-revis-rips-ny-jets-defense-shaky-effort-buffalo-bills-article-1.983723#ixzz1f6UyZ3RI

[flgreen]

Home » Jets » BREAKING NEWS: Jack Del Rio Fired As Coach of Jaguars

First coaching casualty of the year is in.

Multiple tweets are coming out this morning telling us that Jack Del Rio has been fired as coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars this morning. Albert Breer of the nfl.com broke the story, stating Del Rio has informed his staff that he has been let go.

No word of his replacement at this time.

Update:

Mel Tucker, defensive coordinator has been named interim head coach.

[flgreen]

Playoff surge not easy to three-peat

Jets Blog

Last Updated: 2:38 AM, November 29, 2011

Posted: 2:08 AM, November 29, 2011

More Print

Mark Cannizzaro

Two years ago, the Jets were the darlings of the NFL.

Getting to the AFC Championship Game with rookies at quarterback and head coach after recovering from a 4-6 start to miraculously make the playoffs will do that for a team.

Last year, with a second consecutive trip to the conference title game, the Jets appeared headed straight for status among the league’s elite.

The 2010 Jets left many of us believing they were ready to make that mythical next step this season, meaning their first Super Bowl since Joe Namath trotted off the Orange Bowl field with his index finger raised to the sky back in 1969.

But this season, the third for Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan, the Jets are in danger of being labeled as the biggest disappointment in the league and gross underachievers by the time it’s over.

Outside of being called quitters, that’s the most unseemly label in sports.

Unless they make the kind of run that saved their season in 2009 — beginning by beating up on the quarterback-challenged Redskins on Sunday — the Jets will miss the playoffs for the first time on Ryan’s watch.

And, making it look worse if they do fall short of the playoffs, the Jets figure to be favorites in at least four of their remaining five games, so a failure to make a run will further stamp them as underachievers.

The Jets’ soft remaining schedule should make you feel good.

But the Jets have simply been too inconsistent to believe they will duplicate what they accomplished the past two seasons. Barely beating the Bills on Sunday, 28-24, hardly bolstered confidence in a midnight run to the postseason this year.

Ryan, of course, disagrees.

“I definitely think we’re a playoff team,’’ Ryan said yesterday. “We have to prove it on the field. The main thing is to get in there. That’s certainly what we plan on doing. I think we’ll be a dangerous team when we get in there.’’

Though I’ve been close witness to the otherworldly run and all the crazy things that fell into place for the Jets to make the playoffs in 2009 and their success last season, I’m not prepared to channel my inner Jim Fassel, push my chips to the middle of the table and declare myself as “all in’’ for another late Jets run.

This team, quite simply, is difficult to trust, too inconsistent in its coaching, quarterback play, running game and defense.

What does this Jets team have to hang its hat on as these final five games approach? What do they do so well that makes you believe they can do this again?

Their defense, which two weeks ago got Tebowed in the final seconds to lose in Denver and against the Bills on Sunday at MetLife Stadium was two Stevie Johnson dropped touchdown passes away from an unthinkable loss and virtual playoff elimination, does not look dominant.

The running game is a rumor. Shonn Greene, who ran admirably Sunday, gaining 78 yards on 13 carries against the Bills while hurting his injured ribs with every hit he absorbed, has only one 100-yard rushing game this season.

Sanchez maddens you on a weekly basis. For three quarters in some games, he does things that make you want to scream. Then he plays like Tom Brady in the fourth quarter and engineers comebacks that give you hope he really is The Sanchise.

It all leaves you wondering, “Can they do it again this year?’’

“Every year carries a different spark,’’ philosophical defensive tackle Sione Pouha said. “The first year, it was like a new-feeling type of spark. Last year was kind of like a, ‘Wow, they’re going to do it again’ type of spark. This year, I don’t know what the story’s going to be.

“You can’t really define the season because it’s not over yet. You can’t really define something that’s in the middle of the journey. If I was an author writing this story, I obviously would see us going all the way.’’

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/playoff_surge_not_easy_to_three_6FkAe3sIjVYo2xJTVnIQbN#ixzz1f6WgR3zO

[flgreen]

Burress forgives Bills receiver, but some Jets see 9/11 slight

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO AND MARK CANNIZZARO

Last Updated: 8:58 AM, November 29, 2011

Posted: 2:10 AM, November 29, 2011

More Print

A day after the “fake shot heard ’round the world,” the Jets still were reacting to Stevie Johnson’s touchdown celebration that mocked Plaxico Burress on Sunday.

Several Jets took issue with the antics of the Bills wide receiver, but Burress was not one of them. In an interview with 1050 ESPN Radio, the Jets receiver said he and Johnson had spoken to each other and he did not have a problem with Johnson pretending to shoot himself in the leg — a reference to Burress’ nightclub shooting three years ago. Johnson apologized to Burress.

“He’s young, and he made a mistake,” Burress said of the 25-year-old. “I don’t look at him as any less than he was before. And I don’t want everybody just to say he’s a bad guy because he made a mistake. I’ve made a few in my life.”

Reuters

THIGH DRAMA: Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson clutches his thigh during a controversial touchdown celebration Sunday that pantomimed Plaxico Burress’ self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Burress said Johnson told him he was just trying to have fun and bring some life to the game.

“I don’t think he took into consideration everything that happened to me when he did it,” Burress said. “And I think a day later he’s realized what he did and how he made himself look, and he embarrassed his team, his organization, his players, his coaches and different things like that. But those are things you learn — it’s being young and being immature at times.”

Burress said a younger version of himself would not have reacted as well.

“Oh, man, I probably would have met him outside before he got on his bus,” he said.

Burress’ teammates were not quite as forgiving as he was. Jets coach Rex Ryan called Johnson’s act “ridiculous.” Nose tackle Sione Pouha took issue not only with Johnson mocking Burress but then acting as if he was a plane crashing to the ground, a takeoff on the Jets’ “Fly Boys” celebration. Pouha felt it was insensitive to the victims of 9/11.

“Us being from New York, we like to hold ourselves to some integrity, and that airplane thing, in my opinion, was kind of a dagger considering the circumstances of remembrance of what we just had on Sept. 11,’’ Pouha said. “It was just unprofessional. We all stand for pride around here, and that’s a sacred moment for a lot of people and it’s a very sobering moment.’’

A few Jets tweaked Johnson for his drop on the final drive of the game.

“He didn’t make the catches,’’ Pouha said. “Your number gets called and opportunities come your way and he didn’t make the catch. He didn’t get the win.

“We saw the stuff he did, mocking Plaxico. At the end of the day, our receivers made the plays, making the big catches, and he didn’t make it. He shot himself at the end of the game [because] he didn’t win it. I don’t know which shot was worse.’’

Cornerback Darrelle Revis called Johnson “young and immature.” Revis was covering Johnson on the touchdown catch.

“It had nothing to do with the situation,’’ Revis said. “If anything, he scored on me, so come at me if anything. That’s just wrong. It wasn’t smart on his part, doing the gun thing and shooting himself.

That was just disrespectful to Plaxico.’’

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/shot_backfires_SrbVU6jsaOBk3kBYdoGqUI#ixzz1f6XOM4kl

[flgreen]

Jets' Revis admits he had bad day

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:42 AM, November 29, 2011

Posted: 1:14 AM, November 29, 2011

More Print

JET NOTES

Darrelle Revis knows Sunday was not his best game. He just thinks it’s not quite as bad as some people have made it out to be.

“Brett Favre threw interceptions before,” Revis said. “You’ve got to look at it as you’re not going to have a perfect game all the time. You’re not going to have your best game all the time. I’ve had horrible games in the past. You’ve got to live with the good ones and you’ve got to live with the bad ones. Looking at the film, was it that bad? No, it wasn’t.”

Bills receiver Stevie Johnson had eight catches for 75 yards and a touchdown working primarily against Revis. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick targeted Johnson 13 times, a stunning number against the Jets’ best player.

AP

CATCHING UP: Darrelle Revis (right) defends as Buffalo Stevie Johnson tries to make a catch Sunday during the Jets’ 28-24 victory.

“It was a lot of underneath throws,” Revis said. “He caught five-, seven-, 10-yard catches. In our defense, we can live with that. We move on. The one thin we really focus on is getting beat deep.

That’s the thing. It was what it was.”

* DT Mike DeVito injured the MCL in his left knee in Sunday’s win and it does not sound like he will play Sunday against Washington.

Coach Rex Ryan said he doesn’t think the Jets will have DeVito available Sunday. Ryan did not say specifically what the injury is to DeVito’s MCL.

DeVito sprained his right MCL earlier this season and missed two games. He is a key piece of the Jets’ defensive line, particularly against the run.

* The CBS cameras caught Mark Sanchez yelling at some of his defensive teammates on the sideline after his touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 1:01 left in the game.

It looked like Sanchez was angry, but safety Brodney Pool said Sanchez was simply yelling “Let’s finish” at them.

* The Jets released safety Emanuel Cook, who jumped on the errant kickoff by Dave Rayner on Sunday.

Ryan refused to give an explanation. He said the team will sign safety Tracy Wilson from its practice squad.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/revis_nobody_perfect_UWkPUue7vjEiNzDnvQLTNJ#ixzz1f6Y1O1sL

[flgreen]

Jets coach says win was more than just luck

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:58 AM, November 29, 2011

Posted: 2:04 AM, November 29, 2011

Shut the luck up.

With all the talk of the Jets being lucky Sunday to escape their game with the Bills with a victory, Rex Ryan looked like he wanted to use his $75,000 catchphrase on his critics yesterday.

“I don’t care if I’m known as the luckiest coach in the league,” Ryan said. “That’s great — as long as we win, that’s fine with me. But it is funny how if we make a mistake, we’re horrible: ‘Oh, they’re terrible.’ That could be bad luck there, too. But if we make a play: ‘Oh, we’re just lucky.’

“I hope karma is with us. I hope we continue to be lucky, and we’ll take that. The old saying, ‘I’d rather be lucky than good.’ I’d rather be both, and I think we are.”

The Jets made no apologies yesterday for their 28-24 victory that put them at 6-5 and still in good shape to make the playoffs. The players seemed to understand it was not their best performance, but felt they did enough to win. Many players ducked out of the locker room without speaking to reporters, perhaps aware they would have to explain the myriad of mistakes they made Sunday.

Those who did show accountability explained they know they need to play better.

“We’re happy about the win,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said. “We definitely are. Don’t get me wrong, [sunday] was a dogfight. We knew Buffalo was going to bring everything they had and we did too. Was that our best effort? No. It wasn’t our best effort. But we’re happy.

“We have to get better very quickly. Time is ticking. It’s getting in December. You can’t be making these mistakes late in the season like this.”

The Jets had two turnovers, allowed 336 yards to an offense that had not topped 300 in its past three games and nearly blew their comeback by allowing Buffalo to score in the final minute.

All of that leaves everyone still wondering just what kind of team the Jets are as they enter the final five games.

The Bills had several chances on their final drive to score a go-ahead touchdown but botched each of them. Stevie Johnson had a shot at redemption when Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a perfect pass to him in the middle of the field at the Jets 25 with 35 seconds left. Johnson dropped it and the Jets exhaled. Revis said he thought Johnson would have scored on the play. But Ryan said, “He’s not getting in.”

“We’ll take the win all the time,” Ryan said. “Ifs, ands and buts or whatever, we got the victory. We closed out the game. Was it the prettiest thing? No, I’d much rather end up with a sack or turnover or whatever, but we’ll take the win just the same. If that ball is on the six-inch line, I’ll still bet on our defense.”

The Bills had two more clean shots at the end zone that they failed to convert.

“I wouldn’t call us fortunate,” safety Brodney Pool said. “I think we deserved to win. In the end we made the plays that they didn’t make. That’s a credit to our offense. On defense we played good in spurts, but we did enough to win.”

Quarterback Mark Sanchez was not in the locker room to answer for his performance. He only speaks to the reporters who regularly cover the team after games and on Wednesdays. Though Sanchez threw for a career-high four touchdowns, he made some terrible throws and did not find a rhythm with his receivers until the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, Ryan heaped praise on Sanchez.

“Mark Sanchez is not our problem,” Ryan said. “He’s one of the strengths of our team.”

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/fortune_teller_02yqgWCXAyHTcb6VbOQUJJ#ixzz1f6YgejEs

[flgreen]

Jets' Rex Ryan hopes good luck keeps coming after Bills win

Published: Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 4:00 AM

By Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

Follow

Email Print

Enlarge William Perlman/The Star-Ledger New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes (10) makes the winning touchdown catch in the 28-24 win at the New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ 11/27/11 (William Perlman/The Star-Ledger) New York Jets win 28-24 against the Buffalo Bills 11-27-11 gallery (49 photos)

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

The old saying goes, “I’d rather be lucky than good.” Rex Ryan says he’d rather be both.

His 6-5 Jets team has certainly been cast as lucky, after escaping with a 28-24 win against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Ryan bristled at that description at first, but he’ll take it as long as his team is winning.

“I don’t care if I’m known as the luckiest coach in the league,” the Jets coach said. “But it is funny how if we make a mistake, we’re horrible, ‘Oh, they’re terrible.’ ... But if we make a play, ‘Oh, we’re just lucky.’ ”

The Jets made their fair share of plays Sunday, none bigger than Plaxico Burress’ one-handed sideline catch to set up Santonio Holmes’ game-winning touchdown. But there were also a handful of plays on which they could be considered fortunate, that a mistake didn’t end up costing them.

Perhaps most obvious was Bills receiver Stevie Johnson’s flagrant drop on his team’s final drive. Ryan remained adamant that Johnson would not have made it into the end zone for a 47-yard game-winning touchdown, had he caught the ball, but cornerback Darrelle Revis disagreed.

Johnson surprised the Jets by running a post route, instead of a corner route toward the sideline, and got wide open against their zone coverage at the 25-yard line. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s pass was perfectly placed. Had Johnson made the easy catch, “he’d probably score,” said Revis, who lined up on Johnson on the play.

Johnson got wide open again before the game ended, this time in the end zone with 15 seconds to play. Revis said safety Brodney Pool “drifted” in zone coverage, leaving Johnson free to the inside — but Fitzpatrick’s pass was behind Johnson, and the Jets escaped on that play.

“It was scary,” Revis said of Johnson’s close calls. “But he did (drop the ball), so we’re at where we’re at now with a win. But yeah, at the time, it was crucial moments and that just falls back on us, just playing better defense and being more technique sound.”

There were other strokes of good fortune for the Jets. Quarterback Mark Sanchez threw one interception, but there were at least a few other near-misses. The Bills mish*t a squib kick, which in conjunction with Johnson’s 15-yard excessive celebration penalty on his second-quarter touchdown, gave the Jets the ball on Buffalo’s 36-yard line. They scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress four plays later.

Watching the film wasn’t nerve-wracking, because the Jets knew the victorious outcome. But the coaches and players were as “harsh” as ever, nose tackle Sione Pouha said, pointing out the mistakes that can’t be made at this point in the season. On defense, the emphasis was on the details that have kept them from closing games in the manner they would like — on Sunday, perhaps instead killing the Bills’ last drive with a sack or a turnover.

“It’s a move-on thing,” Revis said. “Let’s learn from what we did, let’s get better, but we have to get better, we’ve got to approach it differently. We’ve got to get better very quickly, because time is ticking, and it’s getting into December. We can’t be making these mistakes late in the season like this.”

The next five games determine if the Jets will have a postseason or not, and there may be no margin for error. Pouha said the Jets will remain in contention “if we play the way we know how to play” — not necessarily the way they played on Sunday.

But as the Jets try to put all the pieces in place, to become a more consistent and less mistake-prone team, a little luck won’t hurt.

“Maybe it’s the green,” Ryan said, referencing the Jets’ colors. “Maybe that’s what it is. I don’t know.

I hope karma is with us, I hope we continue to be lucky, and we’ll take that.”

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

Jenny Vrentas: jvrentas@starledger.com

[flgreen]

Stevie Johnson's antics irk Jets a day after Bills game

Published: Monday, November 28, 2011, 11:43 PM Updated: Monday, November 28, 2011, 11:50 PM

By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

Follow

Email Print

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerAfter mimicking a plane crash, the Buffalo Bills' Stevie Johnson was penalized for excessive celebration against the Jets on Sunday.

Stevie Johnson’s actions were not forgotten a day after the Buffalo Bills wide receiver rumbled through the MetLife Stadium end zone, ripping off a pair of controversial touchdown celebrations.

While his jab at Jets receiver Plaxico Burress’ past legal troubles by mimicking a self-shooting in the thigh raised most of the attention, his “Flight Boys” jog and subsequent pantomime plane crash also drew some criticism from Jets players.

“Us being from New York, we like to hold ourselves to integrity, and that airplane thing, in my opinion, was kind of a dagger a little bit,” defensive tackle Sione Pouha said.

“Considering the circumstances that we just celebrated — not celebrated, but in remembrance of what we just had on Sept 11. Unprofessional, but that’s just my opinion.

“We all stand for pride around here. All of us are from this region, so we know that’s a sacred moment for a lot of people, and it’s a very sobering moment.”

Johnson apologized to Burress personally, calling the receiver on Sunday night. Today, Johnson told the Associated Press that after having talked with Bills coach Chan Gailey, all of his touchdown celebrations will end.

“(Gailey) was telling me I have to be smarter. “I’ve got to be more aware of the situations and rules,” Johnson said. “I’ll listen to every word that he says. That’s my coach.”

Burress said Johnson was lucky that the Jets receiver has grown as a person over the last two years. Had the incident occurred in 2007, Burress would have “met (Johnson) outside before he got on his bus,” he said today in an interview with 1050 ESPN Radio.

Burress added: “I don’t think he took consideration for everything that happened to me when he did it. And I think a day later he’s realized what he did and how he made himself look; he embarrassed his team, his organization, his players, his coaches and everything like that. But those are things you learn; it’s being young and being immature at times.”

Coach Rex Ryan called it “ridiculous.” Darrelle Revis called it immature, and wondered why Johnson even went after Burress. Brodney Pool called the move classless. And Pouha, referencing Johnson’s costly dropped pass at the end of the game, called it poetic justice.

“Well, he shot himself at the end of the game, he didn’t win it,” Pouha said. “I don’t know what shot’s worse.”

Ryan backed his quarterback today saying, “Mark Sanchez is not our problem. He’s one of the strengths of our team.”

Ryan did not hear from Sanchez after the game about giving backup Mark Brunell first-string reps during the week.

The Jets released safety Emanuel Cook and elevated DB Tracy Wilson from the practice squad.

The team also released OLB Eddie Jones from the practice squad and added OLB Ricky Sapp.

Ryan would not say whether Cook’s release was performance-based, only that roster moves were for the “benefit” of the team.

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

[flgreen]

After Close Call, ‘Lucky’ Rex Says Sanchez Not Jets’ Problem

November 29, 2011 7:42 AM

Share thisNo comments

(credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) – Rex Ryan laughs when people say his Jets are a lucky bunch.

Sure, they needed a brilliant catch by Plaxico Burress, a few drops by Buffalo’s Stevie Johnson and lots of deep breaths, but the Jets coach says his team did exactly what it needed to in its 28-24 victory Sunday.

“I’ve said it for three years now: I don’t care if I’m known as the luckiest coach in the league,” Ryan said Monday. “That’s great. As long as we win, that’s fine with me.”

New York (6-5) kept pace in the AFC playoff race with the win that snapped a two-game skid, but the Jets realize they need to be a lot better if they intend to make it to the postseason for the third straight year. They entered the game against the Bills with many players saying they needed to win all six of their final games to reach the playoffs.

The Jets got the first one, but it was hardly convincing – especially when Ryan Fitzpatrick was driving the Bills down the field in the closing seconds.

“It was scary,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said with a laugh.

It was a victory that was filled with lots of juicy story lines including Johnson mocking Burress by pretending he was shot during a touchdown celebration, Mark Sanchez having another mediocre performance despite setting a career high with four TD passes and Burress coming up with a one-handed grab for a first down that saved the Jets’ season, at least for now.

It was Sanchez’s eighth fourth-quarter comeback victory, despite the fact he completed under 50 percent of his passes – he was 17 of 35 – and threw an interception for the fifth straight game.

“Mark Sanchez is not our problem,” a defiant Ryan said. “He’s one of the strengths of our team.”

There was also the Jets’ defense appearing as if it was about to have another late-game collapse.

But this time, the Jets survived three close calls. A wide-open Johnson dropped a pass in the middle of the field that might have gone for a touchdown. Fitzpatrick misfired on a pass to Johnson a few seconds later, zipping the ball just behind the receiver in the end zone. Johnson was open again on the last play of the game, but Fitzpatrick’s throw was way over his head.

“It wasn’t real pretty,” Ryan said, “but we’ll take it.”

“He was wide open,” said Revis. “If he would have caught it, he’d probably score.”

Many expected the Jets to win easily, considering the Bills had several starters sidelined with injuries and New York has played its best under Ryan in desperate situations. Instead, it was a nail-biter that left the Jets and their fans drained.

Few players showed up in the locker room during media availability Monday, and those who did weren’t exactly celebrating.

“I think there’s still room to push our team,” Revis said.

“I think there’s more so a sense of frustration,” said Aaron Maybin. “If we’re going to really consider ourselves to be one of the best defenses in the NFL, we can’t have those inconsistencies.”

The win also had some in the media far from convinced that this is a playoff-caliber team, saying that it could easily be 5-6 without a little bit of luck.

“It is funny how if we make a mistake, we’re horrible and it’s, `Oh, they’re terrible,’” Ryan said. “That could be bad luck there, too. But if we make a play, it’s, `Oh, we’re just lucky.’ So, maybe it’s the green (team colors). I don’t know. I hope karma is with us. I hope we continue to be lucky, and we’ll take that.”

“The old saying, `I’d rather be lucky than good.’ I’d rather be both, and I think we are.”

But there were moments, particularly early, when it appeared Sanchez could be headed to the bench because of poor throws, bad decisions and the offense just being ineffective. Despite taking away some snaps in practice last week to fire up the quarterback, it was more of the same old Sanchez. That is, until the final drive.

That’s when Sanchez made a handful of clutch throws, including the play of the game on third-and-11 from the 36: an 18-yard toss to Burress, who reached up with his right arm for a one-handed, twisting grab. Two plays later, Sanchez connected with Santonio Holmes for the winning 16-yard touchdown.

The offensive line, which has been a constantly criticized unit this season, allowed no sacks and gave Sanchez plenty of time in what Ryan called its best performance so far.

The defense, though, had its issues again by allowing a 90-yard touchdown drive earlier in the game and then nearly allowing the Bills to march down the field to win it.

“Obviously, there are some things that we have to take care of in terms of tightening up the execution and the game plan,” defensive tackle Sione Pouha said. “It’s always good to fix what you can fix with the `W’ under your belt.”

Perhaps the most alarming aspect on the defensive side was the fact the Bills constantly tested Revis, who was beat by Johnson on several plays as the wide receiver ran slants and changed up his moves time and again. He caught eight passes for 75 yards and had the first touchdown scored on Revis all season.

“I mean, Brett Favre threw interceptions before,” Revis said. “You’re not going to have a perfect game all the time. You’re not going to have your best game all the time. I’ve have had horrible games in the past.”

It has been a while, though. And, the Jets can’t afford any more of those – from Revis, Sanchez or anyone else.

“We have to keep improving, there’s no question,” Ryan said. “We’re not going to win and we’re not going to reach our goal if we don’t get better. But we definitely plan on getting better.”

Notes: Ryan said DE Mike DeVito sprained the MCL in his left knee and isn’t likely to play against Washington on Sunday. DeVito recently returned from the same injury to his right knee. … Ryan on Johnson’s touchdown celebration antics: “I thought it was ridiculous.”

[flgreen]

Dyer: Jets’ Identity Emerges In Win

November 29, 2011 9:16 AM

Share thisNo comments

(credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

By Kristian Dyer

It wasn’t pretty and there is very little white left on the fingernails of most Jets fans, but if one thing emerged from Sunday’s 28-24 nail biter of a win over Buffalo, it was the team’s identity. Or at the very least, what the team’s identity should be.

Much will be made of quarterback Mark Sanchez’s four touchdown performance, a career high. It could be called a lucky win even, gifted by the fall from grace of Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson who let what would have been a game-winning touchdown slip through his fingers with a minute left in the fourth quarter. And there’s something to the talk that this team plays well with its back to the wall, showing resilience and character in yet another “must-win” game.

But with all that being said, what emerged from the comeback win is that this Jets team is beginning again with a “Ground & Pound” philosophy.

Lost amid the aforementioned four passing touchdowns by Sanchez was that the Jets ground game was effective and helped keep the chains moving, allowing the offense to take shots down the field.

Because the Bills had to put seven or eight players in the box to stem the running attack, opportunities were present downfield, even if the Jets failed to capitalize on them.

All told, Shonn Greene rushed 13 times for 78 yards, his six yards per carry a season high. And credit to Joe McKnight who filled in for the injured LaDainian Tomlinson with a quiet but effective four carries for 21 yards. The Jets even utilized wide receiver Santonio Holmes effectively on some end runs in a bit of “trickeration” – all plays that kept the Bills defense guessing and keyed in on stopping the run.

This isn’t a new strategy for the Jets and one that they too quickly abandoned this year.

Two years ago in Rex Ryan’s first season as head coach, the Jets had the best rushing attack in the league, averaging 172.2 yards per game. Last year, they dipped to fourth best though they were more than effective to the tune of 148.4 yards per game. This season, they are 24th in the league in rushing as the offensive line has struggled to create holes for the running backs and the team has turned into a pass-heavy attack, especially when they fall behind early in games.

But if the Jets want to improve to 7-5 this weekend in Washington, they will need more of the ground game.

This is a Redskins team that is in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards allowed and is susceptible to getting physically pushed around and mauled by teams willing to commit to the run.

And the fact that Sanchez, despite his record setting day, still completed just 17 of his 35 passes is a testament to the fact that he can’t carry the team and that the ground game is vital for moving the ball down the field.

What all this means is that the Jets showed a glimpse of their blueprint for success on Sunday afternoon and what can carry them to the playoffs if they remain committed to being a ground team.

The offense can be effective if and when Greene gets going between the tackles, putting his head down and plowing forward for yards. It wasn’t flashy with a lot of dazzle – just a lot of good downhill running from a player Ryan called this past August his “bell cow.”

And if the Jets hope to make the playoffs this year, it looks an awful lot like they will need more “bell cow.”

Kristian R. Dyer contributes to WFAN.com and covers the Jets beat for Metro New York. He also writes for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him at twitter.com/KristianRDyer

[flgreen]

Sione Pouha thinks Stevie Johnson is insensitive to 9/11 victims

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 29, 2011, 8:08 AM EST

Getty Images

Bills receiver Stevie Johnson made fun of Jets receiver Plaxico Burress on Sunday, scoring a touchdown and then pretending to shoot himself in the leg, as Burress actually did three years ago. But while that celebration has gathered all the headlines, Jets defensive lineman Sione Pouha says

Johnson did something far more tasteless.

Johnson also stuck his arms out and ran around in the end zone, mimicking the “Flight Boys” celebration of the Jets’ receivers, and then he fell to the ground. That seems like a playful shot at the Jets, but Pouha saw something much more sinister in a celebration that looked like a plane crash.

“Us being from New York, we like to hold ourselves to some integrity, and that airplane thing, in my opinion, was kind of a dagger considering the circumstances of remembrance of what we just had on Sept. 11,” Pouha said. “It was just unprofessional. We all stand for pride around here, and that’s a sacred moment for a lot of people and it’s a very sobering moment.”

Pouha’s interpretation of Johnson’s celebration seems like a real stretch. Johnson may go too far with his touchdown celebrations sometimes, but it’s unthinkable that he would try to make a joke of 9/11.

[flgreen]

Morning take: Brady and Branch

November, 29, 2011

Nov 29

8:30

AM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments84
  

By James Walker

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

• New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick talks about the relationship between quarterback Tom Brady and receiver Deion Branch.
  

Morning take: Branch is a the type of receiver Brady likes. He’s smart, trustworthy and almost always in the right place. Sometimes those qualities can overcome lack of blazing speed.

• Buffalo Bills receiver Steve Johnson faces a fine from the NFL for his touchdown celebration.
  

Morning take: The AFC East blog predicted the NFL would get involved. A fine seems sufficient for Johnson. After that, it's time to move on.

• Speaking of Johnson, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis says his game against the Bills' receiver wasn't that bad.
  

Morning take: Revis wasn’t the usual shutdown corner he normally is. But this is a measure of his great skills. If a receiver gets 75 yards on Revis, it's considered a bad game.

• The Miami Dolphins say they're not ready for the role of "spoiler."
  

Morning take: Well, that's exactly what they are at this point. The 3-8 Dolphins are playing good football. But if they still think they have a shot at the playoffs, that's just wrong.

[Bleedin Green]

WOW

Strange set of circumstances for a guy who made a big play.

The higher up would have to be Mike T. Tough break for the kid

Part of me is wondering if this whole thing is just getting overblown. The Jets made some moves yesterday but kept themselves with an open spot on the PS. Assuming he's still PS eligible and he clears waivers, I'd imagine the Jets are just swapping Wilson and Cook and frankly, considering how awful the Jets safeties are, if they think Wilson has a legit chance to contribute on defense, it's certainly worth a shot. I guess we'll see, but it just seems like some of these reports have a bit of a severe reaction for a bottom of the roster player. Let's be honset, if not for that recovery, I doubt anyone would even think twice about this.

[flgreen]

Part of me is wondering if this whole thing is just getting overblown. The Jets made some moves yesterday but kept themselves with an open spot on the PS. Assuming he's still PS eligible and he clears waivers, I'd imagine the Jets are just swapping Wilson and Cook and frankly, considering how awful the Jets safeties are, if they think Wilson has a legit chance to contribute on defense, it's certainly worth a shot. I guess we'll see, but it just seems like some of these reports have a bit of a severe reaction for a bottom of the roster player. Let's be honset, if not for that recovery, I doubt anyone would even think twice about this.

True

It was just weird timing

[Bleedin Green]

True

It was just weird timing

Agreed, but I think it's one of those scenarios where you can't let one fluky play affect your personnel decisions. Like I said, at this point I'd expect they still plan to bring him back.

[flgreen]

Rex: We're both lucky and good

Originally published: November 28, 2011 8:46 PM

Updated: November 28, 2011 8:59 PM

By RODERICK BOONE roderick.boone@newsday.com

Photo credit: Getty Images | New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan stands on the sidelines during a game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. (Nov. 27, 2011)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Some think Rex Ryan must be carrying a rabbit's foot or a horseshoe in his pocket after the Jets escaped with a 28-24 win over the Bills Sunday.

"You know what, and I've said it for three years now," he said Monday. "I don't care if I'm the luckiest coach in the league. That's great. As long as we win, that's fine with me. But it is funny how if we make a mistake, we're horrible. 'Oh, they're terrible.' That could be bad luck there, too. But if we make a play, 'Oh, we're just lucky.' . . . I hope karma is with us. I hope we continue to be lucky and we'll take that. The old saying, 'I'd rather be lucky than good.' I'd rather be both, and I think we are."

Plaxico Burress made a huge 18-yard reception with one hand to keep the winning drive alive, which certainly was lucky for the Jets, but they also had their fair share of gaffes against the Bills.

Antonio Cromartie muffed a punt, setting up a Buffalo touchdown. Mark Sanchez, despite finishing with a career-high four touchdown passes, threw a first-half interception and nearly got picked off two more times, completing only 48.5 percent of his attempts.

Defensively, the Jets didn't put a ton of pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick, who passed for 264 yards and three touchdowns. They also were fortunate on Buffalo's final drive, as Stevie Johnson had what likely would have been a 47-yard TD pass bounce off his hands at the Jets' 25. "That's on him," Darrelle Revis said. "If he would've caught it, he probably would've scored. But he didn't. He dropped it."

Three plays later, Fitzpatrick threw a pass behind a wide-open Johnson in the back of the end zone. It could have been a touchdown if the throw had been on target.

"You want all the games to be a perfect game, but yesterday it wasn't," Revis said. "There were mistakes out there, and also there were positive plays. But we have to really focus on the mistakes and get them corrected because this has been going on through the course of the year. It was,

'Let's just really focus in on the little things that we do on defense and we cannot make mental mistakes out there.' "

Especially when the defense is trying to get off the field late in games, something they weren't able to accomplish against the Broncos, Patriots and Raiders.

"We are well aware of that trend that we've got to finish drives off," Sione Pouha said. "When we get the opportunity to make plays, to kind of finish it off. When we get a lead of some sort in the second half, we should have the mentality that they won't score, they won't win."

Notes & quotes:Ryan doesn't expect DE Mike DeVito, who suffered a left knee injury, to play Sunday . . . The Jets released S Emanuel Cook and signed S Tracy Wilson from the practice squad.

[flgreen]

Jets irked by Johnson's insensitivity

Originally published: November 28, 2011 9:02 PM

Updated: November 28, 2011 10:07 PM

By RODERICK BOONE roderick.boone@newsday.com

Photo credit: AP | New York Jets defensive tackle Sione Pouha after a football game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. (Nov. 7, 2010)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Sione Pouha didn't enjoy Stevie Johnson's touchdown celebration one bit.

The Jets' defensive tackle thought Johnson wasn't being sensitive to the victims of 9/11, when two planes were flown into the Twin Towers, just miles away from MetLife Stadium. Johnson mocked the Jets' "Flight Boys'' celebration, spreading his arms in the same fashion as Santonio Holmes and then acting as if the plane had crash-landed.

"It probably wasn't as professional as he should be,'' Pouha said yesterday. "Us being from New York, we like to hold ourselves with integrity, and that airplane thing, in my opinion, was kind of a dagger a little bit, considering the circumstances that we had in remembrance of what we had on Sept. 11. It was unprofessional."

Rex Ryan had another description for it: "I thought it was ridiculous."

After scoring on a 5-yard slant against Darrelle Revis near the end of the second quarter of the Jets' 28-24 victory over the Bills on Sunday, Johnson first pretended to pull out two imaginary pistols and shoot himself in the thigh, limping around the end zone for a few steps. That was a reference to

Plaxico Burress' nightclub incident that led to his serving 20 months in prison for a weapons violation.

Johnson reached out to Burress in the aftermath of Sunday's game and said Monday that everything is all right between the two.

"I just shouted a text message," Johnson told reporters in Buffalo. "He responded and everything's cool. It's an unfortunate situation with me being immature like that.''

On Sunday, Burress said he did not see Johnson's celebration but would not have been bothered by it. He reiterated that Monday in a radio interview and also indicated he has no issues with Johnson.

Still, Johnson didn't show an awful lot of remorse.

"Everybody's sitting here talking about us, talking about the wide receivers on our team are soft," he said. "They're talking about you get at the receivers, people guaranteeing things on us. Everybody seems to be talking about us, but when we do something, it's blown up now. Not saying what I did was right. I still take full blame and everything on that.''

Bills coach Chan Gailey spoke with Johnson about his ill-advised move, telling him what he did wasn't a good thing -- particularly when Johnson acted as if he had shot himself.

"Yes, it bothered me, sure it did," Gailey told reporters. "I don't think you make fun of people. I don't think you do that. That's wrong, in my opinion, and I stated that."

Pouha didn't have a lot of love for Johnson's poke at Burress, either.

"Well, he shot himself at the end of the game,'' Pouha said, a slap at Johnson for dropping a potential game-winning 47- yard touchdown pass after he got behind the Jets' defense with about 30 seconds left. "He didn't win it. I don't know which shot's worse.

"Those are events that happened in somebody's life," Pouha added. "That's kind of something personal, a little bit. Plax had to go through some things, so that's a moment for him . . . It was probably just unprofessional to come out and do something like that.''

Revis also was bothered by Johnson's antics. "It's just him being a young guy, and young and immature a little bit, because I felt it had nothing to do with the situation,'' he said. "If anything, you scored on me. So come at me, if anything. But that's just wrong to me.

"It wasn't smart on his part of doing the gun thing and shooting himself. That was just, to me, disrespectful to Plaxico in a way."

[flgreen]

Sanchez-Fitz-Moore Watch

November, 29, 2011

Nov 29

11:00

AM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments117
  

By James Walker

US PresswireMatt Moore remained atop the standings after Miami nearly upset the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.We are approaching the end of the third quarter to determine the No. 2 quarterback in the AFC East. Things are getting very competitive.

Here is our latest installment of the "Sanchez-Fitz-Moore Watch" for Week 12:

Mark Sanchez, New York Jets

Result: W, 28-24 against Buffalo

Stats: 17-34, 180 yards, four touchdowns, one interception

QBR: 55.4

Analysis: This is one of the hardest performances I've had to grade all season. Sanchez was up and down in several ways. He struggled in the first half but was great in the clutch and the fourth quarter. He threw for a career-high four touchdowns but not a lot of yards. I admit his masterful performance in the final drive boosts his grade. But Sanchez needs to be that good throughout the game.

Walker’s grade: B

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills

Result: L, 28-24 against New York

Stats: 26-39, 264 yards, three touchdowns

QBR: 76.6

Analysis: Fitzpatrick quietly got back on track for Buffalo. He had his best game in weeks throwing against a tough New York pass defense. Fitzpatrick is fearless, which is good and bad at times. It was good against the Jets, because Fitzpatrick and receiver Steve Johnson had success against Pro Bowl corner Darrelle Revis. Fitzpatrick outperformed Sanchez most of the game but didn’t get the win.

Walker’s grade: B

Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins

Result: L, 20-19 against Dallas

Stats: 19-32, 288 yards, one touchdown

QBR: 61.4

Analysis: Moore continues to impress in Miami. He threw for a season-high 288 yards on the road against the Cowboys. We saw what Dallas’ defense can do against AFC East quarterbacks a couple weeks ago when it faced Fitzpatrick. Moore was poised on the road and played much better. It was nearly enough to win. But Miami's defense blew a pair of fourth-quarter leads.

Walker’s grade: B

This week’s winner: Three-way tie (three points)

Overall standings (third quarter)

First place: Moore (nine points)

Second place: Sanchez (seven points)

Third place: Fitzpatrick (five points)

We couldn't determine a winner this week's "Sanchez-Fitz Moore Watch." Which quarterback do you think had the best performance?

[flgreen]

Playing-time breakdown

November, 29, 2011

Nov 29

11:58

AM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments
  

By Rich Cimini

A look at the playing time in Sunday's win over the Bills (press-box view, allow for margin of error. Includes penalties):

RUNNING BACK

Shonn Greene ... 48 snaps

John Conner ... 36

Joe McKnight ... 20

TIGHT END

Dustin Keller ... 59

Matt Mulligan ... 20

Vladimir Ducasse ... 1

WIDE RECEIVER

Santonio Holmes ... 63

Plaxico Burress ... 55

Patrick Turner ... 33

Analysis: Interestingly, Greene handled a lot of the third-down role, probably because of his blocking. The coaching staff probably doesn't trust McKnight in blitz pick-up, although he did make a nice block on Burress' circus catch ... It'll be interesting to see how they divide the workload if LaDainian Tomlinson (knee) returns this week ... This was a busy game for Turner, who actually started for Burress. (Presumably, it was package-related.) Turner drew praise for his blocking and he also made a key catch on the final drive.

[flgreen]

Playing-time breakdown

November, 29, 2011

Nov 29

11:58

AM ET

• Email
  
• Print
  
• Comments
  

By Rich Cimini

A look at the playing time in Sunday's win over the Bills (press-box view, allow for margin of error. Includes penalties):

RUNNING BACK

Shonn Greene ... 48 snaps

John Conner ... 36

Joe McKnight ... 20

TIGHT END

Dustin Keller ... 59

Matt Mulligan ... 20

Vladimir Ducasse ... 1

WIDE RECEIVER

Santonio Holmes ... 63

Plaxico Burress ... 55

Patrick Turner ... 33

Analysis: Interestingly, Greene handled a lot of the third-down role, probably because of his blocking. The coaching staff probably doesn't trust McKnight in blitz pick-up, although he did make a nice block on Burress' circus catch ... It'll be interesting to see how they divide the workload if LaDainian Tomlinson (knee) returns this week ... This was a busy game for Turner, who actually started for Burress. (Presumably, it was package-related.) Turner drew praise for his blocking and he also made a key catch on the final drive.

I wonder if Rex is considering converting Turner to TE. He did rave about his blocking quite a bit in his presser.

Guys like 6'5"

[BroadwayJ667]

I think Pouha was really reaching with that remark. I mean he was out of line trying to link Stevie's dumb celebration to 9-11. Obviously Stevie was mocking the Jets fly-by

[flgreen]

I think Pouha was really reaching with that remark. I mean he was out of line trying to link Stevie's dumb celebration to 9-11. Obviously Stevie was mocking the Jets fly-by

Thought the same thing.

Who's going to tell Pouha to STFU?

[JetsFanInDenver]

WOW

Strange set of circumstances for a guy who made a big play.

The higher up would have to be Mike T. Tough break for the kid

Is this cutting Peter to send a message to all the Pauls ?