flgreen Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Jets coach Rex Ryan 'more comfortable' with S Jim Leonhard returning punts Published: Monday, December 05, 2011, 2:26 PM Updated: Monday, December 05, 2011, 3:37 PM By Star-Ledger Staff Follow Email Print Andrew Mills/THE STAR-LEDGERJeremy Kerley's muffed punt on Sunday may have cost him the roll as punt returner for the time being. By Conor Orr and Jenny Vrentas/ Star-Ledger Staff It appears Jeremy Kerley's muffed punt yesterday will cost him the role of punt returner for the foreseeable future. Against the Redskins, Kerley botched a return with less than a minute to go in the first half, handing Washington ideal field position and the momentum before halftime. He was replaced by S Jim Leonhard for the duration of the game and it became the fourth straight Jets game with a turnover on either a kickoff or punt return. It was the sixth total botched kickoff or punt return this season. Ryan said he's simply more "comfortable" with Leonhard staying there for now. "I'll be honest with you, I feel really comfortable with Jim Leonhard back there," Ryan said. "This is the same guy that's averaged close to 10 yards per punt return his entire career, and as I mentioned before he can catch it in a hurricane. "This time of year the weather has a tendency to pick up and things and I just assume -- I would just, right now, feel more comfortable having Jim Leonhard back there. And I know (special teams coordinator Mike) Westhoff and I feel the same way. I think that's how we're going to go." Ryan called it an "unfortunate thing" and said that Kerley was at the team's facility fielding punts today during his off day. "Sometimes that mental part, you have to overcome that as well," Ryan said. "The great thing about Jeremy is that he's focused on what he can improve on, which is the physical part. He goes out every day and catches punts off the jugs machine, all the extra work and I think it will pay off for him in the long run." Kerley said he just took his eye off the muffed punt yesterday. * * * Joe McKnight's MRI revealed no ligament tear or structural damage in his hyper-extended right elbow, a person with knowledge of his injury confirmed. He was injured yesterday late in the third quarter. Ryan said he doesn't anticipate McKnight practicing on Wednesday. McKnight had one reception for two yards on Sunday and a carry for -1 yard, seeing more increased time when LaDainian Tomlinson was recovering from a slight knee issue. With Tomlinson, who said he aggravated the same knee issue that caused him to miss the previous two games, the injury actually came after tripping on the sideline following what looked like a fairly aggressive -- and possibly horse collar -- tackle. But Ryan said he thinks Tomlinson will be okay. He did re-enter the game and was in the coach's ear about helping on some pass protection sets. "Here's one of the greatest running backs in the history of the game and he's like 'I'll go in there in block.' But that was kind of neat to see," Ryan said. "But hopefully he's feeling better." + Ryan said he saw Mike DeVito (knee) jogging today, but that his status was uncertain for Sunday. Rookie Kenrick Ellis started in DeVito's place yesterday. * * * Jets tight end Matt Mulligan appeared to have a heated moment on the sidelines during Sunday's 34-19 win against the Redskins. At the beginning of the third quarter, after Mulligan was flagged for a false start penalty, the CBS broadcast caught him in what looked like a heated moment. Mulligan appeared like he may have had words for running backs coach Anthony Lynn. Tight end Dustin Keller and offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse then stepped in front of Mulligan, holding him back. Ryan said today he was unaware of what may have happened on the sideline, though he expressed disappointment over the penalty. Mulligan has been flagged several times this season. "I’m not sure if they had words or anything else," Ryan said. "I know its disappointing you have a penalty, there is no question about it, and Mully has had a few this year, there is no doubt. Everybody has to be accountable, we’ve got to ask why it is happening, and we’ve got to get it corrected, there is no question. "As far as having words with Anthony Lynn, I'm not sure. I know how competitive everybody is and a lot of things happen in between the white lines on game day. It's never a personal thing, even if things do happen. It’s not like getting punched in the face or something. But those things just happen. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s forgotten by now, even if there was. I don’t really know what went on, but I can tell you this: this football team, we’re focused, and we’ll be ready to play this week." Ryan's comment about getting punched in the face was a reference to the infamous sideline fight between his father, Buddy Ryan, and Kevin Gilbride in 1993, when they were both Oilers assistants. Buddy Ryan took a swing at Gilbride, caught on television. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Rex Ryan suggests more Wildcat plays vs. Redskins, remains confident about Jets' playoff chances BY Manish Mehta Rex Ryan admitted that it was his idea to incorporate more Wildcat plays during the Jets’ 34-19 win over the Redskins on Sunday. Gang Green dusted off plays reserved for Brad Smith last year with a fair amount of success. Shonn Greene even scored one of his three touchdowns on a Wildcat play. “I think it’s tough to defend if you’re not really focused on it,” Ryan said on Monday. “Sometimes it’s tough to defend…. We thought this is a good football team (Redskins). They’re really good against the run. So we thought we could challenge them by putting in some of those things… That was my feeling on it. When Schotty and I talked about, he said, ‘That sounds like a great idea. Let’s go for it.’” Ryan credited offensive line Bill Callahan for putting in new blocking schemes to facilitate the Wildcat. “You’ll make suggestions to everybody,” Ryan said. “We’re just trying to help. We’re all on the same page. If there’s something that I see that I think might be decent (for) us… then we’ll mention it. We’ll have our defensive coaches sometimes come up with suggestions for the offense. And vice versa. We don’t care where we get it from. We’re a team. We’re all trying to shoot for the same thing. That was something that the offense kind of embraced. We practiced it and I thought we were pretty successful at it.” Ryan’s team is one of five teams battling for the final wildcard spot at 7-5 with four weeks left in the regular season. “We’re a team that just wants to win and get in the playoffs and see what happens,” Ryan said. “That’s what we try to do. Our goal’s in tact. It looked really bad a few weeks ago…. It was a devastating loss that we had to Denver. We can’t focus on that. We got to focus on improvement and finding ways to win games. We don’t’ have any wiggle room. We got to get it done. We understand that. We also have a great deal of confidence in ourselves. We’re not worried. We’re not focused on other teams in this league. We’re just focused on getting better and finding ways to win. …. We’ve been there and done that. Our first year here we really struggled to make the playoffs, but we always believed that if we can get in there, we can do some damage and that’s what we plan on doing this year.” “My message is usually pretty clear to our players,” Ryan added. “We know that it’s in front of us. We know we’re a better team than how we played in some of these games earlier this year. We also know that we have to get better. We have to work at it. You can’t just assume that it’s going to happen.” Not surprisingly, Ryan admitted that the team’s prior struggles didn’t dent into their confidence. “This team has plenty of confidence,” Ryan said. “We don’t lack for confidence one bit. We think we can beat any team in this league. Obviously we lost five games this year so that’s not always a fact, but we believe going into every single game that we’re going to win….. We’ve had a recent history of being able to do that. So that builds into that confidence.” Notes: The Daily News has learned that Joe McKnight’s MRI on his hyperextended elbow didn’t reveal any tears. Ryan said it was unlikely that McKnight would practice on Wednesday and is unsure about his availability for Sundays’ game against the Chiefs. LaDainian Tomlinson aggravated his MCL injury, but will likely play on Sunday. DL Mike Devito (MCL) jogged today. His playing status for Sunday remains uncertain. Ryan said that sure-handed Jim Leonhard will handle the punt returns duties moving forward. http://twitter.com/TheJetsStream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Winners & losers from Jets win | More Print 10:27 AM, December 5, 2011 ι By BRIAN COSTELLO LANDOVER, MD. – The Jets are not getting style points, but they keep getting wins. It was another fourth-quarter comeback for the Jets against the Redskins on Sunday, this one a 34-19 victory that keeps them alive in the playoff hunt. Here's a look at the Jets winners and losers from Sunday's game: WINNERS MARK SANCHEZ – You can talk about the incompletions. You can talk about his inaccuracy. Go ahead. But all you'll remember in a few years is that throw to Santonio Holmes. Sanchez delivered – again. The 30-yard pass to Holmes for the go-ahead score with 4:49 left was just about as pretty a pass as he has ever thrown. Sanchez is at his best when he gives that head/shoulder fake and then hits a receiver on a double move. He also made a beautiful play on third down a few plays before the throw to Holmes, stepping up to avoid the blitz and finding Shonn Greene to keep the drive going. Stop looking for monster stats and just enjoy that your quarterback wins games. AARON MAYBIN – This is Mike Tannenbaum's signing of the year. Give the Jets GM credit – he plucked Maybin off the scrap heap, put him back on the scrap heap at the end of training camp and then brought him back three weeks later. Maybin has given the Jets the pass rusher they have missed under Rex Ryan. His strip-sack of Rex Grossman in the fourth quarter gives him six sacks and four forced fumbles this season. The Jets moved Maybin around against the Redskins more than they have. He blitzed up the middle several times. Ryan said teams are starting to game plan for Maybin. The coaches are getting more and more confidence in Maybin to leave him on the field. JOSH BAKER – The backup tight end does not get a lot of attention. He was signed off the practice squad in late September and has become a solid special teams player. He made a huge play Sunday to set up the drive that ended with Sanchez finding Holmes for the go-ahead touchdown. Redskins kicker Graham Gano kicked off short (on accident, Redskins said later). Baker, who is on the return line in front of the returner, caught the ball at the 20 and took off for a 29-yard return that gave the Jets the ball at midfield. It was huge for the Jets to get that field position after failing to move the ball for most of the game. LOSERS DUSTIN KELLER – Where does Keller go? A week after playing a huge role against the Bills, the Jets tight end was nowhere to be found. It is hard to understand how the Jets allow Keller to fall out of the game plan for long stretches. He had three catches for 12 yards Sunday and was targeted six times. Keller also had two penalties, one for a false start and the other for an illegal chop block. It is hard to figure out just how good Keller is when he is as up-and-down as this. JEREMY KERLEY – The rookie's return this week was supposed to stabilize the punt return game. So much for that. Kerley muffed a second-quarter punt that led to a Redskins field goal and a 13-10 Washington lead at halftime. That was the last time Kerley returned a punt all day. The job may now be Jim Leonhard's for good. He's not flashy, but he doesn't put the ball on the ground. That's what the Jets need. MATTHEW MULLIGAN – You have to wonder how much Mulligan would be playing if fellow tight end Jeff Cumberland had not gotten hurt early this season. The Jets second tight end is getting his name called for the wrong reason every week. He committed another false start penalty Sunday, on the first play of the third quarter. How do you jump on the first play after halftime? It was his sixth penalty of the year. The TV cameras caught Mulligan yelling at someone on the Jets sideline shortly after the play. It was not clear who was the target of his outburst. This is not the first time Mulligan has had a sideline spat. In Buffalo last month, guard Brandon Moore and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer were seen yelling at Mulligan after a penalty. The Jets have committed some dumb penalties, and Mulligan is one of their biggest culprits. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/jetsblog/winners_losers_from_jets_win_aNHV3LIr6FRRGYgEI2ieBL#ixzz1fhCgq8dX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Jets Q&A: LT thinks knee should be OK Originally published: December 4, 2011 7:16 PM Updated: December 4, 2011 7:46 PM By RODERICK BOONE roderick.boone@newsday.com Photo credit: Getty Images | Oshiomogho Atogwe of the Washington Redskins tackles LaDainian Tomlinson of the New York Jets. (Dec. 4, 2011) Is LaDainian Tomlinson all right after getting banged up in the first quarter? Tomlinson Sunday re-injured the left knee that forced him to sit out for two games. He got rolled up by Redskins safety Oshiomogho Atogwe during a tackle on the sideline on a 16-yard reception. But the running back returned in the third quarter and played a few more snaps. "I just tweaked my knee again, but it's not as bad as it was before," said Tomlinson, who thought a flag should have been thrown for a late hit. "What really got me was slipping on that carpet, and it kind of just tweaked it again. I should be able to play [sunday]. It shouldn't be something where I miss a game." Speaking of injuries, what happened to Joe McKnight? The running back hyperextended his elbow after he was tackled late in the third quarter on a screen pass. He expects to get an MRI Monday. "I can't really extend it," he said. "It's pretty swollen right now. I was going to the ground and somebody just fell on the back of it and it hyperextended it." Why was Rex Ryan upset with Shonn Greene after a game in which he rushed for 88 yards and three touchdowns? Because he would have preferred to have Greene fall down before reaching the end zone on his third touchdown, a 25-yard run with 1:47 left and the Jets ahead by eight points. The Jets then could have run out the clock without kicking off or playing defense. Greene's TD also opened the door for a possible injury during garbage time. "I was disappointed in myself for not telling him, so I'll take that responsibility," Ryan said. Greene said Ryan called him out for the mistake in front of the team after the game, but he said he wasn't thinking about flopping to the ground at the time it was happening. "I was just running," he said.A week after the Bills repeatedly targeted Darrelle Revis, did the Redskins follow suit? Nope. They did what most teams do and avoided his side of the field most of the day. "I guess they didn't," Revis said when asked if the Redskins seemed not to be throwing his way. Asked if last week's game lit a fire under him, he said, "No, no. Like I told you guys earlier in the week, you have to live with the great games and you have to live with the bad games . . . I approach the game the same way every week, and that's what I have to do." Seems as if the Jets used a lot of Wildcat. Was that the plan? "Absolutely," Ryan said. "It was something I had mentioned to -- that I would like to run some Wildcat this week and do some direct snaps. And I'll let him tell it was my play to put the power [lineup] in for the touchdown because it was, thank you very much.'' Did Greene enjoy his direct snaps? "It was different," said Greene, whose 9-yard TD run came off a direct snap and gave the Jets a 27-16 lead. "It's not something we do a lot of, but I think we did a good job with it and it helped us win this game." How did the Jets' offensive line feel after keeping the Redskins' vaunted pass rush in check and not yielding any sacks of Mark Sanchez? "Hey, protection is key," tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson said. "We did everything we could to protect Mark today. But Mark did a great job of getting the ball out and made our job easier. But you know these guys are great pass rushers, and we did what we could to stop them today." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted December 6, 2011 Author Share Posted December 6, 2011 NY Jets tailback Joe McKnight has MRI, shows no tears in elbow Running back suffers only hyperextension to elbow BY Kevin Armstrong & Manish Mehta NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tuesday, December 6 2011, 12:39 AM Lee S. Weissman/Lee S. Weissman Jets Joe McKnight will sit out practices this week, but could be back to face Chiefs on Sunday Jets tailback Joe McKnight suffered a hyperextension of his right elbow in the victory over the Redskins, but an MRI on Monday did not reveal any tears, as first reported by the Daily News. McKnight maintained that he was not able to reenter the game because of considerable swelling that prevented him from cradling the ball correctly. He could not flex his right arm, and Rex Ryan said he does not anticipate McKnight practicing Wednesday in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. He will receive treatment in the meantime. KERLEY SHUFFLED OUT Rookie return man Jeremy Kerley reported to the team’s training facility per usual Monday, to take extra punts, but the remedial work will not save him his role after he muffed a punt against the Redskins, according to Ryan. Ryan maintained that he was “more comfortable” with sure-handed safety Jim Leonhard returning punts. “Sometimes that mental part, you have to overcome that as well,” Ryan said of Kerley. “The great thing about Jeremy is that he’s focused on what he can improve on.” ADRENALINE RUSH Aaron Maybin, the team’s leader in sacks (six) and forced fumbles (four), expressed satisfaction over his emergence as a force with the Jets over the last nine games. On Monday, he told Ryan as much in the coach’s office. “As much as Ive struggled and as hard as things have been however long things have been bad, I’m as happy now as I have been since I started playing this game,” Maybin said. The coaches recognized that teams began playing the outside linebacker a certain way of late and altered his attack points. “It was a plan that we used this week, we went in and I attacked from several different positions,” Maybin said. “It did confuse them from a blocker’s perspective.” FORWARD PROGRESS RB LaDainian Tomlinson aggravated his MCL injury Sunday, but returned to the field to block on pass plays and ran the ball one more time. Ryan said he will likely play on Sunday. “Here’s one of the greatest running backs in the history of the game and he’s like ‘I’ll go in there to block.’ That was kind of neat to see,” Ryan said. UP AND RUNNING DL Mike Devito (knee) jogged on Monday. His playing status for Sunday remains uncertain. . . . The Jets were among four teams that put in a waiver claim for former Patriots wide receiver Taylor Price, according to a source. Price was awarded to Jacksonville. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mri-shows-tears-elbow-jets-tailback-joe-mcknight-article-1.987378#ixzz1flatr4Ko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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