" Cro, Joe & Rex : Did You Know for Jets-Buffalo " ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

Did you know these facts and connections for our second home game of the season against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at MetLife Stadium   ?

 

■ The very first game in our franchise's history was held Sept. 11, 1960, when the New York Titans defeated the Buffalo Bills 27-3 before a crowd of 10,200 at New York's Polo Grounds.

■ QB Joe Namath, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the New York Jets Ring of Honor, made the first start of his pro career vs. Buffalo in 1965.

■ Antonio Cromartie's INT-return touchdown at MetLife Stadium last year was our 32nd return TD of any kind vs. the Bills, the most against any NFL opponent.

■ Our overall defense is 2nd in the NFL this week, the first time we've been ranked that high since we finished the 2009 season as the No. 1 defense in the league.

■ First-year Buffalo head coach Doug Marrone was the Jets' offensive line coach from 2002-05.

■ The Jets' last 200-yard rusher was Thomas Jones, who rumbled for a franchise-record 210 yards on 22 carries against Buffalo in 2009.

■ The last 200-yard rusher allowed by the Jets was the Bills' Thurman Thomas, who ran for 214 yards on 18 carries in 1990.

■ We've won four of the last five meetings against the Bills in the Meadowlands, giving us a 27-25 home edge in this original AFL rivalry.

■ Jeremy Kerley's 68-yard punt return last September vs. BUF was our first home punt-return TD in a decade, or since Santana Moss went 63 yards vs. CLE on Oct. 27, 2002.

■ Mike Devlin, our offensive line coach and a Jets assistant coach since 2006, was Buffalo's 5th-round pick out of Iowa in 1993.

■ WR Wesley Walker and QB Ken O'Brien connected on the longest scrimmage play in our history, a 96-yard touchdown pass that helped the Jets defeat the Bills on Dec. 8, 1985.

■ Before today's QB matchup between Geno Smith and the Bills' EJ Manuel, the only other time rookie QBs started in a Jets game was in 1987 when David Norrie faced the Cowboys' Kevin Sweeney.

■ Chad Morton became the only player in NFL history to return kickoffs for TDs in both regulation and overtime as the Jets defeated the Bills 37-31 on opening day in 2002.

■ Jets head coach Rex Ryan is 6-2 for his career against Buffalo, the most wins for Rex against any NFL opponent.

■ In last year's season opener vs. BUF, Stephen Hill joined Al Dorow as only the second player to score 2 touchdowns in his first game as a member of our franchise.

■ New Bills K Dan Carpenter, who spent a week on our roster this preseason, is 18-for-20 for his career in FG attempts vs. the Jets, with both misses coming last year @ MIA.

■ First-year Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was Rex Ryan's D-coordinator with the Jets from 2009-12.

■ Six first-round selections from the 2006 NFL Draft are active for today's game: C Nick Mangold, T D'Brickashaw Ferguson, CB Antonio Cromartie and WR Santonio Holmes for the Jets, DE Mario Williams and LB Manny Lawson for BUF.

■ Jets CB/special teams standout Ellis Lankster was a 7th-round selection of the Bills in the 2009 draft.

■ Ex-Jets defensive players Jim Leonhard, Jamaal Westerman and Marcus Dowtin all played for the Bills in their first two games this season.

 

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-randylangeblogfb/Cro-Joe--Rex-Did-You-Know-for-Jets-Buffalo/04058770-a727-45c3-8450-f162dde987ae

 

[kelly]

more re bills...

 

> http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9686631

[kelly]

Jets O-line's mission: Stop Mr. Mario

To Jets coach Rex Ryan, Buffalo defensive end Mario Williams has it all.

"The fact that God touched this guy and gave him unbelievable gifts -- you got the height, the size, the length, the arms, the speed. That's what kind of jumps out," Ryan said. "And he plays hard. He's smart."

The Jets have the tough challenge of stopping the NFL's sack leader when Williams and the Bills come to town. Williams had 4 1/2 sacks in last Sunday's game against Carolina, which is more than the Jets have as a team through their first two contests.

Will the Jets keep Bills DE Mario Williams away from Geno Smith on Sunday?

"Mario Williams is one of those great athletes. He's a good defensive end. They have a good defensive line," Jets right tackle Austin Howard said. "At the same time, I believe we have a good offensive line. As usual it's going to be a battle in the trenches and we're prepared for that."

Williams set the Bills record against Cam Newton in Buffalo's 24-23 win over the Panthers. The pass-rusher tallied 3 1/2 sacks rushing from the left defensive end spot, while one came from the right side. Three of those sacks could be credited as coverage sacks, though, as Newton held onto the ball for more than five seconds before Williams got him.

"I think that [4 1/2 sacks] might have been our team high last year for the season," Ryan said in reference to the Jets being led by Quinton Coples' 5 1/2 sacks in 2012.

The Jets did a great job against Williams last year as they held him to zero sacks in two games. In Williams' first game with Buffalo after signing a six-year, $100 million deal, the Jets held him to just one tackle in a 48-28 rout. Williams had three tackles in the second game.

After the first game, Williams said that Howard had been illegally blocking him, and allegedly using hands to the face almost on every play. Ryan defended Howard by saying he disagreed with Williams, and Howard defended himself by saying he wasn't penalized for what Williams was claiming.

Howard, who will see plenty of Williams on Sunday, said he's going to put in plenty of study time to break down Williams' game after his monstrous day.

"Study the films and learn what he does best and try and learn why and how he got those sacks," Howard said. "Going against him twice already I understand physically who he is and I believe the guys we have on defense give us a good look to prepare for what they do well as a defense."

Buffalo is running a new scheme this year under former Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who runs a scheme very similar to Ryan. Howard said preparing against Ryan's defense each day helps them prepare for Buffalo.

"We respect their line. We respect their defense very much," Howard said. "And we respect their defensive coordinator as well."

 

> http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/27416/o-lines-mission-stop-mr-mario

[kelly]

This Sunday the Jets play a critical divisional game against the Buffalo Bills. With a very tough schedule ahead it would be very difficult to be 1-2 with two divisional losses. This week is also filled with subplots. Mike Pettine attemping to match wits with his former mentor Rex Ryan as well as Bills coach Doug Marrone facing off once again against Geno Smith. Marrone’s Syracuse teams played Smith’s West Virginia Mountaneers three times during Smith’s tenure there.

Marrone’s Syracuse teams gave Geno Smith the most trouble of any team he faced in college. According to Rich Cimini’s Jets Blog today Smith was 0-3 against Syracuse and 26-10 against the rest of the country. Smith also had 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and was sacked 12 times over the three games. Smith had 98 touchdowns and 21 interceptions during his college career. According to Cimini, a person close to the Syracuse program said that Smith “had trouble with our pressure”.

Mike Pettine is a Rex Ryan disciple and rolls out a slightly more conservative version of the hybrid defense we have grown to love here in New York. Lots of confusing, exotic looks and tons of pressure are hallmarks of this defense. Buffalo has a star pass rusher in Mario Williams and some nice secondary rushers. Smith has yet to show that he can consistently handle this kind of pressure without turning the ball over. The good thing is he sees this defense in practice each day the bad thing is he won’t be wearing the red non-contact jersey.

How do you avoid the pressure? Run the ball and keep running it until they stop it. The Bills are currently 30th in the league in rushing yards allowed at 141.5 yards per game. In the past under Rex Ryan the Jets have gone 6-2 against Buffalo rushing for 125.1 yards per game in 2012, 132 yards per game in 2011, 274.5 yards per game in 2010 and 283.5 yards per game in 2009. Marty Mornhinweg is a throw first offensive coordinator but he is also someone who takes advantage of matchups. The matchups say to run the ball. Running the ball sets up play-action passes making it easier for Smith to have extra time and more open receivers as well as avoiding 3rd and long situations where the pressure is ratcheted up with mistakes more likely.

I think the Jets will win on Sunday. They will control the line of scrimmage, run the ball with a heavy dose of Chris Ivory & Bilal Powell, throw screens to keep the Bills off-balance and let the defense do it’s job. Sometimes simple is the best way to go.

 

> http://thejetpress.com/2013/09/19/new-york-jets-running-game-must-win-game-sunday/

[kelly]

A morning briefing on news and goings on around the New York Jets:

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The Buffalo Bills have a copy of the New York Jets' defensive playbook. Not literally, of course, but Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine spent 11 seasons at Rex Ryan's side, so he knows every nuance of the Jets' scheme.

How much value does that have? Not much, according to Pettine's successor, Dennis Thurman.

"I don't think it's anything where you have to sit here and worry about it," Thurman said. "It's not the scheme, it's the players within the scheme. ... Remember this: Buddy Ryan had the 46 defense in 1985, right? Jeff Fisher took that same defense to the L.A. Rams with John Robinson and tried to run the same system. They got fired. It's not the system, it's the players. It's always going to be about the players."

On Sunday, we'll see which team has the better ... um, players.

ICYMI: Guard Willie Colon was upset with the $35,000 fine levied by the league for his role in the New England melee. He will appeal. Some perspective: That's about 60 percent of his weekly game check, which totals about $58,800. ... How safe is Geno Smith as the starter? Ryan downplayed the speculation about Matt Simms, indicating Smith is his guy -- even if he's not The Guy. Understand? ... Rookie cornerback Dee Milliner was benched last week because the coaches wanted to help his confidence. How's that? ... C.J. Spiller is fast. The Jets aren't worried. ... Receiver Santonio Holmes (foot) didn't practice, but that was planned ahead of time. Rookie offensive tackle Oday Aboushi, a fifth-round pick, hurt his knee in practice. No initial word on the severity, but keep an eye on this.

 

> http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/27528/green-day-pettine-factor-over-rated

[kelly]

The quarterback situation in the AFC East can be described this way: Tom Brady and the young guns. Two of the young guns will face each other Sunday at MetLife Stadium, where the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills -- both 1-1 -- will be battling to stay out of last place in the division.

The Bills had their choice of any quarterback in the draft, and they selected EJ Manuel with the 16th pick. The Jets, who had the ninth and 13th picks, rated Geno Smith over Manuel but waited until the 39th pick before taking him. So far, Manuel is off to a better start than Smith, at least from a statistical standpoint, but this rivalry could last years. Both teams are hoping for that, anyway.

This should be a competitive game, as both teams appear to be at similar stages of development. The Bills are rebuilding with a new coach, former Jets assistant Doug Marrone, and the Jets are rebuilding with the same old coach, Rex Ryan. They have other things in common: They both suffered close losses to the New England Patriots and they both beat a team from the NFC South -- the Bills the Carolina Panthers, the Jets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

PickCenter

Which team picks up its second win?

ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini and ESPN Bills reporter Mike Rodak discuss the matchup:

Cimini: Mike, New York is a quarterback-obsessed town, so I think there will be a lot of interest in Smith versus Manuel. If Smith becomes a bust and Manuel a star, the Jets will be second-guessed for passing on Manuel. Hey, that's the way it goes. The old-timers are still ticked off the Jets picked Ken O'Brien over Dan Marino. Smith has played well in stretches, but the early trend is that he'll hit a funk. In Week 1, it was the second quarter. In Week 2, it was the fourth quarter -- three interceptions. What about Manuel? I know he missed some time in the preseason. What do you like (and not like) about his game?

Rodak: Rich, I've been impressed with Manuel's demeanor more than anything. He has the walk and talk of a franchise quarterback, and that sense has only grown for me since early in the preseason. The loss of Kevin Kolb was unfortunate for him and the Bills, but I think it was the best thing to happen to Manuel. The pressure is off and the job is his, and that's one of the reasons why I said in our ESPN.com preseason predictions that he will be Offensive Rookie of the Year. Here's the caveat for me, though: He needs to keep his bad mistakes in check. I think the most encouraging thing about his performance in the preseason and the regular-season opener was that he didn't commit costly turnovers. But Sunday, he was strip-sacked and threw a bad interception and was lucky to have his defense come up big both times and keep the game close. That might not happen against better opponents or on the road. Other than the quarterbacks, the biggest storyline coming out of this game is the return of Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine to MetLife Stadium to face his old team. What's the feeling like between Ryan and his former assistant, and what sort of chess match can you see developing between these defensive minds?
 

Bills at Jets: Stat of the Week

325

Amount of yards from scrimmage by Bills RB C.J. Spiller in two games against the Jets last season.

Cimini: The Ryan-Pettine relationship is interesting. Basically, Ryan gave him his big break in the business, nurtured him for a decade, handed him the defense last season, and suddenly it was Splitsville. It was a curious departure, considering Pettine made a lateral move to the Bills. Deep down, I think they like and respect each other, but I think they both realized the relationship had run its course. As for the chess match, it will be fascinating. Let's put it this way: I wouldn't want to be a rookie quarterback, facing one of these guys. Ryan, the Jets' de facto coordinator, can confuse inexperienced quarterbacks with pressure and simulated pressure. Heck, he confused Brady last week. That Manuel faced a Ryan-like scheme all spring and summer will undoubtedly help him. Of course, the same could be said for Smith. I know this much: Ryan and Pettine are highly competitive, and there's more personal pride on the line than either one will admit. Ryan has a different challenge in that he'll have to face an up-tempo offense. Tell me more about the Bills' hurry-up.

Rodak: It's been evident that the Bills want to move fast, but I think they still want to speed things up some more. The problem in the first game was not converting third downs. Regardless of how fast they got plays off on first and second downs, they were 4-for-13 on third down, which often took the up-tempo offense off the field quickly. They improved to 6-for-14 on third down in Week 2, but more importantly jumped from 15 first downs to 24 first downs, evidence of a better showing on early downs. Marrone also said Monday that there were problems with the coach-to-quarterback communications system, another factor in the offense not reaching its desired efficiency. So while we've seen glimpses of the pace the Bills want to run, it hasn't always been there.

Predictions

The final word on Sunday's matchup at MetLife Stadium:

MATCHUP ANALYSIS Rich Cimini: Two smart defensive coaches, two aggressive defenses and two rookie quarterbacks. It won't be pretty. At all.
Jets 20, Bills 19 Mike Rodak: If you're looking for a defensive battle, this game might be it. Anything can happen with two rookie quarterbacks on the field, but I'm giving the edge to the home team here.
Jets 17, Bills 14

 

 

> http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/27353/double-coverage-jets-vs-bills

[kelly]

For the rest of their professional careers, Geno Smith and EJ Manuel will be forever linked.   And now just three weeks into their respective rookie seasons, we will get a chance to see them on the same field together for the first time as the 1-1 Jets host the 1-1 Bills Sunday at MetLife Stadium. 

Smith, a West Virginia product who fell to the Jets in Round 2, was the second quarterback taken in the draft. 

“The Jets just took the guy I think is the best quarterback in the draft, and they did it at No. 39 overall,” said ESPN Draft Guru Mel Kiper on draft weekend.

“He's a deft, quick-rhythm passer with the potential to develop into a star under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg (see: Michael Vick and Jeff Garcia),” added NFL.com/NFL Network Analyst Bucky Brooks in April.

Thus far, Smith has completed 53.4% of his passes with 1 TD and 4 INTs.  He was very good in his home debut, becoming the first Jet since Ray Lucas in 1999 to lead the Jets in both passing yards (256) and rushing yards (47).  But after getting into a rhythm to start the second half last Thursday in New England, Smith hit on just one of his final nine passes and was intercepted three times in the final stanza of a 13-10 loss to the Pats. 

“He’s done some excellent things,” said Mornhinweg said this week of Smith.  “There are some plays he would like to have back. It’s just that simple. We’ll go through some ups and downs as a team, all the individuals will go through some ups and downs, and certainly Geno is right there. He’s seeing some things for the first time. That will continue to happen until he gets some experience. This experience is valuable for him in the long run.”

Mornhinweg’s West Coast attack is far different than the shotgun spread Mountaineers offense Smith operated while in Morgantown, WV.  Before the draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay called Smith “the best all-around QB in the class,” but also indicated there were times when Smith took too long to release the football.

"When the answer does not come from his first read and he has to check to his second and then his third read and go through those progressions, sometimes it does not come as quickly,” said McShay.

The 6’3”, 221-pound Smith displays veteran poise in the pocket.  But he has been sacked nine times and the Jets are working with the rookie on getting rid of the football and finding escape routes.

 “It’s always important to get the ball out and to get it out on time,” Smith said.  “You never want to sit back there and pat it and babysit the ball. So, that is an emphasis and going up against a defense and a guy like Mario (Williams), it is going to be an emphasis to get the ball out.”

Manuel, a Florida State product whose stock skyrocketed before the draft, became the first QB taken when the Bills took him off the board with the No. 16 selection.  He has completed 68.2% of his passes (mostly short and intermediate throws) with 3 TD and 1 INT, and last week he led the Bills to a thrilling last-minute triumph over the Carolina Panthers.  The 6’4”, 237-pound Manuel has been sacked only once, but the 23-year-old will be facing a different animal on the road this week.

“I think we’re both rooting for each other,” Manuel said of Smith.  “Obviously this weekend we’re going to be competing against each other, there’s no doubt about that. But I think we were both happy for each other when draft day came.”

Neither rookie passer is concerned with the draft anymore.  Smith dismissed the notion that he will have extra motivation to prove that he should have been the first quarterback selected.

“I think that mindset would be selfish. It’s about this team,” he said.  “It’s about all of us going out there and getting a win for each other. I’m not going out there worrying about what happened at the draft because that’s come and gone and those feelings are far behind me. I’m just focusing on leading this offense, leading this team and then going out there on Sunday and playing well.”

If both first-year quarterbacks play effectively this season, Sunday’s matchup at the Met could be the start of a new passing rivalry inside the AFC East.  Both Smith and Manuel want No. 2 this weekend — a second victory for their teams.

 

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-insidewitheafb/Round-1-for-Geno-Smith--EJ-Manuel/5280b5b1-70ef-4648-b730-09e12bf2277c

 

[kelly]

After a 10-day break, the New York Jets (1-1) play another AFC East game, facing the Buffalo Bills (1-1) Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is 4:25 p.m., ET. The top storylines:

1. The Rookies: This could be the first of many meetings between Geno Smith and EJ Manuel. Chances are, one team will be able to sit back at the end of Sunday and say, "We picked the right guy." After two games, Manuel has been more efficient than Smith, but he's also being used differently. At 6-foot-4, 237 pounds, Manuel is an oversized point guard, leading a fastbreak offense. (The Bills average one play every 22 seconds, the fastest offense in the league.) He's basically a dink-and-dunk passer, having completed 75 percent of his throws under 10 yards (39-for-52), according to ESPN Stats & Information. Manuel doesn't stretch the field that often.The Jets should take that approach with Smith, who has struggled on downfield passes. In fact, three of his four interceptions have come on throws of at least 15 yards. This is a big game for Smith, who encountered his first taste of adversity last week in New England. Will that affect his confidence? He says no, but that's what they all say. We'll find out Sunday. For trivia geeks, this mark the second game in Jets history with two rookies starting at quarterback. The first occurred during the 1987 strike, when replacement players David Norrie and Kevin Sweeney (Dallas Cowboys) faced off in an forgettable battle.
 

Mike Pettine spent 11 years with Rex Ryan before becoming the defensive coordinator in Buffalo.

2. Rex vs. Rex Lite: This game could be decided by which defensive play caller (Rex Ryan or former Jets coordinator Mike Pettine) does a better job of creating misery for the opposing rookie quarterback. Ryan and Pettine, who spent 11 years together, are likeminded coaches in that they like to bring pressure and create confusion at the line of scrimmage.Manuel is a cool customer -- an 88-percent completion rate under pressure, according to ProFootballFocus -- but you can bet Ryan will hit him with something he's never seen before. The knock on Manuel coming out of Florida State was that he's a one-read quarterback. In other words, shut down his first progression, make him hold the ball and he's liable to make a mistake. Meanwhile, Smith has demonstrated poor pocket presence at times. If Pettine can muddy the pocket, it'll probably lead to bad decisions by Smith.

3. Marty's dilemma: Conventional wisdom says the Jets should protect Smith by emphasizing the ground game, hardly the strength of the Buffalo defense. But Marty Mornhinweg is infatuated with the pass (he actually thinks a pass-run ratio of 63-37 is a lot of running in his offense), and he will be tempted to attack a beat up Bills secondary. They won't have cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and there's a good chance safety Jairus Byrd will miss the game as well. This could be a breakout game for Santonio Holmes, who unlike some of his fellow receivers, can actually catch the ball.

4. Austin needs power: Right tackle Austin Howard,in his first start for the Jets,made defensive end Mario Williams look pedestrian in last season's opener.In fact,Williams was held sackless in 2 games against the Jets. Ah, but now he's coming off a career game (a team-record 4.5 sacks) and he'll be looking for payback. Howard needs to eat his Wheaties because this will be a power-on-power matchup.Williams used his bull rush last week, abusing Carolina Panthers right tackle Byron Bell. Williams finished with 11 hurries, according to ProFootballFocus, but he also received help from excellent coverage. Three of the five sacks were coverage sacks, with Cam Newton holding the ball for at least five seconds on each play. Memo to Geno Smith: Don't do that or else you'll be on the ground. A lot.

5. Here comes Spiller: The Jets' run defense, a problem last season, has improved considerably. In the first two games, they held Doug Martin and Stevan Ridley -- both 1,200-yard rushers in 2012 -- to a combined 105 yards and 2.6 per carry. Bills running back C.J. Spiller presents a different challenge because ... well, he's so damn fast. The Jets know all about Spiller, who produced 325 yards from scrimmage against them last season. He will test their perimeter run defense and he could be a major headache when he's split out as a receiver.Speedy linebacker Demario Davis could play a huge role in their plans to contain Spiller, who has only two rushing touchdowns in his last 12 games -- a curious slump. The Jets can't forget about running back Fred Jackson. The Bills are gashing defenses (7.6 yards per rush) when running Jackson out of a one-back, three-receiver spread formation. In those situations, Davis and fellow linebacker David Harris will have to excel in space.

 

>  http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/27468/w2w4-jets-vs-bills