Sat 8/19 - Jets articles

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/0819duckett.html

Falcons consider Duckett trade

By STEVE WYCHE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 08/19/06

Green Bay, Wis. — Tailback T.J. Duckett could be playing with the Falcons for the last time Saturday night. At least four teams have contacted Atlanta over the past few days about trading for the 2002 first-round pick, two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed.

The New York Jets are the only team that both sources would confirm, with recently demoted wide receiver Justin McCareins possibly coming to the Falcons for Duckett. Atlanta is in the market for a No. 3 wide receiver, and McCareins (6 feet 2, 215 pounds), a six-year veteran with 168 receptions and 15 touchdowns, could fit the need.

The Falcons also are looking for backup help at safety, defensive tackle and defensive end. Despite those needs, exchanging Duckett for a draft pick is a possibility.

The Falcons would not confirm any trade talks.

No trade involving Duckett is expected before Saturday's exhibition game against the Packers, which he is scheduled to start. Regular starter Warrick Dunn is being rested.

Duckett could play through the first quarter before turning things over to rookie Jerious Norwood, a speedster from Mississippi State. Since Norwood was drafted, he has inspired enough confidence for the team to engage in trade talks involving Duckett.

There is some apprehension among the Falcons coaching and personnel staffs about parting with Duckett, a four-year veteran (54 games, 552 carries, 2,175 yards), who provides a sense of security should Dunn, 31, get hurt. Norwood, though talented and a better fit in the Falcons' cutback running scheme than Duckett, is still relatively raw and is learning the system, coach Jim Mora has said.

Even so, with Duckett being in the final year of his contract, dealing him now would allow the Falcons to receive compensation instead of letting him walk away for nothing after the season.

Duckett has spent much of the summer deflecting trade speculation, which until now hit its crescendo on draft day after the Falcons' selected Norwood.

Some teams, one being the Pittsburgh Steelers, offered later-round picks, which the Falcons rejected.

After Duckett looked strong and rushedfor 59 yards on 10 carries in last week's exhibition-opening 26-23 victory over the New England Patriots, interest resurfaced.

Duckett insists he wants to remain with the Falcons and said he's going to try to have a breakout season, no matter what.

"I had a great offseason, we had a hard training camp, and I'm ready to make things happen," Duckett said Thursday.

Duckett was drafted 18th overall out of Michigan State in 2002, the same offseason the Falcons signed Dunn from Tampa Bay as a free agent.

The simultaneous pairing never allowed Duckett to emerge as a feature back, but he has earned team-wide respect for not complaining about playing time.

Duckett has been used primarily in short-yardage or change-of-pace situations and has rushed for 31 touchdowns in four seasons, 27 coming in the past three. Last season, however, he faltered down the stretch after suffering an ankle injury and averaged a career-low 3.1 yards per carry.

With Dunn nursing a sore hamstring over the final four games, Duckett's inability to provide much relief spawned trade speculation shortly after the season ended.

Poll:

Do you think the Falcons should trade T.J. Duckett?

Yes, trade him for something the team needs before he leaves as a free agent - 63.24% - 1118

No, he is a valuable backup and should be re-signed at the end of the season - 36.76% - 650

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/story/444730p-374526c.html

For Ramsey, it's time to impress

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Patrick Ramsey

For the first two weeks of camp, Patrick Ramsey did little to disprove the reputation he had gained with the Redskins - a big-armed quarterback who struggles with his decision-making. He teased the Jets with passes that Chad Pennington couldn't dream of making, but his inconsistency was maddening.

Just when Ramsey appeared closer to the bubble than to the starting job, the soft-spoken gunslinger delivered his best week of practice. It's probably too late to overtake Pennington, the presumed starter, but Ramsey can put a stranglehold on the No. 2 spot with a strong performance tonight against his former team at FedEx Field.

"Patrick has great arm strength and really tremendous natural ability," coach Eric Mangini said. "Especially over the last few days, he's done a really good job of understanding exactly where to go with the football and made some quality reads. I've been really encouraged by that."

Because of Pennington's absence - the Jets announced he will not play because of a family illness that took him home to Tennessee this week - it's likely Ramsey will get the starting nod tonight. If not, he still figures to see significant action after taking only three snaps in last week's preseason opener at Tampa Bay. Brooks Bollinger, who could be the odd man out in the quarterback scramble, also will get a long look.

Ramsey agreed with Mangini's assessment, saying, "I have felt better in the past week or so. Hopefully, I can apply that to a game situation."

The Jets, concerned about Pennington after his second shoulder surgery, traded a sixth-round pick for Ramsey in March. In July, he signed a one-year, $2.1 million contract extension (through 2007), a modest deal that included a $250,000 guarantee.

Some believe Ramsey, coming off a disappointing June minicamp, wanted some security just in case he didn't make the team. Ramsey was the Redskins' quarterback of the future in 2002, when he was drafted with the final pick of the first round. In four roller-coaster seasons, he went 10-14 as a starter, losing his job for good last September to Mark Brunell.

Predictably, Ramsey claimed he .harbors no bitterness toward the Redskins or coach Joe Gibbs, saying, "Really, my only thoughts are that I play well. That's the honest truth. I know it's hard to believe."

Ramsey won't be the only veteran under the spotlight tonight.

Derrick Blaylock and Cedric Houston will get another chance to show the front office that trading for a veteran runner isn't necessary (though it's probably too late); wide receiver Justin McCareins will try to reclaim his starting job after a week with the second team; journeyman right tackle Anthony Clement, who worked ahead of Adrian Jones all week in practice, will make a bid for a starting role; and fullback B.J. Askew will try to play his way off the bubble.

Mangini said his approach is no different than last week.

"I want improvement, I want progress," he said sternly. "That's what I want to see."

Report: Chad's dad in hospital

Pennington flew to his parents' home in Tennessee because his father, Elwood, has been hospitalized, a Knoxville TV station reported on its Web site. . . As expected, the Jets have contacted the Falcons about a potential trade for RB T.J. Duckett, according to an NFL source. If Duckett doesn't get hurt tonight against the Packers, a deal could be made in the coming days. Jets WR Justin McCareins could be used as trade bait. The Steelers also are interested in Duckett, a first-round pick of the Falcons in 2002.. . . Former Jets Vinny Testaverde and Wayne Chrebet are making commercials to raise money for the World Trade Center Memorial. The Jets are donating $300,000 in advertising time.

Originally published on August 19, 2006

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/jets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/115596881992100.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

With Pennington out, Ramsey gets his shot

Saturday, August 19, 2006

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

LANDOVER, Md. -- Patrick Ramsey is a big tease.

On one play, Ramsey will make a pass that few NFL quarterbacks can make, leaving you in awe of his brilliant throwing arm.

On the next play, Ramsey will make a boneheaded read and throw the ball into double coverage.

The Jets have seen both Ramseys in training camp this summer and it's anybody's guess which one will show up tonight when the Jets (0-1) meet the Redskins (0-1) in a preseason clash at FedEx Field.

The game marks a homecoming of sort for Ramsey, who spent four up-and-down seasons with the Redskins before being traded for a sixth-round pick in March.

"Patrick has great arm strength and really tremendous natural ability," said Jets coach Eric Mangini. "Especially over the last few days, he's done a really good job understanding exactly where to go with the football and has made some quality reads. I've been encouraged by that."

With starter Chad Pennington missing Thursday's practice and being excused for the weekend by coach Eric Mangini because of a "family illness," Ramsey might get the starting nod.

According to a Knoxville, Tenn., newspaper report, Pennington's father is in a Knoxville hospital with an undisclosed ailment.

Ramsey, who completed two of three passes for 9 yards in one series versus the Bucs last week, could nail down the backup job to Pennington with a strong effort.

Brooks Bollinger, who started nine games last season, is also expected to see action. He and Ramsey are battling for the No. 2 job. Rookie Kellen Clemens remains a long shot to win the backup spot despite a solid showing last week.

Ramsey, who was 10-14 as a starter with the Redskins, insists this is just another preseason game.

"My only thoughts are when I get an opportunity to play, to play well," said Ramsey. "That's the honest truth. I know it's hard to believe. I did spend a lot of time there and I enjoyed my time there. I just want to go back there and help my team do well."

Ramsey, however, did say he's looking forward to returning to Washington to see some old friends -- QB Mark Brunell and offensive tackle Jon Jansen are his best buddies on the team -- and meet up with his family.

Ramsey's wife, Virginia, and the couple's baby girl are driving up from Louisiana to New York and will stop off at FedEx Field to see the game. Ramsey said he's trying to get Brunell to get a parking pass for his wife.

Last season Ramsey was named the Redskins' starter in the off-season and held the job throughout training camp.

But after he suffered a sprained neck in the first half of a season-opening victory over the Bears, coach Joe Gibbs replaced him with the veteran Brunell and Ramsey never got his job back.

Before that, Ramsey took a horrific beating for two seasons in Steve Spurrier's pass-happy offense, which failed miserably in the NFL.

"You can take away from it what you want," said Ramsey, who was criticized for holding the ball too long and not making the correct reads in Washington. "I had a good time there. I got a lot of opportunities there."

Ramsey, a first-round pick (32nd overall) out of Tulane in 2002, was yanked in and out of the lineup during his time in Washington and never felt the organization was totally committed to him.

Even so, Ramsey isn't a bitter man.

"Patrick is an incredibly positive guy," said Mangini. "He went through the things that are positive and the things that are negative.

"He's committed to improving each day. That's the type of guy that he is. He doesn't dwell on any of the negatives. He's looking forward to trying to get better."

Notes: According to a report out of Atlanta, the Jets and Falcons are in the preliminary stages of discussing a trade that would sent Falcons RB T.J. Duckett to the Jets for WR Justin McCareins.

McCareins, a mild disappointment since being acquired prior to the 2004 season, has been in coach Eric Mangini's doghouse since the start of training camp after failing his conditioning test and the Falcons desperately need help at wide receiver. The Jets, of course, are looking for a running back.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/pat_pending_jets_mark_cannizzaro.htm

PAT PENDING

By MARK CANNIZZARO

August 19, 2006 -- To date, Patrick Ramsey has been somewhat of a non-factor in this ballyhooed quarterback competition Eric Mangini has conducted with the Jets this summer.

Ramsey has been so far outperformed by injury-prone incumbent Chad Pennington that he's nearly been rendered an afterthought. In short, it's been Pennington by TKO.

Tonight, though, Ramsey has a chance to change all of those perceptions - most particularly those of his head coach (Mangini) and offensive coordinator (Brian Schottenheimer).

Tonight is not only the night Ramsey gets to play with the first team in a game, but it's an occasion that brings Ramsey back to the place where he began his NFL career.

Ramsey saw a lot of ups and downs with the Redskins, whom the Jets play at FedEx Field at 8 p.m.

His spotty career mostly has been defined by the downs - the two times he lost the starting job in Washington, first under coach Steve Spurrier then under Joe Gibbs to Mark Brunell.

On the eve of Ramsey's first start as a Jet (Mangini has not announced a lineup, but has strongly indicated Ramsey will get his chance this week), Ramsey refused to take any low roads when speaking about his past experience in Washington.

"I had a lot of opportunities there, although they were sporadic," Ramsey said. "I firmly believe that was God's plan and this is the way it worked out."

Pennington, who started last week's game against the Buccaneers at Tampa and led the offense to two 13-play drives without scoring, will not even be in Washington for tonight's game. He was excused from Thursday's practice to tend to a "family illness," according to Mangini, and was not going to be back.

So, this night belongs to Ramsey. How he handles it will go a long way toward determining his role (if any) on the Jets.

The best thing Ramsey brings with him to the games is his arm strength, something Pennington does not have.

"Patrick has great arm strength and really tremendous natural abilities," Mangini said. "Especially over the last few days, he's done a really good job understanding exactly where to go with the football and made some quality reads. I've been really encouraged by that."

Look for Mangini to take another look at rookie Kellen Clemens, who was sharp last week in his debut, and Brooks Bollinger, who didn't get into the game in Tampa.

In Ramsey's rookie year, he started five games and threw for nine TDs, eight INTs and 1,539 yards.

He owned the job in 2003, starting the first 11 games before injuring his foot and missing the rest of the year.

In 2004, Ramsey was backing up Brunell to start the season but started the final seven games, during which he was less than impressive, throwing 10 TDs and 11 INTs.

Jets WR Laveranues Coles, who played with Ramsey in Washington, said he sees a better quarterback.

"[Ramsey] is much improved. You can tell he was a good quarterback then, he's still a good quarterback now," Coles said. "With the knowledge he's gained of the game with his experience, it's made him a lot better."

*

Look for things to heat up in the Jets' pursuit of a running back after the weekend. NFL sources tell The Post the Jets might make a move to acquire Atlanta backup T.J. Duckett, but it won't happen until after the Falcons play the Packers tonight.

The Falcons, according to one source, are seeking a player, not a draft pick. One area Atlanta is trying to improve is at WR, where they might want Justin McCareins from the Jets. The only negative there is the "dead money" cap hit of some $4 million the Jets would incur.

[Sperm Edwards]

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Ramsey's chance to shine

Saturday, August 19, 2006

By RANDY LANGE

STAFF WRITER

LANDOVER, Md. -- Eric Mangini hasn't publicly named his starting quarterback for tonight's game against Washington -- get used to it, Jets nation -- but the chalk pick is Patrick Ramsey.

Among other reasons, it would be in keeping with the modus operandi of Mangini's coaching mentors, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. Ramsey spent four frustrating seasons as the Redskins' sometimes starter. What better way to test his Jets' mettle than to plug him into the starting lineup in the FedEx Field spotlight?

Ramsey's been acing the exam, so far.

"I don't have any ill will toward that team," he said. "Really, my only thoughts are that when I get an opportunity to go in there and play, I do well. That's the honest truth. I know it's hard to believe."

Mangini said this week that Ramsey hasn't brought up the topic of playing against his former team. That's good because the new coach believes in tuning out such distractions.

"That's something we talked about before Super Bowls," he said. "Make sure you don't let the other elements surrounding the game affect what's important, which is the same consistent approach you had in all the games leading up to that."

That's another reason to give Ramsey the start. After some shaky practices in the off-season and early in training camp, the former first-round draft pick is starting to pick up the pace.

"Patrick has great arm strength and tremendous natural abilities," Mangini said. "Especially the last few days, he's done a good job understanding exactly where to go with the football and he's made some quality reads. I've been really encouraged by that."

Further, Ramsey played one three-and-out series and Brooks Bollinger didn't play at all against Tampa Bay. If Mangini is serious about his quarterback competition, those two need major reps.

And if Ramsey is serious about cutting into Chad Pennington's lead in this arms race, he has a golden opportunity here.

Thus he needs to forget about any desire to show coach Joe Gibbs he made a mistake in parting with Ramsey for a sixth-round draft pick in March. And Ramsey appears to have done that. He said he's talked with Mark Brunell this week, but only to see if the Redskins' QB had an extra parking pass and because the two remain "friends" and "believers."

Ramsey was referring to his and Brunell's shared faith. But with Pennington excused from the game -- he's in Knoxville, Tenn., with his father, Elwood, hospitalized with an unspecified illness, according to a Knoxville TV station -- Ramsey has a chance to make different kinds of believers out of his Jets coaches.

WIDE VIEWS: Two starters in this game who used to play for the other side are wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Santana Moss, traded for each other last year.

"It's just another game," Coles said. "For me I've always forgiven but I've never forgotten."

"It doesn't really mean much to me," Moss said from Landover. "The Jets gave me an opportunity to come here and be a better player, so I'm thankful for that."

TRADE WINDS: The perception, based on Lee Suggs' comments and stories from Cleveland after this week's voided trade, was that the Jets treated Suggs shabbily. But Joel Segal, the running back's agent, said that wasn't the case.

"The teams can agree to disagree. Lee had an opportunity and he failed the physical," Segal said. "But I've known [general manager] Mike Tannenbaum for years and he has always been the utmost professional. And now Lee is moving on."

Mr. T and Segal could be talking again this summer, since Segal also represents RB T.J. Duckett, whom the Falcons may dangle in trade talks in the next few weeks.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/printedition/ny-spjnotes194857645aug19,0,2481325.story?coll=ny-sports-print

Mangini to stay course

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

August 19, 2006

Some teams change their approach for the second preseason game, start refining an offensive motor or sharpening defensive schemes. Games 2 and 3 of the preseason typically feature many more starters on the field for longer stretches.

But for the Jets, the objective will not change between the preseason opener and the second game. Nor, said Jets coach Eric Mangini, will it change throughout the season.

"My approach is going to be consistent," he said. "I want improvement, I want progress, that's what I want to see. I don't want to see us making the same types of mistakes."

Seem familiar?

During this week, while preparing for the game, there were several times Patrick Ramsey was asked to quarterback the scout team. That meant he was running the Redskins plays, something he had done for real the previous four seasons.

"I thought about that for a second," the former Redskin chuckled. "Then I thought, 'Wait, they have a new coordinator."'

Ramsey should see significant time in Saturday night's game, especially because Chad Pennington has been excused from the team for the weekend to deal with a family illness.

Keep an eye out

A few positions could be settled - or at least refined - with performances in Saturday night's game. One is at running back. If Cedric Houston or Derrick Blaylock stand out, it could temper the Jets' desire to find another tailback on the trade or open market.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.mlive.com/lions/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/114788040841980.xml&coll=1

--- The Lions expect the phones to beginning ringing in the next week or so. There are several teams around the league, most notably the New York Jets and Houston Texans, who are looking for a quality running back and Detroit's Artose Pinner is available.

Pinner, the team's fourth-round draft pick in 2003, is good enough to be an every-down back but he's getting squeezed off Detroit's roster because they have Kevin Jones as the starter and Arlen Harris and rookie third-round pick Brian Calhoun in backup roles.

Teams could wait for Pinner to be released in the final cut but that would give him very little time to learn their offense before the first regular season game. Also, if Pinner is released, he'd have to clear waivers first and a needy team might not want to risk him getting snatched away from them.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Aog6M3YWv3MvSl7EUmst6cKQ2bYF?slug=ap-jets-redskins&prov=ap&type=lgns

Where are they now? JetsSkins foursome didn't last long in D.C.

By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- Need a reminder of the dizzying pace of change in the NFL? Consider the story of the "JetSkins."

It was only three years ago that the Washington Redskins raided the New York Jets during the offseason, plucking away four expensive, high-profile players who were supposed to put coach Steve Spurrier's team into the playoffs. Knowing good intrigue when it sees it, the league scheduled the two teams to meet in the Thursday night nationally televised game that kicked off the 2003 season.

"It's was pretty intense," said JetSkins guard Randy Thomas, recalling the Redskins' 16-13 victory. "The first time we played them, the first game of the season. The NFL lined it up right, didn't they?"

Yet, as it turned out, the JetSkins quartet had all the staying power of a bad rock 'n' roll band. Their first season produced a 6-10 record, prompting Spurrier to quit. Kick returner Chad Morton couldn't stay healthy and was cut after two years. Receiver Laveranues Coles became so disgruntled that he demanded a trade -- and the Redskins were so eager to oblige that they sent him back to the Jets in 2005 and took a $9.3 million salary cap hit in the process.

So, when the Redskins and Jets face each other Saturday night in an exhibition game, only two JetSkins will be wearing burgundy and gold: kicker John Hall, who has lost his kickoff duties this year while trying to return from two years of perpetual leg injuries, and Thomas, the only one of the four who has lived up to his billing.

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Meanwhile, Coles and Morton have both settled in New York -- Coles with the Jets, and Morton with the Giants.

"They had a strong love for us there in Washington," Coles said. "They showed it by paying us what they paid us and bringing us in. The guys were excited about having the opportunity to go somewhere and try to get a new start, but we've all pretty much gone our separate ways."

So, how does Coles remember his time in Washington?

"It's just like having a relationship with a woman," Coles said. "When you break up with her, you always remember the good times, you never really remember the bad. That's the way it is for me now. I never want to remember anything negative that went on there."

The Jets and Redskins continue to do business. Receiver Santana Moss was acquired in the trade that sent Coles back to New York, and Patrick Ramsey -- once the future of the Washington franchise and the winning quarterback in that Thursday night game three years ago -- was shipped to the Jets this offseason for a draft pick.

Ramsey is in a four-way competition with Chad Pennington, Brooks Bollinger and rookie Kellen Clemens for the Jets starting job, but Ramsey played in only one series last week against Tampa Bay. He's expected to get more chances Saturday, especially since Pennington won't play because of a personal matter that caused him to miss practice this week.

"It's going to be fun to see him play," said Redskins tackle Jon Jansen, who remains good friends with Ramsey, "and it's also going to be kind of sad to see him on another team."

Besides settling on a quarterback, New York needs to find some sort of running game. Curtis Martin's future is uncertain because of a knee injury, and a trade for Lee Suggs fell apart this week when Suggs failed his physical. Derrick Blaylock, Cedric Houston and rookie Leon Washington are competing for playing time.

The running game is a focus for the Redskins as well. Featured back Clinton Portis is out a few weeks with a shoulder injury, leaving Ladell Betts as the top back. Washington is also trying to decide on a No. 2 quarterback behind Mark Brunell, with Todd Collins and Jason Campbell both expected to get plenty of work.

Then again, both coaches would welcome any signs of offensive improvement after last week. The Jets lost 16-3 to Tampa Bay, and the Redskins were thumped 19-3 by Cincinnati.

"We'll hopefully get off to a much better start," Washington coach Joe Gibbs said. "We've got a long way to go, obviously."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20060819-121440-6084r.htm

Ramsey returns to FedEx with Jets

By David Elfin

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

August 19, 2006

Just like last August, Patrick Ramsey could be the starting quarterback when the Washington Redskins play their first home preseason game tonight against the New York Jets. Only this time, Ramsey will be in a Jets uniform.

Ramsey, Washington's first-round selection in the 2002 draft, struggled in his four years with the Redskins. He was sacked 13 times in his first two starts in former coach Steve Spurrier's pass-happy scheme. His 2003 season ended five weeks early with a broken foot and in 2004 he lost his job to Mark Brunell while he was rehabbing. Just 20 minutes into the 2005 season, Ramsey was benched in favor of Brunell.

Traded to the Jets in March for a sixth-round pick, Ramsey has struggled to regain the form and confidence that made him a starter at 23. Ramsey, who could start tonight now that Chad Pennington (the front-runner in the Jets' quarterback competition) will miss the game because of a family illness, has steadfastly declined to criticize the Redskins for giving up on him. But his former teammates know he would relish a good showing tonight.

"It will be weird to see Patrick in another uniform," said Brunell, who remains in contact with Ramsey. "Hopefully, we'll both get out there early and get to spend a little time together. I want Patrick to do well, but I hope we win by three touchdowns."

Considering that the Redskins were spanked 19-3 in their opener on Sunday at Cincinnati, while the Jets were whipped 16-3 at Tampa Bay, scoring a touchdown would be progress for both teams tonight.

Injuries caused three changes in Washington's lineup. Ladell Betts will start at running back for Clinton Portis (shoulder), while Renaldo Wynn returns to his former spot at defensive end in place of Phillip Daniels (back). Kenny Wright fills in at cornerback for Shawn Springs (abdominal surgery). If Brandon Lloyd's hamstring is too tight for him to play, Antwaan Randle El will start at receiver.

The Redskins' other starting wideout, Santana Moss, who spent his first four seasons with the Jets before being traded for disgruntled receiver Laveranues Coles in March 2005, looks forward to playing against his former teammates.

"If I had played the Jets last year, I would be missing my friends from there a little more, but it will still be fun to go against those guys," Moss said. "I'm not going to pay attention to what Laveranues does. I'm just going to do what I do. I'm not trying to show the Jets what they're missing."

While Moss and the other Redskins' starters saw limited action last week against the Bengals, many backups were embarrassingly exposed.

"We had a few guys that had to learn a few hard lessons," assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams said. "The first play you make in an NFL game [and] you get beat on a flea-flicker, you probably won't forget the rest of your life because I won't let you forget it. We had a lot of guys that played with the seconds and thirds that stepped up. They have to make some more progress, otherwise we will start trying some more people out."

Veteran backup quarterback Todd Collins struggled in his Redskins debut with an ugly interception and an intentional grounding call that resulted in a safety. But counterpart Jason Campbell stepped up in his first game since last preseason. The second-year quarterback from Auburn will receive the majority of the snaps tonight after Brunell exits early.

"Jason could play right now, but I think we need to continue to work with him," coach Joe Gibbs said. "Todd and Jason are still rotating. We want to see them both play a bunch here preseason and then we'll decide what we're going to do as we start into the year."

With Brunell entrenched as the starter, if healthy, Campbell doesn't feel the pressure to prove he was worth trading three draft picks to Denver for the right to select him last year.

"A lot of guys go into the game putting pressure on themselves, thinking they've got to make every play," Campbell said. "I just want to let the game come to me. The guys around you help make plays, too, and you've got to trust them."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://jets.lohudblogs.com/2006/08/18/no-chad-vs-skins/

The Jets announced tonight that coach Eric Mangini has excused quarterback Chad Pennington from the team’s trip to Washington for tomorrow night’s preseason game against the Redskins. Pennington, presumed to be the Jets’ starter this season, was also excused from Thursday’s practice for personal reasons; Mangini said Pennington needed time to attend to a family illness.

Pennington’s absence probably doesn’t affect the Jets’ game plan against the Redskins much anyway. Though Mangini has not announced a quarterback rotation, the assumption was Patrick Ramsey and Brooks Bollinger would see the bulk of the work since Ramsey got only one series in the preseason opener and Bollinger never made it onto the field.

There was no indication as to whether Pennington, who has reportedly gone home to Tennessee to attend to his family matter, would return to the team in time for Monday’s scheduled practice.

[Maxman]

Sperm,

Today is Saturday. Please put this on your time sheet. I want to make sure you get credit for the overtime.

Thanks!