JETS ARTICLES - TUESDAY

[Sperm Edwards]

No time to waste for Jets' coach

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: September 12, 2006)

HEMPSTEAD — Winning his first game as an NFL head coach did not lead to a wild night in Eric Mangini's house.

"With a 2-year-old and a 7-month-old, there was not a lot of champagne popping,'' Mangini said yesterday. "We had some apple pie and ice cream.''

Yes, Mangini smiled a bit more after the game — not a difficult feat since he rarely smiled during training camp. The plane ride home late Sunday was a happy affair.

"He seemed to enjoy the win,'' left guard Pete Kendall said. "I haven't seen him win a lot of games as a head coach yet, so I don't really have a good reference point. But I'm sure it was special for him.''

As is the way in the NFL, however, there was little time to dwell on Sunday's success following the 23-16 win at Tennessee. Another Sunday awaits, and this week the opponent is the New England Patriots, coached by Mangini's mentor, Bill Belichick.

And while this week will feature an overflow of Mangini-vs.-Belichick hype, none of it will come from the coaches themselves.

Mangini first worked for Belichick in 1995 with the old Cleveland Browns. He was the Patriots' defensive coordinator last season.

"He's preparing himself like he did for Tennessee,'' said Jets defensive end Bobby Hamilton, who has played under both Belichick and Mangini in New York and New England. "We know he was there. But this is business. It's time to play. It's time for us to get ready. He ain't looking at this because he was there. He doesn't need to sell us that.''

There are many similarities between Mangini and Belichick, starting with their alma mater — Wesleyan. Both are meticulous planners. Both maintain excessive control over everything that goes on within their organizations. Neither likes letting any information slip, either from their lips or one of their players'.

But they aren't complete mirror images. For one, joked Jets linebacker Matt Chatham, Mangini has blond hair.

"He's definitely his own personality, but I think his belief system in what wins games is very similar,'' said Chatham, who played for New England from 2000-05. "At the end of the day, Eric is going to be Eric. When we won last night, you're going to see a little bit of that personality and that was great.''

The benefit of Mangini's starting to reveal himself to his players, even a little bit, can't be underestimated. He ran a tough training camp and left some players scratching their heads over his strict rules.

"I think it wears on you, but what you've got to understand in the NFL is there is a real, dramatic difference between different organizations,'' Chatham said. "For any guy that's in the league to go from (ex-Jets coach) Herm Edwards' system to one of the Belichick tree systems, it's dramatic.

"It's going to come like a baseball bat to the side of the head. It's going to feel like high school again, and I think that's what a lot of guys were experiencing. Once it all settles down and you get into the regular season, you realize you did it for a reason and not just punitively. It ends up all making sense.''

So the first thing Mangini preached to his team yesterday was focusing on New England. The smiles were gone.

Actually, what seemed to get Mangini most emotional was being asked about the fifth anniversary of 9/11.

"I think that all the people that lost their lives and all the people that were affected and were so brave that day … that's so much more important than the things we're doing here,'' said Mangini, choking up slightly. "The men and women that are overseas right now protecting our freedom, the sacrifice their families are making — they're the heroes. They're the ones that should be celebrated. They're the ones that should be written about.''

[Sperm Edwards]

Jets safety happy for former teammate

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: September 12, 2006)

HEMPSTEAD — Kerry Rhodes couldn't wait to call Deion Branch after hearing about yesterday's trade. But the Jets' safety certainly won't mind not seeing his college buddy Sunday.

The Patriots dealt Branch to the Seattle Seahawks for a first-round pick, meaning he won't be on the field when the Jets host New England.

"I was probably one of the best people at covering him, but I wasn't that good,'' said Rhodes, referring to their practices together at Louisville. "I think it hurts them a little bit. But they've still got good players at the position, and they've still got Tom Brady.''

Rhodes had his left ankle taped after hurting himself on a blitz against Titans quarterback Kerry Collins on the last play of the Jets' 23-16 win Sunday. But an X-ray was negative, and Rhodes said he would practice tomorrow.

"Any time you have something like that, you don't know,'' said Rhodes, who was carted away after the game with his left leg elevated. "But everything was good.''

The second-year pro had four tackles Sunday, following up one of the strongest training camps by a Jet. He said he knows his opponents better now through increased film work, allowing him to anticipate more rather than guess.

But playing Brady is never easy because of his accuracy on timing patterns. Rhodes lined up occasionally against Branch in the slot last season.

"I'm glad he's out of there,'' Rhodes said. "That's one less person we have to worry about.''

Jets left guard Pete Kendall, who left Sunday's game in the second quarter with a left hamstring problem, also said he was OK.

Kicker on thin ice? When asked whether the Jets might bring in any kickers today for tryouts, coach Eric Mangini would only say he and general manager Mike Tannenbaum meet daily to discuss ways to improve the team.

Mike Nugent, last year's second-round pick who missed an extra point and two short field goals at Tennessee, might be curious, too.

"That's a great question,'' Nugent said. "That's more of an administrative thing. All I can really do is worry about what I can do to help the team out.''

Players of the week: Chad Pennington's 319 passing yards and Laveranues Coles' 153 yards on eight catches were league bests in games played through Sunday. Mangini announced they also had been named the Jets' co-offensive players of the week.

Cornerback Andre Dyson, who made two interceptions in his return to Tennessee, where he played from 2001-04, was the team's defensive player of the week. Brad Kassell was the special-teams player of the week after making three tackles in coverage.

Defensive end Dave Ball was recognized as the practice player of the week for his work on the scout team.

Each team member was awarded a game ball.

[Sperm Edwards]

MANGINI HEAPS PRAISE ON TEAM

By MARK CANNIZZARO

September 12, 2006 -- Eric Mangini yesterday gave the entire team game balls for its collective victory in Tennessee.

He, too, recognized some particular players on offense, defense and special teams whom he called the "players of the game."

"Offensively, we actually named two because we couldn't really make a distinction with Chad Pennington and Laveranues Coles," he said. "Defensively, I thought this was probably a satisfying game for him, Andre Dyson. He did a really nice job throughout the game with the two interceptions. I'm sure that was especially meaningful for him.

"On the same vein, on special teams it was [another former Titan] Brad Kassell, who just did a really nice job on the coverage teams for us, really played a valuable role there."

Then Mangini threw in a curveball kudo.

"Probably the most important person that we recognized - and to me this is always going to be the most important person we recognize in any game that we win - is the practice player of the week," he said. "This guy just gave us a really good look at the type of ends that [the Titans] have and the speed they have. His effort was consistent throughout the week. It's Dave Ball. Really, really outstanding job for us all week long."

K Mike Nugent said yesterday his problem, after looking at film, was mechanical. He said his foot was hitting the ground first, sending his FG attempts to the right. "I've got a lot of work to do this week,'' he said, referring to correcting the problem."

The official injury report won't be out until tomorrow, but expect LG Pete Kendall to be on it after suffering a left hamstring injury in the game. Mangini said Kendall was "sore" and Kendall, not allowed to talk about injuries, deferred to Mangini.

Norm Katnik replaced Kendall and got compliments from Mangini and Kendall, who said he was "proud" of him.

"I think that's a great example of how we always talk about flexibility, guys playing different spots," Mangini said.

Mangini said he received some special congratulatory calls from several people, including Ron Erhardt, Kirk Ferentz, Jim Mora and Joe Ehrmann. . . . Rookie WR Brad Smith, who was mixed into the offense Sunday in his NFL debut, made his first catch and it was an acrobatic one - he snared a 13-yard pass from Pennington with his extended right hand while falling to the ground. "I just stuck it out there and it kind of happened," Smith joked yesterday.

[Sperm Edwards]

MARK CANNIZZARO'S JETS REPORT CARD

By MARK CANNIZZARO

September 12, 2006 --

QUARTERBACK Chad Pennington (24-33, 319 yards, 2 TDs, 123.2 rating) was magnificent, particu larly in his poise and running the no- huddle offense, which the Jets used most of the game.

RUNNING BACK Tough sledding (2.7 yards per carry) for good yardage. But both Derrick Blaylock (19-36) and Kevan Barlow (11-35, 1 TD) ground out some key yards.

RECEIVERS Laveranues Coles (8-153), Jerricho Cotchery (6-65, 1 TD), Justin McCareins (2-34) and even rookie Brad Smith (1-13) were terrific. For Coles, this was as close to a ca reer game as it gets.

TIGHT ENDS Tough day for newcomer Sean Ryan, who fumbled away his only catch deep in Titans' territory and was called for a false start. Chris Baker had a strong game with four catches for 34 yards, including the game-winner.

OFFENSIVE LINE Overall, a very good job, despite ex pected tough patches. Top draft pick D'Brickashaw Ferguson had a holding pen alty that nullified a TD. RG Brandon Moore was called for three infractions, two accepted.

DEFENSIVE LINE Bryan Thomas had a strong game with a sack and four tackles. Shaun Ellis had a couple of pressures and batted down two passes. DT Dewayne Robertson had four tackles and was active in the run defense.

LINEBACKERS Jonathan Vilma led the way with 12 tack les and a pressure. Eric Barton had nine tackles and Victor Hobson had seven tack les and a sack.

SECONDARY Big game for former Titan Andre Dyson, who had two INTs. Kerry Rhodes also had an INT. CB David Barrett had some prob lems in coverage and seven tackles. CB Justin Miller had five tackles and two passes defended.

SPECIAL TEAMS Brad Kassell, another former Titan, had three tackles in kick coverage. Justin Miller averaged 29.7 yards on three kickoff returns.

KICKERS K Mike Nugent had the worst game of his life, missing a PAT and FGs of 34 and 30 yards, costing the Jets seven points. P Ben Graham had a great game, aver aging 49.8 yards gross (44 net) on four punts.

COACHING It was clear from the start that Eric Man gini had his team ready. Kudos to rookie of fensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who called a great game and was aggressive at the right times. Mangini's mantra about finishing came to fruition as did his showing of a particular boxing match of relevance the night before the game.

[This article curiously didn't write any grades in the "report card"]

[Sperm Edwards]

HAPPY MAN-GINI

By MIKE VACCARO

September 12, 2006 -- THERE has always come a moment, sometime in every Jets coach's tenure, when he's indoctrinated into the true brotherhood of pain, when he finally becomes one with the fans who preceded him and inevitably will survive him.

It's actually a fun parlor game. Throw out a coach's name, and see what horrific images instantly appear, like a phantasm at the back of your eyelids:

Walt Michaels, meet A.J. Duhe . . . Joe Walton, isn't that Mark Gastineau clobbering Bernie Kosar? . . . Pete Carroll, say hello to the fake spike . . . Herm Edwards, you remember Doug Brien, yes? . . . Rich Kotite, Lou Holtz, you both remember, well, just about every game you ever coached here, no?

Hell, even Bill Parcells had the Leon Johnson game. Even Weeb Ewbank, for cripes' sake, had the Heidi Game. It's a quirky rite of passage, sort of an ultra-exclusive Skull and Bones Club.

Eric Mangini hasn't been indoctrinated yet, although every ghost, every goblin, every uncomfortable vibe that seems to take such joy in tormenting this franchise was on the grass at LP Field Sunday, trying to initiate the rookie head coach, trying to terrorize the Jets, trying to turn what seemed to be an impregnable 16-0 lead into what surely would have been among the worst regurgitations in the franchise's full catalogue.

Only, it didn't happen. Chad Pennington didn't allow that to happen. With their last breath, the defense didn't allow it to happen. And with a presence that already looks so terribly comfortable and confident, neither did the rookie coach. Listen, if he coaches here long enough - and there's no reason not to hope for a long, prosperous run - Mangini is going to lose his share of gut-stabbers. Just not this gut-stabber. It was a proper place to start.

"I think the credit goes to the way we believed in ourselves," Mangini said. "Confidence and resilience. We had worked too hard to put ourselves in position to win the game to then not win the game."

Mangini allowed himself a smile when the game was over, and said he'd advance himself a small pile of the "five-second" moments he permits his players after good things happen and after bad things happen, and surely by the time the wheels were up on the team flight home, his thoughts were already consumed by New England. After one game, there is little not to like.

And there is much evidence to be studied that, after one game, what began as a bitter game of betrayal last January may well have worked as serendipitously as possible, especially when you study just how brutally things broke for Edwards during his debut in Kansas City.

Jets fans could have printed out a blueprint for Chiefs fans to follow, that's how predictably things went at Arrowhead Stadium. All across the summer, Chiefs players crowed about Edwards' light workouts, praised Edwards for - altogether now - "treating us like men," and, in what was a chronic issue throughout his tenure in New York, the Chiefs came out flat, unfocused, blatantly unprepared in week one.

But that wasn't Edwards' only familiar sin. It took Chiefs fans all of two series to boo their new coach, when on third-and-five, well inside the Bengals' red zone, Larry Johnson wound up diving into the pile for a minimal gain. This was precisely the kind of numbingly conservative offense that used to be a staple of Jets gameplans, and used to drive Jets fans insane.

But wait, there was more. Afterward, pressed about that call, Edwards muttered: "Missed communication on the call. I'll leave it at that."

But, of course, by saying that much it was hardly left at that. Soon, offensive coordinator Mike Solari confessed that he'd either lost track of the down or the distance, assuming a place under Herm's Bus that Paul Hackett could certainly tell him all about. And with Trent Green out for at least two weeks now, Chiefs fans ought to enjoy how well Edwards adjusts to those weekly dramas.

No, in many ways, Day One of the Mangini era couldn't have gone better, in Nashville and in Kansas City, in the Jets' present and in their recent past. We'll wait a while to coronate the coach, but leave it at this: He's clearly the right man at the right time for the right team. Which is a damn good place to be.

[Sperm Edwards]

'FIVE SECONDS'

By MARK CANNIZZARO

September 12, 2006 -- One of Eric Mangini's core messages to his players has to do with what he calls "the five-second rule."

The premise is this: Whether you've made a great play or a poor one, give yourself five seconds to dwell on it and then move on. The next play, Mangini preaches, is always the most important one.

So it goes for the momentous era-opening victory Mangini and his players orchestrated in a 23-16 season-opening road victory over the Titans on Sunday in Nashville.

After the game, Mangini, flashing a rare smile, told reporters he was going to indulge himself by "stringing" along a number of five-second increments to enjoy his first victory as an NFL head coach.

Yesterday, Mangini joked that he "gave [his wife] Julie, [and sons] Jake and Luke a couple five seconds I kind of band-wagoned onto."

Fair enough.

Beginning today, though, that extended five seconds is up, and Mangini knows it. In fact, during his meeting with the players yesterday, he tried to temper the feel-good attitude about the victory as it relates to the next game - the Jets' home opener Sunday against Mangini's mentor, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots.

"I told them whether we come in here [on Mondays] and we win or whether we come in here and we lose, it's exactly the same approach," Mangini said. "There were a lot - a lot - of things we need to improve on. You can't get caught up in the emotion of, 'OK, we won the game, everything is OK,' because that's not the case.

"There's a lot of things that we have to get better at. We have to fight the human nature of: 'Things aren't so bad [because we won].' On the flipside of that, when you lose, you have to fight human nature that the sky is falling."

Jets linebacker Matt Chatham is a former Patriot who's well aware of the system Belichick runs, the same system Mangini is running with the Jets. So Mangini's meeting had a familiar ring.

"That's . . . how we've always done things . . . try to control the highest highs and lowest lows if you can," Chatham said. "In this league you can't take a step back because you had a bad day, and you can't give up on an opportunity to get better just because you think you did well."

Veteran guard Pete Kendall was hip to Mangini's message.

"[The] coaches did a pretty good job of pointing out why we shouldn't risk breaking our arms patting ourselves on the back after reviewing the film," Kendall said.

Chatham said he has been giving Mangini "a hard time" about never smiling, something Belichick rarely does in public.

"When we were up there [in New England] it was a lot of doom and gloom, but there were a lot of victories and big wins," Chatham said. "I've been giving Eric got a lot of heat on trying to smile more. His personality is different from Bill's. A lot of values they have are the same, and hopefully the results will be the same as well. But it's OK to smile."

Mangini, in some light moments yesterday, acquiesced, particularly when speaking of his family.

"It was a good night," he said when asked how he celebrated the victory. "With a two-year-old and seven-month-old, there was not a lot of champagne popping. We had some apple pie and ice cream. Jake was fired up. He still can't quite figure out where Tennessee is and why I don't talk back to him when we're on TV. But we're working through that.

"He's really improved his J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets [chant)]. So that's progress."

Progress, of course, is exactly what Mangini is looking for on a daily basis.

[Scott Dierking]

Here is everything that you need to know about Mangini:

He names a practice player of the week for the scout team. This week it was Ball

[Sperm Edwards]

Manigini taking right attitude with Jets

Bob Glauber

September 12, 2006

The first sign of trouble for an NFL coach is when you start hearing players talk about how he treats them like human beings.

Sounds kind of weird, given the fact that we all enjoy being treated as such. But for football players, the underlying meaning of the human being line is that the coach makes things comfortable for his guys.

Which, of course, runs counter to everything about the game. Football is not supposed to be comfortable, not if you expect to win in a game in which 300-pound men regularly do things they wouldn't even think of doing unless someone told them to do it.

Enter Jets rookie coach Eric Mangini, who has made things about as uncomfortable around here as they've been since the Bill Parcells days. In fact, I don't remember the level of complaining under Tuna being as pronounced as it's been under Mangini.

All of which is, of course, a very good thing for the Jets.

In fact, that level of discomfort is a major reason the Jets are 1-0. And it will be a factor in the team's sustained success under Mangini, which might not come for a while but eventually will get here.

After all, when you're a demanding coach, you're ahead of the game. And when your players win, as the Jets did Sunday in Tennessee in Mangini's debut as head coach, they realize the effort is worth it.

"It just goes to show everything we've done in camp has paid off," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said.

Coles was one of the Jets' most outspoken players about how tough Mangini's first training camp was. The practices ran close to three hours. Mangini had music piped in that was so loud, the police would have been called if it had been coming from your neighbor's back yard. Players ran laps when they made mistakes, sometimes to the point that guys would drop from cramping up.

Privately, some players wondered what he was up to. At age 35 and with no previous experience as an NFL head coach, what did he know?

Evidently, he knew more than they did. The Jets were the better-coached team Sunday.

"He put us in a lot of tough situations in practice," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "He was, I don't want to say cruel, but he wanted to be tough on us and wanted the team to buy into his system. I think we did that. We responded, and it worked out well."

For one Sunday, anyway. The Titans were a bad team with a starting quarterback (Kerry Collins) they'd just signed off the street two weeks earlier. So no matter how tough Mangini has been, there's no telling what lies ahead once the level of competition is ratcheted up. We'll get a better idea Sunday, when the Jets face Mangini's mentor, Bill Belichick.

Belichick surely will notice the toughness of Mangini's team. Mangini found out early from Belichick that the way a coach builds a winning program is by finding the kind of players willing to endure the endless practices, willing to pay the obsessive attention to detail in practice and in meetings. It was no accident that Mangini was so tough on the players in camp; he wanted to see who'd thrive in that environment and who'd quit.

To which we say: Good. That's the way it should be.

"We have a set of core values," Mangini has said about a gazillion times since taking the job. He talks incessantly about "focus" and "attention to detail." He doesn't like talking about individuals; he believes the team is more important.

"We're going to approach things consistently, the same way every week, whether we win or lose, whatever the situation," he said. "We'll do it at the same level, week in and week out."

Mangini does not have the personal magnetism of Parcells or the brooding self-assuredness of Belichick. But like both his mentors, he does have the respect of his players, many of whom hugged him on the sideline Sunday afternoon.

But he knows it won't be easy the rest of the way, not with a team with so many holes in the roster.

Start with Curtis Martin's absence. Fill-in Derrick Blaylock ran tentatively against the Titans; Kevan Barlow seemed the more powerful back. The offensive line finished with three rookies on the left side after Pete Kendall re-injured his hamstring. Bryan Thomas is a project at linebacker. Dewayne Robertson isn't the prototype 3-4 nose tackle. There isn't much depth at receiver behind Coles. And the Jets are keeping their fingers crossed that Chad Pennington stays healthy.

But there is something on this team that eventually will help to overcome a lot of those weaknesses. It is called heart. Seems as if the Jets have it.

[Sperm Edwards]

Eric trying to get it done the hard way

Bob Glauber

September 12, 2006

The first sign of trouble for an NFL coach is when you start hearing players talk about how he treats them like human beings.

Sounds kind of weird, given the fact that we all enjoy being treated as such. But for football players, the underlying meaning of the human being line is that the coach makes things comfortable for his guys.

Which, of course, runs counter to everything about the game. Football is not supposed to be comfortable, not if you expect to win in a game in which 300-pound men regularly do things they wouldn't even think of doing unless someone told them to do it.

Enter Jets rookie coach Eric Mangini, who has made things about as uncomfortable around here as they've been since the Bill Parcells days. In fact, I don't remember the level of complaining under Tuna being as pronounced as it's been under Mangini.

All of which is, of course, a very good thing for the Jets.

In fact, that level of discomfort is a major reason the Jets are 1-0. And it will be a factor in the team's sustained success under Mangini, which might not come for a while but eventually will get here.

After all, when you're a demanding coach, you're ahead of the game. And when your players win, as the Jets did Sunday in Tennessee in Mangini's debut as head coach, they realize the effort is worth it.

"It just goes to show everything we've done in camp has paid off," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said.

Coles was one of the Jets' most outspoken players about how tough Mangini's first training camp was. The practices ran close to three hours. Mangini had music piped in that was so loud, the police would have been called if it had been coming from your neighbor's back yard. Players ran laps when they made mistakes. Sometimes guys would drop from cramping up.

Privately, some players wondered what he was up to. At age 35 and with no previous experience as an NFL head coach, what did he know?

Evidently, he knew more than they did. The Jets were the better-coached team Sunday.

"For any guy in the league to go from Herm Edwards' system to one of the Bill Belichick tree systems is dramatic," said linebacker Matt Chatham, a former Patriot. "[Mangini's] system is going to come like a baseball bat to the head. It's going to feel like high school again. Once it settles down, you realize you did it for a reason. It ends up making sense."

It made sense Sunday, even if the Titans were a bad team with a starting quarterback (Kerry Collins) they'd just signed off the street two weeks earlier. So no matter how tough Mangini has been, there's no telling what lies ahead once the level of competition is ratcheted up. We'll get a better idea Sunday, when the Jets face Mangini's mentor, Belichick.

Belichick surely will notice the toughness of Mangini's team. Mangini found out early from Belichick that the way a coach builds a winning program is by finding the kind of players willing to endure the endless practices, willing to pay the obsessive attention to detail in practice and in meetings. It was no accident that Mangini was so tough on the players in camp; he wanted to see who'd thrive in that environment and who'd quit.

To which we say: Good. That's the way it should be.

"We have a set of core values," Mangini has said about a gazillion times since taking the job. He talks incessantly about "focus" and "attention to detail." He doesn't like talking about individuals; he believes the team is more important. "We're going to approach things consistently, the same way every week, whether we win or lose, whatever the situation," he said. "We'll do it at the same level, week in and week out."

Mangini does not have the personal magnetism of Parcells or the brooding self-assuredness of Belichick. But like both his mentors, he does have the respect of his players, many of whom hugged him on the sideline Sunday afternoon.

But he knows it won't be easy this season, not with so many holes in the roster.

Start with Curtis Martin's absence. Fill-in Derrick Blaylock ran tentatively against the Titans; Kevan Barlow seemed the more powerful back. The offensive line finished with three rookies on the left side after Pete Kendall re-injured his hamstring. Bryan Thomas is a project at linebacker. Dewayne Robertson isn't the prototype 3-4 nose tackle. There isn't much depth at receiver behind Coles. And the Jets are keeping their fingers crossed that Chad Pennington stays healthy.

But there is something on this team that eventually will help to overcome a lot of those weaknesses. It is called heart. Seems as if the Jets have it.

[Sperm Edwards]

Mastermind

Chad runs no-huddle brilliantly and Mangini praises his decisions

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

September 12, 2006

Most people were impressed by Chad Pennington's shoulder. Eric Mangini was more pleased with his quarterback's performance above that area.

The Jets entrusted Pennington with more responsibilities than he had ever had, and it paid off Sunday in a 23-16 win over the Titans and a 319-yard passing day. His QB rating was 123.2, second in the league to Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch's 126.5 entering last night's games. But Mangini said his favorite Pennington play was one that did not count toward those numbers.

It was on the first touchdown drive, after Kevan Barlow had just run to the 1-yard line. Pennington saw Justin McCareins was uncovered near the left sideline and tried to quick-snap against the confused Titans, who had only 10 men on the field. Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher recognized the situation and called a timeout that negated the apparent touchdown pass (but merely postponed the TD run by Barlow on the next snap).

Mangini recognized the situation as well.

"That's such a smart play," Mangini said yesterday. "I know it's a completion that wasn't a completion, but that was probably my favorite play. He picked it up, popped it out there. Unfortunately, they got a timeout called."

Pennington had one of the best passing games of his career and also played one of his smartest games. His twice-repaired right shoulder may not have been sore after the win, but his brain probably was.

Pennington orchestrated the no-huddle offense the way stockbrokers on the trading floor communicate, with a series of arm movements and hand signals. He was not as animated as the guy in Indianapolis who does all those commercials, but there were some odd-looking gestures to signal changes and formations. Once or twice Pennington appeared to be doing the Chicken Dance. If so, it apparently was one of those really intelligent tic-tac-toe chickens.

"[Pennington] made some solid checks," Mangini said, "got us out of some bad plays and into good plays."

Not that those shifts were always flawless. Pennington changed plays just before he was sacked by Cortland Finnegan on an outside blitz that forced a fumble and gave the Titans the ball at the 1 for the tying touchdown and two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.

Mangini said a communication failure led to the untouched defender's clean shot at Pennington and nearly cost the Jets the game.

"When you're running an offense that's no-huddle, when you have the flexibility in the offense to check in and out of plays, it's vital that everybody understands exactly what they're doing on that play," Mangini said. "I'm not buying that it couldn't have been communicated better."

It's up to the smart guys to figure out how.

Notes & quotes: Let the hype begin! Mangini addressed the showdown against his former team and his mentor when the Patriots come to the Meadowlands on Sunday. "It's the New York Jets against the New England Patriots," Mangini said. "Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini are just the coaches." Mangini said he and Belichick played phone tag during the summer. He suspects this will not be the week they finally get connected ... G Pete Kendall said he injured his left hamstring on the interception by Reynaldo Hill that was negated by the pass-interference penalty on Peter Sirmon against Chris Baker midway through the first quarter ... S Kerry Rhodes injured his right ankle blitzing Kerry Collins on the final fourth-down stop from the Jets' 8, but he said he should be able to practice this week and play Sunday ... Mangini named players of the game on offense (Pennington, Laveranues Coles), defense (Andre Dyson) and special teams (Brad Kassel). He also singled out DL Dave Ball as the practice player of the week.

[Sperm Edwards]

Mangini-Belichick call put on hold

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Let the hype begin.

The teacher vs. pupil showdown between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Jets rookie coach Eric Mangini kicks off at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday at Giants Stadium. The cold war, however, has already begun. The two haven't spoken in a while and don't plan to talk this week.

"We missed each other (with phone calls) a couple of times throughout the summer," Mangini said. "This probably won't be the week that we'll be chatting too much. Our relationship is the same as it's been. He's always been a good friend."

Prior to taking the Jets job, a person with close ties to the Patriots told The Star-Ledger that Belichick (who coached the Jets for less than 24 hours in 2000 and resigned) had advised Mangini not to take the job. While Mangini was making his decision, Belichick barred him from the Patriots training complex.

The pair have known each other since 1995, when Mangini was a ballboy in Cleveland, where Belickick was the head coach. Last season, Mangini was the Pats' defensive coordinator.

Mangini hinted that the Jets may bring in a kicker or two this week for tryouts, but it appears Mike Nugent's job isn't in imminent danger after he missed an extra point and two field goals (30 and 34 yards) against the Titans.

Nugent said yesterday the films confirmed that his right foot hit the ground before each missed kick at about the "same spot every time." He refused to blame the surface at LP Field.

RB Kevan Barlow (11 carries, 35 yards, TD vs. Titans) has impressed Mangini and could get the starting nod (or at least more carries) against the Patriots. Barlow, criticized for not running hard in San Francisco, hit the hole with authority against Tennessee.

Veteran C/G Trey Teague (broken left ankle) is getting close to returning and may be activated if G Pete Kendall (hamstring) is out for any length of time. Teague was injured in June during off-season workouts.

Second-year C/G Norm Katnik did a solid job replacing Kendall on Sunday. It was Katnik's first action at center or guard in a regular-season game.

"When something like that happens, you kind of run out there and you're thrown right into the fire," said Katnik. "It's almost easier getting in that way. You're a little bit rusty but once you get the first-play jitters out the way, it's fine."

Kendall and S Kerry Rhodes (ankle) said they're fine and won't miss any time.

Mangini named three players of the game: QB Chad Pennington and WR Laveranues Coles (offense) and CB Andre Dyson (defense). DE Dave Ball was named practice player of the game for his work on the scout team.

Normally dependable veteran RG Brandon Moore was whistled for three penalties against the Titans, two false starts and a holding call.... Mangini said he celebrated his first victory by having apple pie and ice cream with his wife and two young sons.

[Sperm Edwards]

Making sense of the madness

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- When the Jets traded quarterback Brooks Bollinger to the Vikings the day before the preseason finale, several of his teammates congratulated him with high-fives because he was escaping the wrath of coach Eric Mangini.

Mangini, the hard-driving rookie coach and pupil of Bill Belichick, wasn't a popular figure in the locker room this summer, especially among veterans who had grown accustomed to the player-friendly ways of Herm Edwards, who preceded Mangini.

But Sunday's 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans at LP Field has changed things. Veterans who had been reluctant to buy into Mangini's program are having second thoughts. One victory doesn't earn a trip to the Super Bowl, but it's a start.

"Definitely," one disgruntled veteran said emphatically yesterday when asked if the win helped Mangini win over the locker room.

Former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham, in his first season with the Jets, was already on board. But the impact of the victory wasn't lost on him.

"Guys know Eric came from this system but they want to see it work with him," said Chatham, who spent six seasons in New England. "They don't think he (Mangini) is Bill (Belichick) and they don't think he's (former assistant coaches) Romeo (Crennel) or Charlie (Weis).

"To see Eric win doing the things that he's preaching, I think it's a big thing. It puts a reality spin on it."

Added veteran guard Pete Kendall: "I think it's naive to say had we gone three, four, five weeks not getting that first win that it (players buying into Mangini's program) wouldn't have been a story."

Against the Titans, several of the things Mangini has been preaching came into play:

Finishing: The Jets benefited from those 2 1/2-hour practices in temperatures approaching 100 degrees when they put together a game-winning drive in the final minutes.

Aggressiveness: Unlike Edwards, Mangini played to win in the final drive. He had vowed to try to take advantage of an opponents' weakness and found that vulnerability in the Titans' secondary.

Discipline: Mangini doesn't try to make friends in the locker room and players know if they don't perform or make mistakes, they're out.

Details, details, details: Players said they weren't surprised by anything in the Titans game because Mangini had worked on every situation in practice.

Every job is open: As promised, Mangini used role players at crucial points against the Titans.

"I think this victory is going to help everybody with the transition," safety Erik Coleman said. "We stayed together the whole game. We fought it out. It was a tough win and it brought us closer together as a team."

Following the game, quarterback Chad Pennington said the coaching staff "did a good job of attacking and not playing on our heels." The Jets even used their no-huddle offense to perfection.

Pennington hit 24 of 33 passes for 319 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a 123.2 passer rating.

"Coach Mangini said we're going to play our game no matter what," said wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who had a career-high six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start. "Even at the end, we're not going to try to be conservative. We're going to try to make plays and go home with a victory."

It's a victory the Jets earned despite giving up a 16-0 lead in the fourth quarter. It's a victory they earned by stopping the Titans twice from their 8-yard line in the closing seconds.

"It's hot and guys are dying but we're not that tired," said Chatham, citing the marathon training camp practices as the reason why. "We were able to fight and win at the end. I think that's when you're like, 'Okay, I hated that stuff (Mangini) was putting us through but this is why we did it.'"

[Sperm Edwards]

September 12, 2006

Running Game for Jets Has to Get Up to Speed

By KAREN CROUSE

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Sept. 11 — The Jets’ running game will lag behind until Kevan Barlow can catch up. That was obvious after Barlow, who joined the team during the last week of training camp, was limited to 11 carries and the Jets were held to 91 yards rushing in a 23-16 victory Sunday at Tennessee.

Barlow, who ran for 35 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter, knows his speed in learning the playbook is more important now than how fast he can explode through a hole.

The no-huddle offense the Jets used was almost as challenging to Barlow as it was to the Titans’ defense. He ended up relying on quarterback Chad Pennington to point him in the right direction on a few plays.

“When I get kind of puzzled a little bit, Chad does a really good job of getting me lined up,” Barlow said. “I just want to get to a point where I know the calls and don’t have to think about it.”

Barlow said he had just become fully versed in the new offense that the San Francisco 49ers installed during training camp when he was traded to the Jets on Aug. 20.

“It’s frustrating,” he said, “because I want to compete to my full abilities and go out there and be able to play fast without thinking.”

In San Francisco, Barlow often spoke without thinking, and that is why he sometimes had a strained relationship with his offensive line and fullback Fred Beasley during his five years there. Between meetings Monday, Barlow sought out Pennington. When he caught up to him, Barlow said he wished he had the playbook down pat because he aspired to be the workhorse that the injured Curtis Martin was for the Jets during the previous eight seasons.

The direction the conversation took after that says a lot about the drive of Pennington and Barlow. Pennington suggested that they meet at the Jets’ practice facility Tuesday, a day off for the players. “We can get in a good hour of studying,” Pennington told Barlow, who replied that any time would be fine since he would be at the facility all day studying on his own and with the running backs coach, Jimmy Raye.

While the N.F.L. is sleeping Tuesday, Barlow will head to the Jets’ facility before 7 a.m. He planned to stay there until at least 6 p.m. and do whatever it takes to get in sync with his new teammates. “I’ll be here all day, so hopefully, I’ll be able to answer the questions that Coach Mangini throws at me,” Barlow said.

Eric Mangini’s penchant for quizzing his players during meetings made Barlow feel like a high school senior thrown into an upper-division college class. “You know, basically I came in here two weeks before the season started and these guys have been here since March learning this whole offense,” Barlow said. “So I’ve got to try to absorb as much as I can to get out there and compete so I can help the team.”

When Barlow scored the Jets’ first touchdown in the second quarter Sunday, he trotted from the end zone to the sideline and gave the ball to Mangini. “You should have this,” Barlow said.

Mangini has liked other things Barlow has done since joining the Jets. “The most encouraging thing to me about Kevan is how he’s making progress each week, how aggressively he’s approaching the learning and getting to know his teammates and coaches,” Mangini said. “I felt like going into the game we did have quite a bit of exposure to the things that he could do, strengths and things like that. Now with another week under his belt, I think he’ll continue to improve.”

EXTRA POINTS

Will the Jets look to reinforce their kicking game after Mike Nugent missed field goals of 34 and 30 yards and an extra point Sunday? Eric Mangini said Monday that he and General Manager Mike Tannenbaum “will get together tonight just like every night. We’ll go through the game and the performances across the board, look at what’s out there in terms of opportunities. I don’t mean that exclusively in that one area.” ... Chad Pennington threw for 319 yards, but it was a pass that did not count that impressed Mangini the most. In the second quarter, Pennington noticed that the Titans had only 10 men on the field, so he quickly gathered his offense at the line and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to JUSTIN McCAREINS, who was uncovered. The play did not count because Titans Coach Jeff Fisher called a timeout a split-second earlier. “To me, that’s Chad,” Mangini said. “That’s really smart, sound, disciplined, aware football. He made a lot of plays like that throughout the game.”

[Sperm Edwards]

Jets' notebook

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Brick's foundation

If D'Brickashaw Ferguson gives up as little to defenses as he does to reporters, he'll be a great player. The first-round rookie left tackle got his baptism by fire Sunday at Tennessee and agreed that he had his ups, such as pancaking at least two opponents, and downs, such as a holding penalty with 14:20 to play.

"There were some things I did well and some things I did poorly," Ferguson said, "but I'm glad I had the opportunity to do them. Now I can grow from them and not always wonder what it's going to be like."

It was tough enough running into forceful Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck, but next up "Brick" will draw the Patriots' dynamic right end, Richard Seymour.

"He's an excellent player," Ferguson said. "It's going to be important for me to really study, so I can go out there and play well."

The pain game

Another difference between Eric Mangini and Herm Edwards came with the day-after-game injury report. Edwards usually gave a fairly detailed summary two days earlier than required by the NFL.

Some have suggested it was too complete, helping the next opponent get a head start on preparing to play the Jets.

That's not how Mangini's going to do it. He was asked about guard Pete Kendall, who strained his left hamstring Sunday, and safety Kerry Rhodes, who twisted his left ankle.

"We'll evaluate all those guys here over the next couple days and have an injury report out Wednesday," the coach said.

Briefs

It's early, of course, but after Sunday's games, Chad Pennington led the NFL in passing yardage (319), Laveranues Coles in receiving yardage (153), Justin Miller in kickoff-return average (29.7) and Andre Dyson in interceptions (two). ... And the Jets' offense, which many felt would struggle badly, was tied for third in the NFL with 393 yards.

-- Randy Lange

[Sperm Edwards]

Jets' report card

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Running game: D-plus

Derrick Blaylock and Kevan Barlow had nowhere to run against Albert Haynesworth, Keith Bulluck and Co., averaging 2.7 yards a carry. At least Barlow showed promise on his tough 1-yard TD plunge and an 11-yard jaunt. The O-line is perilously thin if Pete Kendall misses any time and if Trey Teague (ankle) isn't ready to return.

Passing game: A

Chad Pennington restarted his career with a game reminiscent of 2002, completing 73 percent of his passes, toting up a 123.2 passer rating and even shaking off some heavy hits. Laveranues Coles (eight catches for 153 yards) was brilliant, Jerricho Cotchery had a career-high six catches and Chris Baker returned as a factor.

Run defense: B

Jonathan Vilma, who started slowly but finished with a team-high 12 tackles, and an active Eric Barton led the way as the Titans were held to 86 yards at 3.4 per carry -- with no run longer than 9 yards. But Travis Henry still stung his old divisional foes with two TDs (he has seven for his career vs. Jets) and a two-point run.

Pass defense: B

Andre Dyson was sensational early in becoming the first Jet since Victor Green in 2000 at New England to get two interceptions on the road. Kerry Rhodes added a third pick on a deflection as Kerry Collins was victimized by rust and drops. But two sacks and six hits on the immobile ex-Giants QB weren't enough.

Special teams: C-plus

Punter Ben Graham's 44-yard net average wasn't a career high, but it led the NFL through Sunday's games. Justin Miller's 41-yard kickoff return started the winning TD drive. Brad Kassell and Rashad Washington had three coverage tackles each. Mike Nugent is fortunate his three missed kicks didn't cost the victory.

-- Randy Lange

[Sperm Edwards]

Nugent kicking himself

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

By RANDY LANGE

STAFF WRITER

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The Jets celebrated their neat opening-day 23-16 victory over the Titans in various understated ways.

There was a whole lot of smiling going on. Coach Eric Mangini said he, his wife and two kids marked the occasion late Sunday not with champagne but with apple pie a la mode.

For Mike Nugent, the taste was not as creamy and much more bitter.

"I don't know what was going on," the Jets' placekicker said of his bad day at the office, "but the feeling I got in just watching the film was that it didn't even look like me kicking.

"My teammates and my coaches didn't deserve to be in that position."

Many fans are muttering that Nugent deserves to be kicking himself after his three botched placements -- an extra point and 34- and 30-yard field goal tries -- which allowed the Titans to stay alive for a two-touchdown comeback in an attempt to rescue a home-opening win.

The Jets survived the comeback bid, but the question already is being asked outside the team whether they should start taking a look at available kickers.

Mangini didn't squelch speculation that the topic would come up at his nightly meeting with general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

"We'll go through the game and the performances across the board," Mangini said. "We'll look at what's out there in terms of opportunities. I don't mean that exclusively in that one [kicking] area. That's something we do every single night. We'll do that again [Monday] evening and see if there's any possibilities to improve the team."

It would seem premature to talk about trying to move out Nugent, who had an impeccable Ohio State career before the Jets maneuvered to draft him in the second round a year ago.

But this is a team with Doug Brien's playoff meltdown in its recent memory -- which, after all, is why Nugent is here -- and a new management duo that isn't that married to any of last year's players, especially if they might stand in the way of progress.

"There are a lot of things we have to get better at," Mangini said. "We have to fight the human nature of 'Things aren't so bad.' On the flip side of that, when you lose, you have to fight human nature that the sky is falling."

On the one hand, plenty of NFL kickers bounce back from misses every week. But on the other, Nugent didn't have your everyday bad day. The last Jet to miss three kicks in a game was John Hall in 1999. And the last to shank two short field goals in a game was Cary Blanchard, from 27 and 36 yards in a 1992 home win over Cincinnati.

"There's absolutely no excuse" for his misses, said Nugent, who knows there's nothing he could do if there suddenly was new competition for his job. "All I can do is worry about what I can do to help this team out," he said.

As for why he pushed those three kicks, he said he had problems even in warm-ups with his foot hitting the ground as he kicked, which always causes his kicks to go right.

The best thing Nugent can do is chalk it all up to bad opening-day karma again -- in his rookie debut at Kansas City last year, he slipped and had his first pro field goal try blocked.

"The thing I love is that we've got 15 games to go," he said. "I don't think I'm in a slump. I had one of the best camps I've ever had.

"It was just one of those days. I didn't put everything together like I should have and like I can."

E-mail: lange@northjersey.com

[mbn007]

MARK CANNIZZARO'S JETS REPORT CARD

By MARK CANNIZZARO

September 12, 2006 --

[This article curiously didn't write any grades in the "report card"]

After reading his stuff over these past many years, I am not surprised...........

[Sperm Edwards]

Maybe they are only visible in the $55 version.

[mbn007]

Maybe they are only visible in the $55 version.

POTW NOM!!!

[Sperm Edwards]

Pats take issue with Jets: Will file tampering charge

By John Tomase/ Patriots Notebook

Boston Herald Sports Writer

Tuesday, September 12, 2006 - Updated: 08:12 AM EST

FOXBORO - The Border War lives.

According to sources, the Patriots plan to file tampering charges against the Jets for telling Deion Branch what they had offered the Patriots as compensation for the holdout wide receiver.

The Patriots allowed Branch to negotiate with other teams during the last week of August. During that time, the sides were granted permission to discuss contract terms only. The Patriots contend the Jets told Branch about their offer of a second-round pick after putting together a six-year, $39 million contract.

The Patriots believe that knowledge “poisoned the waters” and guaranteed Branch wouldn’t re-sign with the team.

The Pats and Jets are slated to play this weekend and have clashed off the field periodically during the past decade. It started when the Pats lost head coach Bill Parcells to the Jets after the 1996 season.

A year later, Parcells swiped running back Curtis Martin with a contract offer the Patriots refused to match.

The Pats turned the tables in 2000, wrangling Bill Belichick out of his contract as Jets head coach to become Patriots head coach.

Three Super Bowls later, Belichick lost defensive coordinator Eric Mangini to his division rival. The Jets made Mangini their head coach during the winter and he led the team to victory in its opener against the Titans Sunday.

[Sperm Edwards]

Nugent trying to figure out kicking woes

By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer

September 12, 2006

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -- NFL kickers have a difficult enough job simply fitting in. When that kicker is a second-round draft choice coming off a dismal game, well, finding a place to hide would seem a good idea.

Mike Nugent has a better thought: He's attacking the problems head-on.

Nugent missed field goals of 34 and 30 yards and, even worse, blew an extra point in the New York Jets' 23-16 opening victory at Tennessee. His misses, all wide right, left the Titans in position to rally from a 16-0 hole with two touchdowns and a pair of 2-point conversions.

Chad Pennington, who had a brilliant game, led the Jets on a touchdown drive to win it -- and rescue the 2005 second-round pick from Ohio State.

"Missing an extra point, especially that early in the season, you think about it and what it can cost," Nugent said. "That's one of my strengths, the mental approach. After missing the extra point, I missed two very short field goals and there's no excuse for that.

"My worst opening day was last year, and then I come up with what happened yesterday."

As a rookie, Nugent slipped on a 28-yard field goal try at Kansas City and had it blocked in an opening loss. He recovered to make 22 of 28 field goals and all 24 PATs.

There was no reason to believe he would struggle at the outset this season. Nugent displayed a strong leg and even stronger mind when kicking in big games at Ohio State, and the Jets expected him to be a reliable weapon for a long time.

He wasn't very reliable in Tennessee, though, and coach Eric Mangini didn't exactly give the kicker a solid endorsement. Instead, Mangini said he would discuss the kicking game with special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff.

"Mike and I will get together tonight, just like every night," Mangini said. "We'll go through the game and the performances across the board, look at what's out there in terms of opportunities. I don't mean that exclusively in that one area."

Nugent understands how tenuous his position can be, although NFL teams usually have more patience with kickers in whom they have invested a high draft pick and a lot of money. Nugent also knows there's only one way he can react to Sunday's flop.

"All I can worry about is what I can do to help this team out," he said. "As long as I'm out there doing my job every week, I'm helping the team.

"The play is over and there is nothing I can do about it now, just make up for it on the next one. Obviously I didn't do that."

He was cheered by the response he got from teammates, although such positive words could turn nasty if he can't split the uprights regularly.

"So many of them took time out to encourage me and saying they know they still can rely on me," Nugent said.

Nugent comes off a strong preseason, which made his failures in Nashville more surprising. He'll likely need a quick reversal of fortunes, though, because the Jets and their fans still have bitter memories of Doug Brien missing two field goals in a January 2005 playoff game at Pittsburgh. That's one reason the Jets used a high pick on Nugent.

"In any kind of game, you always want a chance to go out there and contribute," Nugent said. "Anything I can do to help the team I want to do, and I was not doing that for my team (in the opener). My teammates and the coaches didn't deserve to be in that position. We should have had seven more points.

"I can't let them down."

[Sperm Edwards]

Pennington gives the Jets hope

Bob Wischusen

Sep 12, 2006

The offseason prognostications for the Jets were consistent; you can say that at the very least. I dare you to find someone (outside of myself and Dan Leberfeld here on MSGNetwork.com), who predicted the Jets would even finish .500. Everywhere you looked it was 3-13, a 4-12 repeat ... maybe if we’re generous 5-11.

Remember last year when the Jets lost two quarterbacks inside of seven plays in the third week of the season? At the time, every NFL analyst collectively said that the Jets had no chance the rest of the way. Their season was over, they would be lucky to win five games. And they were right, the Jets went 4-12 as most of us figured they would.

A pumped-up Pennington led Gang Green to victory in week one. (AP)

But something funny happened on the way to a very forgettable season, and that was that those analysts all seemed to forget. They forgot what they all said back in week three; they all seemed to forget that the QBs were hurt. It was almost as if by week 10, Brooks Bollinger was supposed to have been the starter from day one and that because they went 4-12 the whole team needed to be over-hauled.

The Jets were in for a long, painful rebuilding process. What else after a season like that?

What else? Well, how about a win on the road in week one ... shockingly after the QB comes back! What team could possibly have overcome what happened t the Jets last season? Go roster-by-roster around the NFL and find me the team that, if they lost their top two QBs for the season would be OK? And by the way, throw out the Cardinals, Broncos and Titans since all three have their celebrated rookies as their primary back-ups.

The truth is no team could win under those circumstances. Now that Chad Pennington is back the Jets have most of the core of a team that was a good kicker away from the AFC Championship game two years ago playing again, especially on defense.

Now, please don’t take this as a prediction that this team is headed for the Super Bowl this year. They definitely have some growing pains still to go through. No Curtis Martin and two rookies on the offensive line added up to no running game against Tennessee. And you can’t win if you can’t run the ball.

They also have a brutal five game stretch coming, with the Patriots, Colts and Dolphins at home and the Bills and Jaguars on the road. If they win two of those games and emerge in week seven at 3-3, they did spectacularly well.

But to think with Pennington back that this team doesn’t at least have a chance to improve upon last season is like having a brief case of football related short term amnesia. If they can find a way to keep the QB upright, they have a chance. He gives them a chance to win. They sure won’t win them all, and they may not win more than they lose. But they have a shot every week Pennington plays. And that beats what last season was a completely hopeless situation.

Which is why it’s kind of strange that so many people thought this season would be so hopeless. Every year there’s a team that shocks the NFL, and at least for a week, the Jets can ask quite fairly, “Why not us?”