Sperm Edwards Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 I don't have time this morning, so anyone who feels like cutting/pasting the articles in their entirety, feel free to post them here. www.nypost.com www.thejournalnews.com www.newsday.com www.nydailynews.com www.nj.com www.foxsports.com www.cnnsi.com www.nfl.com www.espn.com www.newyorkjets.com www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com www.colts.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetCane Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 from the post SAFETY CONCERN JETS HOPE ACHING RHODES, STRAIT CAN PICK ON PEYTON By BRIAN LEWIS KERRY RHODESSeptember 30, 2006 -- Tomorrow the Jets will host an Indianapolis passing attack that is the best in football and one of the most prolific in history. How Gang Green fares against Peyton Manning & Co. may well come down to its last line of defense - safeties Kerry Rhodes and Derrick Strait. They're an unlikely tandem: Rhodes, having a Pro Bowl-caliber start with a league-leading three forced fumbles, and Strait, who was traded away only to have the deal voided when Lee Suggs failed his physical. But they started together in Sunday's win at Buffalo - the first of Strait's career. Both are listed as questionable with thigh injuries, but could start again at the heart of a defense trying to make a statement against the high-powered Colts. "It can be [a statement]. If we come out and do what we should do, I think we can contend with anybody," said Rhodes, who said his thigh felt "fine." His 29 tackles are third among league DBs, his three sacks fourth in the AFC, tops among safeties. "He's made some huge plays for them, game-changing types of plays," Manning said of Rhodes, who forced two fumbles in the Buffalo win, one of which was returned for a TD. That's the kind of playmaking the Jets may need from the second-year strong safety to slow down Indianapolis. "Kerry has done a nice job, worked not just on the physical side but on the mental side, trying to understand how other safeties have become successful. His hard work is starting to manifest itself in the games with production," coach Eric Mangini said. "He's taken on a more active role, which is good." That active role has included making the defensive calls, a responsibility that he took on last year as a rookie. That buoyed his confidence, and has carried over in this breakthrough campaign. "I've been able to capitalize on the right calls by the coaches. Me personally, I've put in more work. I'm just out there being more confident in everything I do," said Rhodes. "If you're doing it just to be doing it, you shouldn't be doing it. I'm doing it to be the best that I can. "I [made the calls] with ease at the end of the year; it gave me confidence going into [this] year. I talked to coach Mangini; he came to me personally and said I had the ability to do it. I just took that in stride and ran with it." FS Erik Coleman praised Rhodes as a leader of the defense. Coleman started the first two games before being benched for Strait. Mangini has been tight-lipped about who would start tomorrow, Coleman or Strait, who was traded to Cleveland before the deal was nullified Aug. 15. "I just kept playing hard, didn't let anything bother me as far as discouraging me from doing what I have to do to help our team. Fortunately good things come fast," said Strait, who never got a Browns uniform and barely opened his playbook. "I understand the reason for it. [Mangini] just said welcome back." * Mangini praised rookie OT D'Brickshaw Ferguson, who faces Colts star DE Dwight Freeney. "It's exciting. [Freeney's] an excellent player, excellent athlete. I'm trying to learn as much as I can. Every day is a new learning experience," Ferguson said. OG Pete Kendall is still questionable, but could return after pulling his hamstring in the opener. Colt LB Gary Brackett - their leading tackler last year and this year - was upgraded to probable. ____ from newsday Jets' worries more than Manning BY TOM ROCK Newsday Staff Writer September 29, 2006 The Colts' passing game attracts so much ballyhoo that it can be hard to remember that Indianapolis also can run the ball. Though the Colts have not excelled in rushing -- nor have they had to through three games -- they do have an experienced running back and an impressive rookie in the backfield. With the Jets tied for 25th in run defense and allowing an NFL-high five rushing TDs this season, they'll need to be just as aware of Peyton Manning's handoffs as they are of his deep passes. "They have always been very effective running the ball," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "I know that in the past when I've faced them, Peyton does a really good job of understanding where the eighth man in the box may be coming from or where the weakness is in terms of perimeter run support." In other words, Manning doesn't need to be dropping back and looking for receivers to pick apart a defense. That poses a problem for defenders who can get so geared up to stop the pass, the running game socks them like a sneak attack. Some teams use the play-action to make linebackers think run, but the Colts can use it to lull linebackers before uncorking a big ground gain. "They do a good job of selling the play-action so you can catch the linebacker or the defensive lineman off guard and they can hit one of the holes and break it," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "When you switch those things and you become hesitant, then they can break the long one." The Colts decided to let running back Edgerrin James walk during the offseason, which further tilted their pass-first mentality toward Manning's right arm. Veteran Dominic Rhodes ran for 1,104 yards in 2001 but has run for only 643 in the three-plus seasons he has played since. He's getting the majority of the Colts' carries this season, though rookie Joseph Addai leads the team in yards (123) and yards per carry (4.7). The fact that Addai was available to the Jets late in the first round of last spring's draft won't be lost on many Jets fans if he rambles for big yardage at the Meadowlands on Sunday. The Jets chose to take center Nick Mangold with the 29th pick and the Colts grabbed Addai with the 30th. "He was a productive player in college [at LSU], and as we studied him, a good person, team player," Mangini said of Addai. "I think that he's a guy that really brings a lot to any team." Mangini and the Jets just don't want him to bring a lot Sunday. Notes & quotes: DT Simon Corey and S Bob Sanders are listed as out for Sunday's game on the Colts' injury report ... FB James Hodgins had electric stimulation on his back at his locker and treatment on his right knee before Friday's practice. That's what happens when you play football for the first time in a month ... There were no changes to the Jets' injury report from Wednesday through Friday. __________ daily news Let's get this Strait: Derrick, Jets happy BY PETER BOTTE DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Cornerback Derrick Strait (r.) is glad his trade to Cleveland fell through. Getting traded can be awkward to begin with, but imagine being asked to rejoin your original team when the deal is voided. Defensive back Derrick Strait, in fact, already had his practice gear on and was ready to hit the field with the Cleveland Browns late in training camp last month, when he was told he was headed back to the Jets because running back Lee Suggs had failed his physical. But Strait, a third-year player out of Oklahoma, certainly has made the most of his return to the green and white. He started at free safety over Erik Coleman last week against the Bills, and regardless of what Eric Mangini decides, Strait figures to see plenty of action against Peyton Manning and the Colts tomorrow at Giants Stadium. "I got into shorts and a shirt and got ready to practice and then I got the word it didn't go through," Strait said yesterday about his brief time with the Browns. "When I got back, I just went out there and kept playing hard and I really didn't let anything bother me or discourage me from going out there and doing what I have to do to help our team. "I just kept playing harder and good things fortunately came fast." Coleman, who had been in the starting lineup in each of his first 34 NFL games, was benched following a shaky performance in Week 2 against the Patriots. He ended up playing several series against the Bills, as the move seemed more to throw a nod Strait's way for working hard in practice following his return from Cleveland. "When we made the decision (to trade Strait), it was a difficult decision. It's never a pleasant part of this job," Mangini said yesterday. "Derrick and I had a good conversation . . . and he understood the decision was purely made because of the things we were trying to do to improve the overall team. "In bringing him back, I think that really showed the consistency of approach. Once he came back to the Jets, he was evaluated like every other player. He's done a good job with the opportunities he's had." Whether Coleman or Strait starts alongside strong safety Kerry Rhodes tomorrow, the entire Jets' secondary is on alert against Manning, whose 895 yards passing lead the AFC through three games. Marvin Harrison (949 career receptions) also leads the NFL in receiving yards (334), while sidekick Reggie Wayne is expected to play after returning to Colts camp Thursday following the death of his brother in a traffic accident. "Especially with them, they throw the ball all over the lot, so everybody has to be ready to go out there," Strait said. "You know they're going to throw the ball and you always have to be ready for that. You know there are going to be opportunities to do some things." Strait is just happy his opportunity is coming with the Jets. "In this business, you really never know when something like that might happen," he said about the voided trade. "You just have to play hard, wherever you are, and hopefully if something like that does happen, other teams will see you're a good player. "But I understood the reasoning behind it all. Coach was just like, 'Welcome back,' and that was as far as anything you could say about it." KERRY OPTIMISTIC: Rhodes - the Jets' emerging playmaker with three sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception - clearly expects to be in the lineup despite being on the injury report (ankle, questionable). "I'm fine," he said. "Oh wait, I can't talk about (injuries)." . . . Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, who missed last week's game against the Jaguars with a groin injury, practiced yesterday and could play tomorrow against the Jets. Vinatieri has not kicked in a game since he was injured in the second half of the Colts' win over the Houston Texans two weeks ago. Originally published on September 30, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 thanks JC...I'm on the wife's laptop-out of town and I am a little limited (just learning the nuances and all) and still haven't figured out how to cut and paste and hilight-I'll get it eventually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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