JETS ARTICLES - TUE 11/14

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-jets-bigwin&prov=ap&type=lgns

Jets get back to work to prepare for Bears after stunning Patriots

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr., AP Sports Writer

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -- The scene on the field told the entire story.

The New York Jets hugged and high-fived each other, while somewhere in the mix of green and white uniforms sat a muddied and frustrated Tom Brady. This was clearly more than just a run-of-the-mill victory.

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"This was a big game," coach Eric Mangini said Monday. "It was a tough place to play, division opponent and we hadn't been that successful in the recent past against them, so I was just really happy for the players and coaches and the organization. I think we've made some progress."

The Jets (5-4) also might have made a few statements with their 17-14 road victory over the rival New England Patriots on Sunday. For one, the AFC East isn't just a one-team race anymore. And, New York might suddenly be a real playoff contender.

"I think it's important because it was against an opponent that had a winning record and had been challenging in the past for us to beat. So that's, good. That's positive," Mangini said. "What's going to be even more important is how we come back, and coming into the opponent that we're facing, how that consistency develops."

Mangini was so pleased with his team's effort, he gave the players the day off from meeting with the media. They were still doing their regular film work, though. After all, it doesn't get any easier for the Jets -- not with the 8-1 Chicago Bears coming back to town after beating the Giants on Sunday night.

"I think that Chicago is extremely tough," said Mangini, who watched the Bears' 38-20 victory on TV. "They do a lot of good things, and I think they've done an outstanding job over the last couple of years, and they challenge you in every phase of the game. It'll be difficult."

While Mangini has preached all season that the players shouldn't ever get too high or too low following games, the Jets' latest victory was impressive on many levels.

For one, Mangini beat mentor Bill Belichick in a tension-filled rivalry that could thrive for years to come. Some of the players, including receiver Laveranues Coles, acknowledged they wanted this one a little bit more because of who it was against.

"I think it's always nice that they would say that," Mangini said. "If it helps us win, I hope they say that every week. It's really about them and what they did, and they worked hard and they played hard and they competed -- that's what I'm really proud of."

The offense did just enough to put points on the scoreboard and ran down the clock late in the game. The defense then made a stand against Brady with just over a minute left when it looked as if the Patriots quarterback was ready to lead his team downfield for at least a tying score.

"We didn't do enough to win," New England defensive lineman Richard Seymour said. "I think they outplayed us (and) they outcoached us, from top to bottom."

Now, that's a rarity, especially when Belichick is the measuring stick. Mangini took the high road when told of Seymour's comments.

"I know all those coaches pretty well, and that's an outstanding staff and the things that they did were very good," he said. "I think they're an incredible coaching staff. I know they had them prepared and watching the tape, you could see that."

But so did Mangini. During stormy conditions last Wednesday, the coach passed on practicing indoors and had the players work through the rain and mud on the practice field. It turned out to be the perfect preparation for Sunday's mud-filled game.

"We played this game on Wednesday at practice," running back Kevan Barlow said after the game, "because it was raining just like this."

The win ended the Jets' seven-game losing streak against the Patriots, removing the stigma that they can't beat New England. In a season that was supposed to be filled with ugly losses, the Jets have already surpassed last year's win total.

"What I was looking for is progress," Mangini said. "It's come in a lot of different shapes and we need to make a lot more progress to continue to be successful week in and week out."

About the only negative from the game came in the second quarter, when Victor Hobson hit Brady and caused an interception, but was called for roughing the passer. Hobson slammed into the quarterback at full speed as Brady was releasing the ball, and the impact caused Brady to leave his feet. Hobson took a few steps before falling on Brady, drawing the flag.

While Mangini wouldn't criticize the call, he acknowledged it would be in the package of questionable calls the team sends to the NFL offices after each game.

"Momentum -- he had a lot of momentum going, and I think there may have been an element of physics in there when it's hard to stop when you're going at that pace," Mangini said. "But obviously there's something that we could do better."

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http://www.nj.com/jets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/116348628624080.xml&coll=1

Jets: Mangini gets Pats on the back

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Listen to this from Patriots Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour:

"I think they outplayed us and they outcoached us," he said late Sunday afternoon. "They did a good job of using different schemes. It was more about them doing a good job than anything we didn't do. They kept us off-balance the whole game.

"They did a good job of mixing the passes and when we would rush upfield, they'd run a draw. Eric (Mangini) had those guys ready."

And this from longtime Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown:

"The guys over there (the Jets) played their butts off," he said. "They sacked us, knocked balls down, ran back kicks. They just beat us."

Those types of comments usually come from opponents who have just been taken to school by another brilliant game plan by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. But the recipient of these accolades, of course, was Jets rookie head coach Eric Mangini.

The Jets' stunning 17-14 victory over the Patriots on Sunday at soggy Gillette Stadium was the best proof yet that owner Woody Johnson got what he was looking for in Mangini, the perfect clone of Belichick. The Patriots coach has won three Super Bowls and is regarded as the best coach in the NFL.

Amazingly, through nine games, the Jets (5-4, 3-1 in the AFC East) are one game behind the mighty Patriots (6-3, 4-1) for first place in the division. After starting the season simply searching for respectability after a 4-12 crash-and-burn a year ago, the Jets are suddenly in the postseason picture.

It was a game no one, short of the players' immediate family, thought the Jets had a chance to win and one that serves as a "statement" game in the Mangini era.

"It's important for the organization," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said in the Jets' surprisingly businesslike locker room following the game. "We're moving in the right direction. This shows when we put our heads together, we can come out and play with anybody."

Mangini has repeatedly praised his team for its hard work and he gave them yesterday off. Even so, many players came in for treatment, weightlifting and film study.

"I think it (the victory) just reinforces the things that we believe in and the things that we've been working at and the hard work that we've been doing," Mangini said. "It's hard for me to explain how much these guys have put in to making progress. That's what's so satisfying to me is seeing their effort rewarded with victories."

Mangini said he can't say his program is ahead of schedule because he didn't know what to expect. Surely, though, he didn't expect a victory in Foxboro.

Consistency appears to be the major issue facing the Jets as they move forward, and Mangini yesterday stressed that it's time to start thinking about the Bears, who visit the Meadowlands on Sunday. If the Jets can become consistent, they have a puncher's chance to win the division, or at least make the playoffs, especially considering their schedule.

After facing the Bears (8-1), none of the Jets' remaining six games comes against a team that currently has a winning record. Following the Bears, the Jets play Houston, at Green Bay, Buffalo, at Minnesota, at Miami and Oakland.

Conversely, the Patriots have two games remaining against teams with a winning record, Chicago and at Jacksonville (5-4).

Of course, the last time the Jets started talking about games they should win they went to Cleveland and were beaten by the Browns.

Without a doubt, the Jets feel pretty good about themselves after knocking off the Patriots in Foxboro, snapping their string of 57 consecutive games without back-to-back losses and a seven-game winning streak against the Jets.

Now, the question is what will the Jets do with their new-found confidence.

"If guys act like this is the be-all and end-all, then all we'll have at the end of the year is the fact we won a division road game," veteran guard Pete Kendall said. "It (the victory) won't be very big at all.

"But if we're able to build some momentum off this and string some games together, then maybe it'll mean something at the end of the year."

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http://www.nj.com/jets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/116348612524080.xml&coll=1

Jets notes: Cotchery catching the wave

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Entering the season, the Jets were quietly giddy about third-year WR Jerricho Cotchery. One team official said he would be surprised if Cotchery didn't catch at least 40 balls this season.

That official made his bold prediction even though Cotchery, a fourth-round pick out of N.C. State, had caught a total of 25 passes in his first two NFL seasons.

Turns out that person knew what he was talking about as Cotchery, who beat out veteran Justin McCareins in training camp, has 41 receptions for 531 yards and four touchdowns this season -- and it's only through Week 10.

Against the Patriots on Sunday, Cotchery led the Jets with six receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. He made a highlight-reel, 22-yard leaping grab over Patriots CB Ellis Hobbs in the end zone for a score that gave the Jets a 17-6 lead with 4:45 left to play.

At 6-foot, 207 pounds, Cotchery is surprisingly tough, fast and has exceptional hands. He was a favorite of former coach Herm Edwards but was never able to get into the mix.

This season, Cotchery is riding shotgun in the starting lineup with fellow wide receiver Laveranues Coles and opponents must pick their poison. The Patriots decided to take Coles (five catches for 29 yards) out of the game and Cotchery burned them.

"I'm benefiting from being on the other side of Laveranues right now," Cotchery said. "I said earlier in the year there are going to be a lot of opportunities for me this year. Chad (Pennington) has been dialing my number and he's leaving it up to me to make plays. I'm going to try to keep making plays for him."

The key to the Jets' much-improved run defense on Sunday was the run-blitzing and bringing safeties Kerry Rhodes and Erik Coleman down low in the tackle box. Rhodes and Coleman finished as the Jets' two leading tacklers with 10 and nine, respectively.

Although the Patriots had 143 yards rushing, they got a big chunk of that on a 50-yard run by Corey Dillon.

The Bears, who defeated the Giants 38-20 Sunday night at Giants Stadium, will return to the Meadowlands on Sunday to play the Jets. It'll be the first time a team has played back-to-back road games at Giants Stadium since 1999, when the Redskins did it and lost to both the Giants and Jets.

Mangini said he plans to send a tape of LB Victor Hobson's roughing-the-passer call and a helmet-to-helmet hit by Pats LB Tedy Bruschi on Pennington to the league for review.

The Jets have been whistled for similar penalties this season, including three roughing-the-passer calls. In addition to Hobson, LBs Eric Barton and Jonathan Vilma have been called for the penalty. All came in big spots and negated big plays by the defense. Hobson's call erased an interception by CB Drew Coleman.

"I can promise you we're trying as hard as we can to coach that correctly," Mangini said. "We spend a lot of time on the rules."

Cotchery (offense), DE Shaun Ellis (defense), LB Matt Chatham (special teams) and RB Stacey Tutt (practice) were named the players of the week by Mangini.

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http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=167185

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http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/cs-061113pierson,1,7390929.column?coll=cs-bears-utility

Confident Jets gear for Bears

Health, momentum could make them tougher than Giants

Don Pierson

On Pro Football

November 14, 2006

The biggest difference between the Jets and the Giants is health. Compared with the Giants, the Jets will be healthy for Sunday's game against the Bears at the Meadowlands.

They'll also go into the game confident. In their 17-14 victory Sunday at New England, they turned loose a blitzing defense they unveiled two weeks ago against Cleveland and improved during their off-week preparation for the Patriots.

"They were bringing it," said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, sacked four times and intercepted once.

"For us to do that and rattle him a little bit, that's pretty good," Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma told the New York Daily News.

"Now that we've proven we can do it, expect more of it," added linebacker Matt Chatham.

Early blitzes by the Giants bothered Bears quarterback Rex Grossman when protection broke down. But the Giants couldn't keep up the pressure, and with four of their starting front seven out with injury, they were unable to rotate personnel to stay fresh.

The Jets, on the other hand, are just beginning to figure out the defense coach Eric Mangini and coordinator Bob Sutton have installed. It was no accident the Jets looked a whole lot like the Patriots that Mangini used to coach, jumping around before the snap and creating chaos.

With blockers focused on blitzers, defensive linemen Dewayne Robertson, Shaun Ellis and Kimo von Oelhoffen came up with sacks.

"A couple of times he was confused, trying to figure out what we were doing," safety Kerry Rhodes said of Brady.

True or not, the winners write the history.

Mangini the man

Mangini, 35, the youngest coach in the league, got a whole lot wiser when he beat his mentor, Bill Belichick, for the first time.

"We were outplayed and outcoached," Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour said.

The Jets said they wanted to win for Mangini because Belichick has given his former defensive coordinator the cold shoulder, refusing to say his name in the week before the game or speak to him during the postgame handshake.

Why the broken relationship?

First, Belichick hasn't liked the Jets since he was their defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells and agreed to follow Parcells as head coach for all of one day before resigning.

Belichick advised Mangini against taking the job last season when Herm Edwards moved to Kansas City. Whether Belichick's motivation was selfish, in order to keep his assistant, or personal, Mangini obviously ignored the advice.

But the most logical reason for the frosty feeling is the Jets' pursuit of former Patriots receiver Deion Branch during a summertime contract hassle. The Patriots thought they could squeeze Branch and allowed him to seek a better contract. The Seahawks and Jets stepped up with contract offers that exceeded the Patriots' offer, and New England ended up trading him to Seattle.

Mangini spent six seasons with Belichick before leaving the nest. Jets receiver Laveranues Coles said after Sunday's win: "[Mangini] wouldn't want me saying this, but, yeah, we wanted it a little bit extra for coach. You know how much hard work he puts into it. Guys were saying Belichick refers to [Mangini] as 'the other guy.' Anytime you come out and you disrespect our coach, of course guys want to come out and play harder for him."

Mangini certainly wouldn't want to hear Coles say it. Isn't a coach's job to get players to play hard every week, and isn't it a player's job to do so every week? Nevertheless, the "other guy" is now a coach-of-the-year candidate, joining New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton.

The 6-3 Patriots were the first team with a winning record the 5-4 Jets had beaten this season. But the 8-1 Bears are the only winning team left on the Jets' schedule, which includes Houston, Green Bay, Buffalo, Minnesota, Miami and Oakland and has the Jets thinking playoffs.

Getting ready

Teams are not supposed to get too high after wins or too low after losses, but the Bears can hope the Jets pulled out all stops against the Patriots.

Mangini practiced outside in midweek to prepare for the rainy conditions, then showed his team film clips of the upset by Cassius Clay (who later became Muhammad Ali) over heavyweight champion Sonny Liston in 1964. On Monday, he gave his players the day off after their fifth win of the season surpassed last season's total and broke a seven-game losing streak against the Patriots.

"I think that Chicago is extremely tough," Mangini told reporters Monday after watching the Bears beat the Giants on TV Sunday night. "They do a lot of good things, and I think they've done an outstanding job over the last couple of years, and they challenge you in every phase of the game. It'll be difficult."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/13/sports/football/13patriots.html

While Not a Surprise Attack, Blitzes Are Brady

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/sports/football/14nugent.html

It

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjnotes144975750nov14,0,3672460.story?coll=ny-jets-print

JETS NOTEBOOK

Calls on QB hits puzzling

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

November 14, 2006

Every week, the Jets send plays to the NFL for clarifications on rules or objections to calls. This week? "It'll be a decent list," Eric Mangini said.

The Jets' coach seemed particularly puzzled by two plays, the roughing-the-passer flag against Victor Hobson and the helmet-to-helmet hit by Tedy Bruschi on Chad Pennington that went uncalled.

"He had a lot of momentum going, and I think there may have been an element of physics in there where it's hard to stop when you're going at that pace," Mangini said of Hobson's hit on Tom Brady that negated an interception by Drew Coleman and continued a drive that produced a field goal.

This wasn't the first time the Jets were whammied by a questionable call designed to protect a quarterback. Jonathan Vilma and Eric Barton were called for penalties against the Jaguars on plays that seemed to be within the confines of football sportsmanship. The Jets also sent those plays to the league.

"It's difficult because we do spend a lot of time on it," Mangini said, "and we do spend a lot of effort and resources on being conscious of the rules."

As for outright criticizing the call, Mangini decided to circumvent any potential fines. "Victor did a nice job of getting to the quarterback," he said, "and I'll definitely work on it to try to clear it up for him."

Meeting of the minds

Mangini shed some light on his terse and seemingly tense conversation with Bill Belichick after Sunday's game. Asked what he said to his mentor, Mangini said he simply offered "Good game."

Mangini said the same thing after their first meeting this season and added that he didn't think the sentiment was mutual. Judging by Belichick's quick spin and limp handshake, it likely was not this time, either.

Jet streams

The team's only obvious injury was a dislocated finger on backup lineman Wade Smith's hand. It might preclude him from snapping at center for a time but should not keep him from practicing or playing other offensive line positions.

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjets144975751nov14,0,1353449.story?coll=ny-jets-print

That finishing touch

Closing out win over Pats is significant step for Mangini's program

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

November 14, 2006

In a Jets season in which the ultimate and clearly stated goal is not playoffs but progress, there can be no better illustration of success than Sunday's 17-14 road win over the Patriots.

Unlike earlier nail-biters, when the Jets could not complete the comeback against New England in Week 2 and were unable to prevent one by the Colts in Week 4, they were able to finish this time. Lessons taken from those games were clearly visible in this one.

Coach Eric Mangini has placed the ability to finish among the pantheon of principles that he calls Core Jets Values. He said he was especially pleased with the Jets' performance in the final 4:45 against the Patriots, a span in which they did not score and allowed a quick touchdown. What appeared to be a lull in the game for the Jets actually went according to plan, as the offense picked up critical first downs, sapped the Pats of their three timeouts, then stomped New England's final attempt with a sack and forced fumble by Shaun Ellis.

"I was really pleased with that, and I thought that series kind of summarized the game for us," Mangini said, adding that the Jets had worked on what he called four-minute mode. "You just never know when it's going to happen."

Not only were the Jets finally able to put the hammer down on an opponent, they were able to do so against a quality team. Even at 4-4 and already exceeding most sane preseason predictions, the Jets were haunted by a lingering question: Who have you beaten? Now they can answer it, and with no less emphatic an answer than "the Patriots."

The Patriots went 61 yards on four plays and 31 seconds to close within a field goal, and even that scoring play came when the Jets did what they planned to do. A blitzing Kerry Rhodes jumped in front of Tom Brady and tipped the football, which fluttered to Reche Caldwell for a 15-yard touchdown.

The Jets got the ball back at their 26 with 4:09 left and made three first downs without ever facing a third down. It was nearly the same thing the Patriots did to the Jets in September: concocting a long drive that did not result in points but ate up precious time for a comeback.

The Jets' final three plays netted zero yards, but all were runs designed more to drain time than gain yardage. When punter Ben Graham pinned the Patriots at their 11 - a 63-yard field-position exchange from when the Jets received the earlier kickoff - there was 1:08 left. The Patriots had time for eight plays and barely crossed midfield before Ellis crunched Brady.

Although the Jets remained aggressive with blitzes and shifts that Patriots players admitted were confusing, the offense was able to plow through the mud driven by a line that may be evolving into a legitimate unit.

"The more those guys have had the opportunity to play together, and they've been playing together now for quite some time, the more familiarity they're getting not just with each other but with the protections," Mangini said.

None of it matters, of course, if the Jets cannot continue building on this victory. They still are a game out of first place in the division and one of several teams in the hunt for an AFC wild card. But although there had been baby steps, this win was a full-blown stride forward.

"We missed a couple of things there, whether it was the Colts game or the Cleveland game," Mangini said of errors that cost the Jets wins. "I was just really happy for the players and coaches and the organization because I think we made some progress."

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spbest144975749nov14,0,2537697.column?coll=ny-jets-print

Author Namath still proud of Jets

Neil Best

SPORTS WATCH

November 14, 2006

Sunday was a good day for Joe Namath.

It was his 1,036th day of sobriety, and he spent part of it watching his former and still favorite NFL team on television in his Florida home.

Best of all, the Jets won, improbably out-mucking the Patriots in Foxborough.

Surprised? "Proud more than surprised," Namath said yesterday. "I'd say I'm pleasantly proud."

Namath is accustomed to agonizing as he watches the Jets but loves what the new coach has done and how their quarterback bounced back from major surgery - a task Namath knows too well.

"The man is an example of what determination and courage can do," he said of Chad Pennington. "His arm has less strength than others, but he makes up for it with timing and mental capabilities."

Full disclosure: Most Mondays, Namath does not phone SportsWatch headquarters to spend 45 minutes shooting the breeze about the Jets. He called because he wrote a book, out today, called "Namath."

It looks good, lists for $29.95 and includes a DVD of old NFL Films interviews and footage.

Should you buy it? Depends on what you are after.

It has less lofty ambitions than Namath's first autobiography, written in 1969 with Dick Schaap, or Mark Kriegel's unauthorized 2004 book. Publishers, including Jackie Onassis, have tried to get Namath to tell all for years; this is not the account they were after.

Essentially, it is a coffee table book with easily digestible text and excellent vintage photos (which would have benefited from explanatory captions).

"It's a classy book you could have a father and son or father and daughter share," he said. "I just don't believe in kiss-and-tell about many things in life. But the next time I write a book, I promise you I've been thinking about telling everything."

The text, which includes some sloppy errors and does not have much to say about Namath's post-career life, does have its moments. Notable is a chapter that includes an exhaustive chronicle of his injuries from his perspective.

Those injuries still take a toll. Namath, 63, said his biggest physical problem is arthritis in his right wrist that makes it difficult for him to sleep.

Whenever he lapses into self-pity, though, he recalls a quadruple amputee he met during a USO tour in 1969. "If I ever start feeling sorry for something I have, I give myself a quick smack," he said.

Namath stopped drinking in January 2004, less than a month after an interview at a Jets game during which he made an inebriated pass at ESPN's Suzy Kolber.

"It could be a matter of life and death," he said of his second attempt at permanent sobriety. "Certainly a different life."

He still acts as an ambassador of sorts for the Jets and plans to attend the Texans game Nov. 26. Other than that, Namath, who is divorced, spends time at home raising his 15-year-old daughter, Olivia.

His other daughter, Jessica, 21, is a student at Alabama, where Namath played. Three years ago she said she would be the first in the family to graduate from college.

"I said, 'You want to bet?'" Namath recalled. He is on pace to graduate from Alabama in June.

"I told my mother I'd finish," he said.

Namath sounded happy and relaxed. It was early on his 1,037th day. But, he added, "I don't count today until tomorrow."

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Four Players Earn Recognition from Mangini

By Eric Allen

Article Permalink: http://www.newyorkjets.com/articles/four-players-earn-recognition-from-mangini

A day after a program defining win in New England, the New York Jets coaching staff returned to work Monday. During his afternoon briefing with the media, head coach Eric Mangini named his Players of the Week: Offense

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Mangini: Somebody's Band is Going to Play

By Jets PR Department

Article Permalink: http://www.newyorkjets.com/articles/mangini-somebody-s-band-is-going-to-play

The constant pressure brought by the Jets defense was perhaps the deciding factor in Sunday

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New York Jets Hold Annual Food Drive to Help Fight Hunger

By Jets Staff Author

Article Permalink: http://www.newyorkjets.com/articles/new-york-jets-hold-annual-food-drive-to-help-fight-hunger

New York Jets Hold Annual Food Drive to Help Fight Hunger: Donations Benefit Interfaith Nutrition Network

New York City

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http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061114/SPORTS01/611140375/1108

Jets look to build some momentum

By Andrew Gross

The Journal News

(Original Publication: November 14, 2006)

HEMPSTEAD - The Bears' Devin Hester returned Jay Feely's missed field goal 108 yards for a game-turning touchdown against the Giants.

Watching the play on television Sunday night after his own team had won at New England earlier in the day, Jets coach Eric Mangini was suddenly transported back to the RCA Dome in Indianapolis in 1998.

A Jets assistant then, he watched as cornerback Aaron Glenn returned the Mike Vanderjagt's missed 63-yard attempt 104 yards for a touchdown against the Colts.

"You always want to cover that,'' Mangini said yesterday. "I've seen that before, thankfully on the plus side. That's just the risk/reward where you want to take that shot.''

So, just that quick, the Jets were thinking ahead to the Bears, their opponent Sunday at the Meadowlands, instead of rehashing their 17-14 win over the Patriots.

The Jets (5-4) know beating their AFC East rival will ultimately mean very little if they can't muster the same effort against Chicago (8-1).

The players officially were given yesterday off, but that just meant they did not have to meet the media. All of them reported to watch game film and to begin preparing for the Bears.

"It all depends on what we do with it,'' Jets left guard Pete Kendall said of Sunday's win. "If the guys act like this is the be-all and the end-all, then all we'll have at the end of the year is the fact that we won a division road game in November. So it won't be very big at all.''

Kendall simply was restating the team's belief in consistency, as preached by Mangini.

"Every week, it's really just got to be viewed as its own entity, because it's going to be so different the following week,'' Mangini said. "You know, as soon as you start getting too caught up in the meaning of this, then sometimes you lose what's most important, which is the present and getting ready for Chicago.''

The Bears obviously are one of the NFL's elite, and their defense is ranked first in the NFL, allowing opponents just 250.4 total yards per game.

They also will become just the third team since the Jets moved to Giants Stadium in 1984 to face both tenants in consecutive weeks.

The Redskins beat the Giants 50-21 on Sept. 19, 1999, then lost to the Jets 27-20 that Sept. 26. The Colts beat the Jets 9-6 on Dec. 5, 1993, but lost to the Giants 20-6 that Dec. 12.

"I think that Chicago is extremely tough,'' Mangini said. "They do a lot of good things, and I think they've done an outstanding job over the last couple of years. They challenge you in every phase of the game, so it's going to be difficult. It's got to be like coming home two weeks in a row at the Meadowlands.''

The Jets, coming off a 4-12 finish in the last season of Herman Edwards' tenure, find themselves one game behind the Patriots. They're also in a three-way tie with the Jaguars and Edwards' Chiefs for the second and final wild-card spot in the AFC, though Jacksonville owns a tiebreaker thanks to its 41-0 win over the Jets.

"This being my first time, I didn't go in with a set of expectations,'' Mangini said. "But what I was looking for is progress. It's come in a lot of different shapes and we need to make a lot more progress to continue to be successful. The key thing is just understanding how important consistency is.''

The team's veteran leaders, such as Kendall, are helping to spread the message.

"If we're able to build some momentum off this and string some games together, maybe it will mean something at the end of the year,'' Kendall said. "Right now, we're 5-4 and kind of in the middle of it. But we're still a game back of the team we just played.''

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http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061114/SPORTS01/611140376/1108

Penalties leave Jets' Mangini puzzled

By Andrew Gross

The Journal News

(Original Publication: November 14, 2006)

HEMPSTEAD - It's still not clear to Eric Mangini exactly what needs to be done differently. The Jets' coach just knows his players need to adjust their approach to hitting opposing quarterbacks.

So tape of linebacker Victor Hobson's roughing-the-passer penalty against the Patriots' Tom Brady will find its way to the league office this week for explanation.

"I can promise you we're trying as hard as we can to coach that correctly,'' said Mangini, whose team has been whistled for three roughing-the-passer calls this season.

The Jets are also seeking an explanation of why there was no call when Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi tackled scrambling Jets quarterback Chad Pennington in the third quarter. Television replays appeared to show it was a helmet-to-helmet hit.

"Yeah, we'll send that one in,'' Mangini said. "It'll be a decent list.''

Hobson hit Brady on a blitz just as the quarterback released the ball, wrapping his arms around Brady, lifting him into the air and then driving him into the ground. The penalty negated rookie cornerback Drew Coleman's 35-yard interception return, and the Patriots got a field goal out of the drive.

Referee Pete Morelli said there was no allowance for momentum and that Hobson had to know to back off.

"He had a lot of momentum going, and I think there may have been an element of physics in there, where it's hard to stop when you're going at that pace,'' Mangini said. "But obviously, there's something that we can do better, and we'll try to.''

Linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Eric Barton were both called for roughing the passer in a 41-0 loss at Jacksonville, Vilma for landing with his full weight on Byron Leftwich and Barton for hitting Leftwich's shoulder with his helmet.

Last word: Mangini said he told Patriots coach Bill Belichick, "Good game,'' during their post-game handshake, from which Belichick ripped away as soon as Mangini opened his mouth and tried to get closer.

Mangini also reported Belichick told him the same thing, though the Boston Globe reported in yesterday's edition that Belichick's actual response was, "Huh?''

Players of the week: End Shaun Ellis, who had five tackles and a sack, was named the Jets' defensive player of the week. It seemed fitting since Ellis' sack of Brady on the last play finally clinched the victory.

"I thought that was a tremendous effort play,'' Mangini said. "Throughout that whole series, it was primarily a three-man rush, so it makes it difficult when they're keeping in six against three.''

Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who had six catches for 70 yards and the game-winning touchdown, was named the offensive player of the week, though it could have been rookie center Nick Mangold, who held Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork to three tackles and no sacks. Matt Chatham was the special-teams player of the week, and fullback Stacy Tutt was the practice player of the week.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/story/471159p-396540c.html

Jets looking to sack cheap shots on Chad

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

In the first meeting against the Patriots, Chad Pennington took a late hit to his knees, courtesy of LB Junior Seau. The result: Seau got a $7,500 fine from the league for his illegal hit.

Once again, the Jets are upset with the Patriots, claiming Pennington was victimized by another unsavory hit. On a third-quarter scramble in Sunday's win in Foxboro, Pennington was drilled by LB Tedy Bruschi, who made helmet-to-helmet contact with the quarterback - a no-no.

No penalty was called, but the Jets believe it was illegal. Asked yesterday if he will include that play on the list of questionable calls the team submits weekly to the league office, Eric Mangini said, "Oh, yeah."

Mangini didn't directly criticize the officiating, but he evidently wasn't too pleased, claiming the Jets put together "a decent list" of calls for the league to review. The list included Victor Hobson's questionable roughing-the-passer penalty on Tom Brady, which nullified an interception. It was the Jets' third roughing penalty this season. "I can promise you, we're trying as hard as we can to coach that correctly," Mangini said

Mangini said Hobson "did a nice job of getting to the quarterback," adding that he will try to get an explanation on what Hobson did wrong.

ALIVE & KICKING: Two months ago, Mike Nugent's job security was an issue. Last night, he kicked on national TV. Some season, huh?

Nugent made an appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman," where he dazzled the audience with pinpoint accuracy. Standing on top of a building in Manhattan, he kicked a ball through an open window in an adjacent building.

FITS THE BILL: Mangini passed on a chance to tweak his former mentor, Bill Belichick. Told that Patriots DE Richard Seymour had remarked after the game that they had been "outplayed and outcoached" by the Jets, Mangini took the high road. Mangini, a former Patriots assistant, said New England has "an incredible coaching staff. I know they had them prepared. Watching the tape, you can see that." ... The Bears are coming back to town, this time to face the Jets. It'll be only the third time a visiting team has played in Giants Stadium in successive weeks. It last happened in 1999, when the Redskins beat the Jets and Giants. ... Mangini presented game balls to WR Jerricho Cotchery (offense), DE Shaun Ellis (defense) and Matt Chatham (special teams).

Originally published on November 14, 2006

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/story/471206p-396568c.html

Tickled pink

by Eric the Green

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Eric Mangini

There were skeptics in the beginning, players who wondered about the new coach. Yes, they were intrigued by his New England pedigree, but there were some who considered the rising-tide theory:

Did Eric Mangini become a head coach simply because of his association with Bill Belichick and the Patriots' success?

Now it seems like a silly question, especially after the Jets' 17-14 upset of the Patriots. It may have been a defining win for Mangini, who outcoached his mentor-turned-adversary (just ask the Patriots) and received heaping amounts of praise from his players.

"Eric is one of the smartest coaches I've ever been around," Laveranues Coles said after Sunday's game. "I'm proud of him, the way he's handled things."

Coles isn't a lip-service kind of guy

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/story/471198p-396566c.html

Mangini beats Pats to punch

Use of Ali video shows Jets guy is heavy hitter

By MIKE LUPICA

Bill Belichick (l.) gives a quick

hand to Jets coach Eric Mangini

as former assistant is warmed

by return to New England

despite chilly reception.

Before the biggest win he has had so far as coach of the Jets, in a season when he has coached his team as well as anybody in his sport, Eric Mangini showed his players an old prizefight. He has shown them famous fights out of the past before, had trainer Teddy Atlas, a Jets fan, talk to them before one game. On this night, before the Jets would play the Patriots on the road, before Mangini would make Bill Belichick act small enough again to ride in the Breeders' Cup, he showed the Jets the first Sonny Liston-Cassius Clay fight, Miami Beach, 1964.

There have been so many ways that Mangini has gotten the attention of the Jets since he replaced Herm Edwards, so many different ways he has gotten them to listen and be so much better than they were supposed to be. On this night he used a famous fight from before he was born and before his players were born.

"I explained who Liston had been in the years leading up to that fight," he was saying yesterday. "I told them he was like the young Mike Tyson, how most of his fights were over before they even started because the other guy didn't think he had a chance.

"But I told them Clay was different from all the others, and this was before he became Muhammad Ali. He was different because he knew that he couldn't win a fight if he was afraid to fight. I wasn't trying to tell our players that the Patriots were going to quit the way Liston did that night. They've been much too great and have way too much pride. My point was that we couldn't beat them if we didn't fight them.

"That's exactly what we did Sunday. And when it was all on the line at the end, we didn't just fight them, we beat them."

The game of the day, or night, was supposed to be the Giants vs. the Bears. The Jets beating the Patriots in Foxboro was a better game, a better story, it was the Jets who for this one Sunday looked like the best team in town. We have now played nine games of this NFL season. Eric Mangini's Jets, who were supposed to do nothing this year, even with an easy schedule, are now one game worse in the standings than Belichick's Patriots and one game worse than the Giants.

Now the Jets get a crack at the Bears at Giants Stadium, Sunday at 1. Nobody knew what the Jets were getting when they hired a 35-year-old coach off Belichick's staff. Now we know. He is going to be around a long time, and he is going to be a big winner here before he is through. Go ahead and say it again: There isn't another coach in the league doing a better job than he is right now, not Tony Dungy, not Sean Payton, not Marty Schottenheimer, not anybody.

This was supposed to be the season that set up all the rest of the seasons for Mangini with the Jets. Suddenly it feels like so much more, especially after Jets 17, Patriots 14 on the road Sunday, and a look on Belichick's face when he had to shake Mangini's hand that made all Jets fans want to wear party hats.

Yesterday, Mangini was asked about the end of Sunday's game, what it was like watching it from the sideline, watching his team try to win the kind of game Tom Brady is supposed to win and the Jets are supposed to lose, even when Brady is out of timeouts with a minute left.

"That wasn't the moment of truth for me," he said. "It was after they scored to make it 17-14, with just over four minutes left. That's when I thought, Okay, here's where we find out what we're all about. Could we do the same things we talk about all the time in practice? Could we make first downs and eat up clock and make them burn timeouts? If we had to give the ball back, could our special team execute? Where was the punt going to end up, on their 10-yard line or 20, or wherever?"

Mangini paused, as if the whole thing were playing out in front of him, not because he was watching the tape he had just watched, but because those four minutes were already carved into his memory.

"And finally," he said, "could our defense stop one of the truly great quarterbacks, one who always seems to be at his best in moments like that? Could we do all those things against a team like the Patriots on the road?"

Another pause.

"And we did," Mangini said.

No one knew about him, no one knew if Chad Pennington could come back, no one knew who was going to run the ball for Mangini's Jets or stop the run. Maybe some of this will catch up with the Jets, starting Sunday. Or maybe there are enough games they can win down the stretch to be playing for the playoffs at the end. It all starts with the young coach out of Hartford, out of that glorified ballboy job with the Browns, off that team, the Kew Colts, he coached in Australia, off Belichick's staff in New England.

"We talk a lot around here about finishing," Eric Mangini said yesterday morning. "Finish the play, finish the drive, finish the game. Finish right on the practice field every single day. Those are some of the core values I want to be Jet values. And when I saw they were sinking in, I really believed we were going to have a chance, week in and week out."

The coach of the Jets got them to listen. Now he gets them to fight.

Originally published on November 14, 2006

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11142006/sports/jets/non_stop_flight_jets_jay_greenberg.htm

NON-STOP FLIGHT

By JAY GREENBERG

GREEN LIGHT: Jets running back Kevan Barlow

rumbles past Patriots defenders during Sunday's

17-14 victory. There's no reason to believe the

Jets can't win five of their remaining seven

games and make the playoffs.

November 14, 2006 -- The Jets are going to make the playoffs. They aren't going to talk about it, they are going to do it exactly the way they are being coached by Eric Mangini, one winnable game at a time.

There is no reason now to believe they can't play with Chicago Sunday. Also, no lingering reason to think that the bubble is going to burst if they don't.

Nine games in, the Jets miraculously are not missing a single starter. Questions, not players, are disappearing. On Sunday, save for one 50-yard first-quarter Corey Dillon run, the Jets' troubled run defense was troubled no more. That wasn't just Kevan Barlow suddenly running better between the tackles, but rookie left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson improving by another week.

There are more big-play players here - Kerry Rhodes for example - than met August eyes, but even more underestimated was this team's leadership and sense of responsibility. Mangini's knowledge and preparation have so earned these players' trust that they have his back, and don't laugh behind his back at the coach's daily mantra of "consistency of approach."

"It doesn't have to be speeches, it can be just the way you practice," Mangini said yesterday. "We are looking for leadership not just from the veterans but rookies and second-year players. Everybody can set examples."

The Jets clearly have bought in. Saturday night, Mangini showed them the first Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston fight to illustrate what a fearless underdog can do. The coach loves a gimmick, but the next day his players outplayed the mighty, or once-mighty, Patriots to reach 5-4 with a remaining schedule that actually makes the Jets favorites for the second AFC wild card spot.

Soon, Mangini may be screening that fight again, this time with orders to regard Liston as a life lesson in overconfidence. Even with just Sunday's victory to show against teams with winning records, the Jets should not have to do anything more than win five of their six remaining games against teams not as good as they are.

Including the 8-1 Bears, the cumulative record of the seven remaining opponents is 27-36. That is the same record of the opponents of New England, against whom the Jets have no games left and a one-game deficit. But assuming either the 7-2 Chargers or 7-2 Broncos will get the first AFC wild-card berth, Jet opponents for the last spot have much harder schedules.

The record of the 5-4 Jaguars' last seven opponents is 34-29. For the 5-4 Chiefs, it is 33-30. These two do play each other, a game that from the Jets' standpoint, both teams unfortunately can't lose. But Kansas City still must play Baltimore, San Diego and Denver, while Jacksonville has the Colts, Giants and Patriots. Cincinnati, still only one game back at 4-5 despite giving up 42 second-half points to San Diego yesterday, faces Indianapolis, Baltimore, Denver and New Orleans.

True, the Jaguars would hold a tiebreaker over the Jets, as would the Browns. And of course, the Bengals, Jaguars and Chiefs will scramble to some wins against good teams. But that's not even a requirement for the Jets. Their confidence may be running high enough to take out the Bears Sunday, but even at 5-5 they will understand their next game, against Houston, is their most important game.

In the meantime, columnists don't have to take them one at a time, like Mangini requires of his Jets. The ever-brighter Big Picture requires no rose-colored glasses or adjustment of your screen, just your expectations. Unless they start dropping like Giants, the Jets will be in the playoffs.

[Bugg]

Quote of the day-

"And maybe now we know why Belichick tried to stop his fellow Wesleyan alum from jumping to the Jets: The guy is good. Belichick would have to admit it was much easier to be a genius when he was going up against Herm Edwards twice a year."

Belichick was grooming mangini for his slot, so Belichick could go upstairs in a few seasons. What's funny is he wanted to do the same thing to Mangini that Parcells wanted to do with him here, though Mangini doesn't have any $1 million checks from Kraft.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11142006/sports/jets/pats_on_the_back_jets_mark_cannizzaro.htm

PATS ON THE BACK

By MARK CANNIZZARO

November 14, 2006 -- QUARTERBACKS B Chad Pennington (22-of-33, 168 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 76.3 rating) bounced back well and managed the game very well. Though he was hardly at his best, he made the throws he had to make.

RUNNING BACKS B Kevan Barlow had his best game as a Jet (17-75, 1 TD rushing) and was a force in the muddy conditions with his power running. Leon Washington (9-35) was the secondary back in this game.

WIDE RECEIVERS B Jerricho Cotchery led the way with six catches for 70 yards and a great TD catch over his shoulder in traffic. Lave ranues Coles (5-29) made terrific tough catches to keep drives alive.

TIGHT ENDS B Chris Baker (1-7) blocked well in the running game.

OFFENSIVE LINE A Great job across the board. The rook ies, LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson and C Nick Mangold, were excellent as was LG Pete Kendall, who had to jump to center for an emergency play with Mangold out for a moment.

DEFENSIVE LINE B DE Kimo von Oelhoffen had his first sack as a Jet. Also with sacks were DE Shaun Ellis and DT Dewayne Rob ertson, who also had 6 tackles.

LINEBACKERS B Bryan Thomas had a sack and two hurries. Victor Hobson, who blitzed several times, hurried Tom Brady on a couple of occasions and had seven tackles. Jonathan Vilma had six tackles.

SECONDARY B S Erik Coleman had a key INT and eight tackles. CB Drew Coleman had a key forced fumble, recovered by S Kerry Rhodes, who led the team with nine tackles. CB Andre Dyson gave up a couple of big pass plays and had seven tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS B Justin Miller averaged 34.3 yards on three KO returns. Dwight had a 15-yard punt return.

KICKING GAME B P Ben Graham averaged 38.8 yards gross and 31.8 net with two inside the 20 on four punts and Pennington had a 29-yard pooch punt. K Mike Nugent was good on his only FG attempt, from 34 yards, but his kickoffs were very short.

COACHING A Great defensive plan by Eric Mangini and coordinator Bob Sutton, who dialed up more aggressive blitzes to hurry Brady and stuff the run. Offensively, Brian Schottenheimer came out passing early and then pounded the run with Barlow..

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11142006/sports/jets/man_power_jets_mark_cannizzaro.htm

MAN-POWER

By MARK CANNIZZARO

Dewayne Robertson and Eric Mangini

November 14, 2006 -- In Eric they trust.

The Jets players believe in Eric Mangini and that belief was heavily reinforced once the finishing touches took place on their stirring 17-14 upset of the Patriots Sunday in Foxborough.

That belief and trust in their head coach could prove to be a very powerful intangible for the 5-4 Jets as they embark on their final seven regular-season games.

So, too, can one of the softest remaining schedules in the NFL.

Next up for the Jets is a home game against the 8-1 Bears Sunday. After that comes six games against teams that currently have losing records. The Jets' final six games, three of which are on the road, come against teams with a combined record of 19-35.

In essence, what the Jets' win on Sunday did was not only bolster the team's confidence, winning a game against a team with a winning record for the first time this season, but it made up for the disappointing loss to the Browns two weeks ago in Cleveland.

The Jets were supposed to beat the Browns, who had only one win in seven games at the time.

They were not supposed to beat the Patriots, to whom they were 11-point underdogs.

The loss to the Browns seemed like a game that might cost the Jets a chance at a playoff berth. The win over the Patriots, however, has catapulted the Jets right back into the playoff conversation.

Even if they were to lose to the favored Bears Sunday, the Jets would enter their final six games (home against Houston, at Green Bay, home against Buffalo, at Minnesota and Miami and home against Oakland) with a chance to win five of the six and finish 10-6. Even a 9-7 finish isn't out of the question to qualify for the playoffs the way parity has swallowed up the league.

If the season ended today, the Jets would be tied with Kansas City and Jacksonville for the second wild card entry.

That, of course, is a lot of looking ahead with a lot of games still to play, but you get the point: The Jets on Sunday played themselves right into the thick of the playoff chase and figure to be a factor the rest of the way.

Where this win over their nemesis, the three-time Super Bowl champion Patriots, takes them is anyone's guess.

"It all depends on what we do with it,'' Jets left guard Pete Kendall said when asked if this win could be a springboard to further success. "If guys act like this is the be-all and end-all then all we'll have at the end of the year is the fact that we won a division game in November. Then it won't be very big at all.

"If we're able to build some momentum off of this and string some games together, maybe it'll mean something at the end of the year. But right now, we're 5-4 and kind of in the middle of it."

Mangini's challenge now is to continue to keep his players on an even keel after the biggest win under his watch.

"This is one-sixteenth of the season, and it's a continual fight against human nature of not getting too high or too low,'' he said yesterday.

So far, most of the buttons Mangini has been pushing have led to positive results. This is why his players believe. This is why the future - even the immediate future - is bright.

n

Mangini yesterday named his players of the week: WR Jerricho Cotchery on offense, DE Shaun Ellis on defense, LB Matt Chatham on special teams and FB Stacy Tutt in practice show teams. . . . Mangini said he planned to' send to the league tapes of LB Victor Hobson's supposed roughing the passer penalty and a helmet-on-helmet hit by New England LB Tedy Bruschi on Chad Pennington that went uncalled a short time after the Hobson penalty.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxMjEmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwMTkxOTQmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2

Captain steadies his ship

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

By RANDY LANGE

STAFF WRITER

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Despite Eric Mangini's best efforts at unplugging the hype machine, these Jets are getting interesting.

The Mangini method got the Jets through their difficult defeat at Cleveland and their bye week, got them focused on their work, their study and their consistency -- in the rain and out of it.

The result was the most complete game of the Eric Era, the 17-14 upset of the Patriots at New England on Sunday that had owner Woody Johnson hugging Mangini, players contemplating plans for their second "Victory Monday" under their new coach and fans pondering playoff tiebreakers and opponents' schedule strengths.

The day after the game, Mangini smiled, too, but never wavered from his message.

"This is one-sixteenth of the season," Mangini said, "and it's a continual fight against human nature of not getting too high or too low.

"As always, it's time to move on. We'll move on to Chicago here."

Dah Bears. Months ago, when the NFL schedule came out, optimistic Jets fans, ignoring the national static, saw a chance for a good first season under their new coach that could be scuttled by a pair of two-game speed bumps: Indianapolis and Jacksonville in Games 4-5 and New England and Chicago in Games 9-10.

The Jets lost to the Colts and Jaguars, and the Browns loss allowed doubt to creep in for their chances in the second half.

Doubt from outside, that is. Inside Team Mangini, there are corrections to be made and core Jet values to be embraced, but no doubt.

"He's a great motivator," fullback B.J. Askew said. "His approach is the same every week, it truly is. It doesn't change at all: Stick to your fundamentals, make the catch, make the tackle, don't make excuses for yourself."

The consistent message, and a creative game plan, gave the Jets the wherewithal to keep their AFC East nemeses behind them and off-balance, from the long drive to Kevan Barlow's second-quarter touchdown run through Shaun Ellis' final-play strip sack.

Yet it will take a similar dedication this week, then better play at home than at Foxboro, to post their next shocker. Against Chicago (8-1), the Jets need to:

Keep on running: Turning to Barlow over Leon Washington for the tough inside running was a smart call by Brian Schottenheimer, but the Jets will need both churning away to help Chad Pennington's passing game. The Bears are No. 1 in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per game and per pass play and in lowest opponents' passer rating.

Stay aggressive on defense: The mind-set of Mangini and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was revealed when the Jets messed up the blitz that sprung Corey Dillon loose for his early 50-yard run: They didn't shy away but kept dialing up the blitz to great effect on running and passing downs.

Win the field-position battle: Justin Miller is No. 1 in kickoff-return average, Tim Dwight is getting up to speed on punt returns, and Ben Graham's punts have been surgical. But the punt coverage team will be challenged by rookie sensation Devin Hester, and Mike Nugent's kickoffs are still coming up short.

If the Jets get past the Bears -- even if they don't -- followers will be hard-pressed to play them one at a time. After all, the Jets, at 5-4, are tied for the AFC's second wild-card berth with the Jaguars and Herm Edwards' Chiefs.

And the winning percentage of the Jets' last six opponents combined currently is .352. That's a much less formidable homestretch than the Jags' .519 opponents' strength of schedule and the Chiefs' .574. In fact, it's the softest final six games in the NFL.

OFFENDING PLAYS: Mangini wouldn't say definitively that Victor Hobson did nothing wrong on his roughing-the-passer penalty, but he confirmed the Jets will request the NFL to look at that play. And when asked about LB Tedy Bruschi's unpenalized helmet-to-helmet contact with Pennington on a third-quarter scramble, Mangini replied: "Oh, yeah, we'll send that one in. It'll be a decent list."

NUGE ON TARGET: Nugent appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Monday night, attempting to kick footballs from a 12th-floor roof through the window of Dave's "producer" in another building. Good news for Nugent fans: He drilled his first kick through the window's breakaway glass.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxMjEmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwMTkxMDAmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2

Jets report card

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Running game: B

Kevan Barlow did some brawny running in the lead role. He had strong inside carries vs. the Patriots' strength, cranked out a Jets' career-long 12-yarder when they needed to drain the clock late, was tackled behind the line only once and averaged 4.4 yards on 17 carries. C Nick Mangold and G Pete Kendall paved the way inside.

Passing game: A-minus

Chad Pennington was virtually untouched, a tribute to the line, which has yielded six sacks the past four games. Jerricho Cotchery is making at least one monster play a game. Laveranues Coles had two third-down conversions, but he was limited to 29 yards on five catches and let a 40-yarder pass over his outstretched arms.

Run defense: B-minus

High grade for giving up 143 yards, perhaps, but put aside Corey Dillon's lumbering 50-yarder and the Pats got only 93 at 3.9 per carry. Dewayne Robertson was harder for C Dan Koppen to handle this time and Victor Hobson was active. Also, safeties Kerry Rhodes and Erik Coleman combined for 17 tackles, many while run-blitzing.

Pass defense: B

The Tom Brady harassment factor was huge. Shaun Ellis had the biggest of the season-high four sacks, beating OT Nick Kaczur for the strip sack that ended the game. Just two pass breakups, but one was big -- Coleman's late interception. CB Drew Coleman struggled, but at least he punched the ball free from WR Doug Gabriel, with Rhodes recovering.

Special teams: A

Justin Miller's 62-yard kickoff return to open the second half led to Pennington's perfect pooch, a Patriots' punt, then Mike Nugent's key 34-yard field goal. Ben Graham has been unconscious with his drop punts -- seven of his last nine kicks were inside the 20. Average return of Nugent's four kickoffs was to the Pats' 37.

Coaching: A

Eric Mangini is as deadly with a bye week to prepare for a big opponent as his mentor, Bill Belichick. Several Jets said practicing in the rain Wednesday helped them Sunday. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton's aggressive game plan was just the ticket to keep New England off-balance. The Brian Schottenheimer and Mike Westhoff plans also were sound.

[SoFlaJets]

yesterday we were trying to figure out what was up with Bellichick's attitude toward Mangini and I said that I thought it was because Bill wanted Eric to take over for him-this second paragraph might just prove me right

Quote of the day-

"And maybe now we know why Belichick tried to stop his fellow Wesleyan alum from jumping to the Jets: The guy is good. Belichick would have to admit it was much easier to be a genius when he was going up against Herm Edwards twice a year."

Belichick was grooming Mangini for his slot, so Belichick could go upstairs in a few seasons. What's funny is he wanted to do the same thing to Mangini that Parcells wanted to do with him here, though Mangini doesn't have any $1 million checks from Kraft.

[docdhc]

Two things, thanks to Sperm for getting up at 4am to get these articles on, and I agree with SoFlaJets, that quote by the Boston sportswriter... "And maybe now we know why Belichick tried to stop his fellow Wesleyan alum from jumping to the Jets: The guy is good. Belichick would have to admit it was much easier to be a genius when he was going up against Herm Edwards twice a year"... was priceless.