JETS ARTICLES - FRI 12/8

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/SPORTS01/612080406/1108

Jets' Ryan set to line up against hometown team

By Andrew Gross

The Journal News

(Original Publication: December 8, 2006)

HEMPSTEAD - Sean Ryan was among the 70,817 frigid fans at Rich Stadium on Dec. 26, 1993, the then-13-year-old watching his Bills clinch the AFC East title with a 16-14 win over the Jets. The temperature was 9 degrees but the wind chill made it feel like minus-28, making it the coldest game in the team's history.

"We never had season tickets but we usually went to one, maybe two games a year,'' the Jets' tight end said yesterday. "I like the cold. I think that's good football weather. I had trouble in Dallas the first couple of games, it was always close to 100 degrees, especially on the turf.''

Spoken like a true Buffalo native. However, his family will be at the Meadowlands Sunday presumably rooting for the other team when the Jets (7-5) host the Bills (5-7) at 4:15 p.m.

The 26-year-old Ryan, acquired from the Cowboys Aug. 31 for a seventh-round pick, will get to play against his hometown team for the second time in his career. He made a key block on Cedric Houston's 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the Jets' 28-20 win at Buffalo on Sept. 24.

"It means a lot,'' said Ryan, the Cowboys' fifth-round selection out of Boston College in 2004 who has five catches for 36 yards while playing all 12 games for the Jets. "I had a lot of people from growing up at the game.''

Ryan said his mother, Eileen, plans to be at Giants Stadium Sunday along with an aunt, uncle and some cousins.

"I'll see if I can sway my cousin, he's a big Bills fan,'' Ryan said.

Of course, Ryan doesn't necessarily see his family all the time anymore.

Despite his protestations about not liking the heat - "You can't get used to that heat, I think you can get used to the cold a lot easier than the heat'' - Ryan and his wife, Liz, have relocated to Dallas.

The Jets use the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Ryan, known more for his blocking, mainly in two-tight-end formations with Chris Baker.

Baker, for one, is thrilled to have Ryan out there.

"He's a great pickup for us,'' said Baker, the fifth-year pro who has already set a career high with 22 receptions, is 49 yards shy of tying his career high of 269 and needs one touchdown catch to tie his career high of four. "Last year, pretty much all the blocking responsibilities in the offense fell to me. This year, he brings a lot to the table as far as a blocking aspect and his versatility.''

Notes: Safety Rashad Washington (illness) was upgraded to probable and was able to practice yesterday after missing Wednesday's session. … Linebacker Matt Chatham (foot) remains questionable and the Jets listed him as not participating in all 11-on-11 drills yesterday. He at least made it onto the practice field after being absent Wednesday. Prior to this week, Chatham had been listed as probable with a foot injury. "I have no idea why I showed up on the list, I think they like to play with that list,'' Chatham said. "Nothing has changed.'' … Coach Eric Mangini said he has been impressed with the way veteran running back Kevan Barlow has handled not only being inactive at Green Bay but working on special teams for the first time in his career. … The Bills added safety Donte Whitner (hamstring) to their injury report as questionable and he was not able to practice.

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/SPORTS01/612080411/1108

Jets, Giants clear final stadium funding hurdle

By Andrew Gross

The Journal News

(Original Publication: December 8, 2006)

A new stadium for the Jets and Giants at the Meadowlands cleared perhaps its last great hurdle yesterday when NFL owners voted at their meeting in Frisco, Texas, to loan the teams $300 million toward construction.

The stadium, with a projected opening date of 2010, is expected to cost up to $1.2 billion, and the teams are jointly funding the project.

NFL teams can be allotted $150 million out of a league fund to help defray construction costs, but the Giants and Jets argued they were due twice that since they are sharing the facility.

The teams needed 75 percent of the 32 owners to vote their approval, and Jets owner Woody Johnson told The Associated Press the vote was "almost unanimous.''

"We owe thanks to all of the other team owners throughout the league and Commissioner (Roger) Goodell and his staff for their support,'' Johnson and Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said in a jointly issued statement.

"Our goal is to create a new stadium that will revolutionize and enhance the experience for the fans - the lifeblood of our franchises and the NFL as a whole.''

Construction is expected to begin in the spring with final design plans due next month.

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.nysportsday.com/news/jets/1165583375.php

Jets Have Options At RB

by: Brian Bohl

Friday, December 8, 2006

HEMPSTEAD, NY - Perhaps the Jets own the same computers that the NCAA utilizes to determine the Bowl Championship Series rankings.

Judging by the coaching staff’s recent game day personnel decisions, it seems only a sophisticated machine with nearly infinite computing capabilities can decide the team’s weekly running back rotation.

Leon Washington will be the feature back occasionally, showing flashes of potential that already led to two 100-yard rushing games. Other times, the rookie is regulated to back and special teams status.

Don’t forget about veteran Kevan Barlow, the former 49ers 1,000 yard rusher acquired in training camp for a fourth-round draft pick. He leads all Jet rushers with six touchdowns. Oh, and second-year running back Cedric Houston compiled a career-high 105 yards during last week’s blowout victory against the Packers.

All three are viable candidates to start Sunday as the Jets go for a season sweep over the Bills at Giants Stadium. Coach Eric Mangini refused to divulge the exact criteria employed for selecting the feature back. He said practice performance, previous game output and health are all factors in an equation almost as complicated as a calculus theory.

“It goes straight down the line because usually what happens is we'll practice them on Wednesday when they get a pretty good mix of the different plays. We take a look at that and evaluate the tape,” Mangini said. “Then the next day I'll go in and I'll ask questions. It could be blitz pick-up. It could be alignments or motions - to gauge where they are on the questions. The next day it's the same thing. You get a pretty good feel for who is leading the pack as the week unfolds.”

Right now, the front runner to start is Houston. After being inactive for large portions of the season, he busted through the Green Bay defensive line for two touchdowns on his 22 carries. The challenge this week doesn’t look much harder on paper, as the Bills have the NFL’s fourth-worse run defense, allowing 140.3 yards per game.

As the complementary back, Washington provided Houston with a chance to rest, rushing for 40 yards on seven carries, including a 20-yard touchdown plow through the line that provided a fourth-quarter insurance touchdown.

“It’s just one of those things that as a runner, you’re going to get out there and if you have a hot hand early on, coaches tend to stay with that guy,” Washington said. “That’s a good thing, it gives guys an opportunity when they’re hot, and there’s nothing wrong with that. We all understand that as a team and as an offense. We’re cool with that.”

At 7-5, the Jets are immersed in a four-way tie for an AFC wildcard post-season spot. The Bills (5-7) would need to win out and have a slew of teams collapse for any playoff chance. Whatever Barlow-Washington-Houston combination is trotted out in the Giants Stadium field, they will be going up against a Buffalo defense that relies heavily on London Fletcher-Baker.

The middle linebacker leads the team with 112 tackles, including 82 solo stops. While end Aaron Schobel recorded nine sacks through 12 games as a pass rushing force, Buffalo continues to struggle in their run-stopping schemes with an undermanned staff. Outside linebacker Angelo Crowell was the Bills’ second-leading tackler until he went on injured reserve after suffering a season-ending broken left fibula injury.

Despite facing a depleted unit, Mangini still refused to comment on any lineup decisions. Sunday’s depth chart is yet to be officially determined, which his players said is nothing new.

“I think he does it because we have three good running backs and it just depends on what kind of defense we’re going against that week and a certain player might get more touches than another guy,” Houston said about accepting his coach’s strategy. “You have to know how the system works, you have to know how the coaches coach and you have to know how Eric runs this team.

“You can’t get discouraged, you just have to go out next week and have a great week of practice. Hopefully, you’ll get 25 [touches] again. That’s pretty much how it works.”

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/story/478187p-402277c.html

Jets' running backs always on their toes

BY OHM YOUNGMISUK

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Curtis Martin made a cameo in the Jets' locker room yesterday, picking up a bag in his stall before making a quick exit. Only a few members of the media noticed Martin because Leon Washington was holding court at the same time. After finishing with Washington, the group of reporters and cameras moved to Cedric Houston's locker before ending the session at Kevan Barlow's stall.

Ever since Martin, who didn't stick around long enough to talk, injured his knee last season and was subsequently placed on the physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp, the Jets have tried to replace their franchise tailback with four running backs.

Eric Mangini has rotated Derrick Blaylock, Washington, Barlow and Houston. At the moment, Houston appears to be the favorite after rushing for a career-high 105 yards and two TDs in the Jets' 38-10 rout in Green Bay on Sunday. Houston added three catches for 24 yards while Washington complemented him as a change-of-pace back with 40 yards and one touchdown on the ground. While the duo worked well together, Mangini refuses to reveal who will play against Buffalo. The head coach is sticking to his mantra that whoever practices the hardest and gives the team the best chance to win will play.

So even though Houston looks like he is coming on, Mangini said he will decide on his starter based on who he thinks might run most effectively against the Bills' defense. "We will have one," Mangini cracked when asked what he plans to do at running back on Sunday. "There will be one at the game."

Houston would like another shot. The 6-0, 220-pound back has had to overcome a thyroid condition that set him back in training camp in his rookie season last year. He started the last four games of last season after Martin suffered his knee injury. But Houston hurt his wrist in an offseason automobile accident that kept him from participating in the Jets' minicamp last spring. After he was inactive for the first two games of this season, Houston rushed for 49 yards on 12 carries against Indianapolis in Week 4. But just as Houston was getting comfortable, he hyperextended his knee and was inactive for the next five games.

Houston ran for 50 yards against the Bears three weeks ago before breaking through in Green Bay. Blaylock has fallen out of the running-back rotation after being inactive for the past six weeks and not having a carry since Week 2. Barlow was inactive for the first time this season last week and has given special teams a try in order to try to earn some playing time. However, Houston, Barlow and Washington know that whatever happened the previous week doesn't dictate who plays the following Sunday.

DONTE'S INFIRM: Bills rookie safety Donte Whitner aggravated his hamstring and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game. He did not practice yesterday. Neither did Jets LB Matt Chatham, who was downgraded to questionable this week with a foot injury and has not practiced all week.

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/story/478317p-402374c.html

New stadium gets Giant loan

BY GARY MYERS

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

FRISCO, Tex. - Wellington Mara's contributions to the NFL were priceless. His legacy was worth $300 million to the Giants and Jets yesterday for their new $1.2 billion stadium project.

The memory of Mara and his dedication to do what was best for the NFL, such as starting to share television revenue equally more than 40 years ago even though it cost the big-market Giants money, was evident at a league meeting in a Dallas suburb. NFL owners agreed by a 30-2 landslide vote to allocate the requested $300 million from the league's stadium fund to the Giants and Jets.

Groundbreaking adjacent to Giants Stadium is expected in the spring. The target date for the opening is the 2010 season. The vote was a form of payback to Mara, who died last year, for helping to make the NFL a $6 billion a year industry with his selflessness.

"They deserve it. We're lucky to have a family like the Mara family for almost a century, for as long as the business is," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. "They've always understood it's the league first. I think anyone would have a rough time voting against them because of everything they've done for the league."

Kraft said that in the hallway moments before the vote. He turned out to be just about right.

The small-market Bills and Bengals, who voted against the collective bargaining agreement in the same 30-2 vote in March, were the only teams that didn't want to let the Giants and Jets dip into the fund.

The $300 million will be repaid over a 15-year period from the visitors' share of the club-seat revenue at the new stadium. The NFL Players Association is providing $800 million in salary-cap credits over the 15 years, which will save each team $1.6 million on the cap annually. Still, because the stadium will be such a tremendous moneymaker, the salary cap is expected to increase $2 million per club per year. The smaller-market teams' objection was that not all stadium revenue is shared among the clubs, but it now all counts toward calculating the salary cap. No decision has been made whether season-ticket holders will be required to buy personal-seat licenses.

"It's absolutely important to have a world-class facility in the No.1 market for the NFL," commissioner Roger Goodell said. "From our standpoint, having the best facility for our fans is a high priority for the league."

The stadium project would have been in serious jeopardy without the $300 million. Giants co-owner John Mara and Jets owner Woody Johnson addressed their fellow owners to state their case. Johnson was asked if this made up for the disappointment of the failed Jets' West Side stadium project. "I think we're just looking at it in terms of, this is a great opportunity for both teams in New York," he said.

Mara said he did not play on the emotions of the owners by talking about his father's contribution when he spoke to them yesterday. "I don't think I needed to do that," he said. "There were certain owners I called and asked for their support. I was very gratified by their response. A lot of them said, 'After all your family has done for the league, of course you have our support.' That obviously was something I was very pleased with. I think that may have been a factor, yes."

Kraft admitted, "We're really doing it for the Mara family and the Tisches and the Johnsons. Because of the impact on our labor agreement, if it wasn't for the personal relationship that we feel for them, it wouldn't happen."

The additional revenue generated by the Giants and Jets in their new stadium will allow them compete in free agency with the cash needed for big signing bonuses. According to an August survey by Forbes, the Redskins are first in revenue, the Patriots second, Cowboys third and the Eagles fifth. They all play in the NFC East or AFC East. The Giants are 18th and the Jets are 19th.

Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said, "The new stadium will have a tremendous positive impact on the financial future of the two clubs."

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjets085007465dec08,0,1690287.story?coll=ny-jets-print

Ready for the call

Running backs know Mangini holds an open competition each week

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

December 8, 2006

After the Jets' second touchdown against the Texans two weeks ago, a 1-yard run by Cedric Houston, Brandon Moore had a question for Houston: Who scored? "Usually all those guys aren't in sync with all the stuff that's going on behind them," said Houston, the running back who fessed up to the points behind a block from Moore, the starting right guard.

On the Jets, that question isn't off-base or absentminded. Coach Eric Mangini has made it clear that he won't settle on a single running back this season, no matter how well any of the candidates perform in games or practices. Consider that Houston, the most consistent producer the last three games, started the regular season as the Jets' fourth choice among four options. With Curtis Martin still part of the most optimistic Jets plans at the beginning of the season and the aborted Lee Suggs trade during training camp, Houston could even be classified as the Jets' sixth option after he sat out the first two games.

Even now, after a 105-yard performance against the Packers, Houston isn't a shoo-in to play against the Bills on Sunday.

"I'm not sure that I have a locked position," Houston said. "I just have to come out like I did last week, have a great week of practice, then on Sunday try to make something happen when I'm in the game."

Most coaches tell their troops that playing time and starting jobs will be based upon who is playing best at the time, but soon after training camp that theory goes away and teams fall into routines. With the Jets, it's an open competition every week, and not only on the practice field. Mangini will quiz players about pass protections or motion packages during meetings, and if the answers aren't quick and on target, it could mean a Sunday in street clothes.

"They have their way of doing things and pretty much the players have to deal with it," said fullback B.J. Askew, who missed two of the last three games because of such coaching decisions. "It is unorthodox, but the only thing we can do is hope we're out there the next week."

If the players dismissed Mangini's week-to-week philosophy on personnel as coachspeak earlier this season, they certainly aren't anymore. Name another NFL team where four or more players go into a game with roll-of-the-dice odds they will start, never mind see the bulk of the carries. That the Jets have used such a system to propel them to a 7-5 record and wild-card contention is almost unheard of. It harkens to the patchwork secondary the Patriots used in their Super Bowl run in 2004, which was forced by injuries but instituted by Mangini, then the defensive backs coach.

"I really like having position flexibility," Mangini said. "I like having guys that can play multiple roles. I like having ... three or four guys that can carry the ball 20 times or be the lead back."

It certainly gives opponents something to think about. Bills linebacker Takeo Spikes said Houston brings an extra dimension to the Jets' offense. "As soon as we feel like we have something figured out, Chad [Pennington] is playing well and working well with the receivers, now you bring another four-headed monster in there? I am glad that there is only one ball," he said.

The Mangini System also forces each player to carry a chip on their shoulder. Houston, benched the first two weeks, has been trying to overcome early perceptions of his ability all season. Kevan Barlow, inactivated by a coaching decision for the first time in his career on Sunday, will most likely play with something to prove the next chance he gets. And while Barlow was disappointed at not playing against the Packers - and is holding his breath to see if he'll be active against the Bills - he understands the roots of the philosophy.

"I know what Eric is doing is what's best for this team, and that's all that matters," Barlow said. "The guy obviously knows what he's doing. We're winning and he's up for Coach of the Year, so he's doing something right."

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjnotes085007464dec08,0,4009298.story?coll=ny-jets-print

JETS NOTEBOOK

Vilma takes out trash

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

December 8, 2006

Jonathan Vilma was more than happy to volley the verbal barbs his former University of Miami teammate and close friend Willis McGahee hurled at him earlier in the week.

"I can't stop him? Tell Willis that's cute, that's real cute," Vilma said yesterday in response to the Bills running back's remarks. "Tell him that when he gets defensive rookie of the year, when he gets to the Pro Bowl, when he gets to the playoffs, then we can talk."

Jet streams

CB Andre Dyson said he was disappointed when, after intercepting a Brett Favre pass on Sunday, he forgot to keep the football as a memento . . . WR Wallace Wright said his parents are traveling up from North Carolina to see him play his first NFL home game.

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12082006/sports/jets/vilma_and_mcgahee_talk_smack_jets_mark_cannizzaro.htm

VILMA AND MCGAHEE TALK SMACK

By MARK CANNIZZARO

December 8, 2006 -- Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma was genuinely amused when he read the chirpy, tongue-in-cheek comments from former University of Miami teammate and current Bills running back Willis McGahee on Wednesday.

McGahee, speaking to the Buffalo media, joked about how he "owns" Vilma and he belittled Vilma, saying he makes his "little tackles" and "runs his mouth."

"Tell Willis that's cute, that's really cute," Vilma said with a smile yesterday. "And tell him when he gets Defensive Rookie of the Year and he gets to the Pro Bowl and he gets to the playoffs, then we can talk."

On a more serious note, McGahee, who's nursing a sprained left ankle suffered last week and is listed as questionable for Sunday, sat out practice yesterday for the second consecutive day. Both McGahee and the Buffalo coaches still believe he'll play Sunday, but it looks as if he might not be 100 percent.

Interestingly, McGahee has rushed for 100 or more yards only twice in his past 18 games. Of course, both of those came against the Jets, including his career-high 150 yards against them on Sept. 24 in Buffalo.

*

In other injury news, Bills CB and prolific kickoff returner Terrence McGee is expected to play. But S Donte Whitner had to leave practice early after suffering a hamstring injury. He's listed as questionable.

For the Jets, S Rashad Washington was upgraded to probable with an undisclosed illness and practiced. There is some mild concern about LB Matt Chatham, who didn't practice Wednesday because of a foot injury. Chatham practiced on a limited basis yesterday.

*

Eric Mangini was highly complimentary of S Erik Coleman, who lost his starting job for three games earlier this season. "He had that hiccup early in the season where he was splitting time," Mangini said. "What I really liked at that point is that he came in to see me and he wasn't upset about it. He wanted to understand exactly what he could do to improve, what exactly he could do to help the team and to re-establish his position. All of the things that we talked about he worked on."

*

RB Cedric Houston, accompanied by a couple of teammates, dressed up as Santa Claus at Robert Wood University Hospital on his day off Tuesday and spent time with a number of children. "It was great," he said. "What else would you rather do on your day off?"

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12082006/sports/jets/2_smart_jets_andrew_marchand.htm

2 SMART

By ANDREW MARCHAND

December 8, 2006 -- The Jets' offense is based on speed. But it's not how fast their legs move, but how quickly their brains work.

"It is truly a thinking man's offense,'' CBS analyst Phil Simms said before alluding to Chad Pennington. "It was made for him.''

Led by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, the Jet attack is a lot like Martha Stewart - it annoys people, but is successful because of the details.

"It is clever because they blind you and numb you with all the stuff they do,'' Simms said. "The Jets will make you go crazy figuring out how they are going to throw the ball for two yards out in the flat.''

As the Jets (7-5) face the Bills (5-7), there is nothing that intrigues Simms more than the shifting, the motion and the no-huddle of Schottenheimer's offense.

"Their offense doesn't produce mind-boggling numbers, but it has been a slow, steady body of work that has really caught my attention as much as anything in the NFL,'' Simms said.

With all the movement, what shouldn't be overlooked are the two new immovable objects. Left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold are the real deal, says Simms.

Of Ferguson, Simms said, "He has a chance to be one of those guys we take for granted for 10 years.''

Mangold - selected 25 picks after Ferguson went fourth in the first round - is the perfect leader, according to Simms, because he is a charismatic, verbal center.

"To say it has worked out well is an understatement,'' Simms said.

So Pennington works behind a wall of protection, but he still has made an incredible comeback by leading an offense that seems perfectly designed for his skills.

"Why doesn't everyone do it?'' Simms said, repeating a question.

"Because of the pain they must have gone through to get it to where it is. It takes relentless plotting work. A lot of people don't believe in it. A lot of coaches don't believe in it because when you do move and shift a lot, sometimes you can confuse your own players.''

Not these smart Jets.

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12082006/sports/jets/jet_pilot_is_in_command_jets_mark_cannizzaro.htm

JET PILOT IS IN COMMAND

By MARK CANNIZZARO

December 8, 2006 -- In Chad they trust.

With significant respect to the terrific job Eric Mangini has done as a rookie head coach, Chad Pennington has been the linchpin to the Jets' surge to a 7-5 record this season. And, as long as he performs the way he has the last couple of weeks and for most of the season, he'll lead the Jets into the playoffs.

Granted, the Packers' defense won't compare favorably to the 1985 Bears, but Pennington's surgical performance in the first half at Lambeau Field was a peek into the kind of groove he's in right now.

In completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 31-0 Jets lead at the half, Pennington showed just how dominating the Jets' offense can be when he's in the kind of unconscious rhythm he was in last Sunday.

"He's as good as they get," wide receiver Justin McCareins said about his quarterback yesterday. "His ability to read defenses and make decisions at the line I think is as good as anybody."

McCareins called the performance Pennington and the Jets offense put on in that memorable first half in Green Bay "pretty close to perfection."

Now, of course, the burning question coming out of Weeb Ewbank Hall this week as the Jets prepare to play the 5-7 Bills Sunday at Giants Stadium is this: What does Pennington have in store for an encore?

"We just need to keep that standard of excellence," McCareins said, "and we can do pretty well."

Pretty well? If Pennington and the offense come even remotely close to doing what they did last Sunday in the next four regular-season games, the Jets might well enter the postseason as the hottest team in the AFC.

"If you're going to try and define success and failure by whether or not you can score 31 points in a half, you're going to fail," veteran left guard Pete Kendall reasoned. "That was one of those situations where it all kind of snowballed in our favor."

Indeed, but the Jets' offensive performance in Green Bay told us this: They have that kind of game in them, and that makes the next four weeks, beginning with Sunday against Buffalo, exciting.

Kendall marveled not only at what Pennington did Sunday, but at his quarterback's complete body of work this season, particularly coming off a second major shoulder surgery in two seasons.

"He was sharp [vs. the Packers]," Kendall said. "The guy who used to have the locker next to me [former Jets center Kevin Mawae] used to say all the time, 'Ten [Pennington] is a winner in this league when he's healthy.'

"I know there's been a lot of consternation at various times since I've been here, whether it be after a game when he didn't perform extremely well, or the injuries, but for the most part, he's a winning quarterback when he's healthy."

Pennington enters Sunday's game with a 28-21 regular-season record as a starter. His 30-23 overall record - he is 2-2 in the playoffs - is good for a 57-percent winning mark.

"You are what your record says you are," Kendall said. "Isn't that what Bill Parcells used to say?"

Still is.

Kendall called the tape of Pennington's performance "enjoyable to watch," adding tongue-in-cheek, "Every play works on the grease board. It's on that pesky playing field when things don't always go the way you'd like.

"It's fun to play offensive football when you get on a roll and everything seems to be working, but it doesn't happen very often."

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12082006/sports/jets/plenty_to_talk_about_jets_mike_vaccaro.htm

PLENTY TO TALK ABOUT

By MIKE VACCARO

December 8, 2006 -- LAVERANUES Coles is the perfect one to talk to, of course. He was here a year ago, when there was actually Super Bowl talk surrounding the Jets, when there were all kinds of expectations in July that became desecrations by October.

He saw what it was like to have the floor crumble beneath his feet, so it pleases him to feel his head scraping against a glass ceiling.

"It's a lot more fun in this game when you can fly under the radar," the Jets' most dangerous offensive weapon said yesterday, smiling, recalling how a team indicted on 12 counts of underachievement a year ago can so quickly be elected the most surprising team in the NFL.

"When nobody is talking about you it means nobody expects anything from you. So when you go ahead and do something, it means either they didn't know what they were talking about or you're doing something pretty terrific. Or both."

Four months ago, the only people talking about the Jets did so the way a stand-up comic talks about a sitting president.

The Jets weren't just universally viewed as bad, they were supposed to be pitiably bad, with the strong possibility of being historically bad.

Now, the Jets are two days away from playing the Buffalo Bills with a chance to win their eighth game of the season, to maintain their place in the thick of the AFC wild-card race, to ensure there will be more meaningful December games on their plate in what has turned out to be one of the most delightfully surprising seasons in the franchise's often tortured history.

And for the perpetually aggrieved members of this team's fan base, it has to rank as one of the most enjoyable, too.

It's a stunning reversal from so many missteps and missed starts out of the team's history, and a staggering point of comparison with the other football team in town, the one that began this season with playoff expectations and Super aspirations and have seen so much of that come tumbling down the past few weeks. It is interesting to note the differences between the two camps.

On the Jersey side, you have a locker room littered with media stars and me-first constellations who have little worry about repercussion whenever they choose to toss coaches or teammates onto train tracks. You have an embattled old-school coach whose communication skills have reached a point where his players are grateful just to be granted audiences with him now. And you have a season that began with such promise lying now at sea level, at 6-6.

Out here on the Island, you have a dressing room where quotes ooze out of open mouths like the last ounces of toothpaste from a spent tube, where colorless is cool and blandness is better, where it sometimes seems they're a step away from just using sign language exclusively. You have a new-age coach who is barely older than his players and hadn't coached a down in the NFL until September, yet has somehow found a way to command complete respect. And you have a season that figured to lie in state by now on a suddenly ascendant path.

It won't always be this easy for Eric Mangini, or this fluid, because once a team tastes success it creates an insatiable appetite for more. You get to surprise people once, and the Jets are doing it this year, and there's a reason why it makes perfect sense for the coach and the players to be ever-vigilant about whispering too loudly about - sshhhh! - the playoffs.

"It's a crazy league," Coles, the sage receiver, said. "All this talk about the Giants and look at them! They have just as good a chance to make the playoffs as we do, maybe a better chance, and look at their record. That's why as players you can't get caught up in any of that."

That, in many ways, may be the most refreshing differ ence between the two teams in this most unexpected of football seasons.

The Giants drone end lessly about how much bet ter they are than their re cord, while the Jets almost treat their record as a mirage that can be taken away if the hubris grows too thick.

The Giants need to remind us that they aren't dead yet, while the Jets are careful to remind us that they haven't done anything yet.

"It's all ahead of us," Laveranues Coles said, and he wasn't just issuing the company line, but the correct one.

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.nj.com/jets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1165557908278520.xml&coll=1

Jets feel covered with steady Dyson

Veteran CB leader of improved secondary

Friday, December 08, 2006

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Jets cornerback Andre Dyson can't believe his absent-mindedness.

Midway through the second quarter of last Sunday's game against the Packers, Dyson intercepted future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre on a deep pass intended for wide receiver Donald Driver.

The play led to a touchdown that gave the Jets a 31-0 lead just before halftime en route to a 38-10 drubbing of the Packers at Lambeau Field.

"After the game, everybody was like, 'You intercepted Brett Favre, did you keep the ball?'" Dyson said with a smile. "I'm like, 'No. I forgot to keep the ball.' Everyone was like, 'You didn't keep the ball from an interception of (Favre).'

"I'm like, 'Ah man. I lost track of it.' So I need to find me a ball and make it look like (the ball he picked off from Favre)."

Dyson, a sixth-year pro, signed with the Jets as an unrestricted free agent this off-season after one season with the Seahawks, with whom he started in the Super Bowl last January. He had rejected the Jets overtures to sign him the previous off-season and signed with Seattle.

The Jets, however, revisited him this off-season after an uncharacteristic injury-prone season that led to his release. This time, Dyson said yes. The Jets couldn't be happier.

Dyson, who spent his first four seasons with the Titans, has a team high-tying four interceptions (safety Kerry Rhodes also has four) and has emerged as the team's shut-down cornerback. Two of his interceptions came in the opener against the Titans.

While the Jets have started Justin Miller, rookie Drew Coleman, David Barrett and now Hank Poteat at the right-cornerback spot, Dyson has been a constant. The 5-10, 183-pounder has also been solid in run support with 53 tackles. He's looking like one of the Jets' best free-agent signing since 1998 when they landed Curtis Martin and Kevin Mawae.

"Dyson is a great player," safety Erik Coleman said. "It's great to play with him because you tend to not worry about him. He can lock it down over there and he has been doing it for years in this league.

"I've been able to play with a couple of great corners in Terrell Buckley and Ty Law and he's right up there with those guys. He makes plays when it counts."

Dyson said he experienced a rude awakening when he came to the Jets because he was forced to reinvent himself in coach Eric Mangini's new 3-4 defense. He had to learn bump-and-run tactics, read different keys and line up differently.

"I had to change everything," said Dyson, who signed a five-year, $11.5 million that included $3 million guaranteed. "It (the Jets' system) was a lot different than what I had done throughout my whole career. But you have to do what you have to do."

"I started noticing Andre pretty early in training camp," Mangini said. "He took the coaching. He was able to incorporate himself into our system pretty quickly. As he did that, he's got really good natural ability, good ball skills, and you see that performance showing up."

Mangini added that Dyson is "deceptively fast" and has a "smoothness" about his style that sometimes lulls opponents into thinking they can beat him. Dyson, however, uses tremendous make-up speed to make the play.

Only 27, Dyson finds himself as the leader of the secondary. Quiet by nature, teammates often come to him with questions.

"He's really about his business," Coleman said. "He studies hard, watches a lot of film. He'll point out things we need to watch for, the tendencies a team might have. He's a student of the game."

Notes: RB Cedric Houston ran with the first team in drills yesterday in practice but Kevan Barlow and Leon Washington also received reps. It appears that all three will be activated for the game.

"It's team first. Whoever is going to help this team win will play," said Barlow, who was inactive last week and has been working on special teams for the first time in his career in an effort to contribute more....

LB Jonathan Vilma got a big laugh out of all the trash-talking by Bills RB Willis McGahee on Wednesday, receiving a word-by-word account of what McGahee said from the media.

Among the things McGahee said is Vilma can't stop him. McGahee has four straight 100-yard games vs. the Jets and is averaging 134.5 yards in those games.

"I can't stop him? Tell Willis that's real cute," Vilma said smiling. "Tell him when he gets defensive rookie of the year, gets to the Pro Bowl, gets to the playoffs, then we can talk. ... I'm having fun with this. It's all in fun."...

Mangini praised NT Dewayne Robertson, saying he hasn't missed a practice or even a rep this season and is playing well.

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show_permalink/a-capable-committee

A Capable Committee

Published: 12-08-06

In a system entrenched in balance, collaboration, and flexibility, it should come as no surprise the Jets have gone without the dependence of a primary running back all season long. Instead, the 7-5 Jets have used a steady attack from a group of individually unique rushers, all of whom have the talent and determination to start on any given day.

Dating back to well before the preseason, head coach Eric Mangini stated that hard work and competitiveness was to be expected from his players all season long. Now well into December, Mangini still grants playing time based primarily on productivity, awareness, and effort. While it took fans some getting used to, it didn’t take long for his players to catch on.

“It really didn’t take us time to believe what he was saying because he did tell us that training camp was going to be tough,” said running back Cedric Houston. “And when that was over, we figured out quickly how tough it really was so everything he told us afterwards - we pretty much knew that it was going to go that way.”

During a sometimes grueling camp, much debate surrounded some assumed vacant starting positions on the Jets’ depth chart. Mangini insisted that no matter what was done in the past, each and every position was in fact available and had to be earned. As seen all year-long, the youngest coach in the NFL has stuck to his guns.

“It's performance‑based, and if you perform well, you play more, and if you help us win, you play more,” Mangini said. “And that has been consistent. I don't think it was a function of whether or not it had to be a belief system as much as this is really the way that things are going to operate and it's really not going to change week‑in and week‑out.”

And how do those weekly auditions go?

“We will practice them on Wednesday,” explained Mangini. “They get a pretty good mix of the different plays. We take a look at that and evaluate the tape and then the next day. I'll go in; I'll ask questions. It could be a blitz pick up, it could be alignments or motions to gauge where they are on the questions, and then the next day it's the same thing. You get a pretty good feel for who is leading the pack as the week unfolds.”

Running backs coach Jimmy Raye has seen his unit successfully and cooperatively make the most of it on a weekly basis.

Houston, Kevan Barlow, and Leon Washington have been seeing the bulk of snaps all season long, with Washington’s 511 yards rushing leading the way. Barlow started off the year as the go-to guy, rushing for a team-best six touchdowns. In the blink of an eye however, Washington took the reigns for a mid-season hot streak right before Houston pounced back onto the scene after an injury, and now appears to be the hottest back.

Even after setting career-highs of 105 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s romp over Green Bay, Houston isn’t promised anything. No matter how well he or any other player performed a week ago, it still takes another hard week of practice and proof to earn back the bulk of plays this weekend against the Bills.

“Everything we do over the course of the week - as far as answering questions in meetings, practicing, special teams, anything - it all pretty much is taken into consideration,” said Houston. “If you get out here and you’re messing up on your pass protection or if you’re not running as hard as you normally do, they take that stuff into consideration once Sunday hits.”

“The main thing is,” added Washington, “if you prepare yourself at practice and work hard throughout the week, when your opportunity comes you should be ready for it and that’s all it is. That’s what we believe in, and that’s how we approach things.”

With the loss of Curtis Martin to injury, Mangini has stuck to the committee approach at running back. Looking at the success of the backfield monster now, it seems as though such a system wasn’t at all forced, but planned all along.

“You have three good running backs and it depends on what type of defense we’re going against that week,” Houston said. “So a certain player will probably get a few more touches than the other guys.”

Looking at the rushing statistics from last game compared to four games ago paints a pretty accurate picture of the current situation in Mangini’s backfield. Against the Packers, it was Houston leading the way all around, with 22 carries for 105 yards. In perhaps the most impressive win of the season, Barlow had his most productive outing, rushing the ball 17 times for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots while Houston wasn’t even activated.

“I think all the guys have good weeks throughout the season, and I know Coach is going to put the right players in the right situation at the right time and that’s all you can ask for,” said Washington. “You go there and prepare yourself at practice and if your name is called 20 times on Sunday or if it’s called seven times on Sunday - just take advantage of the opportunity and make plays.”

“You have to know how the system works, you have to know how the coaches coach,” said Houston. “The way Eric runs this team, you can’t really get discouraged by it, and you just have to go out the next week and just have a great week of practice again. That is pretty much how it works.”

**Sperm Edwards** · December 8, 2006

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxMjAmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwMzM0NzAmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2

Giants, Jets get stadium relief

Friday, December 8, 2006

By JOHN BRENNAN

STAFF WRITER

The Giants and Jets scored a major off-the-field victory Thursday, securing $300 million from rival National Football League owners to help build their new Meadowlands stadium.

The teams still may need to spend up to $1 billion to complete the 81,000-seat stadium. But the league's support was a great relief to the clubs' owners.

Could it be a boon to season-ticket holders as well? The money could alleviate some pressure on the teams to issue expensive "personal seat licenses" -- a surcharge that some teams with new stadiums levy on fans for the privilege of paying for their tickets.

Giants co-owner John Mara said there "still has been no final determination on that."

"But if this funding hadn't come through, I don't know how we would have financed the project," Mara said Thursday. He said he was gratified that so many owners supporting the project made note of his family's contributions during its 81 years of owning the team.

Giants owner Steve Tisch said the vote "clears the deck to move ahead."

"With no other foreseeable obstacles, we're in good position to break ground on the new stadium in the spring," Tisch said.

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission will hold hearings next week. And the Sports and Exposition Authority may give final approval to a stadium ground lease Dec. 20, Chairman Carl Goldberg said.

"This was critically important for the teams not only materially, but psychologically," Goldberg said. "It eliminates, even for the most pessimistic person, any question that this construction will take place."

NFL teams traditionally receive $150 million from the league for new facilities. The team repays the loan with club-seat revenue that usually goes to the visiting team.

Both Mara and Jets owner Woody Johnson argued passionately for a "double payout" at the previous owners' meetings in New Orleans in October.

That effort faced some resistance from small-market NFL teams, who until a decade ago maintained near-parity financially with large-market franchises because they all share equally in the billions in annual television revenues. But new stadiums with more lucrative luxury suites and club seats -- roomier versions of the traditional seat that can fetch $150 to $350 a game -- are allowing the rich to get much richer.

For instance, a document circulated by the clubs to investment bankers nearly a year ago estimated that the Jets and Giants each could expect to reap almost $92 million annually in additional revenues from a new stadium -- a boost of about 50 percent per team.

The owners' vote in Dallas on Thursday was 30-2, with the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills opposed. Twenty-four votes were needed for approval.

This article contains material from news service reports. E-mail: brennan@northjersey.comGiants, Jets get stadium relief