Jets Articles-Jan. 1, 2007

[TaborJet]

Jets take off for playoffs

Thump Raiders, brace for Pats

BY RICH CIMINI

New York Daily News

Happy new era, Jets fans.

The regular season you never expected culminated yesterday in a 23-3, playoff-clinching victory over the lowly Raiders, producing a scene that would've been dismissed in training camp as pure folly.

At the two-minute warning, Eric Barton, Kerry Rhodes and Jonathan Vilma grabbed a cooler and gave Eric Mangini a Gatorade bath, sending Giants Stadium into a frenzy that was two years in the making.

Yes, they put the Penguin on ice. And, for once, the ever-meticulous Mangini was caught unprepared.

"That was a high-class problem, so I thought if it came up, I'd adjust on the fly," Mangini said later after drying off. "I didn't have a hat available. Hopefully, there will be some more at some point, and I'll have a hat ready."

The Jets, who began the season as the franchise's most lightly regarded team since the 1996 squad that bottomed out at 1-15, will have at least one more chance to celebrate. They qualified for the playoffs as the first wild card in the AFC (the fifth seed), meaning they will face the Patriots in Foxboro Sunday at 1 p.m. - Mangini vs. Bill Belichick, Round 3.

If the Jets were giddy after their methodical dismantling of the Raiders (2-14), giving them a season-high, three-game winning streak, they did a good job of concealing it. Much like their coach, they showed restraint.

"There weren't any 'I-love-you-man' moments like the Bud Lite commercial," said guard Pete Kendall, alluding to the postgame scene in the locker room. "There might have been a few more handshakes and hugs than normal, but it wasn't exactly Dr. Phil-like."

"However brief, we got a smile," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said. "Coach is going to be Coach. I don't think he'll really smile unless we make it to the final game."

Mangini, the ice-water coach, already was focusing on next week. So were his players, who gave him the Penguin moniker in August - a time when they probably wished they could've dumped cold water on their hard-driving coach. Four months later, they did - and they got a kick out of seeing his reaction.

He wasn't immediately thrilled, they noticed. But Mangini had to admire the execution. It was flawless.

"We had a game plan and we stuck to it," Barton deadpanned. "That's one of things he preaches and we did it."

Afterward, Mangini officially lifted the moratorium on the 'P' word. The Jets are back in the playoffs after a one-year absence, finishing 10-6 after a 4-12 debacle that resulted in an overhaul of the organization.

"Now we can definitely say it (playoffs), there's no more holding back from it," said tight end Chris Baker, who gave the Jets a 7-0 lead with a 1-yard touchdown catch that was set up by David Barrett's fumble-forcing body slam on wide receiver Johnnie Morant.

Said Coles: "I knew from the beginning we had a playoff team. It was left up to us to decide how we were going to move forward."

Mangini, trying to prevent his team from looking past the Raiders, prepared the Jets by citing examples of teams that choked away a playoff berth on the final day of the season. The Same Old Jets might have blown this chance, but these Jets refused to cave. That they faced the most inept offense in the NFL made the task easier.

Chad Pennington (22-for-30, 157 yards) was at his dinking and dunking best, the Leon Washington-Cedric Houston tandem produced just enough on the ground (97 combined yards and one TD) to keep the offense balanced, the defense managed three takeaways and Mike Nugent made three field goals to extend his streak to 18 straight.

It was an emotional day for Pennington, who played a full season for the first time in his injury-cursed career. He called it his most satisfying season.

"I'd probably venture to say this season feels complete ... because I was able to contribute to our team and to our season the whole year," said Pennington, who jogged off the field with the game ball pressed to his chest - a personal souvenir from his improbable season.

Pennington said the atmosphere in the stadium reminded him of the 2002 finale, when they beat the Packers to clinch a playoff spot. There was "an electricity in the air," he said.

The Jets got off to a listless start, leading only 10-3 at halftime, but they kept grinding - the trademark of Mangini's team. Washington's 15-yard touchdown run with 13:37 remaining was the clincher.

"It's exciting," Mangini said. "It's exciting because it's been a long road for us and, believe me, they will tell you how hard the work has been. I'm proud of them."

His players showed their appreciation by going for the Gatorade, catching their coach off-guard. Or did they?

"I'm sure he knew about it," safety Kerry Rhodes said, grinning. "I'm sure he studied the situation, broke it down and knew exactly where the water coolers were, but I think he just let it go."

An hour after the soaking, Mangini left the locker room and received a long, warm embrace from his wife, Julie. It was seven hours to midnight. This morning, the glass slipper still fits.

Looking ahead

Jets (10-6) at Patriots (12-4)

When: Sunday, 1 p.m.

Where: Foxboro, Mass.

Players to Watch: QB Tom Brady (23 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) has lost many of his weapons, but he's still Tom Terrific. In the postseason, he's money. ... RB Corey Dillon (745 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns) is an old warhorse who knows how to get the tough yards. ... WR Reche Caldwell (team-leading 57 receptions) heads a pedestrian cast of wideouts. ... The Patriots have a strong front seven, led by DE Richard Seymour, DE Ty Warren (6

[TaborJet]

Jets are a big smash, quietly

Mangini's team worth watching

These are the Jets, after all. If you are looking for respect or acclaim, you search elsewhere. And so they earned their playoff spot yesterday afternoon in a home stadium named after another team, with only about 25,000 fans left in their seats for the final whistle.

When the 23-3 victory was complete, Chad Pennington pointed an index finger to the sky, ran a short victory lap, and then he tried to throw his cap to the crowd above the tunnel. Somebody muffed the pass. The cap fluttered back to the ground. Pennington picked it up, threw it back into the stands, and didn't hang around to find out whether this second attempt was complete.

He and his teammates were headed next for their locker room, where Eric Mangini would give a short speech and try to sound excited.

"He may have smiled twice," reported Kerry Rhodes, the Jets' safety.

And that was about it, as big as this celebration was going to get. No champagne. No promises. "I'm extremely happy," Mangini kept telling the press, though of course you would never know it. He was cold, still sticky from the Gatorade. Mangini knew that inevitable bath was coming, but for once he had failed to plan an effective defense.

"He was going to get it, whether he's no-nonsense or not," Jonathan Vilma said of the liquid assault.

The game itself had been less of a splash. The outcome was a foregone conclusion, really, by midway through the third quarter. The Jets clinched their berth in familiar fashion. They beat yet another lousy opponent by making fewer mistakes with a modest game plan.

That is typical household magic for this Jet team: They have built a remarkable season with unremarkable play. They are careful craftsmen. The victory over Oakland was admirable for its sheer masonry, like watching one team slowly walling in the other, brick by brick.

The Raiders are awful on offense, and so Mangini correctly understood that one touchdown would probably be more than sufficient to win. And it was.

The Jets never gained more than 20 yards on any single play from scrimmage yesterday. Their leading rusher, Leon Washington, gained 53 yards. Chad Pennington threw for a modest 157 yards on 22 completions - an average gain of 7.1 yards, and nothing longer than 18. This is not the stuff of large headlines or compelling newspaper columns, but then the Jets have not worried about such things this year and have somehow clambered all the way to another meeting this weekend against the cold-fish handshake of Bill Belichick.

They've won in New England already once this season, yet they will be underdogs against a higher-regarded opponent and a more famous quarterback whose arm has not been compared by an ESPN commentator to that of a dog. And yes, the Jets may well lose. But this has already been one of those wonderfully unexpected successes, a scrappy 10-6 season without Curtis Martin and with a surprisingly healthy, 16-game Chad Pennington. It has defied all doomsday predictions of the earnest talent evaluators.

The whole Mangini production has been both a great lesson and a cautionary tale to football coaches everywhere: Never overreach. Know your team's limitations. Throw underneath the coverage. These may not be the most inspiring of axioms, but they are the stuff of walled-in opponents.

The Jets won their last three games, five out of six to finish the season. And while the schedule certainly helped, the Jets ought to be feted for their fortitude. Mangini's mantra about hard work and consistency has been more than a clich

[TaborJet]

Jets' Happy Chad Year

Chad Pennington tucked the ball tight against his left hip, and rushed to join the party. He was hardly the lone guest of honor, and nobody expected him to put a lampshade on his head and leap atop the furniture, but there is zero doubt the Jets couldn't fully begin to celebrate until their quarterback was front and present.

It didn't end there, with Pennington bounding off the Meadowlands turf, and that alone might be New York's finest sports story of 2006. What brilliant mind ever expected fireworks would explode so magnificently above the Jersey sky on this final day of December, or that Pennington, 16 games into a season he wasn't expected to complete, would be the one to cradle the final snap against a backdrop of confetti floating to the ground like snowflakes and tens of thousands of fans waving white rally towels and "Dance to the Music" blaring from the speakers?

It was a scene lifted from a snow globe, a blur of giddy snapshots and happy noises, and Pennington's presence made it bone-chillingly complete.

With two minutes remaining in a season few thought would extend into January, with the Jets a few downs away from pinning a 23-3 loss on Oakland and earning the most improbable of playoff berths, Pennington could barely contain his joy. He stepped out of character and into the moment, flapping his arms in time with the tunes. He did an excited flurry of jumping jacks. He rode the wave of electricity that flowed across the stands, exhorting the fans to stay behind him, behind this team, and all but daring the unbelievers to join the ride.

"It was a good feeling to be in that place, to see everyone around me let loose a little bit after all we've been through," Pennington said much later, as he walked out of the stadium for the final time this year. He didn't know where the Jets were headed, to Indianapolis or, as it turns out, New England, and didn't much care. For a night, at least, Pennington and the Jets deserved to wallow in the sound of a deep voice on a stadium microphone interrupting those final few snaps to announce: "Ladies and gentleman, the New York Jets are officially in the playoffs."

Seriously, the "P" word? Pennington grinned wildly as he headed for the tunnel, the game ball switched to his right hand, the fans, some shirtless and all delirious, screaming for him to say it. He would, again and again, once he reached the locker room, but now it was all he could do to throw his baseball cap into the stands. Someone fumbled it and Pennington, ever the gentlemen, retraced his steps, picked up the cap, tossed it again. He's not the favored Comeback Player of the Year for nothing.

"Chad is a remarkable story, as is this team," said Woody Johnson, more understated than an owner ought to be, considering where Pennington and the Jets were in August, when most every aspect of the organization was clouded in doubt.

To recap, for those just tuning into a team that espouses old-fashioned ideas like "we" rather than "me": the Jets, 4-12 last season, have a rookie coach, rookie general manager, two rookies on the offensive line, a rookie running back replacing a legend. The quarterback, an optimistic overachiever fresh off his second shoulder surgery, took a substantial pay cut just to get a tryout with the team that drafted him in 2000.

Until yesterday, Pennington had never lasted through a 16-game season, but that's hardly a milestone of interest to his teammates. Not one Jet ever expected him to be anything other than what he promised in the summer, when he told them if they worked hard and prepared well and played as one they could achieve more than respectability.

Something else about Pennington: his receivers never show him up. They don't gesture madly when his throws lack bite, or snarl when he attempts to mend any miscommunication. Pennington was as accurate as he needed to be yesterday, completing 22 of 30 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown, and he took far more pleasure in plays that today will be forgotten, like the perfect seven-yard strike he made to Jerricho Cotchery early in the fourth quarter, when a playoff berth was anything but certain.

"I can't say how proud I am of this guy," Cotchery said of Pennington.

"He's a great leader. He's a guy everyone feeds off. He's so genuine as a person. I think everyone on this team loves him to death." Through all the organizational upheaval, it turns out Pennington has been the most stable constant. His post-game quotes were typically Zen; he talked about how extremely blessed he was to have a second chance, and turned most every answer into a lesson about the team's collective drive. Pennington was the last player to walk into the night, carrying his young son in one arm, the bag with the game ball in the other, when he was stopped by a tall man wearing a lavish mink coat. It was Randy Moss, injured Raider and Pennington's college teammate at Marshall. Moss missed the team bus so he could embrace Pennington, and tell him he was so proud. Jets fans, already deep into their own parties, surely offered toasts all around.

Originally published on January 1, 2007

[TaborJet]

Coles, scribe square off

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

The Jets' Laveranues Coles engaged in a heated altercation yesterday with a reporter who questioned him about his physical status after the 23-3 win over the Raiders at Giants Stadium.

Coles and Dan Leberfeld, of "Jets Confidential," both had to be restrained during a brief but ugly scene at Coles' locker. Coles, who has suffered back, head and chin injuries in recent weeks, grew tired of answering questions about his health from other reporters.

When Leberfeld joined the crowd around Coles' locker, he asked another injury-related question.

"Don't ask me about injuries," Coles said, alluding to Eric Mangini's team policy.

According to witnesses, Leberfeld walked away, muttering that Coles shouldn't be allowed to dictate the line of the questioning. They exchanged words. Leberfeld did an about-face, returning to Coles' locker.

Two public-relations staffers stepped in. One restrained Coles, who was dressed in a shirt with a sequined Pink-Panther logo and bright pink matching jacket. The other PR staffer pulled Leberfeld back from the fray. There was a huge equipment bag between them, along with other reporters. They never came close to blows.

When the altercation was defused, Coles turned back to reporters and said, "Sorry you had to see that."

Later, Leberfeld explained, "I just told him, 'You can't set the agenda for what reporters are allowed to ask.' It escalated from there. The rest is a blur. Here's the bottom line: Mangini doesn't set the rules for reporters. I'm not going to stop asking about injuries."

Coles' injury status was a bit hazy after last week's game in Miami. He suffered from concussion-like symptoms from a helmet-to-helmet hit by Zach Thomas, but he was sent back into the game. Mangini refused to confirm or deny whether it was a concussion. Thomas was fined $7,500 by the league for the illegal hit. Yesterday, Coles played the entire game. He caught only two passes for 24 yards, but he made a key block on Leon Washington's 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Originally published on January 1, 2007

[TaborJet]

No rest for defense

BY KRISTIE ACKERT

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

It was not pretty: The Jets' defensive unit spent the bye week, the ninth week of the season, looking at film. There were no highlights - just mistakes.

"Nobody was able to hide anything," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "All our mistakes were out there and we all saw them. We accepted that we made those mistakes and we knew how to correct them. We all said we wanted to get better and go on. That was really the turning point."

The next week, the defense sparked an upset of the Patriots in Foxboro and a turnaround in the second half of the season that was crucial to the unlikely run to the playoffs, culminating in a 23-3 win over the Raiders at the Meadowlands yesterday. The "D" also will be the key to the Jets' showing in the playoffs, beginning Sunday when they again will have to stop Tom Brady and the Patriots.

"It's a challenge, but that is what we expect at this point," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "At this point in the season we are going to face good teams."

Yesterday, the Jets did not face a good team. Oakland finished 0-8 on the road for the second time in four seasons. The Raiders were held without an offensive touchdown for the eighth time, and finished with the fewest points (168) in franchise history.

The Jets scored 10 points off turnovers. The Raiders were held to 3-of-11 (27%) on third downs.

"It's a case of getting to know the system and getting to know how the different parts work together," Eric Mangini said, "and understanding when mistakes are made, correcting those mistakes and building upon it. The group has just grown together in the system and they are understanding the system and how they fit into the system."

Mangini and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton switched the Jets' alignment from a 4-3 defense, to three down linemen and four linebackers. They stuck with the system even when the Jets struggled early on.

The defense has built confidence and feasted on some of the weaker offenses in the NFL the past month. This week the Patriots will provide the biggest test.

"We know (New England) is a good team, we know they have a good offense," defensive end Bryan Thomas said. "But we feel good right now, we're playing strong right now."

Originally published on January 1, 2007

[TaborJet]

Set for Patriot

act 3

Just for a second, Kerry Rhodes couldn't control himself.

"Say it again," Rhodes said to the reporter who asked about the Jets being in the playoffs. "Say it. It feels good to hear it, it feels real good."

That was the extent of the celebration in the locker room yesterday as the Jets clinched an unlikely playoff berth with a 23-3 win over the Raiders at Giants Stadium. In what was supposed to be a year of rebuilding under first-year coach Eric Mangini, the Jets overcame losing Curtis Martin for the season and a slow transition to a new defensive system to reach the playoffs a year after finishing 4-12 in Herm Edwards' last season.

"It feels good and we are proud that we made it," Rhodes said, "but we always believed we could. We knew what was possible."

With Martin missing the season with a knee injury and the defense struggling with the switch from the 4-3 to the 3-4, nobody outside of the team thought the playoffs were even a remote possibility.

"I know that people said that, but we didn't believe," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "We just focused on what we could do."

And now the Jets face the rival Patriots Sunday and .believe that even more is possible. The locker room was surprisingly subdued after the win.

"That is definitely not our mind-set," tight end Chris Baker said. "We still have things we want to prove. No one is gonna give us a chance in (the playoffs) either. That's OK."

It's all right for the Jets, because they have succeeded this year as the underdog. They stunned the Patriots, 17-14, in New England on Nov. 12, giving them confidence that they can do it again.

"We know we played with or have beaten some teams in this tournament," linebacker Matt Chatham said. "There really are limitless possibilities. We are a dangerous team and good teams should know that."

The Jets may be dangerous, but veteran lineman Pete Kendall set the tone in the locker room yesterday.

"All we've done is earn ourselves another game at the end of the year," Kendall said. "Nobody remembers who won the wild card or who finishes second. We've taken it a whole lot further than people thought we could, but our work's not over yet."

Kristie Ackert

[TaborJet]

Mangini in line

for new deal

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Woody Johnson has enjoyed a pretty good run as the Jets' owner: four playoff appearances in seven years. After yesterday's playoff-clinching win over the Raiders, Johnson praised his young coach/GM tandem, Eric Mangini, 35, and Mike Tannenbaum, 37, both of whom were hired after last season.

"I have the utmost confidence in Mike," Johnson said. "When I interviewed Eric - I didn't know him as well as the others - but he's exactly what we expected.

"He's a good, solid coach. Whether we were going to win 10 games, no one could've predicted that."

It'll be interesting to see whether Johnson sweetens Mangini's contract. When Herm Edwards made the playoffs in his rookie season, he got a new four-year deal. Mangini signed a four-year contract that pays him $1.75 million annually, below the league average.

COLES' MIND: With time winding down, WR Laveranues Coles and Mangini shared a pleasant moment on the sideline. Afterward, Coles gave a cryptic comment when asked what they discussed.

"I put a bug in his ear about some things, some issues I've had," Coles said. "Nothing bad, just some things I was going through."

Coles (two catches for 24 yards) finished with a career-high 91 receptions, but he fell two shy of Al Toon's team record.

KNEE INJURIES: Rookie C Nick Mangold hurt his left knee while blocking on a PAT late in the second quarter. He played the entire second half, but he seemed to be laboring. Afterward, his knee was attached to an electronic stimulator. RG Brandon Moore tweaked his right knee in the first half and missed three plays. He was replaced by Wade Smith, but returned.

NO DYSE: As expected, CB Andre Dyson (sprained knee) was inactive. Dyson is expected to miss two to four weeks, which means his status for the wild-card game is a major question. To replace Dyson, the Jets moved Hank Poteat to left corner and inserted David Barrett on the right side.

Barrett made the biggest defensive play of the game, forcing a fumble on WR Johnnie Morant that set up the Jets' first touchdown.

CEDRIC BACK: RB Cedric Houston (calf), returning after missing one week, started. Kevan Barlow was inactive. . . . Rookie S Eric Smith partially blocked a punt in the second quarter and made his second interception. . . . LB Eric Barton was pulled for a series after committing a personal-foul penalty in the second quarter, a late hit that was out of bounds on RB Justin Fargas. . . . The Jets used several gadget plays - a double reverse to Jerricho Cotchery (minus-3), an end around to Brad Smith (20 yards) and a direct snap to Smith (3 yards). . . . The Jets ran 10 plays before attempting their first pass, a 1-yard touchdown to TE Chris Baker. . . . The 10-6 finish, one year after 4-12, marked the third-biggest turnaround in Jets history. UP NEXT: The Jets' 2007 home opponents are Buffalo, Miami, New England, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington and Kansas City. On the road, they will play Buffalo, Miami, New England, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, the Giants and Tennessee.

Originally published on January 1, 2007

[TaborJet]

PLAYOFF WISH

NEW YEAR'S WILD AFTER CLUTCH WIN

By MARK CANNIZZARO

January 1, 2007 -- The Jets just won, baby.

They dispatched Al Davis' woeful Raiders 23-3 yesterday before a spirited, white-towel-waving packed house at Giants Stadium and now they're playoff-bound in Eric Mangini's first year as an NFL head coach.

The Jets, who finished the regular season 10-6 a year after their 4-12 debacle in 2005, now move on to play the Patriots on Sunday at 1 p.m. in a wild card showdown in Foxborough.

"That one year turnaround is something you really appreciate, because the bad memories are so fresh," linebacker Matt Chatham, who's in his first season with the Jets, said. "These guys are on a high right now and they deserve every bit of it."

So does Mangini, who at age 35, got his players to buy into his disciplined system and is now en route to possible Coach of the Year honors. When the two-minute warning hit and the Jets, with the ball, had the game well in hand, secondary coach Corwin Brown approached Mangini with some small talk to provide a distraction.

And then linebacker Eric Barton and safety Kerry Rhodes came in for the kill, sneaking up behind Mangini and giving him a sizable Gatorade bath, eliciting a big smile from the coach, who then walked up and down the sideline hugging his players.

Ironically, for Mangini, who has been so well prepared all season he actually has anticipated problems before they occurred, this was perhaps his most unprepared moment.

"A high-class problem," he said. "Hopefully, there will be some more at some point and I'll have a hat ready."

For the job Mangini did orchestrating the second-biggest turnaround in franchise history, a crown might be more appropriate than a mere ball cap.

Yesterday was significant for a litany of reasons, beginning with clinching the coveted playoff berth. It, too, was the first time the Jets have won three games in a row under Mangini.

After posting a 6-2 record on the road this season, the Jets enter the postseason having won five of their last six games and six of their final eight.

Yesterday, they did it the way they've done it all season - with a full team effort and no single player starring.

Jets cornerback David Barrett, who lost his starting job early in the season but was pressed into starting duty yesterday because Andre Dyson was out with an knee injury, set the tone with a forced fumble to end the Raiders' second offensive possession.

Quarterback Chad Pennington (22-30, 157 yards, one touchdown, 96.1 rating) then connected with tight end Chris Baker on a 1-yard TD for a 7-0 lead.

Later, Jets rookie running back Leon Washington scored on a 15-yard run for a 20-3 lead.

Add in three Mike Nugent field goals and what you have is a tidy whipping of the undermanned Raiders en route to the Jets' first playoff berth since 2004.

"This is exactly what we've been talking about for a long time; finishing is something that's a core Jets value," Mangini said. "This is exciting, because it's been a long road for us and, believe me, [the players] will tell you how hard the work has been. I'm proud of them. Nothing was given to them. They have earned it."

And now, with the Jets having gotten in, the unofficial ban on players using the word "playoff" officially has been lifted.

"We can now start talking about the playoffs, because we're there; it's wide open now," Mangini joked.

"The 'P-word' is fine now, because we're here," Chatham said. "But it's still very businesslike. Now we're in the tournament and anything can happen. But there's no confetti. We're not throwing a party tonight, because there's a ton of work to be done.

"For the guys who are beat up and guys who are tired and guys who were a little bit upset about the way we've done things, you're amazed at how fresh you feel now. The weight of the world is off you and you can't wait to get back out there competing again, because now it's for real."

Jets 23 Raiders 3

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

[TaborJet]

CHAD'S RE-BERTH

PLAYOFF-BOUND QB IMPROBABLY SHOULDERS LOAD

SLIDES = new slideshow("SLIDES"); SLIDES.timeout = 5000; SLIDES.prefetch = -1; SLIDES.repeat = true; s = new slide(); s.src = "/seven/01012007/photos/jets052.jpg"; s.text = unescape("COMEBACK KID: After tearing his rotator cuff 437 days ago for the second time in two years, Chad Pennington, shown getting hit by the Raiders' Warren Sapp, helped the Jets secure a playoff berth yesterday. Pennington finished 22 of 30 for 157 yards and a TD in Gang Green's 20-3 victory over the Raiders."); s.link = "/seven/01012007/photos/jets052.jpg"; s.target = ""; s.attr = ""; s.filter = ""; SLIDES.add_slide(s); if (false) SLIDES.shuffle(); January 1, 2007 -- HIS knee hit the carpet for the final time with 34 seconds left in the game, and a season, that would have seemed impossible to fathom just 437 days earlier. Many of the 78,039 people who had filled the Meadowlands were gone now, flooding the Turnpike, hoping to beat the rush toward their New Year's Eve destinations.

Those who stayed took to their feet now, and they screamed themselves silly, and they tried to make up for the absent thousands, and if Chad Pennington had the time, he would have shaken their hands one by one, thanking them personally for their patience, for their loyalty, for their voice boxes.

Instead, he held on to the football. The final seconds were melting off the clock, and the scoreboard wasn't going to change. The Jets were going to win this glorified exhibition over the woeful Raiders, 20-3. They were going to win their 10th game. They were going to wrap up a wild-card berth, securing what may well be the most improbable playoff slot in team history.

Now, emotion took over, and instinct. Four hundred and thirty-seven days before, another season had ended for Chad Pennington in this building in the worst way possible. Paul Spicer, a defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, had crushed him that Sept. 25, 2005, the hit tearing Pennington's rotator cuff for the second time in two years. Surgery had followed on Oct. 6, and then another long, awful dose of rehab.

"Nothing is ever guaranteed," Pennington would say later. "Playing this game is not a right. It's a privilege. I feel blessed to have a second chance."

On the field at the Meadowlands, as Jets players hugged each other, then their coaches, and then mingled with the vanquished Raiders, Pennington held the ball aloft in his left hand and punched the chilly December sky with his right. He started hopping, facing the north side of the stadium, then the east, then the south, then the west.

"Our fans," he would say, "deserved this."

No more than their quarterback did. Pennington has admitted visiting a dark, desultory place after receiving his shoulder diagnosis last fall, wondering if he had it in him to overcome such preposterous luck, wondering if he even wanted to try.

Once the fog lifted, once the surgery was complete, there were other miseries to overcome. A $3 million cut in salary. An open four-way competition for his old job in training camp. A preseason in which he failed to lead even one scoring drive but won the gig anyway thanks mostly to the uninspired resistence put up by Patrick Ramsey, Kellen Clemens and Brooks Bollinger. And, of course, the endless questions swirling about his shoulder, his arm strength, his physical tools, even his apparent physical frailty.

"I knew I had no control over those injuries," Pennington said afterward. "I know I'm durable. I didn't miss a game in college. And I always believe that hard work leads to profit."

The dividend came yesterday, a typically efficient Pennington game: 22 for 30, 157 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions. It capped an atypically durable Pennington year: starts in all 16 games, the first time that's ever happened. There is talk that Drew Brees may be a breeze for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award, but it's worth noting that Brees did play in every game last year before hurting his shoulder.

Pennington missed the final 13 last season yet threw for over 3,300 yards in this one. The trophy should be his.

If that doesn't happen, at least he'll have this season. At least he'll have this playoff run, however long it lasts, the Jets already playing with house money. At least he'll have the undying devotion of teammates who watched him not only resuscitate his career, but add luster to it.

"I think there are some pretty obvious parallels to the season we've had as a team and the one he's had individually," guard Pete Kendall said.

"If you know Chad at all," receiver Justin McCareins said, "the way we know him, you knew if there was one guy who would work enough to get back to where he was, it's him."

And here he was, reaching one last time for the sky, one last time for the stars, the ball in his right hand, the Jets' season - and their foreseeable future - in his right shoulder. There was a time that would have seemed a daunting parlay. Not any more.

michael.vaccaro@nypost.com

[TaborJet]

MAN-GENIE PROVES HIS MAGIC

January 1, 2007 -- AT AROUND 4 o'clock yesterday after noon, they rang in a happy new year at Giants Stadium, sang goodbye to 2006 and hello to 2000-and-Heaven, and the rookie coach who got them an unimaginable playoff berth.

More than anyone, Eric Mangini built this day, built 2000-and-Heaven, and gave green-and-white New York real hope that they have a man on their side who will scare the hell out of Bill Belichick for many happy new years ahead.

Starting next weekend in Foxborough, Pupil versus Master III unfolds when Mangini braces for a clammy chowder handshake from Belichick after Jets versus Patriots.

On the Jumbotron with two minutes left of Jets 23, Raiders 3, you saw this message: Man-Genie grants our wish . . . playoffs.

Then a roar went up when Jonathan Vilma and Eric Barton dumped the old Gatorade bucket over the rookie coach with the baby face and left him drenched, and soaked with satisfaction.

"I just laughed because he still had the poker face on," Chad Pennington said. "Once he decides that his coaching career is over, I think he'll do a great job in the World Series of Poker." The inspirational quarterback chuckled. "To be able to keep a straight face and take a bath like that is pretty amazing."

The very execution of the Gatorade bath served as a symbol of how Mangini's Jets pay attention to the tiniest details.

"It was a perfect one," Barton said. "A lot of guys hit the coach with the thing and don't get a lot of the water and Gatorade on him."

It was stunning how a coach who preaches preparation relentlessly could have been so unprepared for it.

"That was a high-class problem, so I thought if it came up, I would adjust to it on the fly," Mangini said. "I didn't have a hat available. Hopefully there'll be some more at some point, and I'll have a hat ready."

If he isn't Coach of the Year for bringing this 4-12 team back from the ashes, at least he is Coach of 2000-and-Heaven for delirious Jets Nation.

If there is one team that is a reflection of its coach, it is this team, a team that fights and finishes and is the same smart, tough team every day.

"He never changed," Shaun Ellis said. "He never wavered. He wasn't a weather guy."

In the locker room now, the ban on the P-word finally lifted, Mangini told the players how proud he was of them and added: "This is not the goal for us."

Pennington, still standing after 16 games for the first time, tried to replay the euphoria in the playoff locker room.

"I know I saw a lot of teeth," he said, smiling, "a lot of smiles, a lot of handshakes and a lot of hugs . . . and a few tears, 'cause it's been a lot of hard work put in. This is what this team game is about; it's about enjoying it with your brothers, enjoying it with your teammates and coming together."

General manager Mike Tannenbaum, the moving force behind taking Mangini away from Belichick, hugged Mangini in the locker room.

"He has a real underrated ability to relate to all different types of people and can get people motivated, from the starting quarterback to the backup long-snapper," Tannenbaum said.

Then Tannenbaum talked about how Mangini had set the tone for the week on Wednesday morning.

"He showed stark footage of teams [Detroit against Chicago and Minnesota against Arizona] blowing chances to get in the playoffs," Tannenbaum said.

Then came Saturday night, when Mangini showed Arguello-Pryor II to his team. Mangini has adopted Aaron Pryor as a Jets Core Value of sorts.

"Things had changed throughout the course of his career," Mangini said, "originally fighting in Cincinnati, not really being very highly-thought of. And then he worked his way up, and the last fight was in Vegas; Jack Nicholson was there, and Tony Danza . . . all that stuff was different than when he first started, but the thing that was the same was him."

Mangini demanded that the Jets believe in his plan, and reminded them how to believe in themselves again. From last place, to first class, with no Curtis Martin, with no clue Pennington would be The Comeback Kid. Dream coach, dream team.

"I'll go spend New Year's with the family," Mangini said, and then quietly added: "It is New Year's, right?"

For the Jets, it is 2000-and-Heaven.

steve.serby@nypost.com

[TaborJet]

LEON LIGHT CONTINUES TO SHINE

By DAN MARTIN

January 1, 2007 -- A fourth-round pick who is selected by a team that has a future Hall-of-Fame running back generally doesn't enter his rookie season with grandiose expectations, and Leon Washington was no different.

"I didn't know what to expect," Washington said. "I kind of figured I would sit and watch Curtis [Martin] a lot and learn from him."

He was half right.

Martin never got on the field because of his lingering knee injury, but Washington looked to him for guidance and was able to implement it quite well.

Yesterday, he helped the Jets secure a wild-card berth by rushing for a team-high 53 yards and putting the game out of reach with a terrific 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, giving them a 20-3 lead with 13:37 to go.

"To get into the playoffs as a rookie and actually do something to get there, it's pretty special," Washington said after the 23-3 win over the Raiders in the regular season finale at Giants Stadium. "Some of the veteran guys talked about having never gotten there before and not to take this for granted."

It's not likely that Washington will do that, since this whole season has been a surprise for the Florida State product.

After Martin went out during the preseason, the team traded for veteran Kevan Barlow and had a more experienced back in Cedric Houston. It wasn't until Oct. 8 against Jacksonville that Washington emerged as a real threat, when he ran for 101 yards in an otherwise disastrous 41-0 loss.

"I'm not really surprised by the success I've had this year," Washington said. "I couldn't have predicted that I'd have this opportunity, but Coach [Eric] Mangini told us that it didn't matter if you were a rookie or had been around for 11 years, you would get a chance. I'm glad I did."

Washington credited his fellow running backs for making the best of a potentially volatile situation.

"Those other guys could have made it hard," Washington said. "But they were all selfless. And having Cedric and Kevan bang in there made it easier for me to slip guys."

Pete Kendall was among the offensive linemen who allowed Washington to lead the team in rushing, even if it was with just 650 yards. Still, he has continued to be impressed with the first-year player.

"We had a lot of rookies come in and answer the bell," Kendall said. "He was right up there. You always have confidence in the guys around you, but he proved himself time and time again this season."

He did it one more time yesterday with that 15-yard run.

"That was huge for us to put them away," Kendall said. "To make a play like that in that situation shows you how much we can count on him."

Thanks in part to that play, the Jets will be able to count on him some more in the postseason.

dan.martin@nypost.com

[TaborJet]

'P' WORD NOT OFF LIMITS, THANKS TO 'D'

By BRIAN COSTELLO

January 1, 2007 -- Facing Aaron Brooks as a warm-up for Tom Brady is a little like The Monkees opening up for Jimi Hendrix.

The Brooks-led Raiders offense is slightly less ferocious than a newborn kitten, but the Jets defense still deserves credit for holding Oakland to just three points and 209 yards on their way to a 23-3 playoff-clinching victory.

The Jets defense harassed the Raiders' so-called offense the entire day, causing three turnovers, registering a stop on fourth-and-1 and giving Chad Pennington and Co. a chance to break through in the defensive struggle.

"We knew what kind of defense we have and we knew we had to do what we do and play our style," middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "It wasn't necessarily having to match them even though it was going to be a defensive game in the beginning."

Three weeks ago, the Jets defense looked shaky when Buffalo hit two huge plays on the way to a 31-13 victory. Since that day, though, the Jets held the Vikings to 13 points, the Dolphins to 10 and the Raiders to three.

Yesterday, the Jets defenders blamed their struggles that day on a failure to execute the game plan. After watching Lee Evans and Willis McGahee blow by them, the defense hunkered down and vowed not to let it happen again. The loss was the team's last in 2006.

"We beat ourselves in that game," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "They did some things to help us beat ourselves. But we had some miscommunication problems on some plays that hit for long touchdowns.

We just said from here on out we can't allow us to beat ourselves like that. We'll never win a game if we're not sharp mentally."

The Jets gave the dismal Raiders a signal of what was to come on the second drive of the game. After catching a 7-yard pass from Brooks, receiver Johnnie Morant was drilled by David Barrett, forcing a fumble. Hank Poteat recovered and the Jets found the end zone eight plays later.

That was the first of three turnovers. The other two came from Brooks, who got beaten up in the Raiders' final game. The Raiders had four possessions in the second half. Two ended on downs and two ended with turnovers.

"Aaron Brooks is the type of guy that he can get in a rhythm real quick and just keep going," Ellis said. "It was very important for us to get him off his rhythm, control the run and get turnovers. We did everything in the game plan today."

Now, the warm-up is over and the main event has arrived. Brady can make even the best defense look silly.

The Jets' playoff opponent was not yet determined as they filed out of the locker room yesterday. They all said it didn't matter whom they faced. Peyton or Patriots - those were not the words beginning with P on their minds.

"I can say playoffs now, right?" safety Kerry Rhodes asked with a smile.

brian.costello@nypost.com

[TaborJet]

ACE UP JETS' SLEEVE

By MARK CANNIZZARO

January 1, 2007 -- With the playoffs looming, a dependable field goal kicker on a hot streak can be like a hot goaltender in the NHL playoffs - the difference between moving on and going home.

From the way Jets' kicker Mike Nugent has performed since his shaky first week of the season, if it comes down to him next week in the playoffs the Jets will probably move on.

Nugent, who made field goals of 35, 22 and 35 yards yesterday, has now made 18 in a row and 23 of his last 24 attempts since Opening Day. "He's done a good job," Eric Mangini said. "He's been extremely consistent, which helps you feel confident (in him)."

*

Mangini, when asked how he planned to celebrate the win, said, "I will spend New Year's with the family. Tonight is New Year's, right? My brother is in from Australia and my sister is back at the house with the kids. It will be a special time for us to appreciate the past year and all the things that happened. We've had a baby and we switched teams."

*

S Jerry Rhodes recorded his career-fifth sack of the season. His five sacks are the most for a Jets' DB since Brian Washington had six in 1995. . . . LB Eric Barton sacked Raiders' QB Aaron Brooks and forced a fumble that was recovered by Bobby Hamilton in the fourth quarter. That led to Nugent's third FG of the game. . . . Rookie S Eric Smith made his second INT of the season in the fourth quarter. Smith earlier partially blocked a Shane Lechler punt.

*

Jets' CB David Barrett forced a Johnnie Morant fumble to end Oakland's first possession. Barrett started in place of Andre Dyson, who was out with as right knee injury.

It was the 10th forced fumble of his career and second this season. Barrett said he watched film of Morant and noticed he "carried the ball loosely."

*

WR Laveranues Coles, who had two catches for 24 yards yesterday surpassed his career-high for receptions with 91 this season. . . . For TE Chris Baker, who caught a one-yard TD pass from Chad Pennington to open the scoring, it was his fourth TD reception of the season, matching his career high. Coles (91-1,098-6) and Jerricho Cotchery (82-961-6) finished with 173 receptions, the highest combined total for two receivers in Jets history.

*

Raiders' head coach Art Shell, asked about his precarious job security after going 2-14, said, "I plan on being the head coach. If there is something different, I will be told that."

Davis and Raiders' owner Al Davis are reportedly going to meet next week. Shell refused to talk specifically about his players, saying, "I will not talk about talent. I will not talk about the team. This is a very emotional time right now."

[TaborJet]

Playoffs? Absolutely

Victory over Raiders allows Jets to use the P-word with impunity

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

January 1, 2007

So, Kerry Rhodes, how does it feel to hear that the New York Jets are going to the playoffs?

"Say it for me one more time," the second-year safety said.

The New York Jets are going to the playoffs.

"That's it," he said, grinning. "It sounds real good!"

It sounded ridiculous five months ago, when Chad Pennington was one of four competing for the starting quarterback job, Curtis Martin was hoping to make a comeback from knee surgery and rookie head coach Eric Mangini was quoting decathletes while forcing veterans to run laps.

But the Jets finished the regular season with three straight must-win victories - including yesterday's capper, a 23-3 win over the Raiders - and earned an AFC wild card. As the No. 5 seed, the Jets will face their most bitter rival, the Patriots, at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Meeting of the Minds between Mangini and Pats coach Bill Belichick was set up by the Broncos' overtime loss to the 49ers, which let the Chiefs slip into the playoffs as the sixth seed.

"I was just waiting for the clock to run down so I could start using the word 'playoffs,'" said receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who, like the rest of the Jets, was prohibited from using the term in recent weeks. "I'm about to wear that word out now. 'Playoffs' is going to be every other word."

The win - the Jets' fifth in the last six games - also completed the second-biggest turnaround in franchise history, jumping from last year's injury-riddled 4-12 season to a 10-6 campaign. The team also went from four wins to 10 in the 1981 season and made an eight-game improvement when it followed the 1-15 season in 1996 with a 9-7 effort.

"Nobody expected us to do what we did," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "We just kept fighting. We could have easily thrown in the towel and made excuses, but we didn't."

Much to the surprise of many, the Raiders didn't throw in the towel yesterday. Their defense kept the Jets off-balance at times, but the Oakland offense was unable to maintain any of the provided momentum.

Chad Pennington completed 22 of 30 passes for 157 yards, one touchdown and, most significantly, no interceptions. He was 6-for-7 on the opening drive of the second half, his only flaw an incompletion to Laveranues Coles in the corner of the end zone. The Jets had to settle for one of Mike Nugent's three field goals and a 13-3 lead.

"After what I have been through, I try not to take anything for granted, ever," said Pennington, who underwent a second shoulder surgery early last season and played his 16th game of 2006 yesterday, the first time he completed an entireNFL regular season as a starter. "We experienced a lot of injuries last season. A lot of bad things. This year we were able to stay healthy."

Asked about his quarterback's ability to play a full season for the first time in his seven-year career, Mangini quickly pointed out that Pennington's challenge does not end with 16 games. "We've still got a little bit of season left," he said.

The Jets' first comfortable moment probably came with 3:48 left in the third quarter when Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks bobbled the snap and was swallowed up by the defensive front on a fourth-and-inches play that came up one link of the chain short. The Jets turned that momentum into a 10-play, 56-yard drive capped by Leon Washington's 15-yard run on a pitch to the left that made it 20-3. When Eric Barton sacked Brooks on the next offensive snap, forcing a fumble that fell into the lap of Bobby Hamilton, the Jets tacked on a field goal to make it 23-3.

Tight end Chris Baker caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Pennington with 4:54 left in the first quarter to give the Jets a 7-0 lead, but the Raiders mounted their only respectable offensive drive and kicked a 35-yard field goal to cut it to 7-3 with 10:36 left in the half. Nugent's 35-yarder with three seconds remaining made it a tenuous 10-3 at halftime.

"They have a very good defense and they were doing some things that made us adjust," Cotchery said. "They were throwing some different wrinkles in there."

Defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen, who is Exhibit A in the argument that every team in the playoffs has a chance at the Super Bowl after winning a ring with the wild-card Steelers last year, was one of the veteran voices of calm in the postgame celebration.

"It's just another day, another week," he said. "We've been playing in the playoffs for the last couple weeks, and that's the truth."

Left guard Pete Kendall added to the level-headed analysis while addressing the unspoken possibilities that lie ahead.

"I don't know that I had chills," he said of the atmosphere coming off the home field for the final time this season. "I'm extremely proud of what we accomplished, but it's all just starting over for us now. If we're lucky enough to win four more games, then we'll start talking chills."

The P-word embargo may be lifted, but the S- and B-words still are very tightly under wraps.

Wild-Card Playoff Game

Jets at Patriots

Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WEPN (1050), WABC (770),

WRCN (103.9)

Line: Patriots -9

Coach: Bill Belichick, seventh season.

Record: 12-4, beat Tennessee, 40-23, yesterday.

About the offense: Quarterback Tom Brady has those three Super Bowl rings, and he's settled into an offense that was uncomfortable for him early because of the loss of traditional targets such as Deion Branch. Corey Dillon isn't the pounding, every-down back the Patriots have had in recent years, but he's been spared some of the wear and tear of a full season with rookie Laurence Maroney taking nearly the same number of handoffs this year. Dillon has run for 812 yards on 199 carries and Maroney has 745 yards on 175 carries despite sitting out two games this month. And don't forget Vinny! Testaverde threw a TD pass yesterday, giving him a record 20 seasons with a scoring pass.

About the defense: If anyone knows those players, it's Mangini, who was the secondary coach and defensive coordinator there for six years before taking the Jets' job a year ago. The Patriots lost linebacker Junior Seau, a future Hall of Famer, but have not suffered as the familiar faces of Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel have bolstered the unit. Tackle Vince Wilfork was inactive yesterday and has missed the last three games with a rib injury, but hard-hitting safety Rodney Harrison, who missed six games in midseason, has returned to play in the last two. However, Harrison apparently injured his right knee yesterday and could miss the playoffs.

The bottom line: Mangini and Belichick, who once worked in close proximity on the Patriots' staff, now can hardly stand the sight of each other. After each of this season's two meetings between their teams, their postgame handshakes were largely ceremonial. Belichick's refusal to acknowledge Mangini by name and his limp handshake after the last meeting only added to the rivalry. The last time the Jets traveled to Foxborough turned out to be the defining moment of the season, a 17-14 win in the rain that essentially turned the Jets into believers.

Key Matchup

Newsday breaks down a key matchup each day leading up to Sunday's game in New England:

D'Brickashaw Ferguson vs. Richard Seymour

The rookie will have to go against one of the top defensive ends in the game. Again. "Every week, you have a player who is the best at their game or a defense that is the best in the game," Ferguson said. "You go from Jason Taylor [last week] to Warren Sapp [yesterday]. You're constantly thrown with guys of high quality that you are forced to deal with." Seymour has four sacks and 40 total tackles this season, including 1.5 sacks in the first game against the Jets and a combined seven tackles in the two meetings.

Edge: Patriots

[TaborJet]

A GOOD SYMBOL OF TEAM

Like Jets, Coles bounces back

BY ERIK BOLAND

Newsday Staff Writer

January 1, 2007

The answer didn't seem rehearsed, but Laveranues Coles certainly answered the question as if he had prepared all week for it.

Did he believe from the start that the Jets were a playoff team? "Despite what you guys think, yes," Coles said without rancor - well, maybe a little rancor - after yesterday's 23-3 win over the Raiders. "Of course I knew from the beginning that we had a playoff team. It was up to us to decide how we were going to move forward. Sometimes it takes a little while for people to buy into a system and for things to happen, but guys pretty much bought into [coach Eric Mangini's system] pretty quickly."

Coles caught two passes for 24 yards yesterday, giving him a team-best and career-high 91 receptions this season. Coles finished the regular season with a team-best 1,098 receiving yards, the third-highest total of his seven-year career. Coles' previous high for receptions was 90 as a member of the Redskins in 2004.

Yesterday was quiet compared with last Monday's 13-10 victory over the Dolphins, in which Coles absorbed a helmet-to-helmet blow from Zach Thomas in the second quarter.

The hit opened a cut under Coles' chin and may or may not have caused a concussion. On this past week's injury report, Mangini listed Coles with a "head/jaw" injury because, he said, "they both were affected."

Coles still would not say yesterday whether he suffered a concussion last week - he later had a verbal altercation with a sportswriter when pushed on the topic - and his play against the Raiders did not offer evidence of lingering effects from the Thomas hit.

On a 12-play, 63-yard drive that led to Mike Nugent's 22-yard field goal in the third quarter, Coles made an impressive catch on a timing throw from Chad Pennington for 18 yards on third-and-11 from the Jets' 48.

Coles also dropped two passes, including one in the end zone late in the third quarter after beating Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha, however, was flagged for holding on the play, giving the Jets a first down at the Oakland 28. The Jets reached the end zone when Leon Washington scored on a 15-yard run with 13:37 left to make it 20-3.

Coles balked at discussing his physical condition but was more than pleased to talk about his season and, especially, the Jets' achievement of making the postseason when few outsiders in July thought that was possible.

"Without Chad and the offensive line, I wouldn't have had the year I've had," Coles said. "They gave him time to get the ball down the field and get the ball to me. I had a good season, but the most important thing is the year these guys have had and my opportunity to work alongside them and see them get to this point. Maybe now some of the guys in this locker room will start getting credit for being as good as they are."

[TaborJet]

That Jets defense is tough to beat

BY ERIK BOLAND

Newsday Staff Writer

January 1, 2007

After Oakland's first offensive possession, which led to a three-and-out, one could imagine the voice of Cardinals coach Dennis Green on the Jets' sideline. He might have said, this time about the Raiders, "They are what we thought they were!" Which is a very bad team.

Still, in a league in which the awful Texans beat the Jaguars twice and the Colts, the Jets' defense took nothing for granted against a Raiders offense that entered yesterday's game ranked last in the NFL, averaging 11 points.

"We knew the stats, but they're still a dangerous team," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "Their defense is great. They've been giving teams problems all year. We knew our defense had to match their defense's intensity and keep their offense out of the end zone."

The Jets did that in a 23-3 victory at Giants Stadium to clinch a playoff berth.

After the Jets failed to earn a first down on their first possession, the defense took the ball right back. On third-and-4 from the Raiders' 40, Oakland quarterback Aaron Brooks completed a short pass to receiver Johnnie Morant. Cornerback David Barrett clobbered Morant, sending the ball to the turf. Cornerback Hank Poteat recovered the fumble, giving the Jets the ball at the Oakland 44, and eight plays later, Chris Baker caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Chad Pennington as the Jets took a 7-0 lead.

It was the first of three turnovers the Jets' defense caused, leading to 10 points. Linebacker Eric Barton sacked Brooks and forced a fumble that led to Mike Nugent's 35-yard field goal with 11:43 left to make it 23-3. On the next Raiders possession, rookie safety Eric Smith picked off Brooks at the Jets' 45.

"We did what we were supposed to do," said Ellis, who had seven total tackles, including a stuff of Brooks for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Jets' 45 with 3:48 left in the third quarter. "We stuck to the game plan and got turnovers. Turnovers were big to put our offense on the short field."

The Jets allowed just 209 total yards and gave up only one drive of note, 10 plays, 46 yards early in the second quarter to set up a 35-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski.

It was the third straight standout effort for a unit that has shut down the opposition, for the most part, since a 31-13 loss to the Bills on Dec. 10.

Since the Jets lost to the Browns, 20-13, on Oct. 29, the Buffalo game was the only one in the last eight in which the Jets have allowed more than 14 points.

"It was about executing," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "That's what changed the Buffalo game; we didn't execute well. Granted, they did a good job, but we felt we could execute a lot better on defense, and that's what we've been doing."

[TaborJet]

Neil Best

SPORTS WATCH

For once, he wasn't ready

January 1, 2007

For 15 games and 58 minutes, Eric Mangini obsessively had prepared himself and his team for anything.

So why did he not seem ready yesterday when a bucket of ice water spiked with Gatorade was dumped on his head?

"That was a high-class problem, so I thought if it came up, I'd adjust to it on the fly," the Jets' coach said later, having donned a cap (too late) over his sticky mat of hair. "I didn't have a hat available. Hopefully, there will be some more at some point and I will have a hat ready."

The Jets would have backed into the playoffs even if they had lost, but they artfully secured the chance for more Gatorade showers with a coolly efficient 23-3 rout of the Raiders at Giants Stadium.

Alas, even that won't earn Mangini the NFL Coach of the Year award. That is all but certain to go to the Saints' Sean Payton, who also has done a fine job and will get bonus points nationally because of his city's post-Katrina challenges.

No quarrel here, and none from Mangini. It is fitting that he remains our little secret, a regional success story at the helm of a team that can't even compete for back-page headlines in its own region.

That was true to the end. The controversial Giants snuck into the playoffs behind a one-for-the-ages effort from Tiki Barber, who ran through the Redskins Saturday, all but waving goodbye to the NFL en route to (presumably) an ABC and/or ESPN studio near you.

The Jets did it with a balanced, nothing-fancy dismantling of the NFL's worst team.

Afterward, players at last were allowed to utter the word "playoffs," but the coach did not let down his guard beyond a couple of brief smiles. He deflected stabs at personal questions before confirming that he would celebrate while spending New Year's Eve with his family. Then he thought for a moment and deadpanned, "It is New Year's, right?"

Yup, which means in 17 days, he will mark his first anniversary as coach, and two days after that will mark his 36th birthday.

It seems long ago now that wise guys mocked his seeming lack of charisma and youthful look, calling him everything from an assistant strength coach - um, sorry, we'll never write that again, Mr. Coaching Genius, sir - to the pizza delivery guy.

It also seems long ago that the Jets themselves were a punch line. In August, CBS analyst Shannon Sharpe was asked if they could make the playoffs. "Anything's possible," he said. "They put a man on the moon."

To which CBS Sports president Sean McManus jokingly responded, "The Jets didn't."

Nearly five months later, CBS cameras - and 78,000 or so towel-waving fans - were there to document a game so valued that the network protected it from a move to prime time.

Several honest players admitted they had early doubts about the hard-driving Bill Belichick clone, but enough of them, as guard Pete Kendall recalled, said, "Let's just buy in and see where it goes."

Where it led was evident in contrast with the bumbling Raiders. While the Jets attempted and often succeeded with creative plays and totaled three penalties for 31 yards, the Raiders were comically sloppy.

They were penalized for having 12 men in the huddle. They had a kickoff return to the Jets' 1 erased on a holding penalty. They fumbled the snap on a botched fourth-and-inches run. All this from a team coached by Art Shell, who was three years into a Hall of Fame career when Mangini was born.

Said Chad Pennington, "There are a thousand different ways to be successful in this league, but that doesn't matter if you don't believe."

It was evident how deeply the message had penetrated as the perpetrators - Jonathan Vilma, Eric Barton and Kerry Rhodes - half-jokingly discussed their Gatorade operation. "We had a game plan; we stuck by it," Barton said. "That's what he preaches."

That included intentionally planting word with reporters that there would be no Gatorade. "We know he reads the papers," Vilma said.

They added Gatorade to a bucket of ice water and conspired with assistant coaches on timing. "Football 101," Vilma called it. "We made sure he had his back turned."

After a season with Mangini, though, Rhodes was skeptical. "I'm sure he knew about it," the safety said. "I'm sure he studied the situation, broke it down and knew exactly where the water coolers were. But I think he just let it go."

[TaborJet]

GRADING THE JETS

BY TOM ROCK

January 1, 2007

OFFENSE

B

It wasn't always pretty, but it was efficient as Chad Pennington threw only two second-half incompletions and the Jets held on to the football for almost 37 of the 60 minutes. Leon Washington ran for 53 yards on 15 carries and Cedric Houston had 44 on 16 carries, the first time in a while that the running back committee has had an even division of labor. The Jets showed some flashiness, but in the end it was those quick-hitting passes from Pennington that moved the ball so effectively. The sweetest offensive play of the game? Pennington's run for a loss of 1 when he took a knee to end the game and usher in the playoffs.

DEFENSE

B+

It sure seemed as if the Raiders were running the ball at will against the Jets, but they wound up with only 88 yards because they passed almost exclusively in the fourth quarter. Two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception kept the Raiders from mounting any sort of continued effort, but the Jets' fourth-and-inches stop late in the third was the defining play that turned the game from a sweaty uh-oh to a steady romp. Even with starting cornerback Andre Dyson out with a knee injury, the Jets were able to hold the Raiders to 121 net passing yards, 71 in the fourth. The Jets come up just shy of a perfect score only because of the Raiders' offensive ineptitude.

SPECIAL TEAMS

A

Mike Nugent continues to be steady, having been successful on 18 straight field-goal attempts since a miss in Week 8 against the Browns and 23 of his last 24. Where his 35-yarders were nail-biters during the first half of the season, they seemed automatic yesterday. Ben Graham did not have a holding gaffe on a field-goal attempt for the first time in three games and averaged 43.8 yards per punt, pinning the Raiders inside the 20 twice. The Jets did not have a punt return - Shane Lechler put two into the end zone for touchbacks - and Justin Miller had two kickoff returns for 47 yards.

COACHING

A

Starting the game with a double-reverse did two things - it made the Raiders realize the Jets would try anything and also gives a playoff opponent something to think about. Eric Mangini maintained an even-keel approach the last month and it paid off with consistent production in the final three weeks. Brian Schottenheimer did a nice job of adjusting to the Raiders' defense at halftime, as the Jets scored on their first three possessions of the second half. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was smart to recognize that the fumble-prone Raiders could be taken advantage of.

[TaborJet]

JETS NOTEBOOK

Mangold shakes off pain again

BY TOM ROCK

Newsday Staff Writer

January 1, 2007

Wade Smith practiced snapping the ball to Chad Pennington when the teams came out to start the second half yesterday, but he never had to do so during the game. Rookie center Nick Mangold, who appeared to injure his left knee on the field goal that capped the first half, was able to return to action and never missed a snap.

"As far as I knew, I was going in, but at the last minute Nick was all right," said Smith, a veteran backup who has seen very little playing time thanks to a healthy offensive line this season. "As long as he's healthy, he's going to play."

Mangold, who appeared to have his left leg flexed sideways under the weight of two Raiders while playing right guard on the field goal, did not talk about the injury.

"It's one of those things," he said. "You just roll with the punches."

Mangold was helped off the field two weeks ago against the Vikings with a hip injury, but he didn't miss a snap on that occasion either.

Smith did play four snaps and was on the field for the opening touchdown when right guard Brandon Moore left the game with a knee injury in the first quarter. Moore returned for the following drive.

Coles erupts

Receiver Laveranues Coles had to be restrained from going after a sportswriter after a verbal altercation, according to those who witnessed it.

Coles was asked about the head injury he suffered last week against the Dolphins and announced that no further questions would be presented to him on the subject. When a reporter sniffed at being told what questions could and could not be asked and walked away, Coles called him an expletive and told him not to come back. Coles quickly regained his composure, apologizing to other assembled reporters who had seen the argument.

We are Marshall

Raiders receiver Randy Moss, wearing a fur coat that would have made Broadway Joe Namath blush during his heyday, waited patiently in the tunnel for his ride after the game. Chad Pennington eventually emerged and the two former Marshall players walked out together. Moss (sprained ankle) did not play for the third straight game.

[TaborJet]

Jets: Earn berth as wild card by defeating Raiders

Monday, January 01, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

Turns out there was a method to Eric Man-genius' madness.

The Jets' core values. The five-second rule. The torturous training camp. The punishment laps in practice. The practices in the cold and rain while a practice bubble sat dormat. The boxing films. The guest speakers. The consistent approach and one-game-at-a-time mantras.

Coach Eric Mangini was a bit much at the outset.

But perhaps that's what the Jets needed. After an injury-induced 4-12 finish a year ago, the Jets came full circle yesterday, earning a wild-card playoff berth with a 23-3 victory over the lowly Oakland Raiders before a wild, white towel-waving New Year's Eve sellout crowd at Giants Stadium.

The Jets (10-6), who have won five of their last six games -- three straight -- and tied a record for the second-best win total turnaround in franchise history, finished as the fifth seed in the AFC and will play at fourth-seed New England (12-4) in the wild-card round on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The game will be the third part of a trilogy in the bad-blood matchup between Mangini and mentor-turned-nemesis Bill Belichick. The teams split their two meetings this season with each team winning on the road. The postgame handshakes between Mangini and Belichick were icy.

The time, place and opponent, however, doesn't matter to the Jets. They're in the postseason party.

"It's just a great feeling," wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "Anytime you work so hard, in the end you want to be able to see the results. We worked incredibly hard, throughout the off-season and this entire season. To be able to see it all pay off right now, it's just exciting for us."

"This is what this game is all about, playing for the championship," said quarterback Chad Pennington, who connected on 22 of 30 passes for 157 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. "We're excited to have that chance."

So is Mangini.

"I'm extremely happy," said Mangini, who actually smiled during his postgame address. "They've worked hard and have collectively gotten better and better each week. They've earned this opportunity. Nothing was given to them."

And with a 6-2 road record, the second-best in club history, the Jets aren't an automatic out in these playoffs. In fact, they have a four-game road winning streak.

"We're confident on the road. We've had success on the road," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "It's going to be tough but we're not just going to the playoffs to be in the playoffs. We're looking to do bigger and better things. It's definitely one game at a time. We can study a little bit longer, practice a little bit longer."

The Jets became a different team after their bye week. Sitting at 4-4, they tweaked the offense and revved up their defense with a newfound aggressiveness. They went 6-2 in the second half of the season.

"After the Cleveland game (the bye week), things started going in a different direction," defensive end Shaun Ellis said.

Entering the season, most experts had tagged the Jets as one of the worst teams in football. Many NFL insiders predicted they'd win five games at most.

Pennington was coming off a second rotator cuff surgery in two years. Future Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin never played, sidelined with a bone-on-bone condition in his right knee that will almost certainly end his career. Mangini was a 35-year-old first-time coach trying to install a 3-4 scheme with 4-3 personnel. They had no big-time pass rusher.

No problem.

"We had a lot of naysayers," defensive end Bryan Thomas said. "But we always believed in ourselves from day one. Everybody said this would be a rebuilding year. We didn't buy it.

"Coach Mangini. He got me in the best shape ever. You guys (the media) were out there in the hot sun when we were running around, running laps for penalties. It was discipline. It worked, man. He was a young coach coming from a winning program and it followed him."

The play of Pennington, coupled with Mangini's demanding style, was the Jets' recipe for success. Although Pennington's interception total was a career high (16), he mastered offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's complicated no-huddle offense, getting the ball to his playmakers.

And he did it with a spotty running game that took away his best weapon, the play-action pass.

"Chad is a great leader," said Cotchery, who caught seven passes for 53 yards against the Raiders. "As an offense, we feed off him and the entire team feeds off him also. To be able to come back from those injuries speaks volumes for the type of player and person he is."

"I'm extremely blessed to play this game and I'm extremely blessed to have a second chance and this opportunity," Pennington said. "After what I've been through, I try not to take anything for granted. ... I always remind myself of how far I've come."

Against the Raiders (2-14), the Jets opened a 10-3 halftime lead. Mike Nugent's second field goal increased the lead to 13-3 with 7:45 remaining in the third quarter. The Jets iced the game when Leon Washington sprinted 15 yards around left end for a 20-3 lead with 13:37 left to play.

There was no letdown with the playoffs within their grasp, something the same old Jets were noted for.

"You could feel the energy in the locker room before the game," guard Pete Kendall said. "There was a different air, a different energy. The pregame was a little more focused."

"It felt good to control our own destiny," Ellis said. "It feels good going into the playoffs on a good note."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com

[TaborJet]

Jets defense jelling just in time

Monday, January 01, 2007

BY LISA KENNELLY

Star-Ledger Staff

Yes, it's the Raiders, and having one's way with a 2-14 team isn't exactly something to brag about.

Whatever. The Jets will take their defensive gem and their playoff-clinching 23-3 win without nitpicking, thank you very much.

The playoff-bound, 10-6 Jets held Oakland to a field goal and a season-low 209 yards of offense, including just 88 yards rushing. The defense, once maligned, is playing better than it has all season.

"We've been getting better," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "We put it on ourselves to get better, and not collapse in the fourth quarter like we've done before."

Holding the feeble Raiders out of the end zone isn't exactly a rare feat. Oakland had eight games this season without an offensive touchdown, and came into the game averaging just 11 points and 248.7 yards per game, last in NFL.

Still, the defense played with a panache that indicates the unit is more comfortable than it has been all year.

"The group has just grown together in the system," coach Eric Mangini said. "They're understanding not just the system but how they fit into it."

Rhodes showed that yesterday at the beginning of the second quarter with a key sack of Raiders' quarterback Aaron Brooks to keep Oakland out of the end zone early. With the Raiders facing a third-and-seven on the Jets 10-yard line, Rhodes blitzed to smother Brooks for an 8-yard loss, his fifth sack of the season.

It forced Oakland to settle for a field goal--the Raiders' only points of the game--and set the tone for a day of domination by the Jets' defense.

"An Aaron Brooks-type guy, he can get in a rhythm real quick, and just keep going," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "It was very important for us to get him off his rhythm and control the run, and get turnovers. And we did everything to the game plan."

That included stopping the Raiders on two straight short-yardage plays in Oakland's only series of the third quarter. Down 13-3 and facing third-and-one and then fourth-and-inches on the Jets 45, the Raiders were repelled twice and forced to turn the ball over on downs.

"For us to do as well as we did on third down and that fourth-down stop, that's always a huge momentum swing," Mangini said.

The Jets took advantage, capping their ensuing drive with a 15-yard touchdown run by Leon Washington to go up 20-3.

The defense also harried Brooks into two of the Raiders' three turnovers. The biggest blow came at the beginning of the fourth quarter on the Raiders' first play after Washington's score, when linebacker Eric Barton dealt Brooks a punishing sack on Oakland's 22-yard line. The ball squirted free and was recovered by Bobby Hamilton. The Jets used the prime field position to add another field goal for a 23-3 lead.

Though the Jets came into the game allowing 339.8 yards per game, 25th in the NFL, their game-by-game total has been steadily dropping. Two weeks ago in Minnesota, the defense gave up 307 yards; in last week's victory over Miami it allowed just 253 yards.

In fact, since a 31-13 blowout loss to Buffalo on Dec. 10 nearly derailed the team's playoff chances, the Jets' defense has been one of the driving forces behind the team's postseason push.

"We beat ourselves, that game," Ellis said of the loss to Buffalo. "From there on out we just didn't allow us to beat ourselves like that."

Maintaining that level will be crucial heading into the playoffs, starting with a showdown against the New England Patriots.

"Oh, it's very, very important," Ellis said. "But our motto is, whatever else goes on, keep them out of the end zone, and we know we've always got a chance to win."

Lisa Kennelly may be reached at lkennelly@starledger.com.

[TaborJet]

Year to remember for Pennington

Monday, January 01, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

Who would've thought it. Chad Pennington didn't just come back from his second rotator cuff surgery in two years, he had a career season and is the leading candidate for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award.

Pennington, starting an entire 16-game schedule for the first time in his seven-year career, completed 313 of 485 passes for 3,352 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions to lead the Jets to an improbable 10-6 record and a playoff berth.

His completions, attempts, yardage and interceptions were career highs. His completions were the second most in franchise history to Vinny Testaverde's 328 in 2000.

"It really is a credit to him," coach Eric Mangini said. "There's no blueprint to this injury. There was nothing that we could draw on. Chad wasn't going to be deterred. He fought, in terms of training camp, to establish himself as the starter. He has excelled week in and week out and showed himself as a leader.

"I couldn't be happier for him personally because he's such a great person."

Pennington said he takes special pride in playing the entire 16-game season.

"I feel good about it. I'm thankful for it," he said. "When you look at my injuries, those were ones I had no control over. I can't think about it in terms of me being durable. I know I'm durable."

Pennington said he's happy for the fans and thanked them for their support.

"Jets fans have been great to me over the years and supported me throughout my career," he said. "They've seen me on a roller coaster of emotions. They deserve this. They deserve a winning team. I hope they're proud of us."

C Nick Mangold gave the Jets a scare when he hurt his left leg. Mangold's leg got caught in a awkward position while blocking on Mike Nugent's first field-goal late in the first half. He received treatment at halftime and started the second half.

"You just go with the punches," Mangold said. "Things happen and you've got to deal with them."

As for his season, he said, "It's been very exciting, starting back in March, being here, being with the guys. (Veteran guard) Pete (Kendall) has always talked about how special it is to get to the playoffs and to be able to get there for him and for our other older guys is something really special."

WR Laveranues Coles got into a shouting match after the game with a reporter who objected when the wide receiver told him what question to ask. The reporter asked Coles how his practice week went in light of the head/jaw injury suffered last week against the Dolphins. Coles told the reporter he's just talking about the game. The two then directed obscenities at one another and had to be restrained.... Coles finished with a career-high 91 catches for 1,098 yards and six touchdowns. He and WR Jerricho Cotchery (career-high 82 receptions) combined for 173 catches, the highest combined total for two receivers in Jets history.

G Brandon Moore injured his left knee in the first half but returned after only a couple of series. He was undergoing treatment after the game and wasn't available for comment. He is expected to play Sunday.

RB Leon Washington, who rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against the Raiders, finished the season with 151 carries for 650 yards, the fourth-highest rushing total by a rookie running back in club history. He added four touchdowns.

S Kerry Rhodes had a sack against the Raiders, giving him a career-high five. It's the most sacks by a Jets safety since Brian Washington (six) in 1995. Rhodes, who finished with 92 tackles, three forced fumbles, four interceptions and the five sacks, was a Pro Bowl snub but is likely to be an alternate.

Mike Westshoff's special-teams unit didn't allow a punt return of more than 20 yards this season. The Jets were the only NFL team to accomplish this feat.... The 209 yards allowed by the Jets against the Raiders was their lowest total this season and the 12 first downs allowed tied their lowest. Of course, the Raiders' offense is inept, ranking last in yards (246.1 per game), points (168) and touchdown (12).

The Jets' 10 wins marks the ninth time in franchise history that total has been achieved.... This is the Jets' 12th postseason appearance. They're 8-10 with a Super Bowl victory.... The Jets inactives included CB Andre Dyson (knee) and RB Kevan Barlow (thigh). Dyson's status for Sunday is unknown.

Sneak preview of the Jets' opponents for next season: Home: Buffalo, Miami, New England, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Kansas City; Away: Buffalo, Miami, New England, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Giants, Tennessee.

PLAYOFF MATCHUP

Playoff history -- The Patriots won the only postseason meeting, 26-14, in a 1985 wild-card game. Four Jets turnovers led to 17 Patriots points.

Why it's a good matchup for the Jets

Eric Mangini knows the Patriots intimately and his Jets defeated the Patriots, 17-14, in a Week 10 game at New England. The Jets have been practicing against the Patriots vaunted 3-4 defense all season and knows its strengths and weaknesses. The Jets know they can win there.

Why it's not

Bill Belichick may be the best postseason coach in NFL history. Give him time to dissect an opponent and he's deadly. Plus, Belichick will be extra motivated to defeat Mangini, who he feels betrayed him by taking the Jets job and trying to take some Patriots assistants with him.

Why it's a good matchup for the Patriots

Patriots QB Tom Brady is one of the best postseason signal callers in NFL history and the Jets' secondary is average at best. Plus, the unit could be without CB Andre Dyson, their best cover guy. The Patriots will likely try to shut down the Jets' running game and make them one-dimensional.

Why it's not

Belichick is in a no-win situation. If he wins, he's supposed to. If he loses, it's a monumental upset. Mangini is probably the last opposing coach Belichick wanted to see in the postseason.

The pick

Patriots 27, Jets 17

-- Dave Hutchinson

[TaborJet]

Upswing by Nugent real kick

Monday, January 01, 2007

BY JEREMY COTHRAN

Star-Ledger Staff

Perhaps it would be sweet redemption if Mike Nugent's record field goal came with some game-winning drama, or at least a pressure-packed situation in the stadium that has made a graveyard of many a professional kicking career.

Of course, with the Jets drilling the woeful Oakland Raiders 23-3 yesterday in the Meadowlands to secure a wild-card playoff berth, Nugent never had that chance.

Instead, it was a chip shot 35-yard boot early in the fourth quarter, one of three Nugent would make on the afternoon, giving the ex-Ohio State star his team-record 18th straight, besting Pat Leahy's 1990 mark.

Nugent also bested his career mark of 22 field goals, which he accomplished his rookie season in 2005. He's hit 23 of 26 attempts this season.

Consider it a turnaround after Nugent came under fire following a putrid performance in the Jets' season opener at Tennessee, missing two routine field goals and an extra point. He knew a performance like that wouldn't impress first-year coach Eric Mangini, but also knew he couldn't let it affect his confidence.

"It was tough, especially watching film the next day," Nugent said of his Sept. 10 nightmare. "I wish I could go back (to that game.) Just the way I've been hitting the ball now, and the field goals I missed then, it's just one of those things where you have to learn from it."

The question at the time was whether Mangini would want to wait around for Nugent to right himself. The coach brought in three kickers for a tryout the following Tuesday, a move which would play mind games with even the most sturdy of demeanors.

"He's responded really well," said holder/punter Ben Graham, who has had some recent struggles of his own on special teams, "especially kicking field goals after seeing the team work out three other kickers. That's just how football goes sometimes."

Just ask someone like ex-Tampa Bay, New England and Indianapolis kicker Martin Gramatica, who went from one of the league's most consistent options to a waiver-wire novelty.

Mangini, however, seems to have regained confidence and trust in Nugent, a reversal from the coach who passed on 50- and 52-yard attempts in the Jets 10-0 loss to Chicago on Nov. 19.

There may still be doubts on Nugent's ability to consistently hit the 50-plus yarders -- he missed a 54-yard attempt Oct. 29 Cleveland as well -- and his short kickoffs could prove dangerous in the playoffs.

"(Mike's) done a good job," Mangini said. "...He's extremely consistent which helps you feel confident."

Nugent said it was difficult not knowing if his coach or his teammates had any trust in him early in the season, but understands that's the life of a kicker in the NFL. The best remedy was to continue with his daily routines coupled with the comfort and solace of a few home-cooked Australian-style meals from Graham and his wife.

"I read in an article somewhere that pressure is only what you put on yourself," Nugent said. "You realize the game doesn't change. It's still football."

Now, Graham is hoping he can convince his friend to finally book that flight out to Oz this off-season.

"I ask him every day," he said. "He's got to come out to Australia. Got to come down and see what it's all about."

Jeremy Cothran may be reached at jcothran@starledger.com

[TaborJet]

A capsule look at Jets 23, Raiders 3

Monday, January 01, 2007

BY BRENDAN PRUNTY

OVERVIEW

Raise your hand, if you thought that you would hear the word "Jets" and "playoffs" in the same sentence this season. That's what we thought. But with yesterday's win over the Raiders, the impossible has become reality.

The Raiders tried as best they could to spoil the Jets' postseason plans, but they were simply overmatched from the opening snap. Chad Pennington did what he needed to do to get the job done and seal the deal for the Jets. Gang Green's defense was outstanding again, shutting down Oakland and QB Aaron Brooks all day.

Q&A

Can this team make it in the playoffs?

You don't need a Don Cheadle commercial to know that in the playoffs, anything can happen. The Jets' first-round opponent, the Patriots, know that. Earlier this season, the Jets went into Foxboro, Mass., in terrible weather conditions, and Eric Mangini beat his mentor at his own game. The playoffs are a completely different animal, but having that victory under their belt should help the Jets' confidence. Plus, there's no doubt that Mangini will want to send his former boss home and have him scrambling for an early tee time.

How will the rookies handle the postseason?

If the regular season is any indication, they should do just fine. Center Nick Mangold has been the anchor of what's turned out to be a pretty good offensive line, and LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson is no slouch either. RB Leon Washington keeps emerging as a big-play guy. What will be the real test for these rookies is how they react to the bright lights of the postseason. The Jets haven't had many prime-time games this year, and occasionally that can be overwhelming for first-timers.

Is Eric Mangini the coach of the year?

Well, if he's not, someone should check the ballot boxes. Sure, people will point to the New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton and with good reason. The Saints were worse that the Jets last season (3-13), but Payton didn't exactly take over with the baggage that Mangini did. The new Jets coach inherited a team with no offensive line, a quarterback who many thought was done and then decided to change the team's defensive scheme. The Jets were predicted to be at the top for this season -- the top of the draft board. Now they're in the playoffs.

Any postseason red flags?

The Jets run defense has been suspect at times this season and if they run into a team with a star at the RB position (San Diego, Baltimore, New England), they could be overmatched.

DID YOU NOTICE?

Want to know how bad the Raiders are? Just look at this lovely stat: the Raiders averaged three points in the second half all season long. If head coach Art Shell gets fired, maybe he's the lucky one. ... Jets safety Kerry Rhodes recorded his fifth sack of the season in the second quarter. ... Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski's field goal in the second quarter tied him with Hall of Famer George Blanda for most field goals by a Raider. ... Oakland RB Justin Fargas had averaged 79 yards rushing in his first three seasons. He gained 79 yards yesterday. ... How is this for discipline? The Jets didn't a delay-of-game penalty during the regular season. ... Center Nick Mangold left with an apparent knee injury at the end of the first half. He returned to begin the second half, but with a knee brace. ... Sign of the Day from a Jet fan: "Thanks Herm: Best Trade Ever."

First-year phenoms

Eric Mangini tied Sean Payton for the most wins by first-year coaches in the league as each went 10-6. They also were the only two of the seven to take their teams to the playoffs. The list:

Coach;team;W-L

Payton;New Orleans;10-6

Mangini;Jets;10-6

Linehan;St. Louis;8-8

McCarthy;Green Bay;7-8*

Childress;Minnesota;6-10

Kubiak;Houston;6-10

Marinelli;Detroit;3-13

Note: Mangini was 4-0 against others on the list as the Jets beat the Packers, Vikings, Texans and Lions.

* Not including game last night.

JETS VS. PATRIOTS

Playoff history -- The Patriots won the only postseason meeting, 26-14, in a 1985 wild-card game. Four Jets turnovers led to 17 Patriots points.

Why it's a good matchup for the Jets

Eric Mangini knows the Patriots intimately and his Jets defeated the Patriots, 17-14, in a Week 10 game at New England. The Jets have been practicing against the Patriots vaunted 3-4 defense all season and knows its strengths and weaknesses. The Jets know they can win there.

Why it's not

Bill Belichick may be the best postseason coach in NFL history. Give him time to dissect an opponent and he's deadly. Plus, Belichick will be extra motivated to defeat Mangini, who he feels betrayed him by taking the Jets job and trying to take some Patriots assistants with him.

Why it's a good matchup for the Patriots

Patriots QB Tom Brady is one of the best postseason signal callers in NFL history and the Jets' secondary is average at best. Plus, the unit could be without CB Andre Dyson, their best cover guy. The Patriots will likely try to shut down the Jets' running game and make them one-dimensional.

Why it's not

Belichick is in a no-win situation. If he wins, he's supposed to. If he loses, it's a monumental upset. Mangini is probably the last opposing coach Belichick wanted to see in the postseason.

The pick

Patriots 27, Jets 17

2006 Meetings

Sept. 17 at Giants Stadium

Patriots 24, Jets 17

The Jets stake Patriots to 24-0 lead then see rally fall short in Week 2. It's the Jets first loss of the season ... but the first indication they might be a pretty good team.

Nov. 12 at New England

Jets 17, Patriots 14

Jets start second half of season in stunning fashion, earning first victory in New England since 2002. Victory moves them to 5-4 and proves they can play with anyone ... anywhere.

[TaborJet]

J-E-T-S stands for 'Just Extend The Season'

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: January 1, 2007)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The liquid flowed over Eric Mangini's body, turning the 2-minute warning into a postseason-clinching celebration and giving him his first-ever Gatorade shower, his wife, Julie, would recount later.

"We talked about it in there," the 35-year-old rookie coach said when he emerged from the victorious Jets' locker room. "We can start talking about the playoffs."

The "P-word" had been banned from the Jets' vocabulary until they clinched an AFC playoff berth with a matter-of-fact 23-3 win over the hapless Raiders yesterday at the Meadowlands.

Now the fifth-seeded Jets (10-6), who finished the season with their first three-game winning streak and have won five of their last six, will be at No. 4 New England Sunday at 1 p.m. for a wild-card game. The Jets went 4-12 last season under Herman Edwards.

"This was big for us to show we've still got some players on the team," said tight end Chris Baker, who caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Chad Pennington to give the Jets a 7-0 lead with 4:54 left in the first quarter. "(The Gatorade shower) was a great feeling for us, to finally get there and having accomplished what we set up at the beginning of the year. It was kind of a relief for us."

But now the Jets and Mangini have to deal with the hype of a third matchup with Mangini's former mentor and friend, Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

The two shared uncomfortable and limp handshakes following each of the first two games, a 24-17 Patriots win in Week 2 at the Meadowlands and the Jets' 17-14 win at New England Nov. 12.

But that victory was the first solid evidence that these Jets could be playoff contenders.

"I didn't put down any numbers, or any goals," Mangini said. "To me, it was consistent progress across the board."

Against Oakland, Pennington completed 22 of 30 passes for 157 yards; rookie running back Leon Washington rushed 15 times for 53 yards, including 15 yards for the game's final touchdown with 13:37 left in the fourth quarter; and the Raiders (2-14) were held to 88 rushing yards and 121 passing yards.

Twenty-seven Jets have previous playoff experience, yet outside of their own locker room, not much was expected from them this season. There were too many question marks given Pennington's back-to-back shoulder injuries, the knee injury that ultimately sidelined future Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin, most likely permanently, and a 3-4 defense that seemed ill-suited to its personnel.

All the while, Mangini drove his players hard, especially since most were accustomed to Edwards' more relaxed style.

"Eric really challenged us; he really pushed us," said linebacker Bryan Thomas, who capped off a career season with three tackles to push his personal best to 77. "We grinded it out during training camp. We were running. Y'all saw the (punishment) laps, the long practices in the rain, just hitting, hitting, hitting every day. Now look at it - it all works and it all comes together."

But wide receiver Laveranues Coles doesn't believe it was Mangini's methods that spurred the Jets' turnaround, but how the players reacted to the new regime.

"We have guys who want to win, like to win, and that's the key ingredient for anything you do," Coles said. "If you leave it up to Coach, he'll break you. He would have broken us a while ago. But the character in these guys, the way we played together, the way we bonded, basically brought us together."

The players finally had some fun at the micromanaging Mangini's expense when linebackers Eric Barton and Jonathan Vilma and safety Kerry Rhodes doused him. Mangini seemed to be taken by surprise and, frankly, didn't look all too pleased.

By the time he got to his post-game press conference, he was wearing dry clothing.

"He probably studied the situation, broke it down," Rhodes said. "He probably knew where the water coolers were. But I think he just let us go and get him."

It was Rhodes' blitz from Oakland's left side to sack Aaron Brooks for an 8-yard loss on third-and-seven from the Jets 10-yard line that forced the Raiders to settle for Sebastian Janikowski's 35-yard field goal, making it 7-3 with 10:36 to go in the first half.

Jets cornerback David Barrett, starting for the injured Andre Dyson, provided the game's first big play when his hard hit forced receiver Johnnie Morant to fumble after a 7-yard gain on third-and-four. Cornerback Hank Poteat recovered at the Raiders 44, and wide receiver Brad Smith went 20 yards on a reverse to set up Baker's touchdown catch.

In the third quarter, defensive end Shaun Ellis stopped Brooks inches short on fourth-and-one from the Jets 45, setting up the 10-play drive that ended with Washington's touchdown.

"It's good to try to get back where we were," said Ellis, referring to the 2004 Jets team that fell a field goal short of reaching the AFC championship game. "It makes it even better where we came from last year; everybody was counting us out. We never did put our heads down, not one bit. Mangini came in with a system and everyone bought into it."

Extra points

OK, again: For the second time in three games, Nick Mangold was helped off the field after appearing to injure his knee. And for the second straight instance, the Jets' rookie center did not miss a snap. Mangold had several players fall over his extended left leg - seemingly twisting his knee into a poor position - as he lined up as the right guard on Mike Nugent's field goal with three seconds left in the first half. "I had no idea," Mangold said of his thoughts as he was examined at halftime. "You just go with the punches. Things happen and you've got to deal with them."

Costly penalty: The Raiders were penalized six times for 32 yards, the second fewest yards they've lost to penalties in a game this season. But even though a holding call against Jarrod Cooper on a kickoff return only counted as a 10-yard loss, it was a critical mistake. The Jets had just taken a 13-3 lead on Nugent's 22-yard field goal with 7:45 to go in the third quarter when Cooper's penalty negated Chris Carr's 92-yard return to the Jets 1-yard line. Instead, the Raiders started their possession from their own 18. "I don't think we had a problem with effort," Raiders coach Art Shell said. "But with effort comes making plays. We didn't do that."

Blocking machine: Jets wide receiver Laveranues Coles, who had two catches for 24 yards, set a career high with 91 catches this season. But Coles said he was happier with two blocks he made, one on rookie running back Leon Washington's 15-yard touchdown run with 13:37 to go in the fourth quarter and one on Brad Smith's 20-yard reverse in the first quarter. "(The career mark), to be honest, that does nothing for me," said Coles, who wore a sequined Pink Panther T-shirt and pink suit jacket after the game. "I'm always excited when somebody does notice I do block downfield. If I was cited for that more so than receptions and yards, I would love that."

This and that: Coles had to be physically restrained from going after a media member who had asked for an update on Coles' health. Coles suffered a head injury Monday night at Miami but follows the team policy of not talking about injuries. Coles and the reporter, who was also physically restrained, did engage in a cursing match. ... Injured Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss hitched a ride after the game with Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, his college teammate at Marshall.

Injury report: Jets - Other than Mangold, right guard Brandon Moore injured his right knee midway through the first quarter but returned by the end of the quarter. Nose tackle Dewayne Robertson was helped off the field with 6:38 to go in the third quarter but returned in the fourth quarter.

Raiders - Safety Michael Huff injured his hamstring in the third quarter and did not return.

Reach Andrew Gross at agross@lohud.com and read his Jets blog at www.lohud.com/blogs.

[TaborJet]

Pennington's health held up for Jets

By JAKE THOMASES

THE JOURNAL NEWS

Original publication: January 1, 2007)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - For the first, and most surprising, time in his career, Chad Pennington's durability wasn't something he had to defend.

He started his 16th game of the season yesterday - the first time he's done so - leading the Jets to the playoffs with poise, consistency and a 23-3 win over the Oakland Raiders.

In the preseason, he had been one of four men circling a single seat, waiting for the melody to stop. Each, coach Eric Mangini stressed, had an equal chance to win the game of musical chairs. That a Jets team with such low expectations didn't even have a starting quarterback - well, it didn't do anything to dissuade the doomsayers.

When the needle screeched off the record, it was Pennington - the old hat, the underwhelming fallback - left sitting. He won with moxie, with smarts, with a dawn-to-dinner work ethic Mangini adored. They were the same qualities that had kept him under center in the years before a second shoulder surgery put his career in doubt.

But more than a few questions remained. How would Pennington's weak arm survive two surgeries? How long could he stay on the field before another weak-side blitzer took him off? What is leadership worth if it doesn't produce touchdowns?

"When I look at my injuries, those are just injuries I had no control over," he said. "So I just can't think about those things - not being durable and things like that. I know I'm durable. I didn't miss a game in college and took some big hits."

He's the unlikeliest story on an unlikely team. The Jets were supposed to be where the Oakland Raiders were yesterday - playing out the string and scouting Notre Dame's Brady Quinn for a top draft pick. Pennington was supposed to be rehabbing all over again, watching Kellen Clemens take his job the way he had taken Vinny Testaverde's in 2002.

"Chad wasn't going to be deterred," Mangini said. "He fought, in terms of training camp, to establish himself as the starter and through his injury. He excelled week in and week out and showed himself as a leader."

Needing a victory to clinch a playoff berth, Pennington went 22 of 30 for 157 yards and no interceptions. His 1-yard touchdown toss to Chris Baker in the first quarter allowed the team to relax against a Raiders offense ranked last in the league.

Asked if he had imagined being in this position during the offseason, Pennington replied: "I couldn't think that far ahead. With my rehab and the hard work I knew I had to put in, I only could focus on the next day, the next moment."

His 313 completions this season place him second in franchise history. His 3,352 yards are eighth. His favorite target, Laveranues Coles, set a career high with 91 receptions.

"He basically turned me into the player I am today," Coles said. "Look at my season last year without Chad; I was basically somebody who people said had lost it, didn't have it anymore."

Although Pennington expressed gratitude for being able to accomplish what he has, he wasn't ready to crown his season. There are still playoff games to play, and if there's one thing Mangini has taught him, it's not to pat yourself on the back until there's no one in front of you.

This is his third playoff appearance in five seasons as a starter. For teammates who haven't had a similar success rate, what the underdog Jets have accomplished is more special.

"I've had more Week 17s where I knew I was going home before I walked into the ballpark than I care to remember," said left guard Pete Kendall, making his third trip in 11 seasons. "To walk into the stadium today, to feel the energy that was in this locker room and in the stadium, to know we controlled our own destiny - it's been uncommon for me, but it's a great feeling."

Reach Jake Thomases at jtthomas@lohud.com.

[TaborJet]

Five things Patriots fans should know about the Jets

January 1, 2007

As New England awaits the arrival of wild-card weekend, here are five things Patriots fans should know about the Jets:

1. Chad Pennington is smart: The Jets quarterback won't bowl you over with a great arm or great mobility. Instead, he wins games by making good decisions. Pennington is a true field general who takes what the defense gives him and rarely gambles. He reads defenses quickly and is at his best when he's picking you apart with short and intermediate throws. He'll never be confused with a gunslinger such as Peyton Manning, but he can be lethal just the same.

2. They have excellent receivers: Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery complement each other well. Coles is the speed burner. The 5-11, 193-pounder is stronger than he looks and has a ton of moves after the catch. Cotchery lacks speed but knows how to get open. He works hard to gain separation and won't shy away when things get physical. Neither Coles nor Cotchery are particularly effective blockers.

3. Jonathan Vilma's a monster: One of the game's great inside linebackers, the 6-1, 230-pound beast will be all over your television screen come Sunday. Vilma uses his exceptional hands to not only shed blockers quickly but to inflict punishment on ball carriers. Vilma excels at reading and reacting and forces teams to run outside, where wingmen Eric Barton and Victor Hobson clean up any leftovers.

4. They have fresh legs: In the absence of a true horse in the backfield, the Jets go with "tailback by committee." Rookie Leon Washington is the most consistent of the bunch. The 5-8, 202-pound sparkplug runs with great balance and decent speed. Injury-prone Kevan Barlow is a between-the-tackles slasher who shows flashes but too often disappears for long stretches. Cedric Houston has been battling a calf injury but can be sneaky fast.

5. You're going to be sick of this storyline: By the time Sunday rolls around, fans will be fed up with the Bill Belichick-Eric Mangini hype. Yes, Mangini learned a lot from Belichick and yes, there appears to be tension between the former friends/co-workers. Both coaches are very familiar with their opponent but it's the players who have to execute the game plans. It all should make for another interesting midfield meeting when the final gun sounds.

[raffyD]

Jets: Earn berth as wild card by defeating Raiders

Monday, January 01, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

Turns out there was a method to Eric Man-genius' madness.

The Jets' core values. The five-second rule. The torturous training camp. The punishment laps in practice. The practices in the cold and rain while a practice bubble sat dormat. The boxing films. The guest speakers. The consistent approach and one-game-at-a-time mantras.

Coach Eric Mangini was a bit much at the outset.

But perhaps that's what the Jets needed. After an injury-induced 4-12 finish a year ago, the Jets came full circle yesterday, earning a wild-card playoff berth with a 23-3 victory over the lowly Oakland Raiders before a wild, white towel-waving New Year's Eve sellout crowd at Giants Stadium.

The Jets (10-6), who have won five of their last six games -- three straight -- and tied a record for the second-best win total turnaround in franchise history, finished as the fifth seed in the AFC and will play at fourth-seed New England (12-4) in the wild-card round on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The game will be the third part of a trilogy in the bad-blood matchup between Mangini and mentor-turned-nemesis Bill Belichick. The teams split their two meetings this season with each team winning on the road. The postgame handshakes between Mangini and Belichick were icy.

The time, place and opponent, however, doesn't matter to the Jets. They're in the postseason party.

"It's just a great feeling," wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "Anytime you work so hard, in the end you want to be able to see the results. We worked incredibly hard, throughout the off-season and this entire season. To be able to see it all pay off right now, it's just exciting for us."

"This is what this game is all about, playing for the championship," said quarterback Chad Pennington, who connected on 22 of 30 passes for 157 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. "We're excited to have that chance."

So is Mangini.

"I'm extremely happy," said Mangini, who actually smiled during his postgame address. "They've worked hard and have collectively gotten better and better each week. They've earned this opportunity. Nothing was given to them."

And with a 6-2 road record, the second-best in club history, the Jets aren't an automatic out in these playoffs. In fact, they have a four-game road winning streak.

"We're confident on the road. We've had success on the road," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "It's going to be tough but we're not just going to the playoffs to be in the playoffs. We're looking to do bigger and better things. It's definitely one game at a time. We can study a little bit longer, practice a little bit longer."

The Jets became a different team after their bye week. Sitting at 4-4, they tweaked the offense and revved up their defense with a newfound aggressiveness. They went 6-2 in the second half of the season.

"After the Cleveland game (the bye week), things started going in a different direction," defensive end Shaun Ellis said.

Entering the season, most experts had tagged the Jets as one of the worst teams in football. Many NFL insiders predicted they'd win five games at most.

Pennington was coming off a second rotator cuff surgery in two years. Future Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin never played, sidelined with a bone-on-bone condition in his right knee that will almost certainly end his career. Mangini was a 35-year-old first-time coach trying to install a 3-4 scheme with 4-3 personnel. They had no big-time pass rusher.

No problem.

"We had a lot of naysayers," defensive end Bryan Thomas said. "But we always believed in ourselves from day one. Everybody said this would be a rebuilding year. We didn't buy it.

"Coach Mangini. He got me in the best shape ever. You guys (the media) were out there in the hot sun when we were running around, running laps for penalties. It was discipline. It worked, man. He was a young coach coming from a winning program and it followed him."

The play of Pennington, coupled with Mangini's demanding style, was the Jets' recipe for success. Although Pennington's interception total was a career high (16), he mastered offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's complicated no-huddle offense, getting the ball to his playmakers.

And he did it with a spotty running game that took away his best weapon, the play-action pass.

"Chad is a great leader," said Cotchery, who caught seven passes for 53 yards against the Raiders. "As an offense, we feed off him and the entire team feeds off him also. To be able to come back from those injuries speaks volumes for the type of player and person he is."

"I'm extremely blessed to play this game and I'm extremely blessed to have a second chance and this opportunity," Pennington said. "After what I've been through, I try not to take anything for granted. ... I always remind myself of how far I've come."

Against the Raiders (2-14), the Jets opened a 10-3 halftime lead. Mike Nugent's second field goal increased the lead to 13-3 with 7:45 remaining in the third quarter. The Jets iced the game when Leon Washington sprinted 15 yards around left end for a 20-3 lead with 13:37 left to play.

There was no letdown with the playoffs within their grasp, something the same old Jets were noted for.

"You could feel the energy in the locker room before the game," guard Pete Kendall said. "There was a different air, a different energy. The pregame was a little more focused."

"It felt good to control our own destiny," Ellis said. "It feels good going into the playoffs on a good note."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com

It did work, this is wonderful.