Jets News Articles, 9/10/07

[Kentucky Jet]

Tim Smith

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Pennington's injury opens door for QB controversy

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Monday, September 10th 2007, 4:00 AM

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Chad Pennington rolls his ankle in the third quarter after getting sacked by Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green. He leads the team to a TD, but takes himself out of the game in the fourth quarter.

Chad Pennington stood behind the podium in the interview room outside of the Jets' locker room at Giants Stadium yesterday and tried not to put too much weight on his injured right ankle as he fielded questions.

He frequently lifted his foot off the ground and balanced himself on his left leg. There was nothing on his face to indicate the extent of the pain from the injury or the 38-14 whipping that had been administered by the Patriots. How bad is he hurt? Your guess is as good as mine.

Getting information on injuries from the Jets is like trying to get Jack Bauer to crack under torture - impossible. This much we know: Pennington rolled his ankle in the third quarter after getting sacked by Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green. He came back, led the team to a TD, then took himself out of the game in the fourth quarter.

Let the speculation begin.

"I don't know. I've never experienced this. I don't know what's going to happen," Pennington said when asked how long he thought he might be out.

A gimpy quarterback, a wimpy pass rush and a skimpy rushing attack - all evident in abundance against New England - do not bode well for the Jets' immediate future. If they take any of those things into Baltimore on Sunday there could be a revival of the old TV show set there - "Homocide: Life on the Street."

Say this for Pennington, he's a fighter. He missed one play after getting hurt. Eric Mangini left it up to Pennington whether he wanted to return to the game. For Pennington, it was a no-brainer.

"I was trying to rely on my experience from the Jacksonville game (in 2005 when he tore his rotator cuff and didn't play the rest of the season) and trying to stay focused," said Pennington, who knew his ankle was unstable. "At that point we still had the threat of trying to run the ball because it was still early. I felt like I could get back out there and help us."

With the ankle wrapped heavily in black tape - his foot looked like he was wearing a boot - Pennington returned on the next series to lead the Jets to a score, a 1-yard TD pass that he threw to Laveranues Coles to make it 28-14.

Then, after using up nearly nine minutes, the Patriots kicked a field goal to make it 31-14 with 6:51 to play, and the idea of any heroics for Pennington went out the window.

"It's that you're down 17 points and they're not going to respect the running game," Pennington said. "They're going to pin their ears back and rush the passer because you have to put points on the board quickly."

He pulled himself from the game rather than become a sitting duck. He had done it once before, against Buffalo in 2004.

But yesterday's injury was shades of Jacksonville, Week 3 of the 2005 season as Pennington rolled from under a pile of bodies, got to his feet, went down. Got back up and went down again. Got back up, and hopped to the sidelines on one leg - the injured lower right leg suspended in the air, perpendicular to the ground.

Pennington slammed his helmet to the ground as he reached the sidelines, typically the type of action that indicates a player knows that his season has come to an end.

Things didn't turn out so well for Pennington or the Jets that season. Pennington had shoulder surgery and a long, but productive, rehab. The Jets' season went up in smoke, because they lost backup quarterback Jay Fiedler in that game as well.

Who knows how long Pennington will be gone this time? But the way he was hobbling around trying to drop back yesterday, it doesn't look good. The fans actually cheered when Pennington went down and backup Kellen Clemens had to come in. They'll grow to regret that if Pennington is out for an extended period of time and the season implodes.

The Patriots clearly demonstrated that they're an elite team yesterday, as all of their offseason free agent acquisitions made big-time contributions. The Jets narrowed the gap last season, but the Patriots have opened it wider, swallowing the Jets, and maybe the entire AFC East, whole. If Pennington goes down for an extended period of time, then the Jets' season could disappear into a black hole.

"It remains to be seen," Pennington said regarding how long he might be out.

As for the 38-14 drubbing, he said, "It's up to us as a team to fight through this and stick together as a team and fight through the adversity. In the past we've been pretty good at this. That's why it's a 16-game season."

tsmith@nydailynews.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Jet fans, Chad Pennington praise backup QB Kellen Clemens

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BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, September 10th 2007, 4:00 AM

The Jets' crowd yesterday showed its fickle nature, cheering when Kellen Clemens replaced an injured Chad Pennington in the third quarter of yesterday's 38-14 loss to the Patriots. Afterward, Pennington took the high road. "When I was a backup, the crowd cheered for me, too," he said, alluding to 2002. "They gave him a cheer and I'm glad they did. He needs support; our whole team needs support. There's nothing wrong with that."

Said WR Laveranues Coles: "Fans are fans. We're the team. It's not going to bother me at all."

Pennington's injury fueled two questions: Why was he allowed to return when his mobility was extremely limited? Why did the coaches call a QB sneak on a first down from the New England 2?

Eric Mangini said he made the decision based on a discussion with the doctors and Pennington.

"There is a process and player safety is important to us," Mangini said. "We wouldn't put a guy back in a situation where we felt he would be at risk."

Curiously, the Jets exposed Pennington to further injury with the sneak. He didn't question the decision, saying, "At that time, Coach was going to call the plays to help us win, and if I'm out there, I'm saying I can run our plays."

Clemens (5-for-10, 35 yards) recorded his first NFL completion.

MILLER TIME UP: Rough day for Justin Miller, who was benched after allowing a 33-yard completion to Randy Moss. Earlier, Miller fumbled on a kickoff return, and he was yanked in favor of Leon Washington. Mangini said he wasn't angry at Miller; he hinted it was an injury-related decision. Miller may have reinjured the hamstring that caused him to miss the preseason.

SECONDARY STATUS: The secondary, with no help from the pass rush (no sacks), was torn apart by Tom Brady and Moss. CB David Barrett missed an open-field tackle on Wes Welker's 11-yard TD catch, and he also was involved in the deep coverage on Moss' 51-yard TD. FS Erik Coleman also was guilty on the latter play. Rookie CB Darrelle Revis, who started for Andre Dyson (inactive), held up nicely. For the most part, Revis, the Jets' No. 1 pick, wasn't picked on. "That surprised me a little bit," said Revis, the first Jet rookie to start at cornerback since Ray Mickens in 1996.

ON GUARD: You think the Jets missed Pete Kendall? Their line's first game without him was a debacle. After starting the final two preseason games, rookie Jacob Bender was a surprise inactive. Adrien Clarke, replaced by Bender in the preseason, got the start. He was replaced by Wade Smith late in the game.

[Kentucky Jet]

Moss burns Jets secondary despite missing preseason

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BY HANK GOLA

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, September 10th 2007, 4:00 AM

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According to Randy Moss, Santa Claus has already climbed down the Patriots' chimney.

"It's like getting new toys for Christmas and you can't open them," Moss said after his New England debut against the Jets yesterday. "Basically, that's what Tommy (Brady) has done with me being hurt and (Donte') Stallworth being hurt. He really didn't have all his toys to play with. Now that he does, the sky's the limit for us."

There didn't appear to be a limit yesterday as Moss toyed with the Jets' secondary to the tune of nine receptions, 183 yards and a 51-yard touchdown.

Even though Moss missed all four preseason games and the bulk of practice, he and Brady had the timing of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. After all the controversy of his eight years in Minnesota and after two years of exile in the Black Hole of Oakland, the reputed bad boy seems to have found found a home in New England.

Brady was even using terms not usually associated with Moss: "unselfish ... team player ... team leader.

"I think he does want to fit in," Brady said. "Being a Patriot means being smart, being physical and putting the team first. Randy's a competitor. He loves playing football. That's why guys love playing here."

Moss' impact on the Patriots' could help them get back to the Super Bowl. As slot receiver Wes Welker noted, when Moss was on the field yesterday, the Jets were so conscious of him that it opened up the entire field. He probably was the reason the Jets weren't as blitz-happy against Brady as they were in last year's playoff game, where they brought an extra rusher on 28 of 36 pass plays.

Yesterday, they sat back more often, giving Brady all the time he needed. When they did blitz or give Brady single coverage on Moss, Brady made them pay.

Moss admitted he was nervous coming into the game, not about performing but about how his body and mind would hold up after missing the entire preseason. But he shot down a pair of questions about whether he's been revitalized and whether this was a statement game.

"I don't need to revitalize," he said. "Everybody knows who I am. I don't need to revitalize nothing."

The statement talk, he said, is "what the talk shows are for, to tell people the nonsense you all believe in. Like I say, I'm just happy and very blessed to be in this position. I said way before I came to the Patriots, I want to showcase my talents and today I did that."

The Patriots make that easy, of course, playing what Brady calls "complimentary football." In New England, he doesn't have to be the whole show.

"I think you can put everything in the same category," Moss said. "It's the best coached team I've been on, and also in players and talent it's the best I've been on. The whole circle, man, is the best. I'm just enjoying the ride."

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[Kentucky Jet]

BY OHM YOUNGMISUK

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, September 10th 2007, 4:00 AM

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Laveranues Coles had a great day yesterday, hauling in two touchdowns and having considerably more success than the Jets' running game.

Thomas Jones galloped 12 yards before lowering his shoulder and hitting free safety Eugene Wilson. When Jones got up, he let out a scream.

That was about the only noise Jones and the Jets' supposedly improved running game made all day. After struggling to run the ball last season, the Jets acquired Jones from the Bears in the offseason. But they only mustered 60 rushing yards in their 38-14 loss to the Patriots yesterday.

While the Jets only ran the ball eight times in the second half while playing catch-up, Jones gained just 42 yards on 14 carries. It wasn't the debut Jones and the Jets, who swapped second-round picks with the Bears in the trade for Jones, had hoped for. "It's frustrating when you can't get into the open field and do what you do," said Jones, whom the Jets signed to a four-year, $20 million extension. "I felt pretty sharp. I felt good physically. I felt like I ran hard. Unfortunately, we were behind and didn't get a chance to run the ball as much as we could have."

Jones did not appear to be hampered by the strained calf that kept him out for most of the preseason. The 5-10 Jones couldn't get past a New England defensive line that appeared to be more like a blockade. On nine of his carries, Jones gained two yards or less.

Jones, who was stuffed twice for losses (four and two yards), had two yards on six carries at halftime. Leon Washington provided a good change of pace with 15 yards on four carries and three catches for 30 yards.

In the third quarter, Jones showed more of what he can do, gaining 40 yards on eight carries. On the lone touchdown drive of the second half for the Jets, Jones ran for 26 yards. However, the Jets fell behind 28-14 and abandoned the run in the fourth quarter. "You saw we did have some bursts with the running game," Chad Pennington said. "We didn't line up against a defense that was a poor run defense. They are pretty stout."

Jones gained 1,210 and 1,335 yards, respectively, the last two seasons with the Bears. He is off to a slow start and faces the stingy Ravens defense next week.

[Kentucky Jet]

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Patriots destroy Jets in season opener

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BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, September 10th 2007, 4:00 AM

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Tom Brady completes 22 of 28 passes and dissects the Jets' secondary in yesterday's 38-14 win.

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Laveranues Coles' second touchdown catch narrows the gap to 28-14 in the third quarter, but that's as close as the Jets would get, giving ...

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Read Rich Cimini's The Jets Stream

Forget about overtaking the Patriots. After everything that went wrong yesterday at the Meadowlands - including fans cheering an injury to Chad Pennington - it might be time to downsize the expectations for the Jets. The way things looked and sounded after their 38-14 loss to Randy Moss & Co., the next few weeks could be about survival more than anything.

In a hauntingly familiar afternoon, one that conjured memories of 1999 and 2005, the Jets suffered a season-opening quarterback injury and a severe blow to their confidence. They were exposed in every area - offense, defense, special teams - but the cruelest twist of fate occurred in the third quarter, when Chad Pennington injured his right ankle. It happened on a sack by Jarvis Green, who rolled up Pennington's leg.

Green crashed through the left side of the line exposed by the loss of guard Pete Kendall, who got traded away because the front office refused to give him a $1 million raise.

Calling the ankle "unstable," and sensing he was a "sitting duck" against the Patriots' ferocious pass rush, Pennington pulled himself out in the fourth quarter, well into garbage time. An X-ray was taken after the game, but the Jets declined to reveal a diagnosis, leaving it unclear whether it's a sprain or a fracture. Ominously, Pennington lacked his usual post-injury bravado.

"I've never experienced this (type of injury), so I don't know what's going to happen," said Pennington, who vowed after his 2005 rotator-cuff injury that they'd have to cut off his arm for him to miss a game - and wound up never returning that season.

Told that he didn't sound as confident as in the past, Pennington replied, "My mind-set hasn't changed ... but based on my past experience, sometimes it's out of my control."

It means that Kellen Clemens could make his first NFL start Sunday in Baltimore, the same place where the Jets tried to reboot their season in 2005 after Pennington's injury. In case you forgot, his stand-in, Brooks Bollinger, was splattered that day like a bug on a windshield.

Clemens at the helm of the offense seems to be something Jets fans want, as they cheered when their starting quarterback hobbled off the field in favor of the second-year backup from Oregon.

Pennington said he took no offense to the response, saying Clemens deserved the crowd's support.

Pennington was one of the few Jets who actually did his job. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 167 yards, including a pair of touchdowns to Laveranues Coles. The latter score, a 1-yard toss that made it 28-14, came after the injury. Despite a pronounced limp, he convinced the coaches to leave him in the game, exposing himself to further injury.

If the rest of the team displayed Pennington's determination, the Jets might have given the Patriots a competitive game. Even their reliable special teams suffered a major collapse, allowing the longest kickoff return in NFL history, Ellis Hobbs' 108-yarder to start the second half. David Bowens missed a tackle at the 20, and Hobbs was gone.

The Jets applied no pressure on Tom Brady (22-for-28, 297 yards, three touchdowns). The Jets mixed blitzes and coverage, but it was no use. Brady got a lot of use out of his new toy, Moss, who scorched the secondary (mostly David Barrett) for nine catches and 183 yards, including a 51-yard TD. Five different Patriots scored touchdowns. "(Brady) seemed like he knew what we were doing," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "Whether it was a blitz or coverage, he made all the right checks. I guess we have to do a better job of disguising our looks."

"We had a good game plan, but we didn't execute the game plan as well as it should've been executed," said Eric Mangini, who fell to 1-3 against his mentor-turned-enemy, Bill Belichick. (Yes, there was a handshake, but not a man hug.) "That's all of us. It's coaching and players, across the board."

After five months of preparation, the Jets were schooled. And it hurt. "At home, to lose like we did, it's definitely embarrassing," Rhodes said.

"A lot of us slept real easy (Saturday night) because we felt so confident about the game plan," wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "This is deflating."

It should be. The Jets were outgained, 431-227, and allowed five sacks. The left side of the line, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Adrien Clarke, who started for Jacob Bender (inactive), caved in, allowing Pennington to get beat up. The Jets missed Kendall in a big way. The line also didn't do much for new running back Thomas Jones, who was held to 42 yards on 14 carries.

There must be something about Jets-Patriots openers. In 1999, Vinny Testaverde suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Pennington's injury doesn't appear that bad, but coming off his first injury-free season, this was a bad omen.

Pennington, sans crutches and a cast, left the stadium under his own power. He was able to wear his dress shoes, so the swelling couldn't have been too severe. Earlier, in his postgame interview, he stood on one foot, his right ankle too tender to withstand the weight. "I'm sure I'll see the doctors frequently this week," he said, "and we'll see what happens."

[Kentucky Jet]

Ellis Hobbs' 108-yard kickoff return sets record

BY OHM YOUNGMISUK

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, September 10th 2007, 4:00 AM

The only thing faster than the Bill Belichick-Eric Mangini postgame handshake yesterday was Ellis Hobbs and his record-breaking kickoff return.

While many fans still were at the refreshment stands, Hobbs fielded the second-half kickoff from Mike Nugent eight yards deep in his own end zone and took it 108 yards to the other end zone.

In 14 blurring seconds, Hobbs propelled a seven-point game into a 38-14 Patriots rout.

Before Mangini could even settle into his headset coming out of halftime, the Jets went from trailing 14-7 to staring at a 21-7 hole. Hobbs' return demoralized and flattened them. "That was tough to swallow," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said.

Hobbs' return broke the previous mark for longest kickoff return of 106 yards done three times: by St. Louis' Roy Green (1979), Kansas City's Nolan Smith (1967) and Green Bay's Al Carmichael (1966).

The play matched Devin Hester's 108-yard missed field goal return for Chicago against the Giants last year for the record for longest play in NFL history. The Bears' Nathan Vasher did the same thing against San Francisco the year before.

Nugent's kickoff was deep and into the left corner of the end zone, a scenario in which most returners would have taken a knee. Hobbs said he never thought about downing it. "I tell those guys all the time, I'm bringing it out," Hobbs said of his blockers.

Hobbs avoided Justin McCareins, then made a couple of cuts toward his own left sideline before slipping out of linebacker David Bowens' diving grasp. "Yeah, I missed the tackle," Bowens said. "I put it on my shoulders. We did a good job, we kicked it to the left, they brought it all the way out. As a coverage team you've got to take it as a slap in the face. It kind of says what they think about our coverage team. But that is on us."

With a convoy of blockers sprinting with him down the field, Hobbs even peeked at himself on the scoreboard while a few Jets chased in vain. "When I got to about to the 25, I looked up," Hobbs said. "There's nothing wrong with a little showtime."

__________________

[Kentucky Jet]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0910200...ve_no_leg_t.htm

FANS, LIKE CHAD, HAVE NO LEG TO STAND ON

September 10, 2007 -- AFTER all he has done for this franchise, after all the willpower and perseverance and mental toughness he has shown us as he fought off rotator cuff surgeries to save his New York career, Chad Pennington did not deserve this, did not deserve to hear cheers for backup quarterback Kellen Clemens entering the game after he had somehow hobbled to the sidelines on one good ankle with 10:20 left in the third quarter.

Jet fans who treat Pennington like this, who conveniently forget that he got them within one Doug Brien field goal of the 2004 AFC championship game with one arm, do not have a leg to stand on, and should understand that the Jets, 38-14 Opening Day losers to the Patriots yesterday, do not have a leg to stand on if Pennington doesn’t, because it is much too early to usher in the Kellen Clemens Era, especially with Ray Lewis and his ravenous friends waiting in ambush for him Sunday in Baltimore.

There were no such cheers after Eric Mangini and the doctors allowed him to trot back onto the field, his right ankle covered in black tape, and should not have, even if he managed to direct a touchdown drive, because they should have learned by now that Pennington is a throwback that you have to protect from himself. Shame on any classless fan who cheered Pennington going down. Even though Pennington didn’t take it personally.

“Well, when I was the backup and I came in, the crowd cheered for me too,” Pennington said, “and I would hope that our fans would support anyone who’s out there. And so, they gave him a cheer and I’m glad that they did, because he needs support, our whole team needs support, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

There apparently are Jet fans who look at Clemens, who threw one 2006 pass as a rookie, and see Tom Brady. They were cheering for Clemens at a time when the Jets were trailing 21-7 because Brady had been a red zone assassin, because Thomas Jones couldn’t run, because Ellis Hobbs had returned the opening second-half kickoff 108 yards.

Pennington (16-21, 167 yards, 2 TDs) was taking what Belichick gave him - on a day that Brady and Randy Moss (9-183-1) were taking what they wanted from Mangini - when Jarvis Green sacked him. Pennington got up limping, and crumpled to the turf. The trainers came out, and Pennington got up again, and bunny-hopped to the sideline. “I’m not gonna lay there, I know that,” Pennington said.

Pennington slammed his helmet down with both hands when he got there. “It’s frustrating; kinda like all my other injuries that I’ve had, I’ve never really experienced it, never had to go through stuff like this,” he said.

Clemens threw one pass, and when Brady found Moss with a 51-yard touchdown bomb over three befuddled defenders, it was 28-7 with 7:01 left in the third quarter.

“They just asked me if I could go back in,” Pennington said, “and I said, ‘yes.’ ”

They never should have asked him. He never says never.

“I have a lot of respect for this game,” Pennington said. “This game is a game where you’re gonna get dinged up and you’re gonna take some hits, you may have to deal with some minor things and even major things ... I don’t make my decision on playing looking into the future, I make my decision on the present, and whether or not I can help my team at that time.”

The game was over. Pennington resembled Walter Brennan on his backpedal on the 70-yard TD drive. “That’s just a testament to the player that he is,” Clemens said. Pennington actually attempted a potentially disastrous quarterback keeper by the goal line. “Player safety is important to us,” Mangini said.

“We wouldn’t put a guy back in a situation where we felt he would be at risk.”

But better safe than sorry. After Brady engineered a revolting 10:28 field goal drive, Pennington concluded he’d be a sitting duck and reluctantly took himself out.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever done that,” he said.

Eric Barton stopped by Pennington’s locker. “I’m proud of you,” the linebacker said.

Pennington has no idea how bad this is. Jet fans: You don’t have a season to stand on without him.

__________________

[Kentucky Jet]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0910200.../chris_moss.htm

CHRIS-MOSS

WR PRESENTS PATS WITH BIG DAY

September 10, 2007 -- CHRISTMAS came early for Tom Brady and the Patriots yesterday. And just like any kid presented with a new toy, the New England quarterback played with it over and over and over again.

Yes, it was almost 90 degrees at the Meadowlands and the Jets were constantly mumbling a September version of "Bah Humbug." But that didn't keep Brady and his new best friend Randy Moss from showing the rest of the NFL that it should be afraid . . . very afraid.

Moss sounded alarms throughout the league by catching nine passes for 183 yards and one touchdown in New England's 38-14 romp over the Jets at the Meadowlands. Though he didn't play during the preseason because of a leg injury, Moss dominated the game, putting it out of reach in the third quarter when he beat three defenders to catch a 51-yard touchdown pass that put the Patriots ahead 28-7.

He looked like the Moss we remember from his years with the Vikings when he was the most explosive receiver in the game, a weapon Brady was glad to exploit against a porous Jets defense that allowed 431 total yards.

"It's like a kid getting new toys for Christmas and you can't open them," Moss said. "Basically that's what Tommy has done with me being hurt and (Donte) Stallworth being hurt. He didn't have all his toys to play with. Now that he has his toys to play with, the sky's the limit for us."

Yes, it's only one game and Moss' history says there's always a chance for discontent to darken his mood. He's coming off two disappointing seasons with the Raiders, who traded him to the Patriots on draft day for a fourth round pick.

Some thought Moss, entering his 10th season, might never be a Pro Bowl type player again, but after witnessing how he and Brady abused the Jets secondary, only Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison might be a more dangerous tandem.

"Randy's a competitor and he loves playing football," said Brady, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards and three TDs. "He was a great player before he got to the Patriots and it's obvious he's still a great player. I just hope the team continues to progress."

The Jets defense didn't offer much resistance. It hardly mounted a pass rush against Brady, allowing the quarterback to stand in the pocket while Moss worked his way through the secondary.

Moss used his speed to outrun David Barrett, Erik Coleman and Jonathan Vilma on the TD catch. But there were numerous grabs along the sideline and over the middle of the field where he was wide open against a scrambling Jets secondary.

"I've been in the league long enough so catching balls and running after catches, those things come natural," Moss said. "The biggest thing I wanted to focus on was making sure my mind was mentally fresh and tough enough to play. I didn't want to let my team down. I just wanted to go out and see what I had and give it my all."

Moss's talent has never been questioned, not even in Oakland. It was his attitude and occasional off-the-field actions that soiled his image. But playing for the Patriots is kind of like playing for the Yankees. He's no longer the big fish in a small pond. There are too many players in New England wearing three Super Bowl rings for Moss' personality to dominate.

"I'm just happy and very blessed to be in this position," Moss said. "This is probably the best well-coached team that I've been on and then also as players and talent, it's the best team I've been on."

george.willis@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0910200...ith_gang_gr.htm

COLES COMFORTABLE WITH GANG GREEN'S GAMEPLAN

By MARK CANNIZZARO

September 10, 2007 -- Laveranues Coles wanted to make one thing perfectly clear about the Jets' loss to the Patriots yesterday.

"It has nothing to do with our coaching staff, that's for sure," the Jets receiver said. "They had a great game plan and put us in great positions to make plays. As players, we have to ask ourselves, 'Did you play your best game? Did you man up or did you get whooped?'

"We had one of the better game plans that I've had in a long time around here. My hat goes off to the coaching staff. As players, we didn't execute as well as we should have. The coaches can only do so much."

*

When asked about the Jets' nonexistent pass rush on Tom Brady, DE Shaun Ellis said: "Did you see how many guys we were rushing? Did you see how many they kept in to block? They had eight in to block three. How are we going to get there? It's frustrating. That's part of the plan that they out-game-planned us on. They weren't going to let us blitz."

*

Backup QB Kellen Clemens, who came in for injured Chad Pennington and completed 5 of 10 passes for 35 yards, said he'd be ready if called upon to start next week.

"I always prepare as if I'm going to play," he said.

*

Pennington (16-21, 167 yards, two touchdowns) now has 12,140 career passing yards, fifth on the Jets' all-time list. He trails Vinny Testaverde by 357 yards for fourth place. He passed Testaverde (1,094) for fourth on the Jets' all-time completion list with his 15th completion of the day and has 1,096 for his career.

*

RB Thomas Jones, who missed the last three preseason games with a calf injury, made his Jets debut and struggled to get anything going, finishing with 42 yards on 14 carries. . . . DE Kenyon Coleman also made his Jets debut, recording a career-high 12 tackles, 10 of which were solo. . . . No. 1 draft pick, CB Darrelle Revis, started in place of Andre Dyson (foot) and became the first rookie to start at CB on opening day for the Jets since Ray Mickens on Sept. 6, 1996 at Denver. . . . After all the fuss about rookie Jacob Bender starting at left guard, he was left on the inactive list and Adrien Clarke started.

*

CB Justin Miller was schooled twice by Patriots WR Randy Moss. After the second big reception, Eric Mangini spoke to Miller privately on the sideline, with Miller reacting afterward with some yelling and gesticulating and then retiring to the bench for the rest of the game.

Miller, who had been recovering from a hamstring injury in preseason, didn't play another down, not even returning kickoffs. Mangini was cryptic about whether Miller had reinjured his hamstring, though he indicated that he didn't bench him.

*

Jets LB David Bowens on Patriot Ellis Hobbs' kickoff return for a TD: "That's a slap in the face to our coverage team. We've got to set the tone."

__________________

[Kentucky Jet]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0910200...rn_for_pats.htm

HAPPY RETURN FOR PATS

By BRIAN COSTELLO

September 10, 2007 -- A long line at the concession stand or the bathroom during halftime yesterday could have cost you a chance to see the most exciting and important play of the Jets-Patriots game.

New England

[Kentucky Jet]

IT AIN'T EASY BEING GREEN

OPENING DAY

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets grounded by Moss, Patriots in opener

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

12:25 AM EDT, September 10, 2007

Collapsing twice from the pain, Chad Pennington refused to stay down. He could have easily waved his arms while sprawled on the turf and an army of trainers and doctors would have rushed to his aid, scooped him up and carried him away. Instead, Pennington rose and, despite obvious discomfort, hopped his way to the sideline.

The Jets hope to do some hopping of their own. Knocked down by Sunday's 38-14 loss to the Patriots, the Jets must try to emulate their quarterback's unwillingness to surrender. But they might have to do it without him.

After having his right ankle rolled while being sacked by Jarvis Green, returning to the game to engineer a touchdown drive and ultimately pulling himself out of the game, Pennington, who will have an MRI Monday, was less than certain about his upcoming availability.

"I don't know what's going to happen," he said moments before limping out of Giants Stadium to the passenger seat of his SUV, being driven by his father. Pennington's ankle may have been well enough for a scoring drive, but the drive home apparently was too arduous for him.

With or without Pennington, the Jets will play the Ravens Sunday. And they'll do it still wobbly and bloody-nosed from the punches the Patriots threw. They were overmatched in every aspect of the game, and the optimism that carried over from last year's run to the playoffs was quickly squelched. Going back to that wild-card game, the Jets have lost their last two, both to the Patriots, by a combined score of 75-30.

Laveranues Coles issued this challenge to his teammates: "We have to look at ourselves individually and ask, 'Did you play the best game that you could play today? Did you man up or did you get whupped?'"

More often than not Sunday, it was whupped.

Whether it was cornerback David Barrett whiffing on a tackle inside the 10 that allowed Wes Welker to score the opening touchdown, the kickoff coverage team allowing an NFL record-setting 108-yard return by Ellis Hobbs to open the second half, or the inauspicious Jets debut of running back Thomas Jones, there were not many Jets who could honestly say they played well. Told that coach Eric Mangini had said there were a few positives that could be drawn from the loss, Barrett sniffed, "There's nothing positive about today."

Though there were few cheer-worthy plays by the Jets, the 77,900 at the game made their voices heard on several occasions. Backup quarterback Kellen Clemens was cheered loudly when he entered the game after Pennington's injury (many cannot wait for the Clemens era to begin). And the crowd roared when Jones had a 12-yard run in the third quarter. Even Jones himself had an emotional release after that play, pumping his fists and screaming loudly.

"It's frustrating when you can't get into the open field and do what you do," said Jones, who was held to 42 yards on 14 carries and had five yards up to the point of his celebration. "That being the first big run and positive run of the game, I was excited."

After falling behind 7-0 and staying there when the Patriots botched the snap on a 43-yard field-goal attempt, the Jets tied it when Pennington hit Coles on a 7-yard flare route out of the backfield that created a coverage mismatch for linebacker Rosevelt Colvin. The Patriots took control of the game by scoring a touchdown with 1:07 left in the second quarter and adding a touchdown on the second-half kickoff to make it 21-7. A 51-yard pass from Tom Brady to Randy Moss made it 28-7 with 7:01 left in the third.

The Jets' last gasp at making things interesting came just after Coles caught his second touchdown pass with 2:19 left in the third, this time taking a fade pass from the hobbled Pennington. A holding penalty on the Patriots' first play of the next drive pushed them back to make it first-and-20 from the 11, and a defensive stop would have given the Jets the ball back in decent field position with a chance to inch even closer. Instead, the Patriots dug out from the hole and drove all the way to the Jets' 5 before sealing the game with a 22-yard field goal. The Patriots capped the scoring on Heath Evans' 1-yard run with 1:58 remaining.

"Yeah, it's a little discouraging. You always want to play better in the first game of the season," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "But it's not the end of the season for us. We still have 15 games. It's just a matter of us going back, regrouping and getting ready for Baltimore."

[Kentucky Jet]

Chad's injury brings back bad memories

Bob Glauber

September 10, 2007

Funny that Chad Pennington should mention the very game that came to mind Sunday when he fell to the turf in agony. As Pennington writhed in pain after Jarvis Green fell on his right ankle, we immediately flashed back to the Jacksonville game two years ago, when another September injury to Pennington portended the disaster that lay ahead.

You remember, Jets fans. Sept. 25, 2005. Pennington reinjured his rotator cuff that had been surgically repaired only months before. Then Jay Fiedler went down with a shoulder injury a few plays later.

Pennington came back in and gamely led the Jets down the stretch to force overtime, only to lose, 26-20. Pennington wouldn't play for the rest of the season, the Jets went 4-12, and goodbye Herman Edwards.

Moments after limping to the podium for his news briefing in the wake of Sunday's 38-14 destruction at the hands of the Patriots, Pennington referred back to that Jaguars game when someone asked how he found the wherewithal to return after getting taped up.

"I was just trying to rely on my experience in the Jacksonville game and trying to stay focused," he said.

Pennington lasted only one more series against New England before taking himself out with the Jets behind 31-14 with 6:44 to play in the game.

Afterward, I reminded Pennington that the Jacksonville game he referred to is remembered by Jets fans as one of the most painful nightmares in their angst-ridden history. So why would this be any different, especially if Pennington is forced to miss a prolonged period of time.

"It remains to be seen," he said. "It's something that's up to us as a team to pull together and fight through the adversity. In the past, we've been pretty good at that. It's a 16-game season ... Even if you win this game, you don't say we can just roll our helmets out there and expect to win."

About the only bright spot to Sunday was the one-of-16-games factor. We have seen teams experience early-season misfortune, only to rally down the stretch and make a meaningful playoff statement. The Jets have had their share of September disappointments, only to finish them off with runs into January.

Of course, 2005 was not one of those times.

And when Pennington winces as he puts his shoe on his right foot a few minutes after Sunday's game, then limps across the locker room, you wonder if there is any way he can make it back in time for next week's game in Baltimore against the relentless Ravens defense. Or if it will be second-year man Kellen Clemens who will have to lead the Jets through their difficult early-season schedule.

Clemens was cheered Sunday by Jets fans who had been heartened by his preseason improvement, but he didn't get the Jets close to the end zone in relief of Pennington.

It is questionable at best to think that Clemens can do any better than Pennington in a month in which the Jets open against four straight AFC opponents, including the Bills and Dolphins after Baltimore.

And it isn't just the quarterback who is at issue here. The Jets were so thoroughly handled in every phase by the Patriots -- who look every bit the Super Bowl contender we thought they'd be -- that you wonder just how good the Jets can be.

The offensive line was abysmal in trying to protect Pennington. Who knows if the botched handling of the Pete Kendall situation played into the weak performance. Or maybe the Patriots were just that good.

The Jets' defense was simply brutal against a Patriots offense that admittedly has an unstoppable quality to it. The Patriots produced 431 net yards, as newly acquired receiver Randy Moss returned from a hamstring injury and torched the Jets' secondary. On his 51-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter, Moss beat three Jets defenders before catching Tom Brady's pass. The Patriots had four drives of 60 or more yards, and toyed with the Jets' defense most of the afternoon.

The Jets' special teams were no better, allowing an NFL-record 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the first play of the second half.

Outplayed and outcoached.

Badly.

"I thought we had a good week of practice," coach Eric Mangini said. "We had a good plan, but we didn't execute the plan as well as it should have been executed. That's all of us. It's coaching and players, across the board."

And now maybe a change at quarterback because of another early-season injury.

Jacksonville 2005 all over again, Jets fans?

You'll soon find out.

[Kentucky Jet]

Pennington won't let injury stop him

BY KATIE STRANG | caitlin.strang@newsday.com

September 10, 2007

With preseason rumblings of a quarterback controversy, Jets fans worried about Chad Pennington having to carry the weight of the team on a set of already-weakened shoulders. Now they have to worry about the durability of his right ankle as well.

During the third quarter, a blocking miscue by left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson led to a blind-side sack that left Pennington writhing on the ground in pain, then hopping toward the sideline. The Jets have not revealed the nature of the injury but Pennington's ankle and foot were taped up.

The crowd cheered as backup Kellen Clemens entered the game on third-and-long, but his first series was short-lived. He completed a 6-yard pass to Thomas Jones, forcing the Jets to punt.

"It happened so fast, I didn't have the chance to get jitters," Clemens said. "At that point, I'm just worried about Chad and hoping that he's healthy, and as I go into the game, I just want to try to make a positive play and help the team out the best I can."

Pennington returned to the field on the next drive still limping. Down 28-7, Pennington led the Jets on a nine-play, 70-yard scoring drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Laveranues Coles to pull the Jets to 28-14.

"Even though I felt unstable, I felt like I was seeing things well throughout the game and I could still get the ball to our playmakers," Pennington said. "At that point in time, we still had the threat of trying to run the football because it was still early, so I felt like I could go out there and help them."

Even though Clemens said he was happy to get some "meaningful playing time," he was disappointed about the circumstances of his 2007 debut and commended Pennington's return.

"To come back from an injury where he's limping pretty good and lead a touchdown drive like that, that's just a testament to the player that he is," Clemens said.

Echoed coach Eric Mangini: "It just shows Chad's character. He was able to work through the distraction of that injury and be very effective on that drive."

Pennington was able to gut it out on the scoring drive, but after New England kicked a 22-yard field goal to go up 31-14 with 6:51 left in the fourth quarter, Pennington said Mangini left the decision to re-enter the game in his hands. Pennington opted not to risk further injury and Clemens came in to finish the game.

"With six minutes left, down 31-14, I had to, for the first time, be brutally honest with myself as far as injuries were concerned and say without the threat of the run, I'm kind of a sitting duck back there," Pennington said.

Pennington - who will have an MRI today - was unsure about the possibility of playing next week at Baltimore, but he expects to make frequent visits to doctors this week.

"I don't know what's going to happen. I'm going to work hard," Pennington said. "That's one thing I pride myself on doing is working hard, putting my nose to the grindstone and doing everything I can to be available

[Kentucky Jet]

Patriots' Hobbs returns kickoff 108 yards

BY STEVE ZIPAY | steve.zipay@newsday.com

September 10, 2007

Even though the arc of the ball was driving him deeper into the end zone, Ellis Hobbs never considered the safe play: a touchback. Instead, as the second-half kickoff from the Jets' Mike Nugent sailed down yesterday, Hobbs decided to take a "calculated risk." In this case, the risk was rewarded.

"I was running backward and the ball continued to float," the Patriots' third-year kick returner said. "But I told myself, I'm taking them all out. They pay me for a reason: to make plays. They don't pay me to take knees. This isn't college. This isn't high school. They pay me to return the ball and they pay the guys in front of me to block."

Which is exactly what Hobbs and his return team did.

The 5-9 cornerback from Iowa State made a few cuts, sped to the left sideline and never stopped until he ended 108 yards away, a score that not only extended a 14-7 New England lead by a touchdown but set an NFL record for the longest kickoff return. The previous record was 106 yards, by Green Bay's Al Carmichael in 1966, Kansas City's Nolan Smith in 1967 and Roy Green of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979.

The play also tied the record for longest in NFL history, matching the 108-yard missed field-goal returns by Chicago's Devin Hester last season against the Giants and the Bears' Nathan Vasher the previous season against San Francisco.

David Bowens was the only Jet who had a legitimate chance to stop Hobbs. "I just missed the tackle," he said. "You can put that one on me."

Bowens said he expected Hobbs to take a knee, and it might have led to a split-second letdown. He also said Hobbs' decision to return the kick was as insulting as the touchdown was deflating.

"You have to take it as a slap in the face," he said. "It says what they think about our coverage team."

The play, which was preceded by a Patriots touchdown late in the first half, sent a close game on its way to a rout.

Against the Texans last Dec. 17, Hobbs scored his first NFL touchdown on a 93-yard return. In the offseason, he decided to be more aggressive.

Hobbs initially was unaware of his record-setting trek. "They told me afterward," he said. "I'm very proud of that. But if I had thought about it, I never would have taken it out."

Run to glory

Comparing Ellis Hobbs' record kickoff return against the Jets with the other longest returns in NFL history

KICKOFF

108: Ellis Hobbs, New England vs. Jets, yesterday

PUNT

103: Robert Bailey, L.A. Rams vs. New Orleans, Oct. 23, 1994

INTERCEPTION

106: Ed Reed, Baltimore vs. Cleveland, Nov. 7, 2004

104: Jack Tatum, Oakland vs. Green Bay, Sept. 24, 1972

Aeneas Williams, Arizona vs. Washington, Nov. 5, 2000

MISSED FIELD GOAL

108: Devin Hester, Chicago vs. Giants, Nov. 12, 2006

Nathan Vasher, Chicago vs. San Francisco, Nov. 13, 2005

Source: NFL record book

[Kentucky Jet]

GRADING THE JETS

BY TOM ROCK

September 10, 2007

OFFENSE

C-

There's nothing lower than an F, but the Jets might deserve a G for "guts" based solely on Chad Pennington's return to the game after suffering what looked like a devastating ankle injury. There were a few bright spots, including two touchdown passes to Laveranues Coles, but when the crowd goes nuts for a 12-yard run from the big running back acquisition, there's something missing. The offensive line has issues as both tackles were beaten for sacks and there never was much of a hole for Thomas Jones to go through.

DEFENSE

D

An inability to put pressure on the quarterback matched with an inability to cover the receivers made for a long day as the Patriots churned out 297 passing yards. The Pats obviously realized that they could keep extra bodies on the line of scrimmage for protection and still have their receivers - mostly Randy Moss, who looked more like a Viking than a Raider - beat the attempts at coverage. Moss' 51-yard touchdown reception was the epitome of the strategy. With three Jets defenders surrounding him, he still was able to make the catch as Tom Brady had time for the long crossing route to develop.

SPECIAL TEAMS

F

Few things are as deflating to a team as having the second-half kickoff returned for a touchdown. Players' eyes have barely re-adjusted to the sunlight, the defense is ready to take the field, and zip, there goes a quick seven points. Automatic F. Ben Graham put two of his five punts inside the 20, and Leon Washington made a curious decision to pick up a Patriots punt at the 1 after it was close to being downed. Washington replaced Justin Miller and had five kickoff returns for 114 yards, but the Jets never started a drive beyond their 34.

COACHING

D

WR Jerricho Cotchery said he thought everybody slept pretty well Saturday night because they were so confident in the game plan. Last night's slumber was likely not as pleasant. With four months to prepare for the game, the Jets couldn't figure out a way to get pressure on the quarterback ... which was so important in their regular-season win over the Pats last year. With the exception of the first TD pass to Coles in which he came out of the backfield and the first QB sneak by Pennington that gave the Jets a first down, the Patriots always seemed to be a step ahead of the Jets.

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets Q & A: What's up with running game, rookies?

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

September 10, 2007

Is Thomas Jones a bust?

Well, let's not go crazy. Yesterday's subpar showing might not be typical, considering it was against a very good defense and that right calf injury might not be 100 percent healed. The new Jets running back ran for just 42 yards on 14 attempts for an average of 3.0 per carry. But take away his long of 12 yards and the average dips to 2.3. After rushing for more than 1,200 yards in back-to-back seasons, it seemed as if Jones would have trouble reaching 12 yards total. In the first half he had six carries for 2 yards.

Why not go for it on fourth-and-inches?

It was a little early for statements on the first drive of the season, and the Jets seemed to make the right call when they punted and pinned the Patriots at the 9. Had he known how easily the Pats would go 91 yards in 12 plays for the opening touchdown, Eric Mangini might have gambled.

What happened to Justin Miller?

The cornerback and kickoff returner did not re-enter the game after he was beaten by Randy Moss on a 33-yard pass late in the second quarter. After missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury, Miller might have aggravated it. Mangini said it was not a coaching decision that kept him out of the second half. Miller rode a stationary bike on the sideline, and after the game, his clothes still were hanging in his locker long after every other player had left, suggesting he might have been undergoing medical evaluation. Leon Washington took over as kickoff returner and had five of them for 114 yards.

How did Darrelle Revis play?

The Patriots must think as highly of Revis as the Jets did when they traded up to draft him in April because they stayed away from the rookie corner for the most part. Or maybe the Patriots were just having too much fun picking on the rest of the secondary. Revis finished with seven tackles and was the only Jets cornerback able to at least slow down Moss.

How did Jacob Bender play?

Funny thing about that. The rookie offensive lineman who was the starting left guard for the second half of the preseason was listed as inactive in his first real NFL game. That must have been a bummer for his parents, who drove up from Maryland on their Harleys to see the game. Perhaps all that playing time the last few weeks was gamesmanship. If it was, Mangini must have laughed out loud at every article proclaiming Bender the starter. Adrien Clarke got the start at left guard and didn't have any glaring miscues.

[Kentucky Jet]

Pennington Is Hurt in a Punishing Loss

By KAREN CROUSE

Published: September 10, 2007

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Sept. 9

[Kentucky Jet]

Moss Stuns Jets to Put Doubts to Rest

By JUDY BATTISTA

Published: September 10, 2007

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Sept. 9

[Kentucky Jet]

A nightmarish start

Jets take hurting from Patriots, and not only on scoreboard

Monday, September 10, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

In one afternoon, the Jets saw an entire off-season of sweat and abiding by their core values translate into nothing but an old-fashioned butt kicking -- a 38-14 dismantling by the rival New England Patriots -- and the possible loss of quarterback Chad Pennington.

On the scale of 1 to 10, yesterday's setback was an 11.

Maybe if the Jets had paid veteran left guard Pete Kendall the $1 million he wanted, the offensive line wouldn't be shaky -- and Pennington wouldn't have had to bunny hop to the sidelines, slamming his helmet to the ground in frustration after suffering a right ankle injury in the third quarter. Pennington, who returned to the game, walked out of Giants Stadium with a slight limp and will likely undergo an MRI.

"I have no idea," Pennington said when asked if he'll play against the Ravens on Sunday. "The doctors are taking a look at it. I'm sure I'll see them frequently this week."

Maybe if the Jets had famed boxing trainer/special assistant Teddy Atlas on the sidelines they could have fought their way through to put a glove on Tom Brady. The Patriots quarterback wasn't sacked, and he completed 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Brady found new favorite target Randy Moss nine times for 183 yards and a touchdown.

Maybe if coach Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick would just share a beverage and talk things out, Belichick wouldn't have still been piling on late in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots, who reloaded in a big way this off-season with Moss, wide receiver Wes Welker (who caught another TD from Brady) and linebacker Adalius Thomas, unloaded on the Jets at Giants Stadium in a season opener that ended any doubt of the Jets having closed the gap on their bitter rivals.

Oh, by the way, the Patriots were without Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour and bone-rattling safety Rodney Harrison.

Nonetheless, New England held the Jets to 60 yards rushing -- Thomas Jones gained 42 yards on 14 carries -- and compiled a whopping 431 yards total offense while adding an NFL-record 108-yard kickoff return by Ellis Hobbs to start the second half for good measure.

"To be home and lose the way we did, it was definitely embarrassing," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "Their acquisitions looked good."

"As players, we have to look at ourselves individually and ask, 'Did you play the best game that you could play today? Did you man up or did you get whooped?'" wide receiver Laveranues Coles said.

"It's very disappointing," guard Brandon Moore said. "The thing about this game is we have 15 more games. We'll be okay. We'll move on like other teams after losses."

But the Jets might have to move on without Pennington, the one player they can't afford to lose despite the encouraging preseason by second-year pro Kellen Clemens. Pennington (16 of 21 for 167 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) was injured early in the third quarter with the Jets trailing 21-7. On a second-and-12 from the Patriots' 41, he was sacked by Jarvis Green, who beat left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and his right ankle got caught in the turf as Green twisted him to the ground.

Pennington, who was sacked four times, tried to get up twice and fell in pain before hopping to the sidelines on his left leg.

"I didn't know what to think," said Pennington, who has suffered a wrist injury and two rotator cuff injuries in his eight-year career. "I've never experienced a lower leg injury."

Pennington sat out the remainder of the series, had his ankle taped and asked to return for the next series. Limping and in obvious pain, he completed 4 of 5 passes for 43 yards while leading the Jets on a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown pass to Laveranues Coles (7 catches, 59 yards, 2 TDs) that pulled the Jets within 28-14 with 2:19 left in the third quarter.

But the Patriots responded with a 10-minute, 28-second drive that was capped by a 22-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski to seal the game. Pennington then took himself out of the game.

"For the first time (in his NFL career) I had to be brutally honest with myself as far as injuries are concerned and say without the threat of the run, I'm kind of a sitting duck back there," Pennington said. "I didn't feel it would be smart for me or my teammates to go back in."

Trailing 14-7 at the half, the Jets kicked off and Mike Nugent boomed the ball eight yards deep into the end zone. Hobbs caught the ball and raced out of the end zone. Racing across the field, he broke a tackle by David Bowens near the 25-yard line and was off. He reached the end zone untouched.

"If there's anybody to blame, blame me," Bowens said. "They didn't bring me here to miss tackles and it's not going to happen again. ... We didn't set the tone for the second half. Put that on Bowens."

After a Jets punt, Moss put the game away on a 51-yard touchdown strike from Brady in which he ran all the way across the field to snag a deep ball near the goal line and fall into the end zone for a 28-7 lead with 7:01 left in the third quarter. The Patriots coasted home.

"I don't know anything about a gap," Coles said of the Jets not gaining ground on the Patriots. "We still get to play them again. This was one ballgame, one out of 16. You make your own decisions. It was one game."

Problem is, it didn't feel like only one game.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets let Brady sit back and relax

Monday, September 10, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sat in the pocket so long yesterday against the Jets, he had time to, well, change a diaper.

Brady, a new father, raised his record to 11-2 against the Jets as he practically went untouched while completing 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

On a 51-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss, who caught the ball over three Jet defenders, Brady had time for Moss to run deep and then race all the way across the field to catch the pass.

"They max protected," Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "There's not much you can do. They kept eight in to block three."

Pressuring Brady has been the key to beating him for the Jets. In their victory last season, they sacked him four times and repeatedly blitzed him. They blitzed him at times yesterday but it wasn't an intense as in the game they won.

Part of the reason the Jets didn't come after Brady is they couldn't shut down the Patriots running game -- yet again. New England rushed for 134 yards behind Laurence Maroney (20 carries, 72 yards) and Sammy Morris (11 carries, 54 yards).

On the sidelines, Eric Mangini was visibly upset with defensive coordinator Bob Sutton and throughout the game seemed to get more involved in the defensive calls.

Patriots KR Ellis Hobbs admitted he never thought about taking a knee before his NFL-record 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half. Hobbs broke away from David Bowens at the 25-yard line and no Jets came close as he raced to the end zone to give the Patriots a 21-7 lead.

"I knew it was a risk," Hobbs said. "But this isn't college or high school. They pay me to return kicks, not kneel the ball. I didn't even think about kneeling the ball."

The previous record was 106 yards, done three times. The last was the Cardinals' Roy Green against the Cowboys in 1979.

The Jets' running game was a no-show as it managed 60 yards on 19 carries, including just 42 yards on 14 bruising carries by Thomas Jones.

"I felt pretty sharp," Jones said. "Unfortunately, we were behind and didn't get a chance to run the ball as much as we could have."

Said right guard Brandon Moore: "They're a tough team to run against. A lot of teams have trouble against them. They take pride in stopping the run."

In a stunning development, rookie left guard Jacob Bender not only didn't start, he was inactive. Veteran Adrien Clarke started and played the entire game.

Bender wasn't injured. The feeling in the organization is he's simply not ready and Clarke, who started four games with the Eagles in 2005, gives the Jets the best chance to win right now.

CB Andre Dyson, FB Darian Barnes, S Eric Smith, TE Jason Pociask and rookie WR Chasi Stuckey were also inactive.

The Patriots didn't target rookie cornerback Darrelle Revis as expected. Revis started in place of the injured Dyson (leg/foot) and likely has taken his job. Revis was beaten on only one noteworthy play, a leaping 13-yard grab by Moss late in the fourth quarter that set up the Patriots' final touchdown.

"It surprised me a little bit," Revis said.

Bill Belichick exchanged a weak, drive-by postgame handshake with Eric Mangini.... CB/KR Justin Miller suffered an undisclosed injury in the second half.... Free-agent DE Kenyon Coleman led the Jets with 12 tackles, 10 solo.... The last time the Jets played the Patriots on opening day at home, they lost quarterback Vinny Testaverde for the season with an Achilles' tendon injury in 1999 season.... Patriots WR Wes Welker (six catches, 61 yards) was a factor.

[Kentucky Jet]

Moss back with a vengeance

Monday, September 10, 2007

BY M.A. MEHTA

Star-Ledger Staff

When he breezed past three defenders, turning back the clock to his heyday when nothing -- and no one -- could stop him, Randy Moss let the Jets and the rest of the football world in on a little secret: Rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated.

The mercurial wide receiver -- languishing in the NFL margin (aka -- Oakland) for the past two years -- played no favorites, torching just about every member of the Jets secondary en route to nine-catch, 183-yard explosion in the Patriots' 38-14 rout of their AFC East rivals.

Moss' no-he-didn't 51-yard touchdown catch -- when he blew by David Barrett, Erick Coleman and Jonathan Vilma on a deep crossing route -- punctuated his memorable Patriots debut.

"He just ran away from the defense," said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns. "That wasn't exactly the way we drew it up, but maybe we should draw it up that way."

Moss showed no lingering effects of a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the entire preseason, displaying the skills that made him one of the most feared playmakers in the game a few years back. The mystery surrounding Moss' injury didn't turn out to be a mystery at all: Everyone was duped.

"Evidently," said Jets safety Kerry Rhodes, "He was fresh."

Moss, plucked from the Raiders in the off-season for the bargain-basement price of a fourth-round pick, admitted he didn't realize that three defenders in the secondary were trailing him on the play that gave the Patriots a 28-7 cushion with 7:11 left in the third quarter.

"I don't really pay attention to things that are behind me," Moss said. "I just wanted to showcase my talents."

Just how dominating was the five-time Pro Bowler?

Moss beat the Jets in every way possible, burning the secondary on crossing routes (see: Barrett), go routes (see: Justin Miller) and leaping over defenders (see: Darrelle Revis). Labeled a selfish malcontent by former teammates through the years, Moss has quickly endeared himself to his new teammates.

"He fits in so well," Brady said. "He's been a great leader for this team. He's very unselfish."

Moss's first-half 33-yard catch -- when he easily fought through Miller's jam at the line of scrimmage -- prompted Jets coach Eric Mangini to have a chat with Miller on the field during the two-minute warning.

"What did you expect?" Patriots running back Laurence Maroney (20 carries for 72 yards) said. "That's Randy Moss. You wouldn't expect nothing less from the guy."

Moss, who admitted he had some pregame nerves, is just one of the new targets at Brady's disposal. Wes Welker hauled in 6 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown for an offense that looked scary-good at times. Brady picked apart the Jets defense all afternoon, spreading the ball to seven different receivers.

"It's like a kid who gets new toys for Christmas, but can't open it," Moss said. "Basically that's what (happened for) Tom with me being hurt. ... He didn't really have all his toys to play with. Now that he has all the toys to play with, man, the sky's the limit for us."

M.A. Mehta may be reached at mmehta@starledger.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets at a Glance

Monday, September 10, 2007

BY BRENDAN PRUNTY

Star-Ledger Staff

Q&A

How much does this season hinge on Pennington's ankle?

Entirely. If Chad Pennington's right ankle isn't completely healthy, there's a really good chance that the Jets can kiss this season goodbye. Kellen Clemens has been anointed as the next coming of Joe Namath (or something like that) by the Jets faithful, his only significant product came in the preseason, when team aren't exactly playing to their max potential. Fact is when Pennington is in the lineup, the Jets' chances of making the playoffs are significantly better.

Is that offensive line going to get any better?

It better. Otherwise, whichever quarterback the Jets line up behind center -- Pennington, Clemens, Namath, Glenn Foley -- he likely won't make it through the game. The five turnstiles that the Jets lined up against the Patriots' aggressive front seven did next to nothing to help keep their quarterbacks clean. For the better part of the game, the Patriots spent more time in the Jets backfield than they did on their side of the field. The Pats had five sacks on the day.

How did Thomas Jones do in his first game?

Do you really want to know the answer to this one? In the first half, the new Jets running back mustered only two yards. Things got better in the third quarter, where we finally got a glimpse of the player the Jets thought they were getting when he ran for 40 yards in the quarter. But still, 42 yards -- even against a defense like New England's, just won't get the job done at all.

Can someone explain why Tom Brady's jersey had nary a blemish on it?

That might be the biggest reason why the Patriots took it to the Jets yesterday. Tom Brady had absolutely ALL DAY to throw the football. The Jets got zero pressure on him and he made them pay for it repeatedly. Brady had all day to find Randy Moss on that 51-yard touchdown pass. And if you took a look at the replays, nearly every time a Jet defender tried to penetrate the Patriots offensive line, they were met with two blockers.

SPINNING HIS WHEELS

Thomas Jones' Jets debut didn't get off to a great start. Here's a look at his first day: Carry, yards, total:

1;2;2

2;;1;;3

3;;0;;3

4;1;4

5;2;6

6;-4;2

7;3;5

8;12;17

9;1;18

10;-2;16

11;10;26

12;4;30

13;2;32

14;10;42

DID YOU NOTICE?

Ellis Hobbs' 108-yard kickoff return to begin the second half was the longest kick return in NFL history. The previous record was 106 yards, by former St. Louis Cardinal Roy Green, who returned a kickoff 106 yards on Oct. 21, 1979 against the Cowboys. ... Giants Stadium is the only NFL stadium to have multiple touchdown returns of over 100 yards. Last year, Chicago Bears KR Devin Hester returned a missed field goal for 108 yard. ... Wide receiver Laveranues Coles' first touchdown came with him lining up out of the backfield on a screen route. He snuck behind the Patriot defenders and hauled in the score. ... The Jets' first penalty of the game came with less than a minute remaining in the first half. ... At the half, New England had more than double the total yards (224) of the Jets (100). The Pats finished with 431 to the Jets 227. ... On the series after Pennington returned to the lineup after his injury, he went 4-for-5 for 43 yards and a touchdown to Coles. ... The Patriots scored five touchdowns, all with different players.

NEXT WEEK

at RAVENS

SUNDAY, 4:15 P.M. -- M&T BANK STADIUM -- Ch. 2

LAST MEETING: Ravens 13-3 on Oct. 2, 2005

WHY THIS IS A GOOD MATCHUP FOR THE JETS: Steve McNair isn't the Air McNair of old. If the Jets can rattle him, they've got a chance.

WHY THIS ISN'T A GOOD MATCHUP FOR THE JETS: Umm ... where do we start? The best defense in the league against a limping QB and a bad offensive line. And Willis McGahee, who absolutely shreds the Jets. In six career games, he's rushed for 705 yards and three TDs.

PREDICTION: Ravens 27, Jets 6

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets creamed in opening game loss

Monday, September 10, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Benjamin Watson made an inside move as he released past Jonathan Vilma, and the New England tight end was just beyond the Jets' linebacker when he made a diving catch of Tom Brady's pass for a 5-yard second-quarter touchdown.

That snapshot perfectly illustrated once again the dynamic between these two teams. New England still is a step ahead.

Actually, the distance appears to be growing, judging by Sunday's result. The Patriots dominated the Jets in all three phases of the game on their way to a season-opening 38-14 victory at Giants Stadium. The game was marred by Chad Pennington's third-quarter ankle injury, and his status for the next game is in doubt.

"I didn't know anything about a gap," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said of the Jets and Patriots. "We still get to play them again. ... This was one ballgame, one out of 16. If we had just beaten them twice, but were 2-14, would we be good or would we be awful? You make your own decisions. It was one game."

Bottom line

Jets still can't measure up to the Patriots, who have won 11 of the last 13 meetings.

Best move

Ellis Hobbs not taking a knee, and instead returning the second-half kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown and an NFL record.

What was he thinking?

GM Mike Tannenbaum for trading disgruntled guard Pete Kendall, whose veteran presence was sorely missed.

Bright spot

Thomas Jones averaged only 3.0 yards a carry, but broke three runs for double-digit yards and looked healthy.

Look ahead

Will hobbling Chad Pennington (ankle) be available when the Jets visit the Ravens on Sunday? Baltimore opens against Cincinnati tonight.

-- J.P. Pelzman

* * *

GREEN MACHINE

One very disappointing game for the Jets.

"We had a good plan," coach Eric Mangini said, "but we didn't execute the plan as well as it should have been executed. That's all of us, it's coaching and players, across the board."

The Jets had brought in two former Patriots for interviews in the past two weeks, and even signed another one to their practice squad. But information gained apparently wasn't enough for the Jets to gain an advantage in this one-sided AFC East rivalry. In fact, the Jets never had the advantage Sunday.

New England scored first, but the Jets managed to tie it at 7 with 4:15 left in the second quarter on the first of two Pennington touchdown passes to Coles, a nifty 7-yarder in the left flat. The Jets' momentum lasted about as long as a typical Mangini-Bill Belichick postgame conversation, however.

Tom Brady, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, directed a nine-play, 73-yard drive capped by Watson's diving catch with 1:07 left in the first half. Brady, who wasn't sacked, had enough time in the pocket to plan out his infant son's college fund.

"With a quarterback like that," linebacker Bryan Thomas said, "you can't give him time in the pocket or he'll pick you apart."

Especially with a receiver such as the rejuvenated Randy Moss, acquired in a trade with Oakland in April. Moss had nine receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown and twice burned third-year cornerback Justin Miller, who had been sidelined with a hamstring injury until returning Sunday. Mangini had a conversation with him on the field after Miller was beaten by Moss for a 33-yard gain on the last play before the two-minute warning.

"We were just talking about the way we wanted to play that defense moving forward," Mangini explained. "It had nothing to do with being angry at him about that play."

Miller didn't return after that, although Mangini indicated the reason was "medical."

Said Mangini: "It was not coaching-based."

The second half began with Ellis Hobbs' NFL-record 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead. The only drama after that was of the human variety, provided when Pennington went down with a sprained right ankle after being sacked by New England's Jarvis Green during the first series of the third quarter.

An obviously hurting Pennington hopped off the field under his own power, but had to hop on his left leg to do that. He came back and led a touchdown drive before pulling himself from the game in the fourth quarter. He walked out of the stadium with a noticeable limp.

"I have no idea," Pennington said when asked if he would miss time because of the injury. "I'm sure I'll see the doctors frequently this week and we'll see what happens."

If Pennington can't go, Kellen Clemens would start against Baltimore on Sunday as the Jets try to avoid an 0-2 start.

"It's definitely embarrassing," strong safety Kerry Rhodes said. "[but] we're a strong group. We're going to bounce back [today] and go back to work."

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com

[Kentucky Jet]

O'Connor: Risking Chad a painful call

Monday, September 10, 2007

By IAN O'CONNOR

RECORD COLUMNIST

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Athletes have not cornered the market on sophomore slumps. Only months after their Rookie of the Year work on the sidelines, brainiac coaches wired to high-tech headsets can get dumb and dumber in an opening-day snap.

Eric Mangini could have gotten his quarterback seriously injured Sunday. On one leg, down 21 points to a vastly superior New England team, Chad Pennington had no business being on the Giants Stadium field.

It didn't matter that Pennington said he could return to the game, or that a doctor employed by the team agreed with the quarterback's assessment.

It didn't matter that Pennington -- bogged down by the makeshift boot guarding his battered right ankle -- did his Willis Reed and Kirk Gibson best in leading the Jets to a touchdown, and that he proved worthy of wearing Curt Schilling's bloodied sock on the drive.

It mattered only that the Jets' most important player was put in serious jeopardy by a coach who should've known better. A lot better.

How did Mangini imperil Pennington's health? Let's count the ways.

1. He stripped Pete Kendall of his scholarship. Way to go, Coach. Save your billionaire owner a million bucks and get your franchise quarterback killed in the process.

2. He watched Jarvis Green crunch and twist Pennington's body as if it were held together by Play-Doh. He watched Pennington twice fall to the field as he staggered away from the pile, watched him roll in agony and do a one-legged hop toward the bench, watched him slam down his helmet with a two-fisted fury, and still decided he was good to go in a game that would see Pennington sacked four times.

3. He had a hobbling, wobbling Pennington in there when Brian Schottenheimer actually ordered a quarterback sneak at the Patriots' 2-yard line. Pennington angrily spiked the ball after he was plowed into the turf, and in the losing locker room, the offensive coordinator was sitting with the quarterback at his stall. If Schottenheimer wasn't apologizing, he should've been.

"At that time coaches are going to try to call the plays to help us win," Pennington said. "And if I'm out there, I'm saying that I can run our plays."

This was the quarterback's way of taking one for the team.

Pennington did make one telling admission in his postgame news conference, acknowledging that he removed himself from the game with 6:51 to play, New England up 17.

He knew the Patriots wouldn't have to sweat the run. He knew he'd be, in his words, "a sitting duck back there."

He knew Mangini -- desperate to contain this Belichickian humiliation -- likely would've sent him into the fray to absorb another round of rib-rattling hits. The quarterback had no choice but to call a most unlikely audible: He put himself on the bench.

"That was the first time I've ever done that," Pennington said.

Mangini should've never put him in that position. The coach swore that "player safety is important to us," but he had the funniest way of showing it.

"We wouldn't put a guy back in," Mangini maintained, "in a situation where we felt he would be at risk."

Risk? Bill Belichick loathed everything about the Jets even before they poached a valued assistant from his staff. Belichick has no use for Mangini, though their postgame handshake was a slight upgrade on the wet-noodle exchanges of the past.

That's why Belichick had Tom Brady throwing passes to Randy Moss in garbage time, when he also put Junior Seau in the backfield and challenged an official's call.

Yes, Belichick acted recklessly when he exposed Brady and Moss to injury in a game already decided. The quarterback and his new best friend hooked up for 183 of Brady's 297 passing yards, and Belichick would've had a lot of explaining to do if one of them went down.

But the New England coach wanted so badly to run up the score on the Jets that he decided to take the gamble. A safe bet says that if Belichick saw a chance to inflict additional damage on Pennington's body in the fourth quarter, he would've taken it.

The quarterback's health was hardly the Jets' only problem. Their pass rushers gave Brady enough time in the pocket to do what he was doing outside his locker room two hours before game time: jumping rope.

Their defensive backs looked hopelessly small and slow in the vicinity of Moss. Their kickoff coverage team allowed Ellis Hobbs an NFL-record 108-yard return. Their new running back, Thomas Jones, gained a grand sum of 42 yards.

Would Kendall's presence have saved the Jets from this 0-1 start? Probably not. But with the help he'd normally give D'Brickashaw Ferguson, help the tackle wasn't getting from Adrien Clarke, maybe Green wouldn't have fallen on Pennington like a ton of Bricks.

Jets fans cheered when Kellen Clemens replaced Pennington, and no, they didn't cheer when Tom Tupa replaced a fallen Vinny Testaverde in the opener eight years back.

The fans greeted Pennington's return with respectful applause. They know he's played with a torn rotator cuff. They know he's won more games than his limited physical tools suggested he'd ever win.

"They just asked me if I could go back in," Pennington said, "and I said, 'Yes.' "

The question wouldn't have been posed by a coach using common sense.

Now Pennington's status is much like his team's: in doubt. At the start of his second season, the Mangini scorecard reads like this:

Too much man, not enough genie.

[Kentucky Jet]

Record run stops Jets in their tracks

Monday, September 10, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Mike Nugent's increased leg strength gave Ellis Hobbs a chance to set an NFL record.

Nugent, the Jets' kicker, had only two touchbacks in 2006, and added 10 pounds during the off-season to give him more length on his kickoffs. His second-half kickoff should've been a touchback, considering Hobbs caught it 8 yards deep in the end zone.

But Hobbs elected to bring it out. And out. And out. The third-year cornerback took it an NFL-record 108 yards for a backbreaking touchdown that gave New England a 14-point lead en route to its 38-14 victory over the Jets at Giants Stadium on Sunday.

"I knew it was a risk," Hobbs said, "but this isn't college or high school. They pay me to return kicks, not kneel the ball. I didn't even think about kneeling the ball."

Hobbs benefited from good blocking on the play, but the Jets had their chances to stop him before he reached his own 25. Justin McCareins didn't take the proper angle, however, and wound up chasing Hobbs in vain. And David Bowens couldn't bring Hobbs down with an attempted arm tackle near the New England 20. Hobbs got past Bowens and broke into the clear down the left sideline.

"I just missed the tackle," said Bowens, a former Dolphin who signed with the Jets as a free agent in March. "They didn't bring me in here to miss tackles. That won't happen again. ... It was a bad play by Bowens."

"Records are meant to be broken," Hobbs said. "The most important part is everyone continued to play the game. No one looked back. They kept blocking."

Hobbs' return eclipsed the record of 106 yards, accomplished three times -- by Al Carmichael of Green Bay in 1966, Nolan Smith of Kansas City in 1967 and Roy Green of the Cardinals in 1979. He also tied the record of longest play. Chicago's Devin Hester (2006) and Nathan Vasher (2005) each returned a missed field goal attempt 108 yards for a score.

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets notebook

Monday, September 10, 2007

Jones debuts

Thomas Jones showed some flashes of the form that led the Jets to acquire him from Chicago in March. He had three runs of 10 yards or more, yet still finished with only 42 yards on 14 carries as there were very few holes to run through. Jones missed the last three preseason games because of a strained right calf suffered in practice Aug. 12, and he was limited in practice in the week leading up to this game.

"I felt pretty sharp. I felt good physically," Jones said. "I felt like I ran hard. Unfortunately, we were behind and didn't get a chance to run the ball as much as we could have. But we just have to forget about this loss and move on to the next week against Baltimore."

Moss burns Jets

Randy Moss (hamstring) missed even more of the preseason than Jones. He hadn't played in any preseason games before starting Sunday, but certainly didn't look rusty with nine receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown.

"The biggest thing that I wanted to focus on this week," he said, "was making sure my mind was fresh and tough enough to play because I hadn't played this season. I didn't want to let my team down or put them back, so I just wanted to go out, see what I had and give them my all."

O-line struggles

The Jets allowed five sacks, including four of Chad Pennington. Jarvis Green's third-quarter sack resulted in a right ankle injury for Pennington. On the play, Green beat second-year left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who had his problems without veteran Pete Kendall alongside him. Third-year player Adrien Clarke was the semi-surprise starter at left guard, with rookie Jacob Bender inactive.

"We have to go out there and execute better," Ferguson said. "Obviously, the Patriots are a great team. I made some mistakes and there were some other mistakes made that we need to clean up."

Kellen Clemens was 5-for-10 for 35 yards in place of Pennington, and notched his first NFL completions. He was 0-for-1 last season.

-- J.P. Pelzman

[Kentucky Jet]

Catch 22

Whatever Defense Does, Patriots Have An Answer

By DAVID HEUSCHKEL | Courant Staff Writer

September 10, 2007

: EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Patriots quarterback Tom Brady barely had a hand laid on him or in his face Sunday. Randy Moss, one of his new weapons, gave an untouchable performance as well in a 38-14 victory over the Jets at the Meadowlands.

Brady completed 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn't sacked or pressured out of the pocket.

A number of times Brady stood in the pocket and had a ridiculous amount of time to pick a target. His favorite was Moss, who had a game-high nine receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown.

"I don't need to revitalize," Moss said, taking exception to a question about his career. "Everybody knows who I am. I don't need to revitalize nothing."

Wes Welker, another new Patriots receiver, caught six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown.

"I'm really proud of the way the team prepared," Brady said. "We were prepared for whatever they threw at us."

The Jets didn't seem prepared for Brady and Moss, who caught all nine passes thrown his way, beating single and double coverage. He even beat triple coverage, hauling in a perfectly thrown 51-yard touchdown pass with three defensive backs trying to keep up. That made it 28-7 in the third quarter.

"I was looking at it and I was like, `Oh man, it's going to be overthrown,' and it was like he just put it in another gear," Patriots receiver Jabar Gaffney said. "He blew past everybody."

But that wasn't even the play of the game. Ellis Hobbs returned the opening kickoff in the second half 108 yards for a touchdown, setting an NFL record.

It was the third time in four games that Patriots coach Bill Belichick beat his one-time prot

[aec4]

Shaun Ellis is full of it. They blitzed, it just did squat... and if they kept in 8, that leaves 2 WR. If we rushed 3, we had 8 guys to cover 2, and we couldn't do it?

[serphnx]

Shaun Ellis is full of it. They blitzed, it just did squat... and if they kept in 8, that leaves 2 WR. If we rushed 3, we had 8 guys to cover 2, and we couldn't do it?

And considering it seemed Revis shut down his man 1 on 1, that means we had 7 on the other guy that kept killing us? Nah, I don't believe that one bit.

Ellis is a fat lazy ****. I don't know why we still have him. Coles calls it like it is, I think Ellis is just trying to cover his ass. Maybe we can trade him for someone that shows up.

[Jetfan13]

And considering it seemed Revis shut down his man 1 on 1, that means we had 7 on the other guy that kept killing us? Nah, I don't believe that one bit.

Ellis is a fat lazy ****. I don't know why we still have him. Coles calls it like it is, I think Ellis is just trying to cover his ass. Maybe we can trade him for someone that shows up.

\

that is so dumb...