NY Jets News Articles Tuesday, 10/2

[Kentucky Jet]

NY Daily News

Jets keep cool after loss to Bills is hot topic

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Tuesday, October 2nd 2007, 4:00 AM

Emotional aftermath of the Jets' alarming loss to the Bills can be summarized in three words: Emotion? What emotion?

Following Eric Mangini's lead, the Jets took a clinical approach yesterday as they tried to explain a 17-14 defeat that would've left many teams spitting mad. They sounded like accountants, not football players. There were no temper tantrums, no bold declarations about righting the season.

"It's a different environment," Laveranues Coles said. "Anytime you're in an environment like ours, I don't think there's going to be fire or anything like that. Different coaches have different styles."

Is Mangini's buttoned-down style good or bad? Well, it depends if you like your football served cold or on a sizzling platter. Mangini never wavers in his approach, win or lose. He learned it from his mentor-turned-enemy, Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who has achieved a fair amount of success with his stoic demeanor.

Barring an upset, Mangini won't deliver a "You-play-to-the-win-the-game" speech, a la Herm Edwards, as the Jets (1-3) prepare to face the Giants Sunday in a virtual must-win. Asked if he could envision a chair-throwing episode by Mangini, Jerricho Cotchery smiled.

"No, I can't see that," cracked Cotchery, saying the Jets can maintain a business-like atmosphere because "the entire coaching staff has the identity of the head coach. That's a good thing."

The Jets had plenty to be angry about after a dreadful performance against the previously winless Bills, who employed a first-time rookie starter at quarterback (Trent Edwards) and a defense missing seven of its top 16 players. Showing no killer instinct, the Jets committed nine penalties and two fourth-quarter turnovers, both interceptions by Chad Pennington.

But no one stood up and declared, "We stunk." Mostly, the players gave props to the Bills, which seemed rather curious. Then again, candor is discouraged under Mangini. The closest anyone came to raw honesty was Chris Baker, who acknowledged the offensive failings and suggested that changes might be needed. "We need to put more points on the board," the veteran tight end said. "We have enough talent on offense to do that. For us to score 14 points against that team ... we should've scored more points (Sunday). Obviously, we have to start doing something different to put more points on the board."

At the one-quarter pole, the Jets rank 20th in scoring offense (18 points per game) and 28th in total offense (283 yards). Pennington is the fifth-rated passer in the league (105.8), but his passing isn't leading to points. The revamped running game, featuring former Bear Thomas Jones, has been a bust. Mangini is known for putting players on the hot seat during the film-review sessions, but he apparently took it easy on them yesterday. Cotchery described the session as "more of an encouraging thing."

Actually, Mangini shared an anecdote with the team from former Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, who stopped by the Jets' offices last week to visit his son, Brian, the offensive coordinator.

The elder Schottenheimer told Mangini that, as a linebacker, he once missed an easy sack on Joe Namath and let it affect him for the rest of the game, hurting his team. Moral of the story: Don't let one bad play ruin any others. With that in mind, Mangini showed the Jets a handful of plays from Sunday's game, pointing out small mistakes that could've been avoided. "It wasn't a function of assigning blame," he said. "It was just a function of showing how, at any point, slight execution can dramatically affect the outcome of a game."

[Kentucky Jet]

Giants sack prowess gets Jets attention

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Tuesday, October 2nd 2007, 4:00 AM

The Jets arrived home from Buffalo Sunday night just in time to catch the second half of the Giants' 12-sack destruction of the Eagles.

Obviously, it got their attention. Over the next few days, the Jets will have to figure out a way to protect Chad Pennington from the same onslaught.

"That's a good day," understated Eric Mangini, who will get his first taste of the Jets-Giants rivalry Sunday, the regular-season version, that is. "Those are days as a defensive coordinator you're pretty excited about. As an offensive coordinator, you remember them for a long time."

LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson will be responsible for DE Osi Umenyiora, coming off a Giant record six sacks. "As a player on the line, and as an offense, we will take note of that and be able to develop some type of scheme or plan to prevent that from occurring," Ferguson said.

GO FOURTH? Mangini said he would've gone for it on a fourth-and-1 from the Bills' 45 on the Jets' opening series, but their plan to quick-snap the ball (for a likely QB sneak) was foiled because "the window wasn't there by the time things got set up." The officials appeared to be slow in resetting the ball after the previous play. Still, why not take a gamble against the NFL's lowest-rated defense? He seemed to lack confidence in the offense, but Mangini said, "I don't think so at all." He said he respected the Bills' short-yardage defense and felt it was better to punt and pin them deep, which they did.

ROUGH CORNER: Rookie CB Darrelle Revis, who covers the slot receiver in nickel situations, was roughed up a bit by the Bills. Revis, in single coverage, took turns against Roscoe Parrish and Josh Reed, who combined for eight receptions for 97 yards. The Bills used more three-receiver formations than usual because they noticed the Jets' tendency to double the outside receivers, leaving the slot in man-to-man.

Revis said he expected it. He vowed to rebound. "I never came into a game thinking they're not going to throw at the rookie," the Jets' No. 1 pick said. "They came at me a lot. Now it's time for me to work better as a player and be able to play those guys."

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets report card

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Running game: D

Really, this should be recorded as an incomplete, as the Jets didn't try to establish the run very much. Thomas Jones rushed only five times in the second half and averaged 2.9 yards overall.

Passing game: C-minus

Plenty of yardage (Chad Pennington threw for 290) and completions (Pennington was 32-for-39, connecting on 15 straight at one point), but his two picks both were costly. The Bills' depleted secondary sat on the short routes and the Jets couldn't counter.

Run defense: B-minus

The Bills were limited to 86 yards on 28 carries, but the most vivid snapshot was rookie Marshawn Lynch's pile-driving for a 10-yard TD in the third quarter for the game's first touchdown.

Pass defense: D-plus

Yes, the Jets had two sacks of Trent Edwards plus an Andre Dyson interception, but the rookie looked far too comfortable and confident. Michael Gaines' 1-yard TD marked the second time the Jets have gotten beaten for a short touchdown pass on play action in the past three games.

Special teams: C-minus

Mike Nugent's missed 37-yard field-goal attempt was crucial, and a shanked Ben Graham punt gave the Bills a short field for their first TD drive. The Jets defended well on returns but their returns were unspectacular.

Coaching: D

Brian Schottenheimer's offensive game plan gave up on Jones very quickly and yet never tested a depleted Buffalo secondary. Eric Mangini went conservative on fourth-and-1 at the Buffalo 45 on the Jets' first drive.

-- J.P. Pelzman

[Kentucky Jet]

JETS

Short memory is best for Jets

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Eric Mangini made a point Monday of showing his players what he termed a "handful of plays" from Sunday's 17-14 loss to Buffalo.

Had the Jets made those plays, Mangini noted, "the outcome could have been different."

Yet he showed them for educational purposes, not for punishment. Mangini isn't about to start throwing chairs and overturning tables because the Jets are 1-3 after their upset loss at Buffalo on Sunday. That just isn't his style.

"It wasn't a function of assigning blame," Mangini said of the film festival, "to the players that were involved in those plays or saying that these were the only plays that were important. It was a function of showing that at any point, slight execution can dramatically affect the outcome of a game. I explained to them that I've been involved with teams that were 1-3 and were very successful. Some of these guys have been involved with a [Jets'] team that was 1-3, won the division and went to the playoffs" in 2002.

"Where you are now doesn't matter," Mangini continued. "What matters is the next week."

That next week will have the Jets "visiting" the suddenly-confident Giants, coming off a 12-sack effort in a win over Philadelphia. Of course, it was only two weeks ago that the Giants' defense was being vilified after disappointing performances in losses to Dallas and Green Bay. The Jets have allowed 11 sacks in four games.

To illustrate his point, Mangini told his players an anecdote from former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer about his playing career. Schottenheimer, a linebacker with the Bills and Patriots from 1965-70, told Mangini he once had a clear shot at Joe Namath on a blitz, but missed. Schottenheimer played poorly the rest of that drive and then realized, as he told Mangini, "I hadn't let go of that first play."

Schottenheimer, who won 200 games as an NFL coach, used that lesson throughout his career.

"We know that we have good players in this locker room," wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "We know the character of these guys. We know that these guys are going to come in and continue to work each and every day. The coaches understand that and that shows that we have a great staff."

Cotchery added that the coaches "didn't come in [Monday], beat everything into our heads and say, 'We have to do this,' and make everyone go into the dumps. They know the caliber of guys that they have in this locker room, so it's more of an encouraging thing to get this thing turned around. I think we'll be able to do so."

When asked if there was a sense of panic, fellow wideout Laveranues Coles said, "No, I don't sense that at all. Right now the main thing is just figuring it out. Nobody's pointing fingers at each other."

Certainly that's an indication of a positive attitude, but really, neither the offense nor the defense has the right to complain about the other. Against Buffalo, the Jets committed a season-high nine penalties.

"We need to do a better job with penalties," Mangini said.

As well as with plenty of other things, or else it eventually will be time to panic.

[Irish Jet]

LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson will be responsible for DE Osi Umenyiora, coming off a Giant record six sacks.

That sentence signals DOOM!!!

[Kentucky Jet]

From Newsday

Jets rookie corner Revis targeted for first time

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

October 2, 2007

For the first time in his young career, Darrelle Revis had some explaining to do.

The rookie cornerback who has started every game this season went through the first three games relatively unscathed. Quarterbacks seemed hesitant to test him, rarely forcing passes to his side of the field. It was peculiar respect for the rookie.

It took another rookie - Bills quarterback Trent Edwards, making his first NFL start - to try to beat Revis. The Jets cornerback made some good plays by forcing a fumble and knocking down a third-down pass that forced Buffalo to punt late in Sunday's 17-14 Jets loss. And he did not give up any over-the-top plays, keeping all of the action in front of him. But the Bills obviously saw him as a weak link and picked away at him throughout the game. Eleven times Edwards threw into Revis' coverage. Nine were completed for 83 yards.

The issues mounted for Revis when he was shifted inside to cover slot receivers and was, for the most part, in isolated coverage.

"Yeah, it's kind of mind-boggling in there," he said of shifting from an outside cornerback to a nickel back when the Jets loaded their secondary to cover the Bills' three- and four-receiver sets. "You just have to transition over. Switching back and forth is kind of difficult, but I have to handle it if that's what they want me to do."

Most teams keep their cornerbacks in place and bring on a specialized nickel back. The Jets have chosen to rotate Revis in substitute defenses and replace him on the outside, usually with Andre Dyson. That kind of juggling can present challenges for anyone in the NFL. For a rookie who missed the first month of training camp and never played in the slot in college, it's daunting.

"I just have to adjust to the NFL level of it and get better every day," Revis said.

Jets coach Eric Mangini, whose background is as a defensive backs coach, said covering a slot receiver is a critical component to a defense. But he said learning the position is a key element to Revis' development.

"It's the Wayne Chrebets, the Troy Browns, the Josh Reeds that are tough to cover," Mangini said, naming a few proficient slot receivers. Reed had four catches for 64 yards against the Jets. "It's a whole different world inside as opposed to outside. You've got to learn that and feel that and get used to that."

Adding to the confusion was Buffalo's use of multiple players in the slot. The quick, elusive Roscoe Parrish was also there at times, creating a different dynamic than the bigger, stronger Reed.

Revis did well when covering on the outside. He has yet to be on the wrong end of an ESPN highlight.

"The game plan, especially with Lee Evans, was to stay deep on them," Revis said. "We knew he was going to catch a couple of comebacks and we'd let him and then break on him and tackle.

"But in the slot, it's a different type of game and they took advantage of it."

The Bills opened the door on Revis, and in the NFL. that means other teams will try to get through it, as well. The Giants no doubt noticed the confusion of Revis in the slot and could try to increase it. Just as teams stayed away from Revis in the first few weeks, they may sense vulnerability and be poised to attack him. "It's something I have to keep working on," Revis said.

And he'll get plenty of opportunities to do so until he's mastered it.

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets' victory over Giants is crucial

Bob Glauber

October 2, 2007

The assumption all along was that the Jets would head into Sunday's game against the Giants with a .500 record, that the tourniquet they applied to their season with last week's win over Miami would be followed up with a layup win over an inferior Buffalo team ravaged by injuries on defense and at quarterback.

Never mind.

Instead of going into Giants Week at 2-2 and with some decent momentum from two straight division victories, the Jets find themselves at a potentially season-changing crossroads: Beat the Giants, or risk the season sliding away at 1-4.

The way this season is going, climbing out of a 1-4 hole might be next to impossible. Especially with a schedule that includes Philadelphia, Cincinnati, the Bills, the Redskins, then Pittsburgh and Dallas in the next six games.

We all knew going in that the schedule would be tougher this year for the Jets than last, when they made a stunning march to the playoffs in Eric Mangini's first year. But we also figured that with another year in Mangini's system, and with Thomas Jones in the house, we wouldn't see the kind of clunkers the Jets put on Sunday in Buffalo.

Wrong.

They were beaten by rookie quarterback Trent Edwards, who was sacked just twice as the Jets' pass rush continued to stumble. They couldn't solve a Bills defense that has been so ravaged by injuries that they've had to use the backups to the backups. That Chad Pennington could hang only 14 on a team so beaten up is cause for concern.

Mangini has been unwavering in his support for Pennington as the Jets' starter. But if this season starts to spin out of control, he may have no choice but to get a further look at second-year man Kellen Clemens, who doesn't have the experience and savvy of Pennington but possesses a live arm that Pennington never had.

It's not time to go to the kid just yet, because Pennington deserves the chance to fight his way out of this thing. But if it starts to get ugly the next few weeks, and if the Jets start to fall completely out of the playoff equation, Mangini might have to see what he's got in Clemens.

That's why Sunday is as close to a must-win for the Jets as you can get in Week 5.

Beat a Giants team flying high from Sunday night's 12-sack performance against Donovan McNabb's Eagles, and things suddenly look a lot more encouraging in the short term.

Lose, and the wheels might start to come off. And Mangini would have to deal with the first full-blown crisis of his brief head-coaching career.

The second-year coach had it all his way last year, getting to the playoffs when no one expected it. But after opening this season with Patriotgate, then losing two of his next three, Mangini will be tested big-time in the coming weeks.

He continues to maintain his even-keel approach during his news conferences - which is basically a nice way of saying he uses a lot of words while telling you absolutely nothing - and his players continue to accept his style. Mangini still has locker-room cred off what the team did last year, so the players still are solidly behind him.

But lose a few more during this next stretch, and the players will do what every other locker room does during a losing streak - look to blame someone else. That someone usually is the coach.

Tom Coughlin has had plenty of those moments with the Giants during his three-plus rocky seasons in New York, and he's had to put out a bunch of brushfires along the way.

At 0-2 this year, there was yet another mini-crisis. But the Giants emerged from the early-season wobble with two straight wins over division opponents, showing that Steve Spagnuolo's defense really can be the game-changing system they'd previously lacked. A dozen sacks against McNabb on national television, and the secret's out.

That said, there's no guarantee their two-game winning streak will translate into sustained success; we've seen plenty of examples of teams that simply don't maintain consistency over a prolonged period. But there is enough talent on both sides of the ball for the Giants to at least stay in it for a while. And maybe longer than that.

A win over the Jets, and there is a reasonable chance that the Giants will win their next three - at Atlanta, home to San Francisco, against the Dolphins in London - and go into Dallas on Nov. 11 at 6-2.

But first things first. They'll be facing a desperate team Sunday, and desperate teams are never easy to beat.

The Jets found that out the hard way in Buffalo.

Jets-Giants scouting report

An NFL scout who has seen both the Jets and Giants this season gives his report on Chad Pennington vs. the Giants' secondary:

Pennington relies mostly on timing routes, and has been very consistent over his career with his completion percentage ... Generally very accurate ... Does not possess downfield arm strength, which can be a problem when the running game doesn't do well ... Uses the sideline patterns as well as any quarterback in the game ... Giants' corners a bit inconsistent. Sam Madison has played well in spots, but doesn't have speed ... Rookie Aaron Ross had very good instincts in college. Seems to be adapting well to NFL game ... R.W. McQuarters average cover corner, best suited for nickel ... Corners and safeties need to be careful in jumping routes, because Pennington can have his receivers use double move, especially off slant patterns ... Pennington might need to test Giants deep, just to loosen up the defense ... If Giants' defensive line gets kind of penetration they did against the Eagles, then Pennington will almost have to take shorter drops to compensate ... Jets might want to consider screen passes to offset Giants' blitzes.

[Kentucky Jet]

Mangini uses Marty story to make point to Jets

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

October 2, 2007

Eric Mangini tried to refocus the team by using a 40-year-old, second-hand parable yesterday.

He said he told his players a story he heard recently from former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer. Mangini had asked how he was so consistent every year, allowing him to get to 200 wins, and Schottenheimer told him a story from early in his NFL playing career.

As a young Bills linebacker, he wasn't playing much, but one day he did get an opportunity against the Jets. He blitzed Joe Namath and figured he would be able to cream the quarterback. Instead, he whiffed on an open sack. Then the Jets ran the ball right at him and he was pushed back. Then he was beaten in coverage. It was a bad day.

"He said, 'Eric, what I realized at the end of that drive when I single-handedly gave up the touchdown was I hadn't let go of the first play,'" Mangini said. "You can't get caught up in what happened before because every single game is going to come down to a handful of plays."

So Mangini showed the team a "handful of plays" from the loss to the Bills.

"It wasn't a function of assigning blame to the players or saying that these were the only plays that were important," Mangini said. "It was just a function of showing how at any point, slight execution can dramatically affect the outcome of the game."

Osi on their minds

The flight from Buffalo landed in time for many Jets to watch most of Eagles vs. Giants on Sunday night. Of particular interest were the Giants' 12 sacks, six by Osi Umenyiora. D'Brickashaw Ferguson will have to block Umenyiora on Sunday.

The concern wasn't all-encompassing, though. Said receiver Laveranues Coles: "The good news is I ain't the one standing back there having to deal with it."

Jet streams

Mangini said he wanted to go for it on fourth-and-1 in the first quarter but couldn't run the play the Jets liked because the ball was set down late and "the window wasn't really there by the time things got set up." The Jets took a delay-of-game penalty and punted ... The Jets' nine penalties were the same number accumulated in the first three games combined.

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets' anemic offense searching for answers

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: October 2, 2007)

HEMPSTEAD - The Jets returned from Buffalo with their offense ranked 28th in the NFL both overall and in rushing. Somehow, the victorious Bills were able to bring defensive backs close to the line to stuff the run and at the same time take away the deep ball.

Clearly, either the Jets failed to execute well enough in their 17-14 loss to a Bills defense ranked last in the league coming into the game, or the play-calling didn't fool Buffalo at all.

"For us to score 14 points against that team, we should have scored more points," tight end Chris Baker said. "Obviously we have to do something different to put more points on the board."

Not committing nine penalties, seven of them on offense, would certainly help. But what else?

"I don't know," Baker said. "They don't pay me to come up with those answers. Just make more plays."

The Jets (1-3) head into Sunday's "road" game against the Giants (2-2) averaging 283.3 yards per game. The running game, which was supposed to improve on last season's weak 108.6 yards per game with the acquisition of Thomas Jones from the Bears, is producing just 82.5 per game.

And while quarterback Chad Pennington completed 32 of 39 - nearly all of them the dink-and-dunk variety - for 290 yards, Jones followed his 110-yard performance in the previous week's 31-28 win over the hapless Dolphins with a 12-carry, 35-yard showing against the Bills. He carried just five times in the second half.

"They did a lot of different things with their defense," said Jones, who is averaging 3.4 yards per carry. "We had to make some adjustments. They were bringing a lot of their guys as far as penetrating gaps. They had a lot of guys, safeties and corners, down, and that made it difficult to run."

Yet Pennington's "deep" passes consisted of twin 28-yard passes to Cotchery, who had eight catches for 106 yards. And on the second pass to Cotchery, he gained 11 yards after the catch. Coles caught eight passes for 65 yards, including gains of 18 and 16 yards.

"You can take shots for the sake of taking shots," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "But sometimes that can be counterproductive if you're really throwing it in a place where they have strong coverage."

Mostly, Coles and Pennington are hooking up on short patterns without Coles having the opportunity to gain yards after the catch.

"Those are the balls that I'm catching, I'm content with that," Coles said. "I'm going deep. It's just when I'm going deep, I'm clearing out, that's it. I think we made it a point to do what we're going to do and that's it. We set up a game plan, we follow through with it."

The Jets' two scoring drive essentially came with Pennington directing a no-huddle attack out of the shotgun.

And, unlike last season when Mangini established himself as an aggressive coach, he declined to go for it on a fourth-and-1 on the Bills 45-yard line on the Jets' first drive. Pennington did bring the team to the line, but the officials did not spot the ball quickly, so Pennington decided the called play would not work.

"It wasn't time to take a chance," Baker said.

Except, this season, the Jets are rarely taking any chances on offense.

Note: The Jets' charter returned in time for many players and coaches to watch the Giants' 16-3 win over the Eagles in which they tied an NFL record with 12 sacks. "That's a good day," Mangini said. "Those are days as a defensive coordinator you're pretty excited about. As an offensive coordinator, you remember them for a long time." Coles went to sleep instead of watching the game and is not too worried about the Giants. "That's a lot of sacks," Coles said. "The good news is, I ain't the one standing back there having to deal with it."

Reach Andrew Gross at apgross@lohud.com and read his Jets blog at www.jets.lohudblogs.com.

[Kentucky Jet]

What

[Kentucky Jet]

Giants' 'sack pack' has Jets' attention

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson didn't catch any of the Giants' 16-3 victory over the Eagles on television Sunday night, going right to sleep upon arriving home from Buffalo. In that game, the Giants bagged an NFL-record-tying 12 sacks and shut down an Eagles offense that had scored 52 points one week earlier.

But word spread quickly through Weeb Ewbank Hall yesterday morning when the Jets reported for meetings and film review. Ferguson soon learned that Giants DE Osi Umenyiora, whom he'll be facing on Sunday, notched a team-record six sacks to lead the onslaught.

It wasn't exactly comforting news.

"You definitely have to pay attention to that," Ferguson said yesterday. "Whatever they (the Giants) were doing or whatever they (the Eagles) didn't do, you have to make sure that this week, it doesn't happen to us. It doesn't matter what it is. Whether it be a particular technique or a scheme."

Asked if he might watch a little more film this week, Ferguson said, "Definitely. I think if somebody warns you the week before I don't think you should say, 'Oh, it just happened to that guy (Winston Justice), not me.' I'm going to study and make sure I put myself in a favorable position to succeed."

Ferguson, who was whistled for two holding penalties in the Jets' 17-14 loss to the Bills, has gone against the likes of Terrell Suggs (Ravens), Jason Taylor (Dolphins) and Aaron Schobel (Bills) this season. He has given up two sacks.

Now, it's Umenyiora. The Jets will likely give Ferguson plenty of help.

Coach Eric Mangini tried to motivate the Jets (1-3) with a story told to him by former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, who has 200 wins on his r

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets offense afraid of the deep end

Lack of long throws stifling drives

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Thomas Jones was acquired last March to be the answer to the Jets' running game woes and put the play-action back into quarterback Chad Pennington's repertoire. And after a breakout game last week against the Dolphins -- 110 yards rushing on 25 carries -- the Jets felt they had the perfect scenario as they prepared for the Bills.

Buffalo's defense was crippled by injuries, with four starters out. The unit ranked last in the NFL in run defense, yielding 177.3 yards per game. The Bills had no Pro Bowl run-stuffer in the middle of their defense.

The fact is, the Jets offense has become as predictable as rush-hour traffic with teams apparently having caught up to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's dizzying array of pre-snap shifts and motion and different personnel packages. If Pennington can't get the ball downfield, opponents figure they'll just play a soft zone and keep everything in front of them.

The Jets certainly didn't help themselves by committing nine penalties against the Bills.

"I think there's been some opportunities to ... there's been some plays called where you'd like to stretch the field, but you have to ... it's like anything else, you don't want to force it,'' said coach Eric Mangini. "You can take shots for the sake of taking shots, but sometimes that can be counterproductive if you're really throwing it in a place where they have strong coverage.''

Often, however, just showing a team you'll take a shot deep is enough to make your point and loosen up the defense.

"We have the ability to stretch the field and I think teams are aware of that,'' Cotchery said. "Each week, we go in and secondaries are playing deep and they're not letting us get behind them.''

Opponents, though, shouldn't be able to have it both ways against the Jets. In theory, if they're going to play a deep zone, the Jets should be able to run the ball. If they stack the box to stop the run, the Jets should be able to pass.

"We tried to go off what they (the Bills) gave us,'' Cotchery said. "We did a good job but we were inconsistent at times. If you're inconsistent in the NFL, you end up with losses and days like this where you're trying to explain with happened."

Inexplicably, the Jets, who didn't even activate 240-pound fullback Darian Barnes, abandoned the run in the second half and Jones finished with a mere 35 yards on 12 carries in a demoralizing 17-14 loss in Buffalo on Sunday. After four games, Jones has only 254 yards rushing -- tied for 19th in the NFL -- and no touchdowns on 75 carries. He has a pedestrian 3.4-yard average.

"They (the Bills) did a lot of different things with their defense,'' Jones said yesterday. "We had to make some adjustments. They bring a lot of guys in terms of penetrating the gaps and have a lot of guys, safeties and cornerbacks, that made a difference.''

If the Bills committed all those players to stop the run, why couldn't the Jets beat them with the pass? Pennington hit a career-high 32 of 39 passes -- including 15 straight at one point -- for 290 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but nearly all of his completions were of the dink-and-dunk variety and didn't really hurt Buffalo.

Therein lies the problem with the Jets offense, which ranks 28th in the NFL (283.3 yards per game). Opponents are able to commit to stopping the run and Pennington isn't making them pay by stretching the field with deep balls despite having a pair of game-breaking receivers in Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery.

"I'm going deep, it's just when I'm going deep, I'm clearing out (for short underneath passes),'' said Coles.

Against the Bills, Cotchery caught eight passes for 106 yards, including two 28-yard receptions on which he did a lot of the work on his own with yards after the catch. He had receptions for 50 and 44 yards against the Ravens but the strong-armed Kellen Clemens was the quarterback. This season, Cotchery has 26 receptions for 382 yards (14.7-yard average) and no touchdowns.

Coles had eight catches for 65 yards and a touchdown against the Bills. He has 24 receptions for 211 yards (a paltry 8.8-yard average) and four touchdowns this season. His longest catch was for 24 yards and that came against the Ravens with Clemens again at quarterback.

Running back Leon Washington had a career-high eight catches for 38 yards against the Bills. Wide receiver Brad Smith did have a 26-yarder on a deep out pattern, perhaps the best thrown ball of the game by Pennington.

The fact is, the Jets offense has become as predictable as rush-hour traffic with teams apparently having caught up to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's dizzying array of pre-snap shifts and motion and different personnel packages. If Pennington can't get the ball downfield, opponents figure they'll just play a soft zone and keep everything in front of them.

The Jets certainly didn't help themselves by committing nine penalties against the Bills.

"I think there's been some opportunities to ... there's been some plays called where you'd like to stretch the field, but you have to ... it's like anything else, you don't want to force it,'' said coach Eric Mangini. "You can take shots for the sake of taking shots, but sometimes that can be counterproductive if you're really throwing it in a place where they have strong coverage.''

Often, however, just showing a team you'll take a shot deep is enough to make your point and loosen up the defense.

"We have the ability to stretch the field and I think teams are aware of that,'' Cotchery said. "Each week, we go in and secondaries are playing deep and they're not letting us get behind them.''

Opponents, though, shouldn't be able to have it both ways against the Jets. In theory, if they're going to play a deep zone, the Jets should be able to run the ball. If they stack the box to stop the run, the Jets should be able to pass.

"We tried to go off what they (the Bills) gave us,'' Cotchery said. "We did a good job but we were inconsistent at times. If you're inconsistent in the NFL, you end up with losses and days like this where you're trying to explain with happened."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets plagued by errors

Monday, October 01, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

BUFFALO -- Chad Pennington was trying to throw away the ball. Instead, he might have thrown away the Jets' season.

BILLS 17JETS 14Having steered the Jets to the Bills' 39-yard line in the closing seconds, Pennington tried to hit wide receiver Justin McCareins on a quick sideline pattern to get kicker Mike Nugent a few more precious yards for an attempt at a tying field goal. McCareins, however, was blanketed by Bills cornerback Terrence McGee, who outjumped him for the ball and intercepted it with 6 seconds left to seal Buffalo's 17-14 victory yesterday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

"The ball came out a little bit weird," said Pennington, who earlier threw an interception that led to a Bills touchdown. "I was hoping Justin could knock it down."

The play ended perhaps the most crushing loss in the Eric Mangini Era and gave the beleaguered Bills (1-3) their first win of the season. Coming in, it seemed as close to a gimme victory for the Jets as can be expected in the NFL. Buffalo had 12 players injured, seven of them lost for the season. Rookie quarterback Trent Edwards was making his first NFL start. The Bills defense ranked dead last in the league in nearly every important category.

But in the end, the Jets (1-3), who play the Giants next week, were left scratching their heads trying to explain how they had lost to the Bills, and dealing with ever-diminished playoff hopes.

"I'm pretty disappointed that we didn't get this one," said Jets tight end Chris Baker. "... It's a game we should've won."

"We're 1-3, and it isn't a comfortable position to be in," said linebacker Victor Hobson, who had six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. "But at the same time it's not the end of the season."

Mangini's mantra was "the answers aren't outside the (locker) room. They're inside the room."

Edwards, subbing for an injured J.P. Losman (knee), was brilliant and could make a case to take Losman's job for good. He completed 22 of 28 passes for 234 yards, one touchdown and one interception -- hitting nine straight at one point. He crossed up the Jets by making quick reads to combat pressure, wasn't rattled by two early sacks and schooled Jets rookie cornerback Darrelle Revis. Running back Marshawn Lynch, another rookie, rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

Surprisingly, the Bills didn't scale back much on offense, showing great confidence in Edwards and a lack of respect for the Jets defense. Buffalo, which had scored 24 combined points in its first three games, had a season-high 304 yards total offense.

We thought their main focus was going to be to run the ball, but Edwards did a great job in throwing the ball and converting on third downs," Jets safety Kerry Rhodes said. "He came out throwing right away and got in a nice rhythm."

Added defensive end Shaun Ellis: "We knew (Edwards) had shown flashes. We knew he was a talented quarterback. We just didn't think he would do this to us."

The Jets did plenty to themselves as well. Pennington (32 of 39 for 290 yards, one TD, two interceptions) made two costly mistakes as the Bills played a soft zone and kept steady pressure on him. The Jets failed to stay with the running game -- Thomas Jones rushed for just 35 yards on 12 carries -- though the Bills were giving up 177 yards rushing per game. They committed an uncharacteristic nine penalties and Nugent missed a critical 37-yard field goal just before the half, hitting the right upright.

"We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds," said Jets wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who had eight catches for 106 yards, his fourth career 100-yard game.

The Jets trailed 10-7 with 10:08 left in the fourth quarter when Pennington threw his first interception. On second down from the Jets' 21-yard line, he threw an out pattern to Laveranues Coles (8 catches, 65 yards, one TD). Jabari Greer, the Bills' fourth cornerback who is playing in place of other injured players, jumped the route. Pennington said there was a bit of miscommunication between he and Coles.

The Bills immediately took advantage. Edwards found tight end Michael Gaines on a 1-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal, increasing Buffalo's lead to 17-7 with 6:56 to play. The Jets climbed within three points on an 8-yard touchdown run by Leon Washington with 3:02 remaining.

That, however, was as close as they came.

"Our focus is just going to be the next game," Mangini said. "That's the only thing we can control. We can't look at it in terms of (being) 1-3. The only thing we have control over is the next game and the way that we prepare for that game, and the way we execute."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Umenyiora, Ferguson May Decide Bragging Rights

Football

By MICHAEL DAVID SMITH

October 2, 2007

Al Pereira / Getty

TRENCH WARFARE. The Jets' second-year tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson will draw the tough task of blocking the Giants' Osi Umenyiora, who had six sacks last Sunday.

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora had millions of eyes on him Sunday night when he sacked Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb six times. The most interested observer may have been Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who will line up against Umenyiora this Sunday.

The battle between Ferguson and Umenyiora will be the single most important individual matchup when the Giants play the Jets at the Meadowlands, and after what Umenyiora and his Giants teammates did to McNabb, the Jets' most important offensive priority will be protecting quarterback Chad Pennington.

Umenyiora abused Eagles left tackle Winston Justice repeatedly Sunday night. In addition to the six sacks, Umenyiora often got close enough to force McNabb to scramble and hurry his throws. Justice was also called for two false starts. Monday morning quarterbacks have questioned why the Eagles' pass protection schemes left Justice, who was in the starting lineup for the first (and possibly last) time in his career, one-on-one against Umenyiora for most of the night, but Philadelphia had little choice: The Giants were blitzing from every direction, and if the Eagles had devoted two blockers to Umenyiora, someone else would have been left open to sack McNabb.

It will be the same this Sunday, which is why the Jets will need a big game from Ferguson, the second-year left tackle who has started all 20 games of his NFL career. Ferguson's 2007 season got off to a shaky start. In the opener, New England Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green pushed Ferguson aside and sacked quarterback Chad Pennington, causing an injury that would force Pennington to miss the Jets' Week 2 game against the Baltimore Ravens

[Kentucky Jet]

NOT FILLING THE BILL

October 2, 2007 -- QUARTERBACKS C

Chad Pennington (32-of-39, 290 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 84.8 rating) had some terrific moments, leading the Jets on a couple of two-minute-drill situations. But in the end, his two INTs were a big part of costing the Jets the game.

RUNNING BACKS D

Thomas Jones (12-35 rushing, 2-20 re ceiving) was a non-factor. Leon Washington (4-24 rushing, 8-38 receiving) made a few plays, including a TD run. There was, however, never any rhythm or commitment from the running game against a defense that had been run over by other opponents.

RECEIVERS C

Jerricho Cotchery (8-106) led the team and Laveranues Coles (8-65) made a nice TD catch. Brad Smith (2-36 receiving, 1-2 rushing) made a couple of plays.

TIGHT ENDS C

Chris Baker caught three for 24 yards, in cluding a big one on fourth down on the final drive, but had a false start penalty.

OFFENSIVE LINE D

Pennington was sacked once, but the run blocking was poor against an injury- de pleted defense. RT Anthony Clement al lowed the one sack. LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson struggled at times against DE Aaron Schobel and had two holding penalties.

DEFENSIVE LINE C

DE Shaun Ellis had five tackles and a sack. DE Kenyon Coleman had six tackles. DT Sioni Pouha made a nice stop on third- and-goal from the 1 late in the game. NT Dewayne Robertson had no tackles.

LINEBACKERS C

Jonathan Vilma led the team with eight tackles and forced a fumble that was recov ered by Victor Hobson (six tackles, sack).

SECONDARY D

CB Darrelle Revis (eight tackles) wasn't burned on any big plays, but had 11 passes caught on him. He made a big breakup of a pass on third down late to get the Jets the ball back. CB Andre Dyson had a key INT and five tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS B

Very good job of kick coverage against two dangerous returners - Roscoe Parrish (12 yards on his one chance) on punts and Terrence McGee (20-yard avg. on three returns) on kickoffs. Washington averaged 27 yards on three kickoff returns but 2.5 yards on two punt returns.

KICKING GAME D

K Mike Nugent missed a critical 37-yard FG. P Ben Graham averaged 41.5 yards gross and 38.5 yards net and put two inside the 20.

COACHING D

Eric Mangini set a poor tone when he opted not to go for a fourth-and-1 in Bills ter ritory on the opening drive. Brian Schotten heimer seemed to abandon the run too quickly. Bob Sutton didn't seem to push any correct buttons in an effort to rattle rookie QB Trent Edwards.

[Kentucky Jet]

IMPRESSED BY BIG BLUE PRESSURE

By MARK CANNIZZARO

October 2, 2007 -- After the Jets' charter flight landed Sunday evening and the players got home to lick their respective wounds from their loss to the Bills in Buffalo, a number of them watched the Giants' dismantling of the Eagles.

Suffice it to say that the Giants, who host the Jets this Sunday at Giants Stadium, got their undivided attention with a dominant, record-tying 12-sack performance.

"That's how you play defense," Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery said yesterday. "Those dudes were getting after it - and I'm talking about the entire defense."

Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson will try to block Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who had six sacks against the Eagles.

"It really lets us know that they're a team that's fully capable and able to do those things - making sacks and pressuring the quarterback," Ferguson said of the Giants' performance. "As a line and an offense, obviously we'll take heed to that and develop some type of plan or scheme to prevent those things from happening."

*

Eric Mangini explained that the plan was to go for the first down on fourth-and-1 from the Buffalo 44-yard line on the Jets' opening offensive drive, but he backed off when he didn't think the play he had called would work. Instead of burning a timeout so early in the first half, he took the delay penalty and punted.

It looked as if the Jets were going to have Chad Pennington take a quick snap and sneak for the yard with the Buffalo defense not settled, but when the officials were slow in placing the ball, that opportunity passed.

"We were set up to run a certain play that's based on the ball getting set quickly and a window opening up and being able to take advantage of that window, and the window really wasn't there by the time things got set up," Mangini said. "We were going to go for it based on an opportunity that we thought we had. When that opportunity wasn't there, the best decision at that point was to take the delay of game and punt."

The Jets, who could have set an aggressive tone by going for the first down, getting it and taking an early lead.

*

In a radio interview yesterday morning in Buffalo, former Bills RB Thurman Thomas said he wasn't surprised his former team upset the Jets because he felt the Jets were "a fluke" to get into the playoffs last season. . . . Bills K Rian Lindell, who made a 46-yard FG to give Buffalo a 10-7 lead in the fourth quarter, is 14-for-14 on FGs against the Jets. . . . Jets TE Joe Kowalewski's 1-yard reception in the fourth quarter was the first of his career.

[Kentucky Jet]

PLAY BY PLAY

MANGINI: JETS NEED BIG EFFORT EVERY DOWN

By MARK CANNIZZARO

PICKED OFF:Jets quarterback Chad Pennington trudges off the field after throwing an interception during Sunday's 17-14 loss to the Bills.October 2, 2007 -- Eric Mangini gathered his players together yesterday in the aftermath of the Jets' indefensible loss to the Bills and showed them edited film of several mistakes that led to a 17-14 loss and cost them a victory that would have gotten them to 2-2.

What he should have done was show film of the Giants' resounding Sunday night win over the Eagles, because the Giants did to the Eagles what the Jets failed to against the Bills: They attacked an injury-depleted team where it was hurt and exploited it en route to a 16-3 victory.

For a litany of reasons (everyone deserves blame on this one, from the coaching staff on down through the active roster) the Jets didn't similarly attack and exploit the injury-riddled Bills.

The Giants, knowing Eagles running back Brian Westbrook was sidelined with an injury and Philadelphia could not hurt them on the ground, went after quarterback Donovan McNabb with a vengeance. The end result was an NFL-record-tying 12 sacks, six from Osi Umenyiora, who has three more sacks this season than the Jets have as a team.

Why didn't the Jets exploit a Bills defense that began the game without four starters and lost two more defensive backs during the game? Why couldn't the Jets defense do anything to confuse, rattle, pressure or distract Buffalo's rookie quarterback, Trent Edwards, making his first NFL start for starter J.P. Losman?

There was much that didn't make sense about the Jets' loss in Buffalo, one that dropped them to 1-3 as they prepare to face the rejuvenated Giants this Sunday.

One clear message that came from Mangini, though, was this: It's time to move on, forget what has happened in this underachieving first quarter of the season and focus on the next task.

Mangini's message came in the form of a recent conversation he had with Marty Schottenheimer, who was visiting New York last week for the Miami game.

"In talking to the team (yesterday) morning, I shared a story (about) a conversation that I had with Marty Schottenheimer last week," Mangini said. "I was asking him how he had gotten the 200 (career) wins, why he was so consistent year in and year out and so productive.

"He started explaining about when he was a player. He said that he didn't get in (the games) very much, (but) he got in one game against (Joe) Namath, and Namath was a friend of his, and the first play . . . he got the blitz . . . and had a clear shot at Namath. He felt like he should win that situation because of Namath's knees and his mobility and all that stuff, and he whiffed. On the next drive they ran right at (Schottenheimer) and he got pushed back, and the next drive he got beat in coverage.

"He said, 'Eric, what I realized at the end of that drive when I single-handedly gave up the touchdown was that . . . I hadn't let go of the fact that I missed him on the first play.' And he said, 'I applied that lesson to all of my teams. I told them the play that you're playing is the most important play and that you can't get caught up in what happened before, because every single game is going to come down to a handful of plays.'

"The difference between a winning team and a losing team is very small and you don't know which one of those plays is going to be in that handful of plays, and (Schottenheimer) wanted all his teams at all times to approach each play the same way.

"That's what I showed this morning - a handful of plays that, if we had played them a little bit better and executed a little bit better, the outcome could have been different. It wasn't a function of assigning blame . . . or saying that these were the only plays that were important, it was just a function of showing how at any point, slight execution can dramatically affect the outcome of the game."

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Losses Don

[Kentucky Jet]

and there is nothing we can do about it. Can we beat the Giants? Only a few weeks ago they had no defense. They were laughed at by some here. Eli was also a joke as was BURRESS. Point is they are not a great team and we can beat them! I wish people around here would stop pouting and start supporting the JETS and ALL the players, not just CHAD ! We can beat the GIANTS! PENNINGTON was not the only sub-par Jet on Sunday. Get over it! He generally comes up with a gem after a bad game. I expect it! So, lets stop pouting! We can beat the Giants!

GO JETS!

[JetCane]

What

[SoFlaJets]

I don't know about anybody else but reading all thse stories this morning almost made me throw up my morning coffee and last night's pizza