Jets news articles- Wed, 10/3-NY Sun

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets Drop A Tough One In Buffalo

by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day

The way the Jets praised their opponent effusively this week, it seemed as if the opponent across the field claimed the top offense and defense in the NFL as opposed to ranking last in both categories. From coach Eric Mangini to quarterback Chad Pennington, the Jets were quick to credit a winless Buffalo team that was starting a rookie quarterback and already lost three starting defenders to season-ending injuries.

But instead of generic praise and respect all cautious teams espouse about any opponent, the Jets kind words proved prophetic yesterday afternoon at Orchard Park. The Bills rallied about QB Trent Edwards in his first NFL start, pulling a 17-14 upset victory at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The Jets wasted a chance to get back to .500, dropping to 1-3 in a season where a repeat trip to the playoffs could be out of reach before November. The Bills avoided a 0-4 start thanks to standout performances from two first-year offensive starters: Edwards and running back Marshawn Lynch.

Against a massive Bills offense line (all five starters weigh upwards of 310 pounds), the Jets generated two sacks but still couldn

[serphnx]

Since when is an 0-3 home team winning against a 1-2 road team an "upset"? Especially when said home team has had obvious problems on O-line, D-line and QB dating back to last year? If the average forum poster has concerns, as many of us did, how can actual experts not have those some misgivings?

We squeaked to a win over the winless Dolphins and people wanted to hype us up? The heck? We are awful, until we put together some wins there is no team in the NFL that we can be favored against.

[Kentucky Jet]

JETS

Jets look ahead

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

JETS LOOK AHEAD

Early line

Giants by 3

[Kentucky Jet]

JETS

Jets need a new bag of tricks

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

RECORD COLUMNIST

With fourth down and about a half-yard to go at the Buffalo 45 on the Jets' first possession Sunday, Chad Pennington and his teammates hurried up to the line of scrimmage. The goal was obvious. The Jets wanted to run one of their patented hurry-up quarterback sneaks, in which the offensive line is able to surge forward against a defense that isn't quite dug in yet, and Pennington is able to plow forward for the necessary yard.

But there were two problems. First, the officials seemed to take a while to spot the ball after Pennington's third-down completion to Brad Smith. Second, the Bills also made sure they hustled to the line of scrimmage.

Pennington didn't like what he saw and backed away, and the Jets eventually took a delay-of-game penalty and then punted.

"We were set up to run a certain play that was based on the ball getting set quickly," coach Eric Mangini said Monday, "a window opening up and being able to take advantage of that window. The window really wasn't there by the time things got set up.

"We were going to go for it based on an opportunity that we thought we had," Mangini added. "When that opportunity wasn't there, the best decision at that point was to take the delay of game and punt."

Well, here's another idea. Maybe the Jets could have audibled to another call. Pennington has the ability to check off at the line of scrimmage and switch to a good play, so why not utilize that strength of his, instead of giving up and punting?

In fact, that sequence is a microcosm of what's happening to the Jets this season, both on offense and in their overall game-planning. Opponents have become wise to the tricks and tendencies of Mangini and his staff, and also seem to have a better handle on all the deceptive formations and motion that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer likes to use.

A deep throw by Pennington, even if it's not completed, also might help loosen up opposing defenses.

"I'm still going deep," wideout Laveranues Coles said when asked about his pass routes. "It's just when I'm going deep, I'm clearing out. That's it."

In other words, he's simply doing it as a decoy. Opponents seem to have figured that out, too, which might be why Jabari Greer was able to jump the route and intercept Pennington's short pass intended for Coles in the fourth quarter Sunday. Although he didn't say it in postgame interviews, no doubt Greer figured it wasn't that big a gamble to go for the pick, knowing Coles probably wasn't going deep.

Opponents have adjusted to the Jets. Now they must return the favor.

BRIEF: The Jets placed linebacker Cody Spencer on the reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday with an undisclosed illness. Spencer was one of the Jets' top special-teams players in 2006.

[Kentucky Jet]

Giants' defense getting lift from rookie Ross

By ERNIE PALLADINO

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: October 3, 2007)

It's one thing to get your hands on Reggie Brown and Jason Avant.

It's a little different trying to jam Laveranues Coles or Jerricho Cotchery at the line.

But neutralizing Philadelphia receivers Brown and Avant last week was a good step for Giants first-round cornerback Aaron Ross. Making the first start of his career at left cornerback, and moving inside to the slot receiver in obvious passing situations, Ross became an instrumental reason behind the Giants treating Donovan McNabb like a bunch of locusts munching on a wheat field.

His ability to jam receivers at the line, thereby throwing them off their routes and disturbing any sense of timing with McNabb, was a big reason the defensive front could converge on the quarterback for 12 sacks.

Others helped, too. Sam Madison did a good job on his people, and extra defensive back Kevin Dockery stuck to Kevin Curtis like flypaper. But Ross, making his first start on the outside, really excelled.

And he'll have to keep doing so this week against the Jets' Coles and Cotchery, receivers with significantly more speed and guile than what the Eagles put in front of him.

Cotchery, fourth among AFC receivers with a minimum of 20 catches with a 14.7-yard average off 26 grabs for 382 yards, is a dangerous target downfield. The Bills apparently were aware of that, as they kept the Cotchery-Chad Pennington connection to mostly short passes in the receiver's 106-yard, eight-catch outing.

Coles can pick up the hard yards over the middle. With 24 catches for 211 yards, Coles also has four of the 1-3 Jets' six receiving touchdowns.

They'll need to be contained so the rest of the defense has time to keep Pennington from repeating last week's 15 straight completion string in a 32-of-39 outing.

It's not like Ross hasn't done that before. His entrance at right cornerback for faltering starter Corey Webster in the second quarter against Washington offered confidence. And his first start at left corner - he was informed of that Saturday night - with Madison moving into Webster's right corner spot, told him he belonged.

"I feel like I had a solid game," Ross said. "We played a lot more man-coverage this week, and it was easier with our front four getting to McNabb."

Sunday's game actually features a battle between two first-round corners. Darrelle Revis, the tough Pittsburgh cornerback the Jets leapfrogged over the Giants to get at No. 14, starts at left corner and comes in to play the slot receiver in three-wide situations.

Ross' nickel responsibilities also remained intact despite his elevation to starter. But last week he added another facet to his game that could again come in handy this week against a less mobile Pennington.

The blitz.

The Giants sent him numerous times off the corner, and he even batted a pass on one of them.

Ross would loved to have put up a personal sack during the swarmfest. It would have been a nice step for a kid who has allowed one big pass in two games - Jason Campbell's 20-yard toss to Antwaan Randle El to the Giants 1 that prefaced the game-clinching goal-line stand in Washington. But those appeared reserved for Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka and Michael Strahan.

"That would have been fun," Ross said. "I thought I had one under my belt, but he got the ball out in time."

Now Ross needs to continue his progress, which coach Tom Coughlin expects him to do.

"He's competitive," Coughlin said. "He may make some mistakes, but he's going to make those errors from the aggressive side. I think he'll get better as his confidence grows."

The overall defense has certainly gotten better since he took over on the corner. He and Madison are getting their hands on receivers. Quarterbacks are having their timing disrupted.

It's a big difference from the start of the season.

"Those first two weeks, we really felt it wasn't us," Ross said. "Everything you could think about going wrong was going wrong. We just got it together these last two weeks as a unit."

The struggling Jets might want to take note of the hands-on guy at left cornerback.

Notes: The Giants signed defensive end Dave Tollefson off the Raiders' practice squad and placed fullback Robert Douglas (knee) on injured reserve. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound seventh-round pick of the Packers in 2006 has no previous NFL experience. ... Veteran place-kicker Billy Cundiff and Giants camp cut Josh Huston were in for a tryout yesterday. Though neither was signed, current kicker Lawrence Tynes can consider himself on notice after missing his second field goal of the season and his first extra point against the Eagles. ... Umenyiora became the first Giant to be named defensive player of the week since Strahan in 2003 for his six sacks against the Eagles.

Reach Ernie Palladino at epalladi@lohud.com and read his Giants Journal blog at www.giants.lohudblogs.com.

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets must open up conservative offense

Tom Rock | tom.rock@newsday.com

October 3, 2007

It's time for the Jets' offense to be more proactive than reactive.

If they are the playoff-caliber team they hope to be, then it shouldn't have mattered how many backup defensive backs the depleted Bills put deep in zone coverage, or how many third-string linebackers were crowding the line of scrimmage. It shouldn't be the defense that dictates which plays are called. The Jets need to establish their own tone.

That's what they did last year. Their shifts and no-huddles and fancy formations had defenses playing catch-up. The Jets seemed to be a step ahead. The game was played at their tempo, according to their rules.

Here's what receiver Jerricho Cotchery said Monday after a 17-14 loss against the team with the worst defense in the NFL: "They had a plan coming into the game where they weren't going to let us run the ball, and in passing situations, they weren't going to let us beat them deep. They had a plan and we tried to go off of what they gave us."

Let them? Since when has any defense let any offense do anything? The Bills wanted the Jets to throw the short passes that they wound up using all game. Chad Pennington completed a career-high 32 passes, but 23 were for 10 yards or fewer. On the final drive, the Jets completed four straight passes for a total of 13 yards. It took them 1:16 to go 18 yards on the first four plays of that hurry-up possession that started with 1:43 left.

At some point, the Jets need to go deep just to keep the opposition honest. The Bills did it once and it turned out to be an interception, but it probably lingered in the heads of the Jets' defensive play-callers. For the Jets not to at least test the Bills with deep balls is a waste of a weak opponent. Laveranues Coles said he ran some long routes, but they usually were designed to clear things out.

"There's been some plays called where you'd like to stretch the field, but it's like anything else, you don't want to force it," Eric Mangini said. "You can take shots for the sake of taking shots, but sometimes that can be counterproductive."

Sometimes, though, it pays off. Mangini uses the phrase "somebody's band is going to play" when talking about assessing the risks of a blitz. The same could be said of using a vertical attack. Pennington's longest completion of the season is for 28 yards, ranking 38th in the NFL. Considering there are only 32 teams, well, it's enough to keep the tuba section silent.

A lot of that has to do with Pennington's well-documented lack of arm strength. In one game as his replacement, Kellen Clemens completed passes of 44 and 50 yards to go with a deep ball that drew a 26-yard pass-interference penalty. And that was against the Ravens, not the Bills. But it's not all Pennington. The Jets have gone conservative, picking up scraps that fall off the opposing defense's plate.

Even when the Jets show flashes of last year's outside-the-box play-calling, as they did with an end-around handoff to Cotchery and a nifty shift in which receiver Brad Smith moved into the backfield, defenses aren't surprised. Those two plays netted zero yards.

"It doesn't always happen like you'd like," Mangini said. "[brian Schottenheimer] and the whole staff have done a good job of understanding opponents' tendencies and our own tendencies, and countering those both with formation and play-calling."

Winning teams don't counter. They attack. Until the Jets start playing less defensively on offense, they'll have more frustrating days like the one at Buffalo.

Spencer done. The Jets put backup LB Cody Spencer on the reserve/non-football injury list. Matt Chatham, another LB and special teamer, is eligible to come off the physically unable-to-perform list after the sixth game.

Statlines

There's still hope

Three of the 12 Jets teams that started 1-3 made the playoffs. How significant was the fifth game in those seasons? Not very, considering each of the three teams to turn things around had a different result in Week 5:

Season with

1-3 start Week 5 result Final record Playoff status

1981 Tied Dolphins, 28-28 10-5-1 Wild card

Playoff result: Lost to Bills, 31-27

1991 Beat Dolphins, 41-23 8-8 Wild card

Playoff result: Lost to Oilers, 21-10

2002 Lost to Chiefs, 29-25 9-7 Div. champ

Playoff result: Beat Colts, 41-0; Lost to Raiders, 30-10

Storylines

A quick look at the top stories this week

More fire?

It was almost as if the Jets had to be reminded of their disheartening loss to the Bills. The players have taken a level-headed approach from Eric Mangini, who is not a bombastic type of leader. Rather, he relies on preparation as his motivation. "I don't think ours is ever going to be an environment where there's fire," WR Laveranues Coles said. "Different coaches have different styles, and our

coaches coach the way they coach."

Changing fronts

The Jets mixed defensive fronts against the Bills, using four down linemen on 12 of the 27 first-half plays. But they used four linemen only three times in the second half, when the Bills scored all 17 of their points. The Bills averaged 6.2 yards a play against the four-man fronts. Against the three-man fronts, they averaged 5.5 yards.

Where's Kerry?

Last year, many thought S Kerry Rhodes deserved to be a Pro Bowler and expected him to get to Hawaii this season. In four games, however, Rhodes has 18 tackles and zero sacks and turnovers. At this time last year, he had 30 tackles with three sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles.

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets' Revis to get further education Sunday vs. Giants

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: October 3, 2007)

The education of an NFL rookie tends to be a painstaking process, even if the first-year pro is a quick study like Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. There's seemingly at least one new lesson to learn each week.

This week, Revis is boning up on the new experience of covering slot receivers instead of being split wide. It's something he never did in college and something that couldn't be covered in training camp after he held out and his education needed to be hurried.

No doubt the Giants, who face the "visiting" Jets Sunday at 1 p.m., will closely study the Jets' 17-14 loss at Buffalo. The Bills, seeing Revis in single coverage in the slot because of the Jets' tendency to double-team the outside receivers, picked on the rookie.

"It's wild in there. It's crazy," said Revis, picked 14th overall as a junior out of Pittsburgh after the Jets traded up 11 spots to get him. "It's a lot of things you need to know and a lot of things you need to do. Some coverages tie in with the linebackers. On some you need to know what the defensive linemen are doing."

Revis was definitely tested on his progress against Buffalo. The Bills threw 11 times to Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish and Peerless Price as they took turns lining up in the slot. Reed and Parrish had a combined eight catches for 97 yards.

The Giants, though, present a slightly different challenge for Revis. Sinorice Moss is their main slot option when they line up in three- and four-wide-receiver sets, and Eli Manning greatly prefers throwing to Plaxico Burress or Amani Toomer.

However, the Giants often move 6-foot-5, 251-pound tight end Jeremy Shockey into the slot position. And that would be a tough, physical battle for the 5-11, 204-pound Revis.

"This is the NFL," Revis said. "Guys are going to come at you week in and week out. I've never come into the game like they're not going to throw at the rookie. It's me being a competitive person and competing. They came at me in the slot (Sunday), that's something they see. Now it's just time for me to work better as a player."

Not that Revis necessarily had a bad game against the Bills, a declined illegal-contact penalty against him nothwithstanding. He made eight tackles and was credited with two passes defensed. On a second-and-17 from the Jets 37-yard line, Revis did a good job coming from behind Reed to knock down the ball at the 21, though Revis admits he was looking to see if a flag had been thrown as his body collided with Reed's just as the ball arrived.

Revis also broke up a short pass to Reed on a third-and-three from the Bills 35 just after the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter, allowing the Jets one last chance with the ball.

"Josh Reed's statistics are pretty impressive in terms of catches for first downs (four), and he's got a different style than some of the other players that Darrelle has faced to this point," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "They've got a lot of feel for zones. They've got a feel for man-to-man coverage. They have pretty strong, excellent hands and 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."

Note: The Jets placed fourth-year linebacker Cody Spencer on the reserve/non-football list for the remainder of the season. The Raiders' sixth-round pick in 2004 has played in 13 games for the Jets over the past two seasons.

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

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets' offense lacking big-play ability

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, October 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM

Laveranues Coles says the Jets' offense hasn't been making game-breaking plays throughout four games.

Leave it to Laveranues Coles, with his tell-it-like-it-is personality, to capture the current state of the Jets' offense. Asked if they're in a slump, he answered without hesitation.

"I don't think we've put up huge numbers, period, all year, so it can't be a slump for us," he said. "We just do what we do."

It came out as a funny remark, but Coles didn't intend it that way. It's the truth.

Chad Pennington and Jerricho Cotchery are among the league leaders in passing and receiving, respectively, but something isn't adding up for the Jets. They're 20th in scoring offense (18 points per game), fueling speculation that defenses have figured out Brian Schottenheimer's complex scheme.

A year ago, Schottenheimer camouflaged Pennington's suspect arm strength with a no-huddle attack that featured a dizzying array of shifts and motion. Eric Mangini still believes his offensive coordinator is "very creative" with his formations and play-calling, but they don't seem to be fooling anyone on a consistent basis.

Schottenheimer is restricted by Pennington's limitations - only two of his 82 pass attempts have traveled more than 20 yards in the air - but he has to figure out a way to stretch the field. In theory, the presence of Thomas Jones in the backfield should create downfield opportunities in the passing game, but that isn't happening.

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

The Jets have a potentially dangerous troika in Jones, Cotchery and Coles, but only Cotchery is producing big numbers. Coles is an enigma. He's scoring touchdowns - he's only three shy of his career high, seven - but his role between the 20s has changed. He's being used as a possession receiver, evidenced by his meager per-catch average (8.8). That doesn't seem to make much sense. "I'm going deep," Coles said. "It's just that when I go deep, I'm clearing out....Sometimes, I'm the take-the-top-off-the-defense guy."

In other words, he's a decoy, a set-up man. Coles insisted that he's "content with whatever my role is," but is that how he really feels?

The rut (can't call it a slump, right?) has renewed questions about Pennington's dink-and-dunk style. Fact is, the Jets have never averaged more than 22 points per game in the Pennington era, but they've won 57% of his starts. Backup Kellen Clemens has a bigger arm, but the Jets probably would have to fall out of contention before Mangini contemplates a change.

Some close to the Jets believe Pennington's sprained right ankle, still not 100%, is affecting his arm strength. As a righthanded passer, he uses his right foot to plant.

The lack of a deep passing game is best illustrated by Justin McCareins' disappearance from the offense. He's the Jets' best deep threat, yet he has only three receptions. "We have the ability to stretch the field, but secondaries aren't letting us get behind them," Cotchery said. "It's a matter of us trying to be patient."

SPENCER SHELVED: Backup LB Cody Spencer was placed on the non-football illness list, meaning he's out for the season. The Jets declined to comment on the nature of his illness but he's not hospitalized and hopes to play next year, sources said.

[Kentucky Jet]

Here are the grades for Sunday's Buffalo meltdown

Crisis in Jetsland, hope in Buffalo.

Everything changes quickly in the NFL. In the span of three hours yesterday at the Ralph, the Jets went from a team on the rebound to one in deep trouble. The Bills went from a laughingstock to a team with the next Johnny Unitas.

At least that's how the Trent Edwards story is playing in Buffalo. It's hard to believe, but Edwards' command performance against the Jets has sparked a full-blown quarterback controversy in Western New York, so big that it was the lead story on the 6 and 11 o'clock news.

Not the lead sports story; the lead story, period, which tells us one of two things: This area's passion for the Bills is over the top or it really hates J.P. Losman.

Where have you gone, Jim Kelly?

Anyway, let's get to the grades. Warning: This isn't going to be a pleasurable experience. The Jets deserve to get beat up after their 17-14 loss, and we're just the ones to do it. I knew this game wasn't a gimme (go back and read my last post), but I thought the Jets would find a way to win.

Hah!

Quarterback: C+

You saw Chad Pennington's good and bad all in one afternoon. He was accurate most of the day, setting career highs for most completions (32) and most consecutive completions (15). He did a nice job running the hurry-up offense, which produced the Jets' only two touchdown drives. He also conjured up memories of Dan Marino, circa 1994, with his fake spike. (By the way, it really didn't fool anyone, but it was a cool play nonetheless.) On the downside, Pennington threw two ghastly interceptions. He said the first pick, intended for Laveranues Coles, was a miscommunication. It looked like he made a pre-snap read and telegraphed his pass without looking at the cornerback, Jabari Greer, who sat on the route by reading Pennington's three-step drop.

The second pick, by Terrence McGee, was supposed to be a throwaway, but he said the ball "came out weird."

Pennington's lack of arm strength was glaring all day, as he failed to take any shots downfield. His longest pass traveled only 22 yards in the air. Mentally, he didn't seem as sharp as usual, taking two delay-of-game penalties, one intentionally. He also had to burn a timeout in the third quarter, which came back to haunt them. All told, you'd have to say Pennington got outplayed by a rookie, Edwards.

Running Back: D

For the third time in four weeks, Thomas Jones was a non-factor. He got only 12 carries for 35 yards, reaching the second level only once. It's hard to blame him for the entire mess because the Bills' front seven did a nice job of squeezing the gaps. Leon Washington, the third-down back, got a lot of playing time because the offense spent so much time in the hurry-up. Washington had eight catches (dink, dunk, dink, dunk) and he ran with authority on his 8-yard touchdown.

Wide Receivers: C

Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles combined for 16 receptions and 171 yards, although it sure didn't seem like it. For some reason, Coles isn't making plays after the catch. His average is below 10 yards per reception. That could be a function of the coverages or perhaps it's the way he's being used. Either way, they have to find a way to get him going. The Jets' longest reception was 28 yards, which is inexcusable. The Bills played a patchwork secondary, and by the end of the game they were using a recently unemployed safety and a No. 4 corner. Justin McCareins continues to contribute nothing and, no matter what Eric Mangini says, his role is decreasing. On Pennington's throwaway/interception, McCareins should've done a better job of fighting off McGee, trying to knock the ball down. But those are the kind of plays that McCareins never makes.

Tight Ends: D

On a critical third-and-1 run, Sean Ryan (remember him?) and Joe Kowalewski got blown up by Buffalo defenders, resulting in a 3-yard loss for Jones. Chris Baker had three catches for 24 yards, which qualifies as a prolific day for a tight end in this offense, but he should've had more chances. Facing a Cover-2 defense like the Bills, there should've been opportunities over the middle for Baker. But they only seem to use him as a last resort. Oh, by the way, Baker and Kowalewski were flagged for penalties. Then again, wasn't everyone in a Jets uniform?

Offensive Line: D

Blech!

Let's say it again: Blech!

How can a team rush for only 60 yards (3.2 per carry) against one of the softest defenses in the NFL? Going into the day, the Bills had allowed 12 straight 100-yard rushing games, yielding an averaging of 165 in that span. Shame on the Jets; they got manhandled at the point of attack. LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, coming off a terrific game against Miami's Jason Taylor, took a step backward. He didn't allow any sacks, but he was called for two holding penalties. RT Anthony Clement gave up a sack. How the heck are they going to block Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan?

Defensive Line: C-

The Jets actually opened in a 4-3 front. In fact, they used a four-man line on about dozen plays, by my count. They didn't change the personnel; all it meant was OLB Bryan Thomas going to a three-point stance. Maybe it was Bob Sutton's idea for trying to confuse the young quarterback. Well, it didn't work too well. DE Shaun Ellis (five tackles) had a sack (remember those?) and a tackle for no gain, and DE Kenyon Coleman (six tackles) was fairly active. But did anyone notice Dewayne Robertson? Did he even make the trip? Did he watch the game from the Anchor Bar in downtown Buffalo, chomping on some wings? Robertson didn't appear on the stat sheet, which is rather alarming. The only time he was noticed came on Marshawn Lynch's 10-yard touchdown run, a play in which Robertson was pushed out of the play as if he were on roller skates.

Linebackers: C-

Well, there were a few positives. Victor Hobson recorded a sack and a fumble recovery, Thomas made a tackle-for-loss and Jonathan Vilma forced a fumble and delivered a big goal-line hit on Lynch and Eric Barton batted down a pass on a blitz. Other than that, there wasn't much to get excited about. Overall, the front seven did a nice job on Lynch, holding him to 79 yards on the ground, but the linebacking corps got caught out of position too many times on play-action passes. Their pass coverage was poor; they allowed Edwards to sit in the pocket and dissect them. Vilma's facemask penalty in the fourth quarter was big. A couple of times, he got beat in space on running plays, which is supposed to be his forte.

Secondary: D

Welcome to the NFL, Darrelle Revis. The rookie cornerback got picked on by Edwards & Co. Here's why: The Bills noticed that the Jets like to double the outside receivers, so they went to spread formations (three- and four-receiver packages) and kept throwing to the slot receiver, either Josh Reed (four catches for 64 yards) or Roscoe Parrish (four for 33). Revis covers the slot receiver in the nickel, and he got his first real taste of NFL adversity, facing those guys in single coverage. Revis did have a nice break-up on a third-down play late in the game, giving the Jets one more chance, but it was too little, too late. CB Andre Dyson made the best play of the game, intercepting a deep ball to WR Lee Evans in the end zone. The struggles continue against tight ends. This time, they got nicked by Michael Gaines, who beat FS Erik Coleman on a 1-yard pass.

Special teams: D

Doink!

Mike Nugent cost the Jets three precious points, hitting the right upright from 37 yards late in the first half. It would've made it 3-0 at halftime, giving the Jets a momentum boost after Pennington's fake-spike pass to Coles. Later, Nugent's miss came back to haunt them in a bad way. Nugent had made 23 straight inside the 50, so he was due for a miss, I guess. Otherwise, the Jets held up reasonably well against the Bills' celebrated special teams, although P Ben Graham continues to kick below his usual standard. His 30-yard punt gave the Bills great field position, leading to their first touchdown.

Coaching: D

Mangini & Co. always have a hard time with Dick Jauron, who comes up with different wrinkles to throw the Jets out of whack. They were outfoxed on both sides of the ball. The Jets expected the Bills to run a lot, taking the pressure off the kid QB, but they got caught off balance with a lot of short passes, many off play action. They let Edwards get too comfortable, not even blitzing that much. Did D.C. Bob Sutton get gun-shy after last week's screen-pass debacle? The Bills used more spread formations than they had in previous weeks, designed to pick on the slot corner (Revis), but the Jets didn't adjust.

Offensively, the Jets were too conservative, even for a Pennington-led offense. And there was a lot of spinning going on after the game. Pennington said he couldn't go downfield because the Bills were playing soft zones; Mangini said the Bills were deploying a safety as an eighth man in the box, keying the running game. Which was it?

There were also a few uncharacteristic moments of indecision, as Pennington took a delay-of-game penalty and burned a timeout in the third quarter because the play call was winding down. The worst decision came on the opening drive. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Bills' 45, Mangini decided to punt.

It sent a bad message, showing no confidence in his offense, and it set a bad tone for the remainder of the game. Remember, they were facing the worst defense in the league. A year ago, Mangini would've gone for the first down. He's changed. So have the Jets.

Posted by Rich Cimini at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (87)

[Kentucky Jet]

Guessing wrong proves costly on first Bills TD

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

INSIDE THE PLAYBOOK

THE SITUATION

With the Jets and Bills scoreless midway through the third quarter, Buffalo faced second-and-goal from the 10 yard line. Bills rookie QB Trent Edwards had the defense on its heels, and first-year RB Marshawn Lynch had been contained but not stopped cold to that point.

WHAT HAPPENED

The Jets guessed pass and put in their nickel package with five defensive backs, four linebackers and two defensive linemen. They were wrong. Lynch got the ball and went behind RB Brad Butler. But he saw Bills LG Derrick Dockery (6-6, 330 pounds) and LT Jason Peters (6-4, 340 pounds) had annihilated Jets undersized NT Dewayne Robertson (6-1, 310 pounds) on a double-team block. Lynch cut back to the left and found a gaping hole as Peters peeled off Robertson and blocked ILB David Harris. Jonathan Vilma dived at Lynch but didn't make the play, and Lynch finally bowled over safeties Kerry Rhodes and Eric Coleman at the 2-yard line on his way into the end zone.

"We were playing more of a man defense to protect against the pass and they ended up running it," Vilma said. "I went with (Lynch) and tried to fall back (to make the tackle after his cut-back) and just missed him by a little bit. I tried to get him by the leg and ended up missing him."

WHY IT HAPPENED

Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton continues to have a rough start to the season. He guessed pass and was fooled by the Bills. Unfortunately, that has been a recurring theme this season. The Jets defense failed to confuse or rattle Edwards all game even though he was making his first NFL start. The Jets rank 28th in the NFL in total defense, yielding 365.5 yards per game.

NEXT OPPONENT

The Giants (2-2) have won two straight and are coming off an impressive 16-3 victory over the Eagles in which they racked up an NFL-record tying 12 sacks, six by DE Osi Umenyiora. After allowing 80 points in their first two games, the Giants have given up just 20 points in their past two.

QB Eli Manning (79 of 132 for 890 yards, seven TDs and five INTs.) is beginning to show signs of living up to the hype. WR Plaxico Burress (19 catches, 286 yards, 6 TDs) is a game-breaker. At 6-5, he has a decided height advantage over all the Jets' CBs. RB Derrick Ward (73 carries for 353 yards) was signed by the Giants off the Jets' practice squad. The Jets wanted to keep him and perhaps sign him to their active roster, but he signed with the Giants before giving the Jets an opportunity to keep him.

KEY MATCHUP

DE Osi Umenyiora vs. LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson

Ferguson, who shut out Jason Taylor (Dolphins) and Aaron Schobel (Bills) on consecutive weeks, has stepped up his play. He has allowed two sacks but was clearly beaten on just one. Umenyiora is one of the NFL's best. Ferguson can't catch a break.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has to find a way to stretch the field. Opponents are on to QB Chad Pennington's dink-and-dunk passing game (it takes the Jets 10- and 11-play drives to score) and Schottenheimer's pre-snap movement and different personnel packages. It's still hard to understand why the Jets didn't just pound the Bills with RB Thomas Jones last week.

QUICK HIT

LB Cody Spencer was placed on the reserve/non-football list with an undisclosed illness, meaning he's lost for the season. Spencer, a fourth-year pro, was a key special teams contributor.

INJURIES

Jets -- No serious injuries reported.

[Kentucky Jet]

First quarter grades

October

2 Here

[Kentucky Jet]

The Jets Are Standing at the Crossroads

By Joe Caporoso |

The Jets game versus the Giants this Sunday is a must-win. Don

[Kentucky Jet]

Losses Don

[Kentucky Jet]

IT'S A MATTER OF SURVIVAL FOR GREEN ERIC MANGINI October 3, 2007 -- THE Jets' season is in peril at 1-3, with a "road" game against the suddenly rejuvenated Giants looming Sunday at Giants Stadium.

They're fresh off an underachieving loss to an undermanned Bill team Sunday in Buffalo.

And they insist they're fine.

They insist they're better than 1-3. They insist they remain a confident group. They insist they're going to turn this thing around.

They'd better start Sunday or it'll be too late to back up all the above claims.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since the current NFL playoff format was instituted in 1990, 83 teams have started 1-4, and only five have survived to make the playoffs - the 1992 Chargers, 1993 Oilers, 2002 Jets and Titans and 2004 Packers.

That equates to six hundredths of a percent - hardly friendly odds.

"I explained to [the players] that I've been involved with teams that were 1-3 and were very successful," coach Eric Mangini said. "And some of these guys have been involved with a team who was 1-3 and won the division and went to the playoffs. So, really, where you are now doesn't matter. What matters is the next week, the next game. That's what we can control, that's what we need to focus on.

"That's what we're focused on - moving on to the Giants."

The Jets can turn around this ugly start if they start force-feeding Thomas Jones to the Giants' defense. Jones, who has rushed for more than 2,500 yards combined in the last two seasons, was brought here to fortify a Jet rushing attack that has been lost since Curtis Martin stopped suiting up on Sundays.

Through one quarter of the season, he's stuck on 254 yards, a 3.4-yard average and no TDs.

The Jets, too, have to start letting it go on defense, disrupting opposing offenses. They did little to disrupt Bill rookie QB Trent Edwards on Sunday, allowing him to get into a comfort zone.

If Giant QB Eli Manning is allowed to be in the same comfort zone Sunday he'll own the Jet defense.

Jet players maintain that inconsistency is the problem.

"If you're inconsistent in the NFL you end up with losses and you end up with days like this trying to explain what happened," receiver Jerricho Cotchery said in the quiet of the Jets' day-after locker room Monday.

"We're confident," Cotchery went on. "We're a very confident team and we'll be able to turn this around. We know that we have good players in this locker room. We know the character of these guys."

Jones was quick to add that panic has not set in.

"It's a long season," Jones said. "We have a lot of things we can correct. We've done a lot of things to hurt ourselves - penalties and not taking advantage of opportunities, and those are things we can correct. The playoffs don't start tomorrow."

No they don't. But without a Jet win Sunday, the playoffs won't start at all for them this season.

*

The Jets yesterday placed LB Cody Spencer on the reserve/non-football illness list.

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

The ball bounces funny in the NFL. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Don't give up the ship! We can beat the Giants and Eagles! GO JETS!