Jets News Articles 10/10- ( NY Post )

[Kentucky Jet]

GREEN BLUES

FRUSTRATED JETS TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF AN UGLY 1-4 START SECOND-YEAR STRUGGLE: Eric Mangini, in his second year as Jets coach, called the season's results thus far disappointing, but said, "When things get tough, that's when character is revealed." October 10, 2007 -- BASED on their highly disappointing record despite a grueling offseason and training camp, the Jets find themselves on the precipice of peril at 1-4 entering Sunday's home game against the Eagles.

The blood and sweat the players and coaches delivered for the greater good has not been rewarded with positive results, when the promise made was those things would produce success.

That, particularly for players, is a dangerous place to be - a place that, based on basic human nature, often produces frustration, finger pointing and ultimately the destruction of team unity.

This is the precarious crossroads the Jets are fast approaching a mere five games into the season. A year ago, they were the darlings of the NFL, the upstart team with the heady, upstart coach. Now they stand as one of the league's biggest disappointments.

This is where the character and resolve of the players and coaches is tested most.

Eric Mangini, asked how a head coach who promised all the hard work would lead to success keeps his players together when things aren't working and the frustration level is growing, said that process started long before training camp.

"That's why our commitment in the drafting free agency is character,'' he said. "What I've always found is that when you draft people of high character and when you have a team of high character and things get tough, that's when character is revealed. That's when you want it. Through the course of my career I've seen the value of that.

"I've been with teams that have gone through difficult times and pressed through them, and that, to me, is what you're always looking for.''

That's what the Jets need right now as they prepare to play their sixth game of the season and have three sacks on defense, haven't shown any consistency in stopping the run or running the ball on offense and have a quarterback who's suddenly become prone to throwing killer interceptions.

Mangini understands the frustration level is growing inside his locker room. That's why, very subtly, when he criticizes the team he's quick to include the coaches, too.

"Each week you pour your heart and soul into the game plan,'' he said. "Throughout the course of OTAs [offseason workouts] and training camp we worked extremely hard. When those results don't come, it is disappointing.''

To the credit of the Jets players, they have remained united. You have not heard the requisite locker room whispers from some, criticizing the play calling or questioning the schemes, etc.

Thomas Jones, who was brought here to bring the Jets' running game at least close to the levels it hit with Curtis Martin in the backfield, has carried the ball 13 times in each of the last two games. It's apparent that the offensive game plan has lost its way a bit in terms of being committed to the running game.

Jones was peppered with questions on Monday about not getting the ball enough - which you know he's frustrated about - but he would not crack, would not give even a hint he was unhappy.

This seems to be a group of players who like each other, respects the coaching staff, detests losing and is determined to turn a poor season around. That's something Mangini hopes will not fracture.

Asked what the mood of the team is now, Jets receiver Laveranues Coles, a team captain, said, "Well, it ain't good. You try to smile to shed the pain, but right now it hurts because we know we're better than this.

"But this is the position we put ourselves in. Right now, we've got to lean on each other and try to bounce back. It's going to take all of us.

"We have a lot of talented guys. There are a lot of places you can be and be 1-4 or 1-5, but if I had to pick anywhere to be in a bad situation it would be with these guys right here. I know they're going to work hard and try their best to try to get out of this."

[Thai Jet]

Thanks KJ !!

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets could use a productive nose tackle

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, October 10th 2007, 4:00 AM

There was a story making the rounds in the offseason about a list the Jets had compiled, ranking their players from one to 53, based on 2006. One of the top names, we're told, was NT Dewayne Robertson. If that's true, they need a new list.

Robertson has started 21 games at nose tackle in Eric Mangini's 3-4 defense, and it has become painfully clear that he's miscast in that position. It never was more apparent than in Sunday's loss to the Giants, who ran all over the Jets.

A close review of the tape reveals that Robertson, aside from being unproductive, didn't seem to concern the Giants much at all. Consider:

Robertson was double-teamed on only five of 27 running plays. (The Giants totaled 135 yards on those plays, averaging a hefty 5.0 per carry.) If the nose tackle in a 3-4 isn't drawing consistent double teams, it hurts the integrity of the scheme. He did attract two blockers on seven of 23 pass plays, but that didn't free up any teammates; the Jets were held to no sacks.

He recorded only two legitimate tackles in 50 plays, not making a tackle until his 34th play. (Sorry, we're not counting Eli Manning's 13-yard scramble; he was already down when Robertson arrived for the finishing "touch.") He also missed a tackle on Derrick Ward's eight-yard TD run. Mangini has talked a lot about Robertson's explosiveness, how it sets him apart from the prototypical nose tackle. We're not buying that spin anymore. At 6-1, 310, he simply isn't big enough. "If you don't have size and strength, you're in bad shape," Patriots NT Vince Wilfork (6-2, 325) told the Daily News last month, discussing the position in general. "If you're standing still, two-gapping all the time, you're going to wear down by the third and fourth quarter."

[Kentucky Jet]

Struggling Chad Pennington's future in doubt

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, October 10th 2007, 4:00 AM

Chad Pennington could be on the way out as Jets' starting QB if he continues to struggle ...

If the Jets' season continues on its current road, which means it'll be as bumpy as the Cross Bronx Expressway, the front office will be faced with several major decisions in the offseason. In terms of player movement, it could be downright tumultuous.

The futures of some of the biggest names - Chad Pennington, Dewayne Robertson, Laveranues Coles and Jonathan Vilma - will be up for discussion. They're all good players, still in the prime of their careers, so you might be wondering why they'd come under scrutiny.

Well, the NFL is a business, with greedy agents, disgruntled players and impatient coaches forcing decisions. It's one of the reasons why the Jets played hardball with Pete Kendall. Their fear was that, if they caved into his demands, it would open a can of worms next offseason. Know this: Kendall wasn't the only player unhappy with his contract; he's just the only one who went public.

Naturally, the biggest question involves Pennington. If he gets benched, and if Kellen Clemens shows he's capable of leading the Jets into the future, Pennington almost certainly will be traded. (A certain coach in Kansas City might want him, don't you think?) It would be too awkward to keep him around as a backup, and it wouldn't make fiscal sense, either. Pennington is due to make $4.8 million in 2008, and he will count $7.8 million on the salary cap. If they trade Pennington, the Jets would take a $6 million cap hit, realizing a net savings of $1.8 million. In other words, he's very tradeable.

Make no mistake, Pennington will make this a tough call for the organization. He's too much of a competitor to fold after two poor performances. Eric Mangini will take a patient approach because he knows the long-term ramifications of a quarterback change, but if the losses continue to mount, it would make sense to take a look at Clemens.

The Robertson decision will involve money and X's and O's. He's one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league, with an astounding $12 million cap figure in 2008. That is way too much for a player who doesn't fit the 3-4 defense. Their choices: Restructure his contract or trade him.

Vilma, another player who doesn't fit Mangini's defensive scheme, will be entering his free-agent year. If the Jets aren't convinced he can thrive in the system as an undersized linebacker, they should trade him because they will get nothing for him when he leaves as a free agent in 2009. Don't be surprised if Vilma pushes the contract issue after the season.

Pound for pound, Coles might be the best player on the team, but he's scheduled to make $5 million next season and $6 million in 2009 - and that might be a bit steep for the Jets.

It's going to be an eventful offseason.

LINE OF FIRE: The offensive line seems to spring a new leak whenever Thomas Jones runs the ball. Example: On his seventh, eighth, ninth and 11th carries against the Giants, which gained minus-2, 1, 2 and minus-2 yards, the following players suffered breakdowns: C Nick Mangold, LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson (on two plays), C Wade Smith (in briefly for Mangold), RG Brandon Moore and TE Chris Baker. Jones is a one-cut, downhill runner. If he doesn't get an immediate crease, it's probably not going to be a long gain. ...Ferguson did an excellent job in pass protection against Osi Umenyiora. He was isolated on Umenyiora for 26 of 37 pass plays, yielding only a late sack and one pressure.

[Kentucky Jet]

JETS CHALK TALK

Lapses make hole deep

Tom Rock | tom.rock@newsday.com

October 10, 2007

It is what it is.

That's what players and coaches say all the time. It's become a ubiquitous shoulder-shrug of an expression in all walks of life, a mix of resignation to circumstances and a c'est la vie acceptance. It's a very popular response among Jets players, a sort of multi-pronged tool for cutting their way through jagged questions without having to actually answer them.

But the time may have come to volley the response back to the Jets.

Are they what they are?

In other words, is this a 1-4 team? Or is it a team with 1-4 talent?

The Jets are not dealing with a rash of injuries. They are not trying to adjust to a new system. They are not blending a slew of new players into the fold. And they are struggling mightily.

The Jets are ranked 29th in offense and 28th in defense. A case can be made that they are statistically the worst team in football since only one team is ranked below them on both sides of the ball: the Bills. And the Jets lost to Buffalo.

"Wherever we are, we did it to ourselves," linebacker Victor Hobson said Sunday after a 35-24 loss to the Giants. "We don't have anybody to blame but ourselves."

This after the discouraging loss a week earlier in Buffalo, when Eric Mangini insisted that the answers to the Jets' problems can be found inside the locker room.

"There's not one player or coach that I don't have complete faith in," Mangini said on Monday. "If that were the case, they wouldn't be here."

There are a few Jets players who can remember what it is like to climb out of a 1-4 hole. In 2002 the Jets turned this around after a start similar to this season, finished 9-7, won the division title, and blanked the Colts in the first round of the playoffs. They were one of only five teams to make the postseason after starting the season with a 1-4 record.

But there are more Jets players who recall the slide in 2004, when after a 2-3 start the team lost seven straight and finished 4-12. That team was crippled by injuries. This team is so far crippled only by itself.

"I wouldn't say [that makes this season] more troubling," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said of the fact that there is no glaring reason for the slow start. But he said the team believed that it had figured out and put behind it the troubles that surfaced in Buffalo. The Giants game proved it had not.

Mangini said the problem has been the lack of consistency of everyone involved, from the players to the coaches. He said the "Jekyll and Hyde approach" the Jets have shown so far this season will not produce victories.

"There is too much of one quarter of good football, one half of good football or one series of good football and then some kind of lapse," he said.

The Jets did look pretty good in the first half of the Giants game, able to force turnovers, move the football on offense, and score points. But they looked awful in the second half when they were the team coughing up the ball, surrendering the long drives, and unable to score any offensive points.

It's getting harder and harder to tell which is the aberration.

Storylines

A quick look at the top stories this week

No regrets for Bowens

After suffering through some miserable seasons in Miami, David Bowens said he signed with the Jets because he felt they had a chance to get him to the playoffs and maybe even the Super Bowl. Now that the Jets are 1-4, does the nine-year veteran have any regrets? "I'm with this team until the end," Bowens said after Sunday's loss to the Giants. "I signed and when I signed, I committed myself to this program. I'll do whatever it takes, even if I have to start out 1-4."

Jets feeling blue

While the Jets players were still shaking off their latest loss Monday, the equipment staff was buzzing around the locker room replacing all of the greens and whites with blues and yellows. The Jets will wear their throwback Titans jerseys Sunday, and so that they don't appear too foreign when the game starts, they'll practice in the new colors this week. That means all new helmets and jerseys, which were still coming out of their boxes and plastic wrappers when the players left for the day.

Eagles scout

There's only one team in the NFL that the Jets have never beaten, and it's the team they play Sunday in a must-win game. The Jets are 0-7 against the Eagles in their history, having last faced them in 2003. Add to that trend the fact that Eagles coach Andy Reid is 8-0 in weeks following a bye, that Philly has the No. 8 defense in the NFL, and that injured Pro Bowlers Brian Westbrook and William Thomas appear ready to return, and the uphill road gets remarkably steeper for the Jets.

Statlines

Besides Tom Brady in the opening game, the Jets haven't exactly faced a who's who of quarterback talent this season. Kyle Boller? Trent Edwards? Yet even after holding Eli Manning to a 0.0 rating in the first half Sunday, the Jets have allowed opposing passers to look like all-stars, yielding the second-highest combined rating in the NFL:

Opposing Passing

Team passer rating TDs allowed Ints Sacks Record

Saints 114.7 8 2 1 0-4

Jets 103.5 9 3 3 1-4

Browns 102.1 15 3 4 2-3

Bears 97.6 7 5 17 2-3

[Kentucky Jet]

October 9, 2007

Vinny playing some Cards?

By Tom Rock

So you think the Jets have QB troubles? Look who might resurface in the desert.

Back to New York:

I remember writing about Clemens pushing Pennington during the summer when Chad was having some struggles and Kellen looked good in preseason. There was always this kind of haze when I was writing those stories, a lot of careful words like "could" and "possibly" and "not a quarterback controversy." I don't want to say I was insincere. But I tried to be as measured as possible, figuring that Pennington would work things out. And in the first game he looked pretty good (minus the hobbling off the field part). And when he returned for the Miami game he did alright. But in the last five quarters, well, perspectives have changed dramatically.

When Pennington stood at the podium after the game on Sunday and looked off into the distance to replay those interceptions in his mind, it was startling. It was as if he were looking for answers as much as we reporters and you fans were. It was a look of confusion, like he was trying to analyze a car wreck right after it happened. He looked at the back wall, squinted, winced a little, and talked about where he thought things might have gone wrong.

Seems to me that that could be a crack in confidence. An NFL quarterback has to bave a ****iness to be able to throw, make decisions, take hits. If there's even a sliver of doubt, the wheels fall off. We'll see Pennington tomorrow, be able to look into his eyes, and get a better feel for whether or not the confidence has returned.

Mangini has made it clear that Pennington is the starting quarterback. But he'll be on a short leash on Sunday against the Eagles. If things aren't clicking at halftime, I wouldn't be surprised if Mangini makes a move to Clemens. That gives Pennington 30 minutes of play, probably about six or seven series, to turn that foggy gaze back into an icy stare.

It's not a lot of time. But at 1-4, the Jets aren't afforded that luxury.

Posted by Tom Rock on October 9, 2007 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 8, 2007

[Kentucky Jet]

Posted on Wed, Oct. 10, 2007

Eagles Notes | With Smith injured, tight ends are struggling

Eagles Notes

It was obvious during the Eagles' lackluster loss to the New York Giants before their bye week that the offense was lost without the presence of left tackle William Thomas and star running back Brian Westbrook.

What hasn't received as much attention is the absence of tight end L.J. Smith, who wasn't healthy during the first two games and didn't play at all in the next two.

After four games, the Eagles' three tight ends - Smith, Matt Schobel and rookie Brent Celek - have a combined 11 catches for 97 yards and no touchdowns.

That's a lot less production than the Eagles typically get from their tight ends.

Smith, for example, had 18 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown after four games a year ago and 26 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns after four games in 2005.

The year before, when the Eagles were headed to the Super Bowl, the tight end trio of Smith, Chad Lewis and Mike Bartrum combined for 23 catches for 278 yards and a touchdown after four games.

"Yeah, I think it's an important position," Smith said. "The tight end is required to run a lot of receiver routes and a lot of clear routes and work the middle a lot. To defend Matt and Celek, they haven't had a lot of balls come their way for whatever reason."

Though Smith, who is eligible for free agency after this season, isn't considered among the elite tight ends in the NFL, he has been a productive one for the Eagles. A year ago, he ranked 10th among NFL tight ends in catches (50) and 12th in receiving yards (611), and was tied for seventh in touchdowns (five).

After undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia May 31, Smith aggravated the injury in training camp and didn't play at all in the preseason. He obviously wasn't right in the Eagles' first two regular-season games and underwent another surgery Sept. 28 to clean out scar tissue around his groin.

Smith said he practiced in a limited fashion Monday, but it's unknown whether he'll be able to return when the Eagles travel to the Meadowlands for a game against the New York Jets on Sunday. When Smith does return, he wants to have the explosion off the line of scrimmage that was lacking when he played in the first two games.

"When I was hurting the first two games, I just felt like an average dude and I thought, 'This is not cool,' " Smith said. "My speed is my biggest asset. I'm going to push myself [this week] and see how I feel."

Extra points

The Eagles return to practice today after being off yesterday. . . . This is the Eagles' first meeting with the Jets since 2003 and their first game at the Meadowlands against the team since 1996, when Rich Kotite was head coach of the Jets. The Eagles are 7-0 all-time against the Jets, including a 3-0 mark at the Meadowlands. . . . The Jets will honor the Titans of New York by wearing their original navy-and-gold uniforms during Sunday's game. The AFL's Titans wore those colors from 1960 through '62.

- Bob Brookover

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets' Clemens wants no part of quarterback controversy

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: October 10, 2007)

HEMPSTEAD - The subject is as painful to Kellen Clemens as Chad Pennington's recent slump has been to the Jets' starting quarterback.

But the questions, which started as a trickle earlier this season, are now coming daily to Jets coach Eric Mangini as the Jets (1-4) prepare to host the Eagles (1-3) Sunday: Will he stick with Pennington or insert Clemens, the second-year pro who fared decently at times in his one start this season, a 20-13 loss at Baltimore in Week 2.

The 24-year-old Clemens wants no part of it.

"The most important thing right now is what goes on inside these walls," Clemens said. "We go out this week, have a good week of practice, a good week of preparation, hopefully we get back on track this weekend. Whatever talk goes on outside these walls doesn't affect Sunday, so we focus on what happens inside here."

Mangini has had to declare that Pennington is still the starting quarterback both after this past Sunday's 35-24 loss to the Giants, in which Pennington threw three interceptions, as well as the following day.

Though Pennington has completed 53 of 75 passes for 520 yards and two touchdowns the past two weeks, including a 17-14 loss at Buffalo in which he completed a career-high 15 straight, he's also thrown five interceptions.

Both the Bills' and Giants' defensive backs seemed apt to jump the routes, not giving the 31-year-old respect for his arm strength.

And there's little argument that the stronger-armed Clemens would bring more of a vertical dimension to the Jets' offense.

"You'd like to look at it as this is the one issue, if this issue was taken care of then everything else would click," Mangini said. "But it's really not the case. You're constantly addressing different things and it never comes down to one piece that's really going to necessarily put you over the top,"

It's an age-old NFL adage that the most popular player on a team is always the backup quarterback. Particularly a young one with promise, such as Clemens, a second-round pick out of Oregon in 2006.

Clemens, starting against the Ravens with Pennington nursing a sore right ankle that's still affecting him, completed 19 of 37 passes for 260 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He exuded calm before the game and poise in standing up to the Ravens' rush.

But Baltimore did take a 20-3 lead before Clemens rallied the Jets in the fourth quarter.

"My role as the backup quarterback is to be ready if my number is called," Clemens said. "I make my contributions, the majority of it, during the week on scout team and trying to give the defense the best look. On game days, it's with my eyes, trying to see things to help Chad out or (offensive coordinator Brian) Schottenheimer."

Clemens works closely with Pennington during the week but did not want to discuss how the veteran was handling this rough patch.

Pennington on Sunday seemed more distraught than usual after a loss and will address the media today.

"I don't know how Chad is approaching this, that's Chad's business," Clemens said. "I know he's a competitor and he wants to win. Losses are hard on everybody, and how he's approaching it and how he's handling it, you might have to ask him."

It'll be just one of the questions Pennington faces this week.

Note: The Jets yesterday named Tappan Zee's Andy DiDomenico their high school coach of the week. Tappan Zee defeated Lakeland 31-17 this past Friday to improve to 4-0 as the Dutchmen earned their first victory against a Class A team in five years. The Jets will donate $1,000 to the school's football program.

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

[JetCane]

Jets could use a productive nose tackle

There was a story making the rounds in the offseason about a list the Jets had compiled, ranking their players from one to 53, based on 2006. One of the top names, we're told, was NT Dewayne Robertson. If that's true, they need a new list.

Robertson has started 21 games at nose tackle in Eric Mangini's 3-4 defense, and it has become painfully clear that he's miscast in that position. It never was more apparent than in Sunday's loss to the Giants, who ran all over the Jets.

A close review of the tape reveals that Robertson, aside from being unproductive, didn't seem to concern the Giants much at all. Consider:

Robertson was double-teamed on only five of 27 running plays. (The Giants totaled 135 yards on those plays, averaging a hefty 5.0 per carry.) If the nose tackle in a 3-4 isn't drawing consistent double teams, it hurts the integrity of the scheme. He did attract two blockers on seven of 23 pass plays, but that didn't free up any teammates; the Jets were held to no sacks.

He recorded only two legitimate tackles in 50 plays, not making a tackle until his 34th play. (Sorry, we're not counting Eli Manning's 13-yard scramble; he was already down when Robertson arrived for the finishing "touch.") He also missed a tackle on Derrick Ward's eight-yard TD run. Mangini has talked a lot about Robertson's explosiveness, how it sets him apart from the prototypical nose tackle. We're not buying that spin anymore. At 6-1, 310, he simply isn't big enough. "If you don't have size and strength, you're in bad shape," Patriots NT Vince Wilfork (6-2, 325) told the Daily News last month, discussing the position in general. "If you're standing still, two-gapping all the time, you're going to wear down by the third and fourth quarter."

[Kentucky Jet]

http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show/1691-laura-pours-her-energy-into-the-flight-crew

[Kentucky Jet]

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

THE SITUATION

The Giants faced third-and-one at their 17- yard line midway through the first quarter and it was no secret that 6-4, 264-pound running back Brandon Jacobs was going to get the ball. This time, however, the Jets were waiting for Jacobs and had a trick up their sleeves, courtesy of some eagle-eye film work.

WHAT HAPPENED

Jacobs played right into the Jets' hands. As he plowed off left tackle, LB Jonathan Vilma hit him low and LB Eric Barton came flying over the top and hit him high. Just as the Jets saw on film, Jacobs held the ball out and S Kerry Rhodes went for it.

Rhodes, who is one of the Jets' best playmakers on defense, yanked the ball out, picked it up and coasted 11 yards for the first score of the game and the first touchdown of his three-year career.

"It was something we saw on film with him," Rhodes said. "He carries the ball a little wide. On contact, he puts the ball out."

Indeed. Jacobs rebounded to rush for 100 yards on 20 carries (a healthy 5.0-yard average), including a bruising 19-yard touchdown off right tackle. The Giants finished with 188 yards rushing and two TDs on 39 carries.

WHY IT HAPPENED

Film study is probably one of the biggest keys to success in the NFL. Rhodes and Vilma study film together at least one night a week and are among the Jets' film-room junkies. It's unclear if they or defensive coordinator Bob Sutton spotted the fatal flaw in Jacobs' handling of the football, but it paid huge dividends for the Jets, if only for a moment.

The Eagles (1-3), who were missing five starters against the Giants 11 days ago, are coming off a well-placed bye week and are expected to get back several key players on Sunday at the Meadowlands. RB Brian Westbrook (abdomen), Pro Bowl CB Lito Sheppard (knee), TE L.J. Smith (groin) and LT William Thomas (knee) are all expected back. S Brian Dawkins (neck) and LG Todd Herremans (knee), who was hurt in the Giants game, are long shots to return.

Philadelphia spent the bye week licking its wounds after an embarrassing 16-3 loss to the Giants in which the Giants recorded an NFL-record-tying 12 sacks, six by DE Osi Umenyiora. Eagles LT Winston Justice, subbing for Thomas and making his first NFL start, had a long night against Umenyiora.

QB Donovan McNabb has solid stats (79-for-136, 943 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT), but critics say he's still favoring his surgically repaired knee and isn't the player he once was. The return of Westbrook will help. Defensively, the Eagles are underrated. LB/DE Trent Cole has five sacks.

KEY MATCHUP

RB Brian Westbrook vs. the Jets defense

Westbrook, whose absence cripples the Eagles' offense, is among the top two or three double-threat running backs in the NFL. He can beat you with his legs or his pass-catching ability. He has rushed for 291 yards and two touchdowns on just 51 carries, an impressive 5.7-yard average, and has 19 receptions for 223 yards and a TD. He has a 27-yard run and a 47-yard reception this season.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

QB Chad Pennington, in his eighth season, is fighting for his Jets career. With a $4.8 million base salary and a $7.8 million cap number in 2008, it's unlikely he'll be back if he loses his starting job to Kellen Clemens at some point this season. He has thrown five costly interceptions in the past two games, but some of the blame goes to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Pennington has thrown an uncharacteristically high 75 passes in the past two games.

QUICK HITS

The Jets are expected to announce the signing of CB E.J. Underwood to their practice squad today. Underwood was cut from the Giants' practice squad Monday because he missed a meeting last week. The move doesn't bode well for former Rutgers cornerback Manny Collins, who is also on the Jets practice squad.

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets Have Many Issues to Solve

Posted by Bob Bullock October 09, 2007 9:23PM

Categories: News

We all like to focus on the quarterback situation with the Jets. A lot of you folks want Chad Pennington out and I can totally understand why. I'm willing to give Chad one more start before yanking him because I'm not ready to give up on the season just yet. A loss to the Eagles this week will change that train of thought though, that is for sure.

Realistically, will a quarterback change really make that much of a difference with this team? There are so many flaws with the Jets so far this season across the board. Besides the quarterback, we can look at the running game, the run defense and the lack of a pass rush. Will all of these problems go away with a quarterback change?

"You'd like to look at it as this is the one issue, if this issue was taken care of, then everything else would click. But it's really not the case," head coach Eric Mangini said.

I have to agree with coach on this one. Unfortunately, I think the coaching hasn't be up to par either this season. Those great schemes and excellent play calls by the staff last year have disappeared.

I realize that Clemens would bring another dimension to the offense but the running game still has to be a factor as well. It certainly hasn't been at all so far this season. Thomas Jones has been the forgotten man on all but one Sunday. Oh, that one day was also when the team won its only game of the season so far. It is not a coincidence, they traded for this guy because he is an excellent back. Brian Schottenheimer has refused to make him the focal point of the offense for some reason. It is a HUGE mistake in my opinion, one that is really inexcusable.

"Most feature backs in this league get the ball 20 to 25 times a game," Jones said. "You can get a feel for what the defense is doing and you can get a feel for how the offensive line is blocking. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do that the past couple of weeks."

You have a feature back and a darn good one Schott, USE HIM! He also has become way too predictable, something that was pointed out on the telecast of the game Sunday. Randy Cross said during the telecast that the Jets ran on 68 out of the 71 plays in which the back lined up eight yards deep so far this season. Now THAT is predicable.

The Defense is a whole other story. They looked good a times against the Giants, putting pressure on Eli Manning and forcing turnovers. Heck, they even recovered a fumble and scored a touchdown for cryin' out loud. Inexplicably, the pressure stopped coming and the unit reverted back to one that couldn't tackle and one that let the opponent's offense control the game.

There is really no quick fix available for the defense at this point. The only way things will change is if the scheme gets more aggressive and that approach continues for the entire game. That is the only way this group will be successful. They have to force the hand of the offense or the secondary will get picked apart and the line will get pushed around in the running game. It has to be attack or bust for these guys starting Sunday against the Eagles.

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[Kentucky Jet]

WASZAK ON FOOTBALL: Mistakes and suspect coaching calls plaguing woeful Jets

Oct 09, 2007

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -Eric Mangini has gone from "Mangenius" to man on the hot seat.

Less than a year after leading the New York Jets to a surprising playoff appearance as a rookie coach, Mangini is struggling to find answers during his team's disappointing 1-4 start.

"Having the Jekyll-and-Hyde approach that we've had isn't going to give us the results that we are looking for," Mangini said a day after the Jets blew a 10-point lead in a 35-24 loss to the Giants.

The Jets have had spurts when they've resembled last season's encouraging group. Then, mistakes, missed opportunities and mental lapses undermine everything positive they've done.

Yes, for fans, it's the same ol' Jets.

"You can't have the really good football, the really smart football, interrupted by plays that aren't well executed and aren't very smart," Mangini said. "That goes to the coaching as well. It has to be consistent with the play-calling and with the game-planning across the board. We all need to be more complete on Sundays."

And, perhaps, the rest of the week in practice.

Little was expected last season when the likable and fresh-faced Mangini, the youngest coach in the NFL at the time, took over a team in transition. After years as an assistant under Bill Belichick at New England, Mangini brought with him a no-nonsense approach, a passion for details and a strict code of conduct he called "the Jets' core values."

Every button Mangini pushed seemed to work as he deftly molded the Jets into a playoff team. They were one of the most-disciplined and innovative teams in the league, and among the NFL leaders in fewest penalties and most trick plays.

The success bred a clever nickname for Mangini, as well as cameos on "The Sopranos" and "Sesame Street." It also renewed hope for a team that last played in the AFC championship during the 1998 season.

The outlook has suddenly turned grim as silly penalties, conservative and, at times, bland playcalling and a misuse of personnel have the Jets on the brink of falling out of the playoff picture just five games into the season.

"It's frustrating," quarterback Chad Pennington said. "And believe me, it makes you sick to your stomach."

Pennington's play has been a prime reason for the team's lackluster start. Known as a cerebral quarterback who made up for his lack of arm strength with accuracy and smart decisions, Pennington has been intercepted five times.

Two weeks ago, he threw an interception against the Bills that ended the Jets' comeback attempt with 6 seconds left. On Sunday, he ended another comeback with an interception that was returned for a touchdown with just over 3 minutes remaining.

Fans have been calling for Pennington to be benched in favor of Kellen Clemens. Mangini, however, is sticking by Pennington - for now.

"There's not one player or coach that I don't have complete faith in," Mangini said. "If that were the case, they wouldn't be here and I like the way that we approach things."

A few more losses and poor performances and it'll be time to turn the page on Pennington and see what Clemens can do. The Jets took the strong-armed quarterback in the second round last year and he clearly gives New York more of a vertical passing attack.

That, in turn, would help the running game, which has been miserable this year, despite the acquisition of Thomas Jones. The two-time 1,000-yard rusher was expected to jump-start a running game that struggled mightily last season without a bona fide No. 1 back.

Instead, he's been rendered a non-factor.

He has just 290 yards and no touchdowns on 88 carries, hardly making an impact. He rushed for 110 yards on 25 carries against Miami in Week 3, but has totaled just 25 carries since.

"I think I've done well," Jones said. "We've had some miscommunications on a lot of different plays, and that's football. It's going to be like that. You just have to keep plugging and keep going and work to continue to get better."

They need to give the ball to Jones more often for that to happen. A notorious slow starter, Jones has typically needed at least 20 carries a game throughout his career to be effective.

"I've been around for a while and seen a lot of different things," he said. "The major thing that I've learned is to just stay the course, and that's what I'm doing."

Mangini has done the same by refusing to budge from his 3-4 base defensive scheme, something he brought with him from New England despite having players who are more suited for a 4-3. Playmakers such as Jonathan Vilma and Eric Barton struggled to get comfortable with their new roles and the defense was highly criticized when the Jets failed to stop opponents' running games or get consistent pressure on quarterbacks.

It's the same story this season.

Teams are running at will against New York, and opposing quarterbacks are generally getting plenty of time to throw.

"If there was a magic cure, I would be the first one to let you know," safety Kerry Rhodes said.

The team is frustrated, but the players aren't pointing fingers. They're also convinced there's still enough time and talent to turn things around.

"Each person is accountable," Mangini said. "Players and coaches are accountable. Everybody can do things better and everybody should be disappointed."

And that all starts with the head coach.

[Kentucky Jet]

Time for Jets to put Chad out to pasture

By KEITH IDEC

HERALD NEWS

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Chad Pennington, as poised and professional as usual, confidently talked Sunday afternoon about moving forward as the Jets' starting quarterback.

He discussed the progress the Jets' offense made at times during their eventual 11-point loss to the Giants, the area NFL team that looks like it can at least make a run at its third postseason berth in four years. He mentioned more than once those two terrible throws that "ruined" anything positive he and his teammates on offense had accomplished on their way to four losses in five games. As anyone in his position probably would do with the television cameras and tape recorders rolling, he also said he is not at all worried about losing his starting gig to Kellen Clemens.

"I don't have any concern," Pennington said after completing his best Eli Manning impression in the fourth quarter. "My whole concern is me and what I can do to get better and become a better quarterback."

Needless to say, Pennington, who Mangini strongly supported following the loss Sunday, should be concerned about Clemens moving ahead of him on the Jets' depth chart.

Because really, there is no better time than the present to make a permanent switch virtually everyone views as inevitable. Nine months after they overcame odds and reached the postseason in Eric Mangini's remarkable first season as their head coach, they're only a couple losses away from making the 2008 season their top priority, not 2007. And even if they think eight wins will get them another AFC Playoffs spot later this year, they should elevate Clemens to the top spot anyway.

At 1-4, the Jets have a better record than only one AFC team, the winless Dolphins. And while there are six other conference counterparts that have losing records, they shouldn't use such "parity" as an excuse to keep Pennington behind center. Mangini might as well allow Clemens to make his "rookie" mistakes during what is already basically a lost season, rather than waiting on those natural, understandable errors that come with learning an incredibly complex position and ruining another season.

He couldn't do any worse than Pennington played against the Giants and Bills over the past eight days, could he?

Furthermore, Pennington, for all his courage, intelligence and that noteworthy winning record as the Jets' starter since 2002, has no long-term future with this team.

Mangini made that perfectly clear in 2006, when after drafting the strong-armed Clemens in the second round out of Oregon, he forced the accomplished Pennington to compete with a rookie and two other veterans before naming Pennington the team's top quarterback. The 31-year-old Pennington played pretty well at times last season, after winning that somewhat insulting summer competition and accepting a significantly slashed salary. But now he is making Manning-like throws with regularity, the type of game-mangling mistakes that you can't afford from a quarterback whose lack of arm strength already limits the kind of offensive schemes Mangini's coaches can concoct.

Pennington's poor decision-making cost the Jets dearly Sunday.

Up 24-21 and in prime position to go ahead by 10 points, an off-balance Pennington overthrew, ironically enough, Jerricho Cotchery near the goal line. The throw amounted to an easy interception for Giants rookie cornerback Aaron Ross, and the Giants went ahead for good nine plays later on Plaxico Burress' 53-yard touchdown reception. Two series later, with the Jets still behind just four points, Pennington allowed Ross to jump Cotchery's route, pick off another of his passes and race untouched down the Giants' sideline for a 43-yard score that sent the Jets into October oblivion.

Cotchery blamed himself for failing to at least get called for offensive pass interference on Ross' second interception. We know, though, that the loss-clinching throw was Pennington's responsibility. And no one should understand better than the former Marshall star that he works within a bottom-line business.

You can be Southern nice. You can be a complete professional. You can work harder than almost anyone else. You can have a higher quarterback IQ than most of your contemporaries. And you can overcome more injuries than anyone should have to endure.

But if your flaws become more noticeable than your strengths, and there's a potentially superior option playing behind you, well, it is time the Chad Pennington era ended, just as unceremoniously as Vinny Testaverde's time as the Jets' starter stopped.

Luckily for Pennington, Mangini seems committed to offering the 2000 first-round draft choice a little more time to turn this disappointing season into something meaningful. That vote of confidence didn't make Sunday any easier, though.

"It's frustrating," said Pennington, who has thrown five interceptions in the Jets' last two games. "And believe me, it makes you sick to your stomach."

Jets fans that want Pennington replaced can certainly relate.

Reach Keith Idec at 973-569-7073 or idec@northjersey.com.

[SoFlaJets]

Seems to me that that could be a crack in confidence. An NFL quarterback has to bave a cokciness to be able to throw, make decisions, take hits. If there's even a sliver of doubt, the wheels fall off. We'll see Pennington tomorrow, be able to look into his eyes, and get a better feel for whether or not the confidence has returned.

Mangini has made it clear that Pennington is the starting quarterback. But he'll be on a short leash on Sunday against the Eagles. If things aren't clicking at halftime, I wouldn't be surprised if Mangini makes a move to Clemens. That gives Pennington 30 minutes of play, probably about six or seven series, to turn that foggy gaze back into an icy stare.

It's not a lot of time. But at 1-4, the Jets aren't afforded that luxury.

so one more half of Chad-I can handle that-I don't think our SEASON can but hey-I ain't an NFL HC

[CobraVerde]

Chad Looks Within to End 'Bad Situations

Published: 10-10-07

By Eric Allen

Senior Managing Editor

http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show/1700-chad-looks-within-to-end-bad-situations-

The Jets are going to be the Titans this weekend, but Chad Pennington knows he can

[ECURB]

What is the life expectancy of a 350lb NT? ITs no wonder why no college kids are bulking up for the job... they are going to be lucky if they hit 40 years old...