Jets Articles: Monday Oct 15th

[Sperm Edwards]

www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjgrades155413607oct15,0,4930267.story

Newsday.com

GRADING THE JETS

By Tom Rock

October 15, 2007

OFFENSE

D

Thomas Jones got his carries and got his yards, but it did not translate into points. The offense had four trips to the red zone and had to settle for three field goals. The last time the Jets scored an offensive touchdown was Pennington's pass to Brad Smith in the second quarter of last week's game against the Giants. That's a total of 16 offensive series and an eclipsed time of just over 90 minutes without a touchdown. Pennington completed 11 of 21 passes for 128 yards and an interception. He was also sacked three times, the most he's been touched since the opening game against the Patriots.

DEFENSE

C

The glaring missed tackle aside, the defense wasn't awful. They buckled down in the red zone and forced the Eagles to attempt some far-from-automatic field-goal attempts. And they gave the offense the ball twice in good scoring position late in the game thanks to Hank Poteat's first career interception and a timely three-and-out. Still, they gave Donovan McNabb too much time to find his receivers and allowed Brian Westbrook to run for 120 yards and add 36 receiving yards. Jonathan Vilma had two pass breakups in coverage and Darrelle Revis led the team with nine tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS

C

Leon Washington continues to look like a Pro Bowl kickoff returner. He didn't take one to the house this time, but he did pop a 51-yarder and averaged 37.3 yards on three chances. The Jets' field-goal unit was a little shaky as James Dearth had a high snap on Mike Nugent's first 30-yarder, then went low when Nugent missed a 44-yarder wide right. Ben Graham had an uneven day punting, as well, pinning the Eagles at the 4 once but also putting one near midfield that took a Philly bounce and wound up with a 28-yard net.

COACHING

D

Forget the offensive play-calling on the final two snaps. In what was already a grinder of a game, the Jets had a chance to go for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 3 early in the second quarter - Thomas Jones was waving his arms pleading for another chance - but decided to take the three instead. The Jets have yet to find a way to discourage opponents from running the football, and a week's worth of tackling drills went out the window when Eric Smith slipped off Kevin Curtis near midfield. The toughest challenge for the staff may lie ahead, trying to keep a 1-5 locker room together while still pushing them hard for results that aren't showing up.

[Sperm Edwards]

www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjgrades155413607oct15,0,4930267.story

Newsday.com

GRADING THE JETS

By Tom Rock

October 15, 2007

OFFENSE

D

Thomas Jones got his carries and got his yards, but it did not translate into points. The offense had four trips to the red zone and had to settle for three field goals. The last time the Jets scored an offensive touchdown was Pennington's pass to Brad Smith in the second quarter of last week's game against the Giants. That's a total of 16 offensive series and an eclipsed time of just over 90 minutes without a touchdown. Pennington completed 11 of 21 passes for 128 yards and an interception. He was also sacked three times, the most he's been touched since the opening game against the Patriots.

DEFENSE

C

The glaring missed tackle aside, the defense wasn't awful. They buckled down in the red zone and forced the Eagles to attempt some far-from-automatic field-goal attempts. And they gave the offense the ball twice in good scoring position late in the game thanks to Hank Poteat's first career interception and a timely three-and-out. Still, they gave Donovan McNabb too much time to find his receivers and allowed Brian Westbrook to run for 120 yards and add 36 receiving yards. Jonathan Vilma had two pass breakups in coverage and Darrelle Revis led the team with nine tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS

C

Leon Washington continues to look like a Pro Bowl kickoff returner. He didn't take one to the house this time, but he did pop a 51-yarder and averaged 37.3 yards on three chances. The Jets' field-goal unit was a little shaky as James Dearth had a high snap on Mike Nugent's first 30-yarder, then went low when Nugent missed a 44-yarder wide right. Ben Graham had an uneven day punting, as well, pinning the Eagles at the 4 once but also putting one near midfield that took a Philly bounce and wound up with a 28-yard net.

COACHING

D

Forget the offensive play-calling on the final two snaps. In what was already a grinder of a game, the Jets had a chance to go for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 3 early in the second quarter - Thomas Jones was waving his arms pleading for another chance - but decided to take the three instead. The Jets have yet to find a way to discourage opponents from running the football, and a week's worth of tackling drills went out the window when Eric Smith slipped off Kevin Curtis near midfield. The toughest challenge for the staff may lie ahead, trying to keep a 1-5 locker room together while still pushing them hard for results that aren't showing up.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1192423081237310.xml&coll=1

Jets in review

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY M.A. MEHTA

Star-Ledger Staff

DID YOU NOTICE?

The Jets -- who averaged 77 yards on the ground in the first five games -- had 55 rushing yards on the first drive and 94 in the first quarter. ... Kenyon Coleman picked up his first sack of the season on the Jets' first defensive play from scrimmage. ... Mike Nugent missed his fourth FG of the season -- after missing three last season -- when his 44-yard attempt in the first quarter floated wide right. ... Chad Pennington had one completion for 5 yards in the first quarter. ... The Jets had to settle for a pair of Nugent FGs after their drives stalled inside the Eagles' 10-yard line. ... Brian Westbrook's 19-yard TD run in the second quarter was called back after a holding penalty. ... The Eagles had a 16-play drive that chewed up more than eight minutes in the second quarter, but came away empty when David Akers missed a 41-yard FG. ... The Jets didn't force the Eagles to punt in the first half. ... Pennington's interception was his sixth in the past three games. ... Hank Poteat had his first interception of his seven-year career in the third quarter. ... The Jets had as many sacks (three) as they had in the first five games.

THE NUMBER

The Jets dropped to 0-8 in the all-time series against the Eagles.

KEYS TO THE GAME

THROWN FOR A LOSS

On a day when the running game finally showed up (158 yards), Pennington struggled through the air. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 148 and an interception. Laveranues Coles was invisible with just one catch for 27 yards.

THIRD-DOWN WOES

The Jets couldn't make plays in crucial spots. They converted just 5 of 14 chances (36 percent) on third down. Meantime, the Eagles prolonged several drives -- including their last one -- by moving the chains nine times on 16 third downs.

DECISION-MAKING

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had some questionable play-calling down the stretch. The Jets' decision to call a quarterback sneak on third-and-one from the 4-yard line instead handing off to Thomas Jones with four minutes left was a head-scratcher. Let the second-guessing begin.

-- M.A. MEHTA

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1192423081237310.xml&coll=1

Jets in review

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY M.A. MEHTA

Star-Ledger Staff

DID YOU NOTICE?

The Jets -- who averaged 77 yards on the ground in the first five games -- had 55 rushing yards on the first drive and 94 in the first quarter. ... Kenyon Coleman picked up his first sack of the season on the Jets' first defensive play from scrimmage. ... Mike Nugent missed his fourth FG of the season -- after missing three last season -- when his 44-yard attempt in the first quarter floated wide right. ... Chad Pennington had one completion for 5 yards in the first quarter. ... The Jets had to settle for a pair of Nugent FGs after their drives stalled inside the Eagles' 10-yard line. ... Brian Westbrook's 19-yard TD run in the second quarter was called back after a holding penalty. ... The Eagles had a 16-play drive that chewed up more than eight minutes in the second quarter, but came away empty when David Akers missed a 41-yard FG. ... The Jets didn't force the Eagles to punt in the first half. ... Pennington's interception was his sixth in the past three games. ... Hank Poteat had his first interception of his seven-year career in the third quarter. ... The Jets had as many sacks (three) as they had in the first five games.

THE NUMBER

The Jets dropped to 0-8 in the all-time series against the Eagles.

KEYS TO THE GAME

THROWN FOR A LOSS

On a day when the running game finally showed up (158 yards), Pennington struggled through the air. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 148 and an interception. Laveranues Coles was invisible with just one catch for 27 yards.

THIRD-DOWN WOES

The Jets couldn't make plays in crucial spots. They converted just 5 of 14 chances (36 percent) on third down. Meantime, the Eagles prolonged several drives -- including their last one -- by moving the chains nine times on 16 third downs.

DECISION-MAKING

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had some questionable play-calling down the stretch. The Jets' decision to call a quarterback sneak on third-and-one from the 4-yard line instead handing off to Thomas Jones with four minutes left was a head-scratcher. Let the second-guessing begin.

-- M.A. MEHTA

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spebar155413612oct15,0,7017096.story

Newsday.com

Jets get healthy dose of Eagles

BY KATIE STRANG

caitlin.strang@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

After their last visit to East Rutherford two weeks ago, no one would blame the Eagles for not wanting to return. But they redeemed themselves yesterday, thanks to the Jets.

Against the Giants on Sept. 30, the Eagles suffered a ruthless defensive attack. Donovan McNabb was sacked 12 times - six by defensive end Osi Umenyiora - and with multi-purpose back Brian Westbrook out with an abdominal injury, their offense mustered only 190 total yards.

Yesterday, however, the Eagles' offense looked like an entirely different unit. A particularly poor tackling performance by the Jets made that possible, as well as their inability to put consistent pressure on McNabb.

The Eagles gained 413 total yards, with McNabb completing 22 of 35 for 278 yards and one touchdown. Proving not only his versatility but his integral role in the Eagles' offense, Westbrook gained 156 total yards, 120 rushing on 20 carries and 36 receiving on six receptions. He had carries of 22 and 21 yards late in the fourth quarter that stifled any hope of a Jets comeback.

"We played with a lot of confidence. We talked about it before the bye week and after we got back," McNabb said. "Any time you can have all your guys back healthy, it does a lot."

McNabb had a much easier time handling the Jets' pass rush than the Giants'. Although he was sacked three times yesterday, McNabb otherwise enjoyed good pass protection.

"They did a nice job," coach Andy Reid said of the vastly improved performance from the Eagles' offensive line. "It was good to come back here and get things straightened out."

The Eagles also were able to get wide receiver Kevin Curtis involved in the game early. On the Eagles' first drive, McNabb saw the Jets in man coverage and audibled to a slant against the blitz. A short pass became a 75-yard touchdown after a blown simultaneous tackle by safety Eric Smith and cornerback Andre Dyson.

"We had a different play called. Donovan saw the defense and kind of signaled over to me," Curtis said. "He made a great audible knowing that we had them where we wanted them for the play that he called."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spebar155413612oct15,0,7017096.story

Newsday.com

Jets get healthy dose of Eagles

BY KATIE STRANG

caitlin.strang@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

After their last visit to East Rutherford two weeks ago, no one would blame the Eagles for not wanting to return. But they redeemed themselves yesterday, thanks to the Jets.

Against the Giants on Sept. 30, the Eagles suffered a ruthless defensive attack. Donovan McNabb was sacked 12 times - six by defensive end Osi Umenyiora - and with multi-purpose back Brian Westbrook out with an abdominal injury, their offense mustered only 190 total yards.

Yesterday, however, the Eagles' offense looked like an entirely different unit. A particularly poor tackling performance by the Jets made that possible, as well as their inability to put consistent pressure on McNabb.

The Eagles gained 413 total yards, with McNabb completing 22 of 35 for 278 yards and one touchdown. Proving not only his versatility but his integral role in the Eagles' offense, Westbrook gained 156 total yards, 120 rushing on 20 carries and 36 receiving on six receptions. He had carries of 22 and 21 yards late in the fourth quarter that stifled any hope of a Jets comeback.

"We played with a lot of confidence. We talked about it before the bye week and after we got back," McNabb said. "Any time you can have all your guys back healthy, it does a lot."

McNabb had a much easier time handling the Jets' pass rush than the Giants'. Although he was sacked three times yesterday, McNabb otherwise enjoyed good pass protection.

"They did a nice job," coach Andy Reid said of the vastly improved performance from the Eagles' offensive line. "It was good to come back here and get things straightened out."

The Eagles also were able to get wide receiver Kevin Curtis involved in the game early. On the Eagles' first drive, McNabb saw the Jets in man coverage and audibled to a slant against the blitz. A short pass became a 75-yard touchdown after a blown simultaneous tackle by safety Eric Smith and cornerback Andre Dyson.

"We had a different play called. Donovan saw the defense and kind of signaled over to me," Curtis said. "He made a great audible knowing that we had them where we wanted them for the play that he called."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2007/10/15/2007-10-15_missed_tackles_doom_jets_on_kevin_curtis.html

Missed tackles doom Jets on Kevin Curtis' 75-yard TD

BY KRISTIE ACKERT

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, October 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

Is is a good bet the Jets will be practicing fundamental tackling again this week. After going back to basic tackling drills last week to combat the mistakes they made against the Giants, the Jets were up to the same tricks by the third play of yesterday's game, missing tackles on Kevin Curtis' 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

"We had a different play called, but when (Donovan McNabb) saw the defense, he called an audible," Curtis said. "When I heard it and looked at the defense, I knew we had the opportunity for a big play."

McNabb saw that the Jets were playing man-to-man defense and had an eight-man front on third-and-8. So, the Philadelphia quarterback switched up the play to go outside and hit Curtis with a short slant pass to the left. Curtis hauled it in and sped off for the sideline. Cornerback Andre Dyson and safety Eric Smith missed him as Curtis cut downfield.

"I should have just made the tackle," Smith said.

Taking off from the Eagles' 30-yard line, Curtis could feel Smith on his heels as he neared the end zone.

"I felt him gaining on me," Curtis said. "I started to feel a little tired, but I knew that I had a chance."

Last week, it was Dyson who couldn't make a key tackle. His missed play on Plaxico Burress allowed the Giants' star to score the 53-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown that proved to be the game-winner.

Though he denied it was because the Jets missed 14 tackles last week, Eric Mangini put his team through one-on-one tackling drills for the first time since training camp.

"We work on it," Smith said. "We started working on it last week, tackling."

Yesterday, however, the get-tough tackling drills did not show in the secondary.

McNabb threw for 278 yards, connecting with Curtis five times for 121 yards. Wide receiver Reggie Brown, who had 81 yards all season coming in, caught six passes for 89.

The missed tackles made the 16-9 loss that much harder to swallow for the Jets.

"Missed tackles aren't a result of the scheme, the coaches, anything," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "It's the result of an individual player or players in certain situations. That is something that can be fixed, but hasn't been so far."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2007/10/15/2007-10-15_missed_tackles_doom_jets_on_kevin_curtis.html

Missed tackles doom Jets on Kevin Curtis' 75-yard TD

BY KRISTIE ACKERT

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, October 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

Is is a good bet the Jets will be practicing fundamental tackling again this week. After going back to basic tackling drills last week to combat the mistakes they made against the Giants, the Jets were up to the same tricks by the third play of yesterday's game, missing tackles on Kevin Curtis' 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

"We had a different play called, but when (Donovan McNabb) saw the defense, he called an audible," Curtis said. "When I heard it and looked at the defense, I knew we had the opportunity for a big play."

McNabb saw that the Jets were playing man-to-man defense and had an eight-man front on third-and-8. So, the Philadelphia quarterback switched up the play to go outside and hit Curtis with a short slant pass to the left. Curtis hauled it in and sped off for the sideline. Cornerback Andre Dyson and safety Eric Smith missed him as Curtis cut downfield.

"I should have just made the tackle," Smith said.

Taking off from the Eagles' 30-yard line, Curtis could feel Smith on his heels as he neared the end zone.

"I felt him gaining on me," Curtis said. "I started to feel a little tired, but I knew that I had a chance."

Last week, it was Dyson who couldn't make a key tackle. His missed play on Plaxico Burress allowed the Giants' star to score the 53-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown that proved to be the game-winner.

Though he denied it was because the Jets missed 14 tackles last week, Eric Mangini put his team through one-on-one tackling drills for the first time since training camp.

"We work on it," Smith said. "We started working on it last week, tackling."

Yesterday, however, the get-tough tackling drills did not show in the secondary.

McNabb threw for 278 yards, connecting with Curtis five times for 121 yards. Wide receiver Reggie Brown, who had 81 yards all season coming in, caught six passes for 89.

The missed tackles made the 16-9 loss that much harder to swallow for the Jets.

"Missed tackles aren't a result of the scheme, the coaches, anything," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "It's the result of an individual player or players in certain situations. That is something that can be fixed, but hasn't been so far."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/no_way_to_tackle_this_problem.htm

NO WAY TO TACKLE THIS PROBLEM

By MARK CANNIZZARO

October 15, 2007 -- All last week in preparation to play the Eagles, a theme to the Jets' practices was improved tackling. The Jets were coming off of a poor tackling performance against the Giants, so Eric Mangini brought back training camp tackling drills to improve the fundamentals.

Photo Gallery: Jets vs. Eagles

And yet, on the Jets' third defensive play from scrimmage, safety Eric Smith whiffed on an attempted tackle of receiver Kevin Curtis, who scored a 75-yard touchdown to give Philadelphia a lead it did not lose in a 16-9 win.

"I just missed the tackle," Smith said. "It's frustrating. I let the other 10 other guys (on defense) down. You know if you don't make the tackle it's a touchdown. I just missed."

*

Jets WR Laveranues Coles, who couldn't reel in a potential game-tying TD throw from Chad Pennington on fourth down late in the game, said it was on him.

"It's a play I should have made," he said. "I just didn't make the play."

Pennington said he saw a "three-by-one" formation and had Coles single-teamed by Eagles CB Sheldon Brown.

"I felt like I could give Laveraneus a chance, (but) Sheldon Brown made a really good play," Pennington said. "That's kind of the way the season's going - six inches and (Brown) knocks it down."

Pennington earlier was intercepted by Brown, who was covering Brad Smith. It was Pennington's sixth interception in the last three games and it led to an Eagles field goal.

*

Jets K Mike Nugent, who entered the game having missed two makeable field goals in the last two games, was wide right on his second attempt yesterday, a 44-yarder. James Dearth's snap was low, though. . . . Eagles K David Akers detests kicking in Giants Stadium. He missed two 41-yarders wide right and, at that time, he was 6-of-14 lifetime at Giants Stadium. He made field goals of 31 and 25 yards later in the game.

*

The Eagles own an 8-0 all-time record against the Jets. They are 9-0 in games the week after their bye. . . . Jets RB Leon Washington continued his kickoff return prowess, averaging 37.3 yards on three returns, including one of 51 yards. . . . The Jets were not called for a penalty, the first time they've done that since 2001. They are the only team in the NFL that has not lost a fumble this season.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/no_way_to_tackle_this_problem.htm

NO WAY TO TACKLE THIS PROBLEM

By MARK CANNIZZARO

October 15, 2007 -- All last week in preparation to play the Eagles, a theme to the Jets' practices was improved tackling. The Jets were coming off of a poor tackling performance against the Giants, so Eric Mangini brought back training camp tackling drills to improve the fundamentals.

Photo Gallery: Jets vs. Eagles

And yet, on the Jets' third defensive play from scrimmage, safety Eric Smith whiffed on an attempted tackle of receiver Kevin Curtis, who scored a 75-yard touchdown to give Philadelphia a lead it did not lose in a 16-9 win.

"I just missed the tackle," Smith said. "It's frustrating. I let the other 10 other guys (on defense) down. You know if you don't make the tackle it's a touchdown. I just missed."

*

Jets WR Laveranues Coles, who couldn't reel in a potential game-tying TD throw from Chad Pennington on fourth down late in the game, said it was on him.

"It's a play I should have made," he said. "I just didn't make the play."

Pennington said he saw a "three-by-one" formation and had Coles single-teamed by Eagles CB Sheldon Brown.

"I felt like I could give Laveraneus a chance, (but) Sheldon Brown made a really good play," Pennington said. "That's kind of the way the season's going - six inches and (Brown) knocks it down."

Pennington earlier was intercepted by Brown, who was covering Brad Smith. It was Pennington's sixth interception in the last three games and it led to an Eagles field goal.

*

Jets K Mike Nugent, who entered the game having missed two makeable field goals in the last two games, was wide right on his second attempt yesterday, a 44-yarder. James Dearth's snap was low, though. . . . Eagles K David Akers detests kicking in Giants Stadium. He missed two 41-yarders wide right and, at that time, he was 6-of-14 lifetime at Giants Stadium. He made field goals of 31 and 25 yards later in the game.

*

The Eagles own an 8-0 all-time record against the Jets. They are 9-0 in games the week after their bye. . . . Jets RB Leon Washington continued his kickoff return prowess, averaging 37.3 yards on three returns, including one of 51 yards. . . . The Jets were not called for a penalty, the first time they've done that since 2001. They are the only team in the NFL that has not lost a fumble this season.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/jets_still_tackling_dummies.htm

JETS STILL TACKLING DUMMIES

By BART HUBBUCH

October 15, 2007 -- The Jets' throwback uniforms were fitting Sunday, because their tackling looked a lot like a throwback to the week before.

One game after 14 missed tackles all but sealed an ugly loss to the Giants, the Jets reverted right back to their butter-fingered ways on defense in a 16-9 setback to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It didn't take long for the Jets' tackling woes to show themselves, either. On the Eagles' third play from scrimmage, bad form by safety Eric Smith and cornerback Andre Dyson let wideout Kevin Curtis turn a routine, five-yard slant into a 75-yard touchdown.

The Jets settled down from there, avoiding a total repeat of the Giants debacle, but that couldn't make up for Sunday's early, game-changing miscue in the mind of coach Eric Mangini.

"It's critical - you've got to be able to tackle, and you have to be able to tackle in the secondary," Mangini said. "As you saw, if you miss a tackle as a defensive back, it can go a long way."

What pained Mangini was that the Jets responded to their poor tackling against the Giants by devoting entire drills last week just to bringing down opponents in the open field.

But all of that practice-time effort appeared wasted Sunday before many in the crowd had a chance to settle into their seats.

Any momentum the Jets (1-5) put together on a 55-yard field goal drive on the game's opening possession seemed lost as soon as the speedy Curtis, in succession, slipped out of the grasp of Dyson and Smith before racing down the left sideline to the end zone.

The Eagles never trailed after that.

Smith, a second-year pro making just his second career start in place of the injured Erik Coleman, offered no excuse for his misplay. The other safety, Kerry Rhodes, was in coverage on the other side of the field and not in position to bail Smith out.

Asked if he had a difficult angle on the play, Smith said, "No. I should have just made the tackle."

Smith proved Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb right on the play, too. McNabb had seen the Jets' poor tackling against the Giants on film, then saw Dyson and Smith alone on the left side and decided to test them by calling an audible to Curtis.

"(McNabb) made a great audible knowing that we had them where we wanted them for the play that he called," said Curtis, who had five catches for 121 yards overall. "It was good execution."

The Jets only wish they could have said the same thing.

bhubbuch@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/jets_still_tackling_dummies.htm

JETS STILL TACKLING DUMMIES

By BART HUBBUCH

October 15, 2007 -- The Jets' throwback uniforms were fitting Sunday, because their tackling looked a lot like a throwback to the week before.

One game after 14 missed tackles all but sealed an ugly loss to the Giants, the Jets reverted right back to their butter-fingered ways on defense in a 16-9 setback to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It didn't take long for the Jets' tackling woes to show themselves, either. On the Eagles' third play from scrimmage, bad form by safety Eric Smith and cornerback Andre Dyson let wideout Kevin Curtis turn a routine, five-yard slant into a 75-yard touchdown.

The Jets settled down from there, avoiding a total repeat of the Giants debacle, but that couldn't make up for Sunday's early, game-changing miscue in the mind of coach Eric Mangini.

"It's critical - you've got to be able to tackle, and you have to be able to tackle in the secondary," Mangini said. "As you saw, if you miss a tackle as a defensive back, it can go a long way."

What pained Mangini was that the Jets responded to their poor tackling against the Giants by devoting entire drills last week just to bringing down opponents in the open field.

But all of that practice-time effort appeared wasted Sunday before many in the crowd had a chance to settle into their seats.

Any momentum the Jets (1-5) put together on a 55-yard field goal drive on the game's opening possession seemed lost as soon as the speedy Curtis, in succession, slipped out of the grasp of Dyson and Smith before racing down the left sideline to the end zone.

The Eagles never trailed after that.

Smith, a second-year pro making just his second career start in place of the injured Erik Coleman, offered no excuse for his misplay. The other safety, Kerry Rhodes, was in coverage on the other side of the field and not in position to bail Smith out.

Asked if he had a difficult angle on the play, Smith said, "No. I should have just made the tackle."

Smith proved Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb right on the play, too. McNabb had seen the Jets' poor tackling against the Giants on film, then saw Dyson and Smith alone on the left side and decided to test them by calling an audible to Curtis.

"(McNabb) made a great audible knowing that we had them where we wanted them for the play that he called," said Curtis, who had five catches for 121 yards overall. "It was good execution."

The Jets only wish they could have said the same thing.

bhubbuch@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjbar155413611oct15,0,4522131.story

Newsday.com

Missed tackles costly for Jets

BY ERIK BOLAND

erik.boland@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

Jets players typically stay on message at least as well as the paid political flack for the party of your choice.

But after yesterday's 16-9 loss to the Eagles, there seemed to be some disconnect between coach Eric Mangini and defensive players about a major emphasis at practice leading up to the game: tackling.

Players saw improvement. Mangini did not.

"It was one tackle. Unfortunately, it went for a touchdown and cost us points," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "Aside from that, I thought we did a pretty good job."

Mmm, OK.

Coach?

"You've got to keep working on it," Mangini said. "You have to be able to tackle in the secondary and in those critical plays. If you miss a tackle as a linebacker, you miss a tackle as a defensive lineman, it's the same thing as if you miss as a defensive back. It's going to go a long way."

That was most evident on what everyone agreed was the day's most glaring defensive whiff - Kevin Curtis' 75-yard touchdown reception with 10:09 left in the first quarter that gave the Eagles a 7-3 lead.

On third-and-8 from the Philadelphia 25, Donovan McNabb hit Curtis on the left side at the 34 on a slant. After Curtis caught the ball inside cornerback Andre Dyson, safety Eric Smith (moving over from the hashmark) and Dyson (coming from behind) barely grazed Curtis on a simultaneous tackle attempt at the Eagles' 44, and he ran untouched into the end zone.

"There's no explanation; I just missed the tackle," said Smith, who had the better opportunity to bring down Curtis. "There's no way you can explain it. It wasn't an angle, it wasn't any of that. I just missed the tackle."

Smith had little else to say, though there wasn't much to add. Curtis (five catches, 121 yards) said the long run came at a point in the game when he felt - apply salt here - a bit lead-footed.

"I actually felt kind of slow at the start of the game," said Curtis, who also broke tackles in scurrying to the sideline on a 10-yard gain near the end of the first half, which preceded kicker David Akers' miss from 41 yards. "But I knew if I came out of the tackle, I would have a chance to take it to the house."

When the Jets had a chance to return the ball to their floundering offense with 2:08 left in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia converted a third-and-7 from its 7 when McNabb hit Reggie Brown for 13 yards. Brown, after catching the ball near the first-down marker, broke Darrelle Revis' tackle attempt there and advanced another five or six yards. Brian Westbrook (120 yards on 20 carries) added runs of 22 and 21 yards later in the drive, breaking tackle attempts at the line each time before breaking into the secondary. That allowed the Eagles to run out the clock.

"This week we did a couple of things tackling-wise in practice," Revis said, "and we improved in it, I think. Especially going against a great back, Brian Westbrook."

To tag the loss solely on the defense, of course, oversimplifies things and ignores the positives that the unit did accomplish.

The Jets mounted their most consistent pass rush of the season and finished with a season-best three sacks. They entered the game with three sacks in the first five games.

But safety Kerry Rhodes was one player not interested in rationalizing. "Missed tackles aren't a result of the scheme, the coaches, anything," Rhodes said. "It's the result of an individual player or players in situations. This is something that can be fixed but hasn't been so far."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjbar155413611oct15,0,4522131.story

Newsday.com

Missed tackles costly for Jets

BY ERIK BOLAND

erik.boland@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

Jets players typically stay on message at least as well as the paid political flack for the party of your choice.

But after yesterday's 16-9 loss to the Eagles, there seemed to be some disconnect between coach Eric Mangini and defensive players about a major emphasis at practice leading up to the game: tackling.

Players saw improvement. Mangini did not.

"It was one tackle. Unfortunately, it went for a touchdown and cost us points," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "Aside from that, I thought we did a pretty good job."

Mmm, OK.

Coach?

"You've got to keep working on it," Mangini said. "You have to be able to tackle in the secondary and in those critical plays. If you miss a tackle as a linebacker, you miss a tackle as a defensive lineman, it's the same thing as if you miss as a defensive back. It's going to go a long way."

That was most evident on what everyone agreed was the day's most glaring defensive whiff - Kevin Curtis' 75-yard touchdown reception with 10:09 left in the first quarter that gave the Eagles a 7-3 lead.

On third-and-8 from the Philadelphia 25, Donovan McNabb hit Curtis on the left side at the 34 on a slant. After Curtis caught the ball inside cornerback Andre Dyson, safety Eric Smith (moving over from the hashmark) and Dyson (coming from behind) barely grazed Curtis on a simultaneous tackle attempt at the Eagles' 44, and he ran untouched into the end zone.

"There's no explanation; I just missed the tackle," said Smith, who had the better opportunity to bring down Curtis. "There's no way you can explain it. It wasn't an angle, it wasn't any of that. I just missed the tackle."

Smith had little else to say, though there wasn't much to add. Curtis (five catches, 121 yards) said the long run came at a point in the game when he felt - apply salt here - a bit lead-footed.

"I actually felt kind of slow at the start of the game," said Curtis, who also broke tackles in scurrying to the sideline on a 10-yard gain near the end of the first half, which preceded kicker David Akers' miss from 41 yards. "But I knew if I came out of the tackle, I would have a chance to take it to the house."

When the Jets had a chance to return the ball to their floundering offense with 2:08 left in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia converted a third-and-7 from its 7 when McNabb hit Reggie Brown for 13 yards. Brown, after catching the ball near the first-down marker, broke Darrelle Revis' tackle attempt there and advanced another five or six yards. Brian Westbrook (120 yards on 20 carries) added runs of 22 and 21 yards later in the drive, breaking tackle attempts at the line each time before breaking into the secondary. That allowed the Eagles to run out the clock.

"This week we did a couple of things tackling-wise in practice," Revis said, "and we improved in it, I think. Especially going against a great back, Brian Westbrook."

To tag the loss solely on the defense, of course, oversimplifies things and ignores the positives that the unit did accomplish.

The Jets mounted their most consistent pass rush of the season and finished with a season-best three sacks. They entered the game with three sacks in the first five games.

But safety Kerry Rhodes was one player not interested in rationalizing. "Missed tackles aren't a result of the scheme, the coaches, anything," Rhodes said. "It's the result of an individual player or players in situations. This is something that can be fixed but hasn't been so far."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2007/10/15/2007-10-15_chris_baker_doesnt_rise_for_jets_in_red_.html

Chris Baker doesn't rise for Jets in red zone

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, October 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

The Jets entered yesterday with one of the most efficient red-zone offenses in the NFL. One of the reasons: TE Chris Baker, a frequent target near the end zone. But on a fourth down from the Eagles' 4, Baker was on the sideline.

"I had to come off for a play," Baker said cryptically.

He hinted that it may have been injury-related, but he declined to elaborate because of Eric Mangini's edict on discussing injuries.

The play ended with an incomplete pass to WR Laveranues Coles, sealing the Jets' 16-9 loss at the Meadowlands.

In four trips inside the Eagles' 20, the Jets scored no touchdowns. They ran 12 plays in the red zone, managing only 21 yards.

"We focused on getting better on the run and we did that, but next thing you know we're slacking in the one area that's been great for us," WR Jerricho Cotchery lamented. "That's been the story the entire year. We pick it up in one area and another area falls off."

REMEMBER THE TITANS: The Jets wore throwback uniforms, honoring their AFL predecessors, the New York Titans. They were decked out in navy blue uniforms, with gold trim and gold pants.

At halftime, four ex-Titans were honored - Hall of Famer Don Maynard, Larry Grantham, Curly Johnson and Bill Mathis.

OFF MIKE: For the third straight week, Mike Nugent missed a field-goal attempt inside 45 yards. This time, he was wide right from 44, although a low snap by James Dearth probably threw the timing out of whack. Holder Ben Graham had to scoop up the ball.

Dearth's snap on Nugent's 30-yard make also was off line.

It wasn't a great day for the kickers, as the Eagles' David Akers missed twice from 41 yards.

SACK ATTACK: Looking for a positive? Well, at least the Jets' maligned pass rush showed signs of life, sacking Donovan McNabb three times. Four players got into the season's sack column: SS Kerry Rhodes, DE Kenyon Coleman, DT Dewayne Roberton (half-sack) and LB Bryan Thomas (half-sack).

THANK HANK: CB Hank Poteat recorded the first interception in his seven-year career. ... Jets were called for no penalties for the first time in six seasons. ... Thomas Jones opened the game with a 36-yard run, three times longer than his previous best. Until then, the Jets were the only team in the league without a run over 20 yards.

SKID MARK: It's one of the hard-to-explain streaks in the NFL: The Jets are 0-8 all-time against the Eagles. Among the matchups of the 26 teams that were in the league in 1970, only one other series features a winless team. The Cardinals are 0-7-1 against the Broncos. ... Speaking of streaks, the Eagles are 9-0 in post-bye weeks under Andy Reid.

OH, MAN: Mangini's once-impressive career record dropped to 11-11. A year ago, the Jets rallied from 3-3 to make the playoffs. Forget about it at 1-5.

"We're a handful of plays from being 3-3," QB Chad Pennington said.

It's a loser's lament.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2007/10/15/2007-10-15_chris_baker_doesnt_rise_for_jets_in_red_.html

Chris Baker doesn't rise for Jets in red zone

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, October 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

The Jets entered yesterday with one of the most efficient red-zone offenses in the NFL. One of the reasons: TE Chris Baker, a frequent target near the end zone. But on a fourth down from the Eagles' 4, Baker was on the sideline.

"I had to come off for a play," Baker said cryptically.

He hinted that it may have been injury-related, but he declined to elaborate because of Eric Mangini's edict on discussing injuries.

The play ended with an incomplete pass to WR Laveranues Coles, sealing the Jets' 16-9 loss at the Meadowlands.

In four trips inside the Eagles' 20, the Jets scored no touchdowns. They ran 12 plays in the red zone, managing only 21 yards.

"We focused on getting better on the run and we did that, but next thing you know we're slacking in the one area that's been great for us," WR Jerricho Cotchery lamented. "That's been the story the entire year. We pick it up in one area and another area falls off."

REMEMBER THE TITANS: The Jets wore throwback uniforms, honoring their AFL predecessors, the New York Titans. They were decked out in navy blue uniforms, with gold trim and gold pants.

At halftime, four ex-Titans were honored - Hall of Famer Don Maynard, Larry Grantham, Curly Johnson and Bill Mathis.

OFF MIKE: For the third straight week, Mike Nugent missed a field-goal attempt inside 45 yards. This time, he was wide right from 44, although a low snap by James Dearth probably threw the timing out of whack. Holder Ben Graham had to scoop up the ball.

Dearth's snap on Nugent's 30-yard make also was off line.

It wasn't a great day for the kickers, as the Eagles' David Akers missed twice from 41 yards.

SACK ATTACK: Looking for a positive? Well, at least the Jets' maligned pass rush showed signs of life, sacking Donovan McNabb three times. Four players got into the season's sack column: SS Kerry Rhodes, DE Kenyon Coleman, DT Dewayne Roberton (half-sack) and LB Bryan Thomas (half-sack).

THANK HANK: CB Hank Poteat recorded the first interception in his seven-year career. ... Jets were called for no penalties for the first time in six seasons. ... Thomas Jones opened the game with a 36-yard run, three times longer than his previous best. Until then, the Jets were the only team in the league without a run over 20 yards.

SKID MARK: It's one of the hard-to-explain streaks in the NFL: The Jets are 0-8 all-time against the Eagles. Among the matchups of the 26 teams that were in the league in 1970, only one other series features a winless team. The Cardinals are 0-7-1 against the Broncos. ... Speaking of streaks, the Eagles are 9-0 in post-bye weeks under Andy Reid.

OH, MAN: Mangini's once-impressive career record dropped to 11-11. A year ago, the Jets rallied from 3-3 to make the playoffs. Forget about it at 1-5.

"We're a handful of plays from being 3-3," QB Chad Pennington said.

It's a loser's lament.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/philly_d_not_duped_by_jets.htm

PHILLY 'D' NOT DUPED BY JETS

By BRIAN LEWIS

October 15, 2007 -- It wasn't said with any bravado or malice, just stated as simple fact.

The most stinging indictment of the Jets' 16-9 loss to Philadelphia - and their failed quarterback sneak and incomplete fade route when they needed one red-zone yard - was that the Eagles insist they saw both of them coming.

So thorough was Philadelphia's second-half domination of the Jets' ground game, so completely had they bottled up Thomas Jones after intermission, the Eagles say there was nothing else the Jets could have done.

"Jim (Johnson, defensive coordinator) did a great job. Everything we worked on, they did," said Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown, who read the fade route and broke up Chad Pennington's pass to Laveranues Coles on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles' 4-yard line with just 3:32 to play, the game's pivotal play.

"I think it was supposed to be a power pass, play-action strong side and you throw in the middle of the field, but he liked the matchup he had backside," Brown said. "I saw him and Laveranues had eye contact and he threw a fade. Laveranues has been making great plays. He just didn't happen to make a play there."

No, the Eagles - even sans Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard - made all the plays in their goal-line stand. On second-and-1, Takeo Spikes and Trent Cole stacked Jones up. Deterred, the Jets motioned Jones out to empty the backfield and tried a sneak by Pennington, but Spikes was there again, teaming with Mike Patterson to stop him.

"I went around the huddle and told the guys, 'If you want to win, stop them now.' You see the way we responded," said Spikes, who wasn't as shocked by the play selection as the 77,189 apoplectic fans seemed to be. "We did a good job as far as shutting the run down in the second half. It didn't surprise me."

After Jones gashed the Eagles on cutbacks for 96 yards on 13 first-half carries, they stayed disciplined and held him to 34 yards on 11 rushes in the second.

"We said, 'Watch the ball.' We knew what they were going to try to do, the sneak. That's a staple of their short yardage package," said linebacker Omar Gaither, who said the Eagles scared the Jets away from running.

"Of course. It showed. They couldn't (run)," Gaither said. "Had they been rushing the ball the same in the second half, maybe they decide to come out and run at the end. But they couldn't. They felt we were doing as well against the run as we were, and they had to put it in the air."

brian.lewis@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/philly_d_not_duped_by_jets.htm

PHILLY 'D' NOT DUPED BY JETS

By BRIAN LEWIS

October 15, 2007 -- It wasn't said with any bravado or malice, just stated as simple fact.

The most stinging indictment of the Jets' 16-9 loss to Philadelphia - and their failed quarterback sneak and incomplete fade route when they needed one red-zone yard - was that the Eagles insist they saw both of them coming.

So thorough was Philadelphia's second-half domination of the Jets' ground game, so completely had they bottled up Thomas Jones after intermission, the Eagles say there was nothing else the Jets could have done.

"Jim (Johnson, defensive coordinator) did a great job. Everything we worked on, they did," said Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown, who read the fade route and broke up Chad Pennington's pass to Laveranues Coles on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles' 4-yard line with just 3:32 to play, the game's pivotal play.

"I think it was supposed to be a power pass, play-action strong side and you throw in the middle of the field, but he liked the matchup he had backside," Brown said. "I saw him and Laveranues had eye contact and he threw a fade. Laveranues has been making great plays. He just didn't happen to make a play there."

No, the Eagles - even sans Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard - made all the plays in their goal-line stand. On second-and-1, Takeo Spikes and Trent Cole stacked Jones up. Deterred, the Jets motioned Jones out to empty the backfield and tried a sneak by Pennington, but Spikes was there again, teaming with Mike Patterson to stop him.

"I went around the huddle and told the guys, 'If you want to win, stop them now.' You see the way we responded," said Spikes, who wasn't as shocked by the play selection as the 77,189 apoplectic fans seemed to be. "We did a good job as far as shutting the run down in the second half. It didn't surprise me."

After Jones gashed the Eagles on cutbacks for 96 yards on 13 first-half carries, they stayed disciplined and held him to 34 yards on 11 rushes in the second.

"We said, 'Watch the ball.' We knew what they were going to try to do, the sneak. That's a staple of their short yardage package," said linebacker Omar Gaither, who said the Eagles scared the Jets away from running.

"Of course. It showed. They couldn't (run)," Gaither said. "Had they been rushing the ball the same in the second half, maybe they decide to come out and run at the end. But they couldn't. They felt we were doing as well against the run as we were, and they had to put it in the air."

brian.lewis@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjqa155413604oct15,0,6222604.story

Newsday.com

Jets' misdirection turned into misplay

BY TOM ROCK

tom.rock@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

Can you take us through that last all-or-nothing offensive play for the Jets?

We'll try. It was fourth-and-1 from the Eagles' 4. The Jets started out with some misdirection as Brad Smith was lined up behind center in the shotgun. Chad Pennington then switched places with the versatile receiver and sent him in motion to the right, where two other receivers already were stationed. The Eagles blitzed from that strong side and Pennington threw a fade pass into the left side of the end zone that he said he felt good about as it left his hand. Laveranues Coles, who had dropped a much easier ball on a crossing pattern earlier in the drive, had a chance to make the catch but the ball glanced off his fingertips.

What went into that call?

Eric Mangini said that when you get in the red zone, you think about players and not plays. When the Jets had isolated coverage on Coles, they couldn't help but go to him. Pennington said he saw "a lot of people over on the front side with the three receivers." The timing pass to Coles has worked before.

Thomas Jones finally had some big numbers.

That's not really a question, but yes, he did, running for 130 yards on 24 carries. He had 82 yards on his first eight carries, showing patience and an ability to find cutbacks against the Eagles' defense. At the end of the first quarter, he was averaging 10.3 yards per carry. But do the math and that leaves 48 yards on his final 16 carries, an average of 3.0 per touch.

What was up with the uniforms?

The Jets wore their old Titans colors - navy blue and mustard yellow - to honor their past, but the game they played had no resemblance to the gunslinging, scoreboard-shaking days of the AFL. A noted contradiction: Immediately after Pennington underthrew Brad Smith for an interception in the third quarter, the scoreboard at Giants Stadium showed the fans a grainy clip of Don Maynard making a fingertip grab, in stride, for a long touchdown back in the day.

Is Mike Nugent OK?

The Jets' kicker missed a field goal for the third straight game, the first time in his career he's been on such a slide. This time he had a 44-yarder sail wide right, pulled outside the uprights by a strong wind at the east end of the stadium and disrupted by a low snap from James Dearth. The usually reliable David Akers missed two kicks at the same end for the Eagles, both wide right, both from 41 yards. Nugent accounted for all of the Jets' scoring with field goals of 30, 21 and 30 yards.

SECOND GUESS

Facing third-and-1 at the Eagles' 4 and needing a touchdown to tie, the Jets first tried to pick up the yard on a quarterback sneak when they should have taken a shot at the end zone. They then threw a fade into the end zone when they should have tried to pick up the first down. They also ignored Thomas Jones, right - who had 130 rushing yards - on the two most important snaps of the game.

UNSUNG HERO

Wallace Wright

The second-year player out of North Carolina made two special-teams tackles and came close enough to blocking a punt by the Eagles' Sav Rocca in the fourth quarter that he may have contributed to the short 30-yard kick, leaving the Jets only 54 yards and plenty of time left to tie the score.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjqa155413604oct15,0,6222604.story

Newsday.com

Jets' misdirection turned into misplay

BY TOM ROCK

tom.rock@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

Can you take us through that last all-or-nothing offensive play for the Jets?

We'll try. It was fourth-and-1 from the Eagles' 4. The Jets started out with some misdirection as Brad Smith was lined up behind center in the shotgun. Chad Pennington then switched places with the versatile receiver and sent him in motion to the right, where two other receivers already were stationed. The Eagles blitzed from that strong side and Pennington threw a fade pass into the left side of the end zone that he said he felt good about as it left his hand. Laveranues Coles, who had dropped a much easier ball on a crossing pattern earlier in the drive, had a chance to make the catch but the ball glanced off his fingertips.

What went into that call?

Eric Mangini said that when you get in the red zone, you think about players and not plays. When the Jets had isolated coverage on Coles, they couldn't help but go to him. Pennington said he saw "a lot of people over on the front side with the three receivers." The timing pass to Coles has worked before.

Thomas Jones finally had some big numbers.

That's not really a question, but yes, he did, running for 130 yards on 24 carries. He had 82 yards on his first eight carries, showing patience and an ability to find cutbacks against the Eagles' defense. At the end of the first quarter, he was averaging 10.3 yards per carry. But do the math and that leaves 48 yards on his final 16 carries, an average of 3.0 per touch.

What was up with the uniforms?

The Jets wore their old Titans colors - navy blue and mustard yellow - to honor their past, but the game they played had no resemblance to the gunslinging, scoreboard-shaking days of the AFL. A noted contradiction: Immediately after Pennington underthrew Brad Smith for an interception in the third quarter, the scoreboard at Giants Stadium showed the fans a grainy clip of Don Maynard making a fingertip grab, in stride, for a long touchdown back in the day.

Is Mike Nugent OK?

The Jets' kicker missed a field goal for the third straight game, the first time in his career he's been on such a slide. This time he had a 44-yarder sail wide right, pulled outside the uprights by a strong wind at the east end of the stadium and disrupted by a low snap from James Dearth. The usually reliable David Akers missed two kicks at the same end for the Eagles, both wide right, both from 41 yards. Nugent accounted for all of the Jets' scoring with field goals of 30, 21 and 30 yards.

SECOND GUESS

Facing third-and-1 at the Eagles' 4 and needing a touchdown to tie, the Jets first tried to pick up the yard on a quarterback sneak when they should have taken a shot at the end zone. They then threw a fade into the end zone when they should have tried to pick up the first down. They also ignored Thomas Jones, right - who had 130 rushing yards - on the two most important snaps of the game.

UNSUNG HERO

Wallace Wright

The second-year player out of North Carolina made two special-teams tackles and came close enough to blocking a punt by the Eagles' Sav Rocca in the fourth quarter that he may have contributed to the short 30-yard kick, leaving the Jets only 54 yards and plenty of time left to tie the score.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1192423133237310.xml&coll=1

Crucial QB sneak surprises no one but Jets players

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY M.A. MEHTA

Star-Ledger Staff

He blasted out of the gate, devouring chunks of real estate every time he touched the ball.

Thomas Jones cracked out of his cocoon, zigzagging his way to a season-high 130 yards on 24 carries, single-handedly keeping his team within striking distance.

Then, inexplicably, the Jets delivered a puzzling and confounding message to the one guy who decided to show up for work yesterday: "Thanks, but no thanks."

In the game's defining moment -- a third-and-one from the Eagles' 4-yard line with four minutes to go -- offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer opted not to hand the ball off to the white-hot Jones, who picked up 5.4 yards every time he carried the ball. The Jets -- whose offense has been as predictable and jaded as an episode of "The Real World" -- went with a quarterback sneak. Chad Pennington was stuffed at the line of scrimmage for no gain.

"The quarterback sneak was very effective throughout the course of the game," said coach Eric Mangini.

"We executed first downs on it. You always have that option. You look at percentage-wise what's been working, and you go with that."

Schottenheimer snubbed Jones a second time on fourth down when Pennington's pass to Laveranues Coles in the end zone was broken up by Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown -- which ultimately sealed the Jets' fate in a 16-9 loss to the Eagles at the Meadowlands yesterday.

"It's a play I should have made," Coles said.

Inside a somber Jets locker room, the players didn't openly criticize the play-calling, but they didn't exactly give the brain trust a ringing endorsement either.

"I'm the robot out there," said lineman Brandon Moore. "I keep my ears open and listen to the play the best I can. You have to ask Mangini or Schottenheimer about that."

Said Coles: "Whatever play is called, we run it. We have no control over it."

Jones -- who entered the game averaging just 58 yards on the ground -- ripped off a 36-yard run on the game's first play from scrimmage. He followed that up with runs of 11, 12 and 10 yards on his next three carries. By halftime, he had racked up 96 yards on the ground.

"When you're running the ball and you're getting 4, 5, 6 yards a pop, you want to keep it going and keep it moving," said offensive lineman Adrien Clarke. "The man's feeling it. He's hot. He's been finding the holes and hitting the cutbacks. I have faith in whatever our coaches call, but you know."

Mangini wouldn't say whether the QB sneak was the coaches' decision or Pennington's call. Pennington, however, didn't think giving Jones the ball in that spot was a sure thing.

"They were up in there pretty good, so I'm not so sure the running game would have helped there," Pennington said. "But you can always second-guess."

Jones stuffed his hands in his pockets and tossed out a few prepackaged answers when asked about his disappearing act in the waning moments.

"I don't call the plays," Jones said. "I'm not the offensive coordinator. I do what I'm asked to do."

So, in the midst of his best performance as a Jet, why not give him a chance with the game on the line?

"I don't have an answer to that question," Jones said.

M.A. Mehta may be reached at

mmehta@starledger.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1192423133237310.xml&coll=1

Crucial QB sneak surprises no one but Jets players

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY M.A. MEHTA

Star-Ledger Staff

He blasted out of the gate, devouring chunks of real estate every time he touched the ball.

Thomas Jones cracked out of his cocoon, zigzagging his way to a season-high 130 yards on 24 carries, single-handedly keeping his team within striking distance.

Then, inexplicably, the Jets delivered a puzzling and confounding message to the one guy who decided to show up for work yesterday: "Thanks, but no thanks."

In the game's defining moment -- a third-and-one from the Eagles' 4-yard line with four minutes to go -- offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer opted not to hand the ball off to the white-hot Jones, who picked up 5.4 yards every time he carried the ball. The Jets -- whose offense has been as predictable and jaded as an episode of "The Real World" -- went with a quarterback sneak. Chad Pennington was stuffed at the line of scrimmage for no gain.

"The quarterback sneak was very effective throughout the course of the game," said coach Eric Mangini.

"We executed first downs on it. You always have that option. You look at percentage-wise what's been working, and you go with that."

Schottenheimer snubbed Jones a second time on fourth down when Pennington's pass to Laveranues Coles in the end zone was broken up by Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown -- which ultimately sealed the Jets' fate in a 16-9 loss to the Eagles at the Meadowlands yesterday.

"It's a play I should have made," Coles said.

Inside a somber Jets locker room, the players didn't openly criticize the play-calling, but they didn't exactly give the brain trust a ringing endorsement either.

"I'm the robot out there," said lineman Brandon Moore. "I keep my ears open and listen to the play the best I can. You have to ask Mangini or Schottenheimer about that."

Said Coles: "Whatever play is called, we run it. We have no control over it."

Jones -- who entered the game averaging just 58 yards on the ground -- ripped off a 36-yard run on the game's first play from scrimmage. He followed that up with runs of 11, 12 and 10 yards on his next three carries. By halftime, he had racked up 96 yards on the ground.

"When you're running the ball and you're getting 4, 5, 6 yards a pop, you want to keep it going and keep it moving," said offensive lineman Adrien Clarke. "The man's feeling it. He's hot. He's been finding the holes and hitting the cutbacks. I have faith in whatever our coaches call, but you know."

Mangini wouldn't say whether the QB sneak was the coaches' decision or Pennington's call. Pennington, however, didn't think giving Jones the ball in that spot was a sure thing.

"They were up in there pretty good, so I'm not so sure the running game would have helped there," Pennington said. "But you can always second-guess."

Jones stuffed his hands in his pockets and tossed out a few prepackaged answers when asked about his disappearing act in the waning moments.

"I don't call the plays," Jones said. "I'm not the offensive coordinator. I do what I'm asked to do."

So, in the midst of his best performance as a Jet, why not give him a chance with the game on the line?

"I don't have an answer to that question," Jones said.

M.A. Mehta may be reached at

mmehta@starledger.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1192422912237310.xml&coll=1

RB Jones shows old electricity

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

Thomas Jones turned back the clock in the Jets' throwback uniforms yesterday, looking like he did last season while leading the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl. The eighth-year pro rumbled for 130 yards on 24 carries, including a season-long 36-yarder, in the Jets' 16-9 loss at Giants Stadium. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry.

Establishing the running game was the priority all week and the Jets opened the game with Jones busting loose on his 36-yarder on the first play from scrimmage.

"The offensive line did a really good job coming off the ball, being aggressive," said Jones, who used his cutback ability to find gaping holes. "The tight ends did a great job coming off the ball. I think we all just worked really well together."

Jones, who posted his 18th career 100-yard game, rushed for 96 yards in the first half but had just 34 yards on 11 carries in the second half as the Eagles shut down the cutback lanes he had found earlier.

"It was satisfying to see the things we worked on in practice come to fruition in the game," said RG Brandon Moore, who was vocal last week about the need for the Jets to stay with the running game. "(In the second half), they started coming downhill a little bit more trying to take us of blocks. That's normal adjustments. That's football."

Despite one-on-one tackling drills last week, the Jets missed a crucial tackle on a 75-yard catch-and-run for a TD by Eagles WR Kevin Curtis on a short slant pattern against a blitz. CB Andre Dyson, who missed a tackle last week on a 53-yard TD by Giants WR Plaxico Burress, and S Eric Smith each missed Curtis near the 40-yard line and sprinted the other 60 yards for the score.

"Donovan (McNabb) saw the defense and kind of signaled over to me," said Curtis (five catches, 121 yards, one TD.). "He made a great audible knowing that we had them where we wanted them."

Said Smith: "I just missed the tackle."

Jets backup QB Kellen Clemens wants no part of a quarterback controversy.

"The team and I support Chad," he said. "He works hard and is a very good quarterback. Right now, it's very important for this team to remain a team."

The Jets entered the game 11-of-13 in the red zone with nine touchdowns. Against the Eagles, the Jets managed just three field goals in four visits in the red zone. K Mike Nugent missed a 44-yarder in the first quarter, his fourth miss of the season. He missed just three field goals all last season.

The Jets were called for zero penalties for the first time in six seasons. ... CB Hank Poteat, a seven-year veteran, had his first career interception. ... S Kerry Rhodes had his first sack of the season. ... The Jets had a season-high three sacks. ... Jets LB Jonathan Vilma had seven tackles (six solo) and two pass defensed. ... NT Dewayne Robertson had five tackles, a half sack and two QB hurries.

The Jets were just 5-of-14 on third-down conversions while the Eagles were an impressive 9-of-16. ... S Erik Coleman (concussion) was active after sitting out last week....

The Eagles were without S Brian Dawkins (neck) and CB Lito Sheppard (knee). ... The Jets honored former New York Titans Don Maynard, Larry Grantham, Curley Johnson and Bill Mathis in a halftime ceremony.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at

dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1192422912237310.xml&coll=1

RB Jones shows old electricity

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

Thomas Jones turned back the clock in the Jets' throwback uniforms yesterday, looking like he did last season while leading the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl. The eighth-year pro rumbled for 130 yards on 24 carries, including a season-long 36-yarder, in the Jets' 16-9 loss at Giants Stadium. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry.

Establishing the running game was the priority all week and the Jets opened the game with Jones busting loose on his 36-yarder on the first play from scrimmage.

"The offensive line did a really good job coming off the ball, being aggressive," said Jones, who used his cutback ability to find gaping holes. "The tight ends did a great job coming off the ball. I think we all just worked really well together."

Jones, who posted his 18th career 100-yard game, rushed for 96 yards in the first half but had just 34 yards on 11 carries in the second half as the Eagles shut down the cutback lanes he had found earlier.

"It was satisfying to see the things we worked on in practice come to fruition in the game," said RG Brandon Moore, who was vocal last week about the need for the Jets to stay with the running game. "(In the second half), they started coming downhill a little bit more trying to take us of blocks. That's normal adjustments. That's football."

Despite one-on-one tackling drills last week, the Jets missed a crucial tackle on a 75-yard catch-and-run for a TD by Eagles WR Kevin Curtis on a short slant pattern against a blitz. CB Andre Dyson, who missed a tackle last week on a 53-yard TD by Giants WR Plaxico Burress, and S Eric Smith each missed Curtis near the 40-yard line and sprinted the other 60 yards for the score.

"Donovan (McNabb) saw the defense and kind of signaled over to me," said Curtis (five catches, 121 yards, one TD.). "He made a great audible knowing that we had them where we wanted them."

Said Smith: "I just missed the tackle."

Jets backup QB Kellen Clemens wants no part of a quarterback controversy.

"The team and I support Chad," he said. "He works hard and is a very good quarterback. Right now, it's very important for this team to remain a team."

The Jets entered the game 11-of-13 in the red zone with nine touchdowns. Against the Eagles, the Jets managed just three field goals in four visits in the red zone. K Mike Nugent missed a 44-yarder in the first quarter, his fourth miss of the season. He missed just three field goals all last season.

The Jets were called for zero penalties for the first time in six seasons. ... CB Hank Poteat, a seven-year veteran, had his first career interception. ... S Kerry Rhodes had his first sack of the season. ... The Jets had a season-high three sacks. ... Jets LB Jonathan Vilma had seven tackles (six solo) and two pass defensed. ... NT Dewayne Robertson had five tackles, a half sack and two QB hurries.

The Jets were just 5-of-14 on third-down conversions while the Eagles were an impressive 9-of-16. ... S Erik Coleman (concussion) was active after sitting out last week....

The Eagles were without S Brian Dawkins (neck) and CB Lito Sheppard (knee). ... The Jets honored former New York Titans Don Maynard, Larry Grantham, Curley Johnson and Bill Mathis in a halftime ceremony.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at

dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/one_yard_short.htm

ONE YARD SHORT

By GEORGE WILLIS

October 15, 2007 -- NONE of the Jets wanted to touch the subject. Not Thomas Jones. Not Chad Pennington. Not Laveranues Coles. No one wanted to second guess the Jets coaching staff for two critical calls late in the fourth quarter when the offense seemed headed for a game-tying touchdown, only to come away with their fifth loss in six games.

"I just do what I'm told to do," Coles said. "Whatever plays come in, we take them and run them."

Said Jones: "I don't call the plays. I do what I am asked to do."

Problem was, Jones wasn't asked to do enough in what was perhaps the most critical offensive series of the Jets' rapidly fading season. Acquired from the Bears during the off-season and signed to a $20 million contract, Jones was finally enjoying a breakthrough game.

On "Throwback Day" he was running like he did in helping the Bears to the Super Bowl last year. He broke free for 36 yards on his first carry of the game and his total climbed to 130 yards rushing when he gained nine to the Eagles 4 with 4:46 remaining in the game. On second-and-1, Jones got the ball again and was stopped for no gain.

No problem. Give him the ball again, right? Wrong!

On third down, Pennington tried a quarterback sneak, a play he had used twice earlier in the game to lunge for first downs. This time he was stopped cold by Takeo Spikes and Mike Patterson for no gain.

On fourth drown, Pennington lined up in the shotgun, virtually removing all threat of a run, and floated a fade pass to Coles that was knocked away by defensive back Sheldon Brown. Eagles ball. Eagles ballgame.

Instead of a game-tying touchdown, the Jets were left to explain why Jones didn't get the chance to gain one more yard on a day when he averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Why try a quarterback sneak, given your quarterback has no momentum going into a crowded defensive line?

"They did a good job of cramming us," Pennington said.

And why try a fade pass against a defensive back that had already intercepted one pass?

"That was a coaching decision," head coach Eric Mangini said. "That was a play we liked going into the game and we went with it. A lot of times when you get in critical situations you think of players, not plays. Laveranues is a guy we all feel great about."

The Jets should have felt great about Jones, given the way he was running the ball. He ran hard against the Eagles, breaking tackles, cutting back against the pursuit and finding whatever openings were available.

"The offensive line did a great job of coming off the ball and being aggressive," said Jones, who had 24 carries. "We all just really worked well together today."

When the Jets got the ball with 8:05 to play at their own 46 and needing a touchdown to tie, Jones looked ready to be a hero. He started the drive with a 9-yard gain off left guard and three plays later caught a short pass for 11 more yards. Soon it was first down at the Eagles 13. Jones ran around left end it for nine more. On second down, he was stuffed for no gain with 4:46 remaining. Who knew it would be his last carry?

"You mess around on treacherous grounds when you start questioning your coaches," Coles said. "I don't ever question anything they call. Whatever they call, I stick with them."

Gone was not only a chance to tie the game, but establish a mentality of playing power football when needed. For the first time, the Jets were running the ball with success. The offensive line was pushing forward and Jones was finding holes. He was good enough to earn 130 yards yesterday, but apparently not good enough to gain one more.

george.willis@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/one_yard_short.htm

ONE YARD SHORT

By GEORGE WILLIS

October 15, 2007 -- NONE of the Jets wanted to touch the subject. Not Thomas Jones. Not Chad Pennington. Not Laveranues Coles. No one wanted to second guess the Jets coaching staff for two critical calls late in the fourth quarter when the offense seemed headed for a game-tying touchdown, only to come away with their fifth loss in six games.

"I just do what I'm told to do," Coles said. "Whatever plays come in, we take them and run them."

Said Jones: "I don't call the plays. I do what I am asked to do."

Problem was, Jones wasn't asked to do enough in what was perhaps the most critical offensive series of the Jets' rapidly fading season. Acquired from the Bears during the off-season and signed to a $20 million contract, Jones was finally enjoying a breakthrough game.

On "Throwback Day" he was running like he did in helping the Bears to the Super Bowl last year. He broke free for 36 yards on his first carry of the game and his total climbed to 130 yards rushing when he gained nine to the Eagles 4 with 4:46 remaining in the game. On second-and-1, Jones got the ball again and was stopped for no gain.

No problem. Give him the ball again, right? Wrong!

On third down, Pennington tried a quarterback sneak, a play he had used twice earlier in the game to lunge for first downs. This time he was stopped cold by Takeo Spikes and Mike Patterson for no gain.

On fourth drown, Pennington lined up in the shotgun, virtually removing all threat of a run, and floated a fade pass to Coles that was knocked away by defensive back Sheldon Brown. Eagles ball. Eagles ballgame.

Instead of a game-tying touchdown, the Jets were left to explain why Jones didn't get the chance to gain one more yard on a day when he averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Why try a quarterback sneak, given your quarterback has no momentum going into a crowded defensive line?

"They did a good job of cramming us," Pennington said.

And why try a fade pass against a defensive back that had already intercepted one pass?

"That was a coaching decision," head coach Eric Mangini said. "That was a play we liked going into the game and we went with it. A lot of times when you get in critical situations you think of players, not plays. Laveranues is a guy we all feel great about."

The Jets should have felt great about Jones, given the way he was running the ball. He ran hard against the Eagles, breaking tackles, cutting back against the pursuit and finding whatever openings were available.

"The offensive line did a great job of coming off the ball and being aggressive," said Jones, who had 24 carries. "We all just really worked well together today."

When the Jets got the ball with 8:05 to play at their own 46 and needing a touchdown to tie, Jones looked ready to be a hero. He started the drive with a 9-yard gain off left guard and three plays later caught a short pass for 11 more yards. Soon it was first down at the Eagles 13. Jones ran around left end it for nine more. On second down, he was stuffed for no gain with 4:46 remaining. Who knew it would be his last carry?

"You mess around on treacherous grounds when you start questioning your coaches," Coles said. "I don't ever question anything they call. Whatever they call, I stick with them."

Gone was not only a chance to tie the game, but establish a mentality of playing power football when needed. For the first time, the Jets were running the ball with success. The offensive line was pushing forward and Jones was finding holes. He was good enough to earn 130 yards yesterday, but apparently not good enough to gain one more.

george.willis@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/play_calling_comes_into_questi.htm

PLAY-CALLING COMES INTO QUESTION

By BART HUBBUCH

October 15, 2007 -- Thomas Jones had gouged the Eagles for 130 rushing yards, by far his most in five games here. The Jets were averaging almost five yards a carry, by far the most from what had been one of the NFL's worst rushing teams this season.

So what does the Jets' offensive braintrust call on fourth-and-one from the Philadelphia four-yard line with the game - and, potentially, the season - hanging in the balance yesterday?

A pass.

With the way the year has gone for the 1-5 Jets, you can guess the rest. Chad Pennington's fluttering fade to the left corner of the end zone for Laveranues Coles was batted away at the last second by Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown, all but sealing a 16-9 loss.

Jones could barely hide his dismay at the call of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, not only on the decisive fourth down but on third-and-one the play before when Pennington - not the 215-pound Jones - was stuffed for no gain on a quarterback sneak.

"I don't call the plays," said Jones, the former Bear whose 36-yard dash on the game's opening play was the Jets' longest run of the year. "I'm not the offensive coordinator; I'm not the offensive coaches. I do what I'm asked to do."

Pennington's fourth-down misfire provided a deflating end to what was a promising fourth-quarter rally by the Jets.

Taking over at their 46-yard line with 8:05 left, the Jets mixed the run and the pass - not to mention a nifty 14-yard reverse to wideout Jerricho Cotchery - on the way to the Philadelphia 4.

But after Jones was stuffed for no gain on second down, Schottenheimer and the Jets suddenly lost confidence in their bruising tailback. Jones didn't touch the ball the rest of the way, even though the injury-depleted Eagles had been on their heels against the run all afternoon.

Mangini defended what turned out to be the Jets' final two play calls by pointing to Pennington's success on a sneak earlier in the drive and to what the Jets saw as a favorable matchup on the last snap.

"I thought he had a real chance on the fade to Laveranues," Mangini said of Pennington. "We had him isolated in blitz [man-to-man] coverage, but the defensive back made a nice play late getting his hand in the pocket."

The second-guessing was intensified because the Jets tipped their hand on the final play by having Pennington line up in the shotgun. The pass call came from the sideline, Mangini said, not from Pennington.

"It was a play we liked going into the game, and we went with it," Mangini said. "Laveranues has been effective on that play, and we liked the matchup."

In the end, the Eagles liked it even better.

bhubbuch@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152007/sports/jets/play_calling_comes_into_questi.htm

PLAY-CALLING COMES INTO QUESTION

By BART HUBBUCH

October 15, 2007 -- Thomas Jones had gouged the Eagles for 130 rushing yards, by far his most in five games here. The Jets were averaging almost five yards a carry, by far the most from what had been one of the NFL's worst rushing teams this season.

So what does the Jets' offensive braintrust call on fourth-and-one from the Philadelphia four-yard line with the game - and, potentially, the season - hanging in the balance yesterday?

A pass.

With the way the year has gone for the 1-5 Jets, you can guess the rest. Chad Pennington's fluttering fade to the left corner of the end zone for Laveranues Coles was batted away at the last second by Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown, all but sealing a 16-9 loss.

Jones could barely hide his dismay at the call of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, not only on the decisive fourth down but on third-and-one the play before when Pennington - not the 215-pound Jones - was stuffed for no gain on a quarterback sneak.

"I don't call the plays," said Jones, the former Bear whose 36-yard dash on the game's opening play was the Jets' longest run of the year. "I'm not the offensive coordinator; I'm not the offensive coaches. I do what I'm asked to do."

Pennington's fourth-down misfire provided a deflating end to what was a promising fourth-quarter rally by the Jets.

Taking over at their 46-yard line with 8:05 left, the Jets mixed the run and the pass - not to mention a nifty 14-yard reverse to wideout Jerricho Cotchery - on the way to the Philadelphia 4.

But after Jones was stuffed for no gain on second down, Schottenheimer and the Jets suddenly lost confidence in their bruising tailback. Jones didn't touch the ball the rest of the way, even though the injury-depleted Eagles had been on their heels against the run all afternoon.

Mangini defended what turned out to be the Jets' final two play calls by pointing to Pennington's success on a sneak earlier in the drive and to what the Jets saw as a favorable matchup on the last snap.

"I thought he had a real chance on the fade to Laveranues," Mangini said of Pennington. "We had him isolated in blitz [man-to-man] coverage, but the defensive back made a nice play late getting his hand in the pocket."

The second-guessing was intensified because the Jets tipped their hand on the final play by having Pennington line up in the shotgun. The pass call came from the sideline, Mangini said, not from Pennington.

"It was a play we liked going into the game, and we went with it," Mangini said. "Laveranues has been effective on that play, and we liked the matchup."

In the end, the Eagles liked it even better.

bhubbuch@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2007/10/15/2007-10-15_thomas_jones_wont_2ndguess_play_calls.html

Thomas Jones won't 2nd-guess play calls

BY OHM YOUNGMISUK

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, October 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

Thomas Jones was enjoying his finest game as a Jet, rushing for 130 yards against the Eagles.

Yet at the end of yesterday's game, when they needed one yard to stay alive, the Jets went away from Jones and failed to gain a first down before falling to the Eagles, 16-9, at Giants Stadium.

Trailing by a touchdown with just under five minutes remaining, the Jets faced a second-and-1 at the Eagles' 4-yard line after Jones had gained nine yards on first down.

The Jets handed the ball to Jones again, for no gain. Instead of giving Jones one more crack, Chad Pennington was stuffed on a quarterback sneak before attempting a desperation corner pass to an isolated Laveranues Coles that was broken up by Sheldon Brown with 3:32 remaining.

"Honestly, that didn't surprise me at all," tight end Chris Baker said of the game plan. "Thomas had (almost) 100 yards in the first half and you don't give him the ball on third-and-1. Unfortunately, I wasn't surprised by it. What can you do? A guy is running the ball all over the place and he doesn't get it. I know what our game plan is in those situations so it doesn't surprise me. Nothing surprises me."

There probably wouldn't be much second-guessing if Jones had run the way he did in the previous two weeks, when he was held to 35 and 36 yards in losses to the Bills and Giants, respectively.

Eric Mangini said he opted for a sneak because Pennington had gained two first downs in the game on keepers, including one earlier on that drive on third-and-1 at the Eagles' 45.

"You look at what has been working percentage-wise and you go with it," Mangini said.

Jones, who averaged 5.4 yards on his 24 carries yesterday, would not second-guess the play-calling afterward. "I don't call the plays," Jones said.

"I am not the offensive coordinator. If it's third-and-1 and my number is called, I will try my best to get the one yard. That is the kind of player I am. I am not one of these guys who would say it should have been this or should have been that. We win and lose as a team."

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2007/10/15/2007-10-15_thomas_jones_wont_2ndguess_play_calls.html

Thomas Jones won't 2nd-guess play calls

BY OHM YOUNGMISUK

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, October 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

Thomas Jones was enjoying his finest game as a Jet, rushing for 130 yards against the Eagles.

Yet at the end of yesterday's game, when they needed one yard to stay alive, the Jets went away from Jones and failed to gain a first down before falling to the Eagles, 16-9, at Giants Stadium.

Trailing by a touchdown with just under five minutes remaining, the Jets faced a second-and-1 at the Eagles' 4-yard line after Jones had gained nine yards on first down.

The Jets handed the ball to Jones again, for no gain. Instead of giving Jones one more crack, Chad Pennington was stuffed on a quarterback sneak before attempting a desperation corner pass to an isolated Laveranues Coles that was broken up by Sheldon Brown with 3:32 remaining.

"Honestly, that didn't surprise me at all," tight end Chris Baker said of the game plan. "Thomas had (almost) 100 yards in the first half and you don't give him the ball on third-and-1. Unfortunately, I wasn't surprised by it. What can you do? A guy is running the ball all over the place and he doesn't get it. I know what our game plan is in those situations so it doesn't surprise me. Nothing surprises me."

There probably wouldn't be much second-guessing if Jones had run the way he did in the previous two weeks, when he was held to 35 and 36 yards in losses to the Bills and Giants, respectively.

Eric Mangini said he opted for a sneak because Pennington had gained two first downs in the game on keepers, including one earlier on that drive on third-and-1 at the Eagles' 45.

"You look at what has been working percentage-wise and you go with it," Mangini said.

Jones, who averaged 5.4 yards on his 24 carries yesterday, would not second-guess the play-calling afterward. "I don't call the plays," Jones said.

"I am not the offensive coordinator. If it's third-and-1 and my number is called, I will try my best to get the one yard. That is the kind of player I am. I am not one of these guys who would say it should have been this or should have been that. We win and lose as a team."

[JetCane]

DEFENSE

C

The glaring missed tackle aside, the defense wasn't awful. They buckled down in the red zone and forced the Eagles to attempt some far-from-automatic field-goal attempts. And they gave the offense the ball twice in good scoring position late in the game thanks to Hank Poteat's first career interception and a timely three-and-out. Still, they gave Donovan McNabb too much time to find his receivers and allowed Brian Westbrook to run for 120 yards and add 36 receiving yards. Jonathan Vilma had two pass breakups in coverage and Darrelle Revis led the team with nine tackles.

NY Jets T A Sack Yds FF FR PD I Y I TD

D. Revis 9 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

K. Rhodes 7 1 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

J. Vilma 6 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0

E. Coleman 5 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D. Barrett 4 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

D. Robertson 3 2 0.5 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E. Barton 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B. Thomas 2 1 0.5 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

S. Ellis 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D. Harris 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

W. Wright 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

V. Hobson 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

K. Coleman 1 2 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E. Hicks 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B. Graham 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

S. Pouha 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B. Smith 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E. Smith 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

C. Mosley 0 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D. Bowens 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B. Kassell 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

H. Poteat 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 1 11 0

A. Dyson 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Updated on Monday, Oct 15, 2007 5:12 am ET

Wow, Dyson took the collar. Terrible.

[JetCane]

DEFENSE

C

The glaring missed tackle aside, the defense wasn't awful. They buckled down in the red zone and forced the Eagles to attempt some far-from-automatic field-goal attempts. And they gave the offense the ball twice in good scoring position late in the game thanks to Hank Poteat's first career interception and a timely three-and-out. Still, they gave Donovan McNabb too much time to find his receivers and allowed Brian Westbrook to run for 120 yards and add 36 receiving yards. Jonathan Vilma had two pass breakups in coverage and Darrelle Revis led the team with nine tackles.

NY Jets T A Sack Yds FF FR PD I Y I TD

D. Revis 9 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

K. Rhodes 7 1 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

J. Vilma 6 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0

E. Coleman 5 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D. Barrett 4 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

D. Robertson 3 2 0.5 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E. Barton 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B. Thomas 2 1 0.5 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

S. Ellis 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D. Harris 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

W. Wright 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

V. Hobson 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

K. Coleman 1 2 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E. Hicks 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B. Graham 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

S. Pouha 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B. Smith 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E. Smith 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

C. Mosley 0 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D. Bowens 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B. Kassell 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

H. Poteat 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 1 11 0

A. Dyson 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Updated on Monday, Oct 15, 2007 5:12 am ET

Wow, Dyson took the collar. Terrible.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjside155413610oct15,0,5868430.story

Another lackluster effort by Pennington, Jets

BY ERIK BOLAND

erik.boland@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

Surrounded by an impenetrable offensive line, a sure-fire 100-yard-per-game running back and receivers that don't consistently drop passes, a weak-armed and immobile Chad Pennington still might be able to thrive.

But Pennington is surrounded by those things only sporadically and never all at once. As a result, his time as the Jets' starter could be coming to an end.

Somewhat obscured - though not entirely, given the media horde around backup Kellen Clemens - by some odd play calls near the end of yesterday's 16-9 loss to the Eagles was another pedestrian stat line from Pennington: 11-for-21 for 128 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception. He was sacked three times and hit multiple others.

Quarterback ratings can be twisted by coaches, players and fans into what they want them to be, but Pennington's 51.3 yesterday was a pretty good indicator of his overall day. Not good.

"Right now I'm just a bit numb," Pennington said. "Not a lot of answers. I have to go back and look at the film, where we could have made some plays. You know we still had a chance to tie it up at the end and didn't get it done."

This has become a common refrain in the Jets' 1-5 start. An injured Pennington sat out the Week 2 loss at Baltimore, but the last three losses have been blamed in very specific terms on Pennington, though not by his coaches and teammates.

"No," coach Eric Mangini said when asked if there should be a change at quarterback. "It's a situation, again, where it comes down to the full group. That [the quarterback] had nothing to do with the [75-yard] touchdown on a missed tackle on a slant by two defensive backs."

Yet Mangini can't be oblivious to the fact that his offense puts little fear in the opposition. At some point, that comes back to the quarterback and his ability to stretch the field. Pennington's faculty for reading defenses and making the appropriate decisions has allowed him to overcome his physical liabilities in the past, but not recently.

In previous losses to Buffalo and the Giants, Pennington threw a total of five interceptions, including critical fourth-quarter picks that cost his team a chance at victory. His critical interception yesterday came in the third.

Faced with a third-and-3 from the 50-yard line with 6:25 left in the quarter, Pennington lofted a pass down the left sideline intended for Brad Smith. Cornerback Sheldon Brown - a thorn throughout who had three pass deflections, including one that denied Laveranues Coles the potential tying touchdown with 3:27 left in the fourth - swooped in to intercept the slightly underthrown pass at the Eagles' 30. Philadelphia converted the turnover into a 25-yard field goal by David Akers that made it 16-6 with 1:40 left in the third.

"Sheldon Brown really got up and went and got that one," Pennington said. "It was a nice play by him."

Pennington also praised Brown for getting a hand in at the last moment to foil Coles in the end zone near the end of the game.

"I tried to back-shoulder Laveranues because Sheldon Brown was playing off," Pennington said, "and like the way the season is going ... six inches, he knocks it down instead of us catching it."

Mangini in past weeks has offered at least faint praise for Pennington after games, though that was noticeably missing yesterday. "I'll have to look at the tape," he said in evaluating his quarterback.

He probably won't like what he sees, though parts of it will seem familiar. The Jets' offensive struggles didn't start yesterday.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjside155413610oct15,0,5868430.story

Another lackluster effort by Pennington, Jets

BY ERIK BOLAND

erik.boland@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

Surrounded by an impenetrable offensive line, a sure-fire 100-yard-per-game running back and receivers that don't consistently drop passes, a weak-armed and immobile Chad Pennington still might be able to thrive.

But Pennington is surrounded by those things only sporadically and never all at once. As a result, his time as the Jets' starter could be coming to an end.

Somewhat obscured - though not entirely, given the media horde around backup Kellen Clemens - by some odd play calls near the end of yesterday's 16-9 loss to the Eagles was another pedestrian stat line from Pennington: 11-for-21 for 128 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception. He was sacked three times and hit multiple others.

Quarterback ratings can be twisted by coaches, players and fans into what they want them to be, but Pennington's 51.3 yesterday was a pretty good indicator of his overall day. Not good.

"Right now I'm just a bit numb," Pennington said. "Not a lot of answers. I have to go back and look at the film, where we could have made some plays. You know we still had a chance to tie it up at the end and didn't get it done."

This has become a common refrain in the Jets' 1-5 start. An injured Pennington sat out the Week 2 loss at Baltimore, but the last three losses have been blamed in very specific terms on Pennington, though not by his coaches and teammates.

"No," coach Eric Mangini said when asked if there should be a change at quarterback. "It's a situation, again, where it comes down to the full group. That [the quarterback] had nothing to do with the [75-yard] touchdown on a missed tackle on a slant by two defensive backs."

Yet Mangini can't be oblivious to the fact that his offense puts little fear in the opposition. At some point, that comes back to the quarterback and his ability to stretch the field. Pennington's faculty for reading defenses and making the appropriate decisions has allowed him to overcome his physical liabilities in the past, but not recently.

In previous losses to Buffalo and the Giants, Pennington threw a total of five interceptions, including critical fourth-quarter picks that cost his team a chance at victory. His critical interception yesterday came in the third.

Faced with a third-and-3 from the 50-yard line with 6:25 left in the quarter, Pennington lofted a pass down the left sideline intended for Brad Smith. Cornerback Sheldon Brown - a thorn throughout who had three pass deflections, including one that denied Laveranues Coles the potential tying touchdown with 3:27 left in the fourth - swooped in to intercept the slightly underthrown pass at the Eagles' 30. Philadelphia converted the turnover into a 25-yard field goal by David Akers that made it 16-6 with 1:40 left in the third.

"Sheldon Brown really got up and went and got that one," Pennington said. "It was a nice play by him."

Pennington also praised Brown for getting a hand in at the last moment to foil Coles in the end zone near the end of the game.

"I tried to back-shoulder Laveranues because Sheldon Brown was playing off," Pennington said, "and like the way the season is going ... six inches, he knocks it down instead of us catching it."

Mangini in past weeks has offered at least faint praise for Pennington after games, though that was noticeably missing yesterday. "I'll have to look at the tape," he said in evaluating his quarterback.

He probably won't like what he sees, though parts of it will seem familiar. The Jets' offensive struggles didn't start yesterday.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/politi/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1192422976237310.xml&coll=1

With season all but lost, time to give Clemens look

Monday, October 15, 2007

There is something sad about this, and something silly, too: If Chad Pennington played his final game in a Jets uniform, history will show he wasn't even wearing a Jets uniform.

Decked out in blue and gold, the half-century-old colors of the New York Titans, Pennington looked like a different player. But he played like the same No. 10, which has increasingly become a problem for this team.

The change at quarterback is going to happen eventually, with the Jets' season steamrolling toward oblivion. It might as well happen sooner than later. Kellen Clemens should start for this team when the Jets play at Cincinnati next weekend, and with the season all but lost at 1-5, the top priority for the final 10 games should be ensuring that he's ready to be the guy.

That means benching Pennington, a classy winner who overcame two career-threatening shoulder surgeries just to play again, and cutting ties with him completely in the off-season. Pennington is slated to earn $4.8 million next season with a $7.8 million number against the salary cap. Once the Jets make this move for the future, there's no going back.

Pennington will get another chance to play in this quarterback-deprived league -- just look in Carolina, where Vinny Testaverde started yesterday despite the need for carbon testing to confirm his age. One poor five-game stretch will not erase what Pennington has accomplished in seven NFL seasons.

But the Jets have to think about the future, and the future is Clemens. Is he the best chance for this team to win now? After the lackluster 16-9 loss to a mediocre Eagles team, the answer is nearly irrelevant. The Jets are not returning to the playoffs. This is the time to find out if Clemens is capable, or if they still need an offensive leader.

"To be honest with you, I don't know how I feel," Pennington said after he completed 11 of 21 passes for 128 yards with one interception. "Everybody wants answers, and sometimes, there's not a lot of answers."

Still, he understands who always takes the blame when a team with playoff expectations loses five of its first six games. "Right, wrong or indifferent, whether it's your fault or not, it's on you," Pennington said. "That's part of being a quarterback, and I can handle that."

This is the sad reality for the Jets yesterday: The didn't need much from their quarterback to win this game.

They had an effective running attack for the entire day, with Thomas Jones gaining 130 yards on 24 carries. The defense gave up one big play -- a 75-yard touchdown reception sparked by missed tackles -- but little else, and came up with a big interception and forced a key three-and-out in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles, meanwhile, seemed determined to give the Jets their second victory of the season, with turnovers and missed field goals. This is a defense ranked 21st in the league against the pass coming into the game.

Two key pass plays. Maybe three. That was all the Jets needed from Pennington, but it is hard to imagine a quarterback being less of a factor in a game. The Jets looked like a team that didn't want to throw the ball. Establishing the run is one thing. But have the Jets become afraid to throw downfield?

Brian Schottenheimer is not in the running for any Offensive Coordinator of the Year awards, and his fourth-quarter play-calling near the goal line was a big factor in the loss. He should have trusted Jones to get the yard needed for a first down -- instead, he tried a quarterback sneak on third down and then a risky fade pattern to Laveranues Coles on fourth down.

Pennington threw that pass into coverage, something he is doing regularly this season. He always made up for his lack of arm strength with his accuracy and decision making, but lately, the latter two have been curiously missing.

"Chad Pennington is a competitor," said Clemens, describing his role as heir apparent as a "careful situation." "He wants to win as much as anybody, and he prepares hard. He's an awesome teammate, he really is. I know myself and the rest of this team has a lot of respect for him."

Pennington always had the intangibles, but they are less important on a team at the bottom of the conference than one competing for a playoff spot. In 2002, the Jets loved the leadership and experience of Testaverde, but in the fifth game of a 1-4 start, they made a change for the future.

Except when he was fighting back from injuries, Pennington has had the job ever since. But the future is wearing a different number now. Clemens should get a shot to see where he can take this team.

Steve Politi appears regularly in The Star-Ledger. He may be reached at spoliti@starledger.com