Jets Articles: Monday Oct 15th

[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

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spwally155413617oct15,0,2966475.column

Time to pull the plug on Pennington

Wallace Matthews

October 15, 2007

And that concludes the portion of our program known as the Chad Pennington Era.

The five years since the Jets, in desperation, handed their offense over to Pennington mainly because he wasn't Vinny Testaverde have vanished. Soon a new regime will hand the ball to Kellen Clemens for pretty much the same reason: the simple fact that he is not Chad Pennington.

And why not? There really is no other way to spark a comatose football team than to change quarterbacks, and no way to gauge the ability of a new quarterback other than to simply throw him out there.

There is no batting order to shuffle, no other impact player to bench. It may not be fair. It may not even be effective. But in the NFL, it is reality. Team loses, quarterback sits.

In the blink of an eye, Pennington's time came and went. Soon it will be his turn to sit.

It is no longer a question of if, but when. Whether it ends Sunday in Cincinnati or the week after at the Meadowlands, or opening day of next year, it has become obvious that the modest, and modestly talented, kid out of Marshall University is not going to be the answer to the question that has haunted the Jets for 38 years now.

Namely, how do we get back to the Super Bowl?

Since Joe Namath brought them there in 1969, no fewer than 16 men have tried to bring them back. Every one of them - Al Woodall, Babe Parilli, Richard Todd, Matt Robinson, Pat Ryan, Ken O'Brien, Tony Eason, Browning Nagle, Boomer Esiason, Bubby Brister, Frank Reich, Neil O'Donnell, Glenn Foley, Ray Lucas, Rick Mirer and Testaverde - failed in the attempt.

To that list, add the name of Pennington, the latest quarterback incapable of following in the tradition of Broadway Joe.

In fact, Pennington and those other guys are the Jets' tradition. Namath was the exception, the one name that doesn't quite fit.

What the Jets have accomplished since 1969 is as remarkable in its own way as what the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off in the 1970s, what the Dallas Cowboys did in the '80s and what the New England Patriots are in the process of doing now.

In today's NFL, in which every team seems to get its turn, it probably is more difficult to miss out on the Super Bowl 38 consecutive times than it is to get there two years in a row.

It is almost equally impossible to be the franchise that boasted the first superstar quarterback of the modern era and then spend the next four decades failing to find his replacement, even by accident. The Patriots stumbled upon Tom Brady. The Cowboys took a chance and found Tony Romo. Even the Giants rolled the dice on Eli Manning.

By now, we all know Pennington is not the second coming of Joe Montana, or even Joe Kapp.

Whether because of the injuries that robbed him of so much of his five-plus seasons as a starter or because of the lack of firepower Mother Nature provided his right arm, there is no doubt he has gone as far as he can with the Jets, and vice versa.

Whether it happens next week or next year is no longer the issue, although with the 2007 season a lost cause, this is as good a time as any to throw Clemens out there to see what he's got - just as the Jets did in 2002, when it was clear that they had seen enough of Testaverde.

Incredibly, Testaverde, nearly 44, might have a better chance of starting an NFL game next week than Pennington. Although Eric Mangini's one-word answer to the question of whether he is considering a quarterback change - "no" - sounded definitive, his later "I'll have to look at the film" response when asked for a critique of Pennington's performance indicates he still might change his mind.

Pennington was not the reason the Jets lost yesterday - the absence of tackling accounted for that, but you can't bench missed tackles - but he did nothing to help them win, not even when given not one but two golden opportunities in the final 13 minutes of the game.

Five years after his debut, Pennington turned out not to be another Joe Namath. Like everyone who preceded him, Pennington instead turned out to be just another Joe.

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spwally155413617oct15,0,2966475.column

Time to pull the plug on Pennington

Wallace Matthews

October 15, 2007

And that concludes the portion of our program known as the Chad Pennington Era.

The five years since the Jets, in desperation, handed their offense over to Pennington mainly because he wasn't Vinny Testaverde have vanished. Soon a new regime will hand the ball to Kellen Clemens for pretty much the same reason: the simple fact that he is not Chad Pennington.

And why not? There really is no other way to spark a comatose football team than to change quarterbacks, and no way to gauge the ability of a new quarterback other than to simply throw him out there.

There is no batting order to shuffle, no other impact player to bench. It may not be fair. It may not even be effective. But in the NFL, it is reality. Team loses, quarterback sits.

In the blink of an eye, Pennington's time came and went. Soon it will be his turn to sit.

It is no longer a question of if, but when. Whether it ends Sunday in Cincinnati or the week after at the Meadowlands, or opening day of next year, it has become obvious that the modest, and modestly talented, kid out of Marshall University is not going to be the answer to the question that has haunted the Jets for 38 years now.

Namely, how do we get back to the Super Bowl?

Since Joe Namath brought them there in 1969, no fewer than 16 men have tried to bring them back. Every one of them - Al Woodall, Babe Parilli, Richard Todd, Matt Robinson, Pat Ryan, Ken O'Brien, Tony Eason, Browning Nagle, Boomer Esiason, Bubby Brister, Frank Reich, Neil O'Donnell, Glenn Foley, Ray Lucas, Rick Mirer and Testaverde - failed in the attempt.

To that list, add the name of Pennington, the latest quarterback incapable of following in the tradition of Broadway Joe.

In fact, Pennington and those other guys are the Jets' tradition. Namath was the exception, the one name that doesn't quite fit.

What the Jets have accomplished since 1969 is as remarkable in its own way as what the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off in the 1970s, what the Dallas Cowboys did in the '80s and what the New England Patriots are in the process of doing now.

In today's NFL, in which every team seems to get its turn, it probably is more difficult to miss out on the Super Bowl 38 consecutive times than it is to get there two years in a row.

It is almost equally impossible to be the franchise that boasted the first superstar quarterback of the modern era and then spend the next four decades failing to find his replacement, even by accident. The Patriots stumbled upon Tom Brady. The Cowboys took a chance and found Tony Romo. Even the Giants rolled the dice on Eli Manning.

By now, we all know Pennington is not the second coming of Joe Montana, or even Joe Kapp.

Whether because of the injuries that robbed him of so much of his five-plus seasons as a starter or because of the lack of firepower Mother Nature provided his right arm, there is no doubt he has gone as far as he can with the Jets, and vice versa.

Whether it happens next week or next year is no longer the issue, although with the 2007 season a lost cause, this is as good a time as any to throw Clemens out there to see what he's got - just as the Jets did in 2002, when it was clear that they had seen enough of Testaverde.

Incredibly, Testaverde, nearly 44, might have a better chance of starting an NFL game next week than Pennington. Although Eric Mangini's one-word answer to the question of whether he is considering a quarterback change - "no" - sounded definitive, his later "I'll have to look at the film" response when asked for a critique of Pennington's performance indicates he still might change his mind.

Pennington was not the reason the Jets lost yesterday - the absence of tackling accounted for that, but you can't bench missed tackles - but he did nothing to help them win, not even when given not one but two golden opportunities in the final 13 minutes of the game.

Five years after his debut, Pennington turned out not to be another Joe Namath. Like everyone who preceded him, Pennington instead turned out to be just another Joe.

[Sperm Edwards]

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

Benching Chad Pennington can spark Jets' season

Monday, October 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

The Jets desperately need a spark that only a quarterback change provides for what is now a lost season for the former Mangenius. They are one-year wonders after their surprising playoff run last year and have quickly reverted to the dreary days of the Same Old Jets.

"No," is how Eric Mangini answered after the Jets' 16-9 loss to the Eagles when asked if he was considering a quarterback change to Kellen Clemens.

Bad answer.

Maybe Mangini wasn't focused right after the game, instead distracted by some awful play-calling on the Jets' last possession that prevented them from sending the game into overtime after they had a second-and-1 from the Eagles' 4. Their season ended right there in mid-October.

Mangini stuck with Pennington through his struggles this year because the season was young and a switch so early could be interpreted as a panic move in the locker room. But the Jets no longer have anything to gain by continuing to play Pennington, a classy guy who has sacrificed his body - two shoulder operations, a broken wrist, and this year a severely sprained ankle - for the team. He's had three straight ineffective games and it's time to go to the bullpen after he couldn't get the Jets into the end zone yesterday.

"Right now, we're 1-5. It's just important right now that we all support one another," said Clemens, careful not get into a quarterback controversy. "I'm talking about everyone throughout the locker room and the coaches included. It's important that we remain a team, we remain supportive of one another."

When Pennington's fourth-down pass from the Eagles' 4 into the left corner of the end zone for Laveranues Coles with 3:27 left was deflected by cornerback Sheldon Brown, it should have provided a clear line of where Pennington's days as the starter end and the Clemens era begins.

Is Pennington confident he will start in Cincinnati next week?

"I'm not concerned," he said. "Whatever happens, happens. That's why Coach Mangini is the head coach and I'm a player. I've prepared myself every week to play and to play well. That's totally out of my control."

Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer didn't let the Jets impose their will on the Eagles when they only needed one yard to set up a first-and-goal situation, needing a touchdown to tie.

Thomas Jones finally had a breakthrough game with 130 yards. His 36-yard run on the opening play of the game was three times longer that his previous long run in the first five games. But after Jones was stopped for no gain on second down from the 4, Pennington was short on a quarterback sneak on third down and Brown made a terrific play to prevent Coles from scoring on a fade route on fourth down.

Jones finally was giving the Jets their money's worth on his $20 million contract, but instead of giving him the ball, Mangini put it into Pennington's hands, first on the sneak the Jets have been overusing, then letting him put it in the air. The Jets should have just bulled their way to a first down.

Now Mangini needs to take the ball out of Pennington's hands and give it to Clemens. It's time to see what he can do. Clemens played well in the fourth quarter of his start in Baltimore the second week of the season when Pennington sat out with the ankle injury, so let's see if he can build on that. The Jets look like a 4-12 team and perhaps the only way to shake off the anger and frustration that Mangini said his players felt after the game is to shake up the team with a QB switch.

"That's not a decision of mine," said Coles, who is good friends with Pennington. "I don't think what we need now is a spark. We just need to go out and play better football."

Clemens has a big arm and will loosen up defenses. It was only symbolic, but after Brown picked off Pennington in the third quarter, Pennington sat on the bench next to Schottenheimer. Standing behind the bench looking over their shoulders was Clemens. Even though Pennington didn't once turn around, he has to know Clemens is gaining on him.

Pennington threw for only 128 yards yesterday. His longest completion was 27 yards. In 21 games playing for Mangini, he has 23 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Mangini is 11-11 as Jets coach, 11-12 counting the playoff loss.

Clearly, the boy wonder coach has lost his magic touch. Herm Edwards will remain the only Jets coach to make the playoffs his first two years. He got there the second season by switching from Vinny Testaverde to Pennington in the fifth game of the year. The Jets offense is inhibited by Pennington's lack of arm strength. Who knows how much he lost off his fastball - well, he never really had a fastball - after those two shoulder surgeries.

"As a quarterback you understand when you lose it comes on your shoulders - right, wrong or indifferent," Pennington said. "Whether it's your fault or not, it's on you as the quarterback. That is part of the game and that is part of being the quarterback and I can handle that. It hurts because we are losing. That's why it hurts."

Clemens says "it's a careful situation" being asked about replacing Pennington. It's never easy benching the quarterback, but with the season already lost, it's time to move on.

[Sperm Edwards]

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

Benching Chad Pennington can spark Jets' season

Monday, October 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

The Jets desperately need a spark that only a quarterback change provides for what is now a lost season for the former Mangenius. They are one-year wonders after their surprising playoff run last year and have quickly reverted to the dreary days of the Same Old Jets.

"No," is how Eric Mangini answered after the Jets' 16-9 loss to the Eagles when asked if he was considering a quarterback change to Kellen Clemens.

Bad answer.

Maybe Mangini wasn't focused right after the game, instead distracted by some awful play-calling on the Jets' last possession that prevented them from sending the game into overtime after they had a second-and-1 from the Eagles' 4. Their season ended right there in mid-October.

Mangini stuck with Pennington through his struggles this year because the season was young and a switch so early could be interpreted as a panic move in the locker room. But the Jets no longer have anything to gain by continuing to play Pennington, a classy guy who has sacrificed his body - two shoulder operations, a broken wrist, and this year a severely sprained ankle - for the team. He's had three straight ineffective games and it's time to go to the bullpen after he couldn't get the Jets into the end zone yesterday.

"Right now, we're 1-5. It's just important right now that we all support one another," said Clemens, careful not get into a quarterback controversy. "I'm talking about everyone throughout the locker room and the coaches included. It's important that we remain a team, we remain supportive of one another."

When Pennington's fourth-down pass from the Eagles' 4 into the left corner of the end zone for Laveranues Coles with 3:27 left was deflected by cornerback Sheldon Brown, it should have provided a clear line of where Pennington's days as the starter end and the Clemens era begins.

Is Pennington confident he will start in Cincinnati next week?

"I'm not concerned," he said. "Whatever happens, happens. That's why Coach Mangini is the head coach and I'm a player. I've prepared myself every week to play and to play well. That's totally out of my control."

Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer didn't let the Jets impose their will on the Eagles when they only needed one yard to set up a first-and-goal situation, needing a touchdown to tie.

Thomas Jones finally had a breakthrough game with 130 yards. His 36-yard run on the opening play of the game was three times longer that his previous long run in the first five games. But after Jones was stopped for no gain on second down from the 4, Pennington was short on a quarterback sneak on third down and Brown made a terrific play to prevent Coles from scoring on a fade route on fourth down.

Jones finally was giving the Jets their money's worth on his $20 million contract, but instead of giving him the ball, Mangini put it into Pennington's hands, first on the sneak the Jets have been overusing, then letting him put it in the air. The Jets should have just bulled their way to a first down.

Now Mangini needs to take the ball out of Pennington's hands and give it to Clemens. It's time to see what he can do. Clemens played well in the fourth quarter of his start in Baltimore the second week of the season when Pennington sat out with the ankle injury, so let's see if he can build on that. The Jets look like a 4-12 team and perhaps the only way to shake off the anger and frustration that Mangini said his players felt after the game is to shake up the team with a QB switch.

"That's not a decision of mine," said Coles, who is good friends with Pennington. "I don't think what we need now is a spark. We just need to go out and play better football."

Clemens has a big arm and will loosen up defenses. It was only symbolic, but after Brown picked off Pennington in the third quarter, Pennington sat on the bench next to Schottenheimer. Standing behind the bench looking over their shoulders was Clemens. Even though Pennington didn't once turn around, he has to know Clemens is gaining on him.

Pennington threw for only 128 yards yesterday. His longest completion was 27 yards. In 21 games playing for Mangini, he has 23 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Mangini is 11-11 as Jets coach, 11-12 counting the playoff loss.

Clearly, the boy wonder coach has lost his magic touch. Herm Edwards will remain the only Jets coach to make the playoffs his first two years. He got there the second season by switching from Vinny Testaverde to Pennington in the fifth game of the year. The Jets offense is inhibited by Pennington's lack of arm strength. Who knows how much he lost off his fastball - well, he never really had a fastball - after those two shoulder surgeries.

"As a quarterback you understand when you lose it comes on your shoulders - right, wrong or indifferent," Pennington said. "Whether it's your fault or not, it's on you as the quarterback. That is part of the game and that is part of being the quarterback and I can handle that. It hurts because we are losing. That's why it hurts."

Clemens says "it's a careful situation" being asked about replacing Pennington. It's never easy benching the quarterback, but with the season already lost, it's time to move on.

[Sperm Edwards]

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

NO MORE KELLEN TIME; LET CLEMENS PLAY

By STEVE SERBY

October 15, 2007 -- IT WAS fourth-and-a-season now for Chad Pennington and the Jets, fourth-and-a-season from the Philadelphia 4, and a pass that Pennington has completed over the years in his sleep, for his buddy Laveranues Coles, was barely knocked away in the left corner of the end zone by Sheldon Brown, and the scoreboard would remain Eagles 16, Jets 9. "Like the way the season's going - six inches," Pennington said.

It means R.I.P. New York Jets.

Photo Gallery: Jets vs. Eagles

It means Wait 'Til Next Year.

It means that if Eric Mangini plans on making a Super Bowl run in 2008, he needs to start getting Kellen Clemens ready now.

Tom Coughlin, remember, took the ball from Kurt Warner even when the Giants had playoff hope so Eli Manning could play the final seven games of his rookie season and get a headstart on the 2005 season.

The 1-5 Jets, tackling dummies in the secondary again, are so woeful on defense that there is no guarantee that a quarterback change would provide the sorely-needed spark, but at this point, what does Mangini have to fear other than fear itself?

On a day when the Jets were finally committed to establishing Thomas Jones (24-130 rushing) - except, inexcusably, on third-and-1 at the end, when they tried a quarterback sneak, and on fourth-and-season - Pennington couldn't remember what a play-action genius he used to be, as recently as a year ago.

The Eagles dared Pennington (11-21, 128 yards, 1 INT) to beat them in the second half and he could not.

The deep ball is not used as a weapon - it is used solely as an obligatory tactic to keep the defense honest. The deep out is too often a wing and a prayer.

The elite quarterbacks don't settle talking what the defense gives them; they take what they want.

There is no margin for error with Pennington, who suffered his sixth interception in the last three games when his underthrown lob down the left sidelines from midfield for Brad Smith was intercepted by Brown midway through the third quarter.

A media horde surrounded Clemens and blitzed him with questions about replacing his mentor. Clemens, asked if this was an uncomfortable position for him to be in, chuckled and effortlessly audibled to the speak-no-evil playbook. "It's a careful situation, definitely," he said. "Myself and the whole team, we support Chad, he works hard, he's a very good quarterback. Right now it's very important for this team to remain a team."

Someone wanted to know when he would know about a change. "I know that right now there's no talk of it," Clemens said.

He threw one pass as a rookie, started one game this season. But the Jets wouldn't have passed on Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler to draft him if they didn't think he would be ready by now. "I would say that I have made progress since a year ago at this time, yes," Clemens said.

Seated at their lockers, their shirtless backs to the rest of the room, Clemens and Pennington had chatted quietly before Pennington headed for the showers. "Just kind of a quarterback discussion about various things; nothing real specific," Clemens said.

Now Pennington, a medical marvel, a gallant leader who plays hurt and brings honor to his craft and to his sport, faced the music. Because he is who he is and has done what he has done for the franchise, no one had the heart to ask him about the merciless boobirds who were waiting for him when he trotted back from the sidelines toward the huddle with 1:40 left in the third quarter. "Right now I'm just numb," Pennington said. "Not a lot of answers."

Pennington was asked if he expects to start in Cincinnati. "Whatever happens happens," Pennington said. "That's why Coach Mangini is the head coach, and I'm a player ... that is totally out of my control."

Mangini was not about to pull the plug immediately after the game. "It doesn't come down to one player," he said.

But you can't change the other 23 players. "You understand that when you lose, it comes on your shoulders first," Pennington said. "Right, wrong or indifferent, whether it's your fault or not, it's on you, as a quarterback ... I can handle that."

For Clemens, the future is now

steve.serby@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

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

NO MORE KELLEN TIME; LET CLEMENS PLAY

By STEVE SERBY

October 15, 2007 -- IT WAS fourth-and-a-season now for Chad Pennington and the Jets, fourth-and-a-season from the Philadelphia 4, and a pass that Pennington has completed over the years in his sleep, for his buddy Laveranues Coles, was barely knocked away in the left corner of the end zone by Sheldon Brown, and the scoreboard would remain Eagles 16, Jets 9. "Like the way the season's going - six inches," Pennington said.

It means R.I.P. New York Jets.

Photo Gallery: Jets vs. Eagles

It means Wait 'Til Next Year.

It means that if Eric Mangini plans on making a Super Bowl run in 2008, he needs to start getting Kellen Clemens ready now.

Tom Coughlin, remember, took the ball from Kurt Warner even when the Giants had playoff hope so Eli Manning could play the final seven games of his rookie season and get a headstart on the 2005 season.

The 1-5 Jets, tackling dummies in the secondary again, are so woeful on defense that there is no guarantee that a quarterback change would provide the sorely-needed spark, but at this point, what does Mangini have to fear other than fear itself?

On a day when the Jets were finally committed to establishing Thomas Jones (24-130 rushing) - except, inexcusably, on third-and-1 at the end, when they tried a quarterback sneak, and on fourth-and-season - Pennington couldn't remember what a play-action genius he used to be, as recently as a year ago.

The Eagles dared Pennington (11-21, 128 yards, 1 INT) to beat them in the second half and he could not.

The deep ball is not used as a weapon - it is used solely as an obligatory tactic to keep the defense honest. The deep out is too often a wing and a prayer.

The elite quarterbacks don't settle talking what the defense gives them; they take what they want.

There is no margin for error with Pennington, who suffered his sixth interception in the last three games when his underthrown lob down the left sidelines from midfield for Brad Smith was intercepted by Brown midway through the third quarter.

A media horde surrounded Clemens and blitzed him with questions about replacing his mentor. Clemens, asked if this was an uncomfortable position for him to be in, chuckled and effortlessly audibled to the speak-no-evil playbook. "It's a careful situation, definitely," he said. "Myself and the whole team, we support Chad, he works hard, he's a very good quarterback. Right now it's very important for this team to remain a team."

Someone wanted to know when he would know about a change. "I know that right now there's no talk of it," Clemens said.

He threw one pass as a rookie, started one game this season. But the Jets wouldn't have passed on Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler to draft him if they didn't think he would be ready by now. "I would say that I have made progress since a year ago at this time, yes," Clemens said.

Seated at their lockers, their shirtless backs to the rest of the room, Clemens and Pennington had chatted quietly before Pennington headed for the showers. "Just kind of a quarterback discussion about various things; nothing real specific," Clemens said.

Now Pennington, a medical marvel, a gallant leader who plays hurt and brings honor to his craft and to his sport, faced the music. Because he is who he is and has done what he has done for the franchise, no one had the heart to ask him about the merciless boobirds who were waiting for him when he trotted back from the sidelines toward the huddle with 1:40 left in the third quarter. "Right now I'm just numb," Pennington said. "Not a lot of answers."

Pennington was asked if he expects to start in Cincinnati. "Whatever happens happens," Pennington said. "That's why Coach Mangini is the head coach, and I'm a player ... that is totally out of my control."

Mangini was not about to pull the plug immediately after the game. "It doesn't come down to one player," he said.

But you can't change the other 23 players. "You understand that when you lose, it comes on your shoulders first," Pennington said. "Right, wrong or indifferent, whether it's your fault or not, it's on you, as a quarterback ... I can handle that."

For Clemens, the future is now

steve.serby@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/sports/football/15rhoden.html?ref=football&pagewanted=print

October 15, 2007

Timing Is Right for Quarterback Change

By WILLIAM C. RHODEN

East Rutherford, N.J.

The Jets lost their fifth game of the season yesterday. In losing, they joined a glut of teams whose seasons, for all practical purposes, are over in October. All that’s left now is to play spoiler, to lean on professional pride to maintain a competitive edge.

After yesterday’s 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Jets players sounded like politicians as they danced around the touchy but smoldering issues of questionable play-calling and an imminent change at quarterback.

Laveranues Coles, the veteran wide receiver, was asked about spotty play-calling near the goal line with the game on the line. “You’re messing around on treacherous ground when you start questioning the coaches,” he said.

Kellen Clemens, the people’s choice to be the starting quarterback, was similarly coy. Asked how he felt about being in the middle of a quarterback controversy, Clemens chose his words ever so carefully. “It’s a careful situation,” he said.

No need for caution now. In a city that constantly changes its face — from its architecture to its managers and coaches — the face of the Jets’ quarterback is about to change as well.

It should.

•

The backdrop of yesterday’s game was a matchup between two quarterbacks on a griddle. The Eagles’ Donovan McNabb, created a controversy weeks ago when he said black quarterbacks were more highly scrutinized. Chad Pennington must feel like an honorary brother then; the scrutiny of his performance has been intense and excoriating.

The Jets have ridden Pennington on an open road since 2002, when he made his first start.

Arm strength was always an issue, but Pennington compensated with accuracy and good judgment. For the third consecutive week, Pennington’s poor decisions and underthrown balls have figured in the Jets’ tailspin.

Yet Mangini stuck by his man yesterday. Asked if he would make a change at quarterback, Mangini said, “No,” and reminded reporters that this was a team game and a loss fell on everyone’s shoulder.

That’s not the point.

You can point to missed tackles, dropped balls and botched assignments, but a team is lifted or demoralized by the play of its quarterback. A few weeks ago, Bears Coach Lovie Smith finally benched Rex Grossman, who had helped carry Chicago to the Super Bowl. Arizona was moving toward Kurt Warner before the injury to Matt Leinart. The Jets, with nothing more on the line than making a season of it, should make the move to Clemens.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Pennington said he felt numb; perhaps it’s Jets fans who have become anesthetized to failure.

Since the 1968 season, when the Jets won their first and last Super Bowl, their fans have watched, and become accustomed to, other teams making championship plays while the home team flops.

Late in the fourth quarter yesterday, the Jets faced fourth-and-1 on the Eagles’ 4-yard line with a chance to tie the score. Pennington’s pass to Coles was broken up with 3 minutes 27 seconds to play.

“It’s the way the season has gone,” Pennington said. “Six inches.”

In fact, it’s the way the franchise has gone.

A more poignant example of the Jets’ futility is what happened after the Eagles took over on downs. McNabb, facing a third-and-7 on his own 7, stumbled as he dropped back, regrouped and fired a pass to Reggie Brown for a 13-yard gain that sealed the victory.

The loss marked the first time in Pennington’s career that he had lost three straight games. As the game ended, boos cascaded from the emptying Giants Stadium.

After the game, Pennington was asked whether he was hurt by speculation that he should be replaced. He said what hurt was losing.

“As the quarterback, you understand that when you lose, it comes on your shoulders,” Pennington said.

Even as Pennington changed his clothes, the horde of reporters surrounded Clemens, asking him right in front of Pennington how he felt about seizing the starting job.

•

The Jets paid homage to their roots yesterday by wearing navy and gold uniforms from their days as the New York Titans (1960-1962). They became the Jets in 1963. The ceremony reminded the Jets that the franchise’s futility has deep roots. The Jets won the championship during the 1968 season and have been wandering in the wilderness ever since.

Maybe the Jets will get hot, win 9 of the last 10 games and sneak into the playoffs as a wild card. In the up-and-down saga of the Jets, this current season has the feel of one of the downs.

At least for a day, nostalgic memories of the Titans could ease the disappointment of these Jets.

E-mail: wcr@nytimes.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/sports/football/15rhoden.html?ref=football&pagewanted=print

October 15, 2007

Timing Is Right for Quarterback Change

By WILLIAM C. RHODEN

East Rutherford, N.J.

The Jets lost their fifth game of the season yesterday. In losing, they joined a glut of teams whose seasons, for all practical purposes, are over in October. All that’s left now is to play spoiler, to lean on professional pride to maintain a competitive edge.

After yesterday’s 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Jets players sounded like politicians as they danced around the touchy but smoldering issues of questionable play-calling and an imminent change at quarterback.

Laveranues Coles, the veteran wide receiver, was asked about spotty play-calling near the goal line with the game on the line. “You’re messing around on treacherous ground when you start questioning the coaches,” he said.

Kellen Clemens, the people’s choice to be the starting quarterback, was similarly coy. Asked how he felt about being in the middle of a quarterback controversy, Clemens chose his words ever so carefully. “It’s a careful situation,” he said.

No need for caution now. In a city that constantly changes its face — from its architecture to its managers and coaches — the face of the Jets’ quarterback is about to change as well.

It should.

•

The backdrop of yesterday’s game was a matchup between two quarterbacks on a griddle. The Eagles’ Donovan McNabb, created a controversy weeks ago when he said black quarterbacks were more highly scrutinized. Chad Pennington must feel like an honorary brother then; the scrutiny of his performance has been intense and excoriating.

The Jets have ridden Pennington on an open road since 2002, when he made his first start.

Arm strength was always an issue, but Pennington compensated with accuracy and good judgment. For the third consecutive week, Pennington’s poor decisions and underthrown balls have figured in the Jets’ tailspin.

Yet Mangini stuck by his man yesterday. Asked if he would make a change at quarterback, Mangini said, “No,” and reminded reporters that this was a team game and a loss fell on everyone’s shoulder.

That’s not the point.

You can point to missed tackles, dropped balls and botched assignments, but a team is lifted or demoralized by the play of its quarterback. A few weeks ago, Bears Coach Lovie Smith finally benched Rex Grossman, who had helped carry Chicago to the Super Bowl. Arizona was moving toward Kurt Warner before the injury to Matt Leinart. The Jets, with nothing more on the line than making a season of it, should make the move to Clemens.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Pennington said he felt numb; perhaps it’s Jets fans who have become anesthetized to failure.

Since the 1968 season, when the Jets won their first and last Super Bowl, their fans have watched, and become accustomed to, other teams making championship plays while the home team flops.

Late in the fourth quarter yesterday, the Jets faced fourth-and-1 on the Eagles’ 4-yard line with a chance to tie the score. Pennington’s pass to Coles was broken up with 3 minutes 27 seconds to play.

“It’s the way the season has gone,” Pennington said. “Six inches.”

In fact, it’s the way the franchise has gone.

A more poignant example of the Jets’ futility is what happened after the Eagles took over on downs. McNabb, facing a third-and-7 on his own 7, stumbled as he dropped back, regrouped and fired a pass to Reggie Brown for a 13-yard gain that sealed the victory.

The loss marked the first time in Pennington’s career that he had lost three straight games. As the game ended, boos cascaded from the emptying Giants Stadium.

After the game, Pennington was asked whether he was hurt by speculation that he should be replaced. He said what hurt was losing.

“As the quarterback, you understand that when you lose, it comes on your shoulders,” Pennington said.

Even as Pennington changed his clothes, the horde of reporters surrounded Clemens, asking him right in front of Pennington how he felt about seizing the starting job.

•

The Jets paid homage to their roots yesterday by wearing navy and gold uniforms from their days as the New York Titans (1960-1962). They became the Jets in 1963. The ceremony reminded the Jets that the franchise’s futility has deep roots. The Jets won the championship during the 1968 season and have been wandering in the wilderness ever since.

Maybe the Jets will get hot, win 9 of the last 10 games and sneak into the playoffs as a wild card. In the up-and-down saga of the Jets, this current season has the feel of one of the downs.

At least for a day, nostalgic memories of the Titans could ease the disappointment of these Jets.

E-mail: wcr@nytimes.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/eagles/times/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1192421294168030.xml&coll=5

Lackluster Eagles manage win

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY JOHN NALBONE

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The Eagles may have saved their season with yesterday's uneven 16-9 victory at the Meadowlands.

And they can thank the Jets for tossing them a big green life preserver.

Unable to score a touchdown despite getting into position with a handful of significant plays, the Jets (1-5) were 0-for-4 in the red zone -- a drought that included a head-scratching call on 4th- and-1 from the 4-yard line with 3:32 left in the game.

Trailing by a touchdown and with running back Thomas Jones having enjoyed a big day with 130 yards on 24 carries, Jets head coach Eric Mangini dialed in a go- for-broke pass play to the corner of the end zone with quarterback Chad Pennington working out of the shotgun that was deflected out of the hands of Laveranues Coles by Eagles' cornerback Sheldon Brown.

"That was a play that we liked going into the game and that's what we went with," Mangini said. "I thought we had a real chance on the fade to Laveranues. We had him isolated and blitzed the man coverage. (Brown) made a nice play getting his hand in (Coles') pocket."

The Eagles (2-3), with an offense that also scuffled at times and was 0-for-4 inside the 20, were able to run out the final 3:27 thanks to a key third-down completion to Reggie Brown for 13 yards just prior to the two-minute warning to keep the Jets from getting the ball back.

"We would have easily ended this game earlier if we could have just scored touchdowns and not even given them a chance to come back," quarterback Donovan McNabb said after completing 22 of his 35 attempts for 278 yards -- with the largest chunk of that real estate covered on a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis just 4:51 into the game.

"It's a win and that's the most important thing," McNabb added. "If we would have put up 300 or 400 yards passing and lost, that wouldn't have been a good thing. For all of us, this was definitely needed."

The outcome was a welcome change from the last time McNabb played on this same field Sept. 30, when he was sacked 12 times by the Giants.

With his offensive line back together after a knee injury to left tackle William Thomas kept him out of the loss to the Giants, and arthroscopic surgery during the bye week threatened the status of guard Todd Herremans, McNabb, for the most part, had ample time to throw against one of the league's worst defenses.

Brian Westbrook also returned after missing one game with a strained abdominal muscle and rushed for 120 yards on 20 carries, to go along with six receptions.

The Eagles' victory, spear headed by a defense that has allowed just one touchdown over the last 10 quarters, kept head coach Andy Reid perfect (9-0) after the bye week since he took over in 1999.

Whether they were called the Jets or the New York Titans, which were the throwback uniforms from the 1960s worn by the home team yesterday, the Jets still have never beaten the Eagles.

Yesterday gave a paid crowd of 77,189 a pretty good idea why.

Tied for second in the NFL in red zone efficiency entering the game, the Jets failed to fully capitalize on a 36-yard run by Jones and, later, a 51-yard punt return by Leon Washington.

Mike Nugent converted field goals of 30 and 21 yards to salvage something from those drives, but the theme for the afternoon had been established.

Already under fire for his lack luster play, Pennington did nothing to improve his job security with an abysmal 51.1 passer rating, only 128 yards and three sacks. Mangini said after the game he will continue to play Pennington, who completed just 11 passes.

"Right now I'm just a bit numb," Pennington said. "Not a lot of answers. To be honest with you, I don't know how I feel."

The long touchdown to Curtis was all McNabb and the Eagles' offense could muster despite 413 total yards. A 19-yard scoring run by Westbrook late in the second quarter was called back after Shawn Andrews was flagged for a holding penalty.

David Akers supplied the remainder of the Birds' points with three field goals, but he also missed a pair of 41-yard attempts with the wind at his back.

Akers was 6 of 14 lifetime at Giants Stadium before his 31-yarder with 8:37 remaining in the third quarter capped an eight-play drive and gave the Eagles a 13-6 advan tage.

Another missed opportunity to score a touchdown haunted the punchless Jets with 10:32 left in the game when a hurried McNabb gift- wrapped Hank Poteat's his first career interception at the Eagles' 28.

Poteat returned it 11 yards to the Philadelphia 17, but Penning ton was sacked by Jevon Kearse on first down, before a five-yard run by Jones and a 2-yard pass to Brad Smith failed to move the chains. The Jets again were forced to settle for a Nugent field goal, this one from 30-yards out, for their final points.

"The red zone defense did a heck of a job," Reid said. "They were put in a bad situation at times did a great job of playing through it."

Contact John Nalbone at jnalbo ne@njtimes.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/eagles/times/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1192421294168030.xml&coll=5

Lackluster Eagles manage win

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY JOHN NALBONE

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The Eagles may have saved their season with yesterday's uneven 16-9 victory at the Meadowlands.

And they can thank the Jets for tossing them a big green life preserver.

Unable to score a touchdown despite getting into position with a handful of significant plays, the Jets (1-5) were 0-for-4 in the red zone -- a drought that included a head-scratching call on 4th- and-1 from the 4-yard line with 3:32 left in the game.

Trailing by a touchdown and with running back Thomas Jones having enjoyed a big day with 130 yards on 24 carries, Jets head coach Eric Mangini dialed in a go- for-broke pass play to the corner of the end zone with quarterback Chad Pennington working out of the shotgun that was deflected out of the hands of Laveranues Coles by Eagles' cornerback Sheldon Brown.

"That was a play that we liked going into the game and that's what we went with," Mangini said. "I thought we had a real chance on the fade to Laveranues. We had him isolated and blitzed the man coverage. (Brown) made a nice play getting his hand in (Coles') pocket."

The Eagles (2-3), with an offense that also scuffled at times and was 0-for-4 inside the 20, were able to run out the final 3:27 thanks to a key third-down completion to Reggie Brown for 13 yards just prior to the two-minute warning to keep the Jets from getting the ball back.

"We would have easily ended this game earlier if we could have just scored touchdowns and not even given them a chance to come back," quarterback Donovan McNabb said after completing 22 of his 35 attempts for 278 yards -- with the largest chunk of that real estate covered on a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis just 4:51 into the game.

"It's a win and that's the most important thing," McNabb added. "If we would have put up 300 or 400 yards passing and lost, that wouldn't have been a good thing. For all of us, this was definitely needed."

The outcome was a welcome change from the last time McNabb played on this same field Sept. 30, when he was sacked 12 times by the Giants.

With his offensive line back together after a knee injury to left tackle William Thomas kept him out of the loss to the Giants, and arthroscopic surgery during the bye week threatened the status of guard Todd Herremans, McNabb, for the most part, had ample time to throw against one of the league's worst defenses.

Brian Westbrook also returned after missing one game with a strained abdominal muscle and rushed for 120 yards on 20 carries, to go along with six receptions.

The Eagles' victory, spear headed by a defense that has allowed just one touchdown over the last 10 quarters, kept head coach Andy Reid perfect (9-0) after the bye week since he took over in 1999.

Whether they were called the Jets or the New York Titans, which were the throwback uniforms from the 1960s worn by the home team yesterday, the Jets still have never beaten the Eagles.

Yesterday gave a paid crowd of 77,189 a pretty good idea why.

Tied for second in the NFL in red zone efficiency entering the game, the Jets failed to fully capitalize on a 36-yard run by Jones and, later, a 51-yard punt return by Leon Washington.

Mike Nugent converted field goals of 30 and 21 yards to salvage something from those drives, but the theme for the afternoon had been established.

Already under fire for his lack luster play, Pennington did nothing to improve his job security with an abysmal 51.1 passer rating, only 128 yards and three sacks. Mangini said after the game he will continue to play Pennington, who completed just 11 passes.

"Right now I'm just a bit numb," Pennington said. "Not a lot of answers. To be honest with you, I don't know how I feel."

The long touchdown to Curtis was all McNabb and the Eagles' offense could muster despite 413 total yards. A 19-yard scoring run by Westbrook late in the second quarter was called back after Shawn Andrews was flagged for a holding penalty.

David Akers supplied the remainder of the Birds' points with three field goals, but he also missed a pair of 41-yard attempts with the wind at his back.

Akers was 6 of 14 lifetime at Giants Stadium before his 31-yarder with 8:37 remaining in the third quarter capped an eight-play drive and gave the Eagles a 13-6 advan tage.

Another missed opportunity to score a touchdown haunted the punchless Jets with 10:32 left in the game when a hurried McNabb gift- wrapped Hank Poteat's his first career interception at the Eagles' 28.

Poteat returned it 11 yards to the Philadelphia 17, but Penning ton was sacked by Jevon Kearse on first down, before a five-yard run by Jones and a 2-yard pass to Brad Smith failed to move the chains. The Jets again were forced to settle for a Nugent field goal, this one from 30-yards out, for their final points.

"The red zone defense did a heck of a job," Reid said. "They were put in a bad situation at times did a great job of playing through it."

Contact John Nalbone at jnalbo ne@njtimes.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1192423116237310.xml&coll=1

Pennington struggles again as Jets' season turns ugly

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

Chad Pennington got nearly everything he wanted. He got a running game. He got some big stops from an embattled defense. He got yet another big kickoff return. He got a second-and-goal from the 4-yard line with nearly five minutes left to play with a chance for the tying touchdown.

Yet, the much-maligned quarterback failed to deliver once again -- with the help of some questionable play-calling from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer -- and the Jets' season appears to be spiraling out of control.

"Right now, I'm just a bit numb," said Pennington after a 16-9 loss to the Eagles yesterday at Giants Stadium that dropped the Jets' record to 1-5. "Not a lot of answers. I have to look at the film. We still had a chance to tie it up at the end and didn't get it done. ... As a quarterback, you understand that when you lose, it comes on your shoulders -- right, wrong or indifferent."

Even though his offense put together only one sustained scoring drive that resulted in three points -- on the heels of only one touchdown drive last week against the Giants -- coach Eric Mangini again pledged his allegiance to Pennington (11-of-21 for 128 yards, no TDs and one INT).

"It's a situation again where it comes down to the full group. ... It doesn't come down to one player," Mangini said.

Nonetheless, the Jets' season is just about over before the midpoint; they travel to Cincinnati (1-4) next week. And sooner or later, the organization might have to decide whether to stick with Pennington (six interceptions in his past three games) or find out what it has in second-year pro Kellen Clemens.

Meanwhile, players realize they're all but playing for pride -- and it's only Week 7.

"You don't go into a tank, that's for sure, because if you allow yourself to do that, it could get worse, trust me," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said. "You want to stay competitive."

Added right guard Brandon Moore: "Everyone is frustrated. The guys work so hard. Not being able to pull it out at the end like we did last year, win the tough games when it's crunch time, it's very frustrating."

That frustration appeared ready to boil over in the Jets' locker room as players were asked about Schottenheimer's play-calling in the final minutes. He failed to give the ball to Jones (24 carries, 130 yards) on a third-and-one and a fourth-and-one from the Eagles' 4-yard line with a chance for the tying touchdown. Jones had gained 9 yards on first down and was stopped for a no gain on second down.

Instead, Pennington was stopped on a quarterback sneak on third down, and a fade pass to Coles (one catch, 27 yards) was broken up by Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown in the corner of the end zone.

Asked if he was surprised by the call, tight end Chris Baker said sarcastically, "Nope, honestly, that didn't surprise me at all. You've got a guy who had damn near 100 yards in the first half, and we don't give him the ball on third-and-one. What can you do? The guy is running the ball all over the place and he didn't get it?"

Jones, who was visibly disgusted, managed to bite his tongue.

"I'm not one of these guys who is going to say it should've been this or it should've been that," he said. "We win as a team and we lose as a team. We can't blame one person or one coach or one situation."

Said Mangini: "We know how much time we spend working on the game plan, on trying to execute the game plan and doing things the right way. Then to not get the results you are looking for it makes you angry. It makes you frustrated. That's how people feel."

The Eagles (2-3) took over with 3:27 left to play and ran out the clock -- the final blow coming when quarterback Donovan McNabb (22-of-35 for 278 yards, one TD and one INT) hit wideout Reggie Brown for 13 yards on a third-and-seven from the Philadelphia 7-yard line with 2:08 remaining to seal the game.

Although the Eagles rang up 413 yards total offense -- RB Brian Westbrook ran for 120 yards on 20 carries and caught six passes for 36 yards -- the Jets' porous defense held steady in the clutch. Besides a first-quarter, 75-yard touchdown catch-and-run by wide receiver Kevin Curtis on a quick slant and a missed tackle by safety Eric Smith and cornerback Andre Dyson, the Jets limited the Eagles to three field goals. And a fourth-quarter interception deep in Philadelphia territory by cornerback Hank Poteat set up a Mike Nugent field goal.

Electrifying kickoff returner Leon Washington had a 51-yard return in the second quarter that set up another Nugent field goal.

Thus, the Jets had little to show for their physical practices last week. And such tactics won't sit well with players if the losing continues.

"You start to feel like, 'Why are we doing this?'" defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "(But) we can't fall into that trap."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at

dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1192423116237310.xml&coll=1

Pennington struggles again as Jets' season turns ugly

Monday, October 15, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

Chad Pennington got nearly everything he wanted. He got a running game. He got some big stops from an embattled defense. He got yet another big kickoff return. He got a second-and-goal from the 4-yard line with nearly five minutes left to play with a chance for the tying touchdown.

Yet, the much-maligned quarterback failed to deliver once again -- with the help of some questionable play-calling from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer -- and the Jets' season appears to be spiraling out of control.

"Right now, I'm just a bit numb," said Pennington after a 16-9 loss to the Eagles yesterday at Giants Stadium that dropped the Jets' record to 1-5. "Not a lot of answers. I have to look at the film. We still had a chance to tie it up at the end and didn't get it done. ... As a quarterback, you understand that when you lose, it comes on your shoulders -- right, wrong or indifferent."

Even though his offense put together only one sustained scoring drive that resulted in three points -- on the heels of only one touchdown drive last week against the Giants -- coach Eric Mangini again pledged his allegiance to Pennington (11-of-21 for 128 yards, no TDs and one INT).

"It's a situation again where it comes down to the full group. ... It doesn't come down to one player," Mangini said.

Nonetheless, the Jets' season is just about over before the midpoint; they travel to Cincinnati (1-4) next week. And sooner or later, the organization might have to decide whether to stick with Pennington (six interceptions in his past three games) or find out what it has in second-year pro Kellen Clemens.

Meanwhile, players realize they're all but playing for pride -- and it's only Week 7.

"You don't go into a tank, that's for sure, because if you allow yourself to do that, it could get worse, trust me," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said. "You want to stay competitive."

Added right guard Brandon Moore: "Everyone is frustrated. The guys work so hard. Not being able to pull it out at the end like we did last year, win the tough games when it's crunch time, it's very frustrating."

That frustration appeared ready to boil over in the Jets' locker room as players were asked about Schottenheimer's play-calling in the final minutes. He failed to give the ball to Jones (24 carries, 130 yards) on a third-and-one and a fourth-and-one from the Eagles' 4-yard line with a chance for the tying touchdown. Jones had gained 9 yards on first down and was stopped for a no gain on second down.

Instead, Pennington was stopped on a quarterback sneak on third down, and a fade pass to Coles (one catch, 27 yards) was broken up by Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown in the corner of the end zone.

Asked if he was surprised by the call, tight end Chris Baker said sarcastically, "Nope, honestly, that didn't surprise me at all. You've got a guy who had damn near 100 yards in the first half, and we don't give him the ball on third-and-one. What can you do? The guy is running the ball all over the place and he didn't get it?"

Jones, who was visibly disgusted, managed to bite his tongue.

"I'm not one of these guys who is going to say it should've been this or it should've been that," he said. "We win as a team and we lose as a team. We can't blame one person or one coach or one situation."

Said Mangini: "We know how much time we spend working on the game plan, on trying to execute the game plan and doing things the right way. Then to not get the results you are looking for it makes you angry. It makes you frustrated. That's how people feel."

The Eagles (2-3) took over with 3:27 left to play and ran out the clock -- the final blow coming when quarterback Donovan McNabb (22-of-35 for 278 yards, one TD and one INT) hit wideout Reggie Brown for 13 yards on a third-and-seven from the Philadelphia 7-yard line with 2:08 remaining to seal the game.

Although the Eagles rang up 413 yards total offense -- RB Brian Westbrook ran for 120 yards on 20 carries and caught six passes for 36 yards -- the Jets' porous defense held steady in the clutch. Besides a first-quarter, 75-yard touchdown catch-and-run by wide receiver Kevin Curtis on a quick slant and a missed tackle by safety Eric Smith and cornerback Andre Dyson, the Jets limited the Eagles to three field goals. And a fourth-quarter interception deep in Philadelphia territory by cornerback Hank Poteat set up a Mike Nugent field goal.

Electrifying kickoff returner Leon Washington had a 51-yard return in the second quarter that set up another Nugent field goal.

Thus, the Jets had little to show for their physical practices last week. And such tactics won't sit well with players if the losing continues.

"You start to feel like, 'Why are we doing this?'" defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "(But) we can't fall into that trap."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at

dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjets155413616oct15,0,6736580.story

Eagles' win leaves Jets at a loss for answers

BY TOM ROCK

tom.rock@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

The Jets added a new word to their Eric Mangini-approved vocabulary yesterday. No longer are they merely frustrated, disheartened or disappointed. No, this latest loss required a new, stronger text.

"It makes you angry," Mangini said yesterday after a 16-9 loss to the Eagles that dropped the Jets to 1-5 and will force a once-playoff-hopeful team to re-evaluate its goals for this season. There was even the hint of a snarl from a coach who has a poker face that's as unflinching as the jack of diamonds.

"Very angry," defensive captain Shaun Ellis said, summing up the feeling in the locker room. "We were right there, man. We just couldn't get it done. Right there."

So close, in fact, that it was hard for many of the Jets to properly describe the letdown. Quarterback Chad Pennington said he felt "numb." Linebacker Jonathan Vilma asked reporters to come back to him this afternoon after he had time to process the dejection. "I don't know at this point," he said, more agitated than glum. "I can't give you any good answers right now."

The questions, of course, are numerous. How much longer will the Jets stick with Pennington, who threw an interception in the third quarter and could not direct the offense into the end zone despite a 130-yard rushing performance from Thomas Jones? Will the season begin to spiral out of control or can the Jets stave off the free-fall feeling that was present in most of the 77,189 stomachs that left Giants Stadium yesterday? And, after a week of rededication to fundamentals and hard work, is the problem with the recipe or with the cooks?

"You start to feel like, why are we doing this?" Ellis said of the ultra-intensity that the team has been subjected to since training camp began. "But you can't fall into that trap."

The game started and ended with what should have been momentum-building plays for the Jets, yet they were unable to do much in either situation. On the first play of the game, they sacked Donovan McNabb, who had come face-to-face with this very field 12 times two weeks earlier against the Giants. But instead of pit-bulling the Eagles, the Jets rolled over like poodles.

Two snaps later, McNabb hit Kevin Curtis with a short pass that turned into a 75-yard touchdown after safety Eric Smith and cornerback Andre Dyson whiffed on the tackle at the same time, hitting each other harder than they hit Curtis. It was the second straight week that a poor tackle led directly to a long touchdown by a Jets opponent, and it put the Eagles ahead for good.

It turned out to be the only touchdown of the game, and crucial points; the Eagles' David Akers missed two field goals and the Jets' Mike Nugent missed one in a scoring-starved contest.

The later opportunities came in the form of turnovers and field position. With the Jets trailing 16-6, nickel back Hank Poteat notched his first career interception and gave the Jets the ball at the Eagles' 17. But a sack, a 5-yard run and a 2-yard pass forced the Jets to kick a 30-yard field goal instead of what should have been an easy six. The score was 16-9 with 9:28 remaining.

The Jets' defense stood up and forced a three-and-out, and after a short punt, the Jets had the ball at their 46 with a good chance to tie the score. They drove to the porch of the end zone, helped along by a 14-yard reverse run by Jerricho Cotchery on third-and-5. But facing second-and-1 at the 4, they could get no closer.

Jones was stuffed for no gain on second-and-1. Pennington tried to pick up the first down on a quarterback sneak with an empty backfield, the third time the Jets went to that play. He was stopped for no gain. Finally, on fourth-and-1, the Jets lined up in shotgun formation and Pennington floated a fade pass to Laveranues Coles in the end zone. The ball went off the fingertips of Coles, who was well-covered by Sheldon Brown. The cornerback, who appeared to graze the ball at the last second, later suggested he knew the play was coming his way when Brad Smith went in motion to the opposite side. The Eagles had been preparing for the fade to Coles all week, he said.

"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."

Ellis put it more bluntly. Maybe even more angrily. "When it's nut-crunching time," he said, "we've got to step up and make plays."

Sunday

Jets at Cincinnati

4:05 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WABC (770), WEPN (1050)

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjets155413616oct15,0,6736580.story

Eagles' win leaves Jets at a loss for answers

BY TOM ROCK

tom.rock@newsday.com

October 15, 2007

The Jets added a new word to their Eric Mangini-approved vocabulary yesterday. No longer are they merely frustrated, disheartened or disappointed. No, this latest loss required a new, stronger text.

"It makes you angry," Mangini said yesterday after a 16-9 loss to the Eagles that dropped the Jets to 1-5 and will force a once-playoff-hopeful team to re-evaluate its goals for this season. There was even the hint of a snarl from a coach who has a poker face that's as unflinching as the jack of diamonds.

"Very angry," defensive captain Shaun Ellis said, summing up the feeling in the locker room. "We were right there, man. We just couldn't get it done. Right there."

So close, in fact, that it was hard for many of the Jets to properly describe the letdown. Quarterback Chad Pennington said he felt "numb." Linebacker Jonathan Vilma asked reporters to come back to him this afternoon after he had time to process the dejection. "I don't know at this point," he said, more agitated than glum. "I can't give you any good answers right now."

The questions, of course, are numerous. How much longer will the Jets stick with Pennington, who threw an interception in the third quarter and could not direct the offense into the end zone despite a 130-yard rushing performance from Thomas Jones? Will the season begin to spiral out of control or can the Jets stave off the free-fall feeling that was present in most of the 77,189 stomachs that left Giants Stadium yesterday? And, after a week of rededication to fundamentals and hard work, is the problem with the recipe or with the cooks?

"You start to feel like, why are we doing this?" Ellis said of the ultra-intensity that the team has been subjected to since training camp began. "But you can't fall into that trap."

The game started and ended with what should have been momentum-building plays for the Jets, yet they were unable to do much in either situation. On the first play of the game, they sacked Donovan McNabb, who had come face-to-face with this very field 12 times two weeks earlier against the Giants. But instead of pit-bulling the Eagles, the Jets rolled over like poodles.

Two snaps later, McNabb hit Kevin Curtis with a short pass that turned into a 75-yard touchdown after safety Eric Smith and cornerback Andre Dyson whiffed on the tackle at the same time, hitting each other harder than they hit Curtis. It was the second straight week that a poor tackle led directly to a long touchdown by a Jets opponent, and it put the Eagles ahead for good.

It turned out to be the only touchdown of the game, and crucial points; the Eagles' David Akers missed two field goals and the Jets' Mike Nugent missed one in a scoring-starved contest.

The later opportunities came in the form of turnovers and field position. With the Jets trailing 16-6, nickel back Hank Poteat notched his first career interception and gave the Jets the ball at the Eagles' 17. But a sack, a 5-yard run and a 2-yard pass forced the Jets to kick a 30-yard field goal instead of what should have been an easy six. The score was 16-9 with 9:28 remaining.

The Jets' defense stood up and forced a three-and-out, and after a short punt, the Jets had the ball at their 46 with a good chance to tie the score. They drove to the porch of the end zone, helped along by a 14-yard reverse run by Jerricho Cotchery on third-and-5. But facing second-and-1 at the 4, they could get no closer.

Jones was stuffed for no gain on second-and-1. Pennington tried to pick up the first down on a quarterback sneak with an empty backfield, the third time the Jets went to that play. He was stopped for no gain. Finally, on fourth-and-1, the Jets lined up in shotgun formation and Pennington floated a fade pass to Laveranues Coles in the end zone. The ball went off the fingertips of Coles, who was well-covered by Sheldon Brown. The cornerback, who appeared to graze the ball at the last second, later suggested he knew the play was coming his way when Brad Smith went in motion to the opposite side. The Eagles had been preparing for the fade to Coles all week, he said.

"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."

Ellis put it more bluntly. Maybe even more angrily. "When it's nut-crunching time," he said, "we've got to step up and make plays."

Sunday

Jets at Cincinnati

4:05 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WABC (770), WEPN (1050)

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2007/10/15/2007-10-15_sluggish_offense_poor_playcalling_drop_j-1.html

Sluggish offense, poor play-calling drop Jets to 1-5

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Twelve feet. The game - heck, probably the entire season - came down to 12 feet for the Jets.

Despite 55 uninspiring minutes yesterday at the Meadowlands, they found themselves on the Eagles' 4-yard line, with three chances to tie the game. "A gimme touchdown," Jerricho Cotchery thought to himself.

This was an opportunity to reboot their disappointing season, a shot for Chad Pennington to silence a growing mob that wants him replaced. With everything at stake, the Jets delivered a strong commentary on where their season is headed:

Nowhere.

That's precisely how far they went in three plays, with questionable play-calling and poor execution conspiring to put the finishing touch on a 16-9 loss for a team wearing its old New York Titans colors for the day.

The Jets went from 12 feet away to six feet under, and the emotions spilled out in the locker room. Eric Mangini stepped out of character, admitting, "It makes you angry and it makes you frustrated." For the poker-faced coach, suffering the first three-game losing streak of his tenure, that's akin to spilling his guts from a leather couch.

Pennington, who will retain his starting job for at least another week (so said Mangini), struggled for words.

"Right now, I'm just numb," he said, unwittingly capturing the state of the offense, which has gone six straight quarters without a touchdown.

Instead of responding like robots, normally the way Mangini wants them to handle defeat, the Jets (1-5) displayed raw emotion. You got the feeling they were tired of keeping things bottled up. Maybe some of their steam was directed at the coaching staff, which, some players believe, isn't maximizing the talent.

"The mood is not good," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "We can't keep lying and saying that we're in a good mood when we're not. We're 1-5 and it's not looking good. We can't seem to get it together. ... We can say we have a good team. We can say we have good players, which we do. Our record is 1-5, and that's not good."

Clearly, Mangini is at the low point of his head-coaching reign, probably one of the reasons why he's planning to stick with Pennington (11-for-21, 128 yards), who threw his sixth interception in three games and recorded a season-low passer rating (51.3). If he benches Pennington in favor of the inexperienced Kellen Clemens, it could be perceived as a panic move.

Asked if he's considering a change, Mangini said, "No. It's a situation where it comes down to the full group. ... It doesn't come down to one player. There is plenty of improvement for all of us."

Including the coaches.

Despite the usual litany of mistakes, starting with Eric Smith's missed tackle on a short pass that turned into a 75-yard touchdown by Kevin Curtis, the Jets got the ball to the Eagles' 4 with 4:46 remaining on a nine-yard run by Thomas Jones. On second-and-1, Jones was stuffed for no gain. Instead of going back to Jones (24 carries for 130 yards), who carried the offense with his best day as a Jet, coordinator Brian Schottenheimer suffered a Paul Hackett moment.

On third-and-1, Pennington was stopped for no gain on a sneak. The Jets motioned to an empty backfield, taking Jones out of the play. The coach and Pennington offered conflicting views of the play choice. Mangini said Pennington had the option to change the play; Pennington said it was the coaches' call.

"You don't want to do something crazy on third down," he said, defending the sneak.

On fourth down, Jones was ignored again. Curiously, the Jets went to shotgun - the play started with Brad Smith behind center - and Pennington tossed an end-zone incompletion to Laveranues Coles. Cornerback Sheldon Brown made a nice play, tipping away the pass on a quasi-fade route.

"He put the ball in a position where I had an opportunity to make a play on it," Brown said. "One of the (Jets) told me it was supposed to be a power pass to the other side."

The Jets sent three receivers to the right, where a blitz was coming. Pennington said he threw to Coles because his go-to guy was in single coverage on the back side. It's his bread-and-butter play near the goal line, and he liked everything about it except the outcome.

"Like the way our season is going - six inches - he knocks it down instead of us catching it," Pennington said.

Why not run the ball after a season-best, 158-yard day?

"A lot of times, you think players, not plays," said Mangini, who liked Coles in that situation.

Leave it to the Jets to find a new way to lose. Bad teams do that.

"You start to feel like, 'Why are we doing this?'" defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "We can't fall into that trap. It's very disappointing. The fans expect a lot and we're not giving it to them. I can feel their pain."

[Sperm Edwards]

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

NEW LOOK, OLD STORY

By MARK CANNIZZARO

October 15, 2007 -- When Kerry Rhodes emerged from the tunnel leading from Giants Stadium to the Jets' locker room in the bowels underneath the stadium stands yesterday, he unleashed a one-word obscenity so loud it could probably be heard across the Hudson River, over in Long Island, where the Jets team buses would soon trudge their way through traffic in deafening silence.

Rhodes represented a mere single, dramatic symbol of the heightened level of angst and frustration that has engulfed the Jets and left them on the perilous verge of fracturing. The Jets' enigmatic slide reached inexplicable proportions with yesterday's 16-9 loss to the Eagles yesterday - one that leaves them floundering with a 1-5 record and with playoff hopes as faint as the chances Michael Vick might soon be given a humanitarian award.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one team in NFL history (the 1970 Bengals) has started the season 1-5 and made the playoffs. This latest setback, their third in a row, left the Jets angry, confused, disillusioned and definitely deflated.

"The mood is not good," Rhodes said. "We can't keep lying and saying that we're in a good mood when we're not. We're 1-5 and it's not looking good. We can't seem to get it together."

No, they can't.

The Jets, wearing New York Titans throwback uniforms, entered the game ranked 28th in the NFL in rushing offense, having seemingly lost touch with their running game. They came into the game throwing the ball 58 percent of the time to 42 percent running plays. The Eagles entered the game ranked eighth in the NFL in run defense.

And yet yesterday, the Jets finally broke the door down with the running game, breaking Thomas Jones out for 130 yards.

That's good news.

Now for the maddening news: With the Jets trailing 16-9 late in the fourth quarter and faced with a third-and-one from the Eagles' 4 yard line, they opted for a Chad Pennington quarterback sneak play that got smothered for no gain.

How - after Jones had battered the Eagles' defense for 5.4 yards per clip on his 24 carries - he didn't get a 25th carry there is a question every Jets fan undoubtedly went to bed agonizing over last night. Jones, after all, was the Jets' most significant offseason acquisition, a player who they brought here for this very situation.

The Jets' season essentially ended prematurely on the next play, fourth-and-one, when Pennington failed to complete a pass to Laveranues Coles in the end zone. The inexplicable decision to quarterback sneak on that third down left a number of players grumbling and mumbling afterward.

"Thomas had 100 yards in the first half ... and we don't give him the ball on third-and-one ... no, it didn't surprise me," Jets tight end Chris Baker said incredulously. "That's the problem; I wasn't surprised by it. What can you do? The guy [Jones] has been running the ball all over the place and he doesn't get it ... it's unfortunate. Nothing surprises me anymore."

The implication from Baker and other players was clearly that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer outsmarted himself.

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

"They were up in there pretty good,'' Pennington said of the Eagles defense. "I'm not do sure the running game would have helped there, but you can always second guess."

Eric Mangini said, "The quarterback sneak had been very effective throughout the game. You look at what has been working percentage wise and you go with it."

Right now, neither Mangini nor Schottenheimer nor anyone else associated with the Jets seems to be pushing the right buttons. The result is the mess they find themselves in now.

"Right now I'm just numb," Pennington said.

"We can say what we want," Rhodes said. "We can say we're a good team. We can say we have good players, which we do. But our record's 1-5 and that's not good."

To borrow a rather famous quote from former Knicks guard Micheal Ray Richardson: "The ship be sinking."

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

[Sperm Edwards]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/sports/football/15jets.html?ref=football

October 14, 2007

Eagles 16, Jets 9

On Eagles’ 4, It’s Three Plays and Cloud of Disgust for the Jets

By KAREN CROUSE

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 14 — The Jets could not have diagrammed a better slump-busting situation: They were in the shadow of the Philadelphia Eagles' end zone late in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie or win the game, and Laveranues Coles, who seemingly has a telepathic connection with quarterback Chad Pennington, was running a fade pattern into the end zone.

Coles was in single coverage on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles' 4. Perfect, Pennington thought. It was a timing play they had completed like clockwork many times before, but on Sunday, as has been the case all season, the magic was missing.

The Eagles' Sheldon Brown tipped the ball away, his fingernails providing the margin between delight and despair for the Jets, who lost, 16-9 — their third consecutive defeat — and fell to 1-5.

On that final series, the Jets had three plays to advance the ball 1 yard for a first down and came up short. Running back Thomas Jones, who finished with 130 yards and averaged 5.4 yards a carry, was stopped for no gain on second down and Pennington was stuffed on third down.

"Right now I'm just numb," Pennington said, adding, "It was six inches away from being the tying touchdown and going into overtime with maybe a different result."

The Jets this year have saved their worst for last; they have been outscored, 52-27, in the final 15 minutes. Still, Eagles Coach Andy Reid was taking nothing for granted, not with Pennington having the ball in his hands, a red-hot Jones in the backfield and the no-huddle offense at his command.

"I'm proud of these guys," Reid said. "They didn't fold the tent."

He was asked about the Jets' play-calling on their final series, which drew some laughter from some of the Eagles as they dressed. "That's a question for the other locker room," Reid said.

Jets Coach Eric Mangini said the quarterback keeper was called because it had worked on second-and-1 from the Eagles' 47 in the second quarter and on third-and-1 at the Eagles' 45 in the fourth quarter. "You look at what has been working, percentage-wise," he said, "and you go with it."

Going to Coles in one-on-one coverage on the fourth-down play was considered a no-brainer, like the Yankees going to Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning. "Chad throwing to Laveranues has been effective," Mangini said, "and we liked the matchup."

If the Jets' last play from scrimmage was deflating, their first one was a pick-me-up. Jones burst through a hole opened by left guard Adrien Clarke and sprinted 36 yards. The Jets rushed for 55 yards in the drive — 47 by Jones and 8 by Leon Washington — to set up a 30-yard field goal by Mike Nugent. They had 94 yards on the ground by the end of the quarter — 17 more than they were averaging.

Along with not being able to run the ball consistently in their previous games, the Jets had not been able to tackle with any consistency, and that problem persisted. In the fifth minute of the first quarter, Eagles receiver Kevin Curtis caught a short pass from quarterback Donovan McNabb, shrugged off tackles by cornerback Andre Dyson and safety Eric Smith and turned what should have been a small gain into a 75-yard score.

So much for the one-on-one tackling drills the Jets incorporated into their practices last week. "There's no explanation for it," said Smith, who started his second game in place of Erik Coleman, who played after missing last week's game with postconcussion symptoms. "I just missed the tackle."

Eagles kicker David Akers, who has converted 81.8 percent of his tries in nine years in the league, missed wide right from 41 yards twice in the second quarter after making one from 22 on the second play of the quarter.

His misses did not matter because the Eagles got 278 passing yards from McNabb and 120 rushing yards and 6 catches from Brian Westbrook. Meanwhile, Pennington could not get the Jets rolling no matter how hard he cranked his arm. For the first time in 11 games, he failed to throw a touchdown pass, snapping the longest active streak in the N.F.L.

Pennington's receivers are so athletic that he often lobs passes to them, like a point guard singling out his center in the paint. Because his hands are strong and sure, Coles can usually be counted on to win any battle for the ball, and Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith are able to outleap most defenders.

When things are going well, they convert those jump balls into first downs and touchdowns. This month it has been a different story — a dark tale that was starkly illustrated by Brown's interception of Pennington in the Jets' second series of the third quarter. Pennington lofted the ball in Smith's direction, but it was Brown who got the better jump and the ball at the Eagles' 30. It was the fifth second-half interception that Pennington had thrown in the past three games.

At this time last year, the Jets were 3-3. "Really the only difference is a handful of plays," Pennington said.

After the game, he sat at his locker, staring at his open suitcase, where his clothes lay folded in a neat pile. He pulled out his brush and raked it through his wet hair while a few feet away — well within his earshot — a dozen reporters had gathered around his backup, Kellen Clemens.

Clemens was asked, in a dozen different ways, if he was preparing to be the new starter.

"It's a careful situation," he said. "We support Chad. He works hard. He's a very good quarterback. Right now it's very important for this team to remain a team."

He was asked the question on the tongues of many Jets fans: Is there going to be a quarterback change?

"I know right now," Clemens said evenly, "there's no talk of it."

[Sperm Edwards]

Jets Turned Aside on Throwback Day, 16-9

Published: 10-14-07

By Eric Allen

Senior Managing Editor

Article Permalink: http://www.newyorkjets.com/articles/jets-turned-aside-on-throwback-day-16-9

The Jets, honoring their past with their 1962 blue and gold Titans throwback uniforms, attempted to give the Meadowlands faithful some American Football League-style last-minute theater Sunday. In the end, though, the Philadelphia Eagles did just enough to capture a 16-9 victory.

Held without a touchdown for the first time this season, the Jets had a chance to tie late as they reached the Philadelphia 4-yard line with three minutes remaining. But Birds CB Sheldon Brown blanketed Laveranues Coles on Chad Pennington's fourth-down throw into the end zone and the Eagles ran out the clock from there. The Jets couldn't get the one yard needed for a first down after Pennington was stopped on a third-down sneak.

“It’s the way the season is going — six inches,” Pennington said of the end zone pass. “He knocks it down instead of us catching it.”

It was another frustrating day for the Jets' offense. Pennington completed 11 of 21 passes for 121 yards and was intercepted once by Brown. With Pennington suffering his first three-game losing streak as an NFL starter, the Jets have fallen to 1-5 while the Eagles improved to 2-3.

"Everybody wants answers. Sometimes there aren't a lot of answers," said the Jets signalcaller. "You just have to keep working through it and realize the things you believe in the most — the core values you believe in — push you through these times and eventually get you back on the winning edge."

The Eagles combined a good defensive effort with a 278-yard passing day from Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook’s 156 yards of offense (120 rushing, 36 receiving).

"We play in spurts," said a dejected Kerry Rhodes, "but spurts aren't good enough in this league. There are too many good players in this league and too many good teams to play good for half of the game or portions of the game and expect to win."

Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said his running game had to improve and boy, did it, courtesy of the Jones express. TJ totaled 82 yards on the ground in the first quarter alone, finished the first half with 96 yards on 13 carries, crossed the century mark in the third frame, and concluded with 130 yards on 24 carries. But the Jets couldn’t take advantage with any TDs for the first time since last year's Game 10 shutout vs. Chicago.

"The offensive line did a really good job today of coming off the ball and being aggressive," Jones said. "The tight ends did a great job of coming off the ball. Coach Schottenheimer and the offensive coaches did a great job of making the right run calls at the right time. I think we all really worked well together today."

Down, 16-6, in the fourth, well-traveled CB Hank Poteat picked an opportune time for his first career interception. McNabb, who had been sacked by Kerry Rhodes at his 2-yard line, misfired his next play and Poteat was well-positioned in center field for the takeaway, which he batted to himself. But the offense couldn’t make it count with seven points, settling for Mike Nugent's third field goal despite starting at the Philly 17.

"I was playing the post and I just happened to be at the right spot at the right time," Poteat said. "It was almost too good to be true because I almost missed it. I'm like 'Wow, that's coming right at me.' "

The Jets got off to a good start offensively and so did the Eagles. Jones rushed for 47 yards on the opening possession, including a 36-yard charge on the first play from scrimmage, leading to a Nugent 30-yard field goal. The lead was short-lived, though, as McNabb’s second pass — a short slant to WR Kevin Curtis — went for a 75-yard touchdown when S Eric Smith, making his second straight start, and CB Andre Dyson couldn't take him down.

On this windy fall day, the elements had an effect on Nugent’s 44-yard miss to the right late in the first quarter. David Akers and the Jets’ placekicker exchanged chip shots early in the second to make it a 10-6 contest. Leon Washington, who continues to excel in his return role, set up the second three-pointer with a 51-yard kickoff runback.

The Eagles held the ball for 8:23 on a second-quarter drive, but they failed to capitalize with Akers’ 41-yard field goal attempt blowing right of the upright in the east end zone. Westbrook had a 19-yard TD run taken off the board on the possession because of a holding penalty on guard Shawn Andrews.

Those strong gusts near the east end zone got the last laugh in the half, blowing a second Akers field goal to the right. Moving the opposite way, Akers — true from 31 —and the Eagles finally jumped ahead, 13-6, midway through the third.

A third Akers boot pushed it to 16-6. Brown intercepted Pennington to halt a Jets drive and the Eagles responded with their fourth score, culminating a 10-play possession.

Despite the new look, the Jets couldn't change their fortunes on Titans Throwback Day.

“We know how much time we spend working on the game plan, on trying to execute the game plan and doing things the right way,” said head coach Eric Mangini. “Then to not get the results you are looking for — it makes you angry, it makes you frustrated. That’s how people feel.”

“We have to do something to turn it around,” said DE Shaun Ellis. “We have to.”

Smitty

Erik Coleman suited up and played for the Jets, but Smith was in the starting lineup for the second consecutive week. Both safeties spent time with the first unit. Coleman had eight tackles (five solo) and Smith one stop.

Flag-Free

The Jets were called for zero penalties for the first time in six seasons. The last time they committed no penalties in a game was in a 27-7 win over the Chiefs in the Meadowlands on Nov. 11, 2001.

Rookie Breakups

Cornerback Darrelle Revis prevented a second-quarter touchdown, deflecting a McNabb fade intended for Jason Avant. Late in the stanza, ILB David Harris got his hand in front of a McNabb rocket thrown to TE Matt Schobel.

Good Stick

LB Jonathan Vilma absolutely crushed WR Hank Baskett, holding the Eagle to just a 6-yard gain on third-and-20 preceding Akers' first FG miss.

A Couple of Firsts

Kenyon Coleman picked up his first sack as a Jet and LB Bryan Thomas and DT Dewayne Robertson both got in the sack column for the first time this season. The Coleman sack of McNabb came on the Jets‘ first defensive play, while BT and D-Rob split a second-quarter 4-yard drop of McNabb.

The Pioneers

At halftime, the Jets honored four former Titans — Don Maynard, Bill Mathis, Larry Grantham and John “Curley” Johnson. All four players went on to play for the Jets and were members of the Super Bowl III-winning squad.

[Sperm Edwards]

'At This Point We're Not Good Enough'

Published: Sun, October 14, 6:04pm EST

By Randy Lange

Article Permalink: http://www.newyorkjets.com/blog/posts/242--at-this-point-we-re-not-good-enough-

10/14 — This was the toughest Jets postgame locker room I've seen in a while, following their 16-9 home loss to the Eagles. And for the first time this season, anger entered the equation.

"As of tomorrow," DE Shaun Ellis said, "we have to put this behind us and come out as an angry football team."

"Anger? I can't even tell you," said LB Jonathan Vilma, rarely at a loss for even a diplomatic phrase on the state of his team. "I don't know right now. I can't give you a good answer. Come back tomorrow. Maybe I'll have some better answers for you."

Whatever answers the players have privately, not much was shared with the reporters after the Jets sank to 1-5 for the first time since 1999. But several players weren't going with the "There are 10 games left, we could still go 11-5" angle.

"We can't keep saying we're going to get moving, not at 1-5," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "We can't seem to get it together. ... At this point we're not good enough, we're not where we should be. We played in spurts, but spurts aren't good enough in this league. We can say we what we want, 'We're good enough, we've got good players' — which we do. But 1-5 is not good enough."

The defense had its bad spurts early, giving up the 75-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to Kevin Curtis, the final 45 yards or so coming after the missed-tackle combo of Eric Smith and Andre Dyson, and the 8:23 drive that, even though it ended in a missed field goal, showed how the Jets were struggling to get off the field.

But then the "D" did its part in the second half with three three-play drives, two resulting in punts and one in Hank Poteat's first career interception, but all the Jets could produce from those stops was three points.

The offense gushed in the running game with Thomas Jones getting 96 first-half yards and 134 on the day.

"That definitely was our emphasis this week," tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson said. "We wanted to really move it on the ground. Today definitely gives us an option in our plan of attack."

But meanwhile, the offense stopped producing in one of its favorite areas, the red zone. The Jets got inside the Eagles 20 four times and came away with three field goals. The last time the Jets went at least 0-for-4 in the red zone was in the next-to-last game of the 2001 regular season against Buffalo.

The quarterback issue will continue to be visited by media and fans. Chad Pennington, who said he was "just numb" after his touchdown-less game and 11-for-21 passing day, addressed it by saying: "I'm not concerned. Whatever happens, happens. Coach Mangini is the head coach and I'm the player. I prepare every week to play well. That's totally out of my control."

Kellen Clemens deflected similar questions. "That's a decision the coach makes," the backup QB said. "I know the whole team supports every player in this locker room. We all have each other's backs."

FB Darian Barnes offered some fire on the subject of people who blame Chad for this three-game losing streak, the first of his career as the Jets starter.

"They'd better not," Barnes said. "This is a team. We're an offensive unit. We all could've played better. I could've played better. To put it all on one person is ridiculous."

Eric Mangini declined to do that, as he always does. On whether he's contemplating change at the position, he said, "No, it's a situation again where it comes down to the full group. ... There is plenty of improvement for all of us."

[Sperm Edwards]

Thomas Jones Gains Traction vs. Eagles

Published: 10-14-07

By John Beattie

Reporter

Article Permalink: http://www.newyorkjets.com/articles/thomas-jones-gains-traction-vs-eagles

Thomas Jones looked determined out of the gate this afternoon at the Meadowlands when the Jets hosted the Philadelphia Eagles.

At the end of the day, however, Jones’ determination, although effective in the Jets running game, turned into frustration as the Jets dropped their fifth contest of the season.

“We work really hard in practice every week, on everything in every situation, and unfortunately we just haven’t been able to put it together in a game,” said Jones. “It’s extremely frustrating to be 1-5, but that’s the NFL.”

“You never know what’s going to happen. If you don’t come out and execute and play good football for four quarters, then you don’t give yourself a good chance to win.”

Jones finished his sixth game as a member of the Jets with 24 carries for a season-high and game-leading 130 yards. It was his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season — the first coming in the team’s only victory, over the still-winless Dolphins, on Sept. 23. Jones now has 18 regular-season 100-yard rushing performances in 67 career starts.

Even though this game was the most impressive of his Jets career, Jones was clearly unhappy in his postgame news conference. Not only did the Eagles defense keep him from scoring his first touchdown of the season, but the Jets were held to three field goals en route to their second loss to an NFC East team in two weeks.

“I’ll watch the film and see what we did, but I’m not thinking about what I did,” said Jones. “Ultimately we didn’t win the game, and that’s what matters regardless of how well I do. If you don’t win, then its all for nothing.”

The way things were going in the opening quarter, it appeared Jones and the Jets offense were in for a profitable afternoon against a good Philadelphia run defense.

On the first offensive play of the game, Jones cut to the right side and picked up a season-long 36-yard run and a first down in Eagles territory. The eighth-year running back from Virginia then took the next handoff another 11 yards, setting the Jets up at the Philadelphia 20-yard line.

“You always love seeing your running back being able to run," said C Nick Mangold, "and having a big run to open up the game gives you a good spark and sets the tone.”

The offense, seeking a crucial early lead, were was held to 8 yards in the next three plays and was forced to attempt a field goal into a windy east end zone. Kicker Mike Nugent came on to drill the 30-yarder, but even with the 3-0 lead, the offense sat on the sidelines with a bad aftertaste.

“We had a spark early on,” WR Jerricho Cotchery said. “We ran right down the field and were moving the ball pretty well and the next thing you know we hit a wall.”

“It’s very frustrating,” Mangold said of the opening drive. “When you get into the red zone you want to score, and when you don’t score, it's tough.”

Jones went on to rush for 82 yards in the first quarter alone. The Jets offense was held to just two quick series in the second quarter and he went into the locker room at halftime with 96 yards.

“Thomas was able to do some good things running hard. It was just good to see those things coming together a little bit,” Mangold said. “Our line had a better focus on it today and our guys played much better up front for him.”

“Thomas has been the same this whole time,” he added. “We were just able to clean some things up as an offensive line and he kept playing hard so it came together pretty well.”

Jones added 34 rushing yards in the second half, 18 coming on the Jets' final drive of the game. He also added a crucial 11-yard reception on that drive to bring them to the Eagles 32, when the Green & White needed a touchdown to tie it.

The offense fell short after Chad Pennington’s third-down keeper on third-and-1 from the Eagles' 4 gained nothing and his pass attempt to fellow captain Laveranues Coles in the left corner of the end zone on fourth-and-1 was broken up by Sheldon Brown.

Despite falling short for the third straight week, the Jets did make some strides in their rushing attack.

“We made a lot of progress. This is a good rushing defense,” head coach Eric Mangini said. “We worked on the running game and we’ll continue to work on the running game. There’s a few things that I really liked in the area against a good defensive group.”

“The offensive line did a really good job today; coming off the ball, being aggressive,” said Jones, who leads the team with 420 rushing yards this season. “The tight ends did a great job coming off the ball. Coach Schottenheimer and the offensive coaches did a great job calling the right runs at the right time. I think we all just worked really well together today.”

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Jets' offense sputters in 16-9 loss to Eagles

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Thomas Jones gained the last 9 of his season-high 130 yards around left end, and the Jets had the ball at the Eagles 4-yard line with a chance to tie and just under five minutes remaining. But he was stopped for no gain on second-and-one.

Shockingly, the team's featured back never touched the ball again as the Jets lost their third straight game, 16-9 yesterday at the Meadowlands. The Eagles (2-3) stopped the Jets (1-5), wearing blue-and-gold uniforms on New York Titans throwback day, on their next two plays and ran out the clock.

"It's very tough," Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "You start to feel like, 'Why are we doing this?' But we can't fall into that trap."

Even the normally even-keeled Eric Mangini described the team's mood as angry and frustrated, though maybe not for the reasons the Jets' coach believes. Jones cursed loudly as he walked back to the locker room after the game, and equally frustrated tight end Chris Baker understands his pain.

"You've got a guy, Thomas, had darn near 100 yards in the first half, and we don't give him the ball on third and one," Baker said. "No, that's the problem. Personally, I wasn't surprised by it. What can you do? The guy's running the ball all over the place and he doesn't get it. No, it doesn't surprise me."

Chad Pennington gained nothing on third down on a quarterback sneak - a play the Eagles expected, since the Jets had run it twice before successfully in short- yardage situations - and Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown deflected a fourth-down fade to Laveranues Coles in the end zone.

Pennington finished 11 for 21 for 128 yards with one interception, his sixth in the last three games.

"Right now, I'm just a bit numb," Pennington said. "Not a lot of answers. You know, everyone wants answers, and sometimes there are not a lot of answers."

That, plus the fact that the Jets have gone six quarters without an offensive touchdown, left the crowd of 77,189 booing Pennington's performance and leaving Mangini defending his decision to stick with Pennington instead of inserting stronger-armed second-year pro Kellen Clemens.

But that will be a hot topic all week as the Jets prepare to visit Cincinnati on Sunday.

"No. 1, it hurts when you lose," Pennington said. "And, No. 2, as the quarterback, you understand that when you lose, it comes on your shoulders - right, wrong or indifferent."

Still, it thrusts Clemens into the unwanted position of trying to defuse a growing quarterback controversy.

"It's a careful situation," said Clemens, who chatted briefly with Pennington after the game. "Definitely myself and the whole team, we support Chad. He works hard. He's a very good quarterback. As Coach mentioned, there's some anger and there's some frustration. None of us planned on being 1-5. It's just important that everybody support each other. Nobody wants to jump off the bandwagon."

The problems yesterday were particularly vexing. The Jets gained a season-high 158 rushing yards but the passing game, which had been consistent save for Pennington's recent spate of interceptions, faltered.

Likewise, the Jets recorded a season-high three sacks but allowed Donovan McNabb to complete 22 of 35 passes for 278 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown to Kevin Curtis which gave the Eagles a 7-3 lead with 10:09 left in the first quarter. Curtis took a short pass to the left and kept running after second-year safety Eric Smith missed a leg tackle, then collided with cornerback Andre Dyson.

"It was a weird game," Pennington said. "Because we were running the ball so well, our passing game took a bit of a back seat until the end. We couldn't quite get things going. In the previous games, we'd get drives going both running and passing, and this week, it was all or nothing."

The Jets got within the Eagles 20 four times and settled for three Mike Nugent field goals - the kicker also missed from 44 yards. Even when Hank Poteat's 11-yard interception return gave the Jets the ball at the Eagles 17 with 11:24 left in the fourth quarter, they could gain only five yards before Nugent's 30-yard kick made it 16-9 with 9:28 remaining.

"The red zone is all about making plays," said Jets wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who had five catches for 71 yards. "We didn't make any plays in those types of situations. I don't know what the story about that is."

After Jones carried the ball to the Eagles 4, Pennington did not audible out of the quarterback sneak even though the Eagles stacked their defense to stop him.

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

On the Jets' final play, Cotchery drew double coverage to the right, leaving Pennington salivating at the thought of Coles drawing rare one-on-one coverage on the other side.

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

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Extra points

Fast start fades fast: Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb must have felt a sense of deja vu when Jets defensive end Kenyon Coleman sacked him on the team's first play from scrimmage. McNabb's previous game, also in Giants Stadium, ended with him being sacked an NFL-record-tying 12 times by the Giants. But McNabb hit Kevin Curtis for a 75-yard touchdown two plays later and wound up being sacked just twice more. "That was good momentum, but obviously, it wasn't good enough," said Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis, who had one of the team's seven quarterback hits. "We've got to put good plays back-to-back. It seems like we go good, good then we go bad, bad, bad. It's like a little wave right now."

Helping out: Jets veteran long snapper James Dearth had a tough time on Mike Nugent's first two field-goal attempts. He snapped high on the first, a 30-yarder that Nugent nailed with 11:47 to go in the first quarter, and holder Ben Graham did well to get a low snap in place on Nugent's missed 44-yarder with 4:48 left in the first quarter. "I just snapped one high, and I overcompensated and snapped one low," Dearth said. "Instead of going back out and doing it the way I normally snap, I overcompensated. (Graham) makes me look good. There are times I throw balls and he catches them and nobody ever notices. He's got great hands."

This and that: Eagles running back Brian Westbrook rushed for a season-high 120 yards after missing the game against the Giants with an abdominal strain. ... The Jets were not called for a penalty yesterday after being penalized 15 times for 105 yards in their previous two games. ... Hank Poteat's fourth-quarter interception of McNabb was the first of the Jet cornerback's seven-year career. ... The Jets honored former Titans Don Maynard, Larry Grantham, Billy Mathis and Curley Johnson at halftime on Titans throwback day. ... Left tackle William Thomas and left guard Billy Herremans started for the Eagles. Thomas didn't play against the Giants because of a knee injury, and Herremans underwent arthroscopic surgery during the team's bye week after injuring his knee against the Giants. ... Eagles kicker David Akers made 3 of 5 field-goal attempts and is now 8 of 16 lifetime at the Meadowlands.

Injury report: Jets - Nose tackle Dewayne Robertson hurt his left leg with 10:29 left in the third quarter but missed just one play. Eagles - None reported.

Andrew Gross

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Running back Jones has breakout game for Jets in loss

By BRIAN HEYMAN

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: October 15, 2007)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Thomas Jones took the first handoff of the day and ran into some traffic in the middle. So he hung a right and bounced outside. And there he was, making moves and carrying the ball for a season-long 36-yard ride down to the Philadelphia 31.

The $20 million import from Chicago, who had spent all but one half of one game running nowhere, was finally running somewhere for the Jets.

The next play, he was running around right end for 11 more yards. The Jets knew they had to start establishing a running attack, especially after Chad Pennington threw 75 passes in dropping the previous two games, with five passes getting intercepted.

But the Jets only managed a Mike Nugent field goal after Jones' fast start. In fact, they only had two Nugent field goals at intermission despite Jones' 96 yards on 13 carries.

Jones wound up rushing for 130 yards on 24 carries, his best game of the season. Yet despite getting the ground game going, they still didn't do enough to win. The Eagles took a 16-9 decision yesterday at the Meadowlands, leaving the Jets in a 1-5 hole.

"Ultimately, we didn't win the game, and that's what matters," Jones said. "Regardless of how well I do or how well the passing game does, if you don't win, then it's pretty much for nothing."

Jones was supposed to be the answer as the new featured back, coming over in the March trade after helping the Bears make a run to the Super Bowl last season. He piled up 1,210 yards, a season after gaining 1,335 in 2005.

Then the eighth-year pro missed much of the preseason with a strained calf. He averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and gained 290 yards over the first five games, with 110 of them - 92 in the second half - coming in the Jets' lone win, 31-28 over Miami in Week 3.

Of course, the problems weren't all his fault. The holes weren't always there. And he only got to carry 25 times in the previous two games.

This time, though, the Jets committed to the run. And the linemen and the tight ends did a better job blocking, especially in the first half before Philadelphia came up with a few adjustments, according to guard Brandon Moore. There had been a big emphasis in practice on jump-starting the running game.

"I thought we made a lot of progress," coach Eric Mangini said. "We're looking for consistency in the running game throughout the whole game and being able to complement that with efficient passing."

Pennington was sacked three times and hit on 11 of 21 throws for 128 yards and one interception. But the Jets finished with a season-high 158 yards on the ground, including an average of 4.9 per pop - 5.4 by Jones.

"We know what he's capable of and why we brought him here," Moore said.

That's why there were some tough questions afterward about what happened when the Jets appeared to be on the verge of tying the score.

They had a first-and-10 at the Philadelphia 13 with 4:52 left in regulation. Jones ran it to the 4, then got stuffed for no gain. Instead of going to Jones again on third-and-one, Pennington ran a sneak and was stopped for no gain before his fourth-down toss to Laveranues Coles in the end zone got broken up.

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

So Jones has gone from a Super Bowl team to a team that has been a super bust so far.

"It's extremely frustrating to be 1-5," Jones said. "But that's the NFL. You never know what's going to happen. Anybody can get beat."

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One bad play spoils day for Jets' defense

By BRIAN HEYMAN

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: October 15, 2007)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eric Mangini was talking about the anger and the frustration after the Jets walked off as a 1-5 football team yesterday at the Meadowlands, thanks to their 16-9 setback against the Eagles. One big play played a large part in feeding the coach's fire.

"I thought there were a lot of good things in the game, just like there have been a lot of good things in every single game," Mangini said. "Defensively, it was being able to generate some pressure, having a turnover in the red area. But those are punctuated by a missed tackle that turns a 5-yard run into a long touchdown."

That would be the lone touchdown of the game - Donovan McNabb's 75-yard hook-up with wide receiver Kevin Curtis in the first quarter, just three plays and 98 seconds after the Jets had taken a 3-0 lead.

McNabb was looking at third-and-eight from his 25. The quarterback had Curtis split wide to the left. Curtis ran a little slant on Andre Dyson and took the pass at the 35. Eric Smith was the safety coming over to help, but Curtis ran through his tackle try at the 45 as Dyson made a dive and hit Smith.

And Curtis was off on a long Sunday run.

"There's no way you can explain it," Smith said. "It wasn't the angle. I just missed the tackle.

"I let all 10 other guys down."

Good thing the Jets put in all that extra work on tackling this past week after their problems the previous Sunday in the 35-24 loss to the Giants.

"You have to be able to be to tackle in the secondary," Mangini said. "If you miss a tackle as a linebacker, you miss a tackle as a defensive lineman, it doesn't have the same effect as a defensive back. It's going to go for a long way."

Otherwise, the Jets' work against the pass was a missed bag. They got more out of their pass rush, pressuring McNabb into some incompletions and one fourth-quarter interception by Hank Poteat that set them up at the Philadelphia 17. The Jets even managed three sacks, matching their total for the first five games.

"McNabb, he's a runner," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "He scrambles. He's able to keep the play alive. We got to him at times, and time to time, we didn't. He was able to get rid of the ball."

So McNabb still sliced them up for 278 yards, hitting 22 of his 35 passes. And that went with Brian Westbrook rolling up 120 of their 151 yards on the ground. The Eagles gained 413 yards overall on the league's 28th-ranked defense, but had to settle for the touchdown and three David Akers field goals in five tries.

"Coverage-wise, I think it was OK," cornerback Darrelle Revis said. "It's just as a whole defense, we've got to be more consistent and keep on working hard. There's no pointing our fingers at anybody. It's all 11 as one."

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Jets lose again, this time 16-9 to Eagles

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: October 14, 2007)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Jets downward spiral continued today as they lost, 16-9, to the Eagles at the Meadowlands on New York Titans' throwback day.

The Jets (1-5) have now lost three straight and play at Cincinnati next Sunday.

Jets quarterback Chad Pennington continued to struggle as he threw his sixth interception in the past three games. This time, Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown brought down an underthrown pass at the Eagles' 30-yard line intended for Brad Smith.

The Eagles then drove 10 plays as David Aker's 25-yard field goal made it 16-6 with 1:40 left in the third quarter.

Pennington completed 11 of 21 for 128 yards.

Jets running back Thomas Jones gained 130 yards on 24 carries, his second 100-yard performance of the season. He had 96 yards in the first half and 47 on the Jets' first two plays from scrimmage.

The Jets did have a chance to tie, driving to the Eagles' 4 with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter. But Pennington threw incomplete to Laveranues Coles in the end zone on a fourth-and-1.

The Jets sacked Donovan McNabb three times, including on the Eagles' first play. In the Eagles' last game, a 16-3 loss to the Giants, Sept. 30 at Giants Stadium, McNabb was sacked 12 times to tie an NFL record.

At halftime, the Jets honored former players Don Maynard, Larry Grantham, Billy Mathis and Curley Johnson who all played for the original Titans in 1960 as well as the Jets' Super Bowl III championship team.

Read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News and at www.lohud.com/sports and get all your Jets' news on Andrew Gross' blog at www.jets.lohudblogs.com.