NY Jets News Articles 10/ 23

[Kentucky Jet]

JETS ON NOTICE NY POST

MANGINI: ALL JOBS IN JEOPARDY

By MARK CANNIZZARO

MAN, IS HE MAD: Jets coach Eric Mangini told his team that a 1-6 record and four straight losses, including Sunday's 38-31 defeat by the Bengals, has put everyone's jobs on the line.October 23, 2007 -- One day after the Jets' fourth defeat in a row, Sunday's maddening 38-31 loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati, Eric Mangini stood before his players and assistant coaches and told them everyone is on notice.

Mangini's message was loud and clear: No one's job is safe as he assesses every part of the football operation moving forward from 1-6.

That includes Chad Pennington, whose job status has been the hot topic of conversation as the losing streak has grown to an alarming state. For the second consecutive day, Mangini refused to say whether Pennington remains his starting quarterback.

"I'm going to look at everything and evaluate it across the board, see where we can gain more consistency," Mangini said, essentially repeating his words from the post-game interview room Sunday night. "It applies to all areas."

Asked specifically if, after watching film of Sunday's game, he has made a decision on whether Pennington will remain the starter, Mangini spun into his unique polite but evasive style, one in which he speaks words but really says nothing.

"Like I said, I'm going through the process of evaluating everything," he said. "Chad, I thought did a lot of good things. He got us in and out of some really good checks, made some really nice throws. Obviously, the interception he'd like to have back (and) there were a couple of reads I'm sure he'd like to have back.

"But he's part of the process. It's a complete process. I don't have a set timetable (to make his decision public) right now."

Asked what has changed from the last couple of weeks, when he steadfastly declared Pennington as his starter, to his current refusal to declare, Mangini was no more forthcoming.

"It's just wanting to go through the complete process of looking at all the different phases - coaching, playing, the different combinations of people that are possible, the different things we can do schematically, the different ways we can address the start of the game, halftime, practice, and find a pattern that's going to be more consistent and more successful," he said.

Mangini called the issue "collective."

"There's not one phase. There's not one person," he said. "It's a group effort and we're going to focus on it as a group."

The few who remained in the locker room when reporters were allowed in yesterday agreed with Mangini's mantra.

"Right now, we're 1-6 and everybody is being evaluated," Laveranues Coles, one of the team captains, said yesterday. "We're all on the same team right now. We're all losers right now. We're all losers.

"It's a fair assessment to say he's going to judge everybody; everybody needs to be judged at this point - from top to bottom - and (Mangini) let us know in the meeting that there is nobody outside of that.

"He's not talking about just Chad, he's talking about everybody from top to bottom. There's a chance, if you're not doing what you're supposed to do, anybody can be sat down at any time.

"He made it clear, 'I'm evaluating everyone. Nobody's above the mix.' Everyone is on that fishbowl he has right now. He's checking out everything."

Fullback Darian Barnes agreed.

"We're all on notice," he said. "The whole organization's on notice."

Safety Kerry Rhodes was asked what changes he expects to come.

"We're in the dark with this situation just like you (reporters) are," Rhodes said. "If (Mangini) says everybody's getting looked at, everybody's getting looked at. I guess we'll see (tomorrow) when we come back to practice."

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

NO ANSWERS AGAIN

October 23, 2007 -- QUARTERBACKS C+

Chad Pennington (20-31, 272 yards, three TDS, one INT, 111.2 rating) led the Jets to scores on their first five possessions. Both his INT and his final TD came after the game had al ready been decided.

RUNNING BACKS D

Thomas Jones (19-67 rushing) never got into a rhythm. Leon Washington (3-11, 2-21 receiving) never broke out on any big plays. That the Jets couldn't run against a poor rushing de fense was damning.

RECEIVERS B-

Laveranues Coles (8-133, two TDs) was terrific, making some key yards after the catch, particularly on his second TD. Jerricho Cotchery (6-60, TD) had a solid game. Brad Smith (1-12) had some chances.

TIGHT ENDS C

With Chris Baker out, Sean Ryan had three catches for 46 yards. Run blocking wasn't as good as it needed to be.

OFFENSIVE LINE C

Pennington was sacked twice and pres sured at other times. The run blocking wasn't consistent, as evidenced by Jones never getting into a rhythm.

DEFENSIVE LINE C

It's never good news when a backup line man has the most tackles as Eric Hicks did with four. DE Kenyon Coleman also had four. The line did little to slow down the Bengals' running game (177 yards).

LINEBACKERS F

It was hard to tell if Jonathan Vilma (three tackles), Bryan Thomas (one tackle, one sack) and Victor Hobson (no tackles) were even on the field the way the Bengals ran. Cincin nati entered the game 33 percent on third-down conversions, 1-for-18 in the previous two games, and made 70 percent. Inexcusable.

SECONDARY D

Rookie Darrelle Revis (six tackles) was called for two killer pass interference penal ties on third downs that kept Bengals scor ing drives alive. Abram Elam, starting his first game at safety, had seven tackles but was benched after a personal foul penalty late in the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS C

Leon Washington was held in check on kickoff returns (five returns, 23.6-yard aver age) against one of the worst coverage teams in the league. Kickoff coverage was solid.

KICKING GAME C

K Mike Nugent had three FGs and one touchback. P Ben Graham (39.0-yard gross, 38.0 net) shanked his first try for 20 yards.

COACHING D

Eric Mangini is seemingly running out of answers. The Jets looked good early. There still doesn't seem to be enough commitment to the running game by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton is not having a good year. It was the fourth time this season the Jets have allowed 28 or more points.

[Kentucky Jet]

GREEN WON'T GANG UP ON EACH OTHER

By MARK CANNIZZARO

October 23, 2007 -- The temperature is rising to uncomfortable levels in the Jets' locker room and in the meeting rooms.

Often when a team is losing like the Jets are - they're 1-6 after four consecutive losses - players begin to point fingers and question the coaching staff, and the locker room divides. Laveranues Coles, a Jets captain, yesterday promised that won't happen inside Weeb Ewbank Hall.

"It won't happen here," Coles vowed over and over. "We will never second-guess our head coach. He's the man who points us in the right direction. The locker room will stay together because I will make sure the locker room stays together."

Coles said he's seen the ugliness of a fractured locker room.

"Yeah, I was in Washington," he said. "This team is not like that. We have a good team here, a good group of guys who like to work. Upstairs (management) did a good job of picking guys that understand that in a bad situation you don't compound it by causing dissension and negativity in the locker room because that can't help."

Fullback Darian Barnes, who came from Miami, is used to being part of a losing program.

"The one thing I take from (Mangini's) talks that is whatever happens we have to stay positive and work hard," Barnes said. "The man wants us to continue to work hard stay positive and stick together. We have to. He's right. The minute we don't do that and start pointing fingers we're screwed."

Added safety Kerry Rhodes: "There are plenty of chances we could have blown up on each other on sideline or questioned what's going on, but you can't do that. If you do it, it would make it even worse here."

*

Rhodes explained the porous run defense against the Bengals like this:

"For this game, we wanted to play more coverage and wanted to stop (Bengals receivers) Chad (Johnson) and T.J. (Housmandzadeh) from really getting off, so we were going to be a little susceptible to the run.

"It's a pick your poison thing. You bring some guys down to try to stop the run and you're leaving their best players . . . in one-on-one situations and you don't ever want that with guys as explosive as they are.

"(The Bengals) came out and stuck to the run a little bit more than we thought they would and a little more than they showed they would. We were playing the percentages and didn't think they'd run the ball as much as they did."

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets' starters are 'on notice'

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

AP

Chad Pennington is sacked by the Cincinnati Bengals defense Sunday.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- No, Eric Mangini didn't name a starting quarterback for the game against Buffalo on Sunday.

He also didn't name the starting cornerbacks, the starting wide receivers, the starting linebackers, the starting ... well, you get the idea.

Of course, the fact that Mangini hasn't yet made a firm commitment to keeping Chad Pennington as the starting quarterback for the next game has caused a stir, because Mangini definitively had stated entering the past several games that Pennington still was the starter.

But the Jets' coach stressed Monday that everyone in green and white is under the microscope.

"It's not unique to Chad," Mangini said of the evaluation of the players. "It's not specific to Chad. It's not unique to one person. It's collective."

Because of that teamwide approach, wide receiver Laveranues Coles isn't fazed by the lack of a vote of confidence for Pennington.

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"You can't just say, 'OK, well, we're going to evaluate everybody but this guy.' We're all on the same team," Coles said. "Right now, we're all losers. We're losing."

Four consecutive games, that is, to drop to 1-6, leaving Mangini and his coaching staff struggling for answers.

That's why the second-year coach decided "to go through the complete process of looking at all the different phases

[Kentucky Jet]

Eric Mangini is having as bad a year as Chad Pennington, which means instead of closing the gap on the Patriots, the Jets are closing the gap on the Dolphins.

Mangini left Chad hanging yesterday and would not reveal if he's benching Pennington on Sunday against Buffalo. But it seems likely, after his top-secret organizational evaluations this week, he will conclude the rest of this lost season must be dedicated to finding out whether Kellen Clemens can play.

It really is the only way to get the attention of his players, attempt to provide a spark to his struggling team and give anybody in this town a reason to keep watching. The move to Clemens is inevitable. It should also be immediate.

Mangini took it a step further yesterday by putting the entire team on notice. Nobody's job is safe. "If you are going to point the finger at us, it has to be all of us collectively," Laveranues Coles said. "If there (are) going to be changes, you probably need to change all of us because right now we all stink."

Coles always speaks from the heart, as opposed to Mangini, who answers questions as if he's got five standard answers on a script and depending on the question, simply filibusters about preparation, consistency, working hard and the process, without ever answering directly.

It's only the end of October and the Jets have as many losses as last year. It hasn't been this ugly around the Jets since the pre-Parcells days more than 10 years ago. Now imagine this frightening scenario: Dec. 16 at Foxboro with the Patriots 13-0 and Bill Belichick out for revenge against Mangini after being humiliated by SpyGate. That will be the ultimate test of the Jets' pride.

It's not as if Mangini forgot how to coach from one year to the next, and although it's hard to measure whether all the Mangenius stuff went to his head, the Jets have been busts through seven weeks without a viable explanation. Nothing Mangini is trying has worked.

He basically has the same team that won 10 games last year plus running back Thomas Jones, the Bears' best player in their Super Bowl loss. The Jets have not been decimated by injuries and have not played a killer schedule. They have simply reverted to the Same Old Jets. It presents an intriguing issue. What's more surprising: The Jets going 10-6 last year or 1-6 this year? Because they proved Mangini's point that one year does not predict the next by losing by 24 points to the Patriots in the season opener, it looks like last year was the aberration.

Mangini was given numerous opportunities at his news conference yesterday to announce what he's been saying after each game the last few weeks: Pennington is his quarterback. But each time he could have endorsed Pennington, he deferred to his overall evaluatiuon this week of the Jets, who have the worst record of any of the 12 teams that made the playoffs last year.

Coles hates that Pennington is being singled out for the Jets' wretched season. But he agrees that Pennington needs to be included in Mangini's evaluation. "We're all on the same team," Coles said. "We're all losers right now. We're all losing."

It makes no sense to wait any longer to start Clemens. Pennington has given the Jets everything he has physically, but it's no longer enough to win games. He's just 31, in the prime years for a quarterback, but the comparisons to Joe Montana stopped long ago. It appears two shoulder operations have further weakened an already weak arm. Cornerbacks are going to make the Pro Bowl by jumping the Jets' routes, not worried about Pennington buzzing the ball by their ear.

Mangini and GM Mike Tannenbaum miscalculated the talent level after last season and did not do much to improve it. They traded for Jones, moved up to get cornerback Darrelle Revis in the first round and their big free-agent signing was defensive end Kenyon Coleman. Then they messed with team chemistry and their offensive line when they refused to keep Pete Kendall happy by giving him the $1 million raise he felt was management-promised.

"We felt very good about the team coming in," Mangini said. "I feel very good about these guys that are here. I like the group of guys."

Coles says these tough times will reveal what this team is made of inside. That talk usually doesn't happen around NFL teams until December when the stadium is half-empty and the coach is about to get fired. It's not supposed to happen in October with a coach who looked like a rising star and was supposed to be more of a pain to Belichick than just exposing Spygate and a quarterback who won comeback player of the year.

"Either we are going to pull together and try to make the best of a bad situation or things could really start snowballing for us," Coles said.

The two-month forecast is for a lot of snow.

[Kentucky Jet]

Eric Mangini might call some plays for Jets' defense

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Tuesday, October 23rd 2007, 4:00 AM

Eric Mangini didn't dismiss the possibility of becoming more involved in the defense, which is underachieving under embattled coordinator Bob Sutton.

In the past, whenever he was asked about the subject, Mangini always threw his support toward Sutton, who calls the plays. Yesterday, he skirted the issue. "I'm going to work as hard as I can defensively to make sure we get these issues corrected, and they need to get corrected," said Mangini, a former defensive coordinator. "It all needs to get better. It needs to be coached better and it needs to be executed better."

The Jets are ranked 28th in total defense.

MYSTERY INJURY: LB Jonathan Vilma, criticized for his spotty play in Cincinnati, was battling an injury that "dramatically affected" his play, Mangini revealed. Mangini declined to disclose the nature of the injury or when it occurred. Presumably, it happened during the 38-31 loss to the Bengals because Vilma wasn't listed on the injury report last week.

"He's a tough guy, but it's something he was working through," Mangini said.

Vilma (three tackles) was removed for several plays in the second half, a rarity. He did return to the game, so he should be okay to face the Bills this week.

That may explain Vilma's odd mood after the game. He was humming to himself at his locker. Asked why, he said, "I can't really say what I feel." Players aren't allowed to discuss injuries.

SECONDARY STATUS: Mangini explained the reasoning behind the personnel moves in the secondary. He attributed Andre Dyson's benching to strong practice performance by Drew Coleman; he neglected to mention that Dyson missed two huge tackles in the previous two games, resulting in long touchdowns.

FS Erik Coleman didn't return to his starting job because of a "coaching decision," Mangini said. Abram Elam was the surprise starter. Mangini also demoted David Barrett to nickel back, replacing him with Hank Poteat.

[Kentucky Jet]

When Eric Mangini was hired 20 months ago, he said no player was guaranteed a starting job, not even Chad Pennington. Searching for answers amid a full-blown crisis, Mangini is going back to that approach. The question is, will he go back to the future?

The future is Kellen Clemens, and there's a chance he will be named the new starting quarterback this week. Mangini left open that possibility yesterday, again refusing to give Pennington a public vote of confidence.

"I'm going through the process of evaluating everything," said Mangini, who already has hurt Pennington's standing by making him twist in the wind. "He's one part of the process. It's a complete process."

This is the biggest decision of Mangini's tenure, the first time in five years a Jets coach is faced with a non-injury-related quarterback decision. In 2002, Herm Edwards benched Vinny Testaverde in favor of Pennington after a 1-3 start.

Mangini's choice: Put Pennington on the tightrope for the second straight week or make the seemingly inevitable switch to Clemens, hoping to salvage something positive from a season gone bad. It's a delicate situation because Pennington played well in Sunday's 38-31 loss to the Bengals. If Mangini makes a change, it could be perceived like he's using Pennington as a scapegoat for the 1-6 record and/or giving up on the season.

"With Chad, I thought he did a lot of good things," Mangini said of Sunday's performance. "He got us in and out of some really good checks, made some really nice throws. Obviously, the throw with the interception, he'd like to have back. There are a couple of reads I'm sure he'd like to have back, and I'd like him to have them back."

When a coach hesitates on a quarterback decision, it usually means the incumbent is in big trouble. Pennington knows the situation. Although he denied a TV report that said he was told by Mangini last week that he's on a short leash, the message was conveyed to the quarterbacks: Be prepared for a possible change.

The Jets have dropped four straight, finding different ways to lose each week. As Laveranues Coles said, "We're all losers right now. We're all losing."

Pennington has thrown seven interceptions in that span, two of which were returned for touchdowns. The latest pick-six came with 37 seconds remaining in Cincinnati, where Johnathan Joseph jumped an short "out" route (sound familiar?) and returned it 42 yards for the game-clinching score.

The Jets' fourth-quarter problems can be attributed to Pennington, who is ranked 41st in fourth-quarter passer rating (44.1).

Save for the Joseph play, Pennington (20-for-31, 272 yards, three TDs) played perhaps his best game of the losing streak, although Mangini refused to acknowledge it that way. He stressed that he's looking for "different combinations of people that will give us the best shot" to beat the Bills this Sunday at the Meadowlands - a hint that doesn't bode well for Pennington. Everybody is in limbo. Even though Mangini was calmer than his postgame demeanor, his message was the same in yesterday's team meeting: No player should feel comfortable.

"It's like when he first got here," Jerricho Cotchery said. "Everyone is being evaluated, every position. We're back to square one. He's creating that competition again."

Said Coles: "He made it clear: 'I'm evaluating everyone ... coaches, players, everybody. Nobody is above the next.' Everybody is in that fishbowl that he has right now."

Told that Pennington didn't receive an endorsement from Mangini, Coles replied, "Why would he be exempt from the team? He's part of the team."

Unlike previous weeks, no one offered a strident defense of Pennington, perhaps because they know a change is looming. One player said he half-expected a switch last week, based on the way the practice reps were divided between Pennington and Clemens. Maybe that explained why Pennington seemed resigned to his fate after the game.

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets defense surprised by Bengals running game

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

October 23, 2007

Less than 24 hours after making Bengals running back Kenny Watson the hot add/drop in almost every fantasy football league in the country, safety Kerry Rhodes said the Jets were caught off-guard by the dimension of the backup's work.

"They came out and stuck to the run a little bit more than we thought they would and a little bit more than they showed they would," Rhodes said in regard to Watson's 130-yard, 31-carry, three-touchdown performance in Sunday's win over the Jets. "We were playing the percentages there. We didn't think they would keep running the ball like they did."

The Bengals entered the game having passed 203 times and run 112 times. Against the Jets, they ran 41 times and passed 21 times.

Vilma injured

Jonathan Vilma sat at his postgame locker humming a surprisingly chirpy song in between curt answers to reporters. When asked why he was carrying the tune, the linebacker said it was so he wouldn't "really say how I feel." Hum to stay mum.

It was believed that Vilma was internalizing anguish over the performance (which is probably mostly true), but yesterday, Eric Mangini said Vilma was playing hurt. The Jets are not allowed to discuss or even confirm injuries, so Vilma's serenade may have been a way to keep himself from being fined.

While not specific about the injury, Mangini made it sound as if Vilma had been dealing with the issue before the game. Vilma, who hardly ever comes off the field, was not there when the second half began and spent a good deal of time - for him, anyway - on the sideline during the second half.

Jet streams

The Bengals had converted only one of their previous 18 third-down opportunities entering the game. Against the Jets, they converted 7 of 10, going 5-for-6 in the second half ... The Jets were the first team since Week 1 to play the Bengals and not have a 100-yard rusher. Thomas Jones had 67 yards ... Safety Abram Elam said it was always his dream to start an NFL game, and he was grateful for that chance Sunday. Just his luck that it came in a game after which the coach called everyone out and promised changes.

[Kentucky Jet]

Mangini still evaluating Jets

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

October 23, 2007

The Jets are a team without a starting quarterback. And that's the least of their issues. According to Eric Mangini, they don't really have a starting anything.

The day after an embarrassing collapse in Cincinnati, in which a 23-10 third-quarter lead soured into a 38-31 loss, Mangini reiterated his postgame pledge to re-evaluate every aspect of the organization. That includes who does the play-calling, which combinations play together, even the order in which the team practices situations during the week. And, yes, whether Chad Pennington or Kellen Clemens will be the starting quarterback Sunday.

"I'm going to look at everything," Mangini said. "It applies to all areas."

The Jets, as a matter of course, go through a rigorous debriefing after every game. This time, however, Mangini made it sound as if he will take all of the information, close the door to his office, and not emerge until he has found the answers under a microscope.

"I'm going to go through the whole process and look at things across the board," he said.

As for the quarterback job specifically, Mangini called Pennington's evaluation "one part of the process," leaving the player he had stepped out of character to name as the starter back in February twisting in uncertainty. He would not reaffirm Pennington's status as the starter, something he had consistently done throughout the quarterback's recent slump.

Sunday night, he said he would have to watch video of the game to get a better grasp of the quarterback situation. By yesterday afternoon, that frame-by-frame analysis was either incomplete or inconclusive. Mangini said he had not yet made up his mind and that he doesn't have a timetable.

"Once I decide," he said, "then I'll let you guys know."

He probably won't. Not directly, anyway. Hardly any NFL coach would let an upcoming opponent have the luxury of knowing which quarterback to prepare for, and the Bills, Sunday's opponent, likely will split their time between studying Pennington and Clemens. If you're going to have uncertainty on the team, you might as well use it to some advantage.

Even though an announcement is unlikely, a decision is imminent. The architects of the game plan will need to know. The players will need to know. Even if there is no official change-of-power ceremony, no tapping a saber on the shoulder of Clemens, it will be obvious when the team returns to practice tomorrow. As Pennington said when asked about his precarious future after Sunday's loss: "We'll see on Wednesday."

Pennington may have played his best game in a month Sunday, completing 20 of 31 passes for 272 yards, including a season-high 57-yarder to Laveranues Coles and three TDs. He had a passer rating of 111.2 - higher than his rating in the previous two games combined - and showed his toughness when he slipped out of a sack in the fourth quarter and dived forward for 5 yards and a first down. But the effort came in a game in which the coach apparently lost at least a measure of public confidence in him.

Afterward, Pennington appeared at peace with his unstable situation, lacking the 1,000- yard stare that had accompanied him in recent postmortems. "It doesn't even faze me whether or not I'm going to be the quarterback next week," he said.

Quarterback may be the most prominent position Mangini put on notice, but there are 21 other starting jobs on offense and defense that also will be evaluated. The Jets started making some of those changes Sunday, subtly starting Abram Elam at safety over Erik Coleman and Eric Smith, and putting cornerback Andre Dyson on the inactive list. By the time the game against the Bills comes around, the personnel shifts could be drastic. There could even be a few current Jets who become former Jets.

"If you're going to point a finger at us, it has to be all of us collectively," Coles said. "If there's going to be changes, you probably need to change all of us, because right now, we all stink."

Sunday

Buffalo at Jets

4:05 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WABC

(770), WEPN (1050), WRCN (103.9)

[Kentucky Jet]

Coles is a stand-up guy in Jets' horrible season

Bob Glauber

October 23, 2007

At last, some encouraging news from a Jets locker room that has precious little to be thankful for in this 1-6 debacle of a season.

No, it won't change the outcome of a pitiful season that has imploded under the weight of poor play on offense, defense and special teams, as well as miserable coaching from top to bottom. And shoddy work from the general manager.

Nor will it have an impact on what Eric Mangini decides as far as the all-consuming question of which quarterback he will use - is there any reason not to give Kellen Clemens a look-see now that the playoffs are out of the question?

But it will at least give Mangini some peace of mind to know that one of the most important voices in the locker room - maybe the most important voice - is demanding that there be no locker room insurrection, regardless of what the coach decides about the future direction of his roster.

Wide receiver Laveranues Coles, the only player you can't point to as a source of all that is wrong with this team, refuses to allow the losing to turn into a malignancy inside the locker room.

"It won't happen here," Coles declared in no uncertain terms when asked if the losing will lead to infighting among the players. "We will never second-guess our head coach. This locker room will stay together because I will make it stay together."

Coles has seen locker-room disharmony before, especially in his days with the underachieving Redskins before his return to the Jets.

"We were awful," he said.

But Coles believes that the losing will not tear this team apart. That may be small consolation to Jets fans who watched in horror as the season unraveled even before the halfway mark. But it is a big deal moving forward, because a lot of what the Jets will become in future years will depend on how they react to the adversity now.

Mangini will find the rats who aren't willing to stick with the program, and he will get rid of them in time. He also will find guys who will stick it out and play hard even though there is nothing to play for except pride.

Chad Pennington has probably played his way out of the starter's role, although we don't eliminate the possibility that Mangini won't make the switch.

In our judgment, it would be a mistake not to put Clemens in there. Mangini says it's all about doing what's necessary to win the next game - Buffalo at home on Sunday - but you know and he knows that there is more to it than that. If he is holding players accountable for their mistakes, then Pennington must suffer the consequences for all his untimely turnovers.

But at least Mangini knows the players, led by Coles, have his back.

"We're at one of those points now to find out what a lot of the guys on this team are made of," Coles said. "Either we're going to pull together and make the best of a bad situation or things will start snowballing for us. You're not just talking about now, you're talking about the future of an organization. If you have guys who are going to bail on you when things aren't going good, those aren't the guys you want around. You want character guys who are going to be here when the times are good and the times are bad."

Mangini will find his character guys, and it won't be tough to spot them. Coles is one of them. Pennington is a character guy, too. But with a weak arm and a penchant for turnovers, it's more than just a will to win.

Thomas Jones? Don't know yet. We haven't been around him long enough to know if he has the heart of Curtis Martin. Jonathan Vilma? The jury's out. Dewayne Robertson? Not a long-term solution. Shaun Ellis? Yes. Eric Barton? Make a play. Victor Hobson? You, too. Leon Washington? A keeper. Justin McCareins? Let him prove he belongs. The Jets haven't called his number since Week 2.

As for the quarterbacks, Mangini said he is "going through the process of evaluating everything."

A non-answer if there ever was one. But we suspect he's simply buying a day to let things settle down after a disgraceful second-half meltdown in Cincinnati. Then he'll tinker with the lineup.

The hope here is that he gives Clemens a chance. At this point, what's left to lose?

[Kentucky Jet]

Mangini vows to evaluate players, staff after latest Jets loss

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: October 23, 2007)

HEMPSTEAD - There remained no definitive answer to the rapid-fire questions as to whether Chad Pennington or Kellen Clemens would be the Jets' quarterback Sunday against the Bills.

Coach Eric Mangini declared in the wake of Sunday's 38-31 loss at Cincinnati that everybody associated with the team would be evaluated. He added yesterday that he had no timetable for naming a starter for the Jets (1-6), who have lost four straight and are off to their worst start since 1999.

But the rest of the players are not breathlessly awaiting a decision about the quarterbacks. They're thinking about their own playing time.

"Coach likes to keep the guys guessing anyway. That's part of being around here," Jets linebacker Victor Hobson said. "I can't worry about anybody else right now. I've got to worry about myself."

Mangini is likely to make a decision by tomorrow, when the Jets resume practicing. Wide receiver Laveranues Coles said he approached his coach to clarify whether Mangini had singled out Pennington.

"That's on (your) mind(s); it's not on our mind," Coles said, referring to the media. "Y'all keep relating it to Chad. Ask (Mangini) about the receiving corps. Ask him about the defensive line. You can't just relate it to one person. That's why I asked him to say specifically. He said, 'No, it's all positions."'

Not just all positions. Mangini again stressed yesterday he would be evaluating his offensive and defensive coordinators, Brian Schottenheimer and Bob Sutton, as well as all the assistants, as well as how the team was practicing and game-planning.

That's not to say Pennington, who replaced Vinny Testaverde under similar circumstances for the fourth game of the 2002 season, shouldn't be evaluated.

"At this point, why would he be exempt from the team?" Coles said. "He's been part of the team. You can't say you're going to evaluate everybody but this guy. We're all on the same team right now. We're all losers right now."

A week ago, wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery admitted he wasn't sure how a switch in quarterbacks would be perceived in the locker room since Pennington was such a well-respected, veteran team leader.

No longer.

"At this point, no one could even get mad at any decision being made, period," Cotchery said. "You're a 1-6 team, and any decision that the coaches make, how can you be mad at it? They've done everything they could to put us in the best situation to win games, but it's not translating into wins."

Though this year's squad has much of the same personnel from last season's wild-card team, it has been plagued by inconsistency. One small thing goes wrong in a game and, instead of overcoming the mistake, it just seems to spur bigger and bigger mistakes.

So Cotchery said the most important thing Mangini and his staff said yesterday came during the video review of their latest loss.

"When you're 1-6 and something bad happens in a game, someone wants to step up and make that play," Cotchery said. "Somebody wants to put in that extra effort to try to turn things around. Sometimes, those things can backfire on you, when you're trying to do a lot to get out of that bad situation. You can feel it, but the coaches did bring it up and everybody thought they hit it on the head. Once he said it, that's exactly what it is."

Notes: Mangini said linebacker Jonathan Vilma played with an unspecified injury at Cincinnati. Vilma was not on last week's injury report but did not start the second half and was shuttled in and out after halftime. "Jon was dealing with some injury issues that I think dramatically affected his play," Mangini said. "It was something he was working through. ... " Gov. Jon Corzine will be among the New Jersey dignitaries present today at 11 a.m. for a cornerstone ceremony at the Jets' new Florham Park facility. The team is hoping to move its football operations there in the spring of 2009. Construction began in April. ... Mangini blanched when asked whether a solution might be to ease up on his players rather than working them hard. "There's not going to be any day off," Mangini said. ... Bills DE Chris Kelsay has a sore left ankle and requires further tests to determine whether he can play. Coach Dick Jauron was optimistic the injury was minor. Kelsay limped off the field on his own late in the second quarter of Buffalo's 19-14 win over Baltimore on Sunday. Kelsay returned to play a portion of the second half.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach Andrew Gross at apgross@lohud.com and read his Jets' blog at www.jets.lohudblogs.com.

[Kentucky Jet]

Mangini holds up vote, leaving a hanging Chad

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Chad Pennington was left twisting in the wind yesterday when coach Eric Mangini refused to say whether the Jets quarterback or second-year pro Kellen Clemens would start Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at Giants Stadium.

Immediately after the Jets' demoralizing 38-31 loss to the Bengals -- the Jets led 23-10 before Cincinnati scored four touchdowns in the second half -- Mangini said he needed to watch the tape before making a decision. It was the first time he had wavered on Pennington's status since it became an issue three weeks ago.

"Like I said, I'm going through the process of evaluating everything," Mangini said again yesterday. "I don't have a set timetable right now."

He was asked if it was a bit ironic that he's undecided on Pennington's fate after the quarterback played his best game (20-of-31, 272 yards, three touchdowns) since speculation began three weeks ago that Clemens might not be far from ascending to the starting lineup. Mangini replied, "I hadn't looked at it in the context of the other two games. That's what I'll do tonight and over the course of tomorrow."

Mangini will likely make his decision by tomorrow because it's the first day of the practice week, and the Jets will begin to install their game plan for this Sunday's game against the Bills. He might not make public his decision, forcing Buffalo (2-4) to prepare for both quarterbacks.

Though Pennington played well against the Bengals, Mangini might have painted himself into a corner with his tough talk after the game. If he doesn't make a major lineup change on either side of the ball, his words could ring hollow.

Pennington seemed resigned to his fate either way. The Jets are 1-6 and have lost four straight.

"You know, I'm past that. I'm over that," Pennington said after the game. "It doesn't even faze me anymore. I just don't have a concern whether I'll be a starter. Whatever happens happens. My approach and effort will never change. When my number is called, I'm going to lay it on the line."

One possible change could involve middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who had three tackles and was little more than a blocking sled against the Bengals. But Mangini revealed yesterday that Vilma was playing with an undisclosed injury. Replacing nose tackle Dewayne Robertson could be an option.

Against Cincinnati, Mangini benched cornerback Andre Dyson and safeties Erik Coleman and Eric Smith. Tight end Chris Baker didn't make the trip because of what the Jets labeled a back injury. A week earlier Baker had criticized the play-calling at the end of a loss to the Eagles.

Mangini said he's also evaluating his coaching staff. One option would be to get more involved in the play-calling on the defensive side. Mangini was the Patriots defensive boss during the 2005 season, running the same 3-4 scheme he brought to the Jets in 2006.

Pennington, who threw an interception that was returned 42 yards for a touchdown, continues to have the solid support from his teammates, especially wide receiver Laveranues Coles, whom all the players respect.

Coles, who caught eight passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals, says he has no problem with Mangini evaluating the entire team. But, Coles added, he feels Pennington should remain the starter because he's not the only problem.

"You can't just say we're going to evaluate everybody but this guy (Pennington)," Coles said. "We're all on the same team right now. We're all losers right now. We're losing. ... If there's going to be changes, you might as well change all of us because all of us stink."

Coles, a team captain, also said he's going to do everything he can to make sure the locker room doesn't fracture.

"We still have a lot of football to play," he said. "You have to try to make the best of a bad situation or things could really start snowballing. The locker room will stay together because I'll make sure it stays together."

Notes:LB Victor Hobson said the most frustrating thing about the Jets' porous run defense is that it's suffering a different breakdown every game....

Mangini responded with an incredulous look when a reporter asked if giving players a day off might help. "There's not going to be any day off," he said, repeating himself. Several players have said that what makes losing so disheartening is that they work harder than any team in the league....

Bills rookie QB Trent Edwards, who beat the Jets in his first NFL start three weeks ago, is 2-1 as a starter and is expected to start against the Jets again.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Kentucky Jet]

http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show/1744-the-captivating-story-of-jacey-cotchery

[Kentucky Jet]

http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show/1745-abram-elam-shows-pop-in-nfl-starting-debut

[Kentucky Jet]

What Kellen Clemens Can Do For the Jets Offense

By Joe Caporoso | October 22nd, 2007

In all likelihood Kellen Clemens will start at quarterback for the Jets this Sunday against Buffalo. This shouldn

[Kentucky Jet]

STEAL OF THE DRAFT

JAWS HAD JETS CLEMENS RATED NO. 1 QB

By MARK CANNIZZARO

Ron Jaworski knows quarterbacks. He was a pretty good one in college, carved out a solid NFL career, and takes a lot of pride in his breakdown of QBs in his current role as an ESPN analyst.

Ask him about Kellen Clemens, the Jets' second-round pick out of Oregon, and you might be inclined to jump out of your shoes if you're a Jets fan.

"I watched every game of his college career, every throw he made, and based on game performance I had him rated No. 1 amongst the quarterbacks in this draft," Jaworski said of Clemens in a phone interview with The Post.

"I looked at one game and put my evaluation down and then looked at another and another, and as time went on I was blown away.

"One thing I heard about the guy is that he's only 6-1 5/8. To that my next question was, 'Did you see the guy play?' "

Clemens yesterday was unveiled in a Jets uniform for the first time, wearing No. 6 as the club began its weekend rookie mini-camp at Hofstra.

Asked about his aspirations about being the Jets' starting quarterback, Clemens said, "I'd love to someday, but right now I've got a lot of work to do before I can really go out and contribute the way the Jets need to me to."

Asked to describe himself as a quarterback, Clemens said, "A team leader sort of guy, a competitor. I try not to talk about me too much."

Naysayers are quick to point out that Clemens is only about a half-inch taller than Brooks Bollinger, the third-string QB who became the Jets' starter last year when Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler were lost for the season in Week 3.

"It's not even close between [Clemens] and Bollinger and I don't mean to demean Brooks, because he can be a serviceable backup in this league," Jaworski said. "But Clemens is about 20 pounds heavier than Bollinger, has a much stronger arm, and has really strong legs and can break tackles. He doesn't go down easily."

Clemens was a more prolific passer in college than Bollinger, who was more a threat with his legs than his arm.

"Clemens has a quick release, a strong arm, can make multiple throws, does a great job processing information and finding the open receiver, has the anticipation you need," Jaworski said. "All of those things were there. The one negative I saw was I didn't think he was consistent enough with the deep ball.

"I saw nothing but upside. I had him at No. 1, ahead of [Matt] Leinart, [Jay] Cutler and [Vince] Young and everyone else until I saw the [NFL] Combine tapes and was concerned, because he wasn't healthy. That put up a little red flag."

Clemens, who missed the last several games of the 2005 season with a broken left fibula and wasn't 100 percent at the Combine, said yesterday that he's fine, recovered and ready to go.

"All the intangibles are there," Jaworski said. "I talked to a number of coaches that worked him out and put him to the chalkboard and they were blown away by him. Seven or eight NFL head coaches said, from the neck up, this guy is the best guy in the draft."

[Kentucky Jet]

On 1-6 Jets, Everybody Is Under the Microscope

By GREG BISHOP

Published: October 23, 2007

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Oct. 22

[Sperm Edwards]

NO ANSWERS AGAIN

October 23, 2007 -- QUARTERBACKS C+

Chad Pennington (20-31, 272 yards, three TDS, one INT, 111.2 rating) led the Jets to scores on their first five possessions. Both his INT and his final TD came after the game had al ready been decided.

Leave it to Cannizzero to give Pennington credit for one of the scores he had absolutely nothing to do with after Poteat's pick. Or is it now considered Pennington "leading" the Jets to a score any time he doesn't throw an interception?

And what a bunch of Chadapologetic bullsh*t. His INT most certainly did NOT come after the game had been decided. We were down by one touchdown to the friggin' Bengals with 2 minutes left. I guaran-f'ing-tee you that any Bengals fan over 30 years old knows perfectly well that someone can march down the field on them with 2 minutes left...and that was when they were actually GOOD.

You'd think this bloated fool never watched anyone play QB until Chad Pennington suited up in 2002.

[Maxman]

What Kellen Clemens Can Do For the Jets Offense

By Joe Caporoso | October 22nd, 2007

In all likelihood Kellen Clemens will start at quarterback for the Jets this Sunday against Buffalo. This shouldn