NY Jets News Articles 11/ 15

[Kentucky Jet]

TIMEOUT REVS UP CLEMENS- NY POST

By MARK CANNIZZARO

READY TO GO: Kellen Clemens will make his third career start Sunday November 15, 2007 -- Kellen Clemens, who'll make his third career start Sunday when the Jets play the Steelers at Giants Stadium, said he got away from football during the bye week.

"I didn't watch a single game," said Clemens, who went home to Oregon. "I spent some time with my family and spent time with my wife, which I don't get to do a lot of during the season. For about 2

[Kentucky Jet]

JETS PLAN BIG PARTY FOR NO. 28

By MARK CANNIZZARO

CURTIS MARTIN

Wants to be owner.November 15, 2007 -- One of the many strengths Curtis Martin triumphantly carried with him en route to his certain induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be greatly tested Sunday at Giants Stadium, where the Jets will honor one of the greatest players ever to wear their uniform.

Controlling his emotions and his almost stoic manner always have been hallmarks of Martin's success en route to becoming the fourth leading rusher in NFL history and perhaps the most durable big-time back the league has ever seen.

"I think I'll be more emotional than I was when I played the game," Martin, now 34, said yesterday. "It's going to be a good moment for me."

Martin, who officially retired before this season but hasn't played since 2005, said the Jets having this day for him will provide some true finality to his career.

"This is like the end-all of your playing career," he said. "I'm not an emotional person, but this can be emotional. I don't expect to cry. I'm not against crying; I just don't cry very often."

Martin said he spoke with former teammate Wayne Chrebet, who was honored before a game earlier this season, and Chrebet, who was very stoic during his playing career, told him he was overwhelmed by the moment.

Martin, who had some input in which game the Jets would honor him at, felt Sunday's game against the Steelers was a "perfect fit for the occasion" since he's from Pittsburgh.

He joked that he's doled out about 50 tickets for family and friends and that most of them are Steelers fans. He said the Jets invited him to have his people come into the practice bubble adjacent to the stadium for a post-game party, but Martin didn't feel comfortable having some 50 of his friends showing up in their Steelers garb.

Martin, who said he spends Sundays watching football now, is on the cusp of the most exciting venture of his life - becoming an NFL owner. He's put together a group of investors and is poised to purchase a team that he has not yet divulged.

"It's very possible I'll be in ownership by next year . . . I expect to be in ownership by next year," he said.

Martin said, since the time the Jets went up for sale when owner Woody Johnson bought the team he's been looking at football "from an owner's point of view."

"This ownership thing has given me the feeling that I never even left football," Martin said. "I feel like I'm like the caterpillar that turns into a butterfly in that I'm still that same animal, but just making that transition into a different position."

Many of Martin's former teammates, knowing the way he carried himself as a player, can see him as an owner.

"He's special," linebacker Matt Chatham said. "Curt was one of the regal figures. He's really a guy that carries himself with an air of professionalism. The league needs more guys like him."

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Young coaches Eric Mangini, Mike Tomlin to square off

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Thursday, November 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

Eric Mangini is 36, Mike Tomlin 35. They're members of a small but growing fraternity of young head coaches in the NFL. Call it Generation Xs and Os.

"Age isn't a determining factor in wins and losses," Tomlin said yesterday on a teleconference from Pittsburgh. "They don't give us any diaper discounts."

Aside from their birth certificates and NFL resumes, Mangini and Tomlin couldn't be more different when it comes to their first love - defense.

Tomlin is a disciple of Tony Dungy's "Tampa-2" scheme, which employs a 4-3 front, but he decided not to install that defense when he was hired last January by the Steelers - prompting a sigh of relief in football-crazed Western Pennsylvania. He stuck with Pittsburgh's venerable 3-4 and retained the coordinator who helped make it so effective, Dick LeBeau.

For those who believe Mangini is being stubborn by staying with his beloved 3-4 scheme even though the defense is playing poorly and the personnel seems more comfortable in the 4-3, read Tomlin's explanation on why he opted for the status quo: "I think anything other than staying with the 3-4 would not have been driven by the desire to win," the rookie coach said. "It wasn't broke, so it wasn't my intention to fix it. I'm interested in winning games. I'm not interested in putting my stamp on the defense just because that happens to be my area of expertise."

The Jets and Steelers play Sunday at the Meadowlands, where you will see the best and the worst. Pittsburgh is No. 1 in total defense, No. 1 against the run and No. 1 in points allowed. The Jets are 30th, 32nd and 27th, respectively.

Obviously, talent has a lot do with the Grand Canyon-like gap, but it's also an interesting juxtaposition of coaching philosophy. When Mangini arrived last year from the Patriots, he replaced the 4-3 with his 3-4, promoting a coach on the previous staff, Bob Sutton, to be his coordinator. They regressed, going from 11th to 18th in total defense. Now they've dropped another 12 spots, likely meaning a roster overhaul in the offseason. Sutton, too, could be a goner.

Mangini doesn't believe the perception that he's married to the 3-4 is accurate, saying he used a "significant amount" of 4-3-type alignments earlier in the season. "(LB) Bryan Thomas weighs 265, and most defensive ends average about 270," he said. "You want to put his hand in the dirt, and it's a 4-3. He stands up, and it's a 3-4."

Statistically, this is the Jets' worst defense in 30 years. With only nine sacks and seven interceptions, they're on pace to set franchise lows in both categories. Said defensive end Shaun Ellis: "It's very, very gut-wrenching when you look at it on film and see the breakdowns."

COLES CAN GO: WR Laveranues Coles (concussion) is off the injury report and will play.

[Kentucky Jet]

Curtis says Jets should stay with Mangini's plan

About the Steelers

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

November 15, 2007

Curtis Martin will be honored by the Jets on Sunday. Yesterday, the recently retired running back did a little of his own feting, speaking about the direction of his former team and the shape of his replacement in glowing terms.

"I think this is the year that people thought we would have last year, and last year was supposed to be this year," Martin said of the 1-8 Jets. "Sometimes things get turned around like that."

But Martin, one of the most productive offensive players in NFL history, had no trouble defending the current Jets regime.

"I think that the worst thing you can do is to abort your game plan," Martin said. "I think that Eric [Mangini] is a wonderful coach, a great coach, the coach that was needed for this team at this time. And I believe that his philosophy, his way, his style, the principles he's laid down and the foundation he's instilled in this team is going to turn the ship around."

Martin was equally optimistic about Thomas Jones, the running back the Jets brought in this season to, in effect, replace him. Jones' numbers have been generally disappointing. He's averaging 3.8 yards per carry, only 67.3 yards per game and has yet to score a touchdown.

"When you have a team where you are just struggling as a team and you're not shocking the world in the passing game, people are going to say: 'You are not going to run against us,'" Martin said. "No matter how good of a back you are, you are not going to do what you are capable of doing. It's hard because from the public eye it looks like you're not worth it."

Martin went on to say that once Kellen Clemens can instill fear in defenses and the Jets can find a productive balance on offense, Jones' abilities will become more apparent.

"I don't feel sorry for Thomas because I think that he's a very talented back and once everything gets moving in the right way, you'll see his talent more," Martin said.

Things are moving the right way for Martin in his post-football life. Make that post-football player life. When he retired in July he announced his intentions to enter into NFL ownership, and while he is still loath to give any hints about which team has his eye, Martin said progress is being made.

"It is very possible that I will be in ownership by next year," he said before pausing and upping the ante. "I expect to be in ownership by next year."

Notes&quotes: The Steelers run the football a lot, and when they face the Jets, who are ranked last in the league against the run, they'll probably do it even more. "That's them, they run it any way against anybody," DE Shaun Ellis said, adding that the Steelers give "great tips" to where they will run the ball. "Pretty much here it is, stop it," Ellis said of the challenge. "We just have to man up." ... Steelers coach Mike Tomlin spoke about coming to Pittsburgh and leaving the defense in its traditional 3-4 scheme and not changing to the 4-3. "I think anything other than staying with the 3-4 would not have been driven by the desire to win," he said. "I'm interested in winning football games. I'm not interested in putting my stamp on the defense because that happens to be my area of expertise. I'm the head coach of this football team and our job is to win as many games as we possibly can." Mangini has been criticized for forcing the 3-4 on the Jets in his first two years.

SUNDAY: STEELERS AT JETS

4:05 p.m., TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WEPN (1050), WABC (770),

WRCN (103.9)

ABOUT

THE STEELERS

Coach

Mike Tomlin, first season (7-2)

Last week

Beat Cleveland, 31-28

About the offense

As one satirical Web site recently pointed out, Ben Roethlisberger is having a career year after trying a new offseason program that included not almost killing himself. He's got 22 TDs and seven interceptions and a rating of 110.2, second only to Tom Brady. WR Hines Ward, whose career statistics are creeping toward all-time-great territory, has four TD catches. WR Santonio Holmes and TE Heath Miller have each caught six TDs. RB Willie Parker is the NFL's second-leading rusher (873 yards) and should be drooling over facing a Jets defense that is last against the run.

About the defense

Even after Cleveland picked up big chunks of yardage in the first half and scored 28 points, the Steelers are still the top overall defense in the NFL, allowing a league-low 229.4 total yards per game and 14.0 points. Pittsburgh also has 25 sacks, led by James Harrison's 6 1/2 and former Jet James Farrior's 5. In fact, 19 of the 25 sacks have been made by linebackers. The secondary has forced 18 turnovers - eight interceptions and 10 fumbles. Troy Polamalu is the team's Pro Bowl safety, and while he doesn't have any picks he leads the team with seven passes defended in eight games. Starting S Ryan Clark (spleen) has missed the last three games and was placed on IR this week.

The bottom line

The Steelers are an elite team; the Jets are not. It should end there. Pittsburgh is a physical team that not only telegraphs its runs but delivers them for big yardage. As eye-popping as Roethlisberger's play has been, the Steelers are still a run-heavy team - only the Titans have more rush attempts. Their one weak spot is their kickoff coverage, so the Jets and Leon Washington will have a chance to exploit that area. They just have to hope they don't have too many chances.

[Kentucky Jet]

By Joe Caporoso | November 15th, 2007

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From this point of the season on the Jets are going to be underdogs every single week, without including their match-up against Miami later in the season. For this reason, when breaking down each match-up, I will look at 3 reasons for optimism that an upset is possible.

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) 1st Place AFC North - The Steelers have succeeded behind a balanced offensive attack that features the running of Willie Parker and the passing of Ben Rothlisberger. Big Ben is having a pro-bowl caliber season and has consistently done a great job of creating plays with his feet. He has two very talented wide receivers in Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. The Pittsburgh defense is stout as usual and has been creating turnovers in bunches recently. Up until this point of the season, the Steelers have been an elite team and should cruise to a division crown.

3 Reasons that Jets Can Upset:

1. Happy Returns - The Steelers week spot is their kick coverage. Josh Cribbs of Cleveland gashed them last week with a 100 yard kick off return for a touchdown and another 90 yard return. If there has been one bright spot for the Jets this year it has been their kick return unit. Leon Washington has already taken 3 back to the house and seems to be a lock for Hawaii.

2. Last Week Hangover - Pittsburgh is coming off a dramatic come from behind victory against Cleveland, which could leave them ripe for a let down week. The Jets are fresh off their bye week and have had 2 weeks to prepare for Pittsburgh, so they should have some tricks up their sleeve.

3. Full Arsenal - The Jets top wide receiver, Laveraneus Coles, is back from injury. Kellen Clemens should be able to take advantage of having Coles and Jerricho Cotchery on the field at all times. Also, the Jets are highly unlikely to drop as many passes on Clemens as they did last week.

Prediction - Steelers - 27 Jets - 21 - I am a realist. The Jets will play Pittsburgh very tough but their defense will let them down in the 4th quarter.

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[Kentucky Jet]

Pittsburgh defense: Steel Curtain, indeed

Thursday, November 15, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- QB Kellen Clemens has seen this movie before: A blitz-crazed defense comes after a young, inexperienced quarterback and finds its mark. It happened in his first NFL start against the Ravens and it could happen again against the Steelers on Sunday at Giants Stadium.

The Ravens sacked Clemens four times and repeatedly pressured him on safety blitzes. The Steelers run a similar defense, only one that has been much better this season. Pittsburgh is first in the NFL in total defense (229.4 yards allowed), run defense (72.0 yards), pass defense (157.4 yards) and fewest points allowed per game (14.0). Their 25 sacks are first in the AFC and fifth in the NFL.

"They're a very talented group in a lot of different phases," Clemens said.

Under defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, the Steelers run a 3-4 scheme that features ex-Jets LB James Farrior (team-high 58 tackles, five sacks) and LB James Harrison (52 tackles, team-high 6 1/2 sacks).

Clemens says he's been studying tape this week of LeBeau's complicated zone blitz schemes in anticipation of the onslaught.

"As you watch more and more tape over the course of the week you pick up on little tips here and there that kind of gives it (the blitz scheme) away a little bit," Clemens said. "You try to study as much film as you can."

Ex-Rutgers CB Manny Collins, who was re-signed to the practice squad Tuesday, said he stayed in shape during the month he was out of a job. He had a tryout with the Vikings.

"It's a blessing to be back," he said. "I just have to start off where I left off."

Steelers fourth-year QB Ben Roethlisberger (22 TDs, seven INTs) is back after a 2006 season in which he had 18 TDs and a league-high 23 INTs. Roethlisberger never got untracked after an off-season motorcycle accident and a preseason appendectomy.

Critics quickly forgot he was 27-4 in his first 31 pro starts, including a Super Bowl victory.

The Steelers' kickoff coverage team ranks 27th in the NFL, having yielded a 90-yarder (to the 3-yard line) and 100-yarder for a TD to the Browns' Joshua Cribbs last week.

Jets KR Leon Washington has an NFL-leading 33.5-yard average with an NFL-best three TDs. Something has to give.

Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin (35 years old), Eric Mangini (36) and Oakland's Lane Kiffin (32) are the three youngest head coaches in the NFL. ... RB Willie Parker (hip), T Marvel Smith (coaches decision) and WR Hines Ward (coaches decision) didn't practice yesterday for the Steelers. ... The Jets reported no serious injuries.

Steelers starting FS Ryan Clark was placed on injured reserve because of a spleen problem that has sidelined him for three games. Also placed on injured reserve was TE Jerame Tuman, who has been out a month with a back injury.

[Kentucky Jet]

Martin to make most of moment in Jets' spotlight

Thursday, November 15, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- After rushing for 14,101 yards -- fourth-most in NFL history -- future Hall of Famer Curtis Martin will exhale and take a moment to bask in the spotlight at Giants Stadium on Sunday, when the Jets honor their all-time leading rusher at halftime of their game against his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers.

Martin, who played 11 seasons, rarely spiked the ball when scoring 100 touchdowns in his career and was the consummate professional on and off the field. The Jets think so highly of him that his locker stall at Weeb Ewbank Hall remains intact, undisturbed except when he stops by every couple of weeks for a workout.

Martin, a Pittsburgh native, has invited roughly 50 friends and family to help him celebrate. He joked that they'll probably be waving Terrible Towels and only about four will be Jets fans.

Even so, it'll be Martin's day.

"I think I'll probably be more emotional than I was when I played the game," Martin said yesterday during a news conference at Weeb Ewbank Hall. "It's going to be a good moment for me because I haven't taken advantage of a lot of opportunities to celebrate what I've accomplished. I really appreciate the Jets making this moment available for me.

"And the little things that they've done, such as keep my locker up still. Usually, if you're not here, your name is gone the next hour and your locker is cleared out by the next day. I haven't been around too much, but I still see my Sea Breeze (body wash) and lotion and everything in the locker. ... I don't expect to cry (on Sunday). I expect to be happy."

It's fitting that Martin -- who suffered a career-ending right knee injury in 2005, missed the entire 2006 season and officially retired before this season -- will be honored during a game against the Steelers. He said he always stepped up his game when he played the Steelers and two of his most memorable games came against them, both while he was with the Patriots.

Martin, who played for the University of Pittsburgh, rushed for 120 yards against the Steelers as a rookie in 1995. In his third season, he rushed for a Patriots postseason record 166 yards against the Steelers in a divisional playoff game.

"Playing against the Steelers has always been the most exciting games for me," Martin said.

In his retirement, Martin is at peace. He's healthy, outside of occasional pain in his right knee when he does anything strenuous, and has taken up recreational boxing. He says he's staying busy with his quest to become an NFL owner and working with New York City to feed and shelter the city's homeless. Although he also travels a lot for business and pleasure, he finds time to follow the slumping Jets (1-8) and expressed support for coach Eric Mangini.

"I just think that this is the year that people thought we'd have last year," said Martin. "Sometimes, things get turned around like that. And I think the worst thing you can do is abort your game plan. I think that Eric is a great coach ... and I believe that his philosophy, his ways, his style, his principles ... are going to turn this ship around."

Martin, 34, said his dream of NFL ownership is on track to become a reality and it keeps him close to the game. He continues to refuse to name the team he's pursuing.

The ownership bid "is going good," he said. "I'm making great progress. I'm very excited. I expect to be in ownership by next year. ... The ownership thing has given me the feeling that I never left football. I feel like ... you know how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly? I feel like I'm that same animal but I'm making a transition into a different position."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at

dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Curtis Martin planning to buy part of NFL team

By ANDREW GROSS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: November 14, 2007)

HEMPSTEAD - Curtis Martin said this afternoon he expects to be part of an NFL ownership group by the start of next season.

The retired Jets running back will be honored by the team at halftime of Sunday's game against Martin's hometown Steelers.

"Other than it's going good, I can't say anything else," Martin said. "But there's been great progress. It's very possible I'll be in ownership by next year. I expect to be in ownership by next year."

Though Martin declined to identify the team, there has been speculation that he will be part of an ownership group that buys into the Atlanta Falcons.

The 34-year-old Martin retired in the offseason after spending the 2006 season on the physically-unable-to-perform list because of a bone-on-bone condition in his right knee.

Martin retired as the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history with 14,101 yards.

Get all your Jets news on the Jets Journal blog at www.jets.lohudblogs.com.

[Kentucky Jet]

Joe K continues to improve as receiver

By Gregg Hayim

Posted Nov 14, 2007

One catch for just a single yard may not seem like the gaudiest of receiving statistics, but the perception changes a bit when the ball is situated on the opponent

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets-Steelers countdown

November

14 Few quick items here.

First, the participation report is out for today

[Kentucky Jet]

FOOTBALL

Here's an idea Jets: Just give Jones the ball!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

With the Jets' 1-8 start bringing up not-so-fond memories of the 1-15 campaign in the second year of the Rich Kotite Error, maybe it's time to revisit an issue from that season, and compare it to the current situation.

Remember how 1996 overall No. 1 pick Keyshawn Johnson's book, published after that season, admonished the Jets to just give him the (let's say darn) ball. Well, running back Thomas Jones would be well within his rights if he penned a similar book after this season.

Jones is averaging 17.8 carries over the first nine games after averaging 18.5 last year in his final season with the Bears. And while one less carry per game might not seem that significant, consider how that figure has come about.

In some games, Jones has gotten 24 or 25 carries. In other games, he's gotten 12 or 13. Primary running backs are called "featured" backs for a reason. So why not feature Jones more often?

It's also interesting to note that Jones' only two 100-yard games of 2007 have come with blocking back Darian Barnes active and in the lineup. Barnes also blocked for Jones in 2003, when both were with Tampa Bay. Jones recorded a career-high 4.6 yards per carry that season. Yet Barnes has been inactive for four games.

Sometimes in the NFL, you have to dispense with the trickery and gimmicks and just line up and beat the other team off the ball. Of course, maybe the Jets just aren't equipped to do that, and thus Eric Mangini & Co. understandably feel the need to try to fool people. Still, it would be nice to see the Jets try to dictate the offensive pace more often, instead of always trying to react to what the defense is doing.

While we're at it, here's some more unsolicited free advice. Use Darrelle Revis on punt returns and take Leon Washington off that duty, where he has struggled.

7221320

[Kentucky Jet]

Vilma is cautiously optimistic

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

Jonathan Vilma hopes to be ready for minicamp next June and training camp in July. But the Jets' linebacker, who underwent surgery on his right knee last week, wasn't making any guarantees when he spoke with reporters on a conference call Tuesday.

"I expect to be back," Vilma said when asked if he would be ready physically for minicamp. "I hope to be back. [but] I don't want to give any definites on a time frame."

Because of the Jets' strict policies on the divulging of injury information, even for players on injured reserve such as Vilma, he wasn't able to provide many details about the surgery or his rehab, which he has begun in Miami. However, Vilma did say he is wearing a brace on the knee and isn't yet able to put weight on it. Thus, he's unable to drive a car and has been getting rides from his parents.

The surgery was performed a week ago in Miami by Dr. John Uribe, the physician for the University of Miami football team. Someone with knowledge of the situation said it was not microfracture surgery, as has been speculated.

Vilma said he wanted Uribe to perform the surgery because he had repaired the meniscus of Vilma's left knee in an earlier operation.

"It was really just an issue of trust," Vilma said, adding it was "nothing against the Jets' doctors."

Vilma's contract runs out after next season and it has been rumored that he would like to be traded because he isn't a good fit in the Jets' 3-4 defense. He called those reports "fictional" and said, "I like my teammates. I like playing here. I like the organization. I hate losing."

Vilma indicated he hopes to be back in the area to attend the Jets' last two home games, against Cleveland on Dec. 9 and Kansas City on Dec. 30.

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com

* * *

Jets (1-8) vs. Steelers (7-2)

Giants Stadium

Sunday, 4:05 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Early line: Steelers by 9

Believe it or not, the Jets finally won a game. Well, against the spread, anyway. Washington was a 3