NY JETS NEWS ARTICLES- 12/ 2

[Kentucky Jet]

TJ's TD: 'It Was a Long Time Coming'- nyjets.com

Published: Sun, December 2, 9:25pm EST

By Randy Lange

Lange is editor-in-chief of newyorkjets.com. He covered the Jets for 13 years for The Record of Hackensack, N.J.

File Under: Thomas Jones, Chris Baker, Kellen Clemens, Leon Washington, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, first touchdown

change font email article 12/02

[Kentucky Jet]

MIAMI - Technically it goes down as an upset win. But about the only thing really upset were the Jets, who suffered the indignity of being underdogs to a winless team.

"That was kind of an insult," tight end Chris Baker said after yesterday's 40-13 win over the Dolphins, a game preceded by a week of unconvincing talk about Miami's hard luck and how the players don't pay attention to what oddsmakers think.

"It was more of a pride thing in saying, 'Hey, we're not going to go out and let this team beat us,"' Baker said. "They're 0-12 or whatever it is for a reason."

The latest reason was a Jets team that, despite its own struggles throughout this forgettable season, finally found a team on which it could take out its frustrations. The Jets (3-9) scored the game's final 30 points, pounded their AFC East rivals on both sides of the ball, kept their cool in the steamy 81-degree game-time temperature as well as a fiery game between desperate teams, and picked up their third and most convincing win of the year. Two of the Jets' three wins have come against the Dolphins.

Baker said that although they held their tongues and tried not to provide much bulletin-board material, the players were pretty steamed about all the talk that Miami had a pretty good chance to snap its losing streak.

"We wanted to come out and show them that this isn't the game that they're going to win," Baker said.

Receiver Laveranues Coles added with a snicker: "I feel bad for those who took the points, but that's the way it works."

It was the worst matchup of losing teams since Week 12 of the 2001 season, when the 1-11 Panthers faced the 1-10 Bills. The Jets, still smarting from their Thanksgiving Day whupping at the hands of the Cowboys, started the game by excelling at some of the situations they couldn't convert in Dallas: third-down and red-zone efficiency. On the opening drive, they went 84 yards, converted three third downs and scored on an 18-yard run by Leon Washington, who took a direct snap.

The lead shrunk to 7-6 when the Dolphins kicked a field goal after intercepting a pass by Kellen Clemens, but the Jets rebounded to make it 10-6 on a 29-yard field goal by Mike Nugent, who was 4-for-4 on the day, after a 51-yard pass from Clemens to Justin McCareins.

But then it looked as if Vegas might have known something. Cornerback Will Allen's blindside blitz cracked Clemens in the back, forcing him to cough up the ball. It was picked out of the air by Michael Lehan (ruled a fumble recovery and not an interception) and returned 43 yards to give Miami a 13-10 lead.

A pair of unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties against the Dolphins on the return and the ensuing PAT forced Miami to kick off from its 8. The Jets received the ball at their 44 - with what turned out to be fairly typical starting field position for them yesterday - and drove for a critical touchdown. It put them ahead for good and left the Dolphins beached and gasping.

"As an offense," Clemens said, "you love that short field."

Clemens (15-for-24, 236 yards) hit Brad Smith, one of the players who stepped up in place of injured Jerricho Cotchery (finger), with a 19-yard pass for the go-ahead score. Smith started the play in the backfield and ran a route to the right, caught the play-action pass from Clemens and tiptoed inside the pylon with 2:39 remaining in the half.

From then on, it was up to the Jets' defense to maintain the lead, and it did. Kerry Rhodes intercepted a pass by rookie John Beck at the 9 and returned it to the Jets' 45 with 1:11 left in the half, setting up a field goal for a 20-13 halftime edge. In the second half, the Jets forced three straight turnovers, two of them on sacks that forced Beck to fumble.

Those turnovers led to 13 points, including Thomas Jones' first rushing touchdown as a Jet.

Washington, who started the scoring, capped it with a head-down 12-yard plow into the end zone. The Jets had two rushing touchdowns in their first 11 games and three against the Dolphins yesterday.

The Dolphins were in no mood to congratulate the Jets.

"They suck, too," defensive end Jason Taylor said of the opponent he loves to hate. "They beat us. They'll go home happy, and their fans will be happy that they got three wins this year. Good for them."

The Jets may have wiped their brow after escaping what would have been an utterly embarrassing loss, and there was some chest-thumping regarding the speculation that this was the best chance for a Dolphins win this season. But there was a hint of sympathy as well for their rivals, who are heading toward what could very well be the NFL's first 0-16 season.

"Miami, their season hasn't gone the way they would like," said Clemens, "but in some ways we can relate."

Sunday

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[Kentucky Jet]

GRADING THE JETS

By Tom Rock

December 3, 2007

: OFFENSE

C The running game did pretty well, rolling for 163 yards and three touchdowns. And the passing game adjusted nicely to the loss of Jerricho Cotchery as Kellen Clemens was able to hit eight different players with his 15 pass completions. Forty points is the most the Jets have scored since 2004, when they had 41 against the Dolphins. But the offense had one turnover that was returned for a touchdown, and when the defense got the Jets the ball back with five forced turnovers, only one was cashed in for a touchdown. Clemens seemed to miss a lot of receivers by leading them too far with passes.

DEFENSE

A We won't grade on a curve just because they played the Dolphins, who haven't scored an offensive touchdown in nearly a month, turned it over five times against the Jets, and had to rely on a Lorenzo Booker as their main running back in the second half. So yes, the Jets played great against competition that is far from great. The Jets were able to pressure the quarterback without much blitzing, getting a good push from the defensive linemen, and there were no real instances when a Dolphins receiver was wide open. They also were opportunistic when it came to going after the ball and turning routine plays into impact plays.

SPECIAL TEAMS

C Mike Nugent kicked four field goals without putting even one of them in doubt, including a 40-yarder. He also consistently put his kickoffs in the end zone. The Jets' coverage teams did a nice job containing Ted Ginn Jr. on those returns. The Dolphins had an average starting field position of just inside the 27 on the nine kickoffs. But Ben Graham had a terrible day punting, shanking his first effort for a 26-yarder and then mi****ting a 35-yarder down the middle when the Jets could have used a long one. At least Graham did a nice job of holding on the field goals, including a few high snaps.

COACHING

A The Jets' offense reached into the top hat and, for the first time this season, pulled out a rabbit. Their use of Brad Smith as a trick quarterback caught the Dolphins off guard (not that it takes much to do that this year), and they also used shovel passes and quirky formations to confuse Miami. Defensively, the changes made during the bye last month continue to lead to impressive results. Even in the loss to Dallas, the defense played OK. And when the game got chippy and Miami's frustration started boiling over with unnecessary penalties, the Jets maintained their calm and did not retaliate ... except on the scoreboard.

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets defense finally becoming a force

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

December 3, 2007

MIAMI - David Harris had a chance to drill the quarterback with the kind of wide-open hit every linebacker dreams about. But he didn't.

Instead, the rookie linebacker took a swipe at the football, which quarterback John Beck had left dangling away from his body as he braced for the hit. Harris flicked the ball away from Beck, then recovered it for one of five Miami turnovers yesterday in the Jets' most opportunistic game of the season.

"They didn't just go for the sacks," safety Kerry Rhodes said of his defensive unit, "but went for the big plays."

It's a continuation of the turnaround for the defense, one that began at the bye, startled the Steelers and dismantled the Dolphins in the second half of the season. Yesterday there were five turnovers, three of which were interceptions, and three sacks. The Jets have 13 sacks in the last three games after posting nine in the first nine games.

"Sometimes it's just about being able to take a step back and really look at what we're doing, evaluate the things we like and see where we can improve," Eric Mangini said of the defense, which, for the second year in a row, entered the off week in chaos and emerged as a force.

This time the Jets picked on Beck, a rookie making only his third career start. They pressured him into making some ill-advised passes that turned out to be interceptions - one by Darrelle Revis off a ball tipped by linebacker David Bowens and another by Rhodes on a deep ball late in the second half - and then used those picks to shake him up even further.

"I think he got a little gunshy," Rhodes said. "He threw a couple of picks and he started holding the ball a little bit. It was good coverage by us in the secondary to make him hold it and the guys capitalized and made plays."

C.J. Mosley forced one fumble with a back-snapping blindside hit on Beck, but it was recovered by the Dolphins. On the next possession, Bryan Thomas came from Beck's back side and forced a fumble, this one recovered by Victor Hobson. Then, on the next possession, Harris came after Beck and plucked the ball from his hands as if it were an apple on a tree. Drew Coleman finished the takeaway festival with his first career interception.

Rhodes had one of his most active games of the season in both pass and run defense and became the first Jets players in two years to have an interception in three straight games. His pick inside the 10 with just over a minute left in the first half not only stopped a potential go-ahead drive by the Dolphins but led to three points on a Jets field goal.

"He's a young guy, so he's going to stare down a little bit," Rhodes said of Beck, who hadn't thrown an interception in his first two starts. "I was able to bait him a little bit."

And then Rhodes reeled him in.

[Kentucky Jet]

Thomas Jones finally gets first touchdown as a Jet

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

December 3, 2007

Was that Thomas Jones' first touchdown in a Jets uniform?

Technically, no, because the team was wearing its throwback Titans jerseys. But yes, it was Jones' first score since he became a Jet and his first touchdown since January's NFC Championship Game with the Bears. His 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter snapped a streak of 242 carries without finding the end zone.

Everyone seemed happy about the Jones touchdown and seemed to know about his scoreless streak. Well, everyone except for Jones.

"It was much overdue to get him in the end zone and it's good to see him be rewarded for all of the tough yards he's had to grind out for us," Kellen Clemens said.

Jones shrugged it off. "At the end of the day, I'm a team player," he said, adding he didn't believe there was any increased pressure to score.

Are the Jets mulling a quarterback change?

It almost looked like an open tryout as they had three players take snaps. Clemens took the bulk of them, but Leon Washington took a direct snap and Brad Smith played quarterback three times.

Where did all the gadget plays come from?

The Jets ran six plays we'll call unorthodox, including four direct snaps to backs and a pair of shovel passes. They also ran some fancy misdirection on a 19-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Eric Mangini said some of those had been sitting on the playsheet for a while, waiting for the right time to emerge. He also said there were a few the Jets had planned for yesterday that they never had a chance to run.

What's with Leon Washington and Miami?

He's had some big games at Dolphin Stadium. Yesterday he had 68 rushing yards on 10 carries, two touchdowns and 168 all-purpose yards. Last year his 64-yard screen pass set up the winning field goal that sent the Jets to the playoffs with a win over Miami. But it's not just the Dolphins. Last year he had his first career 100-yard game in Jacksonville.

"The weather is warm and I'm used to it so my joints and my bones feel a little looser and I feel a little more amped to go out and play against those guys," he said of playing in his home state of Florida.

What will the Jets do to celebrate?

The players will have two days off and are not required to report back until Wednesday morning. Some of the players intended to stay in Florida, either to relax in the sunshine or attend today's funeral for Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Others would have liked to stay but had to return to snowy New York. D'Brickashaw Ferguson said he packed only one set of clothes, a suit, and thought he'd look a little too formal wearing it on the beach.

UNSUNG HERO

Leon Washington, RB

The second-year back put up good stats, but his most important play might have been taking a shove from Channing Crowder on the Miami fumble return. Washington admitted he may have added some dramatics by flopping, but it drew a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff and helped give the Jets great field position for the game's most important drive.

SECOND GUESS

It wasn't much of a mistake, but Leon Washington probably could have let the opening kickoff sail out of bounds rather than try to make the catch along the sideline. The Jets started at the 16. Had it been out of bounds, they would have started on the 40. They wound up scoring a touchdown on the opening drive anyway

[Kentucky Jet]

JETS SQUISH WINLESS FISH

'DISRESPECTED' GANG GREEN MAULS MIAMI

By MARK CANNIZZARO

; KELL JOYS! Kellen Clemens unleashes a pass during the Jets' 40-13 victory over thestill-winless Dolphins yesterday in Miami,giving no relief to dejected Dolphins fans.

December 3, 2007 -- MIAMI - With their best Eric Mangini poker faces - ones that showed precious little emotion and revealed even less about whatactually is on their minds - the Jets quietly seethed all week, but never let their frustration show.

They knew what awaited them yesterday at Dolphin Stadium.

They knew the heaping portion of indignity they would be served with a loss to the winless Dolphins.

They also knew they were underdogs to a team that entered the game with an 0-11 record.

And in the end, it was the utter disregard the oddsmakers had for them that irked the Jets the most.

"It was disrespectful," Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "That goes to show that the people who make those lines don't know what they're talking about.

"Everybody that said the Jets were going to lose to the Dolphins, counting us out . . . that was [garbage]. I hope we made them eat their words."

What the Jets did was shove a 12th consecutive loss down the Dolphins' throats, dominating them in a 40-13 victory that included 30 unanswered points after Miami had taken a 13-10 lead.

Apparently, the humble pie the Jets served the woeful Dolphins wasn't enough to earn the respect of Miami's best player, defensive end Jason Taylor, who was fuming so much after the game he was spitting his words out like poison-tipped darts.

"They [stink], too," a bitter Taylor said of the Jets, "but they beat us and they go home happy."

Indeed, raucous celebration, perhaps a product of relief, reverberated from inside the closed doors to the Jets locker room after the game.

Jets tight end Chris Baker said avoiding the dubious distinction of becoming the Dolphins' only victim was a motivating factor.

"It was more of a pride thing in saying, 'We're not going to go out and let this team beat us. They're 0-12 for a reason,' " Baker said. "We were picked as an underdog to a team that hasn't won a game yet, so that was kind of an insult to everybody.

"We wanted to go out and show that we do have a good team despite our record and we weren't going to let that (becoming the Dolphins' only victim) happen.

"We were hearing, 'Oh, this is (the Dolphins') chance to win, this is their chance.' We wanted to come out and show them that this isn't the game that they're going to win."

The Jets (3-9) did that by creating a season-high five turnovers and converting 16 points off of them. Their defense dominated the Dolphins, allowing 37 rushing yards to a team that entered the game with one of the best yards-per-carry averages in the league (4.4).

They did it by opening the playbook on offense, executing seven creative gadget plays.

Leon Washington (10 carries, 68 yards) scored two rushing touch downs, the first of which came on a direct snap to him behind center.

Thomas Jones rushed for 75 yards on 24 carries and scored his first touchdown as a Jet on his 226th carry of the season.

Brad Smith scored on a 19-yard screen pass on a marvelous misdirection play-action fake from Kellen Clemens (15-24, 236 yards, one TD, one INT).

Asked if the Jets did anything on offense that that Dolphins didn't expect, Taylor said, "Score 40 points."

Indeed, yesterday's output was the most Jets had scored since they beat the Dolphins 41-14 in 2004.

On special teams, the Jets didn't let Ted Ginn Jr., the Dolphins' most dynamic player, hurt them in the return game.

On defense, there was a key Kerry Rhodes interception late in the first half that stopped a Miami drive in Jets territory and led to a late Jets field goal.

There, too, were three strip-sacks on consecutive series in the second half, first by C.J. Mosley, then by Bryan Thomas and finally by David Harris.

Dolphins rookie quarterback John Beck seemed to get more rattled with each big play by the Jets defense.

"I think he got a little gun-shy after he threw a couple of picks and he started holding the ball a little bit," Rhodes said.

The Jets, who play the Browns on Sunday at Giants Stadium, flew home a relieved and satisfied team last night. Mangini, in fact, gave the players today off - a rare "Victory Monday."

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

JONES SNAPS TD DROUGHT

By MARK CANNIZZARO

December 3, 2007 -- MIAMI - Thomas Jones scored a touchdown yesterday.

Why is that news?

Because he had gone 225 carries and 20 receptions - 245 total touches on offense - without scoring his first touchdown as a Jet.

On his 226th carry of the season, Jones scored from a yard out to give the Jets a 30-13 lead.

"Long overdue," Jones said. "Hopefully, before the end of the year I can get into end zone a few more times."

Jones, after being mobbed by his teammates in the end zone, kept the ball.

"That was my first touchdown here, so it was a special situation," he said. "I've done that with the four teams I've been with, kept the football."

Jones' teammates seemed happier for his first touchdown than he was.

"Thomas has been grinding all year," Kellen Clemens said. "It was much overdue to get him in the end zone. It's good to see him be rewarded for all the tough yards he's had to grind out for us."

*

Clemens, 2-3 as a starter, entered the game not knowing if either of his starting wide receivers would play. Jerricho Cotchery (finger) didn't play. Laveranues Coles (ankle) was a game-time decision and did play, leading the Jets with five catches for 69 yards.

"L.C. is a courageous player," Clemens said. "To go through what he went through and to come out and play, he gave us some very meaningful snaps.

"I didn't know if he was going to play right up until game time," Clemens added. "One thing about L.C. that you know is that if he's cleared to go and allowed to play he's going to give it his all and he's going to look good."

*

Jets kicker Mike Nugent made all four of his field-goal attempts yesterday and had a career high in field goals and points with 16. He's made 17 of his last 18 tries with the one miss a 54-yarder.

*

Jets CB Drew Coleman had his first career interception. . . . WR Chris Davis had his first career reception. . . . LB Marques Murrell, the brother of former Jets' RB Adrian, made his debut as a Jet.

mark.cannizzarro@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

ZERO-SUM GAIN FOR AWFUL 'PHINS LOOK OUT! Bryan Thomas sacks John Beck duringthe third quarter of the Jets' 40-13 victoryover the Dolphins yesterday in Miami. The JetsVictor Hobson recovered the fumble. December 3, 2007 -- MIAMI - There was one mo ment, midway through the third quarter, that beautifully encapsulated precisely what a game between an 0-11 team and a 2-9 team should look like. John Beck, the Dolphins' wide-eyed quarterback, just was crushed by Bryan Thomas, the Jets linebacker.

Beck fumbled. The ball was loose. It crept around on the ground the way footballs sometimes will, looking like it had an agenda of its own. There were maybe six players within arm's length of the ball, three with white Dolphins shirts, three with those grisly throwback colors the Jets were wearing. All six crawled on all fours in pursuit. The whole sequence should have been in slow motion.

Come to think of it, I'm not entirely sure it wasn't.

Finally, almost reluctantly, the brown rock found the nook of Victor Hobson's arm. Jets ball. A 20-13 Jets lead would soon swell to 23-13, and ultimately would end at 40-13, and if nothing else, the Jets will not be responsible for halting the Dolphins' morbid pursuit of history. The Jets are an awful team, make no mistake.

But they aren't as awful as the Dolphins.

Right now, it's hard to believe anybody ever has been.

"I still feel we're not as bad as our record is," said Joey Porter, the Dolphins linebacker who sure used to be a lot more fun when he was chattering away as a member of the perennially contending Steelers. "But it's getting harder and harder to make people believe that."

Around him, the Dolphins locker room was quiet and still, the kind of morose soundtrack befitting a team now 0-12 that may have seen its final chance for victory in 2007 buried under the avalanche of a 27-point shellacking.

For most of the season, the Dolphins have taken an almost gruesome pride in losing with fierce dignity (half their losses have come by exactly three points, including a 31-28 loss to the Jets on Sept. 23, including a grisly 3-0 eyesore in the quagmire of Pittsburgh last Monday.

"In this league, you can throw records away week to week," said Miami coach Cam Cameron. He certainly would like to throw his record away, and at this point, probably could use a little bit of the sense of humor that helped keep John McKay relatively sane while piloting the 1976 Buccaneers week after fruitless week. It was McKay, after all, who famously responded, when asked about that woeful and winless team's execution:

"I'm in favor of it."

"We keep fighting," is what Cam Cameron offered yesterday, his voice flat, his eyes hollow, his brain presumably overloaded with images of bad, bad, bad football.

Maybe 50 yards down the corridors of Dolphin Stadium, the Jets' locker room was filled with a mixture of laughter and postgame fulfillment, so rare across the season's first dozen weeks. They are realists in that room. They know they are going nowhere. They know they play now for pride and professionalism, for the reasons Laveranues Coles dragged his balky ankle on the field, for finding out about Kellen Clemens and, in large part, about themselves.

Even in the context of that, there was relief. No team wants to be the 1980 Jets, 21-20 losers to an 0-14 Saints team that finished 1-15. Or, for that matter, the 1996 Arizona Cardinals, who were kind enough to provide an 0-8 Jets team with their lone win on the way to 1-15. It was Kerry Rhodes, another pro's pro through all the ugliness, who summed it up best:

"This is the NFL," said Rhodes, whose interception late in the first half set up a helpful field goal. "You can lose to anybody."

Yes, you can, and the Dolphins and Jets have spent most of a forgettable football season becoming uncomfortably intimate with that telling, terrible truth, and there is more to come. Three of the Jets' four remaining games are against AFC playoff hopefuls. The Dolphins? They were 1-point favorites yesterday. No oddsmaker who values his vig will make that mistake again.

"This is something to build on," Jets coach Eric Mangini said.

Nah, it's really not. It's just something to exhale over on the way to a merciful offseason, a time to be grateful for small favors. After all, the Jets may be awful.

But, good lord, they aren't near as awful as the Dolphins.

michael.vaccaro@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

MIAMI - Like a man lost and wandering in the desert, the Miami Dolphins looked ahead, saw the Jets on the horizon and thought their thirst for a victory this winless season would be quenched.

And why not? The Jets had won just two games - one of them a narrow 31-28 victory over the Dolphins the third week of the season. The Dolphins were playing at home, under favorable weather conditions (80 degrees, sunny and dry) and there was nothing foreboding about Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens.

As the Dolphins got closer, they realized it was just another shimmering mirage. The hapless Jets (3-9) hung a 40-13 beating on the Dolphins, dropping them to 0-12 and making a winless season a distinct possibility.

"They (stink), too," said a dejected Jason Taylor, the Dolphins' brilliant defensive end. "But they beat us and they're going home happy. And their fans are happy because they've won three games."

It would be a milestone for Miami to win just one game, 35 years after the Dolphins went 17-0 and became the only NFL team to ever complete a season undefeated. This installment of the Dolphins could go wire-to-wire in the other direction.

"It's beginning to feel that way," said Dolphins nose tackle Keith Traylor. "You just want to get a win. You don't want to go down as the worst team in history. I've gone to three Super Bowls, missed the playoffs five times in my career. But this is by far the worst."

He added: "I'd be lying if I told you I didn't think ahead of what would happen if we lost this game. You don't want to say you're not going to win one game. But you see what's happening out there."

And to think the Dolphins actually came in as 1-1/2-point favorites.

"I feel bad for those who took the points," said Laveranues Coles.

No one wants to be the Dolphins' first "W." The Jets, longtime bitter rivals, certainly didn't want to be.

Misery practically dripped from the walls of the Dolphins' locker room. It was as quiet as a monastery. No shouting. No cursing. No fist-waving. Their body language suggests they have reached the acceptance stage of losing. But no one would say that directly.

"I still don't feel like we're as bad as our record shows," said Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter. "We just got our (butts) whipped today. We just have to come back and get ready to play again next week."

The remainder of the Dolphins' schedule doesn't get much easier. They play at Buffalo next week, followed by Baltimore at home and the Patriots at Foxboro. They finish with Cincinnati at home.

If they played like they played against the Jets, the Dolphins will be winless for a long time. As Porter aptly pointed out, it's hard to beat anyone in the NFL if you give up five turnovers. "Unless you get seven or eight yourself," he said.

Those five turnovers tied a season high. They had five against the Cowboys and lost that game, 37-20. All five turnovers yesterday were on the head of rookie quarterback John Beck, who threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles after getting sacked. The Dolphins' offense hasn't scored a touchdown since Beck took over at QB three games ago.

But it's hard to blame Beck when the Dolphins have no rushing attack and no rushing defense, can't catch passes, can't break up passes, can't tackle and give up big plays.

They even sought a little divine intervention, sports version, this past week when Taylor had his friend Michael Jordan come in and speak with the team on Thursday. Whatever Jordan said must have worn off by yesterday because the Dolphins were back in the dumper.

Traylor said having a players-only meeting won't help, either.

"What are we going to say to each other?" Traylor said.

Traylor hinted that not all of his teammates are on the same page in this 0-12 debacle. He suggested that some of them don't have winning as their primary motive for showing up on Sunday.

"You saw the game," he said. "You saw the situation. It feels like we're doing this for some other reason other than winning a game. I don't want to call names. There seems to be something else going on out there."

Selfish motives, perhaps financial reasons?

"It definitely feels that way with some individuals," he said. "I don't know what other reason you'd be out there if it's not to be going to play this game to win. You can get a pay check at Wal-Mart. This is a man's game."

There is no way for the Dolphins to sugarcoat their situation. They are winless and heading to a bad place.

"We're 0-12," Taylor said. "You don't get much lower."

I wouldn't bet on it.

[Kentucky Jet]

MIAMI - Yeah, it bothered the Jets. Even crummy teams have pride. The oddsmakers installed them as an underdog against the winless Dolphins, the ultimate affront in the NFL's 2007 version of Dis-Armageddon.

"It was kind of an insult to everybody," tight end Chris Baker said Sunday at Dolphin Stadium. "We were hearing, 'This is Miami's chance.' We wanted to show them, 'This isn't the game you're going to win.' That's how we went about it throughout the week."

The Jets carried that attitude into the game and, for three hours in an otherwise disappointing season, they actually dominated an opponent. The Jets wore throwback Titans uniforms and looked like a different team.

They forced five turnovers, displayed some of their old razzle-dazzle on offense and scored 30 unanswered points, running away with a 40-13 victory in the Dud Bowl, their largest margin of victory in 17 games.

What did it prove? The Jets (3-9) might be bad, but they're not the worst.

"I guess some guys did take it personally," said guard Brandon Moore, referring to the lack of respect. "You'd think we'd take it personally every week. Maybe this week it was a little more."

Underdog or not, the Jets would've been a national laughingstock if they had lost. Not wanting to leave any doubt, they played the role of bully, beating up rookie quarterback John Beck and limiting the misfit Dolphins to 187 total yards.

The Dolphins dropped to 0-12, only four losses away from becoming the first non-expansion team to go winless. That they lost to the hated Jets made it worse.

"They beat the mess out of us," loudmouth linebacker Joey Porter said. "We lost, 40-13, so what do you want me to say?"

Porter, speechless? What's next, Don Shula leading cheers from the sideline?

Well, at least the Dolphins beat the Jets in one category - best motivational speaker. On Thursday, Michael Jordan addressed the team, discussing what it takes to become a champion. On the incongruity scale, that would be like Angelina Jolie giving beauty tips at a convent.

The Dolphins actually took a 13-10 lead in the second quarter on Michael Lehan's 43-yard fumble return for a touchdown - Kellen Clemens coughed it up on a blindside cornerback blitz - but it never was really a game after that.

The Jets' defense took control, with interceptions by Kerry Rhodes, Darrelle Revis and Drew Coleman and strip sacks by Bryan Thomas and David Harris. The defense allowed the offense to work on a short field throughout the day. Only two of the Jets' eight scoring drives were longer than 56 yards.

In three games since the bye week, the Jets have recorded 13 sacks after only nine in the previous nine games.

"Sometimes it doesn't come around as quickly as you'd like, but I'm happy with the progress we've made over the last few weeks," said Eric Mangini, who has taken a more active role in the defensive operation.

Bolstered by terrific coverage in the secondary, the Jets didn't give Beck (23-for-39, 177 yards) a chance to breathe. That the Dolphins have no playmakers didn't hurt, either.

"He got a little gun-shy," Rhodes said of Beck, who has led Miami to just one touchdown in three starts.

The Jets used clever play-calling to discombobulate the Dolphins. Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer used six gadget plays - three direct snaps to Brad Smith, two shovel passes by Clemens and a direct snap to Leon Washington, who ran 18 yards for his first of two touchdowns. Five of the gadget plays were called in the red zone, where the Jets had been struggling in recent weeks.

Counting the direct snaps to Smith and Washington, the Jets actually used three quarterbacks, none named Chad Pennington.

"We've been working on a few different looks from the quarterback position," said Mangini, who improved to 4-0 against the Dolphins.

The Jets also scored on a nifty misdirection play-action pass in which Clemens, in shotgun, faked a handoff to Washington, rolled to his right and hit Smith for a 19-yard touchdown pass. They also got a touchdown from Thomas Jones, who finally reached the end zone for the first time as a Jet after 226 carries.

Yeah, it was that kind of day. For a change, almost everything went right. It was a particularly important day for Clemens (15-for-26, 236 yards), who rebounded nicely from the Dallas debacle.

Clemens, 2-3 as the starter, lost a fumble and threw an interception, but neither was his fault. He showed his arm strength, hitting Justin McCareins on a 51-yard bomb that set up the first of four field goals by Mike Nugent.

It won't be remembered as one of the most memorable games in the storied rivalry, but the Jets got a chance to beat their chest. No player admitted it was a relief to avoid the embarrassment of a loss, but it had to be a thought. Or was it?

"That," Moore said, "was something we didn't even want to think about."

[Kentucky Jet]

Running back Thomas Jones scores first touchdown with Jets

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, December 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM

Diaz/AP

Thomas Jones kneels in the end zone after scoring his first touchdown with the Jets.

MIAMI - After 225 carries and 800 yards, Thomas Jones finally scored his first touchdown as a Jet. It happened on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 40-13 win over the Dolphins.

"Hopefully, by the end of the year, I'll get in a couple of more times," said Jones, claiming he wasn't frustrated by his oh-fer.

Jones kept the ball as a souvenir, adding to his collection. He also saved the balls from his first scores with his three previous teams.

PAIN & GAIN: WR Laveranues Coles gave the team an emotional lift, playing on a gimpy high-ankle sprain. The decision to play wasn't made until two hours before kickoff after he convinced the medical staff he was okay.

"I saw a look in a lot of guys' eyes when they saw me suiting up," Coles said. "I feel like I'm one of the guys that can motivate this team and get guys going. A lot of people would pack it in and say, 'I'm hurting, I'll wait until it heals.' I don't want to take that approach."

In limited action, Coles caught a team-high five passes for 69 yards. Asked how it felt during the game, Coles said, "One word - hurt."

WR Jerricho Cotchery didn't play after having surgery last week on his right index finger, which could sideline him for a few weeks.

SHOVE OFF: There were plenty of shoving matches and heated echanges. DE Shaun Ellis got into it with G Vernon Carey on an extra point and FS Kerry Rhodes went after LT Cory Lekkerkerker after he got hit while standing near a pile up.

"It's still a big rivalry, so little things can get heated in a moment," Rhodes said.

The Dolphins lost their cool after Michael Lehan's 43-yard fumble return for a touchdown, getting flagged for two personal fouls that gave the Jets great field position on the ensuing kickoff.

"(Carey) punched me in the stomach," Ellis said, referring to the PAT. "I guess he was upset because I cleaned him out on (an earlier) interception return."

NO CLASS: Coles was upset to hear a couple of fans yelling during the moment of silence for slain Redskin Sean Taylor.

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard in my life," he said. "Whoever did it, yeah, you're a dummy. I'm willing to say that. You can put that on camera. They're idiots. It's just disrespectful."

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets soar to 40-13 victory in Miami

Monday, December 3, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

MIAMI -- The Jets were a two-point underdog Sunday. Yes, the winless Dolphins were favored by two points.

So naturally, the Jets did what any underdog would do. They pulled out all the stops.

Leon Washington took a direct snap for an 18-yard touchdown and set up another score with an 18-yard reception of a shovel pass as the Jets brought out the trick plays in a 40-13 rout of Miami at Dolphin Stadium.

Perhaps the most surprising thing the Jets trotted out was a rejuvenated defense that forced five Miami turnovers leading to 16 points for the Jets.

And when the domination was over, the 3-9 Jets insisted that there was no relief, only joy.

And judging by all the smiles in the locker room, it's easy to believe that.

"Getting a win against anyone is great," said linebacker Bryan Thomas, whose strip sack of Miami quarterback John Beck set up one of four field goals by Mike Nugent. "Our opponent's record doesn't dictate if it's the biggest win or the smallest win. A win, period, is just great."

Especially in this situation. A loss against the downtrodden Dolphins would've seemed like rock bottom for the Jets, and for a brief moment in the second quarter, that seemed like a realistic possibility.

Former Giant Will Allen came in untouched and sacked Kellen Clemens on a blitz, forcing the ball loose. Michael Lehan picked it out of the air and sailed 43 yards for a touchdown and a 13-10 lead with 6:41 to go before halftime.

But the Dolphins did what really, really bad teams do, ruining this particular moment in the South Florida sun. Consecutive penalties for unnecessary roughness on the touchdown and unsportsmanlike conduct forced Miami to kick off from its 8.

Former Dolphin David Bowens returned the short kickoff 9 yards to the Jets' 44 and seven plays later, Clemens' 19-yard catch-and-run to Brad Smith down the right sideline put the Jets ahead to stay, 17-13.

That was just one of the innovative calls from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who dialed up seven gadget plays against Miami. Washington lined up once at the quarterback spot in the shotgun, and Smith did so three times.

"It was very satisfying," Washington said of his offensive touches. "I told coach Schottenheimer I was thankful to be given the opportunity to go out there and make plays."

"We've been looking at a few different looks from the quarterback position," coach Eric Mangini said. "Each week we have [unusual] plays out there. Sometimes we can get to them, sometimes not."

An unusual offensive play for Miami would be one that reaches the end zone. The Dolphins don't have an offensive score in rookie Beck's three starts, although he did quite a job of jump-starting the Jets' offense. He threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles.

"As an offense, you love that short field," said Clemens, who threw for 236 yards and one touchdown with one interception. "It's a testament to our defense and just how well they played."

Beck hadn't been picked off in his first two starts, but the Jets were able to rattle him.

"I think [beck] got a little gun-shy after he threw a couple of picks," said strong safety Kerry Rhodes, who had an interception for the third straight game. "He kept holding the ball."

The Jets held Miami scoreless in the second half to easily claim their fourth straight victory in the series and avoid the ignominy of taking the Dolphins off the hook of a winless season.

"We were underdogs to a team that hadn't won a game," tight end Chris Baker said. "So it was kind of like an insult that everybody was picking us to lose the game. ... We wanted to come out and show that we do have a good team despite our record."

"The Dolphins have some great players on the team," said running back Thomas Jones, who scored his first touchdown of the season, "and I feel sorry for the guys that they haven't had a win. We're just happy to come here and get a win."

While he was being sincere, Jones' sympathy wouldn't be much consolation to the Dolphins, who seem to be cracking under the weight of potentially making history in reverse of the way the perfect 1972 Miami team did.

"We're 0-12," said Miami defensive end Jason Taylor, who had two sacks. "It doesn't get much lower."

"We wanted to come out and show them that this isn't the game they're going to win," Baker said.

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com

* * *

JETS NOTES

Coles' courage

All week long, Laveranues Coles had been limited at practice or "used sparingly," as quarterback Kellen Clemens put it, because of a high ankle sprain.

But it wasn't the warm Florida sun that made Coles decide to play after early warm-ups. It was the eighth-year pro's sense of duty.

"Of course this hasn't been the type of season that has turned out the way I wanted it to," Coles said. "But I feel like I'm one of the guys that helps motivate this team. ... A lot of people would just pack it in and say, 'I'm dealing with something and hurting and I'll wait to try to heal to get back.' I didn't want to take that approach. I want to do everything possible to be on the field."

So Coles started and led Jets' receivers with five catches for 69 yards. Included was a 32-yarder that set up the Jets' first score.

"Some guys can play with certain things," coach Eric Mangini said with admiration, "[and] some guys can't. ... I respect [Coles'] inherent toughness."

Coles was unhappy about one thing Sunday. During a pregame moment of silence for Coles' friend, Washington safety Sean Taylor, and two South Florida officers killed in the line of duty, Coles said he heard someone in the crowd yelling something. "Whoever did that," Coles said, "you are a dummy. That was just disrespectful."

Jones finally scores

It took 11 games plus three quarters for Thomas Jones to find the end zone.

Jones rushed for 75 yards on 24 carries and scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, upping the Jets' lead to 30-13. The score came on his 226th carry of the season.

"Hopefully, by the end of the year," Jones said, "I'll get in the end zone a couple more times. We've had some issues in the red zone this year. I just haven't had a lot of situations like that on the goal line and that's a nice situation to have."

He can thank fellow running back Leon Washington, who carted an 18-yard shovel pass to the 1-yard line to set up the score.

Rough stuff

The 5-foot-8 Washington was shoved by 6-2, 245-pound Miami linebacker Channing Crowder after Michael Lehan's 43-yard fumble return for a second-quarter touchdown. Washington and Crowder were college rivals at Florida State and Florida, respectively. Crowder was called for unnecessary roughness.

"We love to talk trash to each other," said Washington, who said he had no ill will toward Crowder, "but we leave it all on the field."

-- J.P. Pelzman

* * *

JETS QUICK HITS

Bottom line

The Jets emphatically avoided becoming the Dolphins' first victims, and taking themselves out of the running for the No. 1 overall draft pick.

Best move

Take your pick -- was it Leon Washington's 18-yard touchdown run on a direct snap, or was it Kellen Clemens' 18-yard shovel pass to Washington that set up Thomas Jones' first touchdown of the season. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer called a terrific game.

What was he thinking?

Miami LB Channing Crowder and LT Vernon Carey drew penalties for extracurricular activities on Miami's TD and PAT, respectively, meaning the Dolphins had to kick off from their 8. The Jets scored a TD with the resulting short field.

Area of concern

Opponents are scheming to neutralize the Jets' kickoff returns, which have produced three touchdowns by Leon Washington. He averaged only 21.7 yards on three returns against the Dolphins.

Look ahead

The Jets (3-9) host Cleveland (7-5) in a coaching matchup between close friends Eric Mangini and the Browns' Romeo Crennel.

-- J.P. Pelzman

* * *

Games of the weak

The worst NFL matchups since 1970 featuring a winless team with 11 or more losses:

Season Winless team Opponent Score Combined rec.

1986 IND. (0-12) vs. S.D. (2-10) S.D. 17-3 2-22 .083

1986 IND. (0-11) at HOU. (2-9) HOU. 31-17 2-20 .091

2007 MIA. (0-11) vs. JETS (2-9) JETS 40-13 2-20 .091

1980 N.O. (0-14) at JETS (3-11) N.O. 21-20 3-25 .107

1977 T.B. (0-12) at N.O. (3-9) T.B. 33-14 3-21 .125

[Kentucky Jet]

Dolphins' free fall continues with loss to Jets

'This is by far the worst' team I've played on, Keith Traylor said after Miami lost to the lowly Jets.

Posted on Mon, Dec. 03, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

AL DIAZ / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Dolphins quarterback John Beck fumbles the ball after getting hit by Jets defensive end Bryan Thomas (99) in the third quarter of Sunday's game. It was a rough day for the rookie who threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles.

Dolphins nose guard Keith Traylor has been around a bit.

He has played for six teams during 16 NFL seasons. Won three Super Bowl rings. Missed the playoffs a few times, too. So surely, it's safe to say Traylor has seen some things during his lengthy career.

Never like this, though. Never this bad. What is the worst team he has ever been on?

''This one,'' said Traylor, dejected after a miserably embarrassing 40-13 loss to the rival Jets at Dolphin Stadium. ``This is by far the worst.''

On this particular Sunday, after a game that had been previously dubbed as the Dolphins' best remaining chance at a win this season, Traylor had more than enough evidence to support his case.

Take your pick. There were the Dolphins' five turnovers. The 30 unanswered points. The nonexistent running game. The continued inability to score an offensive touchdown in rookie quarterback John Beck's three starts.

And all of this was against a team, as teammate Jason Taylor so delicately put it, that hasn't exactly had much to boast about this season either. The Jets' rushing defense entered Sunday's game as the second-worst in the league. This time, it gave up just 37 yards.

Impressive? Apparently not.

MISERY LOVES COMPANY

''They [stink], too,'' Taylor said. ``They beat us, they'll go home happy and their fans will be happy they've got three wins this season. Good for them.''

Problem is, considering the Jets also just stomped the Dolphins for their 12th loss this season, Taylor's shot might have been as much of a slight against his own team as it was against his opponent.

For those who stopped counting -- such as Dolphins wide receiver Marty Booker, who has simply started referring to Miami's record as ''0-and-whatever'' -- the losses have begun to bleed together into a collective masterpiece of imperfection.

This one might still manage to stand out above the rest.

After a competitively close first half (the Dolphins actually led 13-10 with less than three minutes left in the second quarter), the growing pains of Miami's youthful offense caused far too many setbacks to overcome.

Beck, who got little help from his tight ends and the rest of his offensive line, struggled to deal with the Jets' heavy pass rush. He was sacked three times, fumbled three times and threw three interceptions.

''John obviously learned some tough lessons,'' coach Cam Cameron said. ``Sometimes incompletions can be a good thing in this business, and bottom line, hanging onto the football.''

Beck completed 23 of 39 passes for 177 yards. With a corps of young players all around him -- the offense put five rookies in prominent roles Sunday -- it certainly wasn't as if Beck was alone in his growing pains.

Then again, these pains seem to be plaguing older players, too.

''Veterans messed up, rookies messed up and it doesn't matter if you're young or old,'' Taylor said. ``We've all got to find a way to execute and play our best.''

The biggest highlight on offense came from an unsuspecting place, as rookie Lorenzo Booker actually led the team with six catches for 63 yards in his first game with an increased role.

Aside from that slight bright spot (yes, it's a reach), the most promising point in Sunday's game occurred before the implosion on offense. Midway through the second quarter, Will Allen forced a fumble with a hard hit on Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens that fell into the hands of fellow cornerback Michael Lehan and was returned for a touchdown.

PORTER'S PICK

Linebacker Joey Porter's interception in the second quarter -- compliments of a hard hit by safety Cameron Worrell on wide receiver Brad Smith that popped the ball into the air -- was also worthy of praise.

Regardless, those few momentum-changing highlights would only alter the Dolphins' energy for short spurts, eventually overtaken for good by the Jets' ability to counter with several turnovers of their own.

''It's actually hard to recall the excitement . . . I don't even remember what quarter that was,'' Lehan said of his touchdown. ``Whatever the final score was, 40-13 or something like that, that's what's ringing louder in my head as opposed to the play.''

And that, in some sad way, is what this season has come to.

Yes, at this point, it's becoming tougher by the day to chronicle the constant misery plaguing this team. But as was the case once more Sunday, some things are still too obvious to miss.

''They beat the mess out of us,'' Porter said. ``What do you want me to say?''

[Irish Jet]

''They [stink], too,'' Taylor said. ``They beat us, they'll go home happy and their fans will be happy they've got three wins this season. Good for them.''

That assclown dreams of having 3 wins.

[Kentucky Jet]

Grading the Dolphins

QUARTERBACK | F

John Beck is not a bust simply because he struggled Sunday. He played like a rookie, locking onto some receivers, then becoming

[Irish Jet]

Grading the Dolphins

QUARTERBACK | F

John Beck is not a bust simply because he struggled Sunday. He played like a rookie, locking onto some receivers, then becoming

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets pound hapless Dolphins

By STEVEN WINE

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Original publication: December 3, 2007)

MIAMI - A few thousand spectators remained when the Miami Dolphins called a timeout with 10 seconds left, triggering the most emphatic boos of a miserable afternoon.

For Miami fans, this is not a season to be prolonged.

Yesterday's game was touted as the Dolphins' best remaining chance to avoid the first 0-16 season in NFL history. Instead, they sustained their most lopsided defeat of the year. Rookie quarterback John Beck threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles, and Miami fell to 0-12 by falling to the Jets 40-13.

"It doesn't seem real to me," Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor said. "We're 0-12. It doesn't get much lower."

It could. The loss represented a big step - or stumble - toward a winless season.

"It definitely crosses your mind," nose tackle Keith Traylor said. "You see what's going on out there."

Despite the Dolphins' woeful record, they were favored by 1 1/2 points. Miami extended a franchise-record losing streak to 15 games, and Cam Cameron remained winless as an NFL head coach.

"They didn't have a win all season, but we were the underdog," said rookie linebacker David Harris, who had one of the Jets' three sacks. "They were favored to win, and that didn't sit well with us. We tried to go out there and prove that we were a good team."

Beck's turnovers helped the Jets do that. They led to a touchdown and three field goals.

In three starts, Beck has yet to direct the offense to a touchdown.

"Usually you don't get the multiple opportunities that you got there, but you're always trying to find the football when you're sacking the quarterback," Jets coach Eric Mangini said.

The Jets improved to 3-9 - with two of those victories over Miami.

"If you look at our record, every win is a big deal," Jets linebacker Victor Hobson said.

The Jets wore navy blue-and-gold throwback New York Titans uniforms and played like a new team, winning in a rout for the first time this season.

"They beat us," Taylor said. "They'll go home happy, and their fans will be happy that they got three wins this year. Good for them."

The Dolphins took a brief 13-10 lead in the second quarter on Michael Lehan's 43-yard fumble return for a touchdown, but they didn't score again. In the third quarter, Beck fumbled three times in a stretch of five Miami plays. The Jets recovered twice, leading to 10 points.

A third consecutive Dolphins series ended in a turnover when Beck was intercepted by Drew Coleman, setting up Mike Nugent's fourth field goal for a 33-13 Jets lead.

"They do some good things getting after the quarterback," Cameron said. "John learned obviously some tough lessons today."

Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes also had interceptions for the Jets, who came into the game with just nine all season.

"One of my strengths is taking care of the football, and today the football didn't get taken care of," Beck said.

Early in the game, Cameron's play-calling was so conservative that the crowd let out a mock roar when Beck finally threw a pass downfield, even though it fell incomplete. Despite the cautious approach, Miami's offense self-destructed while totaling only 187 yards.

Beck finished 23 for 39 for 177 yards. The interceptions were his first this season.

"I think he got a little gun-shy," Rhodes said. "He threw a couple of picks and started holding the ball a little bit. It was good coverage by us in the secondary, and the guys capitalized and made big plays."

The game was as lopsided as the rivalry has become. The Jets beat the Dolphins for the fourth time in a row and the 16th time in the past 20 meetings. The Jets' point total was their highest since they beat Miami 41-14 in 2004.

The Jets mounted four scoring drives of more than 50 yards, and running back Leon Washington hurt the Dolphins twice on trick plays.

Quarterback Kellen Clemens came out of the game on first down at the Miami 18, and Washington took the shotgun snap and ran in untouched for the touchdown, capping an 84-yard drive following the opening kickoff.

Late in the third quarter, on third-and-13 at the Miami 19, Washington caught a shovel pass from Clemens and ran to the 1, setting up a touchdown for a 30-13 lead.

Washington also scored on a 12-yard run with 1:52 left. Thomas Jones scored on a 1-yard run, his first touchdown of the season.

"It was much overdue to get him in the end zone, and it's good to see him be rewarded for all the tough yards he's had to grind out for us," Clemens said of Jones.

Notes: Jets wide receiver Laveranues Coles, who had been listed as questionable with an ankle injury, caught five passes for 69 yards. ... Dolphins running back Jesse Chatman aggravated an ankle injury and missed most of the second half. Safety Cameron Worrell hurt his knee and will undergo an MRI today.

[Kentucky Jet]

Dolphins' resolve shaken after loss to Jets

By STEVEN WINE

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Original publication: December 3, 2007)

MIAMI - Let the finger-pointing begin. The unified front presented by the winless Miami Dolphins is beginning to crack.

Through the first three months of the season, the players said effort wasn't the problem and blame for their failure was collective. The tone in the locker room changed after the latest defeat, a 40-13 meltdown yesterday against the woeful Jets.

Nose tackle Keith Traylor accused unspecified teammates of selfishness.

"It definitely feels that way from certain individuals," Traylor said. "It seems like we're doing this for some other reason than victories. There seems to be something else going on out there. It definitely doesn't seem like we're all after the same thing.

"If you have competitive spirit, you want a victory. You don't want to go down in history as the worst team ever."

Five turnovers by rookie quarterback John Beck doomed the Dolphins' latest bid for a win, and they were outscored 30-0 over the final 33 minutes to fall to 0-12.

Since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970, only three other teams - the 1986 Indianapolis Colts (0-13), 1980 New Orleans Saints (0-14) and 1976 Tampa Bay Bucs (0-14) - have gotten off to worse starts.

The '76 Bucs, who were in their first season as an expansion franchise, are the only team to finish a full NFL season without a victory. But in four more weeks, they could have company.

Defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday said Miami's latest loss was different from the others.

"It's amazing. Until today, I felt like the will and the character of the team has been so strong in all situations," Holliday said. "Today it seems like we lost a little bit of that. It felt like the wheels fell off the wagon."

The loss was especially galling because the Jets are only 3-9, with two of those wins against the Dolphins.

"This is as low as it's been," Holliday said. "A game against the Jets ... if there's ever an opportunity to win a game after fighting the way we've fought for the last three or four weeks, it was today. This is a tough one."

Miami has not scored an offensive touchdown in three consecutive games - 13 quarters overall - a franchise record.

Defense yesterday was a problem, too. The Jets mounted scoring drives of 84, 76, 57 and 56 yards. They outgained Miami 372-187, including a 163-37 edge in rushing yardage.

Judging from some of the reaction, however, the sting wasn't so much how the Dolphins lost, but how some players reacted to it.

"If you came in the locker room and a bunch of guys were happy after losing ... they're in the wrong game," Miami defensive end Jason Taylor said. "We've got the wrong guys in the locker room. And I don't need to be here. ...

"When you put your heart and soul into something, and you work your butt off all week to prepare and get a chance to go out and play, and don't get the results - keep doing that over and over and we don't get the results - something's got to change."

Florida Today contributed to this report.

[Kentucky Jet]

For Miami, Losses and Anger Mount

E-Mail

By CHARLIE NOBLES

Published: December 3, 2007

MIAMI, Dec. 2

[Kentucky Jet]

MIAMI, Dec. 2

[Kentucky Jet]

December 3, 2007

Jets Show Some Promise, Albeit Against Dolphins

Football

By MICHAEL DAVID SMITH

December 3, 2007

As bad a year as 2007 has been for the Jets, at least they can take solace in this: They're not the worst team in the NFL.

A 40–13 victory over the winless Miami Dolphins gave the Jets a season sweep of their lowly division rivals and established them, despite a 3–9 record, as unequivocally better than at least one NFL team.

The Jets' defense had one of its better games yesterday, although it was really more a matter of the Dolphins' offense having a terrible game. Rookie Miami quarterback John Beck was overmatched all day, completing 23 of 39 passes for 177 yards, with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Many of the Dolphins' passing yards came in garbage time, and on the ground the Dolphins managed just 37 yards on 18 carries.

Once again, the Jets' best defensive player was rookie linebacker David Harris, who finished with a team-high eight tackles, plus a sack and a forced fumble. If Harris played for a better team than the Jets, he'd be a candidate for the defensive rookie of the year award.

And if the Jets could play every week against teams as bad as the Dolphins, a lot of their defensive players would look like stars. Defensive backs Kerry Rhodes, Darrelle Revis, and Drew Coleman all had interceptions yesterday, and the way Beck threw the ball, the Jets should have had more than just three picks. The Dolphins fell to 0–12 yesterday, and they appear to have a good chance at becoming the first 0–16 team in NFL history.

But while yesterday's game was more about the Dolphins playing badly than it was about the Jets playing well, quarterback Kellen Clemens put together an impressive performance. Clemens finished 15-of-24 for 236 yards, with a touchdown and an interception, statistically the best of his five games as the Jets' starter.

The Jets' first possession was one of their best offensive series of the year. On a 12-play, 84-yard touchdown drive, Clemens looked poised and collected, completing four of five passes for 56 yards. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer finished the drive by calling a trick play, with running back Leon Washington taking a direct snap and running around the right end for an 18-yard touchdown.

Clemens showed off his arm strength on several passes. A 32-yard completion to Laveranues Coles on third-and-12 kept the first drive alive. A 51-yard pass to Justin McCareins in the second quarter was a thing of beauty. And even Clemens's interception came on a well-thrown ball over the middle to Brad Smith in the second quarter, although the ball was deflected and picked off by Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter.

Where Clemens still struggles is in recognizing the pass rush and getting rid of the ball before the opposing defense gets to him. Clemens was sacked six times, which is in part attributable to problems on the Jets' offensive line (especially left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who had a bad day against Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor) but is mostly because Clemens hasn't yet learned how to identify a blitz and react accordingly. That's a common problem with young quarterbacks.

The most costly of the six sacks came in the second quarter, when Clemens dropped back to pass on a third down and Dolphins cornerback Will Allen blitzed. Jets tight end Chris Baker missed a block, and Allen hit Clemens, forcing a fumble that Dolphins cornerback Michael Lehan plucked out of the air and returned 43 yards for a touchdown.

That gave the Dolphins a 13–10 lead, and it looked like the Jets would suffer the ignominy of handing the Dolphins their first win of the season. But Clemens hit Smith with a 19-yard touchdown pass on the Jets' next possession, and for the rest of the game, the Jets dominated.

"The Jets dominated" is something no one has been able to say this year; their previous wins, against the Dolphins in September and against the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago, came by three points apiece. The Jets are a long way from being a good team, but they proved yesterday that they're also a long way from being the worst team in the NFL. For the Jets, that's progress.

[#27TheDominator]

I hate it when the punter mi****s on the field!

[Thor99]

I hate it when the punter mi****s on the field!

It's bugging the hell out of me... What is it supposed to be?

[#27TheDominator]

It's bugging the hell out of me... What is it supposed to be?

It's mis-hits. Not mi****s!

[Thor99]

It's mis-hits. Not mi****s!

Ahhh... My retardation knows no bounds.

Many thanks.