Jets news articles 12/4

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets: A win is a win

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS- Journal News

(Original publication: December 4, 2007)

HEMPSTEAD - Take that, oddsmakers!

The Jets left Miami overwhelming winners after going there as one-point underdogs, motivated by the lack of respect and determined not to be the winless Dolphins' first victims.

"Everybody picked us to lose," linebacker Victor Hobson said after the Jets' 40-13 win Sunday. "I guess that stops all those rumors."

If the Jets (3-9) sounded somewhat bitter after the win - an upset, if you believed oddsmakers - it was for good reason.

"I feel bad for those who took the points," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said. "That's just the way it works. It's one of those things where you can't control what people think."

Coach Eric Mangini insisted he didn't focus on the underdog talk in his pregame meetings. He also said he didn't spur the Jets on by reminding them that they didn't want to be the first to lose to the Dolphins.

"I would never boil the season down like that," Mangini said yesterday. "To me, it's the next game and each opponent is important, not getting caught up with whatever the issues are that really don't affect the outcome of the game. That, to me, just adds distractions."

Some of the players, who enjoyed a well-deserved day off yesterday, were clearly focused on not being embarrassed.

"Obviously, Miami's season hasn't gone the way they would have liked, but in some ways we can relate," quarterback Kellen Clemens said after the game. "We approached it like it was the most important game of the week."

The Jets had their biggest scoring outburst since a 41-14 victory over Miami in 2004. It was also perhaps the Jets' most complete game of the season.

"I was pleased with the way that we played on Sunday across the board," Mangini said.

The Jets outgained the Dolphins 372 yards to 187, took advantage of turnovers, converted on third down and stopped Miami in similar situations. The Jets also got a good game from Clemens and got Thomas Jones into the end zone. After 225 carries and endless questions about his touchdown drought, Jones scored for the first time as a member of the Jets.

"It wasn't one of those things where I thought, 'God, we've got to get Thomas a touch so these guys stop asking about it,' " Mangini said with a smile.

The Jets will have another day to relax before regrouping tomorrow and preparing for Cleveland. Sure, the win was against a team in danger of becoming the league's first 0-16 squad, but it still felt good - underdogs or not.

"Getting a win against anyone is great," linebacker Bryan Thomas said. "Our opponent's record doesn't dictate if it's the biggest win or the smallest win. A win, period, is just great."

[Kentucky Jet]

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Dec. 3

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets vs. Browns: Time For Payback

By Joe Caporoso | December 4th, 2007

Before I begin my article, I

[Kentucky Jet]

Washington helps Schottenheimer get Jets offense flying

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had gone from Boy Wonder to Mr. Predictable.

If the Jets were in the red zone, look for a fade pass to wide receiver Laveranues Coles. If it was first down, look for a run into the line. If the Jets needed 5 yards, look for a short out pattern.

Last season, Schottenheimer's semi-no-huddle offense, predicated on an array of personnel packages, presnap shifts and motions, was all the rage and earned him an interview for the Dolphins head coaching job. This season, he and the Jets weren't fooling anybody after opposing defensive coordinators had an off-season to study him.

Schottenheimer's countermove finally came Sunday in a 40-13 rout of the Dolphins. Aided by great field position that resulted from five forced turnovers by the defense, Schottenheimer blended smashmouth football with his clever personnel packages and had a coming-out party.

The difference-maker was running back/kick returner Leon Washington, who had a limited role in the offense this season despite returning three kickoffs for touchdowns. Sunday, Washington rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns on only 10 carries, all season highs, and caught two passes for 35 yards.

This season, in his desire to get everyone involved in his offense, Schottenheimer has been counterproductive. The Jets offense ranked 30th in the NFL entering the game. Turns out the playmaker he needed to spark the offense was right under his nose in Washington.

"You can't say enough good things about his ability, both coming out of the backfield and lining up as a wide receiver," quarterback Kellen Clemens said. "He's just a very talented, very explosive player."

The threat of Washington, it seems, opened up the offense. His ability to take direct snaps and traditional handoffs or line up at wide receiver had the Dolphins confused.

"It put some pressure on the defense to adjust and decide who they were going to cover," coach Eric Mangini said.

The presence of a banged-up Coles (high left ankle sprain) also helped immensely. Opposing defenses had been doubling and tripling him because the Jets had no other playmakers.

With Washington and Coles as threats, Schottenheimer got creative.

In the red zone, he employed trickery, using direct snaps to Washington and wide receiver Brad Smith, shovel passes and misdirection. Five of seven gadget plays came in the red zone. Schottenheimer, however, also turned to Thomas Jones, who had his first rushing touchdown of the season on his 226th carry. He finished with 75 yards on 24 carries.

Clemens stretched the field with a 51-yard pass to wide receiver Justin McCareins and a 32-yarder to Coles. Schottenheimer likely had more long-distance plays dialed up but Clemens was sacked six times, including one on which his fumble was returned 43 yards for a touchdown.

The Jets finished with 372 yards total offense, including a season-high 163 yards rushing. They were 10-of-18 in third-down situations.

"We got into a pretty good rhythm," said Clemens, who completed 15 of 24 passes for 236 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The turnovers enabled Schottenheimer to be more aggressive and that put the Dolphins' defense on its heels. But the Jets' much-criticized play-caller was in a zone.

Consider:

A direct snap to Washington resulted in an 18-yard touchdown.

A cleverly called shovel pass to Washington also netted 18 yards and another one to Jones gained 25 yards.

A misdirection play in which Clemens faked a run to Washington going left and then rolled right to hit Smith, who cut across the grain for a 19-yard touchdown.

A 51-yard pass to wide receiver McCareins on a first down, which traveled nearly 60 yards in the air.

"Our defense played well," Clemens said. "Our average starting field position was great ... and as an offense you love the short field."

Note: Mangini yesterday refused to rule out WR Jerricho Cotchery (broken right index finger) for the season.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets brushed off underdog status with impressive victory over Dolphins

Dec 03, 2007

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -Take that, oddsmakers!

The New York Jets left Miami overwhelming winners after going there as one-point underdogs, motivated by the lack of respect and determined not to be the winless Dolphins' first victims.

"Everybody picked us to lose," linebacker Victor Hobson said after the Jets' 40-13 win Sunday. "I guess that stops all those rumors."

If the Jets (3-9) sounded somewhat bitter after the win - an upset, if you believed oddsmakers - it was for good reason.

"I feel bad for those who took the points," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said. "That's just the way it works. It's one of those things where you can't control what people think."

Coach Eric Mangini insisted Monday that he didn't focus on the underdog talk in his pregame meetings with the team. He also said he didn't spur the Jets on by reminding them that they didn't want to be the first to lose to the Dolphins.

"I would never boil the season down like that," Mangini said. "To me, it's the next game and each opponent is important, not getting caught up with whatever the issues are that really don't affect the outcome of the game. That, to me, just adds distractions."

That's a fair point, but some of the players, who enjoyed a well-deserved day off Monday, were clearly focused on not being embarrassed.

"Obviously, Miami's season hasn't gone the way they would have liked, but in some ways we can relate," quarterback Kellen Clemens said after the game. "We approached it like it was the most important game of the week."

And they certainly played that way. New York had its biggest scoring outburst since a 41-14 victory over Miami in 2004. It was also perhaps the Jets' most complete game of the season.

"I was pleased with the way that we played on Sunday across the board," Mangini said, a statement he hasn't been able to utter much this season.

Wearing their Titans throwback uniforms, the Jets outgained the Dolphins 372 yards to 187, took advantage of turnovers, regularly converted on third down and stopped Miami in similar situations. New York also got a good game from Clemens and finally got Thomas Jones into the end zone.

After 225 carries and an endless number of questions about his touchdown drought, Jones scored for the first time as a member of the Jets.

"It wasn't one of those things where I thought, 'God, we've got to get Thomas a touch so these guys stop asking about it,"' Mangini said with a smile. "It was more of, 'I'm happy when anybody wearing the Jets or Titans uniform - New York Titans, not Tennessee - gets into the end zone."'

Clemens quieted some of his critics, who have been quick to point out that the second-year quarterback has struggled to complete more than 50 percent of his passes and been erratic since replacing Chad Pennington as the starter. He was efficient in going 15-of-24 for 236 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

"There were a lot of things I was happy with about his play," said Mangini, who pointed out that Clemens spread the ball to eight receivers and put pressure on Miami's defense by getting everyone involved.

Coles led the Jets with five catches, despite playing with a sprained ankle that caused him to miss last week's game at Dallas. He was clearly not completely healthy and missed most of the second half.

"I thought he did a great job," Mangini said. "He had some big third-down receptions. He fought through a difficult situation and he's been so diligent with trying to get ready to play these games and not being able to have the practice time he usually has."

Whether Coles gets that this week is unclear. Mangini said it's "an ongoing process," as is the recovery of fellow receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who's sidelined with what is reportedly a broken right index finger.

The Jets will have another day to relax and relish their victory before regrouping Wednesday and preparing for the Cleveland Browns. Sure, the win was against a team in serious danger of becoming the league's first 0-16 squad, but it still felt plenty good - underdogs or not.

"Getting a win against anyone is great," linebacker Bryan Thomas said. "Our opponent's record doesn't dictate if it's the biggest win or the smallest win. A win, period, is just great."

[Kentucky Jet]

NOT DOGGING IT

December 4, 2007 -- QUARTERBACKS B

Kellen Clemens (15-23, 236 yards, one TD, one INT, 91.7 rating) bounced back well after his Thanksgiving clunker, managing this game well. He was very good on third downs and orchestrated nifty gadget plays.

RUNNING BACKS A-

Thomas Jones (24-75 rushing, 1-25 re ceiving), averaged 3.1 yards per carry, but helped wear down the Dolphins and scored his first TD as a Jet. Leon Washington (10-68, two TDs; 2-35) was at his dynamic best.

WIDE RECEIVERS B

Laveranues Coles, despite his bad left ankle, led all receivers with five catches for 69 yards. With no Jerricho Cotchery (finger injury), Brad Smith (1-19, TD), Justin McCareins (1-51) and Wallace Wright (2-24) pitched in well.

TIGHT ENDS B

Though he missed block on a damaging blitz/sack/forced fumble that gave Miami its only TD, Chris Baker (2-10) did some strong blocking in the running game.

OFFENSIVE LINE B

The line did a good job blocking in the run ning game, as evidenced by the 163 rushing yards and three rushing TDs. Clemens was sacked six times, but a couple were coverage sacks.

DEFENSIVE LINE C+

Big game for DT CJ Mosley, who had a sack, forced fumble and three tackles. Sioni Pouha (two tackles) was active. The line produced some decent push up front and also helped hold Miami to 37 rushing yards.

LINEBACKERS B+

David Harris had eight solo tackles and a sack and forced fumble and recovery. Good job by Victor Hobson (five tackles), who wrestled the ball away on a Bryan Thomas sack and forced fumble.

SECONDARY B+

S Kerry Rhodes (four tackles) had an INT for the third straight game. CB Darrelle Revis (four tackles) and CB Drew Coleman had INTs. Tight coverage resulted in big-play sacks.

SPECIAL TEAMS B

Matt Chatham, Erik Coleman and Drew Coleman each had two tackles in kick cov erage. Washington averaged a quiet 21.7 yards on kickoff returns. Kick coverage kept Miami's Ted Ginn Jr. to a 24.8-yard average.

KICKING GAME B

K Mike Nugent had a career-high four FGs and 16 points. P Ben Graham, with a 30.5-yard average on two punts, struggled.

COACHING B+

Eric Mangini had his players stoked, de termined not to lose to the favored 0-11 Dol phins. Credit offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for sticking with the running game and mixing in some gadget plays. Good mix of run blitzes and coverage schemes set by defensive co ordinator Bob Sutton.

[Kentucky Jet]

ANOTHER GOOD 'BYE' FOR MANGINI & JETS

By BRIAN LEWIS

December 4, 2007 -- The evasive Eric Mangini would rather give a quart of blood than a hint of what goes on in the Jets' film rooms, so getting an answer on what kind of changes the coach has made during bye weeks is like getting an answer from the CIA. But for the second straight season, whatever changes Mangini has made have turned out golden.

The Jets were off yesterday, still basking in the afterglow of Sunday's 40-13 laugher at Miami. They forced a season-high five turnovers in their best defensive performance of the season - a season that again turned with some tinkering by Mangini during the bye three weeks ago.

"There were multiple things we changed defensively that we either expanded or took out. I wouldn't say it's one glaring thing [where we said] 'OK, that's it. I don't know how we missed that pink elephant, that's the one,' " said Mangini, who insists his defense wasn't really as bad as it looked early in the year, and has improved as new players settled in.

"We've had different people working this scheme this year," he said, alluding to four new starters: first-round pick Darrelle Revis, Abram Elam, Kenyon Coleman and David Harris. "As those reps build and those people work together, and you get a chance to step back and look at some of the assumptions you made going into the season versus what the reality is . . . it all plays in together."

Whatever assumptions Mangini has corrected, the results have been solid.

Last year the Jets surrendered 24.1 points-per-game before their bye, but came out of their week off with an emotionally-charged 17-14 upset win at New England, and held their opponents to 12.75 points the rest of the campaign. This season has been the same.

They lost eight of their nine games through the bye week, allowing 25.3 points and ranking 30th in total defense. But they came out of their bye week with a 19-16 upset victory over Pittsburgh, and, after stumbling in Dallas, didn't allow an offensive touchdown Sunday.

"Our record is really not reflective of the team that we are," linebacker Victor Hobson said. "It was a big deal for us."

The Jets were able to pressure Dolphins rookie quarterback John Beck despite not blitzing as much as usual, and they didn't let any receivers get open deep. Much of that was due to the continued development of Revis, who after getting burned in the slot Week 4 against Buffalo, had an interception in the Jets' second game against the Bills (Oct. 28) and another pick Sunday.

"He's made quite a bit of improvement," Mangini said. "It may not be big jumps, but he has very good work ethic. He takes the coaching and puts it into his practice and preparation the next week . . . As long as he continues to work the way he does, he'll continue to improve every day."

brian.lewis@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Don't try to tell the 3-9 Jets that the last month of the 2007 season is meaningless.

"It matters," rookie cornerback Darrelle Revis said about the rest of the season, "because we have a (few) more games left and it's just good to finish out the season on a good note, and then focus on what we need to do going into next year."

That's the attitude the Jets will take as they face the final few weeks of the season, one at a time. It's an attitude embodied by one of their offensive captains, wide receiver Laveranues Coles. He started and had five receptions in the 40-13 win over Miami despite playing on a still-gimpy left ankle after being injured against Pittsburgh two weeks ago. Coles never wavered in his desire to play, even though the Jets have been out of contention for weeks.

Revis and the rest of the players spoke after the game Sunday. They were given Monday off, a rare "victory Monday" for the Jets.

"He sets the bar for all of us," wide receiver Wallace Wright said of Coles.

Left guard Adrien Clarke said, "Every game is just as important as the next."

Even in the final stages of a season that won't turn out the way the Jets had hoped.

"They're highly important," center Nick Mangold said of the four remaining games, which begin with Cleveland at home on Sunday. "Because as a competitor and as a football player, you go out to win games. That's your job and that's what you're supposed to do. If we didn't have that kind of competitiveness, the guys here wouldn't be in this room. (The games) are all still very important."

"This win is definitely good for our morale," linebacker David Bowens said. "But what's the next step? (We will) just keep going one week at a time. I know it sounds redundant, but I think that's the professional thing and a professional approach."

"I'm happy with the way guys have worked over the course of the season," coach Eric Mangini said. "Sometimes it doesn't come around as quickly as you'd like, and you don't make the progress you'd like as quickly as you'd like to, but I'm happy with the progress we've made over the last few weeks."

The Jets' next three games are against teams that currently have winning records, with road games against New England and Tennessee after the Cleveland contest. But being a spoiler isn't a goal for Mangini, who has preached over and over that looking at an opponent's record is a distraction.

"We should have the same focus," Mangini said Monday, "regardless of what the record of our opponent is."

NOTES, QUOTES

[Kentucky Jet]

Extra rest proves beneficial for weary Jets' defense against Dolphins

BY KRISTIE ACKERT

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Tuesday, December 4th 2007, 4:00 AM

Maybe Eric Mangini and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton should petition the NFL for an extra bye week or some more Thursday games. The Jets' defense seems to thrive on extra rest.

Sunday, having rested up after their Thanksgiving blowout loss in Dallas, the Jets allowed the Dolphins to score on only two field goals - Miami's lone touchdown came on a fumble return. It was was the second time in three weeks that Gang Green had won after a break - the Jets stunned the Steelers, 19-16, the week after their bye.

"There were multiple things we changed defensively that we either expanded the package or took the package out (during the bye week)," Eric Mangini said. "I wouldn't say there was one glaring thing."

HUSH-HUSH: Mangini would not comment on the status of WR Jericho Cotchery, who the Daily News reported on Saturday had surgery on his finger.

[Kentucky Jet]

Thumbs-up to Jets' secondary for watching film

BY TOM ROCK | tom.rock@newsday.com

December 4, 2007

MIAMI - Ebert continued on after Siskel, and so Kerry Rhodes trudges through his film reviews without Jonathan Vilma.

For almost two years, the two Jets defenders were almost inseparable study partners, crunching opponents frame by frame before taking the field and trying to continue to crunch. They would alternate homes, spending evenings and days off in their pursuit of perfection.

But when Vilma's season ended with a knee injury last month, it left Rhodes all alone in front of the screen. But not for long.

Rhodes quickly recruited some new study partners - rookie cornerback Darrelle Revis and safety Abram Elam - to join him in the weekly dissection. So far it's been paying off. Rhodes has three interceptions in the last three games while Revis has been playing stellar defense and notched his second pick of the season on Sunday against the Dolphins.

Rhodes and Revis have a chance to become one of the top secondary combinations in the league. R&R certainly doesn't mean rest and relaxation for opposing quarterbacks. "After Jon got hurt, he approached me," Revis said. "He said, 'Hey, let's get better as a secondary and watch film together and make sure we're all on the same page.'"

They even have a friendly competition to see who can get the most interceptions in each game. Sunday's was a draw as each of them had one.

Twice in the last two games Rhodes has picked off a pass inside the Jets' 10 with Revis in tight coverage on the receiver. Revis dropped a sure-thing interception against the Cowboys, which cost him something (his pride, perhaps?) in his competition with Rhodes.

Sunday

Cleveland at Jets

4:15 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WABC (770), WEPN (1050)