Kentucky Jet Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Patriots to test Jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 Jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 SCHILLING TAKES SHOT AT JET FANS By JUSTIN TERRANOVA Posted: 4:24 am September 10, 2008 It's a shame Curt Schilling's contract incentives are based on the pitches he throws on the mound instead of the nonsense that comes out of his mouth. The loudmouth Red Sox starter, who is sidelined for the entire 2008 season following shoulder surgery, sounded off on New York's sports fans for reveling in the fact Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will miss the entire season. "The euphoria in New York is palpable," Schilling told WEEI Radio in Boston. "The YankeesNew York Yankees suck this year and they are bitter and mad and making excuses over that. Now they got Tom going down so New York's excited. It's unfortunate, but when you crawl to the top of the pile you will have people trying to knock you down." Not quite the top - Schilling apparently forgot the GiantsNew York Giants own the Lombardi Trophy after beating Brady and the Patriots in last year's Super Bowl. After blasting New York fans for being enthused over Brady's injury, Schilling took the time to remind Pinstriped loyalists he was a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks when they beat the Yankees in the 2001 World Series. "I was front row and center when their 'dynasty' ended," Schilling said. Schilling then praised the fans of Boston, who have long been known for respecting the Yankees and rooting for nothing but good health for their stars. "They want us to be as bitter and mad as they are," Schilling said. "Unfortunately, it's not going to happen." Schilling also guaranteed a Patriots win in the Meadowlands Sunday over the JetsNew York Jets when the two rivals meet in a much-hyped early-season showdown. "The sad part is going to be when they beat the Jets next week," Schilling said. "Then they are going to come up with something else." Matt Cassel will get the start this week against the Jets despite the fact he has thrown a total of 57 NFL passes and has not started a game since high school. justin.terranova@nypost.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 BOOKIE: BRADY LOSS MOVED LINE 11 POINTS POWER SHIFT: The injury to Tom Brady (above) has made... Posted: 4:24 am September 10, 2008 ATTENTION JetsNew York Jets fans: The bookmakers believe. The experts making the odds have installed the Jets as two-point favorites (they opened as three-point favorites Sunday night) to beat the hated Patriots in their home opener at Giants Stadium. That means the bookmakers believe the Jets are going to bring a 2-0 record and the AFC East lead with them when they fly to San Diego next week to play the Chargers in the teams' Monday night showdown Sept. 22. That means the bookies see the Jets and the Brady-less Patriots as on virtually even ground right now since the general rule in NFL oddsmaking is the home team has a three-point advantage. Richard Gardner, the sports book manager for Bodog, an offshore betting service, told The Post the betting line for the Jets-Patriots game, had Brady not been hurt and New England won the game with relative ease, would have had the Patriots favored by nine points. Gardner said even if a healthy Brady and the Patriots had struggled to win and the score was 17-10, what they won by without Brady, the Patriots would have been favored by five points. "Brady's injury is worth about a full touchdown," Gardner said. "For a line to move that way on one player's injury is really unheard of. It really is that big a deal." Gardner said before the Brady injury, on the future market the Patriots were a 7-2 favorite to win the Super Bowl and the Jets were 25-1. Now, he said, the Patriots are 20-1 and the Jets are 15-1. "On a neutral field, the teams would be about equal," he said. "There are a number of things that impact the line. Most of the time, you try to get into the psyche of the bettors. The sports fan out there is going to say that Cassel did nothing to impress them and then you've got the mojo that is Brett Favre." So there you have it. The bookmakers believe. Now the question is this: Do you believe? Also: Do the Jets believe? The Jets, of course, have been predictably cautious since news of Brady's injury surfaced. They've talked about how "loaded" the Patriots are even without Brady. They've talked about Bill Belichick's prowess in crisis management. They've said all the right things about the unproven Cassel even though he hasn't started a game that counts since high school. Most of all, the Jets have talked about tending to their own kitchen, focusing on what they have on their team and not what the Patriots won't be bringing with them to Giants Stadium on Sunday. This is a smart thought process. "Going into the year we looked at the upgrades (we made) on our offense and defense and we want to go to the Super Bowl this year," tight end Chris BakerChris Baker said. "So we can only focus on what we can handle and what we can do. We really can't worry about what (losing Brady) that does to them." Baker went on to say the Jets are "definitely optimistic" about this season, particularly after their victory Sunday in Miami. The addition of Favre has only served to enhance that optimism. Favre, who's still learning the offensive system, joked after the Miami game Sunday that there was a time or two when he would simply look at the guys in the huddle, eschewing whatever was called, and say, "OK, same play. Break." Eric Mangini quipped, "A couple of times I wish he called 'same play' and vetoed the stuff we sent in. Any port in the storm." Favre's experience and enthusiasm has the Jets believing even more than they believed before he got here. "Brett likes football," GM Mike Tannenbaum, the chief recruiter of Favre, said. "The only reason he came back was because he likes football. He could be home right now. He set every meaningful record there is. He's won a Super Bowl. "We've got a lot of good people here. I think we have a good story to tell." mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 Giants, Jets Have Bright Futures in the Secondary By MICHAEL DAVID SMITH | September 10, 2008 New York Giants rookie safety Kenny Phillips runs a drill during football training camp in Albany, N.Y., Friday, July 25, 2008. (AP Photo In the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Jets rookie cornerback Dwight Lowery deflected two straight passes in the end zone from Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington, ending a potential scoring drive in a game the Jets would win 20-14. Those were just a few plays out of dozens that helped the Giants and Jets win their season openers, but they were two plays that disclosed a great deal about the future of the Giants and the Jets. The plays were emblematic of the way both the Giants and the Jets have stocked their defenses with young, athletic, and aggressive defensive backs, a group of players who are all 26 or younger and should be the nucleus of a couple of good pass defenses this year and for several years to come. The Giants have so much depth in the secondary that Phillips hasn't been able to crack the starting lineup, even though he was this year's first-round draft pick and is by all appearances a star in the making. For now, the 21-year-old Phillips starts the game on the bench behind a couple of safeties who joined the Giants with significantly lower expectations but who have proven themselves to be more than capable at a young age. James Butler, who came to the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005, got the start at strong safety on Thursday, and he showed that he can be a force against the run. Butler, a 25-year-old who became a starter last season after two years contributing mostly on special teams, tackled Redskins running back Clinton Portis five times Thursday night, all after short runs that were well short of first-down yardage. The Giants' other starting safety is Michael Johnson, a 2007 seventh-round draft pick who became one of the pleasant surprises of last season. The 24-year-old Johnson started five games on defense as a rookie and played well Thursday, although he's likely to lose the starting job to Phillips at some point this season. Starting at cornerback for the Giants are the 25-year-old Aaron Ross, last year's first-round draft pick, and Corey Webster, a 2005 second-round pick who at age 26 is the old man of the bunch. Only a few teams in the NFL can match the Giants' youth and talent in the secondary. The Jets are one of the few. The 22-year-old Lowery far exceeded expectations in his first NFL game; when the Jets took him in the fourth round out of San Jose State, he was viewed more as a project than an impact player. But Justin Miller, who would ordinarily start at cornerback, missed Sunday's game with a foot injury, and on the basis of Sunday's game, it seems safe to conclude that whenever Miller is healthy enough to play, he's unlikely to beat out Lowery for the starting job. The Jets' other starting cornerback, the 23-year-old Darrelle Revis, intercepted Pennington's pass on the Dolphins' last play to seal the win for the Jets. Revis was a first-round draft pick who started all 16 games as a rookie in 2007, and based on the way he played in the first game of the season, he appears poised to have an even better year in 2008. Revis was matched up one-on-one with Dolphins receiver Ted Ginn for most of the game Sunday, and Ginn ended the day catching just two of the six passes Pennington threw him, for 17 yards. The Jets are one of the strongest teams in the league at safety, with the 25-year-old Eric Smith and, especially, the 26-year-old Kerry Rhodes. Aggressive plays near the line of scrimmage are Rhodes's specialty, and on the first play of Miami's final drive Sunday, Rhodes put the Dolphins in a hole by keeping running back Ricky Williams in bounds as he tackled him for a 2-yard loss. The Jets' secondary will face an interesting test on Sunday, when the New England Patriots come to town. A year ago Randy Moss made Revis look bad in his first pro game, catching nine passes for 183 yards as the Patriots embarrassed the Jets at the Meadowlands. But this year, with Tom Brady hurt, the game will be very different. The one-on-one matchup between Revis and Moss will be a great one to watch, although Revis is basically in a no-win situation: He'll get the blame if Moss plays well, but if he shuts Moss down, everyone will say it's because Matt Cassel is no Tom Brady. That's the way it so often works in the NFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 Brett Favre's improvising ways draw rave reviews from Jets' teammates BY Rich Cimini DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Tuesday, September 9th 2008, 8:28 PM Benc/Getty Alan Faneca and Jets have embraced Sports Illustrated coverboy Brett Favre's freewheeling style. Remember when you were a kid, playing touch football in the street? Your quarterback probably sounded like this in the huddle: Run to the fire hydrant, cut right and I'll hit you at the blue Chevy. Sometimes the Jets get that vibe in their huddle, listening to Brett Favre. "His actual in-game operation is unlike anything that I've been around," tight end Chris Baker said. "It's fun and pretty cool... Some of the things he does, it's almost like when you were a little kid playing in the sandlot, saying, 'Go do this.' You do it, and it works." On Sunday, Favre said there were a couple of times in his Jets debut when he just "winged it" because he wasn't certain of the play call from the coaches. The night before, in his hotel room, he scribbled plays on a sheet of paper, an 11th-hour cram session. During moments of indecision, he simply told the huddle, "Same play." That, no doubt, prompted some puzzled looks. Every play in every NFL playbook is choreographed, and often times it takes only one false step by one of the 11 players to throw the entire thing out of whack. Then along comes Favre, the ultimate improviser. It adds to Favre's charm, especially when the plays work. They worked in Miami, where he threw two touchdowns - a 56-yard wing and a 22-yard prayer. Make no mistake, there will be times when his ad-libbing backfires, drawing the ire of his micro-managing coach, Eric Mangini, but it'll be worth it. Why? Because Favre, this week's Sports Illustrated coverboy, gives the Jets something they haven't had in a long time: Swagger. They didn't have that under Chad Pennington. He was popular among his teammates, but he was a methodical, by-the-book, 10-play-drive kind of quarterback. Problem was, the nickels and dimes didn't add up to a whole lot of money at the end of the day. That was the case on Sunday. He completed almost twice as many passes as Favre, but what did it get him? A big 'L.' The Jets respect Pennington too much to say anything bad about him, but it's obvious they're smitten with Favre's charisma and go-for-broke approach. You can hear it in their voices. He exudes confidence, which instills confidence in those around him. Sometimes an intangible like that outweighs a completion percentage.The big question is whether Mangini will let Brett be Brett. It's an odd-couple marriage, for sure, but Mangini is smart enough to know when to provide additional slack on his QB leash. When he heard about Favre's "Same Play" calls, Mangini laughed and said, "A couple of times, I wish he had called the same play and vetoed the stuff we sent in." Jenkins has nose for stopping run The big fella made his presence felt in Miami. Even though he was double-teamed only a handful of times in 27 snaps, massive NT Kris Jenkins made an impact in the run defense. Consider: On nine running plays with Jenkins in the game, the Dolphins gained only 22 yards - a 2.4-yard average. There was a dropoff when he was replaced by backup Sione Pouha. On seven runs with Pouha at nose tackle, they picked up 27 yards - a 3.9 average. Finally, the Jets have a true nose tackle for their 3-4 defense. "Oh, man, he's a great player," LB Eric Barton said of Jenkins, his former roommate at Maryland. "He played lights out." Stars realign Maybe you didn't notice it, but there was a fairly dramatic shift in offensive philosophy in the first game. The Jets, primarily a single-back team last season, used one back on only 44% of the plays. A year ago, the number was 77%, according to "Pro Football Prospectus." Instead of spreading the field with three- and four-receiver formations, as they did last season (in retrospect, a tactical mistake, according to Eric Mangini), the Jets seem to have morphed into a more conventional two-back, one-tight end, two-receiver offense. In fact, they used three receivers on only 29% of the plays against Miami, down from 72% in 2007. You could say they've opted for a more meat-and-potatoes approach to help Brett Favre's transition, but this change actually falls in line with what they've been saying since the offseason, when they signed LG Alan Faneca, RT Damien Woody and FB Tony Richardson, and hired OL coach Bill Callahan. They want to be more physical and run the ball with more authority. So far, so good. Croner-ism As a quarterback-receiver tandem, Favre and Jerricho Cotchery hit it off from Day 1. No one can appreciate that more than Ken Croner, the personal trainer for both players. Croner, of Athletes' Performance in Tempe, Ariz., has worked separately with both players over the past few offseasons. In 2007, he lived with Favre for eight weeks at his home in Hattiesburg, Miss., coordinating an intensive training regimen. He didn't work with Favre last offseason because of the quarterback's short-lived retirement, but he visited him for three days in training camp. Croner was summoned by Jets strength coach Sal Alosi, and the two of them devised a catch-up conditioning program for Favre. Croner called Favre "probably the hardest-working guy I've ever met." He helped prepare Cotchery for the 2004 draft, and they've maintained a working relationship. Naturally, Croner was thrilled when Favre's first TD as a Jet went to Cotchery. "He's Brett's kind of guy, no question in my mind," Croner said yesterday in a phone interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 Sports BlogBlogs Home News September 9, 2008 Breaking form: Jets' different looks Finally got a chance to break down the Jets-Dolphins tape. One thing that jumped out at me - and I noticed this during the game - was how the Jets had used a lot of two-back formations. A year ago, they were a one-back, one-tight end, three-receiver offense. This season, they want to get more physical and close down the formation with more beef. That’s why you saw a lot of FB Tony Richardson in the backfield with RB Thomas Jones. Obviously, the numbers will vary week to week, depending on the opponent, but I think you’ll see more of a two-back approach throughout the season. Here’s a breakdown of the offensive groupings against Miami: 2 RBs/1 TE/2 WRs: 29 out of 55 snaps (53%) 1 RB/1 TE/3 WRs: 16 out of 55 (29%) 1 RB/2 TEs/2 WRs: 8 out of 55 (15%) 2 RBs/2 TEs/1 WR: 2 out of 55 (4%) By Rich Cimini on September 9, 2008 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 by Angel Navedo Over the last five years, the New England Patriots have taken advantage of every single one of the New York Jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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