Game Day NY Jet articles 9/28- GO JETS!

[Kentucky Jet]

MANGINI IMPRESSED WITH WASHINGTON'S PLAY

By MARK CANNIZZARO

September 28, 2008

To ask coach Eric Mangini about Leon WashingtonLeon Washington is like asking him to talk about one of his two sons. He gushes.

"I could talk all day about Leon," Mangini said of the New York Jets ' do-everything player. "I think Leon is one of the best stories from where he came in. I don't know if you remember just how much he struggled early on coming out of college (in 2006). He fought through that. He addressed his weaknesses. He improved on those things."

Indeed, he has.

In their sloppy 48-29 loss to the Chargers Monday night, during which the Jets turned the ball over three times in the first half, Washington kept them in the game with his incredible kickoff returns.

He finished with 198 return yards on five kickoffs, including a 94-yarder that set up a touchdown.

Washington enters today's game against the Cardinals ranked third in the NFL with a 33.1-yard kickoff return average. And to think, as a rookie, he had a hard time even catching kickoffs and punts cleanly.

"The fact that he was voted special teams captain, I think that's a huge testament to him," Mangini said. "He's the youngest guy that's a captain."

Mangini said he also is impressed how well Washington conducts himself in the meeting room

"He has presented information to the team before where (special teams coach) Mike Westhoff and I say, 'Leon you present their punt team,' " Mangini said. "When he does that, it's not, 'OK, well, the punter does this he offsets here,' or all the things just related to him.

"He can talk about the fliers. He can talk about the protection. He can talk about the blocks that we're going to do. He can coach it. You know that when he's going home, he's not watching "American Idol," he's studying tape. He's working at it and it shows up every single day."

Washington said when he was in college the preparation wasn't nearly as serious as it is in the NFL and that was a shock to his system.

"I had to adjust to practice," he said. "When I got here and made mistakes in practice you realized how serious it is. It's almost worse to make a mistake in practice than in a game here.

"Athletically, I can run the ball and make people miss, but I learned that when I do the extra work, extra studying and physically prepare myself it definitely can give me an advantage. And seeing that actually turn over is satisfying for me and knowing that if I keep doing that it will keep turning over for me."

[Kentucky Jet]

SO FAVRE, NOT SO GOOD

September 28, 2008

WILL the real Brett Favre please stand up?

Because as we near the quarter-pole of a race against time, and Father Time, Favre, 12 days from his 39th birthday, is up the track.

He still can throw a fastball - that has not been the issue with him. The issue is the JetsNew York Jets are 1-2 on his watch entering today's game against the Cardinals. Chad PenningtonChad Pennington probably would have been 1-2 if he were here. No one around here wants to hear about Favre's 70 percent completion percentage. He scored 10 points against Matt Cassel and the Patriots. Pennington probably could have scored 10 points against Matt Cassel and the Patriots. Favre scored seven points in the first half against the Chargers before a garbage-time rally inflated his stats.

In other words, Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum have not exactly gotten the kind of bang for their buck they were expecting when The Trade of the Century went down last month. Sure, the No. 4 jerseys have been selling like shrimp po' boys in Mississippi, and the hubbub over Favre has quieted the masses' disenchantment over those miserable PSL fees. But let's face it, you can't find a single Jets fan who would tell you So Favre, so good.

He has looked more like The Retirin' Man than The Iron Man, and today he hobbles into Giants Stadium with all this rust and a sprained left ankle. He is trying like heck to make this work, to reward the Jets for the faith they showed in him, to prove the Packers wrong for moving on with Aaron Rodgers and slamming the door in his face.

Favre always has been able to look in the mirror and like what he sees. But you have to wonder what he thinks about the image staring back at him now. From Day 1, he knew better than to be Namath, or Messier, and offer up any bold guarantee, and maybe that's because he found himself held hostage by self-doubt, which happens to them all at this stage of the game. If it can happen to Muhammad Ali, and it did, it can happen to Brett Favre.

He has thrown three costly interceptions, and that isn't anything new, because Favre has thrown 291 of them over his 18 years. But it is alarming that he has looked nothing like the feared gunslinger, who always had defensive coordinators hiding the women and the children whenever he rode into town. His own coaches, Eric Mangini and Brian Schottenheimer, have acted more scared of Favre than anyone.

Everyone knew this was a shotgun wedding from the start, that this is hardly one of those til-death-do-us-part deals. I thought at the time that Favre should have played a few series at the very least in the fourth and final preseason game, and I sure think it now. With the prospect of 1-3 right in front of them, Favre and Mangini had better recognize that the honeymoon is over. Favre keeps telling us he didn't come here to lose. OK. He gets a break today because pass rusher deluxe Bertrand Berry (groin) is out. Favre needs to find a way to win and he needs to find it now, even if he has to limp to the finish line.

Longest-suffering Jets fans who looked at Johnson and Tannenbaum and saw Sonny Werblin, who looked at Favre and saw Namath, are beginning to wonder whether their Bermuda Triangle for quarterbacks has moved from Weeb Ewbank Hall to Florham Park, N.J. Favre has to make his stand and make it now. Because if he doesn't, or can't, if he continues to look like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Then the ominous dark cloud that rains gloom and doom over this franchise will rear its ugly head again, and flood all of New York with what will feel like a tsunami of the unthinkable:

What if their quarterback is more Old Man than Old Man River?

What if the real Brett Favre already has stood up?

steve.serby@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

GANG GREEN LOOKS TO RATTLE WARNER

By MARK CANNIZZARO

September 28, 2008

It's not often that, on Sept. 28 in the NFL season, the word must is associated with a game.

But the JetsNew York Jets must win today's game against the Cardinals at Giants Stadium if they're going to develop into the team they think they're going to be.

The last thing the Jets want to do is lose a third consecutive game (second consecutive at home) and stagger into their bye next week at 1-3.

So there's pressure on the 1-2 Jets, who are coming off a sloppy 48-29 point loss to the Chargers Monday night, and need to assert themselves at home against the 2-1 Cardinals, who are playing their second consecutive East Coast game today after a loss in Washington last week.

"It is important," Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins said. "We definitely need to bounce back. We definitely need to make a statement - not only for everyone else, but for ourselves - and show that we're capable of winning a big game."

Here's how The Post sees the big game breaking down for the Jets:

BEST BATTLE

Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins vs. Cardinals center Lyle Sendlein, and guards Reggie Wells and Deuce Lutui. Jenkins is proving to be perhaps the Jets' most important defensive player. His presence in the middle makes it difficult for teams to run the ball on the Jets. And, Cardinals' quarterback Kurt Warner hates pressure up the middle, and Jenkins is a terrific penetrating force.

CATCH AS CATCH CAN

If the Jets are going to beat the Cardinals they're going to have to contain their prolific tandem of wide receivers - Larry Fitzgerald (17-247, 4 TDs) and Anquan Boldin (16-293, 2 TDs), who have combined for 33 catches and six touchdowns in three games. The burden will fall mainly on Jets cornerbacks Darrelle RevisDarrelle Revis and Dwight Lowery, a rookie who had a tough game against the Chargers Monday night. Fitzgerald is tied for the NFL lead in receptions over 20 yards with five.

WARNER WARNING

The scouting report on Warner always has been about him not wanting to get hit. Who does? But Warner has shown a propensity to hold on to the ball a bit too long and pay for it. Look for the Jets to come after him and look for former Cards linebacker Calvin Pace to get his first sack against his former teammate.

DON'T FORGET ME

Lost in the big numbers that Warner and his wide receiver tandem have put up is Cardinals' RB Edgerrin James, who has 248 rushing yards and a 4-yard average. If the Cards are able to run the ball with James, it could be a long day for the Jets' defense.

RETURN THE FAVOR

Jets returner Leon WashingtonLeon Washington , who's third in the NFL with a 33.1-yard kickoff return average and eighth in punt returns at 12.8 yards, faces a stiff challenge today. The Cardinals allow an average of only 18.1 yards per kickoff return and their punter Dirk Johnson has allowed just one punt return for six yards.

TURNOVERS

The Cardinals are tied for fourth in the league with a plus-3 in turnover ratio, and the Jets are ranked 31st with a minus-4. The Jets have turned the ball over a league-high six times.

WHAT'S THE CHANSI?

Jets wide receiver Chansi Stuckey is the first player since 2002 to catch a touchdown pass in his first three NFL games. His three touchdowns are more than Jerricho Cotchery (1) and Laveranues Coles (1) combined.

NUMBER TO KNOW

15.7. That's the average number of points per game the Cardinals' defense has allowed.

JETS FACT

They're ranked second lead the league in average starting drive position (33.6 yard line).

FOE FACT

They're ranked 29th with an average starting drive position (22.3 yard line).

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

CANNIZZARO'S CALL

The Jets' defense will get into Warner's face and harass him, forcing a turnover or two. They will get RB Thomas Jones into a rhythm against his former team and settle down their offense.

JETS 23, CARDINALS 16

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

[Kentucky Jet]

Favre wants Jets to start believing they're winnersBY ERIK BOLAND | erik.boland@newsday.com

September 28, 2008

Kerry Rhodes was ready Wednesday, though his body - and the schedule - wouldn't allow it.

"I wish we could play today, except my body's not ready yet," Rhodes said. "We want to get out and try to get that bad taste out of our mouths from the game Monday. It's another chance to prove we're a good team, that we can get it done. We want to get out there."

The Jets aren't quite limping into today's game against the Cardinals (2-1), not literally, but Brett Favre hinted Wednesday that maybe the team is psychologically, having taken a collective jolt in Monday night's 48-29 loss to the Chargers on national television. It was the Jets' second straight loss after opening the season with a victory over Miami.

"The bottom line is winning," Favre said. "How we get to that remains to be seen. Eric [Mangini] stressed this the other day before and after the game, and I think it's so true, that once this team starts believing, all 53 guys start believing that it can be done, then it will be."

Favre said he's been impressed with the team's "character" the last two weeks but that the results have left some teammates questioning themselves.

"When there's doubt creeping in from wherever, and you see flashes of how good we can be, as we have, then it's going to be the way it has been until we believe that 'hey, we're pretty darn good, we're going to go out and we're not going to be beat,"' Favre said. " we'll be much better off."

The word of the week leading into the Chargers game was "desperate," a description of a San Diego team that had lost its first two games by a total of three points. Rhodes said that word doesn't yet apply to the Jets.

"Not desperate yet, but we do need to get back on track and get a win," Rhodes said. "That's pretty evident, but we're not desperate. It's only three games into the season and we still know we have a good team. We're going to try to get that effort out and show you guys so you all can believe that, too. But we still have faith in ourselves."

Linebacker Calvin Pace is looking forward to playing the team that showed little interest in retaining him after last season, but not just for that reason.

"We have to get that taste out of our mouth, move on," Pace said. "We have more games to play and put [Monday night] past us, learn from our mistakes and get better."

Second-year cornerback Darrelle Revis said he hopes the Jets have an atmosphere today at the Meadowlands similar to the one the Chargers had Monday at Qualcomm Stadium.

"This would be a big win for us to get the fans rowdy, keep the energy up and positive," Revis said. "When we lost to San Diego, even though they were 0-2, their fans were ready to go, excited, and there was a lot of energy. That is what we are trying to do. We are trying to get back and move forward."

CARDINALS AT JETS,

1 p.m.

TV: Ch. 5

Radio: WEPN (1050)

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (2-1)

Coach: Ken Whisenhunt, second year (10-9).

Last week: Lost, 24-17, at Washington.

Skinny: When the schedule came out, this looked like an automatic win, but not so much anymore. The Cardinals feature, statistically, the best pass-catching duo in the league with Larry Fitzgerald (293 receiving yards, 2 TDs) and Anquan Boldin (247 yards, 4 TDs) and the still-dangerous Edgerrin James (248 yards on 62 carries for a 4.0 per-carry average). The Cardinals rank 10th in the league in total offense (347.7 ypg) and eighth in total defense (283.3). This is the seventh meeting between the teams in 38 years. The Jets lead the series 4-2. The Cardinals' last win over the Jets was 37-6 at Shea on Nov. 23, 1975 ... Whisenhunt played TE for the Jets (1991-93) and was a Jets assistant in 2000. Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley, a Long Island native, was an assistant with the Jets (1995-2000) and his father, Dick, was a Jets executive from 1991-2007.

MEET THE ENEMY

QB KURT WARNER

Giants fans, of course, met Warner in 2004 when he played in 10 games, starting nine, before being replaced by Eli Manning. Warner, 37, this week called throwing to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin "a lot of fun" and his statistics - 54-for-84 for 750 yards with six TDs and one INT - bear that out.

INJURY REPORT

JETS - Out: WR David Clowney (Shoulder), K Mike Nugent (thigh), P Reggie Hodges (thigh)

Questionable: CB David Barrett (shoulder), WR Laveranues Coles (thigh), CB Justin Miller (foot), Kris Jenkins (back) Probable: WR Brad Smith (knee)

CARDINALS - Out: DE Bertrand Berry (groin) Doubtful: TE Jerame Tuman (hamstring) Questionable: WR Sean Morey (Achilles), DT Gabe Watson (knee), SS Adrian Wilson (hamstring) Probable: DT Darnell Dockett (hamstring), WR Anquan Boldin (hamstring)

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets Team Report

Inside Slant

OK, so maybe letting Brett Favre be Brett Favre wasn't the greatest idea after all.

Although Favre threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns in the Jets' 48-29 Monday night loss at San Diego, he also coughed up two interceptions. One was returned 52 yards for a touchdown by cornerback Antonio Cromartie, and the other, a diving pick by safety Eric Weddle, led to a 45-yard touchdown march.

"I thought our game plan was a very good game plan," Favre said Wednesday. "San Diego changed their defense completely for that game. I give them credit. They executed it well. We had plenty of opportunities. The bottom line is we gave them too many points, or gave them too many chances to score points from our end offensively."

Running back Thomas Jones also lost a fumble that gave San Diego the ball at the Jets' 16.

"Make no mistake about it, (with) their offense, you don't need to give them a short field. They're explosive," Favre said. "We're still trying to work some things out, sure. I don't think that had anything to do with that game the other night."

Favre was referring to the continuing saga of him and his new receivers trying to establish chemistry. That process won't be helped this week by the left ankle injury Favre suffered on a sack by San Diego's Jyles Tucker in the third quarter. He was limited in practice Thursday and certainly could be hampered against the Cardinals, although he did look much better than earlier in the week.

Against the Chargers, that injury "affected me some" in the second half, Favre said, but added, "I thought in the second half I threw the ball pretty good. Now we didn't throw any deep balls, really didn't throw any deep balls throughout the whole game. It remains to be seen how that would affect me with a deep ball. (But) I'm not really concerned about it."

"I'm not really concerned about lack of (practice)," Favre said, adding that mental reps are "what's most important."

As is the Jets' attitude, something else Favre discussed, noting that Jets fans might be thinking, "Well, they're 1-2, here we go again."

Same old Jets?

"My hope is that's not the case," Favre said. "I like the way the guys have handled the last two weeks, even though they were losses, (with) the character they've shown. ... I really believe this team is not only good, and Eric (Mangini) stressed this the other day before and after the game, (and) I think it's so true, that once this team starts believing, all 53 guys start believing that it can be done, then it will be."

"When there's doubt creeping in from wherever," Favre added, "and you see (only) flashes of how good we can be, as we have, then it's going to be the way it has been. ... There's no doubt from my end. I'll continue to do what I've done from Day One, from the day I first stepped onto a field. If that's not good enough, then it's not good enough. It's been good enough up to this point. I've won way more games than I've lost. I don't anticipate that changing."

"I don't know about the whole belief thing or whatever that is," strong safety Kerry Rhodes said, "but I think individually and collectively, we have to do the right things (to win). ... I still think we stack up pretty well. We just shot ourselves in the foot too many times against a good team to overcome it (at San Diego). Hopefully, we'll right our ship and get to see them again and see how it goes."

SERIES HISTORY: 7th meeting. Jets lead series, 4-2. In the last meeting, Jets starting QB Quincy Carter missed most of the first half after a blow to the head, but returned in the second half and threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss in the Jets' 13-3 victory on Nov. 28, 2004. Carter was starting his third straight game because Chad Pennington was out with a shoulder injury, later disclosed to be a torn rotator cuff. Pennington returned the next week and led the Jets to a victory over Houston. The last time the Jets faced a Kurt Warner-quarterbacked team came on Oct. 21, 2001, when Warner completed 18 of 27 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions in St. Louis' 34-14 victory.

Notes and Quotes

Punter Ben Graham, who was waived last week by the Jets after a disappointing performance against New England, in which he averaged 27.3 net yards on four punts, was re-signed five days later.

Graham didn't try to deny the strangeness of his current situation.

"It's quite the turn of events," Graham said Wednesday. "It's the first time in my 18th professional year as a sportsman that I have been released and it's certainly the first time I've been re-signed in a week."

The Jets re-signed him Sunday after newly signed Reggie Hodges, his intended replacement, suffered a hamstring injury.

"Of course it was (awkward)," Graham said with a wan smile. "How would you feel being fired from your job to be re-hired three or four days later? It's awkward, but it's familiar. The guys (teammates) were great. I understand the situation. They're happy to have me back. For how long? I guess, we'll just have to wait and see."

Graham was working on his punting with former Chargers punter Darren Bennett, a fellow Australian, on a high school field in San Diego when he got the call from the Jets. Graham and Bennett studied some film.

"I went back to when I first got off the plane," Graham said of the film study, "and Darren helped me with that because he looked at the film. He looked at what I was doing and he saw things that I was doing that I wasn't doing when I first got here. ... I just want to get back to that natural ability that I have."

Graham, who will be 35 in November, doesn't believe his left leg is tired after many kicks in Australian Rules Football before coming to America.

"No way," he said. "I'd feel it and I'd tell you if I felt it, but I don't at all. My body is in great shape. (I have) no problems with that whatsoever."

--NT Kris Jenkins was back on the practice field two days after injuring his back against the Chargers. He went through stretching and agility drills, but didn't practice.

"I can't go into it," Jenkins said, mindful of coach Eric Mangini's disapproval of players giving injury information, "but I can say it's not something that was a first-time occurrence. It's something that I have dealt with before in the past. It's something I have to work through and I know how to get through it."

When asked if he had been close to returning to the game Monday, he replied, "That is accurate. It was real close. If I would have had to or if I felt like I absolutely needed to get back out there I would have had to sacrifice myself a little bit and deal with the pain. It was a call on the sideline and I had to roll with it."

--QB Brett Favre recalled Kurt Warner, currently the Cardinals' starter, in camp in Green Bay in 1995. Back then, Warner was trying to make the jump from arena football to the NFL. He made the Rams' roster in 1998.

"It was a long time ago," Favre said. "He was just a guy. Obviously, he's a lot different now. The guy has played phenomenal. I've played against him numerous times. I have a lot of respect for him. I didn't know much about him at the time. There are a lot of guys that come and go that just for whatever reason have never panned out. He's one of those guys that when he got the opportunity, he made the most of it. That's an understatement."

He did have one anecdote from that camp about Warner.

"I don't know if Kurt remembers when (Steve) Mariucci was our quarterback coach. He asked him to go in on a particular play. It was camp. (Warner) said, 'No, I'm not going in.' He wasn't ready. In fact, when Steve was here a couple weeks ago, we were doing an interview, laughing about that and how far he has come. He's not afraid to go in now."

BY THE NUMBERS: 2 -- Plays on which the Chargers lost yardage against the Jets. Both of those were kneel-downs by Philip Rivers in the closing seconds. The Jets had no sacks or tackles for loss, underscoring the importance of NT Kris Jenkins, who left the game in the first quarter with a back injury.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "He's a young guy." -- QB Brett Favre, on Arizona counterpart Kurt Warner, who turned 37 in June. Favre will be 39 in October.

Strategy and Personnel

P Reggie Hodges was signed to replace Ben Graham, who was waived. The Jets were hoping that Hodges would have more hang time on his punts and be less prone to shanks than Graham, but he suffered a hamstring injury his first week with the team, and they chose to re-sign Graham.

K Jay Feely, who was signed after Mike Nugent suffered a strained right thigh during a first-quarter kickoff in the Jets' opening-day win over Miami, missed from 31 yards and connected from 21 against New England and was 1-for-1 against San Diego, hitting from 32 yards. Nugent will miss the Arizona game but could return after the Jets' bye week.

RB Jesse Chatman was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on steroids and related substances. The Jets still are short-handed at the position with only two true running backs on the roster, Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, and it appears they simply will wait for Chatman to come back rather than sign someone. This game is the last one Chatman must sit out.

PLAYER NOTES

--P Ben Graham was re-signed after Reggie Hodges, who was signed to replace Graham, suffered a hamstring injury. Graham had a net of 38.0 yards on two punts versus the Chargers on Monday night.

--WR Marcus Henry, who was waived to make room for P Ben Graham, was re-signed, but to the practice squad, which means another team could sign him. The Jets like the potential of the 6-foot-4 rookie.

--WR Brad Smith has zero receptions in the first three games as Chansi Stuckey has surpassed him as the team's No. 3 receiver. Smith has been bothered by a knee injury.

--K Mike Nugent (thigh) will miss his third straight game when the Jets host Arizona.

--CB Justin Miller (toe) was inactive for the third consecutive game when the Jets visited San Diego.

GAME PLAN: The Jets would like to get their running game going again after Thomas Jones was limited to 37 yards rushing and lost a key fumble at San Diego. Plus, that would help take some of the load off a gimpy Brett Favre. The defense will have its hands full against an Arizona offense led by 37-year-old Kurt Warner. Much like Favre, the passage of time hasn't much affected Warner's arm strength, and he has two big-time receivers to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. The Jets need to get pressure on the QB, something they were unable to do against the Chargers.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Jets CB Dwight Lowery vs. Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin. The Jets likely will match CB Darrelle Revis against Larry Fitzgerald, which figures to leave Lowery on Boldin much of the time. Lowery can make plays on the ball, and has five pass breakups in his first three games as a pro, but he also allowed two touchdowns against San Diego. He had good coverage against TE Antonio Gates on one, not-so-good against WR Vincent Jackson on the other.

Jets QB Brett Favre vs. Cardinals pass rush. The veteran Favre, nursing a gimpy ankle, knows he needs to get rid of the ball quickly so as to lessen the chances of being sacked. Look for him to throw a lot of his trademark slants and in-cuts, particularly to Laveranues Coles, to loosen up the Chargers secondary. Favre was sacked only 15 times last season; he's been taken down eight times in three games in 2008.

INJURY IMPACT:

--QB Brett Favre (ankle) practiced limited Thursday but wasn't limping as badly as he was Wednesday, and his mobility might not be that impaired when he plays Sunday against Arizona.

--NT Kris Jenkins (back) practiced limited Thursday and is expected to play against Arizona. Jenkins didn't do any 11-on-11 work at all Wednesday, but did some Thursday.

CB Justin Miller (toe) is getting healthier and could return to action against Arizona, although the Jets seem to like rookie Dwight Lowery as the starter at right corner. Lowery obviously is less experienced than Miller, but has better technique. Jay Feely again will fill in for Mike Nugent (thigh) on placekicks.

[Kentucky Jet]

In losing 24-17 to the Redskins in Week 3, Arizona had its league-high streak of scoring 20+ points in 10-straight games snapped. The Cardinals are now 2-1 and haven't started a season with three straight wins since 1974.

The last time these two teams met was in 2004 (a 13-3 Jets win) and the last time the Cardinals beat the Jets was way back in 1975 (New York has won four straight since).

New York went into San Diego on Monday and was soundly beaten, 48-29, by the Chargers. The last time a Jets team allowed 48 points or more in a game was September 3, 1995 (a 52-14 loss to Miami). The Jets have now started 1-2 in two straight and three of the last four campaigns overall.

Brett Favre was sacked three times by the Chargers and had his left ankle injured on a third-quarter sack by Jyles Tucker. Despite a noticeable limp following that play, Favre stayed in the game and is expected to make his 257th consecutive regular-season start this Sunday.

Jerricho Cotchery recorded the first 10-catch game of his NFL career in Week 3, becoming the first Jet to have 10+ receptions in a single game since Laveranues Coles (12 catches) on December 17, 2006 vs. Minnesota.

Larry Fitzgerald had his 15th career 100-yard receiving game last Sunday. Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin have now combined for 540 receiving yards thus far in 2008

[Kentucky Jet]

Pro & Con: With a 1-2 record, are the Jets facing a critical game today against the Cardinals?

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets focused on getting a win

By Jane McManus

The Journal News

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets scouting report Sunday, September 28, 2008

WHAT

[Kentucky Jet]

Favre, Warner go way back Sunday, September 28, 2008 BY J.P. PELZMANSTAFF WRITER

The year was 1994. Brett Favre was entering his third year as Green Bay

[Kentucky Jet]

Eric Mangini and Jets need winning plan to deck Cardinals

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, September 27th 2008, 9:03 PM

Antonelli/News

Eric Mangini and Jets need a win Sunday at home against Cardinals to avoid falling to disastrous 1-3 mark.

Eric Mangini has lost 14 of his last 19, including two straight games that turned on coaching decisions that backfired. His offense is suffering an identity crisis, and his defense admittedly was confused at times in last Monday night's ugly loss to the Chargers.

To say Sunday's game at the Meadowlands is big for Mangini would be an understatement. The Cardinals (2-1) are improved, but they're the Cardinals, losers of 34 of their last 42 on the road - nine straight in the Northeast.

There's no such thing as a must-win in September, but the Jets have reached one of those crossroad games.

"People look at our team on paper and we have a lot of good players, but that doesn't mean squat," said linebacker David Bowens, one of the Jets' captains. "If you don't come out with chemistry and put it all together, it doesn't mean anything. Whatever we thought we were

[Kentucky Jet]

PLAYBOOK: CARDINALS AT JETS

BY HANK GOLA

The Line: Jets by 1

[Kentucky Jet]

Took love of his father to bring Jets' Kris Jenkins back from despair

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, September 27th 2008, 11:11 PM

Antonelli/News

At one point, Kris Jenkins (l.) hit hard times and needed the help of his father Darmone to get out of his slump.

Antonelli/News

Darmone outside their home in Morristown, N.J.

Kris Jenkins hit bottom three years ago, when his right knee gave out and the ache went all the way to his heart. For the first time in his life, he questioned his commitment to football. He never thought he'd be in that position, especially after everything he had endured.

He started playing when he was 8, with no guarantee he'd make it to 9 because of a potentially debilitating foot condition - fallen arches. He wore supports in his shoes, received nightly massages from his father and cried himself to sleep because it hurt so much.

On he played, through high school, college and two Pro Bowl seasons with the Panthers, disproving the doctors that predicted he wouldn't walk normally as an adult. But after missing 27 of 32 games in 2004 and 2005, the NFL's biggest, baddest defensive tackle contemplated retirement at 26.

Jenkins sat in his fiancee's apartment in Washington, D.C. after the '05 season, battling a deep funk. He was depressed, drinking too much and letting his weight get out of control. He had ballooned to nearly 400 pounds, yet he felt like an invisible man in his own locker room.

"I always told myself,

[Kentucky Jet]

Veteran QBs meet in this matchup

by Kent Somers - Sept. 27, 2008 05:34 PM

The Arizona Republic

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Kurt Warner looks at the changes many NFL teams have made at quarterback and suddenly feels kind of like the youngest guy in a retirement home.

Trent Green, 38, is going to start for the Rams on Sunday. Gus Frerotte, 37, took over the Vikings job a week ago. Kerry Collins, 35, is leading the Titans now. And the guy across the field from Warner on Sunday at the Meadowlands, the Jets' Brett Favre, turns 39 in two weeks.

In athlete years, conventional wisdom suggests those guys should wearing Depends, not Wranglers.

"I'm the young guy now, aren't I?" said Warner, who turned 37 in June. "You can't call me old anymore. I like that."

In most cases, teams made changes because they either didn't trust their young quarterbacks yet, or those guys didn't play well. For the Cardinals, Warner beat out Matt Leinart, partly because the Cardinals thought their chances of starting the season fast were better with the older guy.

In Minnesota and Tennessee, the young guys played themselves out of jobs. With the Jets, they figured that Favre gave them a better chance to win than Chad Pennington, who was released, or Kellen Clemens, the backup.

"I think all of the guys that you named have been very successful over time," said Jets coach Eric Mangini, referring to Favre, Warner and the other Space Cowboys of the NFL. "And the things that made them successful haven't changed - great poise, great decision making, excellent leadership, and each one brings a special skill set. To have that as the head of your offense is a positive thing."

Duel, 'old' West style

Of those older quarterbacks, Warner and Favre are the most successful. Between them, they've won five league MVP awards (Warner has two) and two Super Bowls (one each). Once Warner finally made it into the league, in the late 1980s with the Rams, the two figured their paths would cross numerous times. Although neither could have predicted that a meeting like Sunday's was possible: Favre with the Jets and Warner with the Cardinals.

"I just think there is something about a seasoned vet that brings something to the table," Warner said. "Maybe it will set a trend and they won't look to just throw us out of the league, maybe they'll want us to hang around a little longer."

While Favre is almost two years older than Warner, he made it clear there a considerable difference in mileage between the two.

"How many games has he played in?" Favre said of Warner. "That's what I look at."

Favre leads in that category, 260-96, but the two are similar in many other ways. By all accounts, they are dedicated family men, and they both have seriously contemplated retirement.

Warner rejected the idea at the end of 2006, hoping he could become a starter again. Favre changed his mind about retiring last summer, long after the Packers has committed themselves to Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback.

And both Warner and Favre are coming off one of their finest NFL seasons. Favre led the Packers to the NFC title game, throwing for 28 touchdowns. Warner resurrected his career after he took over when Leinart was hurt. He passed for 27 touchdowns, his highest total since 2001, one of his MVP seasons.

Listen to the boss

Both had to accept some hard coaching, too. Packers coach Mike McCarthy stressed to Favre that he had to reduce his number of interceptions, and they decreased from 29 to 18 to 15 in his last three seasons in Green Bay.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt emphasized to Warner that ball security was paramount. Warner had a tendency to fumble and to try to throw passes into places he shouldn't.

While admitting that he's worked hard on avoiding turnovers, Warner doesn't completely buy the notion that the old dogs - he and Favre - have learned new tricks.

"We are lumped together in regards that we're both gunslingers and love to throw the ball around and love to attack," Warner said. "I don't want to say we're not coachable, (but) I think both of us have always taken the approach, 'We'll do whatever we have to do to win.' And if that's throwing into tight spaces or taking some chances that may lead to extra interceptions, no problem. We're happy to take that burden upon ourselves because we're going to do whatever we can to win."

Last year, both Favre and Warner had playmakers around them, which resulted in less risk-taking, Warner said.

"I think you saw with Brett last year that the pieces filled in around him," Warner said. "And with the pieces around him, he didn't have to do as much as he had to do in those years previous when he had those interceptions and everybody is saying he's too old and can't do it anymore."

Warner is blessed with two Pro Bowl receivers, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. They can make tough catches look easy, and they can erase a quarterback's mistakes with their athletic ability.

But there's no question that Warner is placing a higher premium on hanging on to the ball. He's been open to changing his mechanics, especially keeping two hands on the ball and moving around in the pocket more. If he hadn't adapted, he would be just another aging backup today.

"I would guess - I don't know this for sure - there are other quarterbacks that are pretty rigid in what their thinking is or how they operate," Whisenhunt said. "We haven't seen that with Kurt."

There were times when Warner never thought a day like this would come. He was benched by the Rams, Giants and Cardinals in recent years, so he doesn't take days like these for granted. Warner thinks that is Favre's approach, too.

"When you've been in the league for a long time it's kind of like a badge courage to say, 'I'm still playing, I'm still able to accomplish things, even at this stage,' " Warner said. "And I think that's how we look at it. We still love to compete and we still think we can compete with the best of them. It's going to fun to be out there on Sunday."

[Kentucky Jet]

Cardinals hoping road trip pays off against Jets

Mike Tulumello, Tribune

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets will win in a real shoot-out. I expect many points to be scored and the Jets to prevail. Jets 27 to 20