Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 Leon Washington shows Chiefs what they missed BY RICH CIMINI DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER How fitting that Leon Washington enjoyed the best game of his career with Herm Edwards on the opposite sideline. In 2006, the Jets drafted Washington with the compensation pick they received from the Chiefs for signing Edwards. "I guess it was a good trade this week," Washington said after the Jets' 28-24 win Sunday over Kansas City at the Meadowlands. Washington almost singlehandedly saved the Jets from an embarrassing defeat, figuring prominently in all four touchdowns. Whenever something went wrong for the Jets, Washington made a momentum-changing play. "That's kind of been my role since I got here - small guy, (small) stature, big heart, spark player," Washington said. His day: He gave the Jets a 7-0 lead with an 18-yard reception, a one-handed catch, on a screen from Brett Favre. It was the Jets' first touchdown on an opening drive since Dec.2, 2007 against the Dolphins. Washington scored on a 60-yard run, the longest of his career, to make it 14-7. He received key blocks from C Nick Mangold and RG Brandon Moore. He set up the Jets' third touchdown, a 1-yard plunge by Thomas Jones, with a pivotal third-down catch. On a third-and-8 from the Chiefs' 9, Washington caught a pass at the line of scrimmage, made a great escape move and gained eight yards. It came one play after Favre almost threw away the game, when LB Derrick Johnson dropped a would-be interception that would've gone for a TD. A 37-yard punt return, to the Chiefs' 46, set up the game-winning TD. "I know a lot of people look at Leon and his size (5-8)," NT Kris Jenkins said. "But that's a big man, just the rest of his body is invisible." HALF-BAKED: TE Chris Baker aggravated a week-old hip injury and wasn't able to play even though he was in uniform. Baker said "something came up" Thursday in practice, but he still expected to play. But, in the pregame warmups, it became "too painful." Teams are required to report injuries, but the Jets didn't note Baker's hip injury on the injury report; he was listed with an old back injury. Without Baker and Bubba Franks (inactive/hip), the Jets were almost depleted at tight end. Rookie Dustin Keller started, with guard Rob Turner serving as the No.2 tight end. "It made it difficult" to run the ball, Eric Mangini said. CHATMAN HURT: RB Jesse Chatman suffered a potentially serious knee injury. He left the stadium on crutches and could be out for a while. ... LB David Harris injured his hip/groin area in the second quarter and didn't return. ... S Kerry Rhodes hurt his neck/head in the fourth, but he returned. ... CB Drew Coleman dropped a would-be interception that would've gone for a TD. ... CB Justin Miller was active for the first time. He returned one kickoff. ... WR Brad Smith attempted the second pass of his career. He's 0-for-2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Economic woes have New York Jets on defense for PSLs BY BILL HUTCHINSON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Sunday, October 26th 2008, 10:05 PM Bloomberg Plenty of empty seats? An artist's rendering of a new stadium to be shared by the New York Jets and Giants. The sagging economy has sacked the Jets big-bucks auction for the best seats in the new Meadowlands stadium. A bidding war for 2,000 "Coaches Club" midfield seats started off sizzling, with some deep-pocketed fans doling out more than $60,000 per seat. However, the action fizzled under the blitz of the Wall Street downturn and the auction for the so-called personal seat licenses, or PSLs, is set to end today short of the goal line, the Jets Web site announced yesterday. The team "does not expect to sell all of the Coaches Club seats by the end of the auction," Jets officials said. RELATED: JETS ESCAPE WITH A CLOSE WIN OVER CHIEFS For nine days, the team and StubHub.com have been auctioning batches of the new $1.3 billion stadium's prime seats, which, among other perks, come with access to an area of the sidelines just 5 yards behind the Jets bench. First-row seats on the 45-yard line started out attracting winning bids of $55,000 to $61,500. Since the opening days of the auction, however, fans' purse strings have tightened. The top bid for a front-row seat on the 50-yard line was a mere $26,500 yesterday, while seats just nine rows back were going for $15,500. A total of 59 seats were at auction yesterday, but the number bidding fell from the hundreds who vied in the first few days. It remained unclear how many more seats in the Coaches Club section were still available. Another batch of about 60 seats are set to hit StubHub today, and Jets officials are mulling extending the auction. "Since this is uncharted territory, we're learning as we go," a Jets spokesman said. "What's become clear is that it's not feasible to sell so many seats in a nine-day auction. I can't say for sure how many we will ultimately sell through this auction, but we do not anticipate selling all of them." After paying the one-time PSL fee, fans in the Coaches Club section also will pay $700 per game ticket. The ducats come with parking and access to a posh restaurant with a sprawling lounge just steps from the field that offers complimentary food and drinks. The Giants, who will share the stadium with the Jets, are charging a flat $20,000 per PSL for their best seats. whutchinson@nydailynews.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Concussions remain issue for Jets BY OHM YOUNGMISUK DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Laveranues Coles may have caught the winning touchdown Sunday, but the Jets still find themselves dealing with the headache of concussions. JETS ESCAPE WITH LATE TD While Coles helped the Jets win despite being diagnosed with a low-grade concussion last week, safety Eric Smith - who also suffered a concussion last week - was held out of the second half of the Jets' 28-24 win over the Chiefs for precautionary reasons. And this came after the Jets quietly revealed on their Web site Friday that Dr. Ken Montgomery will be making all final medical decisions instead of Dr. Elliot Pellman. Pellman is the controversial longtime team director of medical services who used to be the chairman of the NFL's Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. But he had been criticized by some experts for downplaying the effects of concussions and clearing players to play sooner than expected. Pellman and the Jets have a troubled history in dealing with concussions after Wayne Chrebet and Al Toon both saw their careers shortened by head injuries. This past week, the sensitive subject of concussions resurfaced after the Jets revealed Coles and Smith had suffered head injuries against the Raiders. For Smith, this was his second concussion in three weeks. And for Coles, it was his third documented head injury in 22 months. Smith was cleared to practice all last week. Coles was not cleared to practice on Wednesday, but was allowed to work on Friday after passing his league-mandated examination. Eric Mangini revealed that the team also brought in an independent specialist to check out Coles and Smith. "We have been as thorough as we could possibly be with those injuries," the head coach said. "Even after (Coles) was cleared, we brought in another specialist to reconfirm it so we added another layer into this - an independent specialist. We've gone through a process of best practices and added this independent layer to be as safe as we possibly can be." Coles was quiet in the first half, with just one catch for seven yards, before coming alive after intermission for six catches, 57 yards, including the game-winning 15-yard TD reception with a minute remaining. "I made it through the game," Coles said when asked how he felt afterward. "I'm fine. Nobody had to come get me and drag me to the sidelines. I feel all right. "I'm not a doctor," Coles added when asked if he had any concern about playing. "I just take all the tests and they come back to me and say, 'You're fine and you can play' or, 'You can't play.'" Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said Montgomery now will be the last word on all medical decisions. "At the end of the day, Ken is like a football coordinator," the general manager said on the team Web site. "When it comes to our medical issues, he has the final say." While Coles was fine, Smith apparently wasn't, as he remained out for the entire second half. "If we went in with both Eric and L.C. and there were any remote signs there might possibly be a problem, then we were going to pull them and not take a chance of injuring them again," Mangini said. "We were going to make sure we're making a decision on the side of safety as opposed to making a decision where someone could suffer even more or have more of an injury." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 A protest worthy of 1968: Joe Namath, Don Maynard rip these Jets BY KRISTIE ACKERT DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Sunday, October 26th 2008, 9:50 PM Sabo/News As 1968 Jets gather to celebrate 40th anniversary of team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 BRETT THROWS 3 PICKS, SURVIVES CHIEFS SCARE By MARK CANNIZZARO ROUGH DAY: Brett Favre throws a pass in the third quarter of the Jets' 28-24 win over the Chiefs. Favre had three interceptions and a TD.Posted: 3:46 am October 27, 2008 No disrespect intended, but the New York Jets stunk yesterday. Yes, even in a 28-24 comeback victory over the lowly Chiefs at Giants Stadium, they stunk. You know it. They know it. The Chiefs know it. We all know it. How ironic that this putrid performance came against their former head coach, Herman Edwards, who's known best for his "You-play-to-win-the-game" rant in 2002 when he was in New York. The Jets spent an alarming portion of this game seemingly playing to lose the game against Edwards' depleted Chiefs. Sure, the Jets are now 4-3 and sure, they'll be playing the 5-2 Bills Sunday in Buffalo for a possible chance to grab a share of first place in the AFC East. But that is masking the litany of problems that nearly cost the Jets a win. "We've got to respect everybody," Jets linebacker David Bowens said. "It just seemed like we didn't give them any respect. I don't know if it was their record (1-5 entering the game) or what, but whatever it was we just came out flat. We didn't play the way we practiced. We practiced hard all week." The Jets survived this mess when Brett Favre connected with Laveranues Coles on a 15-yard touchdown pass with a minute remaining in the game. They were life-and-death to the end, nearly losing to a Chiefs team that was playing with its third-string quarterback, Tyler Thigpen, and down to its third-string running back, Kolby Smith. Favre (28-40, 290 yards, 2 TDs) threw three interceptions, one of which was returned 91 yards for a touchdown that gave the Chiefs a 24-21 lead with 7:48 remaining in the game. The Jets' defense could not contain Thigpen, who lit them up for 280 passing yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 20 yards. Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer inexplicably continues to outsmart himself - flat-out refusing to ride Thomas Jones and establish the run against a Chiefs' run defense that entered the game ranked 32nd (dead last) in the NFL. It was as if Schottenheimer woke up in a cold sweat yesterday and thought he saw Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert and Jack Ham playing linebacker for the Chiefs and abandoned the running game. Jones was coming off of a 159-yard rushing day last week, his career-high as a Jet, and was second in the AFC in rushing yards. Yet there he was with only five carries in the first half. When several players on offense were asked about this strategy, the question was met with eye rolling and shrugged shoulders. "Believe me, we're thinking the same thing you're thinking," one player said. "I know the stats," right tackle Damien Woody said. "We look at them just like you guys do." When Eric Mangini was asked about the lack of commitment to the running game, he said, "We looked at different things we liked and went with those things. We thought we had real good opportunities in the passing game." There were some terrific individual performances that allowed the Jets to survive themselves. Leon Washington scored on a 60-yard run and 18-yard catch, and his 37-yard punt return set up the game-winning touchdown. Coles, coming off a concussion last week, caught the game-winner. "Ideally, we don't want to make it that close against a team like that," Jets linebacker Calvin Pace said. "We've got to play so much better than that to get where we want to be." mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 FAVRE'S WIFE SPEAKS OUT By MARK CANNIZZARO Posted: 3:46 am October 27, 2008 Brett Favre's wife, Deanna, has spoken out in defense of her husband on her family blog, upset about the public treatment of him since last week's flap regarding his conversation with the Lions before their game against the Packers earlier this season. "This latest round of media scrutiny has been harder, more disheartening and seemingly unending," Deanna Favre wrote. "Brett does not, in any way, hold a vendetta against his former team. But that has not stopped some from scrutinizing his every move and blaming him for so many things that simply are not true. "Some incidents, like the locker room pranks appear funny [but they are still untrue]. Others, like the questionable phone calls to other teams [Tony Romo] are hurtful, distasteful, and . . . still untrue as they have been reported. "Because of this, lately, my heart has been so heavy. It is very hard to watch the daily toll this has taken on Brett." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 WASHINGTON IS GANG GREEN'S SPARK By MARK CANNIZZARO Click to enlarge Posted: 3:46 am October 27, 2008 Where would the New York Jets be without Leon Washington ? Here's an answer: They'd be 3-4 instead of 4-3, because they wouldn't have beaten the Chiefs yesterday. Washington was at his versatile best, rushing for 67 yards and a TD on 3 carries, catching 3 passes for 34 yards and a TD and returning 3 punts for 71 yards, including a 37-yard return at the end of the game that set up the game-winning TD. "Leon is a game-changer," Jets DE Shaun Ellis said. "Without him, we don't win this game," Jets S Kerry Rhodes said. "That's kind of been my role since I got here - small guy, big heart, spark player - and I kind of like it," Washington said. Washington's performance coming against the Chiefs is a bit ironic considering he was drafted with one of the draft picks the Jets got from the Chiefs as compensation when Herman Edwards left them to go coach Kansas City. "He's a young guy who has emerged as a leader," coach Eric Mangini said. * Jets WR Laveranues Coles on the game-winning TD, a 15-yard Brett Favre throw with 1:00 remaining in the game: "I don't remember what [the play] is called; it's not in the playbook." Favre purposely underthrew Coles, who made a one-handed catch right at the goal line. "I kind of fussed at some people about wanting an opportunity," Coles said. "I know I seem a little mild-mannered, but I got hot-headed, because I wanted an opportunity. "Brett trusted me with the ball and I was able to make a play." Coles said of the comeback engineered by Favre, who otherwise struggled, throwing 3 INTs, "That's why they brought him in here. No matter what the circumstances, he always gives you a good chance to win. I know he's a little old, but he can still play." * The Jets were without TE Chris Baker, who had a hip injury act up on him in pre-game. As a result, the Jets were down to only one tight end - rookie Dustin Keller - and were forced to use backup OL Robert Turner all game as a second TE. Bubba Franks missed the game with a hip injury. * The Jets lost LB David Harris to an undisclosed injury during the game. FB Tony Richardson was also nicked up and RB Jesse Chatman was limping badly with a wrap on his left knee after the game. S Eric Smith, who had a concussion last week, was taken out of the game late as a "precaution," according to Mangini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Jets' ugly win doesn't satisfy demanding JenkinsBob Glauber October 27, 2008 At last, a refreshing voice in the Jets' locker room who calls it as he sees it. No rationalizations or sugarcoating. No gobbledygook. Just some much-needed straight talk after another unacceptable performance against another woefully inadequate opponent. After the Jets barely escaped with a 28-24 win against a 1-6 Chiefs team without its blue- chip running back and down to a third-string quarterback, nose tackle Kris Jenkins said what every self-respecting Jets fan was feeling during a mostly abysmal performance. Asked if this was a nice bounce-back win, Jenkins shook his head and said: "No." Huh? "I'm glad we pulled it out, but we need to find a way to correct the holes," the 349-pound defensive tackle said. "Our focus needs to improve. We need to tighten it up." OK, so maybe not the kind of vitriol that Jenkins had every right to express, but rest assured, the tone of his remarks was firm and the message unmistakable: This can't go on. He is right about that. For the second straight week against an inferior AFC West opponent, the Jets were miserable. Coming off an overtime loss to the Raiders in Oakland, the Jets nearly lost to a Chiefs team without deactivated running back Larry Johnson and with a quarterback that not even the most ardent fantasy football geek had ever heard of coming into this season. Sure, Brett Favre led a fourth-quarter comeback for the 41st time, but only because he nearly blew it with a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown with 7:48 to play. The Jets nearly lost to a quarterback by the name of Tyler Thigpen who is playing only because the Chiefs' top two passers, Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard, are injured and out for the season. Thigpen shredded the Jets for 280 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.9. And Brandon Flowers had two of the Chiefs' three interceptions against Favre, who threw a red-zone pick for the third time this season and for the second time in the last two weeks. Although his teammates and coaches went easy on the performance in light of the result, Jenkins needs to see more, and he's not shy about saying it. "That's part of my responsibility," said Jenkins, acquired in an offseason trade with the Panthers. "We have to coach the younger guys up sometimes. That's the responsibility of the veteran leadership. Sometimes it's giving the tough love. It's showing by example, so you can give the best on Sundays." If that's the best the Jets have got on Sunday, then it's going to be a long year. "They had a chance to win the game," Jenkins said. Given the circumstances, the Chiefs should never have had that chance. The Jets gave it to them. Over and over again. And who knows? If linebacker Derrick Johnson doesn't drop another errant Favre pass deep in Chiefs territory late in the third quarter, maybe we're talking about one of the most egregious flops in the Jets' long and sordid history since Super Bowl III. Wonder what Joe Namath, Don Maynard and all those other icons from the Jets' only championship team, on hand yesterday for a 40-year anniversary celebration, would have thought about that. Good thing Favre was able to deliver after nearly blowing it. His 46-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 15-yard pass to Laveranues Coles, kept the Jets from completely embarrassing themselves. "All is not lost," Jenkins said. "I'm not saying we're a bad team. We have the potential. But I'm not satisfied, and that should be the mentality of this team. We need to take it to the next level." They'd better start soon. As in next week. They're at Buffalo, where the 5-2 Bills are tied with the Patriots atop the AFC East. For all the helter-skelter of the Jets' first seven games, they're only one game out of first, with two games left against the Bills and another against the Patriots. If the Jets are going to be a factor in December, there is no better time to start playing the way a contender is supposed to play. Start with smart, disciplined play on offense. Throw in a more dynamic effort on defense. And show the kind of emotion that's so essential to success. The Jets can start by taking their cues from their no-nonsense nose tackle. "We've got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot," Jenkins said. "We need to tighten it up across the board." Paying attention, fellas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Jets had planned to run the ball more vs. Chiefs-BY ERIK BOLAND | erik.boland@newsday.com October 27, 2008 Why did the Jets come out establishing the pass and not the run? The Chiefs entered ranked last against the run (allowing 207.2 yards per game) and were fresh off giving up 332 rushing yards in last week's home loss to the Titans. "I know the stats," right tackle Damien Woody said with a smile, though he made it clear he wasn't second-guessing the play-calling. "We look at it [statistics] just like you guys do. But like I said, I'm just glad to come out with the win." Eric Mangini hinted the plan was to run the ball more - and in fairness, the Jets did have 135 yards on 24 carries for a 5.6-yard average - but he said a hip injury "flared up" for tight end Chris Baker just before the game. Offensive lineman Robert Turner replaced Baker, hence all the declarations throughout by referee Peter Morelli that "No. 75 is an eligible receiver." "You have the guy active, you have the guy dressed and you are anticipating being able to run a lot of those packages," Mangini said. "Then the person you have to sub in for him is an offensive lineman. I thought Robert Turner did a great job filling in as much as he did for as long as he did, [but] you're not really fooling anyone when that guy goes in." How badly did Brett Favre get hurt? Favre appeared to bang his throwing arm on guard Alan Faneca's shoulder on his follow-through on a first-quarter interception by Brandon Flowers, who later would victimize Favre again. Mangini didn't express much concern, nor did Favre, though he admitted to feeling sore. Then again, he always does. "It didn't feel great, but the win felt good," Favre said. Later he said, "For 39, I don't feel too bad." What about any other injuries? Linebacker David Harris left the game early in the second quarter after making a tackle on an 8-yard run by Jamaal Charles. Harris, who missed a portion of training camp with a hamstring injury, did not return. Yesterday's injury was announced in the third quarter as a "hip." Safety Kerry Rhodes was shaken up making a tackle early in the third quarter. He missed one play and returned. "I caught a little shot to the neck," Rhodes said. "It's a little tight but I'm good." Can this team possibly go to Buffalo and win? Calvin Pace usually says something interesting after the game, and he didn't disappoint yesterday. "Sometimes it feels like we go out there and we play to [the level] of the people we're playing against," he said. Maybe that bodes well for the Jets. After three straight weeks of being the favorite against some of the league's worst teams, they will be far from a favorite next week against the Bills, one of the conference's best teams. SECOND GUESS Leon Washington rushed three times for 67 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown run that gave the Jets a 14-7 lead. It's developed into a clich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 GRADING THE JETSBy Erik Boland October 27, 2008 OFFENSE C The Jets outgained the Chiefs 420-330 in total yards, but their strategy, in spite of being down a tight end with Chris Baker not playing, was confusing. The Chiefs have the worst run defense in the NFL and the Jets attacked it just 24 times, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Two of Brett Favre's three interceptions were thrown into double coverage and the final one was a bad read that Brandon Flowers took advantage of and returned for what looked like the game-winning points. Favre made two fine throws on the final drive, saving his day, and the Jets'. DEFENSE C+ Tyler Thigpen was able to get far too comfortable and had his way for the most part, throwing for 280 yards and two TDs. The Jets offered little resistance on the 74-yard touchdown drive before the half that enabled the Chiefs to tie it at 14. For the second straight week the run defense was gashed a couple times, with Jamaal Charles busting free for a 30-yard gain. But if the defense doesn't come up with the stop it did late in the game, Leon Washington isn't given his punt return opportunity and Favre never sees the ball again. SPECIAL TEAMS A- A unit that hasn't distinguished itself much this season did yesterday. Leon Washington had a 23.7 average on his three punt returns and a 25.5 average on four kickoff returns. Justin Miller saw his first action, returning a kickoff 22 yards. Punter Reggie Hodges continues to kick well, hitting not particularly deep balls but high, difficult-to-return ones. Only Jay Feely brings the grade down a bit here with his miss from 36 yards. OVERALL C- It was curious the Jets didn't attack the Chiefs' awful run defense more and sometimes offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer calls plays - like the Brad Smith reverse pass - that seem out of place. The Chiefs were ripe to be blown out, having absolutely nothing going for them other than some erratic throws by Favre and a Jets team that still has too many moments of uninspired play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Put the blame for Chiefs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Unsubstantiated Rumor: (Updated) Leon to NOT be Suspended? Posted on October 26th, 2008 by Bent As many of you will have seen, ESPN is reporting that several players are to be suspended by the league for violating the NFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.