Live Chat with Erik Boland

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10:53

Moderator: Hi all. We'll get going in about 10-15 minutes. Please submit your Jets questions.

10:54Are the Jets the best team in the AFC?

Yes

( 75% )

No

( 25% )

11:03

Moderator: Erik is having some computer issues. He'll join us in a bit.

11:07Should Kris Jenkins be named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year?

Yes, he's been dominant

( 95% )

No, there are other more deserving players

( 5% )

11:10How far will the Jets go?

Divisional round of playoffs

( 0% )

AFC championship game

( 32% )

Super Bowl

( 68% )

11:12What record will the Jets finish with?

13-3

( 33% )

12-4

( 63% )

11-5

( 4% )

10-6

( 0% )

9-7

( 0% )

8-8

( 0% )

11:13

Moderator: Please do not submit any other questions until Erik is in the chat.

11:25

all right everyone. great timing for these technical problems. i'm in the room and ready to go. let's get started. sorry about the delay.

11:25

[Comment From Bundgaard]

Hi Erik. Greetings from Denmark! After some impressing performances against the Bills, Patriots and the Titans the last couple of weeks, is it reasonable to consider the Jets as the best team in the AFC right now?

11:27

bungaard, greetings from the world's most famous futon! the "best" team right now? I'd say the the jets are the team that's playing the best. so i guess that would mean they're the best team! for now, anyway. look, everyone's concensus was the titans were the best and the jets beat them by 21. i dont think the jets can get the No. 1 seed and the division race isn't over, but the no. 2 seed is certainly within reach. jets fans have reason to in another world right now

11:27

[Comment From NYJfan4life]

Hey E-Bol, Any news on Jenkins? Will he be fine for next week?

11:28

nyjfan4life, i asked jenkins about what happened after the game and he said "I got cleated." he compared it to getting the wind knocked out of him.

"I needed time to get my bearings," Jenkins said.

he was fine. and at that point in the game there was no reason to put him back in.

11:28

[Comment From Crazy Eddie]

Lowery looked good on Sunday, is the reduced roll helping him keep up out there? He doesn't seem to have taken losing the starting job too hard

11:29

crazy eddie, agreed. lowery looked as good as we've seen him in quite a few weeks. mentally, lowery was never out of it. even when things were going well he intellectually knew things weren't going to be all roses. he's as mentally tough a rookie as i've seen.

11:29

[Comment From dmb88886]

What game the rest of the way do you see as the best potential for a loss and why?

11:29

[Comment From dmb88886]

Your final prediction for the Jets record?

11:31

dmb, good to hear/see from you! i predicted 11-5 on the night of the favre trade and, as a blog commenter pointed yesterday, people made fun of me! they still do but for different things. anyway, I think 12-4 at this point. i think this week will be tough because of cutler's ability to throw and the jets problems covering the pass. for some reason i think either at san fran or at seattle could be really tough.

11:31

[Comment From are-tee]

Erik, good article on the Jets o-line; That leads me to this question: Is Brandon Moore the most underrated, underappreciated player on the team? The guy's started 68 games in a row, enduring linemates like Adrien Clarke and Adrian Jones, but has always remained solid. I don't remember seeing him give up a bad sack or miss a key block. I'll even go as far as saying that he deserves consideration for the Pro Bowl this year. What do you think?

11:32

are-tee, i love the description of moore "enduring linemates" like clarke, et. all. i'm not sure moore is pro-bowl level - i'd give that not to mangold on the jets line to this point - but your point isn't an exaggeration of moore's year, either. he is underrated but i think last sunday is starting to change perceptions about him

11:32

[Comment From Bubby Brister]

As bad as they played against Oakland Sunday, do you think the Broncos could use it as a wake-up call, the same way the Jets did earlier in the season? Their offense still has the potential to be pretty scary.

11:33

[Comment From IRA]

Erik, I thought putting an extra DB on the TE's were a good idea. I would've liked to see Lowery get some reps besides Barrett. While i thought the Titans were a good matchup for the Jets last week. I think the Broncos offense is a bad matchup this week. The jets will have to continue to go on time consuming drives to keep the ball out of Cutler's hand. What are your thoughts?

11:35

bubby brister, well the jets did throw a shovel pass last week so i thought we'd hear from you...

anyway, to your question and Ira's about the broncos. Look, this is just the kind of team that is well-matched against what the jets biggeste weakness is: defending the pass. but i think the jets will counter that with a different defensive strategy than last week. the jets really didn't go after collins because they knew that a.) he wasn't going to outright beat them and b.) his receivers weren't that great, other than scaife. i think the jets sunday will blitz the heck out of cutler. and yes, ira, those time-consuming drives will be a big help as well if the jets can continue to get them.

11:35

[Comment From Mike]

Do you have any idea on when we can expect to see David Harris back on the field?

11:36

Mike, it probably won't be this weekend. I'd say there's a decent chance it could be san francisco. we might get a bit more on that on wednesday

11:36

[Comment From bizzythekid]

Denver has looked spotty this season, beating the Chargers early and then getting destroyed by the Raiders. How do you think the Jets handle them? Are we due for a let down (Oakland) game?

11:38

bizzythekid, well i think it's unrealistic to expect the jets to play the same way they did in tennessee. nfl teams just don't play at that high level every single week.but the good news is the jets don't have to play as well as they did in tenn. to beat denver. they'll have to play well, yes, but not near perfect. but most important, there won't be a mental letdown. players, to their credit, still don't think they've accomplished anything yet this season. that's the kind of attitude that you want

11:38

[Comment From upstatejetsfan08]

Hi Erik, Sorry to be redundant, but your coverage is the best, love the long posts...Just one question(for now), how much credit does Bill Callahan get, I remember in August, Mangini prolifically(if that's a word) said, he may have been our biggest signing..GO JETS, at last count, no complaints this week.....

11:41

upstatejetsfan08, thanks. i'm glad you enjoy the long posts. not even my relatives hang in there for those.

anyway, not to pat myself on the back (seriously) but in training camp i said he might be the most significant offseason pickup. talking to the o linemen about him, they practically gush about how much he knows about o line play. he's made a big difference for all those guys. and, let's be honest here too, the quality of players has helped as well with new people like faneca and woody. as for my predictions, keep in mind i picked kapinos to win the punter's job so i won't get carried away with complimenting myself

11:41

[Comment From Lyle]

Is Kris Jenkins an NFL MVP candidate? If not, is it because whoever votes for the award will most likely not give it to a nose tackle?

11:42

lyle, jenkins is a candidate, a strong one, for defensive player of the year but i don't see him getting enough votes for league mvp. that almost always goes to an offensive player and i dont think this year will be different. its like the heisman that way in some respects.

11:42

[Comment From simply simon]

Can we just focus on the next opponent and stop blue skying about a Jets/Giants Super Bowl? Enough! Let's just enjoy today. Mangini is right to not look beyond this week. Let him coach us as fans to keep it cool. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Our record will remain. Just like Joe's.

11:43

simply simon, when have you read me say anything about jets/giants super bowl? that was glauber hyping that today. but that's what good columnists do. i'm above that kind of thing.

11:43

(some sarcasm there)

11:43

[Comment From chansiler stuckey]

why the gholston sighting? did he have a good week of practice before the game or was someone hurt?

11:46

sorry, i just got kicked off line...anyway, chansiler (nice name. love it), bryan thomas got dinged up a bit (he came back you remember and played pretty well) which was the reason you saw gholston in there.

11:46

[Comment From Coops]

Hi Erik, I was cautiously optimistic over the Ty Law signing, but I admit I have been amazed with his play thus far. For a guy who hadn't played football for around 10 months, he's been an absolute revelation. With Revis, Law, Rhodes and Elam do the Jets now have a settled starting secondary of sufficient quality to take a trip deep into the playoffs?

11:48

coops, i agree totally. i predicted disaster if they put law in the pats game with just two days of prep time and i was 100 percent wrong. no doubt he has helped settle the secondary to a degree but i would still be concerned about the jets inability to cover the tight end. i'm not downplaying the titans game at all, but that wasn't the best test to say the jets secondary is suddenly a strength rather than a weakness

11:48

[Comment From Sufferjet]

Hi Erik, As a long time suffering Jet fan, I have a governor in my head that won't allow me to get too excited about the success of the team. I am waiting for a let down, however unlike most Jet teams, I feel that this particular team has the veteran leadership that won't allow the rest of the team to take future opponents lightly. Any sense of this in the locker room? Best, Marc

11:51

sufferjet, a governor in your head? hope it's not sarah palin (that was nonpolitical, folks. relax),

anywhooo, marc, we haven't been in the locker room yet this week as yesterday was an off day but i'll relay this story. after the game sunday david bowens talked about the break after the pats game. he said when the team returned from the five days off last wednesday, that the pats game wasn't mentioned once. the quality of play this sunday might not be what it was against the titans, but there won't be players looking at the broncos like they're easy prey

11:51

[Comment From Greenbaumenom]

Our schedule is very easy down the stretch, but we must win with tons of teams only one game back. What's your prediction for the final five games?

11:53

greenbaumenom, always good to see you get through here! i'm not sure the remaning sched is "easy" but there's no question there's lots of average teams there and a couple of dangerous ones starting with denver, although any team that loses 31-10 at home to the raiders is quite suspect. earlier i said i think the jets will finish 12-4 but i have no idea where the slip up could come. maybe one of the west coast trips or buffalo. the bills did put 54 up sunday

11:53

[Comment From Talleyrand]

Erik, if there is going to be any sort of problem the rest of the way, what position would it be at?

11:55

talleyrand, i'm speechless. really, i am. as for positional problems, i think it's the same one it's been all season: secondary depth. watching david barrett try, and fail, to cover bo scaife was brutal. against a qb like cutler, the jets will have to generate plenty of pressure

11:55

[Comment From Lrdzz]

Hi Erik! I hold Tony Richardson in very high regard. What do you think about his play and what that has done for the running game in general - and is there any chance he will continue another year in a Jets uniform?

11:56

Lrdzz, how's it going. richardson is one of those "grunt" guys that mangini loves. good on the field, good in the locker room. he, no doubt, has been valuable as the lead blocker for this running game and should he stay healthy, there's no reason he won't be back next year

11:56

[Comment From John Z]

Seeing dmb reminded me, why is Barrett still getting playing time?

11:58

john z, yeah, i got nothing there. we knew he struggled in covering WR's, but it was very concerning watching the abuse he took from a tight end. a fast tight end to be sure, but a tight end nonetheless

11:58

[Comment From Fadam]

Who should we be rooting for in the Steelers-Pats game Sunday? I'd like to hope for the two seed, and think we are safe from the Pats, but I wouldn't really mind an extra game cushion on them.

11:58

[Comment From williamg]

Do I root for the Pats or Steelers in their game this week?

11:59

fadam, if i was ranking the most dangerous teams for the jets that they wouldn't want to see in the playoffs, it would be: 1. pats 2. colts.

i think the steelers are very much like the titans, except for a better qb. that matchup isn't horrible for the jets. i'd say as a jets fan, you want to root for the steelers.

12:00

[Comment From Paul M.]

I didn't even notice Ty Law in the Tenn game. Is that a good thing? How do you see the DB rotation playing out the rest of the year with Law & Lowery?

12:01

paul m., you saw lowery get much more playing time sunday than he had in recent weeks and he made a couple of nice open field tackles. one thing about lowery, while he's been picked on an exposed, he is a good tackler. i think the rotation the rest of the way with those two will be similar to what you saw on sunday

12:01

[Comment From R in CT]

Hey E -- great stuff as always! Any whispers about re-signing Barton or giving an extension? Both guys have earned it. (And enjoy your holiday!)

12:02

R in CT! send my best to the folks at thejetsblog.com. and thanks. the jets will be interested but only at the right price. to be realistic and looking long term, the jets need to get some depth and youth at inside linebacker, which doesn't take anything away from what barton has accomplished this year. he's been tremendous. and he's another guy who is great in the locker room

12:03

[Comment From eric]

Hey Erik, Do you see Dustin Keller as a present or future Pro Bowl player? The guy is amazing - he is an impossible cover for a linebacker.

12:04

eric, there is no question, keller has that kind of potential. i can't see it being this year, though, because he had a slow start to the season. this time next year you might be talking about it as a real possibility, though

12:04

[Comment From JMattera]

I have a feeling the Broncos will go no-huddle, five wide and just try to throw the ball all day considering that gave us fits against the Cardinals and Chiefs. We have not been able to stop this thus far. Do you think the defense now with Law and some momentum would be up to the task?

12:06

jmattera, shannahan is as good as they come at attacking weaknesses of the defense he's playing against so there's probably not much question as to how he'll come after the jets. that's why i think bringing the house more times than not will be important. sitting back against cutler could portend for a long, long afternoon. the broncos defense isn't very good and something tells me we might have a bit of a shootout sunday. then again, i keep coming back to this: raiders 31, broncos 10. and that was in denver. just try to figure this league out on a week to week basis. i can't.

12:06

[Comment From williamg]

How is D'brick doing? Haven't heard much about him lately, except for the sack he let up to Haynesworth.

12:08

williamg, i wouldn't be too harsh on brick. haynesworth is probably the best defensive lineman in the league and the jets for the most part controlled him and brick had something to do with that. faneca, of course, most of all. but overall, ferguson has given up significantly less sacks than he did last year. i don't think he's ever going to turn into the all pro that everyone expected, but he's without question gotten better this year

12:08

[Comment From bizzythekid]

Thanks for the insights Erik....One more here...I was never overly impressed with Tennessee, I just didn't think they played very good teams...Baltimore wasn't that great early on with a Rookie QB, Indy was bad until recently...what I'm trying to say is I knew the Jets could beat the Titans on Sunday. Can I get your prediction on the AFC Playoff picture...who is in/out?

12:12

bizzythekid, i still think the titans are the no. 1 seed because they don't have too many more losable games left. i think the jets get the no. 2 because the steelers sched is really tough the last five games so they get the 3. the broncos will probably back into the afc west title. filling it out: the colts and pats. (sorry, my computer was slow there)

12:12

[Comment From Jetman10]

Hi Erik, How many wins do you think the Jets will need in order to get a bye during the playoffs?

12:13

jetman10. i think 12 will do it but winning out would certainly secure it.

12:13

[Comment From BigM]

Do you think there will be any effect on the team going to the west coast twice between divisional games? I would think thats gotta be pretty rough on them

12:15

BigM, it doesn't help and no team likes the cross-country trips but these guys traveling long distances isn't the same as when you and I do it. they're provided every comfort and the jets go out a day early to help ease into the time change. i know those things didnt help on the first two trips but let's be honest: the travel wasn't the reason the jets lost in san diego and oakland

12:15

Moderator: Hi all. This will be our final question .....

12:15

[Comment From JMattera]

Do you think Mangini is in line for an extension after the season? Also do you feel Schottenheimer will be up for any head coaching jobs?

12:17

jmattera, i would say barring some kind of unseen collapse, that's a strong possibility. woody johnson raves so much about mangini when discussing him, he all but blushes. as for Brian schottenheimer, yes based on how the jets offense has really come on the last month, he'll get some nibbles. there's going to be a lot, like nine or so, openings after this season i think.

thanks, again, as always everyone for participating today. sorry for the tech difficulties at the start. we'll be back again next week, probably on tuesday. have a great week. thanks for reading/commenting on the blog as well

12:18

Moderator: Thanks for your patience today as we worked out some technical difficulties. Enjoy the holiday and this week's games.