Jets News 9-2

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Sep 02, 2010

Commuting adventures of Jets LB Jason Taylor highlight latest episode of 'Hard Knocks'

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RecommendAfter 12 seasons with the Dolphins, Jason Taylor doubtless knew his way around Miami and South Beach pretty well.

As Wednesday night's episode of Hard Knocks on HBO illustrated, he's not nearly as comfortable on the outskirts of New York City.

Taylor was late arriving to the Jets' preseason opener -- at their new East Rutherford, N.J., stadium -- after missing a turn and ending up near Newark airport.

"Everybody needs the preseason," cracked defensive coordinator Mike Pettine while razzing his new linebacker during warm-ups before the game.

Taylor was also late to a team practice at Hofstra University on Long Island after getting caught in New York's infamous traffic. He did make it to the team's next preseason home game on time but not before telling the not-so-helpful navigational voice in his Maserati to shut up a few times.

Though the Jets are still waiting for all-pro CB Darrelle Revis to end his holdout, team members are clearly happy to have popular all-pro C Nick Mangold now under a long-term deal.

"I tell you what -- Mangold, I'm a little worried about him, all that money going to his head," coach Rex Ryan deadpanned about his star snapper before smiling, "because last night, I'm at Taco Bell ... and so is Nick Mangold."

QB Mark Sanchez might soon be dining on chalupas and gorditas.

"Nick deserves it. One, he's a great person, (two) he's a great player," said Sanchez. "And he deserves every cent of that contract, whatever it is -- I don't even know the number yet -- but as soon as I find out, I'll send him a text and hopefully get a free dinner."

The affable Mangold, who's usually adorned in flip-flops, jeans and a backward-facing New York Mets hat when he's not in uniform, can even make the surliest of opponents smile.

"You're looking spry out there with all that conditioning," Mangold light-heartedly remarked to Redskins DL Albert Haynesworth during last Friday's preseason game.

"They're trying to kill me right now," replied a laughing Haynesworth, who hasn't cracked many smiles at Redskins Park this summer.

Other highlights include:

•Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum offering backup QB Kellen Clemens a pay cut to stay with the team, an open process that Clemens seems to appreciate.

•The obvious on-field troubles the team is having at left guard after cutting Pro Bowler Alan Faneca in the offseason.

•Ryan chewing out a team that has had plenty of struggles to date in the exhibition season. He also voices his displeasure with defensive players who ate cheeseburgers during the pre-practice stretching at Hofstra, an episode caught on camera by the NFL Films crew. However Ryan, shown grazing throughout Hard Knocks, unintentionally (it seemed) ended his rant with a somewhat humorous line while leading the team to the next event on its schedule. "Let's go eat a (expletive) snack."

Hard Knocks concludes with next Wednesday's episode and is sure to highlight the process of Tannenbaum and Ryan reducing their roster to the 53 players who will open the season as Jets.

-- Nate Davis

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League won't confirm or deny existence of investigation regarding Favre allegations

Posted by Mike Florio on September 2, 2010 7:15 AM ET

In early August, only a day after the latest (and hopefully last) Brett Favre retirement false alarm, a report emerged from Deadspin regarding allegations that Favre, while playing for the Jets, had sent via text message offensive photos to a former employee of the Jets.

The story gained little or no national traction, and by all appearances no questions have been posed to Mr. Favre regarding the contention. (Except, presumably, by Mrs. Favre.)

But with the league acknowledging that it's "looking into" the videotape created by Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes before he even entered the league, several of you raised with us a very good question -- is the league also investigating Favre?

In Favre's case, he was employed in the league at the time the alleged conduct occurred, and the alleged target of it was an employee of the Jets when it happened.

So we asked NFL spokesman Greg Aiello about it. And here's what he said, via e-mail: "One can assume that we look into everything that is relevant, whether we say so or not. This is not a confirmation of anything."

Frankly, the league would have no choice but to look into it. If true (and we're not saying that it is), the allegations could amount to an actionable case of sexual harassment. Some may be confused, however, by the league's willingness to acknowledge an investigation of some players but not others.

But we think we understand the distinction. For some high-profile players (like Ben Roethlisberger), the league's only viable option is complete and total transparency, given that a criminal accusation had been made and the event already occupied a prominent position in multiple news cycles. For other situations that have yet to gain widespread attention, the mere acknowledgment of the existence of an "investigation" easily could nudge an otherwise little-known allegation into the mainstream

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Jets waiting for David Clowney to 'step up' and claim receiver roster spot

Published: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 5:00 AM

Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

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William Perlman/The Star-Ledger'He could float to the moon on the bubble he’s on,' said Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff earlier this summer of David Clowney, above.

Share Rex Ryan recalled the last time the Jets played Philadelphia, in the fourth preseason game last year, when he stuck in David Clowney and asked him to run a go-route for a touchdown.

Clowney obliged, taking the first play of the next series 73 yards to the end zone.

“Come on, let’s see it,” the Jets coach said during his press conference Tuesday. “That’s what I’m looking for.”

Tonight is the last chance for the third-year receiver — and every other player hoping to squeeze into the 53-man roster — to give the team what it wants to see.

The starters won’t play at all in tonight’s final preseason contest at 7:30 in Philadelphia, and 22 players need to be trimmed from the roster by 6 p.m. Saturday.

Three receivers already have been let go, among them Laveranues Coles, which only can help Clowney’s position. But as the coaches have waited for him to emerge as a consistent receiver and special-teams ace, they have spoken of his roster spot in no certain terms.

“He could float to the moon,” special-teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said earlier this summer, “on the bubble he’s on.”

THREE POSITION BATTLES TO WATCH

• WIDE RECEIVER: Only three receivers are a lock to be on the Week 1 roster: Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith (not counting Santonio Holmes, who is suspended for the first four games). Behind them? David Clowney is next on the depth chart. Larry Taylor is on the bubble. The Jets could very well keep less receivers than expected, possibly keeping TE Jeff Cumberland and RB Danny Woodhead as swing guys.

• OUTSIDE LINEBACKER: Do the Jets need Adalius Thomas? They’ll be able to get a good idea of their depth at this position tonight. Vernon Gholston was converted to defensive end in the spring, but has been playing more outside linebacker than end this preseason. The Jets also have newly signed second-year pro Jamaal Westerman, a former Rutgers star and standout pass-rusher in the CFL, and Ricky Foley.

• RUNNING BACK: Coach Rex Ryan has raved about Woodhead, saying of his roster spot, “Is this in pencil or is this in pen yet?” Woodhead works as a wide receiver, too, bolstering his chances. Chauncey Washington had a standout game in Carolina — save his fumble — which had Ryan suggesting he could make the roster. Either would be a difficult cut.

ONE MORE THING: This is Holmes’ final game with the Jets before he serves his suspension, and Ryan joked he told Eagles coach Andy Reid he needs to roll coverage to him. Holmes is looking to leave a good lasting impression if “interim” play-caller Mark Sanchez calls his number. If not, Sanchez might be stood up for those Skype sessions he and Holmes have planned during his absence.

— Jenny Vrentas

The Jets know Clowney has gifts: speed, good size and talent. But at this point in his career, it’s a question of using those gifts on the field — at his receiver position, where Santonio Holmes is suspended for the first four games, and also on special teams, critical for receivers lower on the depth chart.

When Wallace Wright signed with Carolina in the offseason, the Jets hoped Clowney might be able to fill that role as the gunner on kickoff and punt coverage. But no one has seized that spot yet, though many have been rotated in.

Clowney recovered one of Carolina’s three muffed punt returns in the second preseason game, but has overall been inconsistent on special teams, the coaches said.

Westhoff had critical words for Clowney in the third episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” telling him if he made a certain mistake during one of the preseason games he would cut him “right on the field.” And Ryan said he was still searching for an answer on why Clowney has been able to get blocked in single press on the punt team.

“He’s way too fast, big and physical,” Ryan said. “He needs to be a dominant (special) teams guy. That spot is there. We need you to step up and take it. That’s what I’m looking forward to seeing.”

But Clowney said he had been told he won’t play on special teams tonight, nor would anyone else part of the first or second team. If that’s the case, he’ll have to stand out on offense — where he has in previous preseasons.

He topped 200 receiving yards each of the last two summers, and combined for five total touchdowns. The Jets offense has struggled so far this preseason, though, and Clowney has zero catches.

The 25-year-old did admirable charity work this offseason, taking mission trips to Haiti and Ghana. He and Holmes donated more than $10,000 to children’s hospitals and orphanages, hosted an American football camp and distributed nearly 500 pounds of clothing during their July trip to the West African country.

Clowney has made his mark off the field. Tonight, he’ll look to do so on it — though he won’t be thinking about a roster spot.

“I don’t worry about being on the bubble, about being here or not being here,” Clowney said. “My mind is, ‘I’m going to be here, I’m going to be a Jet, I’m going to be a part of the team.’ That’s my focus.”

Jenny Vrentas: jvrentas@starledger.com

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New York Jets WR Santonio Holmes seeing more time vs. Eagles; David Clowney out to prove he belongs

BY Kevin Armstrong

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Thursday, September 2nd 2010, 4:00 AM

Perlman/The Star-LedgerNew York Jets wide receiver David Clowney has to prove to Rex Ryan he belongs on the final roster with a stellar performance against the Eagles in Thursday's preseason finale. Related NewsClowney practice Tweets Ryan

Of the 36 Jets Rex Ryan plans to play Thursday night in the preseason finale against the Eagles, none will draw more attention than wide receiver Santonio Holmes.

"I was talking with (Eagles) Coach (Andy) Reid," Ryan said. "And I said, 'Well, you're going to have to roll coverage to him.' So expect some cover-2 over there when Tone is in the game."

While Reid's staff may hone in on the former Super Bowl MVP, who will play the better part of three quarters due to an upcoming four-game suspension, Ryan's staff will be looking at the lesser-known prospects on the field.

"There are some jobs up for grabs," Ryan said. "We'll see who takes them."

At receiver, in particular, decisions need to be made regarding David Clowney and Larry Taylor. Both bring bursts of energy, but Clowney, who can be so dangerous on go routes and straight-on sprints, has struggled over his two years to bottle those lightning moments. He seemed to be on the cusp of being cut after last week's "Hard Knocks" episode when special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff threatened to cut him right on the field.

"He's made some plays on special teams, but we want to see that consistency," Ryan said. "So far he's still a little inconsistent in special-teams play."

A burner out of Virginia Tech, Clowney has played gunner in the preseason, but Ryan and Westhoff both have implored him to avoid being broken down by single press. Ryan praised Clowney's timeliness in recovering fumbles but noted his miscues.

"You want to see that speed on the field," Ryan said.

Ryan remembered Clowney's explosiveness in the preseason finale last year. The Eagles were blitzing on every down, so Ryan told Clowney to enter the game for a "nine route." Clowney, who sat two quarters, blew past the secondary and scored a touchdown.

"Come on, let's see it," Ryan said. "That's what I'm looking for."

Taylor, meanwhile, has become a Westhoff favorite as the undersized return man with the long odds of making the team. He, too, had his guffaws in games, but said he would not approach the finale any differently despite a roster spot being on the line.

"When I played in Canada, this is where I wanted to be," Taylor said. "It's football to me when I am on the field."

As for whether the receivers will have a chance to make a statement with their hands, Ryan sounded as though blocking will be their main role from scrimmage.

"We're gonna run the ball," Ryan said. "A bunch."

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New York Jets WR Santonio Holmes seeing more time vs. Eagles; David Clowney out to prove he belongs

BY Kevin Armstrong

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Thursday, September 2nd 2010, 4:00 AM

Perlman/The Star-LedgerNew York Jets wide receiver David Clowney has to prove to Rex Ryan he belongs on the final roster with a stellar performance against the Eagles in Thursday's preseason finale. Related NewsClowney practice Tweets Ryan

Of the 36 Jets Rex Ryan plans to play Thursday night in the preseason finale against the Eagles, none will draw more attention than wide receiver Santonio Holmes.

"I was talking with (Eagles) Coach (Andy) Reid," Ryan said. "And I said, 'Well, you're going to have to roll coverage to him.' So expect some cover-2 over there when Tone is in the game."

While Reid's staff may hone in on the former Super Bowl MVP, who will play the better part of three quarters due to an upcoming four-game suspension, Ryan's staff will be looking at the lesser-known prospects on the field.

"There are some jobs up for grabs," Ryan said. "We'll see who takes them."

At receiver, in particular, decisions need to be made regarding David Clowney and Larry Taylor. Both bring bursts of energy, but Clowney, who can be so dangerous on go routes and straight-on sprints, has struggled over his two years to bottle those lightning moments. He seemed to be on the cusp of being cut after last week's "Hard Knocks" episode when special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff threatened to cut him right on the field.

"He's made some plays on special teams, but we want to see that consistency," Ryan said. "So far he's still a little inconsistent in special-teams play."

A burner out of Virginia Tech, Clowney has played gunner in the preseason, but Ryan and Westhoff both have implored him to avoid being broken down by single press. Ryan praised Clowney's timeliness in recovering fumbles but noted his miscues.

"You want to see that speed on the field," Ryan said.

Ryan remembered Clowney's explosiveness in the preseason finale last year. The Eagles were blitzing on every down, so Ryan told Clowney to enter the game for a "nine route." Clowney, who sat two quarters, blew past the secondary and scored a touchdown.

"Come on, let's see it," Ryan said. "That's what I'm looking for."

Taylor, meanwhile, has become a Westhoff favorite as the undersized return man with the long odds of making the team. He, too, had his guffaws in games, but said he would not approach the finale any differently despite a roster spot being on the line.

"When I played in Canada, this is where I wanted to be," Taylor said. "It's football to me when I am on the field."

As for whether the receivers will have a chance to make a statement with their hands, Ryan sounded as though blocking will be their main role from scrimmage.

"We're gonna run the ball," Ryan said. "A bunch."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2010/09/02/2010-09-02_new_york_jets_wr_santonio_holmes_seeing_more_time_vs_eagles_david_clowney_out_to.html?r=sports%2Ffootball%2Fjets&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fsports%2Ffootball%2Fjets+%28Sports%2FFootball%2FJets%29#ixzz0yNgqAGsE

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Last chance for Jets' 'bubble' guys

Jets BlogLast Updated: 8:51 AM, September 2, 2010

Posted: 3:44 AM, September 2, 2010

Comments: 0 More Print Mark Cannizzaro

PHILADELPHIA -- On the surface, tonight's preseason finale between the Jets and Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field is a garbage-time exercise, a glorified scrimmage involving scrubs, with neither team planning to play starters for fear of injury in the last dress rehearsal for the regular season.

Really, it's as blunt an advertisement as there can be for the NFL to reduce the preseason schedule and add games to the regular season.

What fans want to watch their team play when the closest their favorite players will come to playing is loitering on the sideline, teasingly dressed in uniform but never wearing a helmet?

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Who wants to watch a game that will be boiled down to a bunch of players on the bubble battling it out for the last time trying to make the roster?

There is, however, a fascinating game within the game subplot to these final preseason weeks.

There's a who's-who list of players around the NFL who have emerged as key starters and stars that are living proof that bubble players should not be ignored.

You need to look no further than at two integral starters on the Jets' defense -- linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard -- to see that key players can emerge from the bubble, which means seemingly boring games like tonight's should not be dismissed as a waste of time.

Scott, an undrafted free agent with the Ravens who had to fight his way onto the roster as a special-teams player, signed a six-year, $48 million free-agent contract with more than $20 million in guaranteed money with the Jets two years ago.

Leonhard, another undrafted and unheralded free agent when he entered the league and a walk-on in college at Wisconsin, is making almost $2 million per year with the Jets and is the quarterback of their secondary.

With those two living examples of bubble players who have made it, there are a number of players the Jets will be taking a hard look at tonight in this last-chance-saloon practice game to see if they can become key role players in their Super Bowl pursuit.

Receiver and kick returner Larry Taylor, who never got a sniff for an NFL tryout coming out of college and went straight to Canada to play for two years, has been getting a long look this summer and he's shown potential.

Running back Chauncey Washington, who's fighting an impossible battle with a crowded backfield, delivered the most jarring hit of the preseason with a special teams blow he struck two games ago in Carolina.

There are plenty of other hopefuls, too, including long-shot defensive tackle Martin Tevaseu, fullback Jason Davis, who likely is going to be squeezed out in a numbers game, and tackle Mike Turkovich to name a few.

All of these bubble players are bracing for tonight's game as perhaps their last chance, and Scott, for one, is cognizant of that stressful dynamic. He remembers the "anxiety" he felt entering this game as a rookie.

"I identify with them because I've been there and I know what they're going through. I understand. I'm sensitive to their pain," Scott said. "I'm sensitive to the fact that this might be the last time some of them ever play football again."

Tevaseu, who comes from a small California town with a tiny high school that graduated 37 and suited up 13 players and always has considered himself an underdog, conceded to being "a bit nervous" entering tonight, "because there's so much riding on this game."

"But I also see it as an opportunity to shine and show what I can do," he said.

Washington and Taylor have shown enough signs of what they can do to open the coaches' eyes. Whether that will be enough remains to be seen, and tonight could seal that fate one way or the other.

"This is the last interview -- not just for the Jets but for any other teams watching," Washington said.

Defensive tackle Sione Pouha, who said he always considers himself on the bubble, remembers the stress of that last preseason game and he roots for the long shots.

"There's a lot of pressure for the guys," Pouha said. "It's an opportunity. The spotlights are on. It's time to go. It's not an easy road to get up here so you cheer for everyone to get a chance."

mcannizzaro@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/last_chance_for_bubble_guys_YNyllZUqUCilLLQqdhxILP?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz0yNhJg7YJ

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Wild preseason will end for Jets without Revis

Jets BlogBy BART HUBBUCH

Last Updated: 8:15 AM, September 2, 2010

Posted: 3:47 AM, September 2, 2010

Comments: 10 More Print PHILADELPHIA -- Darrelle Revis still is nowhere to be found as the Jets prepare to close out an exhibition season filled with drama and controversy tonight against the Eagles.

Neither side expected the dispute to get nearly this far, but the Jets' All-Pro cornerback remains a holdout and his 32-day unexcused absence -- current fine total: $528,736 -- continues to cast a pall over Gang Green Nation.

"You can't help but think about it, because he's one of the best players in the whole league," fellow corner Antonio Cromartie, who is trying to fill in for Revis, said this week.

Coach Rex Ryan has stopped talking about Revis altogether, because of a vow of silence by both sides after the talks got ugly last month, but the sense of frustration and disappointment in the halls of the Jets' practice facility is palpable.

Revis reportedly is in the Pittsburgh area working out, and league sources say there remains little progress in a standoff that boils down to Revis' demand for millions in upfront bonus money, and Jets owner Woody Johnson's steadfast refusal to pay it.

The Revis dispute is far from the only newsworthy issue in what has been one of the most eventful preseasons in Jets history -- a designation no doubt fortified by the presence of the "Hard Knocks" cameras.

But Revis' absence coupled with the punchless play of their offense in the first three exhibitions has the Jets even more impatient than usual to get tonight's afterthought of a game over with and focus on Sept. 13 against the Ravens.

Ryan is so disinterested in the matchup at Lincoln Financial Field that the Jets expected to dress just 36 players -- including a kicker, punter and long snapper.

Almost all of the starters will sit as a precaution against injury (soon-to-be-suspended wideout Santonio Holmes being a notable exception), and Ryan even plans to let Mark Sanchez serve as offensive coordinator for part of the game.

Listening to Ryan this week, it seemed like NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's push for an 18-game regular season and two fewer exhibitions starting in 2012 is two years too late.

Ryan's plan to sit virtually his entire first unit tonight means the questions prompted by the Jets' sputtering offense in August will linger all the way to the Monday-night opener.

The Jets scored just two touchdowns combined in the three preseason games (both via the arm of Sanchez), and aside from signs of life from LaDainian Tomlinson, their offense hardly looked like that of a team about to live up to Ryan's Super Bowl predictions.

"I think we would've liked to perform a little better in a couple of those preseason games," said Sanchez, who also threw two preseason interceptions while mustering a mere 75.9 passer rating. "But that's behind us. I don't think we're too worried about it. We're confident." The starting defense performed markedly better than the offense in the preseason, which was no surprise after last year's No. 1 overall ranking.

But with Revis still a no-show and 2009 sack leader Calvin Pace out for at least Week 1 with a broken right foot, the Jets are finding the follow-up to last year's AFC title-game run already a bit of a slog.

"Nothing's ever easy in this league," linebacker Bart Scott said. "If we didn't know that already, we know it now."

bhubbuch@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/revis_in_the_corner_klJE514K9UsnBhnZkmIorK?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz0yNhmRXXP

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Ryan 'Knocks' burger-eating Jets

Jets BlogLast Updated: 8:40 AM, September 2, 2010

Posted: 3:51 AM, September 2, 2010

Comments: 1 More Print Steve Serby

The Jets were talking hard cash on "Hard Knocks" last night. Hard cash waiting for Darrelle Revis. With only 11 days remaining before the regular-season opener against the Ravens, the Jets still are holding out hope (against hope) that their disgruntled holdout will join them to begin walking the Super Bowl walk together -- even in the absence of a blockbuster new deal.

Coach Rex Ryan, with general manager Mike Tannenbaum seated to his left, broaches the subject in the course of telling an understanding and appreciative Laveranues Coles that he is being let go, with the intention of welcoming him back after a short vacation. It is a brilliant stroke, intended not solely for Coles' ears, but for Revis' as well.

"We use some things financially with our team -- one of 'em is the Revis deal," Ryan tells Coles, seated directly across from him. "You know, we have to have money in place in case he shows up without a new contract. There's a great possibility you're still gonna be on this football team. It's just that if we have you in the first week, then we had to pay the whole season, and the way that our money is right now, we can't do that."

There was much puzzlement behind closed doors over how and why "mysterious" reports began surfacing that the Revis-Jets impasse was about to end.

"It's the most bizarre thing. . . . It's like, this guy Tim Cowlishaw from ESPN [and Dallas Morning News] wrote it," Tannenbaum says. "Let's put it this way -- I hope he's right. . . . I'd just like to know what the deal looks like [chuckle]."

There is, remember, a self-imposed media blackout from both sides. "We'll be apparently the last to know," Tannenbaum says.

Ryan is also waiting for leadership to emerge among the players.

He addresses his team the night before the Redskins game in his X-rated way after Antonio Cromartie and several teammates wolfed down cheeseburgers before the Hofstra scrimmage:

"You guys know me, that I'm about as positive a guy as there is," Ryan says. "I believe our team's better than every bleepin' team in the league. I believe our players are better than any players in the league, right?

"Those are true statements, that's how I believe. But, the team's only goin' so far, if I'm the only guy that leads. I'm not a great leader, OK? I can't lead myself," he adds. "This whole group of men. We ain't gonna win, guys, if it's about me. I'm sittin' back waitin' for us to understand the team that we said we were gonna be. What the hell are we waitin' on?

Do you want it or not? Do you understand there's a price to pay? Can we have fun? You're damn right," he exclaims. "I demand that we have fun. Now there's a difference between havin' fun, and being a jackass. Our defense was a jackass when we went to Hofstra -- eatin' a bunch of bleepin' cheeseburgers before we go stretch and all that. That's bein' a jackass.

"You can be a world champion - but not like this. We won't win it," he continues. "We'll sit back and say, 'Why didn't we do it?' We didn't do it because where were our bleepin' priorities? How about our offense? When are we gonna put it together? Can we not run the ball down their throats every snap? Can we not throw it any time we want to bleepin' throw it? Let's make sure we play like the bleepin' New York Jets, and not some bleepin' slapd--k team. Do we understand what the bleep I want to see tomorrow? Let's go eat a goddamn snack."

Old-school special teams coach Mike Westhoff applauds Ryan on the field in pregame: "They needed it. I don't want to be the only guy M effin' everybody, c'mon!"

Vignettes:

Mark Sanchez reveals on the sidelines that Braylon Edwards told him: "When we started the drive, Braylon's like, 'You look badder than Rex Grossman.' "

Ryan, referring to Santonio Holmes, tells visiting former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden at practice: "He might be the best player on the field."

After Bart Scott gets into a ruckus, Ryan tells a cursing defensive coordinator Mike Pettine up in the booth: "Guys I told 'em to play this way -- not reckless, but I told him to play with passion."

Pettine spits out: "Yeah. There's a difference between passionate and stupid."

steve.serby@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/rex_cheesed_ozFlYPexRRNlT7kRhq1BsO?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz0yNiHA7eE

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Jets' Holmes isn't completely banned

Jets BlogBy BART HUBBUCH

Last Updated: 8:13 AM, September 2, 2010

Posted: 3:16 AM, September 2, 2010

Comments: 1 More Print PHILADELPHIA -- It turns out Santonio Holmes will not be banned from the Jets' facility during his drug suspension, after all.

In what will qualify as news to coach Rex Ryan and at least several other Jets officials, the NFL confirmed last night that Holmes can work out at the club's Florham Park headquarters and even attend team meetings during the four-game league ban that begins with Week 1.

The only thing Holmes can't do during that time is practice with the Jets.

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The Jets themselves apparently didn't know that, because Ryan told reporters Tuesday that coaches wouldn't be allowed to have contact with Holmes during the suspension.

Ryan also said Holmes was even planning to resort to Skype, a popular Internet video-conferencing tool, to go over plays with Mark Sanchez.

It's not necessary, according to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. The rules were changed "several years ago," Aiello said, to allow players serving less than a one-year drug suspension to have access to their team's facility.

The change only applies to players suspended for substance abuse. Players banned for steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs (such as the Jets' Calvin Pace last year) or for violating the league's conduct policy must remain away from their team's facility and not have official contact with the team.

Holmes is expected to play deep into the third quarter here tonight against the Eagles in the preseason finale because it's his final game action before the ban.

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Add Ron Jaworski to the long list of people around the NFL who think Ryan and the Jets have gotten a little too full of themselves.

The former NFL quarterback, now an analyst on ESPN's "Monday Night Football," labeled the Jets the most overrated team in the AFC yesterday while noting the hostility Ryan has fostered with his repeated Super Bowl projections.

Speaking on a preseason media conference call with Jon Gruden and the rest of the "Monday Night Football" crew, Jaworski said the feeling from other teams in the league about the Gang Green is clear.

"They're the team that's pretty much speaking all the bravado," Jaworski said. "You hear this, you see this, and you really do want to put them in their place -- whatever that place may be."

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Ryan and the Jets continue to downplay an apparent flare-up in Antonio Cromartie's right hip that kept the cornerback out of a handful of snaps in Tuesday's practice. It's the same hip Cromartie fractured two years ago, which makes the recurrence a definite red flag, but Ryan said there is nothing to worry about and labeled it "a little hip thing."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/holmes_not_completely_banned_mClRCOe9tM2WCOGbsp8kEI?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz0yNiesqo8

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Nice story but I still do not see the love for Danny Woodhead.

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Danny Woodhead's time to shine

Thursday, September 2, 2010

BY J.P. PELZMAN

The Record

STAFF WRITER

Reporters crowded around Mark Sanchez in the Jets' locker room Tuesday, even though it already had been announced that the second-year quarterback wouldn't play in tonight's preseason finale at Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, at the adjacent locker, only a few reporters were talking with third-year running back Danny Woodhead, who figures to play extensively.

He may draw a bigger crowd of media after the game, much the way he did last year in the same situation. Woodhead rushed for two touchdowns and 158 yards in the Jets' 38-27 win over the Eagles.

Sure, that game was meaningless in the big picture, but perhaps not for Woodhead. Yes, he was waived three days after his big performance, but then was brought back to be a part of the Jets' practice squad. From there, he eventually was promoted to the active roster Oct. 17 because of injury woes at wide receiver, which had prompted the Jets to switch him to that position.

"I'm just going to go out there and do my thing, play my own game," Woodhead said of tonight's contest. "I'm not worried about what I did last year. I want to go out there and try to help the team win. It's still a football game. It's still competition and we want to win the game."

True, but what matters more tonight is the game within the game, as the players at the back end of the Jets' roster try to stake a place on the 53-man roster.

Almost all of the Jets' first-stringers will sit out, as the reserves get a chance to make their cases. All teams must get to the NFL-mandated roster limit by Saturday, and the undersized Woodhead again seems to be on the fence.

But maybe not, judging by what coach Rex Ryan said Tuesday.

"The more I'm around Woodhead," he said, "the more I'm like, 'Is this in pencil or is this in pen yet?' That's how I look at it. The kid is a player. We throw him out there at wideout [and Tuesday] he's killing us. [That's] two days in a row. He can play running back, wideout and special teams. ... [With] Danny, it's hard not to pull for that dude."

Woodhead believes it's a mistake to play a game such as tonight's while thinking about how it could affect your football future.

"I think people get caught in that trap a little too much," he said. "Realistically, you can only do what you can do. You're not going to make the decision. ... All you can do is go out there and play your best football. That's what I try to do. Things are going to work out how they're going to work out. God has a plan for me and my life, and that's what I truly believe and that's what's going to happen."

Ryan said Woodhead's versatility on offense is a point in his favor.

"I think that any time you can wear a lot of hats," the coach said, "that helps you."

"The thing I've tried to do," Woodhead said, "is learn the offense, not necessarily just my position. That's helped me a little bit."

Ryan said he intends to keep two fullbacks and four tight ends on the roster. That would leave less wiggle room at other positions, and likely would benefit someone such as Woodhead, because he can play two positions.

Ryan hasn't declared a winner at the left guard position, but Matt Slauson clearly is ahead of rookie Vladimir Ducasse, and could seal the deal tonight with a decent performance. Slauson is the only starter on the depth chart expected to play.

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com

Reporters crowded around Mark Sanchez in the Jets' locker room Tuesday, even though it already had been announced that the second-year quarterback wouldn't play in tonight's preseason finale at Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, at the adjacent locker, only a few reporters were talking with third-year running back Danny Woodhead, who figures to play extensively.

He may draw a bigger crowd of media after the game, much the way he did last year in the same situation. Woodhead rushed for two touchdowns and 158 yards in the Jets' 38-27 win over the Eagles.

Sure, that game was meaningless in the big picture, but perhaps not for Woodhead. Yes, he was waived three days after his big performance, but then was brought back to be a part of the Jets' practice squad. From there, he eventually was promoted to the active roster Oct. 17 because of injury woes at wide receiver, which had prompted the Jets to switch him to that position.

"I'm just going to go out there and do my thing, play my own game," Woodhead said of tonight's contest. "I'm not worried about what I did last year. I want to go out there and try to help the team win. It's still a football game. It's still competition and we want to win the game."

True, but what matters more tonight is the game within the game, as the players at the back end of the Jets' roster try to stake a place on the 53-man roster.

Almost all of the Jets' first-stringers will sit out, as the reserves get a chance to make their cases. All teams must get to the NFL-mandated roster limit by Saturday, and the undersized Woodhead again seems to be on the fence.

But maybe not, judging by what coach Rex Ryan said Tuesday.

"The more I'm around Woodhead," he said, "the more I'm like, 'Is this in pencil or is this in pen yet?' That's how I look at it. The kid is a player. We throw him out there at wideout [and Tuesday] he's killing us. [That's] two days in a row. He can play running back, wideout and special teams. ... [With] Danny, it's hard not to pull for that dude."

Woodhead believes it's a mistake to play a game such as tonight's while thinking about how it could affect your football future.

"I think people get caught in that trap a little too much," he said. "Realistically, you can only do what you can do. You're not going to make the decision. ... All you can do is go out there and play your best football. That's what I try to do. Things are going to work out how they're going to work out. God has a plan for me and my life, and that's what I truly believe and that's what's going to happen."

Ryan said Woodhead's versatility on offense is a point in his favor.

"I think that any time you can wear a lot of hats," the coach said, "that helps you."

"The thing I've tried to do," Woodhead said, "is learn the offense, not necessarily just my position. That's helped me a little bit."

Ryan said he intends to keep two fullbacks and four tight ends on the roster. That would leave less wiggle room at other positions, and likely would benefit someone such as Woodhead, because he can play two positions.

Ryan hasn't declared a winner at the left guard position, but Matt Slauson clearly is ahead of rookie Vladimir Ducasse, and could seal the deal tonight with a decent performance. Slauson is the only starter on the depth chart expected to play.

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com

[Jetsfan80]

Nice story but I still do not see the love for Danny Woodhead.

I agree. He can help out on specials, but I'd prefer to have a strong running back on the roster than a special teams contributor. Chauncey Washington is much more valuable. This is especially true if Shonn Greene get's hurt; I want Washington getting carries behind LT, not Joe McKnight or Woodhead.

[flgreen]

I agree. He can help out on specials, but I'd prefer to have a strong running back on the roster than a special teams contributor. Chauncey Washington is much more valuable. This is especially true if Shonn Greene get's hurt; I want Washington getting carries behind LT, not Joe McKnight or Woodhead.

Love Woodhead, but I have to agree with you. if there is an injury to either Greene, or LT, Washington will be a lot more valuable

[flgreen]

Expect More of Jets' WR Santonio Holmes in Preseason Finale0

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.9/02/2010 2:04 PM ET By Andy Kent

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Andy Kent

NFL Writer

Typically, the fourth and final preseason game is when the starters get to rest as they tend to stay on the field for one, maybe two series at the most. That will not be the case Thursday night for New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Holmes will miss the our games of the regular season because of a league-imposed suspension for violating the substance abuse policy, so this is last chance to do anything live on the field, including practice, until Week 5 (Oct. 11) against the Minnesota Vikings at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

Lincoln Financial Field will be his stage for possibly three full quarters and the Eagles secondary will try to make his life difficult, but Jets coach Rex Ryan won't be paying much attention to Holmes, as Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News wrote in today's edition. He has some tough decisions to make regarding his team's final 53-man roster.

If anything, Holmes being in the game as long as he is expected to be will help Eagles coach Andy Reid evaluate some of his lower-tier defensive backs to see if they are worthy of a roster spot.

"I was talking with Reid and I said, 'Well, you're going to have to roll coverage to him,'" said Ryan, whose father Buddy coached the Eagles from 1986-90. "So expect some Cover 2 over there when Tone is in the game."

Holmes is two years removed from winning the Super Bowl XLIII MVP trophy after making an acrobatic game-winning catch in the right corner of the end zone with less than a minute left to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 27-23 victory and their record sixth Lombardi Trophy. He caught nine passes or 131 yards that night and looked to be on his way to a stellar career in Pittsburgh.

But off-the-field troubles and some injuries clouded his 2010 season and the Steelers decided to part ways with Holmes by trading him to New York after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down his suspension. Now he is hoping for a fresh start with the Jets and he's been seen on "Hard Knocks" acting as a mentor to some of the younger receivers.

So when he comes off the field for the last time tonight, Holmes hopes to leave behind the type of performance that will keep people talking about him over the next month and keep opposing defensive coordinators worried about to game plan for him once he returns.

[flgreen]

Mark Brunell: "I got in over my head, debt was insurmountable"

Posted by Michael David Smith on September 2, 2010 12:09 PM ET

Mark Brunell, the Jets backup quarterback who declared bankruptcy this year despite earning $52 million in his career, said at a hearing that he simply couldn't keep up with his losses in the real estate market.

"I got in over my head and the debt was insurmountable," Brunell said, per the Jacksonville Daily Record. "I'm filing Chapter 11 to reorganize and come up with a plan to make this right."

Although Brunell is generally considered a lock to make the Jets' roster as their No. 2 quarterback, he said at yesterday's bankruptcy hearing (which he attended by phone from Philadelphia, where the Jets are playing tonight) that there are no guarantees he'll earn the $1.5 million he's expecting to make in the NFL this year.

"It depends on how I play tomorrow night," Brunell said. "You're not guaranteed anything if you're not on the roster the opening day of the season. . . . I should know within the next seven days."

Asked what he'll do if he doesn't make the team, Brunell said, "First off, cry."

The people Brunell owes millions of dollars know the feeling

[flgreen]

Jets' Danny Woodhead Showing Shades of Wayne Chrebet0

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.9/02/2010 3:59 PM ET By Andy Kent

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Andy Kent

NFL Writer

He was a folk hero long before NFL Films came around and Steve Sabol's camera crew started filming him and every other member of the New York Jets for HBO's reality series, "Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The New York Jets." But now tiny Danny Woodhead, in his third year at running back, is hoping to cement his place on the team and prove all the doubters wrong -- just like a player of similar stature, Wayne Chrebet, did with the Jets 15 years ago.

Woodhead stands just 5-foot-9 and is a stocky 200 pounds, yet he is as tough as nails and dynamic as they come when he puts on his helmet and shoulder pads. That is why the former Division II player from little known Chadron State in Nebraska has endeared himself to Jets coach Rex Ryan. As a second-year player last summer, Woodhead ripped off 158 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 38-27 preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

It just so happens that just like in 2009, when the Eagles were New York's fourth and final preseason opponent, Philadelphia will be on the other side again Thursday night in the teams' fourth preseason game.

"The more I'm around Woodhead, the more I'm like, 'Is this in pencil or is this in pen yet?' That's how I look at it," Ryan said. "The kid is a player. We throw him out there at wideout (this week) he's killing us. Two days in a row. He can play running back, wideout and special teams. Danny? It's hard not to pull for that dude."

It was also hard not to pull for Chrebet when he came out of Hofstra in 1995 and set an NFL record for most receptions by an undrafted rookie wide receiver with 66 for 726 yards and four touchdowns. The 5-10, 188-pound receiver was the anti-Keyshawn Johnson, his teammate and fellow wide receiver who was a first-round draft pick of Bill Parcells and stood 6-4, 211.

Chrebet lasted 11 seasons in the league, all with the Jets, and finished his career with 580 catches for 7,365 yards and 41 touchdowns. Multiple concussions -- a reported 13 -- shortened his career and he was honored at halftime of the Jets' home opener in 2007 against the Miami Dolphins. Woodhead shares some of the daring characteristics that made Chrebet so popular but also put him at risk, and he also takes an admirable approach to practice and games.

"The thing I've tried to do ever since I came in as a rookie, I've tried to learn the offense, and not necessarily just my position," Woodhead told Lange. "So that's helped me a little bit, like last year when I made a little bit of a transition doing both things. Whatever I have to do this year, it's really helped me along with the meetings, so it's not crazy in my head."

And he'll do whatever he has to tonight to convince Ryan to write his name in pen for the active roster.