Jets v. Colts Postgame

Jets- 29
Colts- 15

Jets: 8-7

With everything to play for the Jets were able to pull off a miraculous win against the Colts to keep themselves in the AFC wild card picture.  At this point everyone knows the reason the Jets won this game.  Peyton Manning was pulled late in the 3rd Quarter in favor of Curtis Painter and the Jets never looked back.  With this win the Jets will control their own destiny next Sunday night when they return home to play the Cincinnati Bengals.  In this win and in scenario the Jets players should be pumped up in front of a loud Meadowlands crowd.

Thumbs Up:

• Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene both had outstanding games in this win.  Jones finished with 23 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown while Greene finished with 16 carries for 95 yards.  Greene seemed to control much of the running early as he punished Colts defenders.  Jones was able to eat up clock in the 3rd and 4th quarter after the Jets got the lead. 

•  Calvin Pace was able to create the fumble and was a major turning point in the game.  

• Brad Smith infused hope in me and other Jets fans with his kickoff return touchdown to start the second half.  The Jets offense looked dead throughout the first half and this kickoff return really put the life back into the team.

Honorable Mention: Jim Caldwell for pulling Peyton Manning.

Thumbs Down:

•  Brian Schottenheimer.  As has been said many times before and will probably continue to be said Schottenheimer gets way too "cute" with his playcalling.  The Jets opened the game backed up against their own endzone with three straight pass plays.  When the Jets got a drive going in the first half Schotty killed it by calling a reverse to Clowney which resulted in a 15 yard loss.  The tools are there for the Jets to be a strong, power running team and Schotty has to rely on that attack.

• David Clowney can't make run 15 yards backwards on that reverse play.  He needs to realize when the play is blown up.

Game Thoughts:

The Jets need one more win to get in.  Jets v. Bengals next week at 8:30 will decide out playoff hopes.  I wish I was going but instead I will be in front of a computer in Ireland at 1:30 A.M. praying for a win.  LET'S GO JETS.

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Jets v. Colts Preview

With the AFC Playoff picture getting clearer and clearer it looks like the Jets have a golden opportunity to gain control their own destiny by the end of the day.  However, this assumes that the Jets will actually be able to win a game against the 14-0 Colts.  The Colts have been good all season and it looks like Peyton Manning will be playing a complete game today unless their is a blowout in either direction.  The Jets will have to use their #1 defense and rushing attack to shut down Manning and keep him off field.

What to watch for...

• How long will the Colts starters play?  This involves a lot more than just Peyton Manning.  Manning looks like he is going to play but this does not mean Colts players such as Addai and Dwight Freeney will be in for the entire game.  If the Colts start resting some of their starters it will benefit the Jets greatly.

• Can the Jets avoid turnovers?  The Jets will need to play a perfect game to upset the undefeated Colts.  This means executing field goals, not throwing interceptions, not missing easy interceptions, and not fumbling the ball.  If Thomas Jones can get going on the ground it should help Sanchez avoid forcing bad throws.

• Can the Jets stay close early?  The Jets cannot allow Peyton Manning to get a big lead early.  Sanchez is not ready to lead this team on a big comeback and the Jets will need to be in a position in this game where they can utilize their rushing attack with Jones and Greene and use that to set up the pass.  Getting behind early could spell disaster for the Jets.

Who to watch for...

• Mark Sanchez could have this game put on his shoulders early if the Jets defense is unable to shut down Peyton Manning early.  He will have to make some big plays in this game for the Jets to have any shot.  

• Thomas Jones will have to have another good game to take the pressure off of Sanchez and to keep the clock moving and Manning off the field.  If Jones can find some holes early it will improve the Jets chances greatly.

• Lito Shephard, Donald Strickland, and Dwight Lowery will be playing across from the great Darelle Revis and will need to make plays.  The Colts have so many weapons on offense other than Reggie Wayne and they will need to be well covered.

I do not think the Jets are going to be able to win this game.  The Colts are simply too good and Peyton Manning is just amazing at both building early leads and coming back late in games.  They are tough to play on the road in the dome and the Jets will need some luck to beat him.  The defense will have to play the game of their lives and Sanchez will have to limit mistakes.

Game Prediction:
Colts- 27
Jets- 13

Jets v. Falcons Postgame

Falcons- 10
Jets-7

Jets- 7-7

The playoff hopes are just about dead as the Jets found a way to blow a game that was entirely in their grasp.  The defense came out to play today and was great for 3 and a half quarters.  However, the trend of the season continued as one aspect of the team managed to let everyone else down.  The Jets special teams today was terrible as they missed  3 field goals (one botched, one blocked, one missed).  This was an absolutely terrible way to lose the game after the offense continuously put the team in a position to score points and the special teams unit couldn't execute. 

Thumbs Up:

• Darelle Revis played another outstanding game in blanketing Roddy White and making a few great pass deflections.  There is nothing more to say about his effort as it is outstanding each and every weekend. 

•  I thought that Kerry Rhodes put together a pretty good game today.  It is hard to give him a thumbs up because of several missed tackles but he showed why he was given a huge pay day.  His pass coverage today was excellent for most of the day.

• Braylon Edwards played a great game.  His 65 yard catch was the Jets only big offensive play of the game and he also made a few other really good plays.  I really like what Edwards has done since arriving and I hope we are able to lock him up long term.  

Thumbs Down:

• Jay Feely, Kellen Clemens, and James Dearth blew this game today.  As I mentioned before the Clemens botched a chip shot field goal, Feely missed a makeable one (on a bad Dearth snap), and Feely had one blocked.  If 2/3 of these field goals had been executed the Jets would have won this game easily.  None of these opportunities were difficult and it just shows that the Jets find the most creative ways to lose games.

• Defensive non-interception.  The Jets let so many potential interceptions slip right through their hands which would have completely turned around this game.

• Last drive defense blew a game once again.  We saw this in Miami and Jaxonville where the defense could hold a team on the final drive of a game.  The Jets had the Falcons in numerous 3rd and longs today and couldn't execute. 
  

I am having trouble even talking about this game because of how bad the Jets played and how golden an opportunity they let slip through their fingers.  At 7-7 they are still in the playoff race (although barely) but this game just epitomizes this season.  The defense played amazing and the offense continuously put the team in a position to score points.  It is like it is impossible for this team to put it together in all three phases.  As I have said all season, the Jets always fall apart in one area and it costs them the game.  In this one, it was the special teams.  As for playoff scenarios, sure, they are still alive.  Actually, the Broncos loss puts the Jets in a position where they could get a potential playoff spot.  However, this team won't make the playoffs.  The only time this team looked like it deserved the playoffs was during the 3-0 start and that is way in the past at this point.  Losing and disappointment is what being a Jets fan is all about.  Why would that change now?

Falcons at Jets Pregame

Playoff Picture:

Division Leaders

Indy 13-0
SD 10-3
Cincy 9-4
NE 8-5

Wild Card Leaders

Den 8-5
Jax 7-6

In the Hunt

Bal 7-6
Mia 7-6
NYJ 7-6

Need a miracle
Pit 6-7
Ten 6-7
Hou 6-7

Important Games:

Colts at Jaguars- The Jets need the Jaguars to lose this game because of tiebreakers.  This would take another team behind the Jets (assuming the Jets win) which is always a good thing.

Dolphins at Titans- Another loss for the Dolphins would be huge because this is yet another team that the Jets lose tiebreakers against.

Oakland at Denver- If Oakland wins this game it bring the Broncos back into the already muddled AFC wild card race.

Bengals v. Chargers- If the Chargers win this game it pretty much cements them into the second spot in the AFC and the Bengals will be solidified in the 3rd spot.  The Jets need the Bengals to have nothing to play for in the final week.

Patriots at Bills-  If the Patriots lose the Jets will have an outside shot of winning the division if they win out.

Chicago at Baltimore- Chicago needs to win and knock Baltimore out of the playoff picture.

Game Preview:

Falcons at Jets:

The Jets are 7-6 and are right in the middle of the AFC wild card race.  However, they do not control their own destiny as the Jaguars and Dolphins have the same record and both win tiebreakers against the Jets.  There are plenty of question marks coming into this game.  Will Matt Ryan and Michael Turner play?  Will Mark Sanchez be the starting QB for the Jets?  The answer to these questions could go a long way to determining the outcome of this game.

What to watch for....

• How will all the injury questions play out on Sunday?  With both starting quarterbacks and the Michael Turner questionable for this game we are largely unsure of how this game will play out.  My guess is that Ryan and Sanchez will start but Turner will be ruled out.  

• The crowd should be really into it Sunday as no Jets fan was expecting meaningful games this late in the season a few weeks ago.  This is a make or break game for the season and I expect a really loud, packed Meadowlands.

• The playoff race is heating up and everyone will be watching the scoreboard rooting for other teams to lose.  Despite being tied for the playoff spot the Jets still need a lot of help in order to make the playoffs.

Who to watch for...

• Thomas Jones has had a phenomenal season and will need to continue that effort whether Sanchez or Clemens starts in this one.  Clemens has played terribly in limited action and if Sanchez plays it will be with 2 knee braces.  Jones has had a great season and will need to keep it up in this game.

• David Harris and Bart Scott need to shut down the Falcons running attack, especially if Turner plays.  

• D'Brickashaw Ferguson will have to play a great game in order to shut down John Abraham and the Falcons pass rush.  The Jets can't allow Sanchez to be hit hard in this one (assuming he starts) especially because he's wearing 2 knee braces.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets will come out and play well in this one and get a big home win.  The crowd should be into it and the Jets rushing attack should be able to get going in this one.

Game Prediction:

Jets- 24
Falcons- 21

Jets v. Bucs Pregame

The Jets playoff hopes continue to stay alive as teams around them continue to lose.  The Steelers have now lost 5 in a row to drop to a 6-7 record and fall out of the playoff race.  Here is the current playoff picture:

Division Leaders

Indy 12-0
Cincy 9-3
SD 9-3
NE 7-5

Wild Card Leaders

Den 8-4
Jax 7-5

In the Hunt

Bal 6-6
Mia 6-6
NYJ 6-6

Need a miracle
Pit 6-7
Ten 5-7
Hou 5-7

Important Games:

Lions at Ravens:  I don't really have much hope of the Lions winning this game but with the performances that Oakland and Cleveland put up against the Steelers in the past two weeks I know that anything is possible.  A Ravens loss would give them their 7th and would make it difficult for them to make the playoffs.

Broncos at Colts: If the Colts can win this game it serves two central purposes.  1.) It pulls the Broncos back to the rest of the teams in the wild card hunt and opens up the potential for a fight for the other spot.  2.) It allows the Colts to clinch home field advantage and will hopefully make it so they rest their starters when we play them in Week 16.

Miami at Jaxonville:  The Dolphins winning this game would create a tie for the last wild card spot (assuming the Jets win). Miami and Jax both still have tough schedules to play.


Carolina v. New England: This one is pretty obvious.  If the Jets want any chance to win the division New England is going to have to continue to lose games.

The most important game of all:

Jets v. Bucs

The Jets enter this game with a 6-6 record and are contenders for the 6th and final wild card spot.  They are coming off strong games against the Panthers and the Bills.  This week will showcase Kellen Clemens in his first action as the starting quarterback for the Jets this year with Sanchez being declared out with his sprained knee.  I don't expect that Clemens will be throwing the ball much in this game and the Jets should use a running attack spearheaded by Thomas Jones to beat the Bucs.

What to watch for....

• How will Brian Schottenheimer call this game with Kellen Clemens behind center?  Clemens has not seen any action this year other than limited time in Buffalo last week when he did not look very good.  Schotty has been under heavy scrutiny all year for not fully utilizing his running attack which is ranked #1 in the league.  Clemens has been in this system for a long time but I still don't expect to see more than 15-20 pass plays called in this game.  If there are any more than that it means that, 1.) The Jets fall behind big early or 2.) Schottenheimer wants to lose his job.

•  Kerry Rhodes has yet again made the news with two incidents since the last game.  First, he got into a verbal argument with the Jets defensive back coach because he was unhappy about his role in practice.  Second, he posted on his twitter that he would not mind getting out of New York so he could show all the "haters" what he could do in another city.  Rhodes entered this season as a favorite among Jets fans and will leave it as one of the most hated of the last decade.  Rhodes needs a big performance to make all the fans stop talking about his antics off the field.

• LIMITING TURNOVERS will be the key to this game for the Jets.  If the Jets can limit turnovers on offense and get pressure on Josh Freeman they should be able to force turnovers and jump on the Bucs early.

Players to Watch:

• Thomas Jones should get the ball 25-30 times in this game with Kellen Clemens behind center.  Jones has had another stellar season and he should be able to carve up the 1-11 Tampa Bay Bucs if he is able to get going.  Also, look for Shonn Greene to get his fair share of carries as the Jets try to keep the Bucs off balance early with a run heavy attack.

• Eric Smith has been extremely impressive this season and even played well enough to earn the starting job for a few games.  With the Kerry Rhodes situation hitting new lows every week Smith could very well be playing for a starting job next year.  If he is able to keep up his stellar play I have no doubt that he will have a role on this team for years to come. (Refer back to my opening season preview post on our safeties for my prediction that Smith would be starting at some point this year)

• Kellen Clemens is subbing for the injured Mark Sanchez and will have to limit mistakes.  He has been in this system a long time but he must be a game manager in this one and not attempt to make any crazy plays.  Hand the ball off to Thomas Jones and let him do his work.

Game Thoughts:

The Jets should win this game easily as they are playing well and the Bucs are not a very good team.  I expect to see a heavy dose of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene early on offense and a ton of pressure on rookie Josh Freeman on defense.

Game Prediction:
Jets- 27
Bucs- 13

Kellen Clemens to Start After Sanchez Injury

Mark Sanchez will sit this week in favor of Kellen Clemens.  I missed the Rex Ryan press conference but he stated that he made the decision in the best interest of Sanchez and he thinks that giving him another week of rest is the best move.

The Sanchez press conference is a completely different story.  Sanchez was extremely disappointed and felt like he could play this week.  He hasn't practiced all week but didn't see the benching coming.  He commented about his sliding ability by saying that he needs to be smarter and needs to protect himself by throwing the ball away or getting out of bounds.  He said that he would love to play and help the team but understands that it's Rex's decision.

This move should prompt the Jets to run the ball 40-50 times and keep the ball out of Clemens hands.  If he throws the ball more than 15 times in this game I will be extremely surprised.  More details will come about game strategy in the game review coming up soon.

Playoff Picture

This playoff picture is courtesy of Eric Allen at newyorkjets.com

12/06 — About eight hours before the Jets lined up against the Buffalo Bills at Rogers Centre in Toronto, head coach Rex Ryan was at the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Great Hall. The 46-year-old Ryan, who played a little goal while growing up in Toronto, browsed portraits of Hall of Famers, looked at the NHL trophies and even posed for a shot with the Stanley Cup.
Ryan had an enjoyable time in his return to his childhood home as his Jets would go on to top the Bills, 19-13, and notch their second win in four days to move to 6-6. Ryan’s got plenty of respect for hockey’s Holy Grail, but he yearns to lead the Jets into football’s postseason and a shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
A 4-6 team just a week ago, the Green & White have vaulted themselves into the AFC playoff conversation. The Jets rested Sunday but still got some help from the following clubs:
Oakland — In our nobody-drug-free-could-have-predicted-this-one category, Da Raiders went in to Pittsburgh and defeated the defending Super Bowl-champion Steelers. At 6-6, the Steelers have now lost four in a row and their division hopes are dead.
Indianapolis — By taking their 21st consecutive regular-season game, the 12-0 Colts knocked the Titans down to 5-7 and Tennessee realistically will try to play spoiler down the stretch. The Jets will be at Lucas Oil Stadium to play the Colts on Dec. 27, but Indy could cement the AFC’s top seed before that matchup and that could mean a lot of substitutions for a team aiming for a full bill of health heading into January.
At this moment, some people might be scratching their heads and asking, “Dude, where’s Miami?” The Dolphins' 22-21 close shave over the Patriots today in the land of Jimmy Buffett got both the Jets and the Dolphins within one game of the Patriots. But even though it’s great to see the Pats winless on the road in North America (0-5), we won’t really be able to properly analyze this result for a couple of weeks.
By virtue of their season sweep of the Jets, the 6-6 'Fins hold an important tiebreaker edge on their friends from the north. Also, the Jets would lose out to the Patriots if the teams tied in the division as they split their two meetings this season, but New York’s AFC representative has just a 2-4 mark in the AFCE while the worst the Pats could finish is 3-3. So what really appears to be a one-game lead is basically two and there’s only four to play.
If you’re a member of Jets Nation, you don’t have to send any holiday cards to this pair:
Houston — The Texans got taken down in Jacksonville as the Jags improved to 7-5. If the season ended today, the Jags would be the AFC’s second wild card and sixth seed. Remember the Jaguars tripped up the Jets in Week 10 at the Meadowlands, so that’s something to keep in mind down the stretch when thinking about tiebreakers.
Kansas City — You wondered if the Chiefs could catch lightning twice at home. Two weeks ago, the Chiefs beat the Steelers at Arrowhead and they had a 7-4 Broncos team coming in that notoriously has struggled in KC. Uh, the Broncos trampled the Chiefs, 44-13, while improving to 8-4 and looking like a good bet for the postseason.
Don’t be surprised to see a bunch of Jets fans ordering cheese for the Monday night affair between the 6-5 Ravens and the Packers. The Jets trail the Ravens by a half-game in the conference standings.
Will 10 wins get the Jets into the postseason? Maybe, but you’ll hear all week from the team that they have four one-game seasons on the horizon and that starts next Sunday in Tampa. Let’s take a look at the AFC playoff picture as we enter the final quarter.
Indianapolis (12-0) (vs. DEN, at JAX, vs. NYJ, at BUF) — The Colts will be the AFC’s top seed and they could become a big factor in the Jets’ postseason hopes. The Green & White faithful will root for Indy against the Broncos and then on a Thursday night in Jacksonville. The Colts not only can pick off some teams the Jets figure to do battle with, but they also should be in position to rest some starters on Dec. 27.
San Diego (9-3) (at DAL, vs. CIN, at TEN, vs. WAS) — That Week 15 battle with the Bengals might decide the AFC’s second seed. The Bolts appear to be a playoff lock but they can’t take the foot off the pedal because the Broncos are knocking at their door.
Cincinnati (9-3) (at MIN, at SD, vs. KC, at Jets) — That is a ridiculously tough finishing stretch, but the Bengals are in good shape in the North as they went unblemished in the division at 6-0. Even if the Ravens beat the Packers Monday night, they’ll still be two games out and they would lose to the Bengals in a division tiebreaker. Jets fans should definitely root for the Bengals the next three weeks, so Cinci treats the finale like an exhibition game. Not saying the Jets can’t beat the Bengals, but you’ll take any advantage you can get.
New England (7-5) (vs. CAR, at BUF, vs. JAX at HOU) — Losers of three of their past four games, the Pats will be big favorites their next two contests. They get the Jaguars at home and then a Texans team that’s in freefall. If they could drop two, though …
Denver (8-4) (at IND, vs. OAK, at PHI, vs. KC) — Interesting matchup next week because the Broncos can cover in their defensive backfield and Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning. The Broncs will be prohibitive home favorites against the Raiders and the Chiefs and 10 looks very doable for this club.
Jacksonville (7-5) (vs. MIA, vs. IND, at NE, at CLE) — The Jets don’t want to finish tied with the Jags. Next week Jets fans have a huge dilemma, but I think you root for the Dolphins. Now that you’re removed the bag from your mouth, the thinking is the Jags would fall back to 7-6 and a sweep over the Colts and the Pats is highly unlikely. That last game against the Browns is favorable.
Baltimore (6-5) (at GB, vs. DET, vs. CHI, at PIT, at OAK) — Big one Monday for the Ravens because the Lions and the Bears follow at home.
Pittsburgh (6-6) (at CLE, vs. GB, vs. BAL, at MIA) — After Mike Tomlin said the Steelers “won’t go gently” and that they’d “unleash hell here in December,” the defending champs lost to the Silver & Black at home. What to expect now is anybody’s guess. Maybe they’ll start sharing roasted chestnuts with opposing teams?
Miami (6-6) (at JAX, at TEN, vs. HOU, vs. PIT) — These next two roadies are going to be awfully tough for the Fish. I liked what I saw from Chad Henne today, but the Pats can’t get to the quarterback.
Jets (6-6) (at TB, vs. ATL, at IND, vs. CIN) — They don’t pay me to work you into a frenzy, but I love this slate. Nothing against the Bucs, but the Jets are a better team. The Falcons are banged up and reeling and that’s a southern dome team playing outside on Dec. 20 at the Meadowlands. I have the Colts winning their next two, so they’ll have home-field advantage wrapped up by then. So how about the Bengals coming here on Sunday, Jan. 3, with a playoff berth at stake for the Jets — sound like an NBC flex game?
This is a season for hope and dreams, so don’t lose yours.

Jets v. Bills Postgame

Jets- 19
Bills- 13

Record:

Jets: 6-6

The Jets entered this game with a must win mentality if the playoffs are even going to be a distant thought.  The game went according to plan as Thomas Jones and the Jets running game racked up huge yardage against a bad Bills run defense.  The Jets defense came to play and was able to put consistent pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick.  The only negative of this game comes in the form of injury.  Mark Sanchez sprained his right knee in the game (an injury I think he suffered a few weeks back) and is questionable to play next week.  The playoff picture for the Jets is starting to become a little clearer.  For a better than average chance to make the playoffs the Jets will have to win their remaining 4 games.  This involves matchups against the Colts, Falcons, and Bengals.  That stretch of games to finish the season should show us what kind of team these guys really are.

Thumbs Up:

• Thomas Jones continued his amazing season with 109 yards on 23 carries as he eclipsed 1,000 yards.  In my opinion, the Jets didn't give the ball to Jones enough in this game.  He was cutting through the Bills defense with ease on many occasions and picking up 10+ yards.  Jones is a professional runner and really knows how to wait for the holes to open up.  I am hopeful that he will be back next year.  Expect to see even more of Jones next week as the Jets take on the Bucs with a hurt Mark Sanchez.

• Darelle Revis shut down Terrell Owens just like he has every other top receiver he has faced.  Owens finished with 3 catches for 31 yards and was largely a non-factor as Revis was in man coverage all day.  He easily could have had a second interception if he had not dropped a deep ball from Fitzpatrick. 

•  David Harris and Shaun Ellis were busy on Thursday night as they put great pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Harris finished with 11 tackles and a strip sack and Ellis continued his run of good play with a 2 sack game.  The only way the Jets will have success against Matt Ryan, Carson Palmer, and Peyton Manning down the stretch is by putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the quarterback.

Thumbs Down:

• This one is almost too easy.  Braylon Edwards dropped the easiest touchdown opportunity he will get or probably ever has gotten in his entire life.  The defender lost coverage and was a good 10 yards behind Edwards when he dropped Sanchez's bomb which was placed right over his shoulder.  Edwards blamed the drop on the light but he has to make that catch.

• Watching Kerry Rhodes attempt to tackle is sickening.  His method of tackling seems to be doing a half turn and attacking the ball carrier with the back part of his right shoulder.  One of his attempts to bring down Marshawn Lynch last night was laughable.  Rhodes has the physical tools to be a great player but he needs to worth with somebody in the offseason on his tackling.  

•  Kellen Clemens showed last night why sticking with Mark Sanchez is a great idea.  Clemens never looked comfortable and there was absolutely no threat of the pass when he was in the game.  He almost fumbled the snap when the Jets were attempting to run out the clock and really had no positive impact while in the game.

Game Thoughts:

Overall, this was the kind of game I was expecting last night with a solid rushing attack, a good defense, and an uninspired crowd.  The Jets need a lot of help in order to get into the playoffs this year but at least we are moving in the right direction.  Playoffs or not, this team has an opportunity to establish an identity with a string of games against good teams on the horizon (after the Tampa game).  The way the Jets perform in those games will be indicative of our expectations heading into next year.

Jets v. Bills Pregame

The Jets extremely small playoff chances are on the line yet again on a nationally televised game against the Bills tomorrow night.  The Jets come into this game at 5-6 and surprisingly only 1 game out of the 6th and final playoff spot.  The problem with this picture is that there are multiple teams at 6-5 and other teams at 5-6.  The Jets need to keep taking these games one at a time and it continues with the Bills this week.

What to watch for...

• What kind of crowd will we see for this game?  The game is being played in a dome in Toronto which will take away any advantage that the Bills would have had from playing in the freezing cold up in Buffalo.  It will also take away home field advantage which should be huge.  Sanchez should throw better in the dome than he would have in Buffalo.

•  I am interested in seeing if Rex Ryan's offensive takeover will continue to show positive results this week.  Ryan took partial control of the offense last week in order to make things easier for Mark Sanchez and it worked out great.  One of the major games that influenced this takeover was Sanchez's 5 interception performance against Buffalo the last time these two teams played.  If Sanchez can protect the ball and continue making smart decisions it should result in positive results for the Jets.

• Kerry Rhodes responded to his benching last week by getting his first 2 interceptions of the season.  Ryan has stated that Eric Smith will still be the starter but Rhodes will be put in as the starter in a few more packages than last week.  I feel extremely comfortable with this new safety rotation as Smith is a much better tackler while Rhodes is better in pass coverage.  If Rhodes can keep up his good play I think he will regain the starting job soon.

• REDUCING TURNOVERS: This one is simple enough.  The Jets cannot turn the ball over if they want to win this game.  This goes beyond Sanchez.  Last week Keller fumbled into the end zone for a touchback and Greene fumbled inside the Panthers 30 yard line.  Without these 2 turnovers this game would not have been close.
  

Who to watch for....

•  Mark Sanchez is the reason the Jets lost the last Buffalo game.  The Jets almost managed to win the game despite his 5 turnovers.  The Jets will have a very good chance of winning this game if Sanchez can limit his turnovers and protect the ball on offense. 

• Thomas Jones will have to keep up his great season in order to take pressure off Sanchez.  My prediction:  If Jones rushes for over 100 yards in this game the Jets will win.  The Jets need to open up with a solid rushing attack to take the pressure off of Sanchez.  The offensive line will have to open holes to allow Jones to get going early. 

• Darelle Revis is looking to continue his dominant season after an amazing game last week.  Revis caught more balls than Steve Smith last week and finished with 2 interceptions and a touchdown.  This week Revis will have the task of containing Terrell Owens.  Owens has been on a very good roll recently and Revis will have to shut down the long ball.  At this point, I don't doubt that Revis can do anything.

Game Thoughts:

The Jets should win this game pretty convincingly.  I think that the Jets have both a better offense and a better defense than the Bills and the Bills have lost all home field advantage.  However, the Bills have been playing inspired football since the firing of Dick Jauron and they will be a tough opponent in front of a national tv audience. (or as close to national as you can get on NFL Netowork)  Revis should shut down Owens and Sanchez should limit his turnovers.  If both of these things happen the Jets will win. 

Game Prediction:

Jets- 21
Bills- 6

Jets v. Panthers Postgame

Jets- 17
Panthers- 6

Jets: 5-6

Again, I am going to keep the postgame writeup short as I missed most of the game because I was on the train back to school and it's tough to do a detailed writeup after watching the play by play on a blackberry.  A few players I want to point out:

• Kerry Rhodes responded from is benching and came up with 2 interceptions.  The Jets pressure was able to make Delhomme throw off his back foot and Rhodes was in the right place at the right time.  His replacement today, Eric Smith, also played a great game and led the team in tackles.  We will see who ends up starting next week. 

• Darelle Revis is the best cornerback in the league and he showed it again with 2 interceptions today while shutting down star receiver Steve Smith.  Revis has now shut down Randy Moss (twice), Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Terrell Owens, and Darius Heyward-Bey (just kidding).  

Those are the two standout players for me from this one and I am sure I would have had more if I had the chance to watch the game.  The Jets will play on Thursday night against the Bills to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Jets v. Panthers Pregame

The Jets enter this game with a 4-6 record and very low playoff expectations.  Star safety Kerry Rhodes has been benched and Mark Sanchez has shown some serious question marks with poor decision making and turnovers.  However, this week also brings another opportunity for the Jets to pull themselves out of their recent string of losses and finally get a win against a solid opponent.  The playoffs are a long shot for the Jets at this point but the development of the team is at stake in the next few weeks.


What to watch for....

• Will the crowd even show up for this game?  With the Jets on their current losing streak I would be surprised to see much of an effort by the crowd to get into this game.  This should take away some of the home field advantage that the Jets have enjoyed for the first half of the year.  The fans are getting tired of this team quickly and the Jets need to do something to energize the fans of this franchise.

• How will Kerry Rhodes handle his benching?  Rhodes was benched earlier this week by head coach Rex Ryan which is a move that fans have been screaming for all year.  Rhodes has been extremely unproductive since signing his huge deal a year ago.  He hasn't made any big plays this year and the fans and the coaching staff have seen a need for a change.  Rhodes needs to take this benching like a man and keep working hard and if he does that he will see the field again soon.

• The battle of Darelle Revis vs. Steve Smith should be an extremely interesting one.  Revis has managed to shut down top receivers such as Andre Johnson, Randy Moss (twice), and Terrell Owens but this could be his toughest test.  Smith is fast, small, and has great hands and he could prove to be a challenge for Revis is Delhomme is able to throw an accurate pass.

Who to watch for....

• Braylon Edwards has been quiet for a few weeks and will need to step up big and make some catches.  He had a key drop on a third down last week on a ball that hit him in the chest and that cannot happen if he hopes to stay with this franchise past next year.  He needs to start establishing himself as Mark Sanchez's top target over the next couple of weeks.

• Eric Smith is going to get another chance to prove himself as a starting safety filling in for the benched Kerry Rhodes.  Despite getting a lot of starting playing time under the Eric Mangini regime Smith has seen his starting job taken away as he has taken on a hybrid look in the Ryan defense.  This week he will get his chance to start and I am interested if his success in the hybrid role will carry over to the starting safety job. 

• Dustin Keller is going to have to play an increased role in the offense for Mark Sanchez.  Keller has seen his role increased in the last couple of weeks and he will have to continue his stellar play in order to give Sanchez a big target down the middle of the field.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets should win this game in a tight one.  If Thomas Jones can be established early and Sanchez comes out sharp this could be a blowout as the Jets defense should be able to shut down Jake Delhomme and the Panthers offense.  However, with Sanchez's recent play there is no doubt that if he starts turning the ball over this one should be extremely close.  The Jets on defense will have to shut down the running game and make Delhomme beat them.

Game Prediction:

Jets- 21
Pathers- 17

Jets v. Patriots Postgame

I am going to keep this one short and sweet since I have had a busy week and haven't gotten a chance to write my usual long game recap.  The Jets fell behind early and really gave themselves no chance to win this game.  The blocked punt at the end of the first half gave the Jets some life heading into halftime but it was to little to late.  The defense came out to play in the second half and Sanchez was able to make a few plays but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback against the Pats.  The Jets came into this game with extremely low playoff hopes and exited the game with even lower ones. 

We entered the game watching the progression of Sanchez.  He did not play a good game in this one and there are even thoughts that he should have been pulled.  He will need to start showing some better progression in the coming weeks to instill hope in Jets fans again.

Jay Glazer has reported on his twitter that Kerry Rhodes is going to be benched this week.  More details to come.

Jets v. Patriots Pregame

We have reached the point in the season where at 4-5 the Jets playoff chances are pretty much non existent.  However, I always keep some sort of faith as long as it is a possibility.  If the Jets can pull of a highly improbable win today in New England they can pull  within a game of 1st place and hold the tie breaker over the Patriots.  This game is going to come down to whether the Jets defense can rebound from a terrible game next week and contain a very very good Patriots offense.  Again, the one player I am concerned with the Jets containing is Kevin Faulk.  This guy always seems to find ways to beat us and is prolific on third down.  The Jets can't allow Maroney or Faulk to get going because if the Patriots have both the running game and the passing game going they will be impossible to stop.  Mike Devito has been great filling in for Kris Jenkins and he will have to continue that today.

What to watch for....

• The fire alarm at the Jets hotel was pulled last night at 1 A.M last night.  I am no conspiracy theorist but here is what  few of the Jets players had to say:

• The Jets will have to come out strong early and take the crowd out of the game.  The fans will be pumped for this one after the Jets beat them earlier in the season.  If the Jets can open the game with either a long touchdown drive or a quick defensive stop it could do wonders for their confidence and take the crowd out of the game early.

•  Rex Ryan has shown that he is a rookie coach so far this year but he will have to be on top of his game if he hopes to outsmart Bill Belichick.  

Who to watch for...

•  Darelle Revis will once again be given the task of containing Randy Moss.  Moss had a huge game last week and will be looking to get back at Revis who shut him down in Week 2.  Revis has shut down pretty much every big time receiver he has faced this season and there is no reason to think he can do it again today.

• Mark Sanchez is going to have to deal with figuring out an improved Patriots defense from Week 2.  Belichick will have schemes designed to confuse the rookie quarterback and try to expose his weaknesses.  Sanchez will have to be on top of his game at 4 PM today.

• Kerry Rhodes has faced a ton of criticism from Jets fans in recent weeks about his lack of big plays.  He always seems to get to plays a second too late and is never in a position to make a big interception.  If Rhodes can break out of his slump and make a big play in this game it could be a turning point in the game.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Patriots will come out and show that they are the best team in the AFC East.  They should handle a Jets team that is struggling in all aspects of the game.  If the Jets can keep this close by halftime they may have a chance to gain some momentum and win this game.  However, look for the Patriots offense to come out on fire and this could get ugly early.

Game Prediction:

Patriots- 28
Jets- 13

Jets v. Jaguars Postgame

Jags- 24
Jets- 22

Record:  4-5

I never knew how many ways there were to lose a football game until watching this Jets season.  This team does not play with discipline and is clearly not a good football team.  As each week unfolds more and more question marks appear.  Every part of this team came out flat this week.  Sanchez and the offense never looked like they got on track and turned the ball over 3 times.  It started from the first play of the game with the interception down the field.  The defense flat out blew this game by giving up a huge game to Jones-Drew and not being able to come up with a stop when the Jets took the lead at the end of the game.  This season has completely turned around and is now about watching how Sanchez develops.

Thumbs up:

• Dustin Keller made 6 catches for 58 yards and played a very good game.  He seemed to be the only receiver who could get open with any consistency.  After a very slow start Keller has come on strong in recent weeks with some great performances.

Thumbs Down:

• Brian Schottenheimer called a terrible game today.  He has been very up and down with his play calling this year and I have not been very critical because I hate second guessing play calling.  However, the long play action pass (which resulted in an interception) to start the game was not necessary.  We have a good running game which we should have used right from the beginning to wear them down.  The reverse pass to Braylon Edwards was stupid and also not necessary.  We were moving the ball well and that play almost resulted in an interception.  

• The defense was horrendous.  They needed one stop to win the game and allowed the Jags to not only get into field goal range but to get down to the 1 yard line.  With all the talk that comes from Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes and other members of the Jets defense they are showing that they are not as good as they think they are.  Teams have figured out how to beat Rex Ryan's blitz schemes and this defense is not effective when there is no pressure on the quarterback. 

• Mark Sanchez needs to make better decisions and better throws.  The interception on the screen pass was a terrible throw and the interception on the first play of the game was underthrown to a potential open receiver.  The rest of the season is about watching Sanchez's development since this is no longer a team that can even think about the playoffs.

Game Thoughts:

The fact that I could only think of one person for the "Thumbs Up" portion of this entry defines how this game went.  There wasn't anybody other than Keller and maybe Jay Feely that I felt played a good enough game to deserve any praise.  The Jets were outcoached and outplayed in every single aspect of the game.  They couldn't stop the run which allowed Garrard to have a great game passing the ball.  The offense never got in sync and looked absolutely terrible.  This season is over as far as any hopes of the playoffs go.  However, the rest of the season is about addressing the question marks that continue to pop up with the passing of every week.

Jets v. Jaguars Pregame

The Jets will return home on Sunday after a week hiatus to play the 4-4 Jaxonville Jaguars.  The Jets come into this game in a must win situation if they want any hopes of the playoffs.  The first half of the season was riddled with some great play and some problems that are going to have to disappear if this team wants any chance at the division or a wild card spot.  With 8 games still to play there is plenty of time for the Jets to get back into the playoff race.  However, with a loss to the Jaguars those hopes will be essentially eliminated and criticism will start to fall on Rex Ryan and the rest of this team.  If the Jets can pull off a win at 1:00 PM tomorrow and the Colts can beat the Patriots at home on Sunday night the Jets and Pats will be set up to play a game for the division next weekend in Foxboro. 

What to watch for....

• Can the Jets defense contain Maurice Jones-Drew?  He has been amazing this year and is racking up a ton of yards and touchdowns.  The Jets defense has been stout all year and should be able to contain Drew.  Without Jenkins in the middle the Jets will have to rely on Pouja and Howard Green in the middle to cut down on any potential running lanes. 

• How will the Jets perform off the bye week?  A mark of any great coach is his record when his team is coming off the bye.  The Jets have had two weeks to prepare for the Jaguars and I expect this to be a big advantage to the Jets.  Rex Ryan is one of the best defensive minds in the game and giving him two weeks to plan against an offense is a huge advantage for the Jets.  Brian Schottenheimer should have the offense ready with some new wrinkles and I can guarantee that we will not see another special teams performance like we did last week from Mike Westhoff's unit.

• The crowd is going to be huge in this game.  The Jets have faltered lately and they are going to need the crowd and the fans to stay behind them as they attempt to recover.  This season is far from over and the 1-4 run we are on can be easily reversed in the next few weeks.  The Jets defense thrives off the crowd noise disrupting the opposing quarterback. 

Who to watch for..

• Thomas Jones should be able to have a field day against the league's 22nd ranked rushing defense.  Jones is going to see a ton of carries in this one as the Jets will continuously give him the ball and hope he can wear down the Jags defenders.  Shonn Greene should see caries in this one but I think his role will be slightly reduced after the fumble last weekend. 

•  Bart Scott and David Harris are going to have to do a good job plugging up the holes in the middle to stop Jones-Drew.  The Jags have the league's #8 rushing offense and if the Jets hope to win this one they will have to shut down the run.

• Mark Sanchez needs to step it up as the Jags also struggle to stop the pass.  Thankfully, the weather is going to be in the high 50's and low 60's which should help Sanchez out a lot.  He likes throwing in the warm weather (going back to his days at USC) and that should be a huge plus for the Jets.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets have a clear advantage in most aspects of this game.  However, I have also said this about the games against Buffalo and Miami this year and those have resulted in 3 of the 4 losses.  The key to this game is avoiding a complete breakdown by one of the units.  It seems to be a different unit every weekend with the Jets as the one always blows the game.  Every game is getting more important as we enter the second half of the season.  If the Jets can find a way to beat the Jaguars and the Patriots lose it would set up a game for the division the following week.  This would energize the Jets fan base and players and should provide a spark for the rest of the second half. 

Game Prediction:

Jets- 21
Jags- 10

Around the NFL

Few things about the games today for Jets fans to think about:

• The Patriots-Dolphins game was tough to watch with how much I hate both teams.  I posted a few days ago that we should root for the Dolphins to win this game.  This would have knocked the Patriots down closer to the Jets.  However, a Patriots win today does provide its advantages.  This essentially knocks the Dolphins out of any playoff chase with a 3-5 record.  If the Jets can take care of their business against the Jaguars next week and the Colts can beat the Patriots at home it will set up a Jets-Patriots showdown in Foxboro for the division lead.  

• The Chargers late comeback against the Giants this week is disappointing because of wild card implications.  The Giants had this game won before Phillip Rivers went on a tear in the final minutes and led them back.  

• The Bengals beating the Ravens was a good thing.  We want to knock the Ravens out of the playoff chase because we have a head to head matchup with the Bengals later in the season.

•  The Jets aren't the only New York team which is in the midst of a tumble down the standings. The Giants have gone from being an elite team in the NFL to losing 4 straight and falling behind the Cowboys and Eagles in the division.  They do not look good right now and their defense is going to have to improve if they want to start winning games

Who To Root for this Weekend?

So, your a Jets fan and its the bye week.. what do you do? 

The Dolphins/Patriots matchup provides an excellent AFC East battle to watch on Sunday afternoon.  However, how do you evaluate who to root for as a Jets fan?  Here is my analysis.  ROOT FOR THE DOLPHINS.  After halfway through the season there is no reason to give up on the division just yet.  With a loss this weekend to the Dolphins the Patriots will have a 5-3 record and will be playing the Colts in a very tough game.  This could put the Patriots at 5-4 going into the Jets game.

Now, the Jets have the bye this week and play the Jaguars next week in a game where the Jets should be favored.  If the Jets can beat the Jaguars they have the potential of going into the New England game for the division lead.

So, as you sit down and watch football this weekend and are puzzled on who to root for in this AFC East matchup.  Put your hatred aside and root for the Dolphins.  The main goal for the season is winning the division.  You can't give up on that goal after 8 games and focus on the wild card; I don't care how good the Patriots are playing.

I will have more commentary in an "Around the NFL" section on Sunday.  Enjoy the games and the week off Jets fans.

Jets-Dolphins Postgame

Dolphins- 30
Jets- 25

Jets- 4-4

Things have gone bad for the Jets as they drop to .500 with a 4-4 record.  After a 3-0 start many fans, including myself, raised their expectations from expecting an 8-8 or 9-7 season to expecting 11-12 wins.  This week proved yet again why Jets fans need to lower their expectations and attempt to enjoy the development of the quarterback of the future, Mark Sanchez.  The Jets last three losses have come by a combined 12 points against division opponents.  This game was equally, if not more, painful as the other Dolphins loss because of the way the Jets dominated the Dolphins in every phase of the game other than special teams.  As a Jets fan, the one unti we always know we can rely on are our special teams.  Mike Westhoff is a genius on ST and we never expect that unit to lose us any games.  However, yesterday the special teams was the sole reason that the Jets lost the game.  Tedd Ginn is extremely fast and is a very crafty return man.  However, you cannot lose contain on him twice in one game.  There are a few specifics about this that I will get into a little more later in the post.  As a Jets fan, you expect this kind of disappointment.  We have had opportunities to win the game in every loss we have had this year, especially the past three weeks but one unit of the team always lets us down.  This team is better than its 4-4 record but at this point that doesn't really matter because playoff hopes are slowly deteriorating.  The AFC has some very good teams and the Patriots are playing some of their best football right now. 

Game Ball:

• Mark Sanchez showed tremendous poise in the second half to keep the Jets in the game.  He had to come out with little rest in the third and fourth quarters and lead a Jets team down the field that kept surrendering kick return and fumble return touchdowns.  The throw down the sideline to Edwards for the touchdown was a great throw in a perfect spot which gave Edwards a chance to make a play.  I really liked the way he spread the ball around between Keller, Edwards, and Cotchery and he really got everyone involved.  I couldn't have asked for any more out of Sanchez in this game.

Thumbs Up:

• Dustin Keller has had an extremely disappointing season so far but he finally broke out with a huge game.  He finished with 8 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown.  However, he made two catches which were absolutely incredible.  First, the touchdown catch was incredible and looked better every time I saw it on replay.  Second, the catch on 4th and 10 in the final minutes showed that Keller has the hands and awareness.  He went up in a group of Dolphins and came down with the ball even as he was being interfered with.  Great game by Keller and I think we saw a little bit of what we are going to see for years to come.

• Thomas Jones was called upon to carry the ball 27 times in the game and finished with 103 yards.  Although this isn't a good YPC average, the Dolphins are a physical, good run stopping team and the fact that Jones carried the ball 27 times and ran hard every time makes me feel like he deserves praise for his efforts.  In my opinion, he should have been given the ball on the 2nd and 6 inside the 10 in the final minutes.  When a running game is working as well as it was on that final drive I think you need to pound it inside and hope that he can find a crease.

• The pass rush in this game was great and was major reason why the Jets were able to contain the wildcat.  The Dolphins were sacked 6 times and the Jets bottled up the wildcat with no problem.  The one thing I noticed this week about the wildcat is how the linebackers were able to key in on their gaps and were not blown off the ball like in the first Miami game.

Thumbs Down:

• Special teams.. special teams.. special teams.  What else is there to say?  Tedd Ginn returned back to back kickoffs for touchdowns right as the Jets were starting to gain momentum in the game.  I noticed a few things about this.  First, Jay Feely needs to do a better job hanging back as the "safety" in the special teams unit.  He can't be flying up and breaking contain because he wants to make a tackle.  He did this on the first two returns and actually made the tackle and I think this caused him to get a little overexcited on the two returns.  He needs to be back there to at least slow Ginn down to give somebody a chance to make a tackle.  Second, the tackling on the second kickoff return was horredous.  Ginn sidestepped two defenders at the 20 and had practically stopped moving before breaking the contain to the outside and outrunning everybody down the sideline.  When a guy is forced to stop and change direction on a kick return there is no excuse for not bringing him down.  Somebody has to get in there and at least trip him up.  Third, Danny Woodhead is not ready to be a special teams contributer.  He didn't look good on either return and this showed why we need Brad Smith and Ahmad Carroll activated to play kickoff return defensive roles.  Special teams is the reason that the Jets lost this game.

• Shonn Greene goes from hero to goat in just one game.  The second the ball he fumbled ended up in Jason Taylors hands it was a sure touchdown and really put a dagger through any hopes the Jets had of coming back.  Although the Jets ended up coming alive offensively it is inexcusable to give a team that kind of easy touchdown.  Greene needs to secure the ball and not give up costly fumbles if he hopes to keep getting more carries.

• Rex Ryan probably should not have gone for the two point conversion late in the game.  I hate to second guess like this because you can say that if Ryan kicks the XP than Sparano wouldn't have gone for 2 on their TD drive and the score would have still been a 5 point difference.

Game Thoughts:

I said before the game that this was the biggest game of the season so far and I think the Jets played well enough in 2 of the 3 phases of the game to win.  The offense came alive in the second half and the defense was able to get consistent pressure on Henne and stop the wildcat offense.  95% of the time when a team wins both the offensive and defensive battles they win the game.  However, special teams cannot be ignored and the Dolphins special teams played great while the Jets special teams was horrendous.  This game was disappointing and I believe at 4-4 every game becomes a must win.  The Jets have a bye next week and the team will have 6 days off before preparing for the Jaguars.  I will probably have more to say later in the week about any developments that come out of Ryan's press conferences.

Jets v. Dolphins Pregame

The Jets come back home today to play their biggest game of the season so far against the Miami Dolphins and the wildcat offense.  A few weeks ago Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams ran wild and defeated the Jets in a shocking loss on Monday Night Football.  Can the Jets keep up what the accomplished last week or will they revert back to the way there were playing against the Dolphins and Bills?

What to watch for...

• The Jets will have to stop the wildcat offense in order to win this game.  Ronnie Brown made a great point this week when he said that the, "toughest 11 guys are going to win this game."  The Jets will have to be very tough up front in order to contain this gimmick offense.  The problem with the wildcat is it allows the Dolphins to get in 3rd-and-short situations which makes it easy for Chad  Henne.  If Rex Ryan can draw up a scheme to stop the wildcat it will go a long way in assuring a Jets win.

• Can the Jets running attack keep up their stellar effort of the last two weeks?  Without Leon Washington, Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones will have to keep up what they did against the Raiders last week if they want any chance to win this game.  The Jets ran for 300 yards each of the last two weeks and they will have to do more of the same in an hour or so.

•  The crowd could play at huge factor in this game as it is Chad Henne's first ever road NFL start.  This seems to be less of a factor for Henne than it would for other quarterbacks as he played at Michigan and has dealt with many hostile crowds.  However, the pressure of the NFL spotlight as well as 70,000 screaming people could disrupt his rhythm and flow that he has developed through three home starts.

Players to Watch:

• Shonn Greene will have to do a good job of filling in for Leon Washington.  Greene had a breakout game last week with over 150 yards and 2 touchdowns and will need to do more of the same so the Jets can control the clock and keep the ball out of the Dolphin's hands.  Greene should get 10-15 touches (with Jones getting 20 or so) and he will have to make the most of them.

• The Jets receivers will play a huge factor in this game as the Dolphins are starting two rookie CB's.  Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery are finally seeing the field together while completely healthy and I expect big things against a depleted Dolphins secondary.

• Mark Sanchez will appear on this list until he proves he is back throwing the ball well against a good team.  Sanchez managed the game well against a bad Raiders team last week but I need to see what he can do against the Dolphins.  He CANNOT make mistakes.

Game Thoughts:

I am skeptical that the Jets can stop the Dolphins and the wildcat offense.  The loss of Kris Jenkins is huge and I cannot see the Jets escaping the 3rd-and-short situations that will take the crowd out of the game.  Sanchez will have to manage the game well and the offensive line will have to open up big holes for Jones and Greene to run through.  One exciting aspect of this game which I didn't comment on is the return of Justin Miller as a kick returner.  I am excited to see what he can do. 

Prediction:

Jets: 17
Dolphins: 21

Leon Washington

As a Jets fan we can't seem to have a week without disappointment.  Even in the 38-0 win yesterday afternoon the Jets lost Leon Washington for the season with a compound fracture in his leg.  This injury came on Leon Washington's first carry and about 20 minutes after I took the tag off the brand new jersey which I wore for the first time yesterday.  Leon Washington is one of the most electric players I have ever seen and I will miss watching him greatly for the rest of this season.  Washington is easily my favorite Jets player and I hope he will return next season with a new contract.  This will become a huge issue in the offseason as Leon denied a long term contract of 4.5 million dollars in the off-season because he was looking for around 6.  I am predicting that Leon will sign a 1-2 year deal this offseason which is heavily backloaded to protect the Jets investment. 

As a huge Leon fan, I am hoping that this isn't the last time we see him in a Jets uniform.

Jets v. Raiders Postgame

Jets- 38
Raiders-0

Record- 4-3

The Jets responded with a great game against a terrible Oakland Raiders team.  The running game was great as both Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene rushed for over 100 yards and the offensive line opened up holes for them all day.  As I said before the game, I predicted that the Jets would scale down Sanchez's responsibilities and not put the game on his arm.  The Jets were great at forcing turnovers in this game and knocked out JaMarcus Russell before the first half ended.  However, with all the positives there are a few negatives coming out of this game.  It looks like Leon Washington will miss extended time and could be done for the season.  The injury looked terrible and he was taken off on a cart and taken to an area hospital.  Early predicitons are that he may have torn his ACL.  I will have more on this when we get a report on the actual injury and the time he will miss.

Game Ball:

• This could go to a number of different people but the player of this game was Calvin Pace.  Pace ended up with 7 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.  He started off the game with a forced fumble which set up the first touchdown run by Thomas Jones and stopped a Raiders drive in Jets territory with another strip sack.  Pace got a ton of pressure on the quarterback and seems to be back at full speed after a few subpar games after coming back from the suspension.

Thumbs Up:

• Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene turned in great games.  Jones ended up with 121 yards and 1 touchdown and Greene rushed for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Jones has a second straight huge game rushing after going for over 200 yards last week.  Greene really showed what he could do after the Jets lost Leon Washington to injury after just one carry.  Greene impressed me with the way he hits the hole and that he doesn't seem to go down after the first hit.  Both of these backs had incredible games and with the loss of Washington they will both have to keep up this effort in upcoming games.

• Bill Calahan and the offensive line had great games.  Calahan, the offensive line coach, has really done a great job with the line over the last few weeks.  He has designed schemes which have opened numerous holes for any running back that has the ball.  The offensive line played great today and allowed Greene and Jones to get to the second level without being touched on numerous occasions.  They are going to have to keep up this effort next week as Miami has a better front seven than both the Bills and the Raiders.

• Mark Sanchez managed this game very well.  After last weeks performance everybody was worried about how he would handle this game.  He ended up 9/15 for 143 yards and a touchdown.  The touchdown throw was a great pass down the sideline to Clowney (who also had a great game).  Sanchez is benefiting from a great running game right now and as long as he manages the game well and does not turn the ball over I am confident that he can do well and lead this team to wins.

•  Mike Westhoff and Steve Weatherford.  Rarely does a punter make any "thumbs up" list in an NFL game (unless you are the Raiders) but the fake punt by Weatherford was great and the scheme by Westhoff was even better.  The Raiders looked like they were blocking for Weatherford rather than trying to tackle him as he went down the middle of the field.
  

Thumbs Down:

• Injuries were huge in this game.  Leon Washington went down with a terrible injury and we will see in the coming days how bad that injury actually is.  My prediction is that we do not see Washington in a Jets uniform again this year.  The loss of Jenkins last week and Leon this week are huge hits to this team.  Bart Scott and Howard Green also went down and we will learn more about these injuries in the press conference.

Game Thoughts:

There wasn't much negative to take out of this game other than the injury to Leon Washington.  The Jets handed the Raiders their worst home shutout loss in team history and both the offense and defense had great games.  Calvin Pace was excellent on defense and Shonn Greene played great in his first extended action at running back.  Next weeks game against Miami is going to be huge and could make or break the season.  More about that in the coming days.

Jets v. Raiders Pregame

The Jets travel down to Oakland today to take on the Raiders in a showdown of struggling teams.  The Jets have lost three straight and are reeling after losing Kris Jenkins for the year.  The game with Oakland poses a lot of questions for the Jets.  Will they be able to stop the run without Jenkins?  Will Sanchez be able to rebound from an absolutely terrible performance last week?  How will the loss of Jenkins effect the rest of the defense?  All of these questions should be answered (in part) at 4 PM in Oakland.  The Jets have traditionally struggled in Oakland and this will be a very tough game.

What to watch for...

•  The Jets defense will have to survive without the key man in the middle, Kris Jenkins.  Jenkins is the best nose tackle in the NFL and him being out will dramatically effect the performance of the rest of the defense.  Oakland will attempt to run the ball right at the Jets all day.  Darren McFadden is out for this game which is definitely good news for the Jets.  Jenkins was amazing this year and he will be sorely missed.

• How will the scheme change?  Without Jenkins in the middle the defensive scheme will have to change. I expect to see more 4-3 fronts as the Jets will attempt to stop the run on the early downs and force the Raiders into 3rd and long situations.  If they can force 3rd and long the Jets will go back to their 3-4 defense and put a lot of pressure on JaMarcus Russell.  The key to this game will be stopping the run early, forcing 3rd and longs and making Russell actually throw the ball.

• Sanchez was talked to by coaches, Tony Richardson, and Alan Faneca about the body language he showed during his terrible 5 interception performance last weekend.  He has said that he has to stop getting too low with the negative and too high with the positive.  He will need a cool head in this game as the Jets have always struggled in Oakland.  Oakland is coming off a big win last week against the Eagles and they will have confidence that they can repeat.

Players to Watch...

• Mark Sanchez will have to rebound after blowing the game last week with a 5 interception performance.  Oakland has not been a good football team this season but they will have confidence after shutting down Donovan McNabb and the Eagles last week.  Sanchez needs to settle back into the rhythm that he was in the first few weeks.  Ibelieve that Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer have scaled down his responsibilities this week which should allow him to focus more on making good reads and throws.

•  Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are going to get a lot of carries in this game as the Jets will try to win this game on the ground.  As I said before, Sanchez will have his responsibilities scaled down and this will put extra pressure on Jones and Washington to have repeat performances as last week where they combined for over 300 yards on the ground. 

• Sione Pouha  will have to play a great game to replace Jenkins in the middle.  If the Jets hope to create any pressure out of a 3-4 front Pouha will have to do at least half the job that Jenkins has been doing the first 6 weeks.  Pouha is not even half the player that Jenkins is but his play will be key if the Jets hope to create any pressure as well as stop the run.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets will win this game for the simple fact that the Raiders offense is not very good.  If the Jets can put up some points early they shouldn't have a problem holding the Raiders defensively and winning this game.  The key will be stopping the run which has been difficult for the Jets to do so far this year.  If JaMarcus Russell has to win the game by throwing the ball I have no doubt in my mind that the Jets can take it. 

Game Prediction:

Jets: 13
Raiders: 7

Jenkins Out

News comes today that Kris Jenkins, the Jets most important defensive player, has a torn acl and is done for the season.  Jenkins is the most important player on the Jets defense.  At 350 pounds he dominates the middle of the line and requires at least two people to block him every single down.  This opens up lanes for the Jets other pass rushers to get to the quarterback and stop the run.  Jenkins has had an amazing season so far and was consistently getting 2-3 yards into the backfield before the running back even had the ball.  Jenkins will be sorely missed and I think this will provide a new challenge to Rex Ryan's defense.  Rex is going to have to change up his defensive scheme to hide the fact that he no longer has a big nose tackle in the middle to disrupt plays.  The combination of Sione Pouja and Mike Devito are going to have to fill the gap that is left by Jenkins.  Look for more 4-4 schemes out of Ryan as he will play two DT's to fill the gap left by Jenkins.

Jets v. Bills Postgame

Bills- 16
Jets- 13

Jets: 3-3

I was disappointed after last weeks game against Miami but I felt that they came up with a game plan that was better than ours and were able to execute that game plan to perfection.  This week, the Jets came out flat, finished the 4th quarter flat, and played in overtime like they didn't want to win the game.  The penalties were outrageous, especially in overtime.  It starts with Ben Hartstock and the hold on the Thomas Jones run to the 10 yard line.  There is no conceivable reason in that situation to do anything close to hold the defender.  The ball was inside the 25 and Jones had at least 5 yards before the guy that Hartstock held would have been able to potentially make a play.  This killed the Jets first chance to win (along with a terrible botched hold) in overtime.  Ihedigbo is an idiot and deserves to be taken off the active roster for next weeks game against Oakland.  You do not commit personal foul penalties in overtime.  That is inexcusable and if Ryan doesn't sit him down for a week I will be extremely disappointed after he sat Clowney for simply wanting to contribute to the team.  Sanchez was awful.  There are no words that can describe how terrible he looked on the field today.  I can't think of one pass that he threw that I felt confident about and most of the time he was being bailed out by Braylon Edwards.  He has to do some serious conditioning in cold weather if he wants to be a quarterback in New York.  The penalties continued with defensive holding calls on Pace and false start penalties on D'brick and Keller.  The fact that the Jets were less disciplined than a terrible Bills team is inexcusable and is something I have been criticizing all year.  I am shocked, upset, and can honestly not believe what I just saw out of a team that I perceived to be a lot better than the way they are playing.

Game Ball:

• This is probably the easiest thing in the world to give on the Jets side as there were so few good games turned in.  However, Thomas Jones turned in a spectacular rushing performance with 22 carries for 210 yards and a touchdown.  The two big runs early in the game were huge for the Jets and really gave the feel that they would control the rest of the game.  He exploded through the holes and truly reminded Jets fans who are clambering for Shonn Greene to get many more carries why he shouldn't be overlooked the rest of the season.

Thumbs Up:

• Darelle Revis seems to get mentioned in this section every week as he turned in another amazing performance against Terrell Owens.  Revis was less than spectacular in the beginning with the two penalties but he rebounded later in the game to really shut down Owens.  The thing I notice every week about Revis is his tackling from the cornerback position.  He must be one of the top 5 best tackling cornerbacks in the league.

• Leon Washington had another great game running and catching the ball.  He ended up with 99 yards rushing on just 13 carries and 46 yards receiving on 3 receptions.  He was hitting the holes hard and made a great play in overtime to get the ball close to field goal range for Feely.  

• The offensive line really rebounded after having a tough couple of weeks.  The Jets gained 318 yards on the ground which is an absolutely incredible number.  The holes that led to Thomas Jones' two big runs were so big that Kris Jenkins probably could have ended up with at least a 20 yard gain.  The pass protection was average but the mistakes that were made cannot be blamed on offensive line play.

Thumbs Down:

• I cannot even put into words how bad Mark Sanchez was today.  His only job in this game was to control the clock and the ball and not allow Buffalo to have good field position.  He seemed to make it his job to throw the ball to people wearing the other color jersey as many times as possible.  I don't want to hear excuses like, "he's never played in cold weather" or anything like that because he has been training all week in cold weather and he has to learn how to play in inclement weather if he's going to be a quarterback in New York.  For god sakes, we are in October and he is already playing poorly in this weather.  What happens when its 10 degrees and snowing in December.  The five interceptions were absolutely inexcusable and they were pretty much all on him.  The one in overtime was incredibly stupid as the Jets could have punted and pinned the Bills way back in their own territory.  At that point in the game you have to use your head a lot more than he did.  There's really little else to say about this game for Sanchez other than he seems to be regressing.

• Rex Ryan is the head coach of this football team and should be imposing discipline in the players.  The Jets finished with 14 penalties for 96 yards which is an absolute joke.  I discussed the penalties above so I won't go into those but he needs to do something to stop all these penalties from happening.  I don't have the exact stats but I am sure that the Jets are near the top in the league in penalties and penalty yardage.  I can't fault Ryan's gameplan defensively because the defense was put in a lot of tough situations because of how badly Mark Sanchez was throwing the ball.

• Ben Hartstock blew the game with that holding call and I cannot fail to mention it here.  The Jets would have had the ball inside the 25 with a field goal attempt to win the game.  Instead, they had the ball at the 33 and ended up getting a botched snap/hold and forcing Weatherford to just throw the ball up which resulted in an interception and good field position for the Bills.  

Game Thoughts:

I've never been so pained trying to watch a football game. (That's probably not true but you know what I mean).  It seemed to me that neither team really wanted to win this game but the Bills played disciplined and safe while the Jets tried to give it away.  At 3-0 and coming off three big wins we all thought this team was very good.  However, these last two games have really exposed that there are serious problems with this team that have to be overcome if they are ever going to make a run at the playoffs this year.

Notes: Jenkins left with an injury and there are reports that it may be severe which would be terrible for the Jets defense.

Jets v. Bills Pregame

The Jets will return home after two weeks to take on their division rival the Buffalo Bills.  The Jets are coming off an extremely disappointing Monday night performance against the Miami Dolphins and the Bills are coming off an even worse loss against the Cleveland Browns in a game where neither team seemed to want to win.  The word out of the Jets this week is that they are moving on and forgetting about last week.  The Bills come into the Meadowlands playing some of the worst football in the NFL.  They lost a game last week where they only allowed 2 completed passes by the opposing quarterback.  The Jets should have their way with them at 1 P.M. Sunday but anything can happen in division matchups.

What to watch for:

• Can the Jets grab the momentum early?  An early lead should go a long way in the Jets securing this win.  No game in the NFL is easy and if you allow a team like the Bills to make a few plays early it can result in them gaining momentum and potentially pulling off the upset.  The Jets defense will come out attacking and they are going to force Trent Edwards to beat the blitz by passing the ball.  The Bills have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL so don't expect a repeat performance of Monday night when Miami offensive lineman were blowing people off the line of scrimmage.  

• How will the Jets defensive leaders respond after last weeks terrible showing?  Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes, and Kris Jenkins (among others) are the key leaders of this Jets defense and  I think they will be out for revenge after their poor showing in front of a national television audience.  I think  they will come out playing with a passion and physicality that will not allow the Bills to get any momentum.  I am expecting to see a defense that looks like the one who shut down the Texans.  

• I was wrong about this last week but it looks like Jerricho Cotchery is really not playing in this game.  He seemed to be out there as a decoy on Monday night and Sanchez was really not targeting him that much in the passing game.  It appears that he aggravated the injury during the game and he has been held out of practice all week.  On another injury note, Lito Sheppard will return at full strength and Donald Strickland appears to be sitting another one out as he is only back to practice in a limited capacity.

Players to watch...

• Braylon Edwards came up huge in the Monday night game making several spectacular catches.  I expect even better things this week as Edwards now has had a whole week and a half to study the Jets playbook.  He will have to make some plays with Cotchery out and I expect the Bills to roll all their coverages to his side.  This should open up some running lanes for Leon Washington and Thomas Jones.

• Darelle Revis is the Jets MVP so far and should be on a short list for MVP in the league.  He has played at an incredibly high level and I expect him to bottle up Terrell Owens this week.  When you can only point out one bad play a cornerback has made in four weeks, you know that he is playing extraordinary.  Revis is the top cornerback in the league (sorry Asomugha) and he shouldn't have a problem with Owens this Sunday.

• I can guarantee that Rex Ryan did not get a lot of sleep this week after his defensive game plan blew up in his face and allowed the Dolphins to come back 3 separate times in the 4th quarter.  Ryan will have an improved scheme for this week and I expect great results.  

Game Thoughts:

The Bills are not a good football team and I find it hard to believe that they will come into New York and find a way to win this game.  However, this is the NFL and crazy things do seem to happen every week so I will not look past this game and I don't think the Jets players are either.  I am expecting huge games out of both the offense and the defense and I expect that the Bills weak offensive line will be their downfall.

Prediction:
Jets- 24
Bills- 3

Chad Henne

Here's a video to make everybody feel a little better about last week....

Jets vs. Dolphins Postgame

Dolphins- 31
Jets- 27

Record: 3-2

This one was painful. The Jets came out on Monday Night Football in front of a national television audience and absolutely blew this game from the very beginning. The defensive effort and game plan was horrendous and without a few excellent plays by Mark Sanchez, Braylon Edwards and the rest of the Jets offense this would have been an absolute massacre. Going into this game I expected the Jets defense to dominate Chad Henne, Ronnie Brown and the wildcat. Ryan drew up schemes last year that could do it, why not this year? I was absolutely wrong on every level. The wildcat gained something like 8 yards a carry and they kept the Jets defense off balance all day using a variation of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The defense was incapable of getting off the field all day and the Dolphins seemed to just impose their will on the Jets defensive front.

Game Ball:

The game ball for the Jets is going to Braylon Edwards. Edwards was traded to the Jets just four days before this game and came out and played like he has been in this offense since training camp. He made a great catch on a Mark Sanchez pass down the sideline which ended up resulting in a one yard Thomas Jones run. He also forced a pass interference call on a long pass into endzone which resulted in a second Jones TD. Edwards was a playmaker on the field on offense and seemed to dispel a lot of the notions about dropped pass and inconsistency which made Jets fans nervous. Great game by Edwards and I expect a lot more in the weeks to come.


Thumbs Up:

• Thomas Jones showed me more last night than I have seen from him all year. I am giving the thumbs up to Jones over Washington (despite the fact that Washington had the better game) because I have not seen that kind of effort from Jones since last year. He was hitting the holes hard and regularly ripping off gains of 5 or so yards. My major criticism of Jones this year is that he seems to hit the hole slow and has been making his offensive lineman hold their blocks too long which has resulted in numerous runs for less than two yards. I don't know what Jones did differently tonight but he seemed to be finding the running lanes and not going down on first contact. He was fighting for yards like I haven't seen in a while out of him

• The punt game tonight is something that is going to be lost in the losing effort. Weathorford single-handedly kept the first Jets drive alive by running for 20 or so yards on a fake. Later in the game Brad Smith took a direct snap off a punt 10 yards up the middle for a first down after breaking a couple of tackles. These two plays were huge momentum boosters for the Jets and directly resulted in the team getting points when it looked like they were giving the ball away.

• Despite the fact that the defense was terrible last night, I have to give credit to Kris Jenkins. Jenkins has cemented himself as the top 3-4 NT in the league and he was the only Jet player last night to get any pressure on Chad Henne. Jenkins shot the gap a few times in this game and stopped running plays in the backfield. The one thing that continuously impresses me about Jenkins is his ability to make a tackle while an offensive lineman is holding a block. On one play Jenkins was able to penetrate a few yards into the backfield and made a one armed tackle on Ronnie Brown while being blocked by a Dolphins OL (Jake Grove?). Jenkins was great and could have played an even larger role in ending the Dolphins scoring drive to Ginn had the ref seen the blatant hold in the middle of the field. Nevertheless, great game by Jenkins.

• David Clowney had his first impact in a regular season game. He made a great 50 yard catch over the middle of the field which led to a Jets scoring drive. I hope to see more of Clowney in the lineup (pending the injury) in the coming weeks.
  

Thumbs Down:

• Rex Ryan failed to draw up a scheme which could even remotely slow down the wildcat offense. The Dolphins beat the Jets down with it all game and were able to pick up 7-8 yards a carry without even really trying. He has to do a better job drawing up a scheme if the Jets are going to have a chance when the Dolphins come to New York.

• The defensive line was absolutely embarrassed by the Dolphins offensive line. They were blown off the ball on every wildcat snap which allowed Ronnie Brown to pick running lanes and get to the second level. I haven't seen a Jets defensive line dominated like that in a very long time. Their job in the 3-4 defense is to hold their gaps and allow the linebackers to come up and make plays on the running back. When they are getting blown 3-4 yards off the line of scrimmage there is going to be no opportunity for those linebackers making plays.

• The linebackers were incapable of making tackles or filling the gaps and containing the wildcat offense. It is unacceptable to give up that much yardage to a gimmick offense and I believe that the linebackers are completely at fault. I have repeatedly said that Bart Scott and David Harris are one of the top 3 best middle linebacker tandems in the league and they did not act like that at all last night. Against the wildcat offense you need to be able to gain penetration and make tackles when you have the opportunities. Calvin Pace was fairly absent during this game but I will not get too upset over this because it was his first game back and he needs to get up to speed.

Game Recap:

This game was sickening to me and many Jets fans. The team came out completely flat on defense and was incapable of stopping anything. They had plenty of opportunities to get off the field on the final drive and they were unable to stop Chad Henne and the other 18 people that seemed to take snaps at quarterback for the Dolphins. Next week the Jets have the Bills and I expect a much better outcome. I will post my reaction to Rex's press conferences throughout the week when I get over this loss and am able to listen to post game reaction without breaking something.

Jets vs. Dolphins Pregame

The Jets go down to Miami on Monday night to take on Chad Henne and the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins come into the game with a 1-3 record while the Jets come in at 3-1. It has seemed like an eternity since the Jets-Saints game and a lot has happened. Calvin Pace has returned from his 4 game suspension (to be discussed more later) and the Jets have acquired the big receiver they have been looking for with the trade for Braylon Edwards. These moved bring back two guys who should play a huge part in tomorrow nights game.

A few thoughts about the game....

• What impact will the wildcat have in this game? The Dolphins have run the wildcat offense with varying levels of success this year. I think the attacking defense of the Jets will not allow the wildcat to gain any momentum in this game. The Jets are going to make stopping the run their number one priority in this game like they did against the Titans. The difference is that Miami does not have a veteran quarterback who they can rely on to beat the blitz. The wildcat offense is not going to win this game for Miami.

• The Jets have been one of the best teams in the NFL at getting pressure on the quarterback this year. However, this has resulted in only 4 sacks. I believe, with the return of Calvin Pace, we will start to see a lot more sacks out of this defense. It seems like most quarterbacks so far have been able to get off passes a split second before the pass rush can reach them. Pace is the best pass rusher on the team and should be able to get to the quarterback and create some sacks.

• It does not seem like Jerricho Cotchery will be able to play this week based on Rex Ryan press conferences. He has been held out of practice for multiple days. This is disappointing to Jets fans (like myself) who were looking forward to seeing the Cotchery/Edwards combination on the field at the same time. These guys should open up opportunities for each other all season as defenses will not be able to roll coverages towards both of them. I think we will miss Cotchery on Monday night (if he can't play) because Miami will be able to roll coverages onto Edwards and force lesser receivers such as Brad Smith and David Clowney to step up and make plays.

Players to Watch:

• The newcomers, Braylon Edwards and Calvin Pace, will get to add their talents to an already talented Jets team. Edwards should make his impact apparent right away as defenses will have to stop stacking 8 men in the box against the run. I expect the presence of Edwards on the outside to open up running lanes for Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Shonn Greene. Calvin Pace returning to the lineup is the most exciting move of the week for me. He has been away from the team since Week 1 and his return adds another play-maker to an already stellar Jets defense. Pace gives the Jets the ability to finish plays and get more sacks on the quarterback. This should result in more turnovers and big play for the Jets defense.
  

• Mark Sanchez will have to rebound after a terrible performance against the Saints last Sunday. The Jets running game hasn't been performing very well so far and Rex Ryan has no hesitation in putting the ball in Sanchez's hands and letting him try to win the game.

• The offensive line will have to put in a lot better performance than they did last week. Sanchez is going to need time in the pocket to throw and the Jets can't allow Joey Porter and Jason Taylor to get pressure on Sanchez all night. Also, the offensive line needs to start opening up running lanes. Jones and Washington haven't quite been the same this year as they were last and if they can open up some lanes in this game I anticipate Leon Washington having a huge game.

My Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets defense will be too much for Chad Henne and the Miami offense. Calvin Pace will be playing with a chip on his shoulder after watching the first four games from home and I expect him to wreak havoc in the backfield. Ryan will have schemes drawn up for the wildcat and I have no doubt that he knows how to defend that. The Jets offense will not have to do a whole lot to win this game. If Sanchez can protect the ball and make a few plays the Jets defense should take care of the rest.

My Game Prediction:

Jets- 17
Dolphins- 3

Welcome Braylon Edwards

Braylon Edwards is now a New York Jets. In a surprise announcement today the Jets have traded WR Chansi Stuckey, LB/ST Jason Trusnik, and two undisclosed draft picks (rumored to be a 3rd and 5th round pick) for former #3 overall pick WR Braylon Edwards. Edwards will bring an element to the Jets offense that has been missing for a very long time. Edwards is a big, physical receiver who will be able to stretch the field and provide a great complement to Jerricho Cotchery.

A few reasons this is a great trade:

• Defenses will have to roll coverages towards Edwards because he is such a threat at wide receiver. This will open up opportunities for Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller. These two should see great results from having Edwards on the opposite side.

• Thomas Jones and Leon Washington should see less 8 man fronts on defense because there are now two legitimate threats at receiver. Before this trade defenses were able to roll coverages towards Jerricho and still keep 8 men in the box to stop the run because there was no other legitimate threat. Edwards should force teams to keep their safeties out of the box and should stop the constant run blitzes that have killed the running game this year.

• Edwards is a very, very good receiver when motivated. I believe that we are looking at a situation very similar to Randy Moss a few years ago. Moss was unmotivated with the Raiders and put up a number of very bad seasons before moving on and becoming one of the top receivers in the NFL in New England. Edwards has been playing on a losing Cleveland Browns team with instability at quarterback and a lot of losing seasons. He will be stepping in to a good situation where there are veterans like Bart Scott, Kris Jenkins, Alan Faneca and others who will force him to be motivated and play hard. He could be the missing piece of the puzzle this season.

The Braylon Edwards press conference just finished and I'll put a few notes on that:

• He did not talk about his recent off the field incident because it is currently a legal matter so I don't know anything more about that.

• Edwards seems to be a very well spoken guy who seems like he was dying to get out of Cleveland. He was very respectful to the Browns organization but you could tell that he was very, very excited to be out of there and in a winning situation in New York.

• He knows a few people on the team and is friends with Kerry Rhodes and David Harris. This should help him become a real part of this team chemistry that we have going on right now.

• He talked about how he is not worried about working with a rookie QB because he has done it before in Cleveland.

Chansi Stuckey:

I feel really terrible for Stuckey going to Cleveland and a losing situation. He worked hard all offseason to become the Jets #2 target and I think he has become a much better wide receiver. Thanks for all your efforts Stuckey and I wish you luck in Cleveland.