Sportstuffblog

NY Jets' Statistics Lie

2009-11-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

Wow! Look at the NY Jets Stats against the Miami Dolphins yesterday. They must have kicked the Dolphin's butt huh? The Jets dominated in all offensive and defensive Stats including 23 First Downs to the Dolphin's 10, 378 Total Net Yards to Miami's measly 104, and 6 Sacks for a loss of 60 Yards to Miami's 2 Sacks for a loss of 14 Yards. Mark Sanchez also played a solid game, going 20-35 for 265 Yards, 2 TD's and one Rushing TD. You'd expect that the Jets won; but not so fast! The one Stat that proves to be the difference in this game, the second loss to the Dolphins this season, is Kickoff Return Yardage. The Dolphins' Ted Ginn Jr. returned 6 Kickoffs for 299 Yards and 2 Touchdowns. Ironically Ginn Jr. was in the doghouse this week after a series of drops against the Saints last week, which actually cost the Dolphins the game. Benched as the starting WR, Ginn Jr. made up for his sins by coming up big on Special Teams. In the process he made the Jets Special Teams, ordinarily a strong unit, look downright terrible. I mean TWO TD's on Kickoff Returns! ONE is bad enough! But TWO! Ted Ginn Jr. became only the eighth player in NFL History to return two in the same game for touchdowns. Rex Ryan "takes his hat off" to Ginn Jr. It's hard to believe that that happened to a Mike Westhoff coached Special Teams. A complete anomally in Westhoff's career as well as in the history of NFL Football. Ironic that it should happen against the Jets in a divisional game which had huge implications in the AFC East. The Jets had a chance to be 5-3, which would have put them only a half game behind New England, and would have put the nail in the coffin of Miami, which would have been 2-5. But No. They had to lose and now they're going in to the Bye Week at 4-4 instead of two games above .500. Now Miami is 3-4, only a half game behind them. And the Jets already lost to Buffalo, so they have to win that second Buffalo game in order to have a chance of going .500 in their division. That also means they'd have to sweep the Patriots, by beating them again, and New England is looking better as the season goes on.

New York Yankees "Got Rings?" T-Shirt by Majestic Athletic

Rex Ryan has told his players to go and enjoy themselves for the week off. So the Jets can enjoy the Bye week and come back in two weeks against Jacksonville (3-4) and try to turn a new leaf over and start winning. They need to go 6-2 in their second half of the season in order to be a 10-6 team. That means winning the games against the 3-4 teams like the Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Bucaneers(0-7), because they have some tough teams (Cincinatti Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, and the Patriots) that they'll have to beat a few of in order to go 10-6. So after Rex and the boys rest up we get to see whether they can muster up enough character and be the team Jets fans thought they were at the start of the season when they went 3-0 and the ball seemed to bounce their way. All I know is that the NY Jets can't lose this week. We'll see what the following week brings.

What do you think the New York Jets are gonna do the rest of the 2009 season? Leave a comment and let us know.

Mets Fans Should Root For Yankees In World Series

2009-10-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

I was checking out Danabrand.com, a NY Mets Fan's Blog, and he insists that Mets Fans should root against the Yankees no matter what. Even at the expense of rooting for our arch rival Phillies. He says that the NY Mets are like the Rodney Dangerfields of New York Sports; they get no respect. And I admit he does have a point. Growing up a Mets and Jets fan in New York there always was alot of rivalry and animosity between us and our counterpart Yankees and Giants fans. But I always felt that it was good sportsmanship to root for the other home town teams in New York as long as they weren't playing one of my teams. The NY Yankees are a great organization with great history, players, fans, and management. And after all, both my parents are from the Bronx and grew up rooting for the Yankees and didn't become Mets fans until they moved to Long Island and the Mets were more of a local team playing in Queens.

2009 World Series Tickets

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Well anyway I have to disagree with Dana Brand and I have to root for the Yankees. I just can't bring myself to root for the Phillies anyway. How can a Mets fan do that? It's like sleeping with the enemy. It would make me feel dirty. So lets go New York Yankees. Hope it goes seven and they wrap it up at home in the city that never sleeps. It's up to you New York, New York.

Newsday Fantasy NFL Football League Pigskin Pick'em

2009-10-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

I used to play a NFL Football pool at work but stopped a few years ago. I'm a huge NFL football fan and New York Jets fan but I'm not the biggest gambler and it kind of bothered me sometimes to pick against the Jets while using the spread some weeks. Sometimes I'd be rooting against my own team just because I wanted to win the pool (which I never did). It also bothered me that I'd be rooting more for a particular score rather than a win or loss in any given game. It also bothered me that some people would win the pool even though they knew nothing about football; the nerve of 'em. So I stopped playing. I never really caught on to the Fantasy Football thing either because it just took too much time to manage for me. But I just discovered a Fantasy Football League that's different from the others. It's more like a giant weekly and season long football pool on newsday.com's website. It's called Pigskin Pick'em. You can register for free at any point in the NFL season (I just registered week 6). You pick winners for each game each week without a spread. I love that there's no spread; makes it purer. Then you can choose up to five "Best Bets" out of the weeks games.

Game Scoring

You earn 5 points for every winning team you pick
You do not lose any points for a pick which your team lost
You earn 5 points for every correct Best Bet (a game you chose as a Best Bet where you also chose the winning team)
You lose 5 points for every incorrect Best Bet (a game you chose as a Best Bet where you picked the losing team)
In the event of a tie between two NFL teams, the game is voided for the current scoring period. The game and your pick will still display on the My Picks page but not be included in the scoring update for the week. If you chose a best bet on a tied NFL game, it also is voided, neither gaining or losing any points.

Reebok NFL Recline PH3 Jets Mens

Each week there are prizes of $25.00 for whoever scores the most points and at the end of the season there are big prizes for the top three cumulative winners. 1st Prize is $1000 Cash, 2nd Prize is a Playstation 3, and 3rd Prize is a Blu-Ray Player. It's fun and I can make my picks any time before the weekend and I don't have to put up ten bucks each week to play. The one thing it's missing is social networking. It would be nice to be able to interface with the other players. You can view their names and scores but you can't communicate with them. I earned 35 points my first week picking seven winners and seven losers. I wish I joined the first week of the season because some people have over 300 points already, but now I know and I can play next season from the beginning. And I don't have to pick the New York Jets every week, but this week I did pick them. They better spank the Oakland Raiders in Oakland.

So go to Newsday's Pigskin Pick'em and check it out. If you register and play you can look for me progressing up the chart to beat you. My name is Sportstuffblog (surprise, surprise). Drop me a comment to let me know you joined and tell me what you think. Have fun. Play Ball!

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New York Media Starts Same Old Jets Talk

2009-10-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

The honeymoon is over Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez! It only took the New York media till week seven to start the "Same Old Jets" talk. If nothing else they are the same old Jets just because the media has decided to anoint them as such. After week three the NY Jets were 3-0 and the NY media was putting them up on a pedistal and calling Mark "The Kid" Sanchez the second coming of Broadway Joe, and Ryan was Weeb Ewbank. Now three weeks later at 3-3, after an ugly loss to the lowly Buffalo Bills in which Broadway Mark threw six INT's, they're looking more like Joe Walton and Glenn Foley. Such is life in the New York spotlight. In this town when you're playing well you're darlings, and when you're not you're in the doghouse. Welcome to the city that never sleeps Rex and Mark, have a nice stay!

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I think Rex Ryan knew that this season with a rookie QB at the helm, no matter who that QB is, there were gonna be some ups and downs. He also knew exactly what it would be like in the Big Apple under the microscope in the biggest media market in the world. All he had to do was ask his father Buddy. But Rex is a realist and he knows where his team stands. He knows he still has good players (one less if you count Kris Jenkins) who will respond to these losses and try to make the improvements needed to win again. He'll also have to make improvements in his game management. In the first three games things just seemed to fall in to place for the Jets. And the last three games it was just the opposite, especially the Bill's game, when they committed penalty after penalty after turnover after turnover after questionable call. Now they're talking about simplifying the playbook for Sanchez and going back to a more basic plan. After giving Sanchez the car keys and letting him take take out his date he should go back to riding his bicycle now. There's got to be a happy medium. Maybe they just let him bite off a little bit too much than he can chew. I give Rex Ryan credit for sticking with Sanchez. It's the right decision at this time. Don't panic just yet. Make a change now and you lose the team's confidence in your decision making. Sanchez made mistakes in his first three games. The difference was he didn't make too many mistakes, and the rest of the team, especially the defense, played much better and got the job done. We got a glimpse of what this team can do and we started to jump the gun like so many other seasons in New York. We liked what we saw and started dreaming of yesteryear. But wake up now. Back to reality.

The Jets go in to this weeks game against another lowly team, the Oakland Raiders. They should win this one. Sanchez just needs to develop his short term memory and forget about last week in particular. Protect the ball and don't turn it over. That, combined with better defense (without Jenkins), and good running will win games for the Jets. Once again, a good running game will take the pressure off The Kid and open up his Play-Action passing game. Get the win here where you should and prove the media wrong. Don't be the Same Old Jets!

Jets Need To Take Off After MNF Loss

2009-10-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

In my last post I said that the NY Jets needed to do three things in order to win their Monday Night Football game in Miami against the Dolphins. I said rookie Mark Sanchez needed to protect the ball - he did. I said the Jets running game needed to get something going - they really didn't, but the passing game and offense overall was very good. And I said that the Jets defense had to find a way to contain the Miami Dolphins' Wildcat offense - they couldn't. Out of those three things you would have thought that the defense would handle their part of the deal. You would have thought that Sanchez would blow it somehow and or the running game would be anemic. Leon Washington and Thomas Jones only rushed for 44 and 42 yards respectively, but the running game was boosted by a pair of fake punts engineered by Special Teams Coach Mike Westhoff - one a beautiful 26 yard run by punter Steve Weatherford and the other a 12 yard scamper by Brad Smith. No, the Jets lost this one in surprising fashion. The previously tough Jets defense was totally unprepared to stop Miami and their ball control, clock eating, run happy Wildcat offense. Which, by the way, is what the Jets offense could look like if they could just excel at running the ball.

With the addition of Braylon Edwards, Mark Sanchez has another big threat at his disposal and the Sanchez-Edwards combo picked up any slack from the injured Jericho Cotchery and the weak rushing game, connecting five times for 64 yards and a TD. Edwards also made some key catches to set up two more scores. I get the feeling that Edwards is gonna be a key player on the New York Jets and I hope he keeps himself out of trouble so he doesn't wind up like the receiver from that Blue New York football team! Kudos to the Jets brass for going and rescuing him from Cleveland.

The Jets defense, though, is not the first defense to be embarassed by the Dolphins' unpredictable Wildcat scheme. They've been giving defenses fits since last season when they did it with Chad Pennington, and now they're doing it with Henne at the helm. Rex Ryan might be right that the Jets defense made Henne look like Dan Marino, but Mark Sanchez stepped up this game and looked like Ken O'Brien. The difference in this game was when the Dolphins went to the Wildcat the Jets D continued to come with the pressure and over pursued, and got burned for it. Repeatedly! But it wasn't like there was a lack of effort on the Jets' defenses part. Maybe they should have played more of a read and react type of game against this type of offense than a pure attack defense. But Rex Ryan's Defenses don't play that way. So they got burned. I think they'll be okay. They played great defense the first four games and the offense (Sanchez) made their mistakes. Now Sanchez stopped making mistakes and the offense played well but the defense had a lapse. When they finally put it all together with all three phases the New York Jets are gonna be some team. They should keep their heads up high. The Jets have to go in to next weeks game at home against the 1-4 Buffalo Bills and do just that. Put a complete game together and win a game that they should win. The Bills have their backs up against the wall and should not be considered a gimme. But the Jets should win this game and go in to the Raiders game at 4-2. And we all know what they should do against the Raiders. That would make them 5-2 when they meet up with Miami again. Maybe by then Rex Ryan can come up with some kind of plan to stop the Dolphins' dangerous Wildcat.

NY Jets' Sanchez Crash Back To Earth

2009-10-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

After an incredible, unprecedented 3-0 start to his NFL career, Mark Sanchez - and the NY Jets - finally played a game in which they were unable to overcome his rookie mistakes against a strong New Orleans Saints team in The Big Easy. It looked like The Kid Sanchez had one too many Frozen Hurricanes on Bourbon Street Saturday night (hey, is he old enough to drink?). Throwing multiple interceptions(3), one for a TD, and fumbling in his own end zone, while handling the ball like a hot enchilada, for another TD, Sanchez finally played a rookie clunker of a game! It was bound to happen, especially against a solid playoff caliber team like the Saints at home. The sad thing is that the Jets defense played so incredible that it's amazing how bad the offense had to perform to lose this game. I mean two series which they held the Saints back on 4th down tries and a couple of times they made goal line stands and forced them to kick field goals instead of going for a touchdown. But without a consistent running game the Jets offense becomes one dimensional and predictable, and that's not a good thing when you have a rookie QB in there. This, coupled with the poor protection from the Jets offensive line, spelled disaster for Sanchez and company, despite the strong play from the defense.

Highland Mint New York Jets Mark Sanchez Draft Photomint

Hopefully The Kid learns from these mistakes. My guess is he will. He made mistakes in the first three games but not as many as in New Orleans. Brian Schottenheimer and Rex Ryan have undoubtedly been telling Sanchez to protect the ball the first few weeks. I'm sure this week they must've been screaming it at him. But the key for Rex Ryan's players is to be lose and have a good time. We'll see this Monday night in Miami if Mark Sanchez can do that. It's not as easy to have fun when you lose, and I'm sure Sanchez is feeling that right now. He doesn't want that losing feeling again; so the key for him is to protect the football and minimize his mistakes. If the Jets' running game can get something going (don't they have two Pro-Bowl running backs?) and if the defense can limit the Miami Dolphins' Wildcat Offense, which has been averaging 183 yards per game (tops in the NFL), and if Sanchez wipes the butter off his fingers, they can win this game and be 4-1 atop the AFC East after the New England Patriots lost to Denver Sunday to go 3-2. Those are three big ifs.

It's a huge test for these New York Jets, and it will reveal what kind of character they have in '09. If they can bounce back on the road after a big loss away from home it'll show what kind of a team Rex Ryan is building. We'll see what the New York Jets are made of on Monday Night Football in Miami. Mark Sanchez; are you ready for some football? Hold on to it this time and IF the rest of the team can keep their part of the bargain you should come out ahead.

New York Jets Becoming Darlings of NFL

2009-09-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

After win number three against the Tennessee Titans, Rex Ryan's New York Jets are becoming unlikely darlings of the NFL. With another solid performance by rookie QB Mark Sanchez, and the Rex Ryan pressure cooker defense, the Jets go 3-0 and are starting to really look like a sure NFL Playoff team. Okay I said it! Why not? Sanchez The Kid became the first rookie QB since the NFL/AFL merger to win his first three games and looks more like a seasoned veteran than a first year kid, showing a resiliency to bounce back after committing mistakes, and an ability to put the nails in the coffin when the opportunity arises.

AP Photo Ed The Fireman

After playing a stellar first quarter in which he threw for one TD and rushed for another after the Titans rookie Ryan Mouton fumbled the ball on the ensuing kickoff return, Sanchez slipped back to rookie mode in the second quarter - fumbling the ball deep in Jets territory - and allowing the Titans back in the game. The defense also had a setback in allowing the first TD to be scored on them this season (wow! it took three games to give one up) when LenDale White brought it in from 5 yards out. Sanchez and the defense both showed they could bounce back from adversity later in the game, with a little help from the Special Teams. Brad Smith forced Mouton to fumble on another kick return and Larry Izzo recovered for the Jets on the Titans' 23 yard line. Four plays later Sanchez hit Jericho Cotchery for the go ahead points which the NY Jets never relinquished.

But the details are not the important thing here for the Jets. The important thing, and the thing which will make the New York Jets winners this season is that they're playing football and they're having fun playing football the Rex Ryan way; tough defense and special teams, strategic offense which sets the opposing defense up for big plays, and a loose, fun, confident, winners attitude. And the players and fans and media respond to this attitude by making the NY Jets the new up and coming Darlings of the NFL. There's no denying it any more. These guys are fun to watch and will be fun to watch as long as Rex Ryan is the Head Coach. It's a nice change after the last few years under the other guy (what's his name in Cleveland?). So let's sit back and enjoy Jets fans. Spark up those barbecues and bring on the beer! The New York Jets are fun to watch again. Play ball!

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Jets Get Patriots Monkey Off Their Back

2009-09-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

After all the big talk the past week by Rex Ryan and his New York Jets leading up to the home opener against the New England Patriots, the Jets finally backed it up. They outplayed Tom Brady and the Pats in a 16-9 Jets victory, the first home win against New England in 9 years and a huge statement to the AFC East, and the rest of the NFL, that this NY Jets team is gonna be a force to reckon with. The aggressive Rex Ryan defense continued to play exciting rush-the-passer schemes; blitzing much of the time and not allowing Tom Brady to get comfortable in the pocket to complete passes. And Darrelle Reevis and company were brilliant in the secondary, virtually shutting down perennial Pro Bowl Receiver Randy Moss (having Patriots TE Wess Welker out didn't hurt the Jets either).

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

Once again Mark Sanchez "The Kid" played solid football for a rookie (or a veteran for that matter)! After a slow first half in which Sanchez only atempted five passes, completing two for a net minus two yards, The Kid played a good, mistake free second half; going 12-of-17 in the second half for 165 yards and the only TD of the game. Sanchez didn't throw an interception (he did fumble the ball early in the game but it was recovered by the Jets).

What I said after last weeks win in Houston still holds true. If the Jets defense continues to bring the pressure on ala Rex Ryan (they're starting to resemble the Baltimore Ravens D), and Mark Sanchez continues to play smart mistake free football, and they can get a good running game going, they're gonna be good. That's alot of If's! But so far they've done all those things. It's only two games so far, but all indications are that the 2009 NY Jets can back up their talk and beat some good teams. Hey, they beat Bill Belichick's Patriots. So look out Tennessee Titans. Here come the NY Jets!

NY Jets New Era Gets Off To Good Start

2009-09-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets Rex Ryan/Mark Sanchez Era got off to a nice start with the first game of the 2009 NFL Season. Sanchez The Kid looked like a seasoned veteran at times, making some mistakes at others, including one interception and an illegal hit on the ensuing return, and almost threw two more int's. But overall The Kid played at Pro speed and was surprisingly good, going 15-24 for 207 Yards with a 104.0 Rating! He was almost refreshing to watch.

AP Photo David J. Phillip

I know, I know! Don't get carried away now. I mean...these are the New York Jets after all. I'm sure it's not gonna be peaches n' cream the whole season, but if Bart Scott and the Jets defense continues to pressure opposing quarterbacks and take away the run the way they did today to the Houston Texans and Matt Schaub, and the offense gets the ball into Leon Washington's hands, they should be pretty good this season. Especially considering they did it today without Shaun Ellis and Calvin Pace. I can't wait to see the defense once they're both back.

Kudos to Rex Ryan who breathed fresh life in to the Jets Defense as well as the whole team with his straight forward cockiness inherited from his dad. His team clearly outplayed the opposition. Rex's dad Buddy Ryan is probably pretty proud right now! But one game does not make a season; and there are 15 more games coming up, with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots coming up next week. So don't count your green eggs just yet Jet's Fans. Lets see what happens. Hopefully the misery is behind us. It seems like it'll at least be interesting to watch this year; unlike the last few years under the boring Mangini regime. Now that the NY Jets have a coach with a personality the team will have a personality too. So sit back and enjoy. Enjoy and be entertained. Isn't that why we're watching anyway? This season certainly promises to be entertaining at the least...and if we win? It's a new era so let's dream.

Highland Mint New York Jets Mark Sanchez Draft Photomint

New York Jets Trade Up For Future In Sanchez and Greene

2009-04-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

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In the first round of the NFL Draft Mike Tannenbaum and the New York Jets traded up from the 17th spot to number five to pick what surely will be the future of their franchise (we've heard it before around here!) in USC QB Mark Sanchez. Then the next day they did it again in the third round by moving up to the first pick, via a deal with the Detroit Lions, to get RB Shonn Greene from Iowa, the highest listed RB on the Jets board. For Greene they gave the Lions their third-round (76th overall), fourth-round (No. 115), and seventh-round (No. 228) picks. For Mark Sanchez they gave Eric Mangini's Cleveland Browns their first-round (No. 17), and second-round (No. 52) picks as well as defensive end Kenyon Coleman, quarterback Brett Ratliff, and safety Abram Elham. These two maneuvers left the NY Jets with only three picks in the 2009 NFL Draft. The other player taken was Nebraska guard Matt Slauson in the sixth-round. In minimizing the number of picks this year by trading away all the other picks, Tannenbaum has put more pressure on himself, his fun rookie coach Rex Ryan, and young Mark Sanchez. If these guys don't pan out, along with all the offseason free agent aquisitions, it most surely will be Tannenbaum's demise. If Tannenbaum were a cat he most certainly would be on his 9th life. But now on paper these decisions all look good. They always look good in April!

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Remember Richard Todd, Ken O'Brien, Browning Nagle, Chad Pennington, Boomer Esiason, Vinny Testaverde, and I'm sure I missed a few... oh yeah, remember that guy from last year? The one who was supposed to be the savior? The second coming of Joe Willie Namath! I guess we'll see if Mark Sanchez has the stuff to lead us to another Championship after forty-plus years of futility. He does seem to have the qualities you want in a New York quarterback; confidence, a good arm, and the personality to deal with the media. The one thing he does not have is experience. Although he played in a pro type offense at USC, in college football's biggest market, he only started 16 games. He might not win the starting position right away from Kellen Clemens.

Sanchez already is a New York media darling. After throwing out the first pitch on Monday at the Mets game at Citi Field he talked in the booth with Ron Darling and Gary Cohen. Before the Mets game he was seen with fans in Citi Field signing autographs and talking. The kid definitely has personality. We'll see how that personality holds up after he loses a few games in New York. That's when you want to judge the kid. When he meets with some adversity in the Big Apple (New Jersey). If he can handle that and bounce back and win. That's when you'll see a good New York QB. Maybe not the second coming of Namath but someone who can lead you to a Championship nevertheless. Only time will tell Jets fans, only time will tell. Until then....It's always good in April. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Baltimore Ravens Loss Will Be NY Jets Gain

2009-01-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

The loss by the Baltimore Ravens yesterday in the AFC Championship Game by a score of 23-14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers will add up to a big gain for the New York Jets. This will be apparent soon when the NY Jets announce the hiring of Rex Ryan, the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator for the past four seasons after six seasons as an assistant there. It isn't official as of now but Wikipedia already has him listed as the Head Coach of the New York Jets. According to sources close to the Jets they have already notified the other coaching candidates that Ryan, the son of Buddy Ryan, former Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals and Defensive Coordinator of the Super Bowl Champion '85 Chicago Bears, will be the successor to Eric Mangini, who now is the Cleveland Browns leader.

This will mark the beginning of yet another new era for the perpetually cursed franchise whose soul was traded to the devil by Broadway Joe Namath when he promised a Super Bowl victory against the heavily favored Baltimore Colts, and delivered, in Super Bowl III 40 years ago. Since then (believe me I know) Jets fans have suffered through thick and thin (mostly thin). Hopefully Ryan can come in and change things around enough to bring the NY Jets to the next level while leaving most of the personnel intact (minus Favre). He won't have anything resembling the defensive personnel he had in Baltimore, but he does have a good nucleus and his coaching style seems to be extremely motivating to his players, who describe him as a players coach. It would be nice to see him do something similar to what his Ravens boss, Head Coach John Harbaugh, did in going with one of the young arms on the team as QB. Harbaugh went with Joe Flacco and rode the wave all the way to the AFC Championship with good offense and great defense, and maybe Rex Ryan can do the same with the Jets by going with Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff (who the Jets seem to be higher on than Clemens). I think with the right influence on the defense and some mistake free ground it out offense the New York Jets could be on their way to some good things. Only time will tell. Next year Jets fans, next year. Sound familiar. If it doesn't your not a NY Jets fan for too long. Good Luck Rex Ryan!

Lucky Win Yields "Same Old Jets"

2008-12-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

These 2008 New York Jets tried their best to give the hapless Buffalo Bills the game Sunday but Dick Jauron and the Bills just didn't want to take it. Jauron decided to overrule his offensive coordinator and change a call late in the game and have quarterback J.P. Losman roll out and attempt a pass rather than continue to do what was working and eat up the clock by running the ball. The whole game Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson ran on the Jets like O.J. Simpson running from the cops. They were unstoppable rushing for 158 yards combined on 28 carries, and all Jauron had to do was hand it to one of them just before the 2 minute warning and get one more first down to win. By now you know what happened instead; Abram Elam knocks the ball loose from Losman and Shaun Ellis scoops it up and rolls like a joint into the endzone for the winning TD and the first of his career. Give Ellis a big bong hit, he earned it! But all this win is gonna do is prolong and postpone the agony. These 2008 Jets are headed on a flight to nowhere quick. I could already see the final game of the season for the AFC East, against Chad Pennington's Miami Dolphins, being set up as the big letdown weeks ago, and now it looms just around the corner. Same Old Jets on the way. This Jets Fan is so used to it by now I actually expect it!

Brett Favre and the Jets offense looked pretty good this game, but as in all of the Jets losses this season, and some wins, they failed in one or two of the facets of the game; this time it was a porous run defense (a recurring theme this year) and poor special teams play. It always seems to be that way with the Jets this season; if the offense plays well they blow it on defense or special teams, if the defense plays well (not often, but sometimes) they blow it with missed plays and mistakes on offense. They owe this win to lady luck and bad coaching, they'll take it and deny the truth; that they deserved to lose this one.

The potential is there, as seen in the five game winning streak, especially the wins against New England and Tennesee. All they have to do is put the winning teams (offense, defense, and special teams) out on the field consistently these last two games (and in the...dare I say it...Playoffs!). But all of us Long Time Jets Fans know what's in store for us in one way or another. Here come the "Same Old Jets"...get ready for the holidays!

Jets Crash Should Be Wake Up Call

2008-12-05T01:19:00.000-08:00

So the NY Jets finally crashed against the Denver Broncos after flying high on a five game winning streak ending in Tennessee against the previously unbeaten Titans. Really, losing is probably just what the Jets needed to wake them back up for the last four games of the regular season. Even though they claim their heads were not swollen from the five game winning streak it's gotta be hard to not be a little over confident going in to a game like the Denver Broncos game. They seemed to be a good match with the Broncos poor rushing defense and the Jets recent success at the running game; Thomas Jones has already rushed for over 1000 yards in 12 games. But the Jets went in with a bad game plan and failed to adjust after the half, and Brett Favre and the receivers regressed to their early season problems of not being on the same page, and the defense failed to put enough pressure on Jay Cutler or stop Denver's weak running game. It really boiled down to fundamentals: poor tackling, bad game plan, penalties, turnovers, poor play calling. Now the New York Jets need to do some soul searching and turn things back around against an inferior but Mike Singletary motivated San Fransisco 49ers team. Hopefully Mangini went back to stressing those fundamentals in practice this week so that the Jets don't blow another game on the west coast. So far they're 0-2 on the west coast this season, losing big against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football and losing to a terrible Oakland Raiders team in overtime in a game they should have dominated. Following that game came their five game winning streak in which they seemed to build steam because of that Raiders loss. The NY Jets need to use the Broncos loss for the same kind of inspiration and go back to playing mistake free football and it needs to start this week in San Fransisco.

NY Jets Better Not Get Caught Sleeping

2008-11-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

The New York Jets (5-3) are in a great position to sieze the moment and right the ship once and for all going into a game at mid-season against a 2-6 St Louis Rams team lead by interim coach Jim Haslett. But you really never know with these Jets after a loss to the terrible Oakland Raiders, a team they were favored heavily to beat, and a tough time against Herm Edwards pitiful Kansas City Chiefs, another game they should have won with ease. Then last week they came up big and beat the Buffalo Bills, pretty convincingly, to make it a three way tie for first place in the AFC East with the Bills and Tom Bradyless New England Patriots. The much improved Miami Dolphins are only a game behind at 4-4 in second place in a division that is the most evenly competitive in the Conference at mid-season. Being a longtime New York Jets fan I can tell you that this is the time for the Jets to crash...or..dare I say it...soar. If they win this game against another mediocre team they can go into next week against the Patriots with nothing less than another tie for first place in the Division and a chance to be atop it alone. That's why this week these Jets better not get caught sleeping. They need to go in to this game and stay disciplined, not make alot of bone headed mistakes against a team they're favored to beat at home by 9 points. Brett Favre needs to minimize the interceptions by not taking too many risky chances and throwing punts to the Rams. The NY Jets are poised to make that next step and prove everybody wrong once and for all; that they can win consistently against the teams they should beat as well as some of the upper echelon teams like the Buffalo Bills. Hopefully they set the alarm clock and don't get caught in bed with their pants down. Wake up Jets: there's still a chance to soar. All you have to do is do it!

Jets Beat Bengals with Defense & Special Teams

2008-10-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets(3-2) won this weeks game against the 0-6 Cincinnati Bengals primarily with good defense and special teams which kept creating good field position. Even after both of Brett Favre's interceptions, deep in Bengals territory, the Jets held Cincinnati and got the ball back with good field position and scored a field goal and a touchdown in response. After Favre's fumble was returned for a touchdown by Chinedum Ndukwe(say that 10 times fast) on the first series of the game, the Jets came right back with a long 10 play TD drive of their own. That drive was set up by another great kickoff return by Leon Washington of 46 yards, shortening the field for Favre and the offense to drive downfield; and this was the case throughout the game with the Jets offense starting on average at their 46 yard line. That's what wins games, and it was accomplished with good special teams, great run defense(43 Net Yards), and pressure up front on the inexperienced Ryan Fitzpatrick(Sacked 5 times, Hurried 6) by Calvin Pace, Kris Jenkins, and company. So in a game that future Hall Of Famer Brett Favre made his share of risky mistakes, the New York Jets did what they needed to do with their other units to get the job done and get the ugly win; and we all know that an ugly win is still a win whether Favre considers it ugly or not. The Jets need to win, ugly or pretty, the next two games, which concludes the soft part of their schedule, at Oakland and at home against Kansas City. They could conceivably be 5-2 going into week 8 at frigid Buffalo (4-1) Nov 2nd. By that time the Jets need to play consistently in all three phases of the game because most of the remaining games, starting with the Bills, are against real teams and defense, special teams, and offense need to produce. If not they'll be losing some ugly games instead of winning them.

NY Giants Look Like The Team To Beat In NFL

2008-10-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

Eli Manning and the defending Super Bowl Champion NY Giants are starting to look as though they've emerged as the team to beat in the NFL. Even without banished WR Plaxico Burress at their disposal the New York Giants slaughtered the Seattle Seahawks at Giants Stadium yesterday 44-to-6, dominating in all facets of the game. Manning played one of the best games of his career throwing for 267 yards completing 19-of-25 and 2 TD's. The Giants showed their depth at wide receiver with rookie Domenik Hixon replacing Burress as starter and catching 4 passes for 102 yards and one TD before leaving the game with a concussion and being spelled by Sinorice Moss (4 catches, 45 yds, 2 TD's). This combined with a strong running game by Brandon Jacobs (15 rushes for 136 yds 2TD's), Ahmad Bradshaw, and Derrick Ward produced 523 total yards of offense for the game. With that many yards on offense you don't even have to play good defense but the Giants did; yielding only 6 points to the Seattle Seahawks, a projected NFL Playoff team. That leaves the New York Giants and the unlikely Tennessee Titans as the only two undefeated teams in the NFL after 5 games into the season; and the Giants, being defending Superbowl Champs, are officially the team to beat in the National Football League. They are no longer the underdogs they love to be. It's a new role for these NY Giants and they look like they're ready for the prime time spotlight in the NFL right here and now.

Keep Favre's Breakout Game In Perspective

2008-09-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Brett Favre finally had his breakout game for the NY Jets we all knew he would eventually have. Who thought he would throw for 6 TD's in one game, 3 to Laveranues Coles? Well I for one know that anything is possible with Favre. But with that possibility also comes the risk of throwing some interceptions when chances are taken. So if you want Favre and Schettenheimer to take those chances rather than run the ball three times in a row (i.e. New England Game) you have to be willing to accept an interception or two along the way. He's that kind of a quarterback; you have to let him take his chances and sling the ball and hope that he makes more plays than he blows; and historically he's made a whole lot more than he's blown to date.

Favre's breakout game is due to two major reasons though. One: Favre is more on the same page, obviously, with his receivers, especially Coles who had his best game TD-wise with 3 TD's. Two: The Arizona Cardinals are not such a great team. They tried to hand the game to the Jets with 7 turnovers (3 INT's, 4 Fumbles lost). The Jets took the game over in the 2nd quarter by scoring 34 points after a scoreless 1st quarter, but tried to hand the game back to the Cardinals by spotting them 21 points in the 3rd quarter to make things interesting. They just happened to outscore them in the 4th quarter enough to win the game by 21, in a wild mistake filled game with a Final score of 56-35 Jets. Crazy!!! But keep this win in perspective. Favre did have a breakout game, no doubt, and it's nice to see Cole's get over his crush on Chad Pennington already and get involved in a big way; but The Jets defense really played up and down in this game by laying down in the 3rd quarter and giving up 35 points in the second half. The Jets were lucky they were playing the hapless Cardinals who repeatedly turned the ball over at the most inopportune times (like the whole game). So far this season the Jets beat two Bad-to-Mediocre teams and lost to two Superior teams. So keep it in perspective. They're 2-2 now. Not bad, but not great either. Favre does make it exciting and the Defense did show flashes of what they might become, but they were too inconsistent to believe they're gonna get away with a win every week if they play like that. The Jets are headed in the right direction from the looks of it. They just have to continue to head that way. In two weeks, after the Bye Week, we'll see. They play Cincinnati, an 0-4 team, who most likely will be 0-5 after playing Dallas this week, and will certainly have their backs up against the wall one way or another. That should be a game The New York Jets dominate too. They could easily be 3-2 going into week 7. Don't think they're sittin' pretty yet. We'll see. Enjoy being .500 right now though fellow Jets fans. Enjoy.

Cool Sports Blankets!

Shea It Isn't So! Mets Anything But Amazin'

2008-09-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

The New York Mets organization paid tribute to Shea Stadium last night in an anti-climactic celebration following their season ending, playoff eliminating, loss to the Florida Marlins. While the '08 "Anything But Amazin'" Mets cried in their clubhouse after the 4-2 loss, Mets greats from the past participated in a bittersweet ceremony to bid farewell to Shea. Such greats as Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Lenny Dykstra, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight "Doc" Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, and a whole lot more participated in the ceremony. Each one stepped on home plate one last time. They finished the ceremony with a last (ground) pitch by Seaver to Piazza, followed by the two of them walking off embracing and closing the big blue gates leading to the field one last time while waving goodbye. The Beatles "In My Life" played through the PA system. I couldn't help but think about how the Jets used to open those gates up when the opposing teams would attempt field goals, inviting the swirling winds, and close them on the Jets FG attempts. However sweet it was to see Seaver and Piazza walk off together, two generations of Mets beloved by fans, it was that much bitter to see the last Mets season at Shea Stadium end the way it did; with a loss to the Marlins, and a win by the Brewers to clinch the NL Wildcard spot. The second year in a row collapsing at the end of the season and failing to live up to their potential. It's a bitter pill to swallow for any Mets fan. Who knows what they'll do next year; hopefully they turn over a new leaf in their new Citi Field Stadium. They need to be more consintent the first half of the season so that they're not in that position again. They need to do something about the lame bullpen and get a competent closer to replace Wagner. Oh well Mets..See ya next year. Farewell Shea Stadium. Thanks for all the good (and bad) memories. It's been Real, It's been Fun, It hasn't been Real Fun.

Photo: Kathy Kmonicek, Newsday

Can NY Mets Pull Off One More Miracle For Shea?

2008-09-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Can the Roller-Coaster Mets turn into The Miracle Mets one more time for Shea Stadium in a finale series against the Florida Marlins this weekend? Or will the 3rd place Marlins play spoiler again like a recurring nightmare replay of last seasons collapse? Will we see Pedro Martinez pitch another game at Shea Stadium, or anywhere other than Hall Of Fame videos in Cooperstown? Who knows? What we do know is the Mets won't win these games, or playoff games, with the bullpen. The only way they'll win is with great offense; hitting and base running like last night at Shea in a win to prevent a 3 game series sweep by the Chicago Cubs, who took the first two games of the series in two heart breakers. You never know with these '08 New York Mets. Last night had that Miracle Mets feel in the last 2 innings when in the 9th Carlos Beltran hit his 12th game winning RBI of the season, driving in Jose Reyes from second base, after a two run eighth inning on a Ramon Martinez single RBI and a miracle play slide by Ryan Church into home plate off a Robinson Cancel hit. Church was beat by the perfect throw by rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome to catcher Koyie Hill but somehow slid around Hill to his right and Hill missed him on a swipe tag allowing Church to reach back and score. The runs in the 8th set up the winning RBI by Beltran in the 9th to possibly save The Mets season and extend Shea Stadiums life a little longer. Thank the Baseball Gods it didn't come down to the relief pitching or closer Luis Ayala or any other closer, because whenever it comes down to the bullpen you know what the results are. Lets go Mets. Lets put a couple of games of really good offense together. Lets make some more of those miracle plays. Lets do it for Shea.

Jets Need To Capitalize On Opportunity vs Chargers

2008-09-22T15:45:00.001-07:00

Brett Favre and The New York Jets need to capitalize on this opportunity against the weak pass defense of the San Diego Chargers tonight at Qualcomm Stadium on Monday Night Football. This is the perfect time for Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to let Favre open up and air it out against a Charger's Defense, ranked 30th in the NFL, that gave up 437 yards in their first two games. Now is the time to sieze the moment to catch up to the New England Patriots(2-1), who lost to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday for the first regular season loss in 21 games. Especially after a week of heavy criticism by the New York media in response to last weeks conservative play calling against the Patriots in a series in which they rushed the ball three times in a row inside the Pats 10 yard line and didn't put it in. They wound up settling for a field goal on that series and ultimately lost the game. It would be a shame if The NY Jets didn't take advantage of this rare opportunity to be neck-and-neck with the Mighty Patriots at 2-and-1 three games in to the young season. So you gotta hope Schottenheimer unleashes Favre's arm finally. Let the Gunslinger sling the gun. Get ready Coles, Cotchery, and Stuckey; hopefully you'll have big games and open this thing up already on the big Monday Night Football stage.

Photo: C.W. Griffin/Miami Herald via MCT

Bottom Of The 9th 2 Outs Full Count For Yankee Stadium

2008-09-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe tonight is the last game at Yankee Stadium, "The House Ruth Built". Wow! Even this Mets fan can wax poetic about the MLB stadium with the richest history in the league. It's seen more World Series Games and MLB Championship Teams than any other baseball stadium in history. For me it's partly because my parents were both born and raised in The Bronx and my Father, Grandfathers, and Uncle were obviously NY Yankee Fans from the get go. My parents eventually settled on Long Island and my Father switched over to The NY Mets since my brother (not me yet since I was but a tot) and eventually I were Mets fans due to the proximity of Queens and Shea Stadium. The Mets were, and are, more of a Long Island team in my opinion. Anyway, I saw my first baseball game I can remember at Yankee Stadium probably around 1969 when I was 4 years old. My Grandfather brought my brother and I. I wish I had a picture from that day. I do have a memory though. My Grandfather was upset that all my brother and I were interested in were the hot dogs, cotton candy, and peanuts. Oh well, what do you expect from two little Mets fans? I still feel it's sad that this "Coliseum" of sorts will be torn down. What an incredible building. It's as much part of the New York landscape as The Twin Towers were. Well it's the bottom Of The 9th, 2 Outs, Full Count for Yankee Stadium. Goodbye House That Ruth Built. We'll miss you. You'll forever be ingrained in our memories as New Yorkers and Major League Baseball fans.

Acclaimed Sports Photographer Neil Leifer Book Signing SoHo NYC

2008-09-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Taschen Store in SoHo, New York City is hosting an event with the acclaimed sports photographer Neil Leifer tomorrow, Sept 19th. Leifer did a collector’s edition with Taschen last year that has sold out. Neil Leifer is a noted photographer for the Time family of magazines. As a boy in New York City, Leifer would gain free admission to New York Giants games by pushing the wheelchairs of handicapped patrons into the stadium. Using his free ticket and a camera, he would then position himself on the field with the photographers...Neil Leifer has photographed greats such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, Bear Bryant, Willie Mays, etc. (read more about Leifer). This signing tomorrow is to celebrate the release of the unlimited $40 trade edition of his book. Taschen Store is located at 107 Greene Street NYC. If you love the photos of Neil Leifer don't miss this event. For more information call Taschen Store at 212-226-2212.

Photo: Neil Leifer

New England Patriots Still Class of AFC East and NFL

2008-09-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

The NY Jets still couldn't pull off a victory against the New England Patriots at the Meadowlands Sunday even with The Patriot's hands tied behind their back. Without Tom Brady leading the Bunch the Patriots proved they're still the team to beat in the AFC East. Matt Cassel's first career start(16-for-23,165 yards,no TD's,no INT's) was one in the "W" column for the Pats as well as the New York Jets first loss of the season, dropping their record to .500, and extending the Patriots regular season winning streak one more game. It's apparent that even with Brett Favre (18-for-26,1TD,1INT) at quarterback Mangini's Jets are still not in the same class as the Patriots. The Jets were in the game until the fourth quarter, but just missed too many opportunities and made too many mistakes to compete on the same level as New England. Matt Cassel and Belichick's Patriots played mistake free football as usual, and The Jets were "the same old Jets" as usual too! The major difference between teams was the Jets were penalized 6 times for 60 yards compared to twice for 10 yards by the Pats, and the big interception of Favre by Brandon Meriweather on an ill advised, off balance pass in the 3rd quarter. Sometimes the chances Favre takes pay off, sometimes they don't. This was one that worked against him. Like the interception in last years Championship game against The Giants, Favre wished he could have this one back. Lets face it; Favre is exciting to watch because of the risks he takes to put his team in a winning position. But sometimes these very risks he takes backfire, and this time that's what happened. Another hiccup was Jay Feely's missed 31-yard field-goal attempt in the first quarter. You just can't make these kind of mistakes if you plan on beating the Patriots. Just ask the other NFL team that plays in New Jersey. Tom Brady is certainly one of the best quarterbacks of all time, but the Patriots proved that they can win without him. They're still a great team with a great system and a great coach (however much he lacks in personality). The Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC East and in the NFL!

NY Mets Going Nowhere Fast

2008-09-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

With 14 Games remaining in the '08 regular season the NY Mets seem to be headed down the same path as last September. The path to nowhere! With 27 blown saves this season, 11 of which were committed in the 9th inning, The Mets bullpen has the team ready to lose the National League East Division. If they do win it they're not gonna go far without a competent closer. Either somebody wakes up or the New York Mets can kiss the Pennant goodbye. This past weekend The Mets dropped two out of three to the weak Atlanta Braves after nice starting efforts by Johan Santana in Saturday's early game and Oliver Perez Sunday were blown in the 9th innings of those games. The Mets salvaged the series with one win in the late game Saturday. It seems as though they're trying to emulate last years collapse, blowing a seven game lead with 17 games remaining. Now they only have a one game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies with 14 games left. I guess if Luis Ayala or someone else doesn't pick up the slack of losing Billy Wagner the Mets seem like they're destined to repeat the downward spiral of last years end to the season. It's like their games are a microcosm of the season; sometimes strong going into the home stretch, but they find a way to blow it in the end.

Should NY Jets Rejoice Pat's Tom Brady Out?

2008-09-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

Players and teams are never happy to see opponents get hurt, especially a season ending injury like New England Patriots Tom Brady suffered the first game of the season Sunday. And the Jets did express sympathetic feelings upon learning of Brady's season being cut short. But the consequences do exist. Matt Cassel will be the starter at the Meadowlands next week against the NY Jets, and presumably the rest of the '08 season; and you would expect the Jets, and the rest of the NFL's AFC East, to rejoice that they won't have to face him this year. But stop right there Don't write off the New England Patriots just yet! Bill Belichick's teams have overcome key losses in the past (see Brady replacing an injured Drew Bledsoe a few years back) and they'll most likely rise to the occasion again. You never know! They may find another rising star in Cassel. He certainly has a great supporting cast around him on offense, and Belichick's Defenses are always strong units with lots of depth and this year will be no exception. So don't start rejoicing yet Jets Fans. There's plenty of football left. Tom Brady was just one player, although an important one, on a very strong team. He didn't single handedly win 16 regular season games and two Playoff games including the AFC Championship Game in '07. He was just one player on a whole team of champions to make it happen. I expect the Patriots will not lose a beat. They'll persevere; and they'll still rise to the top. It should be interesting though to see how this plays out for the Jets and the rest of the AFC East. What do you think will happen?

Note: New York Jets signed Kicker Jay Feely, 32, to replace the injured Mike Nugent.