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Jets vs. 49ers game preview

Star-Ledger Jets beat writer Dave Hutchinson and reporter M.A. Mehta preview the Jets game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Jets are coming off a big loss to the Denver Broncos and are looking to rebound. Video by John Munson/The Star-Ledger.

The Jets' embattled secondary must look like red meat to a starving man these days. And if the unit doesn't right itself soon, the Jets could make a quick exit from the playoffs -- provided they qualify -- with possible first-round opponents like the pass-happy Colts, Broncos, and even the Patriots looming.

The Jets have the NFL's 30th-ranked pass defense, having allowed a stunning 249.2 yards per game, a number that has only grown the past three weeks as Matt Cassell of the Patriots and Jay Cutler of the Broncos each threw for more than 350 yards. Outside of cornerback Darrelle Revis, no one is making plays consistently.

Continue reading "Defensive backs are concern for New York Jets" »

RETURN OF HARRIS WILL AID DEFENSE

Coach Eric Mangini didn't make any definitive statement, but it appears that the Jets' slumping defense may receive a much-needed boost with the return of inside linebacker David Harris this week.

Harris, sidelined for five games following groin surgery, is likely to play and may start Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

Continue reading "M.A. Mehta with the New York Jets" »

Brett Favre may have his share of bumps and bruises, but he isn't overly concerned about wearing down in the final month of the regular season. At 39, the future Hall of Famer doesn't anticipate slowing down during the homestretch.

"At some point, I've got to fall apart," Favre said on Wednesday. "I'm not going to lie to you. It's like any car. You drive it long enough, it's going to fall apart. You're going to have a flat tire. Something's going to happen. At some point, I'm going to fall apart. But right now, I'm still together."

Continue reading "Brett Favre not worried about wearing down in December" »

Jets coach Eric Mangini said he's going to stay with Abram Elam at safety this week against the 49ers although Elam was beaten for two touchdowns last week against the Broncos.

Continue reading "Jets' Abram Elam keeps his job: Harris likely to return vs. 49ers" »

Jets' C Nick Mangold was in Union City Tuesday to help encourage kids to get active as part of the NFL's Play 60 campaign. Check out the story in The Jersey Journal and see the photos from the event below:

Continue reading "Jets' Nick Mangold Plays 60 with kids in Union City." »

The 49ers, Bills, Seahawks and Dolphins stand between the New York Jets and an AFC East title. According to one writer at the New York Post, this is the time for the team to define itself. Continue reading "Next four games will define Jets and Mangini, writer says" »

LOOKING BACK

Perhaps the most alarming thing about the Jets' loss to the Broncos was that coach Eric Mangini saw it coming after a lackluster week of practice. That is probably why he's so upset with his team. For just the second time this season -- the San Diego game was the other -- the Jets defense was a no-show.

Continue reading "Dave Hutchinson with the New York Jets" »

Earlier in the season the New York Jets were willing to chalk up Vernon Gholston's progress in the NFL as a learning experience. This past Sunday when the Jets called on him to make some key defensive plays, the rookie linebacker failed to come through. How patient can the Jets really be? Continue reading "How patient can the Jets be with Vernon Gholston?" »

Plenty of theories swirling around the web today trying to make sense of the Jets' 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. One of those reasons just happens to be a practice schedule. Continue reading "Jets' coach Eric Mangini may raise bar in practice this week" »

As the Jets sorted through the wreckage of their 34-17 loss to the Broncos one day later, they lamented the fact that with a win they could've had a virtual stranglehold on the AFC East title -- a two-game lead with four to play.

Instead, the Jets (8-4) hold a one-game lead over the Patriots and Dolphins in the division, with the loss to Denver taking some of the luster off their back-to-back victories at New England and Tennessee.

Furthermore, the Jets' chances of getting a first-round bye also took a hit. The top two seeds in each conference get a bye. The Titans (11-1) and Steelers (9-3), who thumped the Patriots, 33-10, on Sunday, currently sit atop the AFC.

Continue reading "New York Jets bemoan missed opportunities" »

ROOKIE CAN'T TACKLE KEY ASSIGNMENT

On Sunday, the Jets needed rookie linebacker Vernon Gholston's pass-rush ability in the worst way. Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler repeatedly scrambled to make plays and the Jets couldn't lay a hand on him.

Coach Eric Mangini turned to Gholston, drafted sixth overall, and got little.

Continue reading "Dave Hutchinson with the New York Jets" »

In the third quarter of their 34-17 loss to Denver on Sunday at Giants Stadium, as the Jets were trying to mount a comeback, a Broncos player was seemingly getting injured on every other play.

When the Jets offense is in a groove, QB Brett Favre and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer often likes to play an uptempo offense that sometimes involves some no-huddle, which doesn't allow the opposition to substitute or catch its collective breath.

Apparently, there was a method to the Broncos' sudden rash of injuries. Leading 27-14 at the time, Broncos LB Spencer Larsen (hip/back), DE Ebenezer Ekuban (shoulder) and CB Dre Bly (shin) went down with injuries on consecutive plays. It appeared the injuries may have been a tactic to slow down the Jets offense.

Ekuban and Bly returned but Larsen didn't.

Afterwards and at his news conference today, Jets coach Eric Mangini refused to accuse the Broncos of foul play. And several Jets players also said they thought the injuries were legitimate.

But cornerback Dre Bly suggested he and his teammates may not have been hurt as badly as they seemed to be.

``Just a bruise on my shin," Bly told the Rocky Mountain News of his injury. "You know Brett, him being a savvy vet, when he sees somebody down, he likes to do a no-huddle, catch a defense off balance. I knew that, so I just laid on the ground and let the pain go away. . . . But that's one thing you have to do - you have injuries, anything that's bothering you, stay on the ground, don't try to be Superman and rush back up because it can hurt your defense."

Bly, of course, was careful not to say he faked the injury but it appears he and his teammates were more than willing to take one for the team.

Jets beat writer Dave Hutchinson and staff writers M.A. Mehta and Kevin Manahan watched the Jets' 34-17 loss to the Broncos, and had a few more insights the day after.

Continue reading "Reporter's Roundtable: Looking back at the Jets' loss to the Broncos" »

Seems like NBC-TV's Cris Collinsworth summed it up pretty well Sunday evening when he said, "I was an idiot for believing in the Jets." How about you, Jets fans .. do you believe after the Jets' horrible home loss to Denver? Here's all the coverage from The Star-Ledger.

Continue reading "Jets fans, do you think Gang Green will bounce back after the loss to Denver?" »

Among the missed tackles, questionable play-calling, and overall malaise that helped snap the Jets' five-game winning streak, Thomas Jones shined again.

The veteran running back continued his career season with a 138-yard, two-touchdown effort that kept the Jets within striking distance early before they faded in their 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday.

Jones, who topped the 100-yard plateau for the fifth time this season, was his usual reliable self. He gashed the Broncos for 108 yards on 11 carries in the first half before getting only five carries after intermission. The Jets called two pass plays on a critical 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 sequence in the third quarter.

Continue reading "New York Jets' Jones one bright spot in 34-17 loss to Broncos" »

With all the head-scratching at the Meadowlands Sunday, you'd think 40,000 fans had volunteered for a psoriasis drug trial. Nah, it was just the Jets' play-calling that had them raking their noggins.

Questionable third-down calls. Failures on fourth downs. Passes forced into double coverage unnecessarily. But maybe none was more silly than an end around the Jets attempted -- out of a "Wildcat" formation in a driving rainstorm.

The botched play led to a fumble that was returned for a controversial touchdown by the Denver Broncos, whose 34-17 smelling salt Sunday snapped the Jets out of the week-long Super Bowl daydream that had followed a victory over the previously unbeaten Tennessee Titans.

Continue reading "New York Jets' attempted end-around against Broncos puzzles observers" »

The Jets had a front-row seat to see the player being touted as the NFL's newest gunslinger -- Broncos cocksure quarterback Jay Cutler. They can attest to the accuracy of the hype.

In a steady, freezing rain Sunday at the Meadowlands, the next Brett Favre bested the current one as Cutler carved up the Jets' suspect secondary throughout a 34-17 Denver victory that, at least for the moment, will put a damper on Super Bowl-frenzied talk involving the Jets.

Cutler made plays in and out of the pocket, completing an assortment of short, quick-hitting screens to his wide receivers and medium-range completions to his tight ends. He connected on 27 of 43 passes for 357 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and a 94.8 passer rating. His sixth 300-yard game of the season was at least partly the product of a Jets' pass rush that didn't come close to the nimble-footed Cutler.

Continue reading "Denver Broncos cool off hot New York Jets, 34-17" »

Box score

Newspaper Articles

Cutler, Broncos cool off hot Jets

Hillis runs rampant over Jets

Jets defend questionable play calls

Notebook: Jones produces another big game

Quick Takes: Things you might have missed

Blog posts

As they played: A rundown of all the action on the field

NOTEBOOK

Jets running back Thomas Jones had yet another big day as he ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 carries in the Jets' 34-17 loss to the Broncos Sunday at Giants Stadium.

Jones, the AFC's leading rusher, scored on a career-long touchdown run of 59 yards and scored on a 29-yarder on which he appeared to be down. Jones now has 1,088 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns this season.

It's the fourth consecutive season he has rushed for 1,000 yards. His 11 rushing touchdowns are one shy of Curtis Martin's club record.

Continue reading "Jones produces another big game for New York Jets" »

The fantasy geeks may have been on to him a couple weeks ago, but the Jets found out Sunday that Denver's fifth-string running back is pretty good.

Fullback-turned-feature back Peyton Hillis went Star Trek on the Jets' stout run defense -- boldly going where no man had gone before. The Broncos' rookie became the first opposing player to top the 100-yard plateau in Denver's 34-17 win.

Hillis, thrust into the starting role a few weeks ago thanks to a host of injuries in the backfield, had 22 carries for a career-high 129 yards and a touchdown, gashing the most formidable piece of the Jets defensive puzzle.

Continue reading "Broncos' Hillis runs rampant over New York Jets" »

Brett Favre sounded like a defense attorney with a client who had been caught standing over the body, clutching a kitchen knife, blood dripping off the edge. Try as he might to defend offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, Favre had no shot at an acquittal.

On critical third and fourth downs, needing only a yard, the Jets had opted to throw the ball. Call it pass, fail. And those plays, which the Jets failed to execute -- along with several other mistakes in judgment, lousy tackling and missed assignment -- dominoed into a 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday night in a rainstorm at Giants Stadium.

The Jets, still polishing their nails after the blowout of the previously unbeaten Tennessee Titans, were victimized by big plays in the first half and trailed, 27-14, early in the third quarter.

Continue reading "New York Jets defend questionable play calls after 34-17 loss to Broncos" »

DID YOU NOTICE?

The Jets went three and out on their first drive to snap their streak of six consecutive games of scoring on their opening drive...

Damien Woody recovered Thomas Jones' first-quarter fumble on the Jets 13-yard line...

The Broncos appeared to catch a break on Vernon Fox's 23-yard fumble return for a TD in the first quarter. Jerricho Cotchery fumbled Brad Smith's flip on a reverse, but appeared to have control of the ball at the Jets 25-yard line when Wesley Woodyard landed on him and the ball squirted free. Officials ruled that Cotchery never had possession of the ball...

Continue reading "Quick takes from Jets-Broncos" »

The Jets were trying to win six in a row Sunday afternoon with the Denver Broncos in town, but dropped a 34-17 loss in miserable conditions at Giants Stadium.

Here's a rundown of all the action on the field:

7:34 p.m. -- Here's a couple of numbers as the game is about to go final. Jay Cutler passed for 357 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie RB Peyton Hills had 129 on the ground. Brett Favre didn't have a great game -- he threw an ill-advised pick and finished 23-for-43 with 247 yards. Thomas Jones carried a bulk of the O with 138 yards.

7:27 p.m. -- A lot of cagey moves here from the Broncos. Jets obviously want to run a no-huddle offense, but it seems a Bronco manages to injure himself when their team starts to suck wind out there. I can count on two hands how many injury breaks there have been, and it's helped the Broncos D make a couple of key stops.

7:21 p.m. -- Most of the Meadowlands has filed out, so this game will finish out in front of an empty crowd. Six minutes to go, but the Jets are driving...

Continue reading "As they played: Jets vs. Broncos" »

JETS
K Mike Nugent, WR David Clowney, RB Marcus Mason, CB Drew Coleman, S Eric Smith, LB David Harris, TE Bubba Franks

BRONCOS
S Marlon McCree, CB Champ Bailey, RB Selvin Young, RB Andrew Pinnock, LB DJ Williams, LB Nate Webster, DT Nic Clemons, DE Tim Crowder

If you're an NFL running back, age 30 qualifies you for an AARP card. The years of taking a physical beating and battling through injuries begin to rob you of your burst and bounce. Turning the corner is like running a marathon.

But Jets running back Thomas Jones, who turned 30 in August, is just getting his second wind. He's defying the odds and running with the young pups at a time when most running backs are in the twilight of their careers.

Jones, in his ninth season, leads the AFC in rushing and is fifth in the NFL with 950 yards rushing, along with nine touchdowns on 217 carries (4.4-yard average). He's on pace for a career high in rushing yards and his 11 total touchdowns (two receiving) are tied for fourth in the NFL.

Continue reading "New York Jets' Jones pulls out some old tricks to keep young" »

WHEN THE JETS HAVE THE BALL

QB Brett Favre has always been at his best when he's getting rid of the ball quickly, firing slants, working the tight end underneath and throwing an occasional deep ball, and that's exactly what the Jets have been doing the past three weeks.

Favre has thrown just one interception in the past three games and is completing 77 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and the interception. Rookie TE Dustin Keller has emerged as Favre's go-to guy with 20 catches for 236 yards and a touchdown in the past three games.

Continue reading "Jets-Broncos: The Breakdown" »

Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer readily admits that quarterback Brett Favre has gone more to a short passing game in recent weeks, but he insists a post pattern to wide receiver Laveranues Coles -- even with safety help over the top -- is still in the playbook.

Over the past four games, the Jets have gone to a short passing game that has produced five touchdowns and just two interceptions while averaging 35.2 points.

Favre has completed 79 of 103 passes (76.6 percent) for 816 yards in those games. Just six completions have been for 20 or more yards.

Continue reading "New York Jets not giving up on big-play offense" »

If there's a practical joke being played in the Jets' locker room, chances are linebacker Eric Barton's fingerprints are on it. The former Oakland Raiders bad boy, now in his fifth season with the Jets, loves life and his teammates.

The other day, sporting a mohawk haircut -- he plans to get it cut -- Barton led the razzing of veteran fullback Tony Richardson, who had a 14-yard run against the Titans, his longest since 2002.

During his interview, Barton exchanged one-liners with left guard Alan Faneca, whose locker stall is adjacent to his. Later, he posed for the cameras during practice.

Continue reading "Barton lines New York Jets with biz, banter" »

Star-Ledger Jets beat writer Dave Hutchinson gives us some insight from practice Wednesday:

FAVRE SAYS GROUND GAME PASSES WITH FLYING COLORS

Brett Favre has made his mark flinging the ball downfield, but he insists he has no problem with going to the short passing game that is driving the offense these days.

Or running the football.

Continue reading "Dave Hutchinson with the New York Jets" »

Jay Cutler's arm has been the talk of the NFL since his arrival, even sparking comparisons to a young Brett Favre. And the numbers back up the hype.

The Broncos' third-year quarterback is third in the NFL in passing yardage with 3,036 yards and has five 300-yard games, third-most in the league, this season. He's fourth in completions (246) and tied for fifth in touchdown passes (19). Already he closing in on some of John Elway's franchise records.

"I think the guy can be pretty darn good," Favre said Wednesday. "He has the right mentality. Has all the physical tools. Got a real strong arm. He moves around well. ... I guess I can see the comparisons."

Continue reading "New York Jets defense ready for Broncos' Cutler" »

Dewayne Robertson was frustrated playing nose tackle for the Jets. Robertson has made some strides forward lately playing defensive tackle for the Broncos this season, according to rockymountainews.com:

Continue reading "Ex-Jet Dewayne Robertson finally playing better on the Denver defensive line" »

LOOKING BACK

The Jets are coming off, perhaps, the biggest back-to-back road victories in franchise history with wins at New England and Tennessee, and they have won five straight games and seven of eight.

NT Kris Jenkins, for one, insists he saw it coming.

"Early in the season, when we saw some of the losses that we had, and some of the ways that we were playing, we knew that we had the potential to compete on another level," he said. "We just needed to believe in ourselves and do it.

Continue reading "Checking down: New York Jets" »

If the Giants and Jets both end up hosting their respective conference championships, fans won't get to watch a Giants Stadium doubleheader.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told WFAN Sports Radio 66 Tuesday that if both New York teams host conference championship games at Giants Stadium, the games would not be played on the same day.

Instead, one game would likely be played at night on the traditional Sunday, Jan 18., and the second game would be played Monday night, Jan. 19.

Goodell said Saturday would not be an option, as it would give the two teams playing only six days to prepare.