By Ed Valentine

– Regional Editor

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Dec 23, 2011 – Let’s continue our position-by-position look at the New York Giants and New York Jets with a look at the special teams units for each team.

Giants

When the Jets let punter Steve Weatherford go after last season the Giants snapped up the veteran free-agent punter to avoid the disastrous inconsistencies experienced a season ago with rookie punter Matt Dodge. Weatherford has responded with a career year. His 46.3 yards per punt average is the best of his career by nearly three yards and his net average of 40.0 puts the Giants seventh in the league, a vast improvement from a season ago. 

Placekicker Lawrence Tynes is having an excellent season. He is 16-of-20 on field-goal attempts, with two of his misses coming from outside 50 yards. Thirty-three of Tynes’ 70 kickoffs have been for touchbacks, a percentage of 47.1. That puts Tynes, historically near the bottom of the league in kickoffs, in the middle of the pack for NFL kickers.

The problem for the Giants has been in the return game, where they simply have not generated any big plays all season.

The Giants’ average of 23.0 yards per kickoff return is 19th in the league and they have only one return longer than 40 yards all season. Devin Thomas handled the job early in the season, and rookie speedsters Da’Rel Scott and Jerrel Jernigan have been the primary returners recently.

Punt return has been even worse. The Giants average just 7.4 yards per return, 28th in the league. Aaron Ross handled those duties early in the season and Will Blackmon has taken over recently. The Giants are one of only two NFL (Carolina being the other) that does not have a punt return of 20 yards or longer this season.

Jets

The Jets replaced Weatherford with T.J. Conley and the rookie from Idaho has done a decent job. He has a 43.0 yards per punt average. His net average of 38.7 puts the Jets 17th in the league. Conley leads the league in forcing fair catches, with 25.

Placekicker Nick Folk is 18-of-23 on field-goal attempts, including thee-of-six from more than 50 yards. Folk’s difficulty comes on kickoffs, where only 16 of his 73 kickoffs (20.9) have gone for touchbacks. That puts the Jets 31st in the league in that category.

Where the Jets are clearly superior to the Giants is in the return game.

The Jets are third in the league with an average of 26.8 yards per kickoff return, and have a league-best of seven returns of 40 yards or longer. Joe McKnight leads all regular NFL kick returners with a 32.3 yards per return average and has five of those 40+ yard runbacks. Antonio Cromartie has the other two.

The Jets average 8.6 yards per punt return. Rookie Jeremy Kerley has been the primary return man, averaging 9.4 yards per return.

Advantage: Jets … based purely on the quality of their return game

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PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Nnamdi Asomugha was headed for Broadway when the
Philadelphia Eagles swooped in at the last minute and stole the All-Pro
cornerback from the New York Jets.

Too bad for him there are no do-overs in free agency.

Asomugha chose the Eagles over the Jets, thinking he could help the
defending NFC East champions reach the Super Bowl. That won’t happen this year.

The Eagles (5-8) are clinging to slim playoff hopes entering Sunday’s game
against New York (8-5). Maybe Asomugha should’ve picked that other team in green
instead.

“No, I don’t regret it at all,” Asomugha said. “The thing that has been
very difficult is not winning. I think the tough part about that is the fact
that the expectations were really high coming into it. Even if my expectations
were realistic, the expectations that were out there, I think, I kind of let
that get to me, as well, the expectations of everything will be and must be
perfect with this team now that they’ve acquired these players and blah, blah,
blah.

“I always have a realistic approach to it, but I kind of let that seep
through and then that made the losing of it all a little bit tougher, a little
bit more difficult to deal with. But no, I have never, have not and will not
regret it. Our story still isn’t over yet, so there is always something to learn
and we’re still fighting. That’s pretty much where I stand with that.”

The Eagles stunned the football world when they signed Asomugha to a $60
million, five-year contract shortly after the NFL’s lockout ended in July. A day
earlier, the Eagles had acquired two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique
Rodgers-Cromartie in a trade from Arizona.

Asomugha, Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel, a four-time Pro Bowl pick,
were expected to form the best cornerback trio in the league. But they haven’t
come close to fulfilling those expectations.

Part of the problem for Asomugha has been fitting into a different defensive
scheme than the one he excelled in for years in Oakland. Defensive coordinator
Juan Castillo, who switched from coaching the offensive line, gave Asomugha far
more responsibilities than he was used to with the Raiders.

“It’s been completely different from what I was doing in Oakland,”
Asomugha said. “Obviously, in Oakland, when I was there it was about just
finding a guy, matching up with him and playing him one-on-one pretty much the
whole game. It’s just completely different than with the one-on-ones and
putting in some new things.

“He has also been just moving me around the field. He’s wanted me to be
sometimes the corner, wanted me to be sometimes the nickel, he’s wanted me to
play a rover, sometimes a free safety, and there are some challenges with that
because you basically have to learn the scheme and the coverages for every
single position that you have to play. That’s where I think that the biggest
challenge has come in, is knowing how you fit based off each call, depending on
what position you’re playing. Then, he has some different techniques that he has
guys playing.”

Perhaps things would’ve been different if Asomugha had picked the Jets. With
star cornerback Darrelle Revis shadowing the opponent’s top receiver on one
side, Asomugha may have been left alone to play man coverage against the No. 2
guy.

Jets coach Rex Ryan called Asomugha once the free agency period opened and
went after him hard during the recruiting process.

“I really liked the staff there in New York,” Asomugha said. “I was
really close with Rob Ryan, so I know that Rex, being his twin, would be very
similar to him. During the 48 hours or whatever it was that we were able to
talk, they were saying some really great things. I liked how the defense played.
They were doing a lot of the things that I had done throughout my career, so
there wouldn’t be much adjusting or anything like that. I was really close.”

Then, the Eagles called.

“The Eagles came in that 11th hour or whatever it was,” Asomugha said.
“All along, I had always admired the Eagles. They were always the team that, if
they were involved, that was where I wanted to be. At the end there, they did,
they came in, so I managed to flip back to how I was thinking in the
beginning.”

Asomugha spoke with Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver DeSean
Jackson at the Pro Bowl last January. He knew several other players on the team
and was impressed with the way they talked about the organization.

“Obviously, no one is going to say anything disparaging about their
organization, but everything they were saying, I just took it to heart and
really liked it,” Asomugha said.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets got going in a hurry — for a change — and never stopped.

The Kansas City Chiefs? Well, this is one they’d like to quickly forget.

Sanchez threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as the Jets kept pace in the AFC playoff race by cruising to a 37-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The Jets, plagued by slow starts all season, scored 28 points in the first half and were helped by an inept Chiefs offense that managed just 4 total yards in the first two quarters.

Sanchez was 13 of 21 for 181 yards before being pulled for Mark Brunell with the game in hand, and was cheered warmly in pregame introductions after being booed in the team’s last home game two weeks ago. Shonn Greene had a season-high 129 yards rushing and a score, and Santonio Holmes and LaDainian Tomlinson each caught touchdown passes for the Jets (8-5), who have won three straight and improved to 6-1 at home.

It might have been a costly win, though, as starting safety Jim Leonhard was lost early with an injured right knee. There was no immediate word on the severity.

Tyler Palko was sacked five times by the Jets in a miserable outing by the penalty-plagued Chiefs (5-8) a week after the quarterback earned his first victory as a starter at Chicago. He was 3 for 8 for 11 yards in the half, sacked three times, and the Chiefs had 4 total yards and one first down, compared to the Jets’ 16. Palko had a much better second half, finishing 16 of 32 for 195 yards and a touchdown and an interception.

Dwayne Bowe dropped a would-be touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter, but things got ugly for the Chiefs way before that.

In the most brutal stretch for Kansas City, the Chiefs were penalized five times for 81 yards during the Jets’ final touchdown drive. One of those was an unsportsmanlike conduct call on coach Todd Haley, who let his frustrations out on the officials. Kansas City finished with 11 penalties.

Sanchez’s 1-yard run gave the Jets a score on their first drive, as New York got off to the type of quick start it has been lacking most of this season. But, it began ominously as Sanchez was forced to call a timeout — to loud boos from the fans at MetLife Stadium — before New York even ran a play because of some apparent confusion about which personnel should’ve been on the field.

The Jets rebounded nicely with an 11-play, 77-yard drive that was jumpstarted by Greene’s 31-yard rumble on the opening snap and helped by Patrick Turner’s 10-yard catch on third-and-4 from the Chiefs 40. On third-and-goal from the 3, Sanchez threw incomplete into the end zone, but Chiefs cornerback Javier Arenas was called for holding, giving the Jets a new set of downs at the 1.

Sanchez took the snap, faked the handoff to Greene and it appeared every Chiefs player bit as the Jets quarterback rolled to his left and strolled into the end zone untouched for his career-high fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

Ryan Succop’s 53-yard field goal with 4:36 left in the opening quarter made it 7-3.

Palko, starting again with newly signed Kyle Orton inactive with an injured right index finger, made a poor throw intended for Steve Breaston that Leonhard stepped in front of and picked off easily early in the second quarter. But, Breaston grabbed Leonhard for a twisting tackle on which the safety’s right knee was injured. Leonhard was helped to the sideline by two trainers, carted to the locker room and ruled out for the rest of the game.

On the next play, Sanchez, facing heavy pressure, dumped the ball off quickly to Greene, who zipped down the left sideline 36 yards before going out of bounds at the 2. After Tomlinson lost 2 yards on a run, Sanchez found Holmes in the middle of the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead with 10:02 left in the half.

Greene’s 7-yard touchdown run put New York ahead 21-3 with 3:56 remaining, after a called fumble was challenged by coach Rex Ryan and overturned by officials. Tomlinson had a 31-yard catch-and-run to get the Jets down to the Chiefs 13. Greene then took the handoff on the next play, scooted 6 yards, Tamba Hali knocked the ball loose, but the running back was ruled down. Greene rumbled up the middle on the next play and ran over a Chiefs defender on his way into the end zone.

Tomlinson made it 28-3 with 1:15 left in the half when he took a screen pass from Sanchez, made a few cutback moves and got a big block from center Nick Mangold for a 19-yard touchdown. It marked the first time the Jets scored 28 points in an opening half since scoring 40 against St. Louis in 2008.

Things started getting out of hand midway through the third quarter when the Chiefs were called for three straight penalties, including an unsportsmanlike conduct on an irate Haley, helping move the Jets all the way from their own 3 to the 43. A few plays later, Brandon Flowers and Kendrick Lewis were called for consecutive pass interference penalties, bringing the ball to the 4.

On third-and-goal, Sanchez took the snap and rolled into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown and a 35-3 lead.

One of the few highlights for the Chiefs came when Jerheme Urban caught a 24-yard touchdown pass — in between four Jets defenders — to make it 35-10 with under 13 minutes left.

Sione Pouha tackled Jackie Battle for a safety late in the game after T.J. Conley’s punt was downed at the 1.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

By Jay King

– Newsdesk contributor

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Nov 16, 2011 – New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and kick returner Joe McKnight lead AFC Pro Bowl voting at their positions, after the early returns on balloting were released by the NFL on Wednesday.

Revis, who has made three Pro Bowls in his career, topped AFC cornerbacks with 248,734 votes, trailing only Green Bay’s Charles Woodson among NFL corners. 

McKnight has never made a Pro Bowl before, but led AFC kick returners with 59,961 votes. Devin Hester led all kick returners with 101,932 votes, but McKnight paces the NFL with a 36.0-yard kick-return average, including a 107-yard touchdown.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers led all players in votes, followed by Tom Brady, Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson and Wes Welker. 

Balloting concludes on Monday, Dec. 19 following the conclusion of Monday Night Football, and teams will be announced at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27 during a special on the NFL Network.

– For more Jets coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Gang Green Nation. 

Read More: Darrelle Revis (CB – NYJ), Joe McKnight (RB – NYJ), New York Jets

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NFL

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets have watched as much film as they can gather on Tim Tebow and still aren’t quite sure what to expect.

They know Denver’s quarterback will run a whole lot Thursday night in the Broncos’ unconventional option-style offense. But will he throw some, too? And, how much?

“You’re looking at formations or personnel groupings that tell you it’s going to be a pass, and it’s not with this group,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said Tuesday. “That’s a little different, but you better be sound and obviously assume he’s running with it.”

After spending last week preparing for New England’s Tom Brady, a quarterback they’ve had plenty of experience playing against, the Jets have only a few days to get ready for a player who’s a completely different type of opponent.

“You think of running quarterbacks, and most guys are a little more shifty and kind of got that make-you-miss (style),” safety Jim Leonhard said. “He’d rather run you over than run around you. It’s just different, a different mentality. He’s more like a fullback than a true tailback when he runs the football.”

Which is often. Tebow was just 2-of-8 passing for 69 yards in a 17-10 win at Kansas City last Sunday, but he ran for 43 yards on nine carries. The second-year quarterback has been criticized for not being an NFL-caliber passer, but he has won three of his four starts this season — mostly with his legs.

Tebow is 47-of-105 for 605 yards and seven TDs and just one interception, and is Denver’s second-leading rusher with 320 yards and two scores on only 48 carries.

Other Developments

Leinart takes Texans reins: Matt Leinart had a quick chat with Andre Johnson before leaving the Texans’ locker room on Tuesday to catch a flight home to Southern California.

When he returns next week, Leinart will have a first-place team to lead and Johnson should be healthy enough to help him.

Leinart will be the Texans’ starting QB in the first game after their bye, at Jacksonville on Nov. 27, because Matt Schaub is out indefinitely with what coach Gary Kubiak called a “significant” right foot injury.

“I’ve just got a job to do, be efficient and get the guys and this team in the right situation,” Leinart said. “I’m extremely bummed for Matt, just because of what he’s put into this organization and to get us to this point.”

Chiefs’ backup QB to start: Tyler Palko knows full well that the most popular guy in town is the backup quarterback. He’s the one every fan wants to see at the first sign of trouble, whose name floats across the airwaves whenever the starter is struggling.

Well, Palko has a chance to earn some of that popularity.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ backup has been thrust into the spotlight with Matt Cassel sidelined with a likely season-ending injury to his throwing hand. A journeyman once cut by a UFL team will make the first start of his career Monday night at New England.

“I don’t think you can play quarterback and really worry about stuff like that,” said Palko, who etched his name alongside Dan Marino’s in the record books during a standout college career at Pittsburgh.

Big Ben has fractured thumb: Ben Roethlisberger has an unexpected homework assignment during the Steelers’ bye week: protecting a fractured right thumb.

Roethlisberger injured the thumb on his throwing hand sometime during Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. He’s not sure when it happened, only that he noticed it while coming out for the second half.

“It was hard to determine it on the sideline, but we did all the tests (Monday), and it’s fractured in there,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger didn’t miss a snap as the Steelers improved to 7-3.

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Plaxico Burress predicted big things for his NFL return a few months ago, convinced he would show everyone he was still one of the game’s best wide receivers.

Well, the New York Jets are still waiting.

“Man, I’ve been in this league a long time,” Burress said Wednesday. “All it takes is a game or two.”

And, chemistry with your quarterback. That, however, is a work in progress.

“It’s just working and coming to work every day to get better,” Burress said. “One thing’s for sure: It can’t get any worse.”

Burress, signed as a free agent in late-July after spending 20 months in prison on a gun charge, has just 14 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns in six games. Despite the long layoff from football, he was expected to be a dominant red-zone threat for quarterback Mark Sanchez.

“We are not on the right page right now,” Burress said. “But we’ve got to just work on getting on the right page, even if it calls for us to have some practices where we are hitting it, we’ve still got to keep working because that’s the only way you are going to get better at it.”

Burress feels good physically and knows the offense, and he’s confident he’ll click with Sanchez.

“The more and more we get comfortable, when we start playing pitch-and-catch and I’m doing my thing out there, this offense is just going to go through the roof,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time.”

On Tuesday, coach Rex Ryan said the two are “just a little off,” an assessment Sanchez agreed with.

“It’s one of those things where that kind of stuff doesn’t happen overnight,” Sanchez said. “You see quarterbacks and receivers that really click, they’ve been together for a while. They’ve missed a lot more throws than they’ve hit, and then they start to equal those numbers up. It’s a process.”

Burress knows that well. He has played with plenty of quarterbacks during his career, including Kordell Stewart, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox and Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, and Eli Manning with the Giants.

“All the quarterbacks that I’ve played with over time, all that didn’t happen in the first six games — anywhere that I’ve been,” Burress said. “But when it comes, it’s going to be the right time. That’s just always how it’s been.”

He said it’s clear when a quarterback and wide receiver have established a certain comfort level when they see the same defensive coverages, give the same hand signals and “are just going out there pitching and catching.” Burress, who missed some time in training camp with a sprained ankle, acknowledged it took him some time to get the offense down. He’d come out of the huddle during practices and games and head the wrong way.

“I’ve got those things settled,” he said. “Now it’s just a matter of us executing.”

Ryan said Burress has been getting double-teamed a lot, although Burress doesn’t necessarily think that’s the case. To Burress’ credit, Sanchez said, the wide receiver has not sulked because he hasn’t been getting the ball much in recent weeks. Burress had four catches and a touchdown in the opener, nothing in the next game and three catches in each of the next three games. He had just one catch for 16 yards in New York’s 24-6 win over Miami on Monday night, but was targeted four times and dropped a pass.

“Being a wide receiver, if you are competitive, like I am, you definitely want to go out there and compete and perform at a high level,” he said. “Playing this position, you have to understand you control the things that you can control. And for me, that’s catching the football. I’ve let a few passes get away from me the past few weeks and I’ve got to correct that first before I even start doing anything else because if I don’t have the ball, I can’t perform anyway.”

Burress thinks he has gotten lazy at times with technique, being so confident in his abilities that he’ll lose focus and not look the ball into his hands all the way. Seems simple enough, but Burress is still shaking off the rust — although he insists that’s not the case — from being away from football for so long.

“It’s just wanting to catch the ball and go and do something exciting and get back to that feel and having fun,” he said. “So you’ve just got to slow it down, catch the football and let it come to you, and then go back to having fun.”

Sanchez has had his share of struggles this season: His 56.1 completion percentage is near the bottom of the league rankings. Part of that is working with a new set of wide receivers — Santonio Holmes is the only starter from last season still with the Jets — and trying to get them all involved and learning their tendencies.

“We talk a lot about it,” Sanchez said of Burress. “He talks to me about, ‘OK, this is what I really like. If I had my way, I hope these calls are in. OK, good.’ When we get the right looks, the ball’s coming.”

And as far as those training camp declarations that he’ll be as dominant as he once was, Burress isn’t backing down.

“When I lose that mindset,” he said, “I’ll walk away from the game.”

A transcript of the question-and-answer session between the Jets’ wide receiver and members of the media on Wednesday.

Q: How much interest did the Patriots show in you in the offseason?

PB: I never heard from them.

Q: Bill Belichick said he worked with you or did some work on you?

PB: Did some work on me as far as what?

Q: Research.

PB: Well, we never heard from him. My agent and myself never heard from him personally. Maybe he did do some research, look at some tape or what have you, but I never heard from him personally.

Q: How would you view your season having gone so far? How do you think you’re playing?

PB: I’m doing okay. We can definitely do better as a whole. We had a few bumps in the road and different things like that. As far as me just evaluating myself from a personal level, [I’m] just working to get better every day.

Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for you so far, as far as getting back acclimated and things of that nature?

PB: It has nothing to do physically. I would say more me just really getting comfortable with verbiage of the offense and different things like that. Now I’m going into Week 5, going into the season and getting four games under my belt and different things like that. It’s just basically me just picking up the offense and I’m getting to the point where I just go out and play and I’m picking up everything a lot better. You just go out and let your talent show.

Q: Your coach mentioned you have some inflammation in your elbow. How’s your elbow feeling?

PB: It’s fine. It’s a little stiff, a little sore. I kind of woke up this morning with just a real little inflammation. They shut me down for this evening but it’s nothing that will stop me from playing this weekend. I plan on practicing tomorrow and Friday so they just wanted to take precautionary measures with the swelling or what have you. I’ll be just fine.

Q: What have you seen from the Patriots defense on film, particularly the secondary?

PB: I looked at them this morning for a split second. I know that [Devin] McCourty is a good corner – he made the Pro Bowl last year as rookie. [Patrick] Chung, he is a good player, a good athlete back there being able to make plays. [Brandon] Spikes and everybody knows about Vince [Wilfork] and all those guys. You know, Andre Carter, he’s a good rusher, good defensive end. From what I’ve been able to look at, they have a lot of athletes. They have a lot of speed over there on defense. They have a lot of guys over there that are capable of making game-changing plays.

Q: What is it going to take for you to reach your potential in that offensive system?

PB: Just keep working. I’m not really worried about getting to that level, it will come. I think we all realize that and we definitely have other playmakers out here on the offense that match up well against anybody. It’s my first four games playing with Mark [Sanchez], us being on the same page, but it will come.

Q: Talk to us about the adjustment for a receiver adjusting to playing with a quarterback you haven’t played with before. What are some of the challenges that exist with that?

PB: It’s just one of those things where it’s just constant work. A lot of looks that we get in the game we don’t get in practice and you just have to read and react. You don’t have the time, you don’t have the opportunity to go over certain looks when you go out there on Sunday. You may see it one time and you have to go out there and make a play into it, you know, versus making the throws off of the leverage of the defensive back, what angle you’re breaking on, or the safety, different things like that. I’m just trying to be consistent with the look that I give him. Just really emphasize where I’m going to be on certain routes and things like that. It’s definitely a work in progress. It’s something that doesn’t come overnight. We’re working at it every day.

Q: How would you rate your Super Bowl catch as far as moments in your career?

PB: It’s definitely the best. Coming into this business, it’s something that you dream of. Playing the wide receiver position, being able to play in the Super Bowl but to win it in the fashion that I did, it’s something that you dream of as a child. To do it against a team that was probably the best in history offensively, what they had accomplished. How big that game was, it’s just something that will always be a part of me. It was a defining moment of a lot of guys in our careers and it was beautiful moment.

Q: You’ve had a lot of time to think over the past couple of years. Is that catch something you looked back at?

PB: It’s just a part of who I am, playing in that Super Bowl and making that catch, in the fashion that we did, driving down the field in two minutes, making that play on that stage. It’s just a part of me. It’s a part of history. To me it was the greatest Super Bowl ever played. Like I said, it was a moment that every kid dreams of having. To be able to do go out and execute it and do it in the fashion that we did it against the team we were playing against, it just says a lot.

Q: Does preparing for the Patriots this week bring back those memories?

PB: No, not really. [It’s] a different team and different defense. Some of these guys in the back end I haven’t even played against any of them. I haven’t played up there in almost ten years in Gillette Stadium. It’s going to be good to get back and I expect to get booed by the fans and different things like that, but it’s going to be fun. I think that for our football team it’s a big test for us to know where we’re at mentally. We’ll play hard and try to get a win. They don’t give up wins too often early in the season.

Q: Do you see potential for big plays against this Patriots defense given the fact that they’ve given up a few in the first four weeks?

PB: There’re a lot of big plays that they’ve given up just from the little bit of film that I’ve watched. Hopefully we can go out and execute. We’re going to have to do a good job of protecting – they’ve got so many guys up front with Vince [Wilfork], Albert [Haynesworth] and Andre Carter, so we’re going to have to block those guys up, it’s not going to be easy for us. If they want to play some one-on-one matchups and zone we’re going to have to make plays and get into the defense.

Q: Rex Ryan called that loss to Baltimore miserable and horrible. Do you look at that as basically an aberration and kind of throw that out the window because that’s not who the Jets really are?

PB: I think a game like that in your career as far as being on the back end and losing in that kind of fashion you don’t know what this league is all about. No one wants to lose in that fashion that we did. Like I said, it got our attention and it was something that we needed. We’re going to use that as motivation to move forward and remember how poorly that we played, and come out, be sharp and focus on the little details that needs to be done so we can go out and have success against a damn good football team. We know we’re playing the best team in football right now, so we’ve got to come out ready to play.

Q: Rex Ryan has put a lot of attention towards beating the Patriots in the last two and a half years. Have you noticed anything different in this last week of work? Is there a sense heighten of urgency?

PB: I wouldn’t say sense of urgency. I expect my boys to come in exactly the way that I expected them to today with the way that we played this Sunday. [They’re] coming in focused and ready to pay attention to detail and just concentrating on getting better at every position. It’s really not just about the Patriots this week, it’s more about us: being where we’re supposed to be, making the right calls, communicating, trusting and just going out and playing.

Q: On the Super Bowl catch, do you remember the route? Do you remember how it broke down?

PB: Yeah, it was a play that, we had run the same play twice. Eli [Manning] told me before I broke the huddle that if they gave me single coverage, he was going to throw it. I’m just thinking to myself, there’s no way they’re going to single cover me at this time in the game. They actually went Cover 0, with no safety help. I had been watching so much film, watching film on Ellis Hobbs, inside from the ten-yard line to the goal line and noticing that he likes to stop his feet right around the goal line. I just went up, just made a move, never broke stride, just kept running. I had watched so much film on him that if I had a chance to run that route, I knew exactly how and when to run it. It actually came down to the film, running that exact route, as I had seen him do, he did exactly what it showed on tape. I knew when we lined up that I had a great shot to make the game-winning catch.

Q: Are you still surprised that they didn’t have a safety over the top on that play?

PB: Very surprised. They had single covered me maybe a handful of times that whole game. Coming off the NFC Championship Game and the game that we had Week 16 in Giants Stadium, they were really focusing on taking me out of the football game. For them to give me that coverage with that on the line, I didn’t think they would, but thank you.

Via Rant Sports:

While New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is not in the same class as Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts or even Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Sanchez is certainly getting paid like them—actually getting paid more than them as the third-year signal caller from Southern California is slated to make a salary of $14.75 million dollars in 2011.

Because of that, Forbes Magazine just recently named Sanchez the most over-paid player in the NFL.

Brady, Manning and Brees have a combined five Super Bowl rings compared to Sanchez’s zero, and have appeared in more combined conference championship games—with ten, five by Brady, three by Manning and two by Brees—to Sanchez’s two.

Since being acquired in the 2009 NFL Draft—via trade with the Cleveland Browns— Sanchez’s record as a NFL starter in the regular season is a impressive 29-12 and 4-2 in post-season.  Sanchez’s has four playoff wins—all on the road—his 0-2 record in the AFC Championship Game is one reason why his $14.75 million dollar salary may be less than justified.

The main reason why Sanchez is over-paid is his career accuracy of 55.1% of and sub-par QB rating of 71.4 in a “passing league” is less than acceptable.

For all of his talent and potential, Sanchez’s penchant to date Hollywood actresses and pose in men’s fashion magazines such as GQ, makes you question if New York’s $14.75 million dollar investment in Sanchez is sound.

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Why wouldn’t they?

It was the same formula the Jets used in 2009 when they beat the Raiders by 38 points, the most lopsided home loss in franchise history. It also matched the team’s worst loss ever in the Al Davis era.

“They’re going to try to run that ball down our throat,” Kelly said this week. “It will be a big-boy pad game. They’re going to run the ball regardless. It doesn’t matter what’s going on. That’s their plan any game.”

New York has rushed for only 146 yards in two games this season but the 2-0 Jets have a prime opportunity to get that turned around in Oakland.

Since 2007, the Raiders have allowed opponents to rush for 200 yards or more in a game 12 times, tied with the Bills for the most in the NFL during that time. That includes a 317-yard performance by the Jets on Oct. 25, 2009.

A lot has changed in Oakland since then, but the team’s problems defending the run have remained a constant.

“They’ve been the leading rush team since (Rex Ryan) took over as head coach,” Raiders defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan said Thursday. “I do know Rex’s mentality is a physical, no BS type of deal and they’re going to try to establish the run game.”

Oakland is still trying to shake the effects from last week’s second-half collapse against Buffalo.

After building a 21-3 halftime lead, the Raiders unraveled over the final 30 minutes while allowing the Bills to score touchdowns on all five of their possessions in the second half.

The breakdowns were numerous and everywhere.

Oakland forced Buffalo into only four third-down situations in the second half, safety Tyvon Branch and cornerback Chris Johnson both dropped would-be interceptions in the fourth quarter and a breakdown in coverage allowed the Bills to score the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds remaining.

Buffalo was initially credited with 217 yards rushing but that number increased by six yards after the NFL amended the stats, awarding Oakland linebacker Rolando McClain a sack instead of a tackle for loss when the Bills were in a wildcat formation.

That helped McClain’s personal numbers — it’s the first full sack of his career — but raised the Raiders’ average against the run to 130.5 yards a game.

More troubling was the Bills’ 8.7 yards-per-carry average, which came on the heels of Oakland’s season-opening win against Denver, when they held the Broncos to 38 yards total on the ground.

Bresnahan and coach Hue Jackson have been adamant in practice this week about moving on from the loss to Buffalo, but Kelly acknowledged that’s been easier said than done. Like the loss to the Jets in 2009, it’s not something he’s been able to let go of easily.

“We have to really redeem ourselves from last week,” he said. “We can’t let that happen again. The Jets run the ball a lot on first and second down. We have to knock their guys back and get early penetration so we can get them into third and long.”

Notes: The Raiders announced a sellout for Sunday’s game, only their second in the last 16 home games. This will be the 46th of 129 regular-season home games televised locally since the team moved back from Los Angeles for the 1995 season. … TE Kevin Boss practiced without limitations and is expected to make his Oakland debut against the Jets. … K Sebastian Janikowski (foot) also worked out with no setbacks. … WRs Jacoby Ford (hamstring) and Louis Murphy (groin) were held out of practice. Murphy has already said he will not play this week.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The New York Jets have gotten used to road trips under coach Rex Ryan,
though they usually come much later in the season.

New York begins a stretch of three straight road games Sunday when it faces
the Oakland Raiders, who are coming off a demoralizing defeat.

The Jets are 2-0 for the fifth consecutive season, winning both at home
after a 32-3 rout of Jacksonville last week. New York hasn’t played three
straight road games in the regular season since 1982, though Ryan’s teams have
done so in reaching back-to-back AFC championship games.

The Jets are 11-5 on the road in the regular season under Ryan, and 4-2 in
the playoffs.

“We’re not intimidated by any surroundings that we go into,” Ryan said.

Following this trip to Oakland, the Jets travel to Baltimore before an AFC
East showdown with New England. Each contest presents a different challenge, but
they are taking the trip step by step.

“We’ve just got to focus on Oakland, and that’s it,” cornerback Antonio
Cromartie(notes) said. “We have to make sure we come in and prepare for what we need
to throughout the entire week and get ready for a long trip.”

They’ll be facing a Raiders team coming off an emotional 38-35 loss in
Buffalo last week in which it allowed touchdowns on each of the five Bills’
second-half drives.

Oakland (1-1) gave up the game-winning touchdown on fourth down, when a
defensive breakdown left Bills receiver David Nelson(notes) wide open in the end zone
with 14 seconds to play.

“Any time you lose, especially in that fashion, it’s very disappointing,”
defensive tackle Richard Seymour(notes) said. “But one game doesn’t make the season.
You move forward. I’ve been in many games in my career, and that’s one of the
most heartbreaking ones I’ve had. You move forward, and you’ve got to get better
as a team.”

The challenge will be improving a defense which allowed 223 rushing yards
and 481 overall. The Raiders ranked sixth in the AFC allowing 322.8 yards per
game in 2010, but are 25th in the NFL this season, giving up an average of 395.5
yards.

“You can’t take a play off, you can’t take an opportunity off, you have to
finish everything you do,” coach Hugh Jackson said. “It’s tough in the NFL. We
have a good group of men in that locker room who, hopefully, have learned a very
valuable lesson that we can learn from this and move forward.”

Oakland ranks 27th in the league allowing 127.5 yards on the ground, which
may bode well for the Jets’ struggling running game.

New York has run for 146 yards in its first two games combined, its lowest
total through the first two weeks since 2007. Shonn Greene(notes) and LaDainian
Tomlinson(notes) together are averaging 2.7 yards per carry.

Making matters worse, All-Pro center Nick Mangold(notes) suffered a high ankle
sprain against the Jaguars, and Ryan called his status “very iffy.”

In the last meeting with the Raiders – a 38-0 victory Oct. 25, 2009 – New
York ran 54 times for 316 yards and Mark Sanchez(notes) went 9 for 16 for 143 passing.
Though Ryan keeps saying he’d like to get the running game going, its doubtful
he could have that sort of imbalance again.

“I thought (the running game) was slightly better (versus Jacksonville),
but I’m not concerned with that,” guard Brandon Moore said. “That’ll get
better as the season goes. We’ll be OK.”

Running the ball hasn’t been a problem for Oakland with Darren McFadden(notes)
handling the load. He’s averaging 111.0 yards after his breakout season in 2010,
and he also leads the team with eight receptions.

The Jets defense, however, has allowed only one 100-yard rusher – Chicago’s
Matt Forte(notes) on Dec. 26 – in the last 25 games.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Darren McFadden is one of the
most exciting players in this league, bar none,” Jackson said. “There’s
greatness in Darren, and I expect him to play that way as the season goes.”

New York has won four of the last five meetings.

The last time the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars met, Mark Sanchez(notes)
and Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) played large roles in an exciting game.

The health – and protection – of each could be a factor when the teams meet
again Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Sanchez threw for 212 yards and a touchdown in the ninth start of his
career, and Jones-Drew ran for 123 yards and a score Nov. 15, 2009, when the
Jaguars won 24-22 on a Josh Scobee(notes) field goal as time expired.

It marked the sixth victory in eight all-time meetings for Jacksonville
(1-0) over New York (1-0).

Though Sanchez and Jones-Drew each believe they’re healthy enough to play at
a high level Sunday, their respective teams have taken precautions.

Sanchez underwent tests for a concussion after being sacked four times and
dropped to the turf numerous others in last Sunday’s 27-24 victory over Dallas.
He finished 26 for 44 with two TDs and an interception, though coach Rex Ryan
has been adamant the Jets need to protect their quarterback against the Jaguars.

“We need to do a better job of protecting him and we need to be able to run
the ball better, so I think that kind of goes hand-in-hand,” Ryan said.

Sanchez passed the tests and said he feels healthy.

“I feel good,” Sanchez said. “Felt like we just had a physical game and the
training staff just wanted to be extra cautious and make sure I’m doing well,
especially at the beginning of the season so I can make it through the long
haul.”

It’s the same reason Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio kept Jones-Drew on the
sidelines for most of the fourth quarter in last week’s 16-14 win over
Tennessee.

The veteran running back is coming off surgery to repair a torn meniscus in
January, and Del Rio decided to rest Jones-Drew after he rushed 24 times for 97
yards and had an opening-drive, 21-yard touchdown run.

Del Rio had Jones-Drew on a play count – something the star back didn’t
know.

“He’s so competitive and he’s not happy about it,” Del Rio said. “But that’s
going to happen as we monitor and try to keep him to a certain number of reps as
we go throughout this season.”

Jones-Drew is confident he’s healthy enough to play regularly without having
to be monitored.

“Everything is going to work out at the end of the day,” he said. “I was
upset. I expressed myself. That’s what I do. I’m not one to hide them. If you
have a problem, you have to tell them. We’re working on fixing it. That’s all
that matters.”

Jones-Drew may have to carry more of the offensive load since the Jaguars
listed both Pro Bowl tight end Marcedes Lewis(notes) and wide receiver Jason Hill(notes)
doubtful due to injuries. Lewis had two catches for 28 yards while Hill had four
for 53.

The Jets have some issues in the backfield as well. Their 45 yards rushing
last week were their fewest since gaining 41 on Sept. 22, 2008, against San
Diego.

New York may again have trouble getting the running game going against a
Jacksonville defense which allowed only 43 yards rushing against the Titans -
the fewest since giving up 32 on Dec. 18, 2008, against Indianapolis.

Shonn Green was ineffective for New York, rushing 10 times for 26 yards.

The burden may fall on Sanchez again to help guide the offense, which hasn’t
scored a first-quarter touchdown in 16 straight games. Though the Jaguars shut
out Tennessee in the opening quarter last week, they ranked 27th in 2010 in
first-quarter points allowed.

“Nobody thinks we’re going to come out and go three-and-out,” Sanchez said.
“At least, I hope they don’t. But that’s not the kind of team we have. We’ve
been a slow-starting kind of team for 16 games or whatever. Something’s got to
change. Maybe it’s our attitude.”

Sanchez seemed to make a connection with Plaxico Burress(notes), who played his
first regular-season game since 2008. Burress had four catches for 72 yards and
a touchdown.

“It feels like I never left,” Burress said.

Jacksonville’s run-centered offense took off some of the pressure last week
for Luke McCown(notes), who was making his first start since 2007. He finished 17 of 24
for 175 yards but lost a fumble.

McCown hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in seven games since Dec. 30, 2007,
when he had two against Carolina while playing for Tampa Bay.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP)—Mark Sanchez(notes) got shoved, knocked around and
slammed to the turf by the Dallas Cowboys, and has the bumps and bruises to
prove it.

He’s got a few precautionary concussion test results, too.

It was one of those brutally physical nights for the New York Jets
quarterback. And it was only the first game.

“I feel good,” Sanchez said Wednesday. “Felt like we just had a physical
game and the training staff just wanted to be extra cautious and make sure I’m
doing well, especially at the beginning of the season so I can make it through
the long haul.”

The Jets’ season and their Super Bowl hopes could depend on that. They need
their franchise quarterback healthy, and know they need to do a better job of
protecting Sanchez. He was sacked four times by the Cowboys on Sunday night, and
hit almost a dozen times in a 27-24 victory.

He appeared weary after the game, and underwent tests Sunday and Monday to
make sure he was OK.

“We all saw that he took some hits, so everything that we did was more
precautionary,” coach Rex Ryan said. “I’m happy to report that he passed with
flying colors.”

Sanchez said he woke up Monday feeling fine and spent the day resting,
getting a massage and sitting in the cold tub to help him recover.

The fact Sanchez was able to withstand the pounding and still help lead the
Jets to a victory impressed his teammates. Even the ones who razzed him a bit
for his recent GQ magazine photo spread, which featured shots of Sanchez wearing
tight white pants in one and sitting in a tub in another.

“You wouldn’t think a GQ cover guy would be as tough as he is, but he’s a
tough guy,” wide receiver Plaxico Burress(notes) said. “He’ll battle through. It’s
not like he’s sitting in the chair getting makeup brushed on anything. He’s a
tough guy.”

Right tackle Wayne Hunter(notes), who replaced the retired Damien Woody(notes), had a long
night trying to block DeMarcus Ware(notes), who had two sacks. But Sanchez pinned the
blame on himself for two of the four sacks.

“Totally my fault, no question,” he said. “I mean, all the way. I
should’ve gotten rid of the ball. Other than that, you take a couple of hits,
I’ll throw a bad ball, somebody misses a block or somebody makes a wrong cut.
That stuff’s going to happen. We can live with those. But, don’t set yourself up
and just stand there and take a shot.”

Still, the offensive line must do a better job of keeping Sanchez upright.

“He got knocked down about 10 times last week, so clearly, you don’t want
that to happen unless you had Roman Gabriel back there or something, who weighed
like 280 (pounds),” Ryan said. “We need to do a better job of protecting him
and we need to be able to run the ball better, so I think that kind of goes
hand-in-hand.”

The Jets’ usual “Ground-and-Pound” approach fell to the wayside early as
they ran for just 45 yards on 16 carries. Meanwhile, Sanchez threw 44 times for
335 yards, one off his career high. Ryan said he doesn’t want to make a habit of
having the offense tilted so heavily in favor of the passing game.

But one thing that has become a disturbingly normal occurrence is the Jets’
inability to score a touchdown in the first quarter. They are at 16 straight
games without getting into the end zone in the opening 15 minutes, but hope to
fix all that Sunday against Jacksonville.

“Nobody thinks we’re going to come out and go three-and-out,” Sanchez
said. “At least, I hope they don’t. But that’s not the kind of team we have.
We’ve been a slow-starting kind of team for 16 games or whatever. Something’s
got to change. Maybe it’s our attitude.

“I think the play-calling’s fine. We just need to convert on third down.
Whether it’s me throwing a more accurate ball or not getting sacked on the first
play, that kind of stuff. A sack is a drive killer, but we can’t have negative
plays on first down.”

Burress acknowledged that it isn’t just on the offensive line to protect
Sanchez, but the running backs and receivers, too.

“We all have to do a better job, myself being alert on the hot blitzes and
different things like that,” Burress said, “and make sure we are in the right
places so he doesn’t have to hold onto the football and take those hits.”

Burress and Derrick Mason(notes), the Jets’ two new veteran receivers, were slowly
worked into the game Sunday as Sanchez focused at first on Santonio Holmes(notes),
Dustin Keller(notes) and LaDainian Tomlinson(notes).

“I made a point of just going over to both and said, `Hang with me. Hang
with me, I’ll get you the rock, don’t worry. Just keep running the routes, stay
sharp and trust me: I will throw you the ball. It’ll happen,”’ Sanchez said.
“And, thank God it did because they would’ve been mad. But, they showed poise,
they stayed into the game and I’m really happy with the way our chemistry’s
working.”

Burress finished with four catches for 72 yards, including a pretty 26-yard
spinning touchdown, while Mason had three receptions for 19 yards.

“Playing quarterback in the National Football League is the hardest job in
sports, other than being a goalie in the NHL or hitting a baseball,” Burress
said. “We are going to go as he goes. He’s getting better, every day. We’re
working tirelessly to be on the same page and when we get on Sundays, to try to
make it be easy. But everything is a process. He’s coming along and I expect for
him to keep getting better, week in and week out.”

Notes: The Jets are wearing their New York Titans “throwback” uniforms
this weekend, something Ryan knows some fans aren’t in favor of. “We’re 4-1 in
those blue uniforms, so anything for a win,” Ryan said. “It doesn’t matter if
it was purple, we’d be wearing purple. … The fans, I understand, aren’t really
happy with it, but just bear with us for this one game. Let’s make it 5-1 and
we’ll all be happy.”

NEW YORK — Plaxico Burress was walking up the stairs in a Manhattan nightclub three years ago when his life changed with a single gunshot.

The wide receiver, now with the New York Jets, recounts that night in November 2008 when he accidentally shot himself and the 20 months he served in prison as a result in an interview for HBO’s “Real Sports” that airs Tuesday. It’s the first time he has fully detailed the events of the past few years.

“It was dark,” recalled Burress, who was then with the Giants. “And I kind of, you know, missed a step. That’s when I felt my gun start to slide. I went to grab it to stop it from falling. Pow!”

He didn’t realize he had shot himself in the right thigh – until he looked down.

“I had some Chuck Taylors on and they were, the white was all red,” Burress said, showing a small scar on his leg. “I said, ‘Oh, I’m in trouble.’”

But he didn’t realize how much. His wife, Tiffany, is an attorney who told her husband that he was going to end up serving jail time because he was going to be made an example of. Burress vehemently disagreed with her because “I own the gun, it’s mine, I bought it. How much trouble can I really be in?”

The interview includes Burress’ attorney, Benjamin Brafman, and his new coach, Rex Ryan. Burress, who turned 34 on Friday, signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Jets two weeks ago – the start of an NFL comeback that seemed unlikely a few years ago.

Brafman said a bail agreement was worked out for Burress to be released on his own recognizance or $10,000 bail. But New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for Burress to be prosecuted to the fullest extent in a press conference. Twenty minutes later, Brafman said, the prosecutor asked for $250,000 bail.

Brafman told Burress there was a problem and relayed Bloomberg’s comments.

“You know what I said after that?” Burress said. “I said, ‘Who’s Mayor Bloomberg?’”

“Come on,” says interviewer Bryant Gumbel.

“Dead serious,” Burress says.

The wide receiver later asked the grand jury for compassion, but was indicted because, “My name is Plaxico Burress and my career and my life hasn’t always been squeaky clean.”

Burress was sent to Oneida Correctional Facility in upstate New York, where he “lost count” of how many times he cried while in prison. He worked various jobs such as mopping stairwells and serving meals while he was there.

“To be living in that cell for 16, 17 hours a day, you go from being able to do just about anything that you want to do,” Burress said, “to basically putting you in a cage, putting you in a box. It gets your attention.”

Burress temporarily lost his NFL career and missed the birth of his daughter.

The former Super Bowl star is currently nursing a sprained left ankle and won’t make the trip with the Jets for their preseason opener against the Texans in Houston. The team expects him to practice fully next Wednesday for the first time since he signed, and Burress believes he can be an elite receiver again.

“I just have that confidence and belief in myself that I’m going to go out and play at a high level,” he said. “Then everybody is going to go back to scratching their head again: How does he do it? How did he not practice and do it? He’s been away for two years. How does he do it?”

Burress also acknowledges that he no longer owns any guns.

“Nah, man,” he said. “I just don’t want to be around anything negative. I walk around everyday with my head held high. ‘Yeah, OK, I’m the guy that shot myself.’ People always ask me if I would change that situation. I say, ‘Hell yeah. Nobody wants to go to jail.’ But, the person that I am and where I’m at at this time, I wouldn’t change the person.”