According to a Yahoo! Sports report, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson says his team “passed on” Peyton Manning and instead chose to sign quarterback Mark Sanchez to a three-year contract extension.

“We passed on him,” Johnson said in the report. “Sanchez is not leaving. We’ve got a pretty good tether. We’ve got five years. We like Mark.”

Much of the team’s success or failure this season will likely hinge on Sanchez’s ability to get along with his wide receivers, including the former locker room outcast Santonio Holmes.

From their recent tweets, it appears that their rocky relationship is on the mend.

Here’s a look at the top New York Jets’ tweets of the week:

Santonio Holmes

Is this really the same Santonio Holmes who was benched in the final minutes of the last game of the regular season for arguing with his teammates in the huddle? Holmes’ recent tweets makes him look like the model for team unity.

On March 12, after learning that Sanchez’s contract had been extended, he tweeted “Very happy for Mark & the entire team with his extension. Looking forward to getting back to work when I get back this amazing trip @nyjets.”

Sanchez (@mark_sanchez) hasn’t tweeted in close to a month, but one of his recent tweets was comically asking Holmes to be his valentine for Valentine’s Day. Follow Holmes on Twitter @santonio10.

Nick Mangold

Much like Holmes, Mangold also weighed in on the Mark Sanchez contract extension. On March 10, he tweeted “Very excited to have @Mark_Sanchez with our team for many more years! On a side note, I’m happy he will still have to pay for dinners #JETS.” Follow Mangold on Twitter @nickmangold.

Antonio Cromartie

Cromartie used Twitter to give a shoutout to Vincent Jackson for his new five-year, $55.5 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On March 13, Cromartie tweeted ” Congrats to Vincent Jackson on his new deal with the Bucs well deserve.” Follow Cromartie on Twitter @acromartie.

Dustin Keller

Keller apparently has no love for the Dallas Fort Worth airport. On March 11, he tweeted “The Dallas Fort Worth airport sucks!!! They should be ashamed of themselves..worst airport in the United States!!!”

He didn’t go into detail what the specific problem was, so the issue remains a mystery at this time. Follow Keller on Twitter @dustinkeller81.

John Connor

Jets fullback John Connor is excited about the upcoming NCAA tournament. On March 11, he tweeted “I think we needed that loss vandy played with a lot of heart. Let’s get ready to dominate this tourney! #BBN.” Follow Connor on Twitter @jconnor38.

Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Jets fan and New York resident. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.

The internal rumblings are there. Signs are pointing to the end of Mark Sanchez’s reign as starting quarterback for the New York Jets. 2012 could be Mark’s last season as a Gang Green starter. Publicly, the Jets are supportive of their quarterback, but current activity by the front office tells a different story.

The front office speaks

NBC Sports Talk reports the Jet’s general manager, Mike Tannenbaum, feels that Mark Sanchez did not show enough improvement during the 2011 season. Expect Sanchez to be working under a microscope in 2012. He must have the backing of the front office to remain a Jet. Without Tannenbaum’s backing—Sanchez’s days as a Jet’s starter are numbered.

Pro Football Talk quotes Rex Ryan at the Combine as saying, “will look at any possibility that’s out there at quarterback.” Is New York’s love affair with Mark Sanchez over?

Aaron Maybin up for original round tender

In my opinion, this is a huge mistake. Offering up Maybin for 1.3 million in exchange for a first-round draft pick leads me to believe that New York is going after a new quarterback. While the Jets probably will not come out of the draft with Andrew Luck, there are many other talented quarterbacks available that the Jets could grab in the first-round. Putting up Maybin means that they have their eye on someone. It makes sense that New York would go after another quarterback, because this position currently lacks depth.

Mark Sanchez

Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been with the New York Jets since the 2009 season. In 2011, he had 26 touchdown passes, 18 interceptions, threw for 3,474 yards and has a rating of 78.2 percent. Sanchez also fumbled the ball 10 times and lost eight of those fumbles. He was sacked 39 times in 2011.

Expect Mark Sanchez to be the starter in 2012. His only competition right now is Greg McElroy—who sat out the entire 2011 season with an injury. Actions by the front office are pointing to bringing in a new quarterback. After the 2012 season, look for an new face at the Jet’s quarterback position.

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network

New York Jets Bill Callahan Heads to Dallas Cowboys: A Fan’s Perspective

Former Jets DT Kris Jenkins Says Sanchez Needs to Grow a Pair: A Fan’s View

Could Peyton Manning go to New York: A Fan’s Opinion

Jets Brian Schottenheimer Heading to Jacksonville: A fan’s reaction

Benching Santonio Holmes was the Right Decision: A fan’s view

Lynda Altman grew up just outside of New York City. She has been a Jets fan all of her life. You can contact her @LdyJetsFan on Twitter.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Pro Bowl rosters

AFC Offense

Wide Receivers — s-Wes Welker, New England; s-Mike Wallace, Steelers; A.J. Green, Cincinnati; Brandon Marshall, Miami.

Tackles — s-Joe Thomas, Cleveland; s-Jake Long, Miami; D’Brickashaw Ferguson, New York Jets.

Guards — s-Logan Mankins, New England; s-Brian Waters, New England; Marshal Yanda, Baltimore.

Centers — s-Maurkice Pouncey, Steelers; Nick Mangold, New York Jets.

Tight Ends — s-Rob Gronkowski, New England; Antonio Gates, San Diego.

Quarterbacks — s-Tom Brady, New England; Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers; Philip Rivers, San Diego.

Running Backs — s-Ray Rice, Baltimore; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville; Arian Foster, Houston.

Fullback — s-Vonta Leach, Baltimore.

Defense

Ends — s-Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis; s-Andre Carter, New England; Elvis Dumervil, Denver.

Interior Linemen — s-Haloti Ngata, Baltimore; s-Vince Wilfork, New England; Richard Seymour, Oakland.

Outside Linebackers — s-Terrell Suggs, Baltimore; s-Von Miller, Denver; Tamba Hali, Kansas City.

Inside/Middle Linebackers — s-Ray Lewis, Baltimore; Derrick Johnson, Kansas City.

Cornerbacks — s-Darrelle Revis, New York Jets; s-Champ Bailey, Denver; Johnathan Joseph, Houston.

Safeties — s-Ed Reed, Baltimore; Eric Weddle, San Diego; s-Troy Polamalu, Steelers.

Specialists

Punter — Shane Lechler, Oakland; Placekicker — Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland; Kick Returner — Antonio Brown, Steelers; Special Teamer — Matthew Slater, New England; Long Snapper — TBA.

NFC Offense

Wide Receiver — s-Calvin Johnson, Detroit; s-Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona; Steve Smith, Carolina; Greg Jennings, Green Bay.

Tackles — s-Jason Peters, Philadelphia; s-Joe Staley, San Francisco; Jermon Bushrod, New Orleans.

Guards — s-Jahri Evans, New Orleans; s-Carl Nicks, New Orleans; Davin Joseph, Tampa Bay.

Centers — s-Ryan Kalil, Carolina; Scott Wells, Green Bay.

Tight Ends — s-Jimmy Graham, New Orleans; Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta.

Quarterbacks — s-Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay; Drew Brees, New Orleans; Eli Manning, New York Giants.

Running Backs — s-LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia; Matt Forte, Chicago; Frank Gore, San Francisco.

Fullback — s-John Kuhn, Green Bay.

Defense

Ends — s-Jared Allen, Minnesota; s-Jason Babin, Philadelphia; Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants.

Interior Lineman — s-Justin Smith, San Francisco; s-Jay Ratliff, Dallas; B.J. Raji, Green Bay.

Outside Linebackers — s-DeMarcus Ware, Dallas; s-Clay Matthews, Green Bay; Lance Briggs, Chicago.

Inside/Middle Linebackers — s-Patrick Willis, San Francisco; Brian Urlacher, Chicago.

Cornerbacks — s-Charles Woodson, Green Bay; s-Carlos Rogers, San Francisco; Charles Tillman, Chicago.

Safeties — s-Earl Thomas, Seattle; Dashon Goldson, San Francisco; Strong Safety — s-Adrian Wilson, Arizona.

Specialists

Punter — Andy Lee, San Francisco; Placekicker — David Akers, San Francisco; Kick Returner — Patrick Peterson, Arizona; Special Teamer — Corey Graham, Chicago; Long Snapper — TBA.

Game is Jan. 29 in Honolulu

First published on December 28, 2011 at 12:21 am

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Andy Reid and the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles are
hoping the team they just whipped helps them out in a big way.

The Eagles (6-8) are still in the playoff hunt in a mediocre NFC East
following a 45-19 rout over the New York Jets on Sunday. Now they’ll need those
same Jets (8-6) to beat the New York Giants (7-7) on Saturday to keep them in
contention.

“I’m a big Jets fan this week,” Reid said Monday.

So is everyone else in Philly.

The Jets-Giants game should be over before the Eagles kick off against
division-leading Dallas (8-6) on Christmas Eve. So, there will be plenty of
scoreboard watching during pregame warmups.

“You control what you control,” Reid said. “You have to play the game
whether that team wins or loses.”

For the Eagles to repeat as NFC East champions, they must beat the Cowboys
on the road and defeat Washington at home on Jan. 1. They need the Giants to
lose to the Jets and then beat Dallas in their last game.

If all four scenarios work out Philadelphia’s way, the Eagles would win the
division in a three-way tie at 8-8 because they would have the best record in
the East at 5-1.

“It feels good that we are still alive,” tight end Brent Celek said.
“That is all you can ask for at this point. We are not where we wanted to be at
the beginning of the season, but we are doing all we can do with what we have.
We just have to play together as a team and go up there, fight and beat
Dallas.”

The Eagles weren’t supposed to be in a position where they had to scratch
and claw and hope to make the playoffs. Many experts picked them to contend for
the Super Bowl this season after an offseason spending spree brought several
star players to Philadelphia, joining an already strong core that included
Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson. Even management declared this an
all-or-nothing year.

But a 1-4 start doomed the Eagles and they’ve failed miserably to live up to
those enormous expectations. Consecutive lopsided losses to New England and
Seattle dropped the Eagles to 4-8 and seemingly ended their playoff chances.
Fans were calling for Reid to be fired, and for offensive line
coach-turned-defensive coordinator Juan Castillo to go with him.

Now it appears both Reid and Castillo have secured themselves another
season. Players have rallied around Castillo, saying they have more confidence
in his schemes and calls. The results support that. The defense has shown vast
improvement recently, holding both Miami and the Jets to under 250 total yards
and getting 13 sacks.

“You have to understand that we really didn’t have training camp,”
Castillo said. “And I think initially I started too fast and what I found out
is I had to go backwards with some of those guys because they had missed some of
that and we were making some mistakes just on fundamental stuff. You know, now
as we understand all of our packages, we’re able to add as we keep going. And
there is still a lot to add, but the first thing we have to understand is how to
handle our fundamental packages.”

The Philadelphia Eagles have to stay alive by upsetting the New York Jets on Dec. 18. But Eagles fans like myself have to be discouraged, since they are catching the Jets in the middle of their latest late-season surge. What’s more, New York is already familiar with the NFC East and could clinch a postseason berth by having a perfect record in that division.

The Jets are 2-0 against NFC East competition and will now face the Eagles and New York Giants in consecutive weeks. If the Jets sweep the NFC East, they will be 10-5 and should pretty much be locked in for the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs. Given the state of this division, it would make sense if it went 0-4 against a second place AFC East squad that is probably a more ideal division champion than the Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles.

The Jets really got the ball rolling in making the NFC East pathetic in Week 1. If they had not rallied against the Cowboys on Sept. 11, perhaps Dallas would have rode the momentum and not blown so many more late leads the rest of the season. If that had happened, then the Cowboys would have likely won the division by now and would just be playing for a bye. But instead, New York let Dallas shoot itself like it has in half of the 13 weeks after that.

The Jets really needed that break, considering how tough things have gotten for them afterwards. Despite being 8-5, New York could easily be out of the playoff hunt altogether thanks to their inconsistency. That is why the Jets are fortunate to feed on the NFC East, as it did against the clutch-free Cowboys and against the flailing Washington Redskins on Dec. 4. Now if they can feed on the equally flailing Eagles this week and the even more inconsistent Giants on Dec. 24, it should all but secure another playoff berth.

Normally, sweeping the NFC East would be unlikely for anyone but an elite team. However, the Jets are still not elite quite yet and this division hasn’t been this far away from elite in a long time. The Cowboys, Giants, Eagles and Redskins have all forfeited chances to take control of the East this year – which probably makes the Jets all the sadder that they can’t transfer divisions. After all, they could probably win this East division in a walk and it would get them away from the New England Patriots at long last.

Of course, if the Jets slip up against the Eagles and/or Giants, it would speak to how they are as disappointing as their NFC East “brethren.” But eventually, some Eastern division team other than the Patriots is going to have to prove that they can be a real contender this season. Since the NFC East seems uninterested in filling that void, the Jets will just have to sweep that division, reach the playoffs and make another miracle postseason run themselves.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

Other stories by this contributor

Eagles reduced to rooting for Bucs over Cowboys

Rex Ryan flirting with becoming next Andy Reid

McCoy, Jones-Drew wasting away career seasons

Jets on cue to have another slump?

Reid not only NFC East coach fighting for his job

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Philadelphia Eagles are clinging to hope against hope for an NFC East title. But those of us Eagles fans still hoping for the playoffs could have their hopes destroyed even before Philadelphia faces the New York Jets on Dec. 18. The New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys both need to win before then to eliminate Philadelphia – and the Cowboys seem to have been dealt a break for their game on Dec. 17.

This has been a pretty rough time for Dallas after it blew its NFC East lead with two straight late, bitter defeats. Now the Giants are setting the pace in the division again, as the Cowboys will have to beat them on the road in the last week of the season to take the title. But if Dallas doesn’t stabilize itself soon and recover from their recent slump, the race could be over by then.

That makes it all the more fortunate for the Cowboys to just face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 17. Unlike Dallas’s last few opponents, Tampa Bay isn’t a playoff contender or a losing team that is starting to win again when it is too late for them. Instead, the Buccaneers are coming off a horrendous blowout loss on Dec. 11 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, of all teams, and are working on a seven-game losing streak.

Sadly, this is the club that the Eagles and Giants have to rely on to knock the Cowboys down even further. At this point, it seems that the only way the Buccaneers can win is if the opposition shoots itself in both foots. Fortunately, the Cowboys are experts at that, which is why they are 7-6 instead of 10-3 or 11-2 like they probably should be. Since Dallas keeps giving the rest of the NFC East new life, slipping up here and going deeper into a tailspin wouldn’t be out of character.

There is precedent for Tampa Bay to bail Philadelphia out, as it did in 2008 by losing its last game of the season to the then-lowly Oakland Raiders. With that improbable upset, the Eagles had an opening to clinch an even more improbable playoff berth – after throttling the Cowboys, of course. So maybe the Buccaneers can help the Eagles in another way by upsetting the Cowboys and keeping Philadelphia alive for at least one more week.

Of course, even if Tampa Bay upsets Dallas, New York would still need to lose to the 4-9 Washington Redskins on Dec. 18 to really help out – and then the Eagles still have to beat the New York Jets. A lot of unlikely dominos have to fall for Philadelphia this weekend, yet the most unlikely one is the first one where the Buccaneers upset the Cowboys. But if that actually happens, maybe the rest will fall into place the next day.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

Other stories by this contributor

Rex Ryan flirting with becoming next Andy Reid

McCoy, Jones-Drew wasting away career seasons

Jets on cue to have another slump?

Reid not only NFC East coach fighting for his job

Jets keep getting breaks in latest playoff run

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

PHILADELPHIA—

— Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress, whose teams will meet Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, first played against each other in high school.

Now, deep into their pro careers, they have a lot more in common than having grown up in the state of Virginia.

Both spent two seasons out of the league while serving prison times for felonies — Vick for his role in a dogfighting ring and Burress for illegal possession of a gun that accidentally went off and delivered a bullet into his thigh in a New York nightclub in 2008.

Burress went to serve his sentence right around around the time Vick made his comeback with the Eagles in 2009.

“I would say if it wasn’t for Mike going through what he went through, maybe I wouldn’t have had a second chance,” Burress said. “A lot of people were saying he wouldn’t be able to play or perform at the level he played when he went away, and he’s proven everybody wrong.

“For me to sit there and watch the things he was doing, it gave me that hope and motivation just to keep working hard and that there’s a chance I could get back to playing at an elite level.”

Burress not-so-secretly hoped to join Vick upon his release from prison earlier this year. In fact, he wore a Phillies cap for the cameras that day. But the Eagles never made a move to sign him and the Jets did, and the rest is history.

Burress, who also spent three seasons with the New York Giants after starting his pro career in Pittsburgh, expects a typical Philly reception, but he’s looking forward to it.

“Over the years, it’s been one of those battles that I’ve had with them, two or three last-minute touchdowns to win games,” he said. “It’s just always a fun place for me, personally. I’m pretty sure the fans will boo me. But, they love me. They just don’t want to admit it. It’s going to be fun.”

Vick, meanwhile, can’t be as concerned about the reunion with Burress as he is with trying to get the Eagles, who won at Miami last week, back into a winning pattern. The team has won two games in a row just once this season, and needed a bye week between them to get it done. The Eagles also have just one home victory.

“You know, we can all change that around starting this week,” Vick said. “And we can’t do anything about the past, we can’t change it. It’s all about what we can do in the future.”

INJURY REPORT

Vick (ribs) is expected to start, along with WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring), T Todd Herremans (ankle), DT Cullen Jenkins (groin), S Nate Allen (hamstring) and CB Nnamdi Asomugha (knee). DE Darryl Tapp (ribs) is listed as doubtful.

THE LAST WORD

Coach Andy Reid is not concerned about lack of motivation that could arise Sunday as the result of the Eagles being out of NFC East championship contention by kickoff if the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys both with their earlier games.

“No, listen,” he said, “I mentioned this on Monday, I guess it was, and Wednesday that everything is about the Jets right now. You can’t worry about anything else. You focus in on your preparation for the Jets and then you go play.”

nick.fierro@mcall.com

610-778-2243

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Rex Ryan wants his defense to be feared every time it steps on the field.

That has always been the New York Jets coach’s philosophy: Play the meanest, most physical and aggressive group of guys you can and dare offenses to beat you.

“If you look at yourself that way, as soon as you get the lead, game over,” Ryan said. “That has to be the mentality.”

He watched defenses dominate that way back when he was with the Baltimore Ravens, particularly the 2000 Ravens team that won the Super Bowl. The Jets also had some elite-type moments in each of Ryan’s first two years in New York.

New York is ranked seventh overall in defense this season, but has been far from dominant.

“Are we there yet?” Ryan said. “No, we’re not there yet.”

The best example of that was last Thursday night when the Jets stifled Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos for nearly 55 minutes. Then, it all fell apart as Tebow drove 95 yards for the winning touchdown, capped by his 20-yard run that came as the Jets sent an all-out blitz — its first of the game.

It was a critical error, one defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has taken full blame for. It was also a moment that showed the difference between a good defense and an elite one.

“That’s on me as a play caller, and that’s on our guys to be able to rise up in those critical situations,” Pettine said. “Most defenses, you’re going to have a drive like that a game. It can’t be the last one, and that’s something that we need to get fixed starting from the coaching part of it down to the execution and the players’ part of it.”

Even in 2009, the Jets had their moments of frustration, when they would allow teams to get back into games and, in some instances, win. Just as they did when they went to Miami and allowed the struggling Dolphins to drive down the field and pull out a 31-27 victory in the closing moments.

“It’s similar to that, like, ‘Hey, if we get the lead, I don’t care when they get the ball in the fourth quarter, you’ve got to close it out,” Ryan said.

That’s the expectation, and that goes for the players as well as they coaches.

“We’re still making a few mistakes that are hurting us in the end,” safety Eric Smith said.

New York’s defense was solid in the first two games of the season, wins over Dallas and Jacksonville, as well as closing out the victory over San Diego a month ago. Three weeks ago, the Jets stopped the Bills, one of the league’s most dynamic offenses at the time, and sent Buffalo’s season spiraling.

New York hasn’t won since, though, and the defense needs to step up and be dominant — especially with Mark Sanchez and the offense struggling a bit lately — again on Sunday against the Bills.

“We’re really confident,” defensive end Mike DeVito said. “I mean, we put together a great game (against Denver). We just didn’t finish, so we went back, looked at that and fixed that and now we’ll be ready to put a full game in on Sunday.”

Buffalo will be without injured running back Fred Jackson, who’ll be replaced by the speedy C.J. Spiller. That presents a different challenge for the Jets, who held Jackson to 82 harmless yards the last time the teams played.

“If we want to be elite, and I have been around some elite defenses in Baltimore and two years ago and we were close to it and not that far away from it last year, it’s the closing games part of it,” Pettine said. “As bad as the circumstances were (last) Thursday night, that was our game to win, defensively. That’s the inconsistency.”

A look at the numbers and one might think the Jets are indeed dominant, or at least close to it. They rank second in allowing third-down conversions, sixth in yards passing per game and seventh in total yards per game.

“I think we’ve been solid,” Pettine said. “But I also think there’s so much room for improvement. We’re young at some positions and I think we’ve had some inconsistencies, but I think statistically you look at us, I think there are a lot of teams around the league, you could ask: ‘Statistically, would you take this defense?’”

But as both Pettine and Ryan have pointed out, it doesn’t matter what the statistics say. It’s the play on the field and the numbers on the scoreboard that count in the end.

“Our standards are different,” Pettine said. “From what we’ve built and the reputation that we want to have and the standards that we compare ourselves to, we compare ourselves to our own.”

NOTES: While some players think the Jets must go 6-0 down the stretch to make the playoffs, Ryan thinks 5-1 might still be good enough. That’s even with three teams in the AFC North — Baltimore (8-3), Pittsburgh (7-3) and Cincinnati (6-4) — having better records than them. “I’m not afraid of any of those teams,” Ryan said. “There’s a couple of real good teams in there. Obviously, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, but beyond that, I’ll take our division over any of them.” … Ryan had “quite a few” people over his house for Thanksgiving dinner, which included his favorite side dish: green bean casserole. “Whew, the lap band was in trouble,” he said, laughing. “It got stretched out. I was stretching that bad boy out.”

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP)—Rex Ryan wants his defense to be feared every time
it steps on the field.

That has always been the New York Jets coach’s philosophy: Play the meanest,
most physical and aggressive group of guys you can and dare offenses to beat
you.

“If you look at yourself that way, as soon as you get the lead, game
over,” Ryan said. “That has to be the mentality.”

He watched defenses dominate that way back when he was with the Baltimore
Ravens, particularly the 2000 Ravens team that won the Super Bowl. The Jets also
had some elite-type moments in each of Ryan’s first two years in New York.

New York is ranked seventh overall in defense this season, but has been far
from dominant.

“Are we there yet?” Ryan said. “No, we’re not there yet.”

The best example of that was last Thursday night when the Jets stifled Tim
Tebow(notes) and the Denver Broncos for nearly 55 minutes. Then, it all fell apart as
Tebow drove 95 yards for the winning touchdown, capped by his 20-yard run that
came as the Jets sent an all-out blitz—its first of the game.

It was a critical error, one defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has taken
full blame for. It was also a moment that showed the difference between a good
defense and an elite one.

“That’s on me as a play caller, and that’s on our guys to be able to rise
up in those critical situations,” Pettine said. “Most defenses, you’re going
to have a drive like that a game. It can’t be the last one, and that’s something
that we need to get fixed starting from the coaching part of it down to the
execution and the players’ part of it.”

Even in 2009, the Jets had their moments of frustration, when they would
allow teams to get back into games and, in some instances, win. Just as they did
when they went to Miami and allowed the struggling Dolphins to drive down the
field and pull out a 31-27 victory in the closing moments.

“It’s similar to that, like, `Hey, if we get the lead, I don’t care when
they get the ball in the fourth quarter, you’ve got to close it out,” Ryan
said.

That’s the expectation, and that goes for the players as well as they
coaches.

“We’re still making a few mistakes that are hurting us in the end,” safety
Eric Smith(notes) said.

New York’s defense was solid in the first two games of the season, wins over
Dallas and Jacksonville, as well as closing out the victory over San Diego a
month ago. Three weeks ago, the Jets stopped the Bills, one of the league’s most
dynamic offenses at the time, and sent Buffalo’s season spiraling.

New York hasn’t won since, though, and the defense needs to step up and be
dominant—especially with Mark Sanchez(notes) and the offense struggling a bit lately
— again on Sunday against the Bills.

“We’re really confident,” defensive end Mike DeVito(notes) said. “I mean, we put
together a great game (against Denver). We just didn’t finish, so we went back,
looked at that and fixed that and now we’ll be ready to put a full game in on
Sunday.”

Buffalo will be without injured running back Fred Jackson(notes), who’ll be
replaced by the speedy C.J. Spiller(notes). That presents a different challenge for the
Jets, who held Jackson to 82 harmless yards the last time the teams played.

“If we want to be elite, and I have been around some elite defenses in
Baltimore and two years ago and we were close to it and not that far away from
it last year, it’s the closing games part of it,” Pettine said. “As bad as the
circumstances were (last) Thursday night, that was our game to win, defensively.
That’s the inconsistency.”

A look at the numbers and one might think the Jets are indeed dominant, or
at least close to it. They rank second in allowing third-down conversions, sixth
in yards passing per game and seventh in total yards per game.

“I think we’ve been solid,” Pettine said. “But I also think there’s so
much room for improvement. We’re young at some positions and I think we’ve had
some inconsistencies, but I think statistically you look at us, I think there
are a lot of teams around the league, you could ask: `Statistically, would you
take this defense?”’

But as both Pettine and Ryan have pointed out, it doesn’t matter what the
statistics say. It’s the play on the field and the numbers on the scoreboard
that count in the end.

“Our standards are different,” Pettine said. “From what we’ve built and
the reputation that we want to have and the standards that we compare ourselves
to, we compare ourselves to our own.”

NOTES: While some players think the Jets must go 6-0 down the stretch to
make the playoffs, Ryan thinks 5-1 might still be good enough. That’s even with
three teams in the AFC North—Baltimore (8-3), Pittsburgh (7-3) and Cincinnati
(6-4)—having better records than them. “I’m not afraid of any of those
teams,” Ryan said. “There’s a couple of real good teams in there. Obviously,
Baltimore and Pittsburgh, but beyond that, I’ll take our division over any of
them.” … Ryan had “quite a few” people over his house for Thanksgiving
dinner, which included his favorite side dish: green bean casserole. “Whew, the
lap band was in trouble,” he said, laughing. “It got stretched out. I was
stretching that bad boy out.”

“If you look at yourself that way, as soon as you get the lead, game over,” Ryan said. “That has to be the mentality.”

He watched defenses dominate that way back when he was with the Baltimore Ravens, particularly the 2000 Ravens team that won the Super Bowl. The Jets also had some elite-type moments in each of Ryan’s first two years in New York.

New York is ranked seventh overall in defense this season, but has been far from dominant.

“Are we there yet?” Ryan said. “No, we’re not there yet.”

The best example of that was last Thursday night when the Jets stifled Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos for nearly 55 minutes. Then, it all fell apart as Tebow drove 95 yards for the winning touchdown, capped by his 20-yard run that came as the Jets sent an all-out blitz — its first of the game.

It was a critical error, one defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has taken full blame for. It was also a moment that showed the difference between a good defense and an elite one.

“That’s on me as a play caller, and that’s on our guys to be able to rise up in those critical situations,” Pettine said. “Most defenses, you’re going to have a drive like that a game. It can’t be the last one, and that’s something that we need to get fixed starting from the coaching part of it down to the execution and the players’ part of it.”

Even in 2009, the Jets had their moments of frustration, when they would allow teams to get back into games and, in some instances, win. Just as they did when they went to Miami and allowed the struggling Dolphins to drive down the field and pull out a 31-27 victory in the closing moments.

“It’s similar to that, like, ‘Hey, if we get the lead, I don’t care when they get the ball in the fourth quarter, you’ve got to close it out,” Ryan said.

That’s the expectation, and that goes for the players as well as they coaches.

“We’re still making a few mistakes that are hurting us in the end,” safety Eric Smith said.

New York’s defense was solid in the first two games of the season, wins over Dallas and Jacksonville, as well as closing out the victory over San Diego a month ago. Three weeks ago, the Jets stopped the Bills, one of the league’s most dynamic offenses at the time, and sent Buffalo’s season spiraling.

New York hasn’t won since, though, and the defense needs to step up and be dominant — especially with Mark Sanchez and the offense struggling a bit lately — again on Sunday against the Bills.

“We’re really confident,” defensive end Mike DeVito said. “I mean, we put together a great game (against Denver). We just didn’t finish, so we went back, looked at that and fixed that and now we’ll be ready to put a full game in on Sunday.”

Buffalo will be without injured running back Fred Jackson, who’ll be replaced by the speedy C.J. Spiller. That presents a different challenge for the Jets, who held Jackson to 82 harmless yards the last time the teams played.

By Pat Johnston

– Newsdesk contributor

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Nov 22, 2011 – Former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot in which he was eligible in 2011. After surviving the initial cut for modern-era players from 25 semifinalists to 15 finalists, he was again on the right side when the cut to 10 players was made. The Jets’ all-time leading rusher was not included when the list was pared down to just five names.

The list of the Class of 2012 Hall of Fame Semifinalists was released today (via Pro Football Hall of Fame). As expected, Martin is on it once again. When Martin was not inducted with the 2011 class, it set up the possibility that now exists: Martin could be inducted with his former coach Bill Parcells, who is also a 2012 semifinalist. Martin has said that he wants Parcells to be his presenter during the induction ceremony (via ESPN New York). Parcells was Martin’s coach with both the Jets and New England Patriots

Martin played for the Patriots from 1995-1997 and for the Jets from 1998-2005. With 14,101 rushing yards in 11 seasons, he is the fourth leading rusher in NFL history behind Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders and Walter Peyton.

Parcells coached the New York Giants from 1983-1990, the Patriots from 1993-1996, and then moved to the Jets (1997-1999) before finishing his career with the Dallas Cowboys (2003-2006). Parcells won two Super Bowls with the Giants in 1986 and 1990 and the AFC Championship with the Patriots in 1996. He also took the Jets to the 1998 AFC Championship game.

The complete list of 26 modern-era semifinalists is as follows:

Steve Atwater, S – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets 
Jerome Bettis, RB – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
Tim Brown, WR/KR – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Cris Carter, WR – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Don Coryell, Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers 
Roger Craig, RB – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings
Terrell Davis, RB – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
Dermontti Dawson, C – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Owner – 1979-2000 San Francisco 49ers
Chris Doleman, DE/LB – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
Kevin Greene, LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
Charles Haley, DE/LB – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys 
Cortez Kennedy, DT – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks 
Curtis Martin, RB – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets
Clay Matthews, LB – 1978-1993 Cleveland Browns, 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons
Karl Mecklenburg, LB – 1983-1994 Denver Broncos
Bill Parcells, Coach – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys
Andre Reed, WR – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins 
Willie Roaf, T – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs
Donnie Shell, S – 1974-1987 Pittsburgh Steelers
Will Shields, G – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League 
Steve Tasker, ST/WR – 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills
Aeneas Williams, CB/S – 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams 
Ron Wolf, Contributor – 1963-1974, 1978-1990 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1975-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1990 New York Jets, 1991 -2001 Green Bay Packers
George Young, Contributor – 1968-1974 Baltimore Colts, 1975-78 Miami Dolphins, 1979-1997 New York Giants, 1998-2001 National Football LeagueThe list of 26 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists. The results of the modern-era reduction vote to 15 finalists will be announced in early January, 2012.

The Class of 2012 will be determined at the Selection Committee’s annual meeting on Saturday, February 4, in Indianapolis, Indiana the day before Super Bowl XLVI. The election results will be announced during a one-hour NFL Network special, live from the Super Bowl media headquarters.

Read More: pro football hall of fame, Curtis Martin (RB – NYJ), New York Jets, New York Giants

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Patriots defensive end Andre Carter (93) sacks Mark Sanchez. (Staff photo by Keith Nordstrom)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – The New England Patriots are right where they always expect to be: in first place in the AFC East.

And, the New York Jets are looking up at them – as usual.

Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes, including two to Rob Gronkowski, and the Patriots took control of the division with a convincing 37-16 victory Sunday night.

After the Jets got within a score at 23-16 early in the fourth quarter, Brady coolly led the Patriots (6-3) down the field on an 84-yard drive that was capped by an 8-yard touchdown catch by Deion Branch.

New England linebacker Rob Ninkovich then sealed the victory – which snapped a two-game skid – on the Jets’ next possession with a 12-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the final quarter.

The game was a showdown for the top spot in the division, but it was no contest as the Patriots took over sole possession by snapping the Jets’ three-game winning streak and sweeping the regular-season series.

Buffalo entered the day tied with New England and New York, but the Bills were blown out by the Dallas Cowboys 44-7 earlier in the day.

It was also the first home loss for the Jets (5-4) after opening 4-0, but they can’t dwell on it because they play again at Denver on Thursday night.

Jets coach Rex Ryan insisted his team was greatly improved since a 30-21 loss at New England on Oct. 9 and declared it a must-win if New York wanted to get some home playoff games. Turns out, the Jets still have plenty of work to do if they expect to dethrone the Patriots.

New England was coming off consecutive losses to Pittsburgh and the Giants, but said there was no concern in its locker room. It certainly showed as the Patriots avoided their first three-game losing streak since 2002.

Brady finished 26 of 39 for 329 yards, the 40th time he reached the 300-yard mark in a regular-season game, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Joe Montana for eighth on the NFL’s list. He also joined New Orleans’ Drew Brees as the only players to throw for 3,000 yards in their team’s first nine games. Brees also accomplished the feat this season.

Gronkowski finished with eight catches for 113 yards and the two scores, and Stephen Gostkowski kicked three field goals. Andre Carter had 41/2 sacks as the Patriots’ defense – ranked last in the league coming in – harassed Mark Sanchez all night.

Sanchez was 20 of 39 for 306 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice and sacked five times.

The Jets appeared to get back in it when Plaxico Burress caught a 7-yard fade pass over Antwaun Molden in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, making it 23-16.

But Brady went right back to work, leading the Patriots on a typically efficient drive, going 84 yards on 13 plays using a no-huddle offense that kept the Jets’ defense off balance. Mixing in some solid runs by Danny Woodhead, Brady coolly spread the ball around to his receivers before connecting with Branch with 8:04 remaining.

The score sent many in the crowd at MetLife Stadium headed for the exits.

Many of those who remained didn’t stick around much longer once Ninkovich returned an errant pass by Sanchez 12 yards to make it 37-16 with 7:45 left.

Three Jets bobbled a muffed punt by Joe McKnight to set up Gostkowski’s short field goal for a 16-9 lead. Isaiah Trufant had two shots at recovering the loose ball and Donald Strickland one – it squirted out of his hands – before Niko Koutouvides came up with it at the Jets 13 early in the third quarter.

Gronkowski appeared to catch his second TD pass of the night, but video replay showed he stepped out of bounds. Gostkowski then booted his third field goal, from 27 yards.

But Gronkowski ended up getting into the end zone again a few minutes later after Ninkovich returned a twice-tipped interception as Sanchez’s throw went off the hands of running back Shonn Greene, then was deflected by linebacker Jerod Mayo to Ninkovich.

The Jets got on the scoreboard when they got some rare pressure on Brady. Jamaal Westerman got to the Patriots quarterback in the end zone, and Brady threw the ball away left-handed and was called for intentional grounding and a safety.

New York took the free kick and moved 65 yards on seven plays, including a 21-yard run by LaDainian Tomlinson and a 22-yard grab by Patrick Turner, his first catch of the season. Sanchez ran in from the 2 on a quarterback draw for a 9-6 lead.

But the Jets quarterback made a mistake on the play right before his score, calling a timeout with 1:24 left in the half. Ryan was so angry, he told NBC at halftime that the timeout was the “stupidest play in NFL history.”

Adding to the frustration was New York not opting to try a pooch kickoff following a 15-yard penalty on New England’s Vince Wilfork, and Nick Branch kicked the ball through the end zone. Brady hit five passes on an 80-yard drive, with Gronkowski getting open over the middle for the 18-yard score with 9 seconds left in the half that made it 13-9.

The Jets were impressive on their opening drive, getting down to the Patriots 6 but came up empty when Folk was wide left on a 24-yard field goal attempt.

New England took advantage by taking a 3-0 lead on Gostkowski’s 50-yard field goal that squeezed over the crossbar. The Patriots appeared to be on their way to an impressive drive after a 12-yard catch by a wide-open Chad Ochocinco – his first reception in more than a month, the last time these teams played on Oct. 9 – and he could’ve had more but stepped out of bounds.

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