SB Nation - Jay Feely

Jets Flight Connections 121409

dvdvil — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:07:35 -0000

It is a good Monday morning, as the Jets won yesterday against Tampa Bay, thanks to a conservative game plan and a stingy defense.

The defense broke Tampa's will early on and dominated the game, although LB Bart Scott lost his cool at one point.

FS Kerry Rhodes also contributed.

QB Kellen Clemens did just enough to not lose the game by not turning the ball over, and Mark Sanchez staying home was a good idea.

WR Brad Smith helped out a ton on offense.

Tampa native K Jay Feely was the leading scorer. He and former Buccaneer RB Thomas Jones both had a good day.

Mark Cannizzaro grades the Jets.

The Jets playoff hopes went from Mission: Impossible to improbable and stay alive for the post-season hunt.

More connections after the jump.

Your daily Pro Bowl reminder - Vote for Darrelle Revis, Thomas Jones and other deserving Jets. Vote as many times as you want here.

Here is where we stand with the playoffs.

Fortunately, the Dolphins also won.

Unfortunately, the Patriots also won.

Unfortunately, the Ravens also won.

Lastly, here are some highlights of yesterday's game:

Jets 26 Buccaneers 3: Flying High Again

John B — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:02:58 -0000

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The Jets are somehow back in the Playoff mix after their 26-3 victory today over the Bucs in Tampa. Gang Green is riding a 3 game winning streak and is back over .500 at 7-6. The last month of this season could get very, very interesting. This performance rivals the Houston and Oakland games in terms of domination.

More after the jump.

The Good:

The Defense: We'll definitely profile some of the outstanding individual performers, but this was just an excellent defensive effort. Tampa's only 3 points came as the result of a personal foul on Bart Scott on which the officials arguably should have thrown an offsetting flag on the Bucs. The blitz packages had Josh Freeman's head spinning and overwhelmed Tampa's offensive line. Freeman was 14 for 33 with 93 yards and 3 interceptions. The Bucs didn't have a first down until the third quarter. They ended with 6 and 124 total yards. This was domination.

Jay Feely: Feely was money today. He hit 4 out of 5 field goals. One was from 40 yards, and a pair were from 49. Feely's kicking helped the Jets put the game away even as their offense struggled to advance deep into Tampa Bay territory.

Calvin Pace: He was constantly running free and finished with 7 tackles and a sack.

Darrelle Revis: Another dominant performance by the game's best corner. Antonio Bryant had 2 catches for 22 yards. Revis had an interception that just about iced the game and broke up a few passes.

Mike Westhoff: A fourth successful fake punt this year deserves kudos. It was the third variety of fake punt the team has run. Apparently the Bucs didn't pick it up on film.

Danny Woodhead: 3 catches for 35 yards. I'm really liking the idea of having him as a third down back and replacing Leon Washington a bit as a receiving threat out of the backfield.

The Tiger Formation: I made that name up, but it's what we'll call the Wildcat package for Brad Smith. Smith only had 16 yards on 5 carries, but getting the ball into the hands of a playmaker in the open field is a good idea and at least gives upcoming opponents something to notice on film and spend time preparing for. Smith had a 21 yard punt return. I'd like to see him out there instead of Jerricho Cotchery. He's more apt to make guys miss. I know he doesn't have great hands as a receiver and would seem to be more of a turnover risk, but catching a punt is different from catching a pass.

Thomas Jones: Another big stat line against an opponent that was gameplanning to stop him. TJ had 99 yards on 24 carries and 2 touchdowns.

The Bad:

Kellen Clemens: The best thing you could say is that he avoided a catastrophic mistake, finishing with no turnovers. In other words, he was lucky that Tampa Bay's offense was no inept because he didn't make any plays. This was bad any way you slice it. This is a bad defense that was loading up to stop the run. Kellen only hit 12 of 23 passes for 111 yards and looked lost aside from a brief period in the second half. He left plays on the field. He wasn't making decisions quickly enough. When he found a receiver, his throws were wildly inaccurate. His mechanics were a mess. He struggled with all but the most basic throws, and even some of them were an adventure.

A lot of us (and I include myself in that number) have been making excuses for Kellen for four years. He was young and inexperienced. He wasn't supposed to play. His offensive line was terrible. The team never gave him a chance. He's out of excuses. By this point, if he was ever going to be a player in this league, he would have shown some sign of it. It's sad to say because from what I hear you'll never meet a more genuinely good person. However, I don't see how Kellen finds a job in the NFL after this season.

Shonn Greene: That would be three fumbles in six games. When the ball is getting punched out from behind like that, it's a sign you're carrying it way too loosely. The Jets are going to have to start taking carries away from him. Even though he's been productive, it's becoming too much of a turnover risk.

Mike Westhoff: Westhoff got credit for the fake punt. He also has to take heat for the onside kick. It's been obvious the up men have been leaving too early all year. It almost cost them against Jacksonville. It hasn't been corrected at all. The Jets had no shot of recovering that kick because their men were so far down the field.

Three down, three to go. Nobody can say for sure how this thing will end. One thing is for sure. The Jets have shown a lot of character this year. It would have been easy to pack it in after the midseason swoon. The way they have continued to fight and get themselves back into this position says a lot good.

Roller Coaster Season Hits Another High

John B — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:15:20 -0000

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Incredibly the Jets are back over .500 and a real Playoff threat after today's win in Tampa. Another dominant outing by the defense. Another good game for Thomas Jones. Another solid performance by Jay Feely. We can't go too crazy. The Bucs are one of the least talented teams in the league. They have a very raw quarterback and a coach who seems to be in over his head. Still, this is the NFL. They've beaten somebody. Bad teams beat good teams all the time. Give credit to the Jets for taking care of business and dominating even with a poor quarterbacking performance.

This year is starting to shape up as the opposite of last season. In 2008 the Jets had a slow start, a red hot middle, and a terrible finish. This year it's been a red hot start, a brutal middle, and the end has been great so far.

When they were 4-6, the Jets needed to win six games in a row to make the Playoffs. The easiest three were the first three. It gets tougher from here on out. This team still needs some help. It's not going to be easy. A month ago this team's pulse was fading. It's still beating now. Three of six down. As Bon Jovi says, we're halfway there and living on a prayer.

Jets Flight Connections 121009

dvdvil — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:15:55 -0000

HC Rex Ryan decided that QB Mark Sanchez will not play this Sunday. Rich Cimini reminds us that he thought of it first.

Fellow rookie and first round pick QB Matthew Stafford will not start either.

Fellow rookie and first round pick QB Josh Freeman is getting ready for the Jets game.

The Buccaneers have their work cut out for them, and having WR Michael Clayton might help.

The state of the upcoming opponent had nothing to do with the Sanchize being inactive. Attached to Dave Hutchinson's article are videos of Rex, Mark and back-up QB Kellen Clemens.

Hofstra product and Tampa Bay HC Raheem Morris knows the Jets just plan to run the ball anyway.

Clemens will get another chance to start, possibly his last shot to show what he can do. WR Braylon Edwards compares Kellen's situation to Browns QB Derek Anderson's experience.

The Jets and the Giants are keeping New York somewhat optimistic.

Former Giants RB Tiki Barber thought Mark would be okay to play.

Speaking of RBs, I once again urge you to vote early and vote often for Thomas Jones for FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

And again, you can send CB Darrelle Revis and other Jets all-stars to Miami by voting them in the ProBowl.

More connections after the jump.

Here is a nice summation of the Jets' clearest path to the playoffs.

ESPN.com says the Jets are in good position with their running backs.

RB Leon Washington is a big bargain. Browns HC Eric Mangini thinks highly of him.

Do the Jets actually have "the best front seven" out of the top five defensive teams right now?

This article names Darrelle Revis as Defensive Player of the Week.

This blogger compares Revis to 1994 Defensive Player of the Year Deion Sanders.

This blogger, for some reason, compares and contrasts the Jets to the Cowboys over the years.

Even K Jay Feely should have a productive Sunday for fantasy football. Pick Thomas Jones for your running back this week, as well as the Jets defense.

This article mentions Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew's no-TD play against New York, as well as his experience with Jets fans.

University of Washington QB Jake Locker looks at Mark Sanchez's decision to turn pro.

Even though Patriots QB Tom Brady recently became a daddy, he still made it to work on time, unlike these guys.

New England activated DL Titus Adams, who used to be on the Jets practice squad.

San Diego activated DT Antonio Garay, who used to be on the Jets practice squad.

Miami LBs Jason Taylor and Joey Porter did not practice.

Bills WR Terrell Owens says, "Just shoot me."

And lastly, here is a video of the Jets defensive players talking about their squad:

Jets 19 Bills 13: O Darrelle Revis We Stand on Guard for Thee

John B — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:44:29 -0000

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The Jets are back at .500. It wasn't pretty, but Gang Green defeated Buffalo tonight in Toronto to even the 2009 record at 6-6. Things are starting to shape up, and this team is starting to round into form for the stretch run. I'm not sure it will be enough to end in the Playoffs. If Mark Sanchez's injury isn't serious, though, this is going to be a tough out for the season's final month.

More after the jump.

The Good:

Darrelle Revis: Defensive. Player. Of. The. Year. Once again, Revis shut down a top flight receiver, a guy who had exploded over the past two weeks. Terrell Owens had 3 catches for 31 yards. Revis was in his pocket all night long. T.O. had no room to breathe. Ryan Fitzpatrick told the NFL Network crew he would put it up to Owens even if he wasn't open. When a guy plays Revis these days, that's about the only chance he'll have to get a throw. Catching it? Probably too much to ask. Revis was breaking up passes all night and iced the contest with an interception. It's just incredible how consistently he has dominated this year.

David Harris: Another guy who should go to the Pro Bowl this year. Harris had 11 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. He's been in the middle of almost every play all year long.

Shaun Ellis: Ellis had a pair of sacks. The first was really made by Mike Devito pressuring Ryan Fitzpatrick right into Ellis. The second was all Shaun, a key one on the first play of the final drive that put Buffalo's back against the wall.

Lito Sheppard: He got burned deep by Lee Evans on the first drive. Evans did not have another catch.

Jay Feely: 4 for 4 on field goals, including a bomb from 49. The Jets needed 3 of them to win.

Mark Sanchez: I was surprised to see in the final stats that he only hit 7 of his 15 passes. He made nothing but good decisions. There were no forces. Beyond that, I haven't seen him look so assertive since early in the year. He made decisions quickly and fit some balls into incredibly tight windows. If Braylon Edwards holds onto that bomb, the stat line looks much better. You have to hope he's ok. It would stink if he has to sit right when it looks like he's starting to turn the corner.

Braylon Edwards: I know he dropped the easy touchdown, but I liked the way he responded, making the really difficult catch to extend a drive and fighting for a touchdown. He also did good work run blocking on the perimeter. I can't tell you how many times receivers get lazy when they think nobody is watching.

Offensive Line: 249 rushing yards doesn't happen by accident. The men up front dominated. They blew open huge holes all night for the backs.

Thomas Jones, Shonn Greene, and Tony Richardson: They may have had room to run, but all three looked explosive in the open field. Jones and Greene fought for hidden yardage all night and were able to get through Buffalo arm tackles.

Thursday Night Football: This and the thriller in Foxborough last year. Let's see more Thursday Night NFL Network games in the future.

Toronto: The NFL replaced one of the most hostile venues the Jets play in all year with a stadium that looked pretty empty and sounded like a library. Can we do it again next year?

The Bad:

Kellen Clemens: If you're a reader here, you know I've been willing to excuse Mark Sanchez looking overwhelmed at times. He's a rookie. Clemens gets no such pass. He's started 8 games. He's had 4 years in the system. He took 3 sacks. It was really troubling to see. Frankly based on what I saw, I'm not convinced Kellen knows how to read an NFL defense. Nothing we saw in 2007 suggests he does. Even though the Bills had good coverage on two of those sacks, something in his head should have gone off saying, "Throw it away!" Depending on Sanchez's status, the Jets may have to think of opening the quarterback competition to Erik Ainge and Kevin O'Connell.

Leaving Plays on the Field: The Jets had chances to blow the game open in the first half. Braylon Edwards dropped a pass with nothing but green in front of him. Mark Sanchez missed a wide open guy in the end zone, and the Jets squandered a forced turnover in Buffalo territory.

Breakdowns: On the same note, the Bills didn't sustain a drive on the Jets in the first half. Their points were set up by A) Lito Sheppard getting burned by Lee Evans, who he otherwise handled. B) Buffalo's blockers sealing all Jets up front during a brief sequence while the Jets dominated the trenches the rest of the night before and after.

The most important thing is the Jets got a win tonight and are now 6-6. Now we must all root for Miami like crazy this weekend (I can't believe I just said that).

Bills can't defend "home" field, lose to Jets

Brian Galliford — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:28:20 -0000

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For a second consecutive year, the Buffalo Bills' trek across the border to Toronto ended badly. Thoroughly dominated on both sides of the ball, Buffalo was kept alive by some curious decisions and missed opportunites on the part of the New York Jets, but the "road" team pulled off a 19-13 win nonetheless.

New York dominated this game offensively, rushing for 249 yards and dominating time of possession in the second half. The Jets rushed for 567 yards in two games against Buffalo this season; let's just say that shoring up the run defense should be a priority for the Bills this off-season. You know, once we get that front office and coaching situation figured out.

Buffalo was about as adept at moving the ball offensively as they were stopping it on defense; Ryan Fitzpatrick completed just 9 of 23 passes for a paltry 98 yards, and though the Bills got quality secondary rushing from Marshawn Lynch (6 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD) and Fitzpatrick (5 carries, 32 yards), the Jets bottled up starting running back Fred Jackson (13 carries, 31 yards). When you can't run and you can't throw, you're probably not going to be lighting up the scoreboard.

The Bills trailed 19-10 in the fourth quarter when a Rian Lindell field goal - his third of the game - made it a one score game. Buffalo's defense held on the ensuing Jets possession, giving the Bills one last-gasp attempt at a win. Fitzpatrick was sacked on the first play of the Bills' final drive, and on the next play, he severely underthrew a pass to Terrell Owens (3 catches, 31 yards). Darrelle Revis picked it off, and that's all she wrote.

Lynch's touchdown gave the Bills a 10-6 lead in the second quarter, but Mark Sanchez found Braylon Edwards for a touchdown and Jay Feely added a field goal to make the score 16-10 in favor of New York at the half. Sanchez left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury after the Jets extended the lead to 19-10, but Buffalo still struggled to stop the run consistently with Kellen Clemens in the game. Buffalo just couldn't get anything going with Fitzpatrick to take advantage of the opportunities the Jets afforded them.

Buffalo drops to 4-8 on the season, including a 1-2 record under interim head coach Perry Fewell. They will travel to Kansas City a week from Sunday.

Should Vernon Gholston Have Been Active?

John B — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:08:54 -0000

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Pelzman asks that question:

Linebacker Marques Murrell, one of the Jets’ best special-teams players, was a healthy scratch Sunday, while Vernon Gholston was again active. Gholston has 12 tackles on defense this year, and one tackle on special teams, while Murrell has eight special-teams tackles. Gholston has only four tackles since Calvin Pace returned from suspension.

When asked why Gholston was up instead of Murrell, special-teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said, "That’s a good question. You’d have to ask the defense that, to tell you the truth."

It’s understandable that the Jets would want to get a return on their $21 million investment of guaranteed money in Gholston, the sixth overall draft pick in 2008, but they also must think about the bottom line of winning down the stretch, now that they are in a playoff battle. And if Murrell or someone else gives them a better chance to win that day than Gholston, then that decision must be made — no matter how it looks publicly or how it hurts in the wallet.

Nobody is more disappointed that Gholston has not developed into a defensive force as I am, but I don't think I agree with this thinking. Vernon has been solid against the run this season, and the biggest focus heading into Sunday was on stopping the run. We're not having this conversation if special teams standouts like Jay Feely don't kick a line drive, Wallace Wright takes a better angle, or Larry Izzo doesn't totally whiff on a tackle.

Dolphins 30 Jets 25: Sick to My Stomach

John B — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:36:03 -0000

I don't think the Jets could have gone into the bye on a worse note. Today's 30-25 loss to Miami at the Meadowlands stings. It drops the Jets to 4-4, one and a half games in back of the Patriots in the division, two in the loss column. The Dolphins are just half a game back, even in the loss column, and holding the head to head tiebreaker in addition to a 3-0 division record. The Jets are 1-3 in division.

Beyond the frustration of losing is the way the Jets lost. It's very difficult to win in the NFL when you're spotting the opponent 21 nonoffensive points. All of these points had more to do with what the Jets didn't do than what the Dolphins did right.

More after the jump.

The Bad:

Kickoff Coverage: I guess it goes without saying that kickoff coverage belongs here when the opponent runs a pair of kicks back for touchdowns. The Jets looked like they were Purdue against Ted Ginn. There were so many errors on the kicks, it wasn't even funny. There was Jay Feely drilling it too low on the first one. Danny Woodhead didn't contain to the outside. Wallace Wright took a bad angle to Ginn. Larry Izzo whiffed on a tackle on the second one. Guys didn't stay in their lanes. Against a speedster like Ginn, that's asking for trouble. I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one guy on kickoff coverage released between now and the next game.

Larry Izzo: Wasn't he supposed to be on the roster for his special teams play? There was his missed tackle on Ginn, but there was also the inexplicable running into the punter penalty. He had no shot at blocking a punt and still dove into the punter. Izzo is a candidate to be that guy released.

Shonn Greene: Even when Mark Sanchez has been bad, I've gone easy on him. It's rough adjusting to the NFL for a quarterback. So much is different from college. A rookie running back doesn't get the same kind of slack. Sure, there are some things that are different. One is the extra blocking duties. The defenders are also bigger and stronger. Still, you have to hold onto the football. His unforced fumble was a total gift to Jason Taylor.

Justin Miller: Is he in game shape? He looked pretty ordinary on returns (5 for 115). It seemed like he had trouble getting quickly to his lanes and breaking tackles.

Alan Faneca: Lost a ton of one on one battles, including a decisive Randy Starks sack.

The Good:

The Defense: The defense deserved better. It only allowed 9 points, and 3 were the result of a short field. The blitzes got to Chad Henne this time, even though the 'Fins did many of the same things they did in the first game like max protecting and rolling him out. 6 sacks on Chad Henne and only 112 passing yards. Henne got rattled and made some terribly inaccurate throws when he heard footsteps. Ronnie Brown had under 3 yards per carry. Ricky Williams was just over 3. Just a dominant performance by the defense. It avenged its only poor performance of the year. This unit has played much better than its 4-4.

Mark Sanchez: No question the rookie was the best quarterback on the field. The disastrous third quarter put the Jets behind two scores. Although the coaching staff was very conservative early, they had no choice but to let Sanchez cut it loose. Mark put 22 up in the second half (with an assist from Davone Bess) and had the Jets on the verge of a winning touchdown. The Dolphins covered New York's receivers on the goal line, and the offensive line had a breakdown. Not Mark's fault. He did make an incredible throw to Dustin Keller on fourth and long to prolong the drive. Great touch on the ball.

Dustin Keller: Where has this guy been all year? 8 catches for 76 yards and a great grab on the receiving end of that fourth down play. I'll give the coaching staff some credit too. Miami's struggled covering the tight end, and it seems like the calls made Keller Sanchez's primary read. Is this the start of big things? Will he become Mark's safety blanket? Stay tuned.

Braylon Edwards: 4 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Certified Dolphin killer. And if you ever question his heart, watch the way he fought his way into the end zone on the touchdown grab.

Thomas Jones: Another 100 yard day. The average wasn't too great, but put it in context. The Dolphins were loading up the box all day. There were a lot of times nothing was there. He made a lot of guys miss.

Sione Pouha: Miami's vaunted rushing attack gained 2.3 per carry. Pouha was a force inside clogging lanes. He had 5 tackles and opened things up for others.

Shaun Ellis: Nice of him to finally show up this year. He had 1.5 sacks and generally won his matchups on the line. The way Miami was leaving extra blockers in, guys were going to have to win their matchups to get to him.

David Harris: 5 tackles and a sack. He was all over the place.

Bart Scott: 8 tackles and the sack that got the Jets the ball back for their last drive with a chance to win. So was he.

Defensive Approach: Give the staff credit. They adjusted well from the first game. The Wildcat was held in check. The Jets did a much better job of staying in their lanes. They also sent extra men from the secondary. It worked. It may have left them vulnerable to the pass, but they closed on Brown well and forced him to eat it for a big loss and got a ball deflected both times he was looking to throw it. The fact is the formation is usually a running formation. Passes are going to be few and far between. When they do try to throw it, Brown isn't putting it up unless he has a guy wide open and isn't under pressure. He's not trained to throw. It's always best to attack him with extra men even if it leaves a guy open. Force the running back to make a throw.

I also liked the Pace-Gholston-Ellis-Westerman line on passing downs.

We saw plenty of the Ellis-Green-Pouha-Douglas line and Pace-Harris-Scott linebacking look I predicted to stop the run. It worked.

Again, Henne was on the run all day and got hit so much he felt heat and rushed his throws even when there was none.

I don't expect this to be a fun bye. This team should not have lost this game. The Jets lost the first game to Miami because the Dolphins outexecuted them. They lost this game because they self-destructed. Give the Dolphins credit for not self-destructing I guess, but there's no way this team should be 4-4 at the halfway point. That's where we're at, though. At this point, we have a mediocre football team on our hands.

My Monday Musing

David_Wyatt — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:34:34 -0000

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So had around 24 hours to think about the game, and believe me that has been all I have been able to think about. Vivid images of yellow flags, opposing field goals splitting the uprights, green throwing to white. I need counselling.

So with all that behind us, just a few things to say today about the state of the team, some things that I really wasn't happy with yesterday, not just the obvious points that we lost and Mark Sanchez wasn't able to find anyone in green and wouldn't of been able to even if he were at a Kermit convention.

So some Monday musings after the jump

First off Dustin Keller, who might of been mistaken for dustbin Keller, the only difference being, when you toss garbage to the trash it usually hangs on to it. I'm not going to jump on Mark Sanchez and not look at anyone else, maybe there was a reason that Mark wasn't looking his way against Miami.

I think I read that over the off-season Dustin had gained some weight in muscle, perhaps to be a more menacing sight, become a better blocker, or just to look better on the cover of GQ, however he seems to have lost a little burst off the line. The mis-matches that were promised are not materializing, when the ball does come his way he either makes a half hearted attempt at a catch, is completely out of sync (obviously partly Marks fault) or drops the ball entirely.

He was targeted 10 times in Yesterday's game, he dropped two of them, caught two of them (for 16 yards) and on countless others looked like he could of had them and would of had them last season. Maybe it's just me looking for a scapegoat to accompany Mark on the lonely road this week, but has anyone noticed Keller's regression this season?

He has 5 receptions for 47 yards over the past three games, it's no mistake that we are struggling.

It seems like Mark Sanchez was apologizing to Keller after the Miami game for not getting him the ball, well take that apology, bundle it up and send it on back to Mark this week (this is of course assuming that he caught that apology that was sent his way)

Brian Schottenheimer, what can we say about you. Possibly the most frustrating offensive coordinator's in the game. He is as frustrating a Mike Heimerdinger. He seems hell bent on getting both facets of the offence working no matter what. If the passing game is working, he is going to pound the ball, if the run game is working he will take to the air. The offensive line was doing a hell of a job yesterday, there were some runs that were stuffed, but overall we needed to keep the ball on the ground. When he gets it spot on like the Houston game he looks like a genius, but when it's bad, it's really really bad.

For the second week running, Rex has made mistakes with game management. He is a rookie HC, and we have to remember that, but challenging that play in the 4th, for a few yards. You better be 100% when you make that challenge. We lost a challenge, a TO and a chance right there. Also calling the time out on 4th and 2 just to send Sanchez back in to try and catch the Bills off-side, complete waste. Sanchez should of been flagged there for his head bobbing, you can't do that.

That time out that was wasted would of come in handy as Jay Feely lined up that FG that he missed. Special teams running on with 20 seconds to go. Yes they were set with 10 seconds to go, but you can't say that they were comfortable in that rush.

I really could go on for ever here, but you have probably already read 100 articles just like this one today, so will end on the devastating news today, that just about completed one of the worst 24 hours I can remember being a Jets fan.

Kris Jenkins, the irreplaceable cog on the Rex machine is done for the season. A torn ACL that requires surgery. Words can not actually describe how big this is for us. Howard Green will be re-signed and Pouha will have his chance, but you don't replace a Kris Jenkins. He is a beast, a freak of nature. Excellent size with unparalleled athleticism. Rex said that we will need to rotate the line to keep people fresh, well that in itself presents problems.

I think that is the 4th straight game that we have been caught with too many men on the field, it seems that way anyway. Another time out had to be burned on that. The way we use and lose our time outs have to be an issue that is resolved among the coaching staff.

Just one quick thing, Rex had to pull Sanchez after his 3rd-4th interception. Had to, no excuses. His head was not there, and you could just see him forcing it. In a OT situation like that, you insert a veteran of sorts like Clemens and ask him not to lose the game. Tell him not to be a hero, just go in, don't force the pass, don't turn the ball over.

Eric Mangini came under a lot of criticism last season for his inability to recognise when you needed to make a bold move. Benching Favre towards the end of last season might of saved our play-off hopes. Don't mistake this for losing faith in Sanchez. I'm merely saying that you bring in Clemens you take the win, then you get Sanchez prepared.

Less said about the holding penalty on Ben Hartsock, the personal foul on James Ihedigbo and all the other fouls combined the better.

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Bills scrape out improbable road win over Jets

Brian Galliford — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:23:49 -0000

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No matter what your feelings about the 2009 Buffalo Bills - what your viewpoints of the future of the franchise are, or the coaching staff, or the quarterback, or anything else - it's still fun to see Rex Ryan's sad face.

Buffalo ended a three-game losing streak, as well as an eight-game losing streak in the AFC East, by scraping a 16-13 overtime win over Ryan's New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

It's difficult to believe Buffalo pulled off a victory in this game when considering the fact that Trent Edwards left the game in the second quarter with a concussion, and the fact that the Jets ran for a whopping 318 yards. Helped out by five interceptions on Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez - who was several kinds of terrible on the day - Buffalo did enough to stay in it through three quarters. Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Lee Evans on a 37-yard scoring strike to tie the game in that stanza.

The Bills had an opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation, but some conservative play-calling on Buffalo's part left Rian Lindell with an impossible-to-make 46-yard field goal attempt into stiff winds at The Meadowlands - which the kicker pushed well to the right, sending the game to overtime. Lindell made up for it with 2:44 left in OT, knocking in a 47-yarder after essentially the same setup from Buffalo's offense - except this time, he had the wind, and the kick snuck through.

Buffalo may not have had the opportunity at Lindell's winning field goal had the Jets not mishandled a snap on a Jay Feely field goal attempt that never happened. The muffed attempt led to an ugly throw from holder Steve Weatherford, and the attempt was intercepted by reserve safety John Wendling for the Bills' sixth interception on the day.

We'll have more on the game tomorrow, including proper acknowledgement to rookie safety Jairus Byrd, who is quite the player, folks. That's decidedly not the way Buffalo drew it up. The run defense was putrid, and the offense, while improved overall, still was extremely underwhelming. But in the NFL, a win is a win - and this is not a poor opponent the Bills just beat. Savor it. It's not clear how many more we'll see this year. And no matter what, never, ever forget Rex Ryan's sad face.