SB Nation - Erik Ainge

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

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

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).

Rex: Sanchez Will Stay the Starter

John B — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:27:58 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

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Rex Ryan has no thoughts of pulling Mark Sanchez from the starting lineup.

On if he considered benching Sanchez during the game...

No, absolutely not

On if he's thought about sitting Sanchez for a game or two to give him perspective from the sideline...

No, because I don’t think he’s going to get any better sitting on the sideline. You know, he’s got to learn from it. And without question, he made a lot of mistakes today. You know, there were some other guys that made a lot of mistakes today, but he’s got to learn from them. And the only way to do it, you know you can visualize it, watch tape and carry a clipboard, but unless you get on the field, you aren’t going to get any better and that’s my opinion.

At this point, it's tough for me to see any wisdom in sitting Sanchez. Watching from the sideline probably isn't going to help him get better. He needs to go in there. The only way to learn from mistakes is to make them. Let him get as much experience under his belt for next year as possible.

I've heard some people say he should be benched because his confidence is low. If he's ever going to make it in New York, he's going to have to learn to play through and get himself out of rough spots. Besides, won't losing the starting job have a negative impact on his confidence? If his play is so bad that his coaches don't believe in him, it won't help his mental game.

The Jets don't have another option. We can pretty much agree Kellen Clemens isn't the answer. Erik Ainge didn't look very good against third and fourth stringers in the preseason, and two teams dumped Kevin O'Connell over the summer getting very little in return. There's nothing to suggest any of them will even play as well as Sanchez.

Winning with Seneca Wallace Part 3: Punchline

John Morgan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:37:48 -0000

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I'm free! Free me!

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Seattle adds an offensive tackle and transforms its offensive line. It adds a superstar rusher and pairs him with Julius Jones and Justin Forsett in a three-headed hell dog of a rush attack. Cerberus if you will. It takes all pressure off Seneca Wallace. It attempts to make him a franchise quarterback by reducing the standards for franchise quarterback to almost nothing. The Seneca Plan is executed and aided by impeccable scouting and tremendous dumb luck. The Seahawks add a return ace and cybernetic punter. Its defense clicks and coalesces into a rampaging monster. The Seneca Hawks are built and ready to storm the NFL.

They back their way into the playoffs and get blown out in the Wild Card round. When they can't get ahead early, they lose. When injuries run in and weaken the defense or rushing attack, they lose. When Seneca's unruly style meets his 30 year old body, they lose Seneca and slip out of contention. They become the Bears, the Titans, the Vikings or the Jaguars; they tease, they lose, they don't lose enough to rebuild and the franchise is mired in boring mediocrity.

Seattle cannot afford the Seneca Wallace Plan. It's as flawed as the thinking that landed them Brian Russell. This is a quarterback's league and that fact becomes more entrenched each passing season. Seattle has a talent on the out and it needs a talent on the in. Tim Ruskell has backed himself into an unenviable position. He has pressed his quarterback resources to exhaustion and failed to restock.

The Seneca Wallace bluff revealed, what can Seattle do? Free agency is thin. Seattle could sign Jason Campbell or Kellen Clemens and attempt to develop a young, but not yet prime quarterback prospect. It could patch with a reclamation project like Daunte Culpepper or David Carr. I can hear your heart beating with anticipation. It could draft a talent and hope he develops quickly. Or Seattle could attempt to do what Mike Holmgren did and trade for a promising looking quarterback talent stuck behind an entrenched veteran. Vetting that list is a lengthy process, but before we cannibalize too much of the offseason, let's brainstorm names to target.

Erik Ainge: Ainge was suspended for steroid use and that put a black mark on an already fringe prospect. I've always liked Ainge from a pure prospect standpoint. He was a four-year starter on a rather miserable Vols team that improved steadily from his freshman season. Ainge is 6'6" and a pure pocket passer. He was once considered a very good college prospect after shredding the PNW at Glencoe. Ainge is heavy with intangible red flags, but those flags may have little substance.

Brady Quinn: Quinn is a sack machine and well on his way to full bust status. His raw passing stats don't look bad, but he still has the sheen of quarterback prospect and that could make him expensive. There's little reason to think he'll shake the sacks that have plagued him for his entire career. Seattle could acquire him but they'll pay too much for a prospect never as good as many, including myself, thought he was.

Kevin Kolb: Kolb would have been a fine and dandy addition until he knuckle-slapped Kansas City and put himself into Matt Schaub country. Houston exchanged two second-round picks for Schaub and moved down two places in the first round. That is a lot to give for an unproven prospect, but it has worked for the Texans as Schaub has proven capable of top-ten production. Schaub has a slightly better scouting profile than Kolb, but never attained Kolb's regular season heights before being traded. It might take up to or even including one of Seattle's first round picks to swing a deal with Philadelphia, but it might just be worth it.

Brian Brohm: Brohm has faded as fast as any elite quarterback prospect in recent memory. He isn't controversial or speculated over. Brohm is buried. He was compared to Drew Brees by NFL Draft Scout and looked like Brees in college, completing a high percentage of throws and carrying a Louisville offense almost bereft of pro talent. The best receiver he played with was Harry Douglas, now a Falcon. The only other notable pro talent is Michael Bush and Bush missed most of Brohm's career.

Brohm sits on Green Bay's practice squad. Seattle could acquire Brohm simply by signing him to their 53 man roster. He could displace Mike Gibson, Mansfield Wrotto, rarely used and practice squad eligible Cameron Morrah or even Mike Teel. I try not to stump for everything I believe, but this one confounds me. Unless Brohm hides razor blades in Halloween apples, no team with a quarterback need should think twice about adding him and figuring out his potential for themselves.

And that is about it. Seattle could inquire about Jim Sorgi, but Sorgi is already 28. Quarterback is the most essential single position perhaps in all of sport. A great one like Peyton Manning can make his team a perennial contender. Teams that lack a quarterback must conceive farfetched plans that lead from failure to postponed failure. This need is overdue and my tenuous faith in Tim Ruskell is tested each offseason he ignores it. It is time Seattle becomes aggressive about finding the successor to Matt Hasselbeck, because no one wants to see the Seneca Wallace Plan enacted.

Three Defensive Backs Who Could Be Signed

Brandon — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:00:19 -0000

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Depth at safety has become a major problem for the Green Bay Packers. S Atari Bigby is out. S Nick Collins and S Aaron Rouse were injured against the Bengals, and Mike McCarthy didn't confirm on Monday that either would be available next Sunday. They should be OK with S Jarrett Bush starting, although the other possible starter is S Derrick Martin, who was acquired in a trade just a couple weeks ago. Since there is literally no depth behind Bush and Martin, the Packers brought in a couple free agent safeties for workouts. From the Press-Gazette:

With both their starting safeties injuried this week, the Packers worked out three defensive backs Tuesday, including five-year NFL veteran Matt Giordano...

The other player the Packers worked out, according to the NFL transactions wire, were Nate Ness, an undrafted rookie from Arizona who was cut by Seattle during training camp; and DeAndre Wright, a sixth-round draft pick of the New York Giants this year who was cut at the end of training camp...

Of that group, it sounds like Giordano might be worth signing. From Stamp ede Blue:

The last few seasons, one of the best special teams players on the Colts was safety Matt Giordano. Giordano was also one of the fastest players on the team PERIOD, and he had a knack for delivering big hits (like the one he placed on a Bears tight end in the Super Bowl).

Nate Ness was in Seattle for about a minute. From NFL Draft Scout: He's an undrafted free agent who was generally unknown until he ran a 4.46 in the 40 at his pro day, and he's been signed and released by three NFL teams in the last six months. I don't like combine stars who didn't do enough make a name for themselves in college.

DeAndre Wright might be a good candidate for the practice squad, but not for the active roster. NFL Draft Scout called him "very raw and unpolished" and Big Blue View described an ugly play he was involved in this preseason:

DeAndre Wright: The rookie sixth-round pick got himself all turned around, then fell on the field in a heap on Erik Ainge 70-yard touchdown pass to Aundrae Allison late in the fourth quarter. Probably appropriate, though, since I think Wright's chance to make the team crashed to the ground as soon as he did.

The big problem with signing someone like Giordano is that someone else would have to be released to make room for him. If disaster strikes and Collins's season is over, they could place him on I.R. Otherwise someone like CB Brandon Underwood would have to be released.

Favre: Mangini Should Have Benched Me

Gonzo — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:06:38 -0000

Well, this certainly is interesting.

"Absolutely. I was receptive to (sitting) last year," Favre said. "When we finally did an MRI and found out I had a torn biceps last year, I felt like, with about four or five games left, that even though I was making some pretty good throws and some decent plays, I felt like I was doing the team more harm because I was missing on some throws."

Now, there are two different ways to potentially view this. There's the cynical view that says "Sure Favre can say that now. . .he still currently has the streak, his play went down the toilet at the end of last year, the Jets collapsed," and so forth.

And then there's the view that says, "Damn. . .that Eric Mangini is an idiot."

Seriously, like Anthony said in a previous story, Mangini is. . .at best. . .doing an impersonation of Brad Childress doing an impersonation of Bill Belichick. Keep in mind, Favre wasn't even listed on the Jets' injury report during the last five weeks of 2008, which was when he was nursing his bicep injury. Mangini, in his efforts to be all "secret squirrel" about his team's gameplan and trying to play "mind games" with opponents, was not only in direct violation of the NFL's injury reporting policy, but also proved to be pretty clueless all the way around.

Of course, if one were to look down the bench and see that your other two options at quarterback are Kellen "Holy crap, I'm awful" Clemens and Erik "Good lord, I'm so bad I can't even beat out Kellen Clemens" Ainge, you'd probably be pretty reluctant to bench Brett Favre, too, I suppose.

Now, with that in mind. . .I know he's Brett Favre and everything, but if a point in time comes during the season where #4 is hurt and simply can't go and is hurting the team as a result, Brad Childress absolutely, positively MUST have the testicular fortitude to tell Favre that he needs to take a seat in favor of either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. I don't want this team to start 8-3 and finish 9-7 and out of the playoff picture in the NFC. They're too talented for that.

Will Chilly have the guts to bench the guy he's chased after for two years? Here's hoping that we don't have to find out at any time during 2009.

Opening Day Roster

John B — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:03:11 -0000

by Bill Kostroun - AP

Danny Woodhead making the team is probably the biggest roster news.

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QB: Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens, Erik Ainge
RB: Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, Shonn Greene, Danny Woodhead
FB: Tony Richardson
WR: Jerricho Cotchery, Chansi Stuckey, David Clowney, Brad Smith, Wallace Wright
TE: Dustin Keller, Ben Hartsock
C: Nick Mangold
OG: Alan Faneca, Brandon Moore, Matt Slauson
OT: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Damien Woody, Michael Kracalik, Wayne Hunter, Robert Turner
DE: Shaun Ellis, Marques Douglas, Ropati Pitoitua, Mike DeVito
DT: Kris Jenkins, Sione Pouha, Howard Green
LB: Bryan Thomas, David Harris, Bart Scott, Jamaal Westerman, Calvin Pace, Vernon Gholston, Brandon Renkart, Larry Izzo, Jason Trusnik, Marques Murrell
CB: Darrelle Revis, Lito Sheppard, Dwight Lowery, Donald Strickland, Drew Coleman, Marquice Cole, Ahmad Carroll
S: Kerry Rhodes, Jim Leonhard, Eric Smith, James Ihedigbo
PK: Jay Feely
P: Reggie Hodges
LS: James Dearth

Thoughts:

Danny Woodhead fans, celebrate. Your man is on the roster. Readers here could probably sense I was back and forth. In the end, I think keeping him was the right call if for no other reason than the game he played against the Eagles. He showed an ability to make plays and an aggressive and elusive running style. I get it was against backups, but his speed and athleticism are real. It's good to find a spot for a guy like this. From Chadron State to the NFL, an incredible story. We may have the next Chrebet on our hands.

I also notice the lack of blockers on the roster, two tight ends and one fullback. I said early today I was fine with it. My guess is Brian Schottenheimer used his influence here. The Jets used a lot of Robert Turner and Wayne Hunter at tight end last season. With a defensive head coach, he has bigger influence, and it looks like he used it.

Two players on the above roster will be gone. The first will be out when Shaun Ellis comes back in Week 2 and the second when Calvin Pace's suspension is over Week 5. Michael Kracalik, Ropati Pitoitua, Brandon Renkart, Drew Coleman, and Marquice Cole are the early favorites. Kracalik and Pitoitua may have only made the roster because they play Pace's and Ellis' positions respectively, and the team needs extra depth. Kracalik is one of five tackles on the roster. The two other backups are the aforementioned Hunter and Turner, who figure to be important cogs in power sets and have experience lining up at tight end. Cole and Coleman are in danger with seven corners, Revis, Sheppard, Strickland, and Lowery the top guys and Carroll a special teams ace.

Non Quarterback Thoughts From Monday

John B — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:45:07 -0000

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-This pass rush could be a real strength for once. It seemed like Joe Flacco was getting hurried or hit every time he dropped back. Baltimore has an talented offensive line. That unit is probably better equipped than any in the league to handle Rex Ryan's blitzing schemes. It faced them in practice every day for four years. The Jets' front seven still seemed to baffle them, and this was without the offense having to deal with Kris Jenkins up front. Joe Flacco was only 8 of 18 and averaged less than 7 yards per attempt because the Jets always put someone in his face. It's funny because the talking points seemed to be how great Baltimore was throwing the football. Sure, they hit a few big plays, but they also had a two to one throwing to running ratio with their first team offense. They were bound to hit a few passes.

-The men up front on offense also did nice work. Leon Washington had 8 carries for 48 yards, while Thomas Jones had 8 for 32. They combined for four carries of over 10 because they had so much room to run. After a year playing together, the offensive line looks like it's going to be even better in 2009.

-Having this kind of running game and Washington as a receiver out of the backfield is going to make life much easier for Sanchez. The drive that salvaged Mark's night was made possible by Washington's run on a third down dump off and getting open for the touchdown reception. Can you say security blanket?

-I think I want David Clowney starting at receiver. He cemented his status as the Jerry Rice of preseason with a 28 yard touchdown catch. Give him playing time working the deep routes. It will keep safeties from creeping up to play the run and make life easier for Cotchery, Stuckey, Keller, and Washington to get open underneath. None of the other main contenders can do that.

-Nice bounce back game from Dwight Lowery. He was solid in coverage, did nice work in run support, and even forced a fumble on special teams. Don't give up on him yet.

-Not impressed by Britt Davis. He dropped a touchdown pass and then ran backwards after making a reception. He was trying to get to the corner, but he ended up losing a first down because of it. The coaching staff may love him in practice, but this didn't look too good. He sure looked quick with the football in his hands, though.

-I really don't think Erik Ainge will ever be anything more than a third string quarterback. He doesn't have NFL arm strength. If you can't make all the throws, you'd better have pinpoint accuracy to get it to receivers. Chad Pennington Ainge is not.

-Danny Woodhead shows a lot of heart with a hard running style, but he averaged under 3 yards a carry. I hate to say it, but I don't see how he makes the team. He's struggled to read his blocks and doesn't look strong enough to break tackles.

Ravens Hold Off Jets, 24-23

Bruce Raffel — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:03:33 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Jets, 24-23, when the Jets were unable to convert what would have been the game winning two point conversion at the end of the game. While the score was close at final whistle, the Ravens jumped out to 14-0 and 21-7 leads in the first half. Both Ray Lewis and Ed Reed left early in the first half, when the Ravens scored on the Jets first pass attempt which was intercepted by DT Haloti Ngata and returned 25 yards for the score. Baltimore could have easily scored again the same way when Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez hit Ray Lewis in the stomach for what would have been a 50 yard TD return on the next series, but Ray could not hold onto it after reading Sanchez' eyes and running to the spot.

Later in the first quarter, the Ravens scored again for a 14-0 lead after a long pass to Derrick Mason set up a three yard run by Ray Rice off of a great fake by Joe Flacco. Flacco only finished 8-18 for 120 yards, but had two nice longer throws, 43 yards to Derrick Mason and 22 to Kelley Washington. The team was much more balanced between rushing and passing attempts this week, with the team running the ball 25 times and throwing it 27 times. Last game against he Redskins, the Ravens threw it 54 times while only running it 25 times.

The Jets' Sanchez looked totally confused the first few series as he made it a requirement to try to keep his eyes on both Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, leaving the rest of the defense to rush, harrass and frustrate him into ineffectiveness. He did, however, throw his first NFL TD pass with five minutes left in the second quarter and both Reed and Lewis on the sidelines, watching.

Ravens standouts for the game included reserve linebacker Jameel McClain, who led the team with ten tackles plus an interception return for a TD in the second quarter, covering 16 yards. Second year linebacker, Tavares Gooden, who started alongside Ray, had a solid game with five tackles and a sack and rookie LB Paul Kruger had five tackles starting in place of the still-injured Terrell Suggs.

Mostly because of the Ravens disruptive pass rush, the starting secondary looked solid in the first half, but the reserves did not fare as well. Both Frank Walker and Evan Olglesby were picked on repeatedly by the Jets reserve quarterbacks, Kellen Clemens and Erik Ainge. Walker continue to grab and hold and while he might be the team's most physical corner, he needs to, as Derrick Mason yelled at him in training camp, "practice good habits, Frank!"

Flacco might have only been sacked once in his stint, but he was pressured and hit hard too many times. Rookie Michael Oher seemed to do his job great, but the left side of the offensive line looked like it was collapsing or getting overstacked by the Jets' pass rush way too often. Troy Smith, who looked great in the first exhibition game, looked abysmal last night other than the 51 yard bomb he completed to WR Justin Harper and should have had two interceptions. The first was overturned by a defensive penalty but he came right back and threw another three plays later.

The placekicker competition continues to lean towards second year pro Steven Hauschka over the rookie Graham Gano, as Hauschka hit his only field goal attempt of the game while Gano missed his attempt and second of the pre-season.

All in all, it was a win, although certainly not the dominating victory that they had against Washington. At the same time, Jets' Head Coach Rex Ryan could have easily gone for the game tying extra point and sent the game into an unnecessary overtime. Instead, he went for the win against his former team which resulted in the incompletion and the victory for the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens next travel to Carolina to play the Panthers in their third pre-season game Saturday evening.

NOTE: In my haste to get to the stadium, I neglected to post an "Open Thread" on the game and plan to do so for the remainder of the pre-season as well as the entire regular (and hopefully post-) season.

Clowney Becomes the Favorite

John B — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:34:09 -0000

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Hutchinson says David Clowney has emerged as the favorite to start opposite Jerricho Cotchery at wide receiver.

Clowney, 24, erupted early in the preseason (8 receptions, 222 yards) before breaking his collar bone and playing just two games in 2008.

When training camp began, Clowney hoped to grab the No. 2 wide receiver job that was up for grabs. But he struggled with inconsistent play and drops.

"I wanted to get that starting job immediately," he said. "A lot of times, I was trying to do too many things. I was trying to make the awesome catch when I didn't need to. That might have set me back a little bit. But at the same time, you learn from things like that. Ever since then, I've just been getting better each day."

So, he's sharpened his route running, bent on proving he's more than just a burner.
"He's starting to do the little things," quarterback Erik Ainge said. "You can see his game maturing. He's not just running past guys and catching touchdowns."

I think the Jets have always wanted Clowney to win the job. Having him as a vertical threat on the outside would force opposing secondaries to stay back and open things up underneath for Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller. Chansi Stuckey can use his short burst speed to stay in the ideal slot role.

I'll say this about Clowney. I haven't seen much of him, but he's impressed me everytime I have seen him. He made a big catch against Buffalo last season and would have had a touchdown at Seattle if Brett Favre didn't underthrow him. I never got why Eric Mangini wouldn't get him into the lineup, especially when separation became an issue for the receiving corps. At worst he could have been a Jonathan Carter type who kept defenses honest if not making a huge statistical impact.

Chris Pizzotti Returns

John B — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:12:54 -0000

The Jets have resigned recently released quarterback Chris Pizzotti, a rookie from Harvard.

Pizzotti was cut the day after the preseason opener against the Rams in which QB Erik Ainge completed 10 of 17 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown to lock up the third-string job. He didn't get to play because Ryan said he was "trying to win the game" (the Jets lost, 23-20).

Afterward, the coach felt bad that he didn't give the Harvard product an opportunity.

Huh? Are the Jets being nice and giving this guy a stage to audition for another team? What exactly changed? The Jets are firmly behind Erik Ainge as the third guy. They kept Pizzotti on the bench because they didn't think he was capable of winning. Why take him back?