JETS LOOK TO KEEP SURGING AGAINST FALCONS

JETS LOOK TO KEEP SURGING AGAINST FALCONS
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online
Watch the You Tube Video Here
With three straight wins against struggling opponents, the 7-6 Jets come back to the Swamp this Sunday to face a once playoff bound team now fighting for its life as well, the 6-7 Atlanta Falcons. Losing starting QB Matt Ryan and one of the NFL's top RBs Michael Turner to injury has not helped. Still, the Falcons have other weapons, can still put up points, and have played some good teams tough. The Jets, once 3-0, will have to prove that their recent turnaround has been about THEM and about simply enjoying the weakest part of their schedule.

The big question in Jet camp is,  will QB Mark Sanchez be playing? Barring any set backs, the NY Post reports that yes, Sanchez will return. It's a huge game for Gang Green in 2009. A win puts the Jets at 8-6 and perhaps ahead of a few of the four teams that remain tied for the last playoff spot in the AFC. The Jets won't however, risk the future of the Sanchise. The coaches will ask Sanchez for an accurate perosanl report on his progress since spraining the MCL in the left knee weeks back.  Head coach Rex Ryan said. “He knows how important this game is to us. He knows that his safety is important to us. I think he’ll definitely be honest with us. He always has been.”

We all know the story that led to this by now right? The Jets brought in Yankee skipper Joe Girardi to teach the rookie how to slide. Days later, the rookie then went on instinct instead, falling head first in Toronto to gain a first down only to injure his other knee for the second straight time in two games. Sanchez didn't travel to Tampa the following week where backup Kellen Clemens threw erratically yet managed to not turn the ball over; a staple for the Jet game plan in 2009. Ground and pound, no interceptions, stifle THEIR offense with a smothering playmaking defense.  

This strategy got the Jets off to a great start. Then Sanchez became interception happy as the Jets plummeted to 4-6. Out came the color coded wristband warning while reminding Sanchez of high risk throws at the wrong time. The interceptions decreased. The injury against the Bills though, left the Jets without their signal caller temporarily. From the looks of Clemens' performance against the horrid Bucs, the Jets will welcome back Sanchez with open arms. Atlanta does have the 29th ranked pass defense but is Clemens the guy who can expose that? From the looks of last week the answer is no.

The Jets will come into the game with the leagues top rushing offense in yards gained and top defense in yards allowed. Stats that certainly were bolstered over the past three weeks against sub par clubs . Carolina's star RB Deangelo Williams was not at full speed during the Jet win. Buffalo  backup turned starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick struck little fear while the Bills rushing D was ranked last in the NFL. Then came 1-11 Tampa Bay.  Wins are win though and the Jets avoided three trap games, a feat in itself for a franchise that too often, gets trapped.

RB Thomas Jones, 4th in the league rushing at 1167 yards, is having an outstanding year. Jones will be called upon again to set the tone. For rookie RB Shonn Greene ball security issue has become a problem for offensive coordinator Brian Shottenheimer. Shotty would probably would love to integrate the big play Greene into the gameplan even more. Greene's yards per carry numbers have been solid each week (6-41 yds last week). . A team like the Jets, that is foundated on defense and no turnovers though, can't  give the keys away to the castle to a guy who is holding them loosely like Greene has been. As for quarterback, if the reigns are handed over to Clemens again, he'll have to be better than he was last wee when he went 11-23 for a mere 111 yards. This while missing some very makable completions. The Jets feel though, that Clemens did what was asked of him “We have confidence in Kellen, I thought he managed the game exactly how we needed it,” Rex Ryan said.

Last week the Jets held the Bucs to zero first downs in the first half. Tampa was 0-14 on the day on third down. Darelle Revis once again shut down a top wideout, holding Antonio Bryant to just 22 yards. Falcons backup QB Chris Redman did not struggle last Sunday the way Bucs QB Josh Freeman did, in throwing for only 83 yards. Redman  was 23-34 303 yds in last weeks loss to the Saints.  Future hall of fame TE Tony Gonzalez (788 yds 5TDs) and WR Roddy White (915 yds 8 TDs) are a Falcon pair,  who pose big threats in the passing game. The Jets will benefit however, if Turner remains sidelined. RBs Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling though have combined for an average of 3.7 yards per carry, a far cry from Michael Turner's 4.9 a carry. Turner suffered a high ankle sprain and has missed two straight games. His status is day to day. Ryan suffered turf toe weeks back as well and is also day to day.

 At the start of the season Atlanta was looking to grow from their 2008 playoff appearance in QB Ryan's rookie season. The addition of Gonzalez was thought to have been a key addition for a franchise with serious hopes of a deep postseason run in 2009. Once at 4-2 now at 6-7, the Falcons, like the Jets are still alive but need help and can't afford another loss. 

For the Jets, it will get harder after Atlanta.The undefeated Colts and first place Bengals are the final two opponents on the schedule. Or maybe not. The Colts could be resting starters by then. The Bengals may be doing the same should they clinch the AFC North by then. Cincinnati will also be dealing with the sad loss of  WR Chris Henry,  who died this morning after falling out of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute. The Jet Report sends out it's condolences to the Henry family and the Bengals franchise. It will be a sad weekend for the entire league because of the Henry situation. Nonetheless, the games will go on. For the Jets, Sunday has become yet another win or else scenario.

THREE KEYS TO THE ATLANTA GAME
JET DEFENSE FORCING TURNOVERS: If Clemens is back the Jets will  DEFINITELY need some short fields. Sanchez won't be at 100 percent if he  does return, so let's hope those Revis and Kerry Rhodes interceptions keep coming. Three turnovers will go a long way for Gang Green Sunday.
THROW IT SMART, DON'T THROW SCARED:  Clemens or Sanchez need to keep with the color coded wrist band and throw it smart but throw it effectively. Being conservative doesn't mean playing scared. Recently it seems as though both Jet QBs are passing while hoping NOT to get picked off. This pair needs to hit open guys. Leaving convertable plays on the field is not playing it safe. Jet passing yards need to come up as do the completion rates. We want over 50 percent completed and at least 175 to 200 yards in the air. That will seal the deal in a game the Jets have control of.
WATCH WOODHEAD: Danny Woodhead is getting more involved. Did you see the third down grab last week? Tough catch, nice run too. The Wayne Chrebet meets Wes Welker type rookie is a great asset to team with a conservative air attack. On a  cold day, this guy could lineup in the slot or backfield. Look for him to move the chains or make a big play on Sunday as the Jets look to increase his role in December.
follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter @ thejetreport

JETS TAKE ON BUCS WITHOUT SANCHEZ

JETS TAKE ON BUCS WITHOUT SANCHEZ
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online


watch the jet report for week 14 with T,J, and Griff at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbLk4SHhSLw&feature=sub



The 6-6 Jets head South to Tampa to take on the 1-11 Bucs as the march towards the playoffs continues. To keep it rolling the Jets are going to have to do it without QB Mark Sanchez whose knee sprain suffered on the scramble in Buffalo has forced head coach Rex Ryan to err on the side of caution. Kellen Clemens takes over as signal caller in a must win for the Jets, plain and simple.

The Jets currently find themselves in a 6-6 logjam with the Dolphins, Steelers and Ravens. Gang Green and the other .500 AFC East clubs are chasing the 7-5 Jaguars who beat the Jets weeks back in a game that looms large with tie breaker implications going against the Jets should both teams finish with the same record. That said, the Bucs game is huge with banged up Atlanta on deck. After that the undefeated Colts and first place Bengals await. There's no room for error this weekend. 8-6 is essential if the Jets want to keep it going past Christmas.

Clemens replaced Sanchez in the third quarter last Thursday against Buffalo and was rusty. The fourth year QB lost his footing on a few occasions, fumbled a snap, and was stripped on a rollout near the Jet goal line. Sunday will be Clemens first start since the final game in 2007, a win over the hapless Chiefs. “Yeah, I’m coming off a one-game winning streak,’’ Clemens said. “That’s 23 months ago … it seems like a long time ago.’’

Fortunately for Clemens the gameplan may be the same. Ground and Pound. Buffalo was ranked 32nd in rushing defense going into last week. The Jets, the number one rushing team in the NFL at 168.6 yards per game lived up to their average in week 13. The  RB combo of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene rushed for 168 yards combined. Tampa comes into the game ranked 31st. Clemens will need to manage the game, make solid decisions, move the chains at times, and like Sanchez, not make unforced errors. The truth is though, Sunday will again be about the run game.

Can Clemens lead the Jets to a win? He says that he just has to do his job. Nothing more. This IS a 1-11 opponent.  Coach Rex Ryan is showing faith in his backup. “I have a lot of confidence in Kellen Clemens; this football team has confidence in Kellen.’’ The colorful rookie head coach also provided insight as to how Sanchez took the news of the benching. “He’s mad as a hornet at me. But that’s good. I was mad at him (for not sliding Thursday) and now he’s mad at me, so we’re even.’’

Buccaneers rookie head coach Raheem Morris inserted Josh Freeman into the starting lineup during the middle of the season.The rookie QB led the Bucs to their only win, a 38-28 victory over Green Bay four weeks back  in which 2009's 17th overall pick in the April NFL draft tossed three TDs. Last week Freeman threw for 321 yards no TDs, and five picks in a loss to the 4-7 Panthers. WR Antonio Bryant had 116 of those receiving yards, and appears to have shaken off the injury bug that has plagued the clubs top wideout all year. TE Kellen Winslow Jr  provides Freeman with another threat in the passing game and the once oft injured RB Cadillac Williams who gained 92 yards last week can get loose from time to time. The Jets defense however, is ranked second in the NFL giving up just 276 yards per game (Green Bay is first at 273 yds given up on average). The front four will need to contain Williams while the Jet ground game tries to control the tempo in the first half. 

CB  Darelle Revis is coming off yet another sensational performance in holding hot WR Terrell Owens to a mere 30 yards. CB Lito Shephard kept speedy Lee Evans to just 40 yards and was aggressive playing the ball, almost turning a few Ryan Fitzpatrick throws into ints. LB David Harris is heating up again. Last week in Toronto, Harris had 11 tackles and was a force all game. If the Jet top defenders  like Revis, Harris, LB Bart Scott can continue to have the presence they lacked during their November swoon, yet have regained in wins over Carolina and Buffalo the load will be even lighter for Clemens. At 6-6, this is no time for the Jets to take a step back. One false move in Tampa and 2009 is history.

THREE KEYS TO THE TAMPA BAY GAME

CLEMENS DO YOUR JOB: He said it. I just have to do my job. He's right. 150 passing yards, no bad ints backed up deep, and that could be enough. Remeber, he relieve Chad Pennington in 2007 and almost rescue the Jets in Baltimore early in the season. 

ANTONIO BRYANT: and CADILLAC WILLIAMS Bryant's their one big play threat.
Finally he's healthy. Darelle  Revis has shut everyone down in 2009. He'll need to do it again. Keep Bryant quiet and Williams modest and keeping the Bucs from stealing this game becomes that much easier.

EDWARDS, CATCH THE BALL: Kellen Clemens will need the WRs to hold onto catchable balls Sunday. The throws will be few and far between. Some may be deep shots, most third downs and manageable yardage. Clemens confidence will grow as the chains move. Extra focus is needed by Braylon Sunday. A long drop or a key third down muff this week could be costly. 

follow TJ Rosenthal on Twitter @ thejetreport

Jets Hold On for 19-13 Win

(photo By Bill Menzel)


JETS HOLD ON 19-13: SANCHEZ HURT
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online

The Jets survived a late scare when QB Mark Sanchez left with a third quarter knee injury to hold on 19-13 against the Bills in Toronto. The win moves Gang Green to 6-6 and into playoff contention, with 1-10 Tampa Bay and the banged up 6-5 Falcons up next. Any hopes of a playoff run will be dampened though, if Sanchez is out for any extended time.

The Jets took control late in the second quarter. Down 10-9,  Braylon Edwards (3-45yds 1TD) hauled in a tough 13 yard throw in traffic and stretched over the goal line with 2:58 left in the half. The play was ruled down at the one but head coach Rex Ryan challenged it and the call was overturned. 16-10 Jets. This made up for a key drop by the former Cleveland Brown, wide open, on a long throw from Sanchez in the first quarter.

Still up 16-10 in the third, Sanchez then hurt his knee on a third down dive for a first down. He had worked with Yankees manager Joe Girardi this past week on sliding, after aggravating the knee on a scramble last week in the 17-6 win against Carolina. The play however called for an aggressive attempt in order for the Jets to keep possession, not a slide. QB Kellen Clemens took over the rest of the way, and was shaky at best. The career backup fumbled a snap and got stripped on a third down roll out inside the Jets twenty. Luckily the Jets recovered. Clemens did however make a key third down throw to the outside in the middle of the fourth quarter to WR Jerricho Cotchery. The completion led to K Jay Feely's third FG of the game, a 37 yarder to put the Jets up 19-10 with 7:00 left.

 Bills K Rob Lindell answered with a 32 yarder to cut the Jet lead to 19-13 with just under 5:00 left. The Jets then went three and out, leaving the season in the hands of the defense. Prior to Thursday night, the defense had twice given up game winning scores on the final drive in 2009. In Toronto, the D answered the call. DE Sean Ellis, who was active all night, put the Bills in a quick hole on their final drive with a key first down sack. On second down, the Bills went for it all down the right sideline, but CB Darrelle Revis, who held hot WR Terrell Owens to just 31 yards, intercepted the Ryan Fitzpatrick bomb to put the game away. Revis has now shut down star wideouts Andre Johnson, Marques Colston, Randy Moss twice, Steve Smith, and now Owens twice. LB David Harris also had a stellar game with 11 tackles and a forced fumble that led to points.

Thomas Jones who finished with 109 yards on 25 carries, iced it on the ensuing drive with a 25 yard run with just over 2:00 to go. The Jets torched the league's 32nd ranked rushing defense with a combo of Jones and rookie Shonn Greene (11-59yds).

The win allows the Jets the right to believe again; To rally around the truth that they are back in the playoff hunt. Jacksonville is 6-5 and the club that Gang Green is chasing for the sixth and final spot.  The big key over the next ten days, will be whether Sanchez can respond from the second straight knee injury in two games. During the post game press conference,  Sanchez admitted that "in the heat of the moment I was just trying to advance the chains." The team will conduct more tests on Sanchez's right knee over the coming days. As of Friday morning they are calling it a mild knee sprain. If the Sanchise is hurt, really hurt, the Jets may be in trouble. The latest Jet drama comes while they escape dire straits with two straight solid wins in five days.

A LOOK BACK ON THE THREE KEYS TO BUFFALO:

Darelle Revis vs Terrell Owens: Revis island owned TO. 31 yards was all Owens could muster up. Three deep throws to Owens, led to two incompletions and a game ending pick for the leagues top corner.
 
Thomas Jones vs Bills Defense: We said Jones needed 100 yds and a TD in order for the Jets to win. He didn't get the TD but went over 100 which meant the Jets were running downhill in the second half.

Unsung hero?:  We asked for someone outside of the usual suspects to step up. Shonn Greene, Brad Smith, perhaps Danny Woodhead. Greene had 59 yards, Smith made some nice plays, Woodhead tripped on a screen and failed to look up on an early throw to him. Sean Ellis was the difference maker. Getting pressure all night in a game where the Jets had to have pressure so speedy Lee Evans would not have the time to expose CB Lito Shephard downfield. Shephard also played great , jumping short routes all night , almost coming up with some big picks.

follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter@ thejetreport

JETS IN TORONTO TO FACE BILLS: PLAYOFF HOPES STILL ALIVE

JETS IN TORONTO TO FACE BILLS: PLAYOFF HOPES STILL ALIVE
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdX5YzOaS3Y to

The NY Jets saved their season last Sunday against Carolina with a 17-6 win.
That win will mean nothing if Gang Green can't continue a much needed win streak 
that includes  tough AFC East battle with the Buffalo Bills in Toronto tonight. It's Thursday night football. A short week to prepare followed by either a happy long layoff before week 14, or the realization that postseason dreams will be all but
 over.

For the Jets , RB Thomas Jones will be a key factor tonight. The Newark Star Ledger reported this week that Jones is second only to the Chargers LaDanian Tomlinson in yardage gained since 2005. An impressive stat for a humble guy. 
For the Jets to go to 6-6, he'll need to add to that tonight against Buffalo, a team that owns the league worst  32nd ranked rushing defense. Can QB Mark Sanchez's color coded bracelet minimize the interceptions for a second straight week? It better. Sanchez threw five interceptions in the Jets previous meeting with the Bills.
A sickening  week six OT loss that also saw NG run killer Kris Jenkins injure his knee and thus become lost for the season.

The 4-7 Bills are a different team since the last time the Jets faced them. Head coach Dick Jauron is gone, fired weeks ago in favor of interim Perry Fewell. Fewell got his first NFL coaching win last week at home against Miami. This thanks to the resurgence of WR Terrell Owens, who credits his recent hot play to the new starter QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Owens said this week that the relationship between himself and former starter Trent Edwards simply was not there. RBFred Jackson has supplanted Marshawn Lynch as the starter as well. Lynch who started the year serving a three game league suspension, has yet to find a rythym in 2009.

With Tampa Bay on the schedule next before a tough finish against Atlanta, undefeated Indy, and the first place Bengals, the Jets are in position to make the stretch drive interesting. This is as big of a game as a 5-6 team can have. Let's call
it a playoff game because in essence it is. Win, or go home.

Three keys to the Buffalo Game:

Darrelle Revis vs Terrell Owens:  Owens is on fire the past two weeks. Revis has shut down top wideout all year starting on opening day in Houston against Andre Johnson. Randy Moss twice. you get the idea. Tonight must be the same.

Thomas Jones vs Bill Run defense: Jones has to go for close to 100 Yds. and a TD against the 32nd ranked D. If not, that would mean the onus would've been on Sanchez. Bracelet or not, the Sanchise is being asked to manage things and keep the chains moving, not take 2009 into his own hands. 

Can we get an unsung hero tonight?: moments like these call for the unsung hero. The guy who wasn't a threat on paper, in game films. Let's look for a Brad Smith, Danny Woodhead, or perhaps a Jet interior defender like Sione Pouha tonight. The Jets need a big contribution from one perimeter guy tonight to help push things over the edge. If the QB isn't allowed to, or can't light it up, it will take, oh god am I actually saying this? 52 flashlights. This of course to quote ex Jet head coach and now ex UVA head coach Al Groh who used this reference in 2000 after the Jets beat Tampa with former Jet Keyshawn Johnson who mocked WR Wayne Chrebet that week before the game.

Follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter@ thejetreport

JETS LOOK TO REGROUP AGAINST THE PANTHERS

JETS LOOK TO REGROUP AGAINST THE PANTHERS
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online

QB Mark Sanchez is struggling but won't be benched. Free safety Kerry Rhodes , compared to Ed Reed before the season by Rex Ryan, WILL be benched. Ryan will now sit in on offensive meetings as a way to help Sanchez with his development. Oh, and David Clowney's twitter account was hacked into this week as some creep threw violent taunts towards a fan who sent the Jet wideout not so kind  thoughts on the Patriot loss. Welcome to "As The Jets Turn," the latest episode in the Gang Green's 2009 season as the club readies for Carolina . 

It seems like light years ago that this soap opera was full of hope and promise. Now at 4-6, losers of six of the last seven, the Jets look to simply regroup against another 4-6 team, the Carolina Panthers. A club like the Jets whose run game is dangerous yet  whose QB Jake Delhomme, has also come under fire for underperforming this season.

For the Jets, the formula is simple on paper. Sanchez must limit his mistakes ( he's 3rd in the NFL in interceptions with 16)  while Thomas Jones and the Jet run game move the chains. The Jet defense must regain its early season form and create pressure on opposing team's backfields. 

The D must also find a way to start creating turnovers,  something they've been unable to do all season. FS Kerry Rhodes who many thought would become the next Ed Reed, the ball hawking future hall of fame Raven, (a former leader on Rex Ryan's Baltimore defense),  has not made one big play all season. His tentative play has led to big plays given up by the Jet secondary. Eric Smith will replace Rhodes this week who was benched by Ryan in order to send a message to his team. How the Jets react to the benching will go a long way in determining Ryan's presence as a leader of this team in the future.

Ryan has also decided to now sit in and observe the offense at team meetings. Admittedly Ryan likened the experience to "French class," but something had to be done and sitting the future of the team Sanchez, was not on the head coach's radar. Many Jet faithful are starting to wonder though, if its it too early to throw the season away and allow Sanchez the growing pains. What if backup QB Kellen Clemens can settle down an offense that has turned it over too often during this two month swoon? A swoon that has dropped the Jets from first place to a game out of last in the AFC East. Jet analyst and former Jet QB Ray Lucas voiced his belief on SNY that the move to Clemens might be the right one in order to save 2009.

If the Jets want to have any chance on Sunday they have to do one thing. Stop the league's number four rusher (982 yards) Deangelo Williams. He's a faster version of the league's number five rusher  Maurice Jones-Drew, who torched the Jets for 123 yards weeks two weeks ago.  The Panthers defense ranks 11th overall, fourth against the pass at 185 yards per game. That doesn't bode well for the Jet air attack which has struggled to move the ball since the arrival of the player thought to be perhaps the missing playoff piece in WR Braylon Edwards in week five. Sanchez averages 179 passing yards a game. To score, the Jet ground game has to be effective. More carries for Shonn Greene, the rookie backup with big play potential exemplified in Oakland a month back 
may be on the menu.

With Buffalo up next in Toronto on Thursday, the Jets play two games in five days. A win streak would leave the Jets at 6-6 and talking playoffs again.  Anything less than a two game sweep though, and the talk around Florham Park the rest of the way will be about the development of Sanchez and 2010.

THREE KEYS TO THE PANTHERS GAME:

Stop Deangelo Williams: Forget Jake Delhomme. He's good for a few mistakes, missed opportunities and a bunch of yardage that add up to field goal chances. It's Deangelo Williams who must be stopped. Williams can single handedly ruin the Jets as quality RBs often do. It's in the Gang Green's DNA to face a tough back and get dominated. If it happens Sunday, it's light out for 2009. For real.

Sanchez, throw to the Green Jerseys! Interception happy Mark Sanchez HAS to cut down on the INT's. Otherwise one of two things will happen. Or both. The Jets will certainly lose. Two, the rookie will be benched for Clemens during the game as Rex Ryan tries to save a season evaporating faster than electronic appliances  on Black Friday department store shelves.

Shonn Greene, Dustin Keller, Braylon Edwards,  you guys alive? : The Jets need a spark on offense. Here are three players that can provide that. Greene needs more touches, Keller and Sanchez need to get on the same page now and Edwards has to stop dousing his hands with vaseline before he enters the huddle. Catch the ball Braylon let's go. Enough already.


follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter @ thejetreport for daily Jet news and thoughts regarding Gang Green

BELICHICK'S RISKY CALL GIVES JETS LIFE

BELICHiCK'S RISKY CALL GIVES JETS LIFE
by TJ ROSENTHAL for Football Reporters Online

Watch The You Tube Video Here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xq7GxoXiio

The J-e-t-s Jets Jets Jets were left for dead late Sunday as Jags RB Maurice Jones-Drew jokingly apologized at the podium to fantasy owners for taking a knee to help run out the clock. Now  4-5 and somehow trailing in the AFC wildcard hunt after a 3-0 start, even coach Rex Ryan admitted after the last second 24-22 loss to Jones-Drew's Jacksonville Jaguars that a playoff berth now looked bleak. Then suddenly that night hope arrived when Bill Belichick of all people, helped breathe life into a Gang Green season that was beginning to appear hopeless.

The controversial decision by Belichick to ice the game against the undefeated Peyton Manning led Colts from his own 28 with a six point lead and just 2:08 left, backfired.  The stunning 35-34 win, capped by Manning's game winning TD throw to WR Reggie Wayne with 0:15 left after the Pats failed 4th and 2, leaves the Jets only two games back of the hated Pats. The Jets could find themselves just one off the AFC East division lead while owning the head to head tiebreaker with a win in Foxboro Sunday.

 Make no bones about it though, Sunday will be a monumental challenge. Maybe the clubs toughest they will face all year. The 6-3  Pats want revenge for their week two loss at the Meadowlands while QB Tom Brady was shaking off  the rust from season ending knee surgery in 2008. They'll also look to erase the bad taste in their mouth from having the Colts on the ropes, then letting them off the hook. Nonetheless, it's as good of a position that a Jet team who has lost five of six could've hoped for.

The Pats are not the same team the Jets saw in September. The biggest reason is that Tom Brady is back. The Pats most important player is second in the NFL in passing yards with 2,739, trailing only Manning with 2,872.  Brady is tied for second with Drew Brees for TD passes with 19 (again trailing only Manning who has 20). The Brady to Randy Moss combo has also woken up. After the slow start , Moss is now second in the league in both yards with 891 and TDs with seven. Pesky WR Wes Welker, out early in the year with hamstring issues, is healthy again and once again a threat to eat up yardage if too much attention is focused on Moss.

The Jets are at this point, a shell of their early season selves. They own the NFL's top rushing attack averaging 170 yards per game despite losing Leon Washington for the year out in Oakland. The swagger of the team is gone though. Or missing at least. Mounting losses will do that to a team. By week four as the Jets were headed to New Orleans in what was at the time, a battle of the undefeated, many were calling the Jets defense the top unit in the NFL.  The 27-17 loss in the Big Easy gave Jet fans the first look at the types of mistakes rookieQB Mark Sanchez could make. A key ill advised interception in the end zone to FS Darren Sharper gave the Saints a 10-0 lead and they never looked back. The loss was followed by the defense then getting humbled for the first time as well, as they got torched for 416 yards by the Wildcat in Miami in week 5. Things got worse the following week as the glue of the defense NG Kris Jenkins was lost for the season to a torn ACL during a  week six OT loss to putrid Buffalo. Run stopping has suffered since. Jones-Drew burned the Jets for 123 yards last Sunday. Sanchez threw an astounding 5 interceptions during the Bills loss, raising the questions of how much responsibility the Jets should entrust the rookie with the rest of the way.

 The second meeting between the clubs will renew a rivalry that contains a decade of seething hatred. Bill Parcells left New England for the Jets in 1997 then Bill Belichick returned the favor. Slated to be announced as the new Jet coach in 2000, Belichick pulled a trick play out of his book and resigned as "HC" of the Jets at the press conference announcing him. In doing this he avoided the shadow that Parcells as a front office man would've cast over his star pupil. Belichick then went on to return to New England where he was Parcells defensive coordinator in the mid nineties,  to win four Super Bowls in New England. Doing it  with the help of a coaching staff that consisted of many former Jet assistants under Parcells. 

The rivalry took another odd turn when top Pats assistant Eric Mangini then usurped Belichick's wishes to go anywhere but the Jets and signed on to become of course, the Jets head coach in 2006. Mangini was immediately locked out of the Foxboro facility. In 2007 after a blowout loss in the opener, "Mangenius" then complained that the Pats were using cameras to spy on the Jet sidelines. This brought about the controversial "Spygate" incident which threatened to ruin Belichick's credibility and hall of fame resume as new charges against "Belicheat"  seemed to come out of the woodwork every day.

 In the Spring of 2009, new Jet head coach Rex Ryan injected some new blood into the storyline by proclaiming that he didn't come to New York "to kiss Bill Belichick's rings." Given the result in week two,  a 16-9 win over Belicheck's crew, Ryan looked like the leader of team that could talk the talk AND walk the walk. In fact, after the game, outspoken Jet LB Bart Scott defended teammate CB Darelle Revis, who did a great job on perennial All Pro WR Randy Moss, on a day that included a key interception by the Jets top corner on a pass intended for Moss. 

"I hear the easy copout by Randy Moss, saying that anybody can guard ... that 'I can play cornerback if I had safety help,'" Scott said. "That was a one-on-one jump ball. I think sometimes you've just got to give the man his credit, understand that [Revis] was the better man that day..[Revis] shut him down. He intimidated him. Randy was coming across that middle real slow. Tell him to man up next time and come across the middle like a man if he wants to be a complete receiver."

Rest assured Moss and the Patriots haven't forgotten their performance that day or the words exchanged by both clubs after the game.  When it comes to the Jets- Patriots there is no such thing as a short memory, only a long history of bad blood. This brings us now to the latest chapter in the saga.

While Belichick spent Monday trying to justify why he had no faith in his defense down the stretch at  Indy, Ryan spent part of Monday according to locker room reports, giving a passionate plea to his team that drove the rookie head coach to tears.

Offensive lineman Damien Woody reported "He was talking about the situation -- this upcoming game with New England and how we're still there, how we still have a pulse. He said It's all about us, that nobody believes in us and that we are the only ones who believe we can get things done..He said, 'I believe in you; I believe you get can get this thing done,' and that's when he really got emotional." Revis added" I haven't been a part of a meeting where a coach cried like that."

Emotions. That's what the Jets need. They played so well early on when they were driven by them. The Jets have to stick together and begin to believe like winners again, because as Woody noted regarding Ryan's speech, few believe in the Jets right now. Only the players themselves can help change the perception that the Jets season is for all intensive purposes, over. The chance to reinvent themselves and not waste what was a promising start to 2009, presents itself Sunday. Albeit, it's the first place Pats they are dealing with. The hated Pats. The Tom Brady and Bill Belichick Pats. Drama and daunting task aside, with a win the Jets will be back in business again in the AFC East. 

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME:

JET PRESSURE ON BRADY. That how the Jets beat the Pats in week two. Brady was rushed, off his timing, and inaccurate. Much of it due to rust, the other, the Jet pressure. Without pressure, you can forget about it.

REVIS MOSS ROUND TWO: The winner of this battle will give his team the edge. "Revis Island" won the first one but Moss has been on fire since and surely remembers the bravado the Jets spoke with in shutting him down.

EMOTION: The Jets have to play with emotion Sunday. There has to be a "back against the wall" and  "us against the world mentality." This rivalry seems to bring it out naturally, but the Jets shouldn't wait to get kicked in the face before they decide to  get themselves going. If they do that in Foxboro,  it may be too late.

JAGS DELIVER CRUSHING BLOW TO RYAN'S JETS 24-22

Photo: By Bill Menzel-Jets QB Mark Sanchez hands off to RB Thomas Jones

JAGS DELIVER CRUSHING BLOW TO RYAN'S JETS  24-22
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online

This WAS a playoff game. This WAS the game that was slated decide the fate of the 4-4 Jets who stare down the barrel of a brutal second half schedule that includes the Pats, Colts, Falcons, Bengals as well as the always tough Bills in Orchard Park. A win on Sunday and the Jets could find a starting point for navigating through a harrowing November and December. It was not to be. A crushing 24-22 loss to the now 5-4 Jacksonville Jaguars,  has left the Jets desperate and needing help in order to reach the postseason. A far cry from a 3-0 start that had left many Jet faithful willing to believe this was NOT the "same old Jets." Well, doubt has crept back into Jet nation.

The Jets gave up 21 first half points and trailed 21-13 at the half. The malaise attributed to perhaps the two week layoff coming off of their bye week. Both S Jim Leonard and FS Kerry Rhodes were  quoted saying he team was flat defensively in the first half. That's a hard pill to swallow for Jet fans, especially since reports had coach Rex Ryan chewing out his team this week to stop the excuses, imploring them to play like a playoff team he was quoted as claiming they are.

Star RB, the little bulldozer, Maurice Jones Drew torched the Jets early and often , with 78 first quarter yards. He finished with 123 on the day. The biggest play of the game however, came on a TD that Jones Drew chose NOT to score on.  With the score 22-21 Jets with 1:48 left, the Jets called for "Free Way"  a play that allows the opposing team to score in order to get the ball back and have a chance to win. On the first try the Jets mistakenly tackled Drew. "We couldn't even get that right," Ryan, never at a loss for words, admitted afterwards. The second time, Drew shrewdly stopped at the one yard line. With no time outs left thanks to wasting two earlier ( to prevent a  twelve men on defense flag and the other by Sanchez on the Jags goal line), the Jets were forced to watch the clock wither away. Josh Scobee added the virtual extra point at the gun for the 24-22 Jags win.

This erased the comeback that left the Jets up 22-21 with 5:04 left thanks to a Thomas Jones (21-77 yds) one yard TD plunge. WR Braylon Edwards (3-79 yds) had a key two point conversion knocked out of his hands by the Jags FS Reggie Nelson. The throw was behind Edwards but still catchable. "Nelson is paid to make plays and he made a godd play on that one." Edwards said. The former Browns WR, known for the dropsies is now 1-8 combined in games played this year with Cleveland and the Jets. His fault? No, but the frustrations is apparent. "It stinks..its not my fault per se but I don't want to fell like the black sheep." he added lamenting what so many Jets who've come and gone in this franchise's consistent  losing history must feel upon exiting the stadium.

The Jets are not dead yet. They ARE however, on life support. The defense has still yet to create points off of turnovers. The Sanchez to TE Dustin Keller combo, so poised to break out and open up the passing game outside the numbers, is just missing the mark on too many occasions. All parts, including game management by the coaches, need to start clicking fast or this season will be gone by Turkey day.

As for Sunday, has a player ever taken a knee over scoring a touchdown in order to keep the clock moving like Jones-Drew did? Probably not. Only the Jets franchise would be involved in a play like that.

Nonetheless , the Jets need to go to Foxboro and try to begin to erase the ghosts of their Gang Green past that have somehow crept back into the equation. Worse, they need to do it against  the furious Pats, their hated rivals, who want revenge from their week two loss at the Meadowlands. Bill Belicheck's first place crew also will be stinging from the loss at Indy Sunday night that saw them go for a strange fourth and two on their own 28 yard line in order to prevent Peyton Manning one last shot. It backfired. 

The 4-5 Jets remain just two games  back of the 6-3 Pats. A  win would inch them closer to the top of the AFC East and  give them the tie breaker over New England. When the dust settles this week, that will be how Rex Ryan must frame this next test. As a game that, with a win, restores hope. To do that, Ryan will have to stop Brady and put the "Same Old Jets" talk to bed again. It's funny how these negative Green ghosts somehow rear their ugly heads every season.

A LOOK BACK ON THE THREE KEYS TO THE JAGS GAME:

Turnovers: The Jets defense, built off pressure and chaos, again, didn't get any. End of story.

Thomas Jones vs Maurice Jones Drew. Jones-Drew won the battle in yardage 123 to 77. He also made the play of the day by not scoring on the final drive.

Mike Sims-Walker vs Darrelle Revis: Sims Walker managed a TD catch but didn't dominate the field. Revis is a big play guy the Jets desperately need
going forward. An interception taken back by a ball hawk shut down corner like Revis, would aid the Jets offense in a huge way.

Follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter@ thejetreport