Monday, February 28, 2011

New York Jets Make Cuts Before CBA Runs Out




The New York Jets announced on Monday that they would release Vernon Gholston, Jason Taylor, Kris Jenkins, and Damien Woody. The Jets had previously said that they would be making some cuts before March 3rd, when the current CBA ends.

Gholston was guaranteed to go after another unsuccessful season in a Jet uniform. He failed to record a sack in his first three years in the NFL. Gholston was taken sixth overall by the Jets in the 2008 draft and has failed to live up to the hype. Rex Ryan spoke highly of Gholston on HBO’s Hard Knocks. To put it in a clean way, Rex Ryan said that Gholston was maturing. He clearly had not progressed enough to hold onto a roster spot.

Taylor, once hated by the Jets and their fans, was temporarily able to win them over for a season, but that reign has come to an end. Taylor was also expected to be cut by the Jets once the season ended, but he was clearly upset when the idea of being released was brought up after the Jets’ AFC Championship defeat. The former defensive player of the year is getting old and is a few years past his prime. He will probably retire.

There was also much speculation that Jenkins would be released by the Jets this offseason. Jenkins played in only one regular season game and tore his ACL for the second straight season. Jenkins was hoping to return to the Jets for another season after an offseason of rehab, but it appears that he will be given the chance to test free agency. Jenkins can likely return to New York for cheap if he does not receive any better offers. A healthy Jenkins could still have a lot to offer to the Jets or whatever team decides to give him a chance.

Woody was the big cut for the Jets. Woody started 13 games at right tackle this season but suffered through injuries at the end of the regular season and again in the playoffs. Woody came to the Jets in 2008 and solidified a line that became one of the best in the NFL for the next three seasons. Woody may also be able to return at a reduced price if he is not able to find another job in the NFL.

If Woody does not return, his release opens the door for the Jets 2010 second-round pick Vladimir Ducasse to take the starting RT spot. If the Jets resign Wayne Hunter, he will battle with Ducasse for that spot.

Other Jets that have the possibility of getting released are LaDainian Tomlinson and Bryan Thomas, but it appears that both will likely be able to stay with the Jets unless they have other plans during the draft or training camp.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Most Depressing Super Bowl Ever


I woke up Sunday morning thinking “Super Bowl Sunday! Time to get excited!... MEH”

That’s when depression hit.

The Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV on Sunday night. Aaron Rodgers won his first Super Bowl and it is tough to believe he can’t win another. The Steelers jumped out to a quick 24-0 lead over the New York Jets in the AFC Championship, but fell behind a quick 21-3 to the Packers on Sunday night. At the end of the night, Clay Matthews was throwing a championship belt over Rodgers’ shoulder.

How do us Jets fans feel now?


Sunday, January 30, 2011

This Past Week as a Jets Fan




I would like to apologize again to my readers for not keeping up with the blog all week. My first week of classes at my new school has taken some getting used to and I have been very busy. In this post, I would like to share what the past week has been like after the Jets lost in the AFC Championship last weekend.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Second Half Surge Not Enough as Jets Fall Short of Ultimate Goal




The New York Jets have fallen one game short of the Super Bowl for the second straight season. Like last year’s AFC Championship game, the Jets only showed up for 30 minutes. Last year they played a great first half, but a terrible second half. This season they did the opposite.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Thank You, New York Jets



After a tough loss like this, all I can say is thank you to the New York Jets. This was one of the most exciting seasons I have witnessed in my life. The Steelers deserved to win this one; there is no question about that. The Jets played 30 minutes when they needed to play 60. The Jets and us fans have no reason to hang our heads. The Jets had another great season and as disappointing as this is, there is a huge reason to look forward to a bright future. Mark Sanchez has proven he is a legitimate NFL quarterback and Rex Ryan is an outstanding head coach. Brian Schottenheimer is another story, but for a different day. I can only hope that the NFL figures out the CBA issues and we have an NFL season in 2011. Again, it sucks for someone like me (and many of my readers) that we pour our hearts and souls into this team only to be disappointed like this. We just need to stay strong and keep our chins up and look forward to an extremely bright future. For one last time this season: J! E! T! S! JETS JETS JETS!

For those of you wondering, I do plan on keeping the blog going year round. I’m not exactly sure what direction I will take it, but please come back often and see what I have to say. I will have a full write up of tonight’s game posted by tomorrow night. Thank you all again for reading this season and keep coming back for more.

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Good luck.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

To the Steel City…AND BEYOND: JETS at Steelers Preview



First, I would like to apologize for a lack of blog posts this week. I just moved into my new apartment at a new school and things have been pretty busy. But now I’m getting back in my groove and am ready to give you all something to read as much as possible.

So here we are again. The “Same Ol’ Jets” are back in the AFC Championship game for a second straight season. There is a much different feel about this title game appearance and I’m sure everyone senses it. The Jets may be three point underdogs, but no one seems to be counting the Jets out this year. At this time last year, the Jets were preparing to face a [healthy] Colts team that should have been undefeated. Jet fans believed they could win it, and on paper it definitely seemed possible, but I would be lying if I said last season was a disappointment even with the loss. Teams are not supposed to be able to go that far with rookie head coaches and rookie quarterbacks, but that team pushed as far as they could.

Monday, January 17, 2011

That is Why the Game is Played: JETS 28 - Patriots 21




“When someone tells you you can’t, you want to do everything you can to prove them wrong.” The Jets’ pilot, Mark Sanchez, expressed his emotions after leading his team to a stunning 28-21 upset victory over their rivals, the New England Patriots, sending them to a second straight AFC Championship game.

Black and Yellow

"We made our mark for a reason there too, didn't we? We knew we'd be back."


Saturday, January 15, 2011

Time to Back Up All That Talk: JETS at Patriots AFC Divisional Matchup




It has all come full circle. After taking one from the Pats in Week 2, the Jets were pummeled in Foxboro in Week 13, 45-3. Sunday afternoon’s matchup is the rubber game, and the most important of this season’s Jets-Patriots matchups, and possibly the most important matchup between the two teams in their history.

Clearly, the Patriots are heavy favorites in this one. There aren’t many “experts” giving the Jets a chance in Sunday’s matchup. I truly believe that they are underestimating Rex Ryan’s crew. Rex is now 3-1 in the playoffs as the Jets’ head coach. All of those games came on the road. He has shown the ability to plan better and have his team play better in the playoffs. The Jets’ players also have more playoff experience than the Patriots players. Rex Ryan and Jets writers have pointed out that the Jets have a total of 196 playoff games under their belts since 2005, while the Patriots only have 101. The Patriots are a very young team now. Much of their defense is made up of rookies and inexperienced players with little to no playoff experience whatsoever. Who knows how these guys will show up on the biggest stage?

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Random Jets - Pats Thoughts of the Day



Having a tough time thinking of a full article but have plenty of random thoughts going through my head, so I thought I might as well write them all down and post them in no particular order.

The Jets’ best defense on Sunday will be possession offense. Shonn Greene and LT need to keep the chains moving and take some precious time off the clock. This will keep Tom Brady off the field, meaning less of a chance for him to do damage.

Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller need to play a crucial role in the Jets’ offense. The Patriots have a plethora of weapons on their offense and the Jets need to show that they have the same.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

RT Damien Woody Placed on Season-Ending IR



Rex Ryan announced at his press conference today that New York Jets’ starting right tackle Damien Woody has been placed on injured reserve with an Achilles tendon injury. He will have surgery “later today”.  Woody had been fighting a knee injury for weeks and missed the last three games of the regular season. He first returned last week against the Colts, but apparently suffered an Achilles injury at some point during the Jets’ last drive and the Jets’ offensive line will now suffer from it and will not have Woody for Sunday’s matchup with the Patriots.

Positive spin: Backup tackle Wayne Hunter did an absolutely outstanding job when starting in Woody’s place the last three weeks of the season. Coming off the bench, he was far from great, but it’s a different story when he gets the start. The Jets are not happy at all about Big Wood going down, but we can have some confidence in Hunter to do a good job in his place this Sunday and through the rest of the playoffs.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Jets Execute Checkmate on Peyton Manning



How apropos that after all the talk about Rex Ryan’s ‘footgate’ controversy, Nick Folk’s foot gives the Jets a playoff victory. Folk, who almost lost his job after a rough stretch in the middle of the season, nailed a game winning 32-yard field goal as time expired to give the Jets a 17-16 win over the Colts in Indianapolis. Folk was also outstanding on kickoffs for the first time since the first quarter of the season, forcing two touchbacks.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Rex, Jets Beat Colts by a Foot




It was only fitting that Nick Folk’s foot is what sent Rex Ryan’s crew into the second round of the AFC Playoffs. The Jets beat the Colts 17-16 after Folk’s 32-yard field goal as time expired. The Jets defense was fantastic, only allowing Peyton Manning to score one touchdown. The ground and pound did its thing in the second half, especially on a 17 play, 87-yard touchdown drive that ate up 9:54 off the clock and kept Peyton Manning off the field. Revis Island was as amazing as can be; only allowing Reggie Wayne one catch for one yard. LaDainian Tomlinson finally got his big playoff game, rushing for 82 yards (5.1 ypc) and two touchdowns. After Adam Vinatieri’s game leading field goal put the Colts up 16-14, Antonio Cromartie answered by returning the ensuing kickoff to the 50-yard line. This gave Mark Sanchez and the Jets the chance to get into field goal range with 45 seconds to go. Sanchez got the Jets down to the 14-yard line allowing Folk to kick the game winning field goal. Overall, an excellent execution on the Jets’ part, especially in the second half. Manning did his thing, but the Jets played the better game.

Check back soon for a full recap of the Jets’ wildcard victory. 

Friday, January 7, 2011

Jets Start Where Things Finished Last Season



The sixth seeded Jets are now matched up with the third seeded Colts in the AFC Wildcard round. The game will be played Saturday night at 8 pm. The Jets’ surprising playoff run ended in Indianapolis last year against a heavily favored Colts team in the AFC Championship game. It is only fitting that the Jets would start this year where they left off last season.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

New NFL Playoff Overtime Rules




As some of you may know, during the offseason, the NFL owners officially voted in new rules for overtime in the playoffs. These rules now prevent the team that possesses the ball first from winning the game with a field goal on the first drive, thus eliminating the new sudden death rules. We can see these new rules for the first time this weekend.

If the team that receives the ball first in overtime only scores a field goal on their first drive, then the opposing team gets a chance to tie the game with a field goal of their own, or win the game with a touchdown. If the first team scores a touchdown on the opening drive, then the game is over like normal overtime rules. If the first team scores a field goal and the second team scores one as well, then overtime becomes sudden death as it usually is. If a ball is turned over on the first possession, then sudden death is back in play. Playoff games still cannot end in a tie and will go to as many overtime periods as needed. The point of this rule is to prevent the coin flip from being the deciding factor in a playoff game.

In my opinion, I feel that the NFL owners still messed this one up. If they were going to implement this rule, it should have been for the entire season, not just the playoffs. Also, if they really wanted to make overtime even, they would use NCAA football rules, where each team gets a chance from the 25 yard line and keep going until one team outscores the other. I feel that the NFL is not done with these rule changes and will fix the overtime rules again at some point in the near future.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

The NFL Playoffs


AFC

All roads to the Super Bowl in the AFC go through New England. The AFC East champion Patriots are the top seeded team in the AFC tournament with a 14-2 record and are by far the most threatening team in the playoffs.

The Steelers (12-4) locked up the AFC North and second seed in the AFC with their convincing win over the Browns on Sunday. They will have a bye and home field in the AFC Divisional round.

Monday, January 3, 2011

B-B-B-Bruney and the Jets



A game that meant so little probably does not need such a big recap. So here’s this:

Playing with most of their backups in, the New York Jets crushed the ailing Buffalo Bills 38-7 on Sunday. Mark Sanchez started under center, but only played one drive and never passed the ball. Mark Brunell came in for Sanchez and threw for two touchdown passes. Kellen Clemens took over in the fourth quarter and ran for another touchdown. Rookie Joe McKnight got the start in the backfield and produced an impressive 158 rushing yards on 32 carries. The defense forced six turnovers, including two interceptions by Marquice Cole, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Calvin Pace played his best game of the season, recording one sack, deflecting three passes, and intercepting a ball. This game may have had the feel of a preseason game, but the Jets got that 11th win that everyone wanted and got a big win going into the playoffs.

This rout was definitely needed going into the playoffs. The backups will gain some confidence just in case they are needed in the playoffs. The defense played extremely well. Joe McKnight showed that his newfound work ethic is paying off. I almost hope the Jets give McKnight some playing time in the playoffs. If LT isn’t cutting it again, I would not be against giving McKnight one of LT’s drives to see if he can make an impact. If he can, the Jets should definitely play the hot hand. The Jets can now go into the playoffs feeling and looking good.

Oh and…Brian Brohm got destroyed:



Saturday, January 1, 2011

The Backup Bowl: JETS vs. Bills



The Week 17 matchup between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills is one of more interest than originally speculated. The Jets have already clinched a playoff spot, and the Bills are only playing for pride, but we will see many backups on both teams trying to make a case for either an expanded role in the playoffs or a reason to have a job next season.