Bronx, NY - The New York Jets lost three-straight road games and were left for dead after only 5 games in the 2011 football season. It wasn't so much that they lost those games after starting the year 2-0. It was the way they lost them. They lost by 10 traveling across the country to face the Oakland Raiders in the Black Hole. The following Sunday night they got abused back east by the Baltimore Ravens. The final was 34-17 but the game was never that close. They had a chance to right the ship when they faced hated division rival the New England Patriots. They only trailed by 3 at halftime but could not stop Tom Brady and company in the second half as the Pats amassed 446 total yards by game's end. Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis trampled over Rex Ryan's defense for 136 rushing yards.

Then the infighting began with veteran wide receiver Santonio Holmes calling out the offensive line and their failure to protect quarterback Mark Sanchez. When Derrick Mason, Plaxico Burress, and Holmes complained to Ryan about the offensive play calling, Mason gets traded to Houston. Although Ryan and General Manager Mike Tannenbaum denied it, many in and out of the organization felt Mason was used as a scapegoat. The New York Jets were in an early season crossroad when they faced the winless Miami Dolphins.

Although they came away with the victory, Miami gave them a run for their money. The more talented San Diego Chargers came into MetLife Stadium before the Jets were scheduled for their bye week. Sanchez throws 3 touchdown passes to Burress and Shonn Greene rushed for 112 yards. The defense forced 2 Phillip Rivers interceptions and shut out the Chargers in the second half. After the bye, their next 2 games would be against the Buffalo Bills and the rematch against New England. A chance to distance themselves and put themselves in the position to win the division. One down one to go.

In what may have been their best defensive performance, the Jets shook off first-half offensive mistakes and buffaloed the Bills 27-11. How dominant were they defensively? They only allowed 14 first downs for the entire game while picking off two Ryan Fitzpatrick's passes. Buffalo did not score in the first half. They kicked a field goal early in the third quarter and did not score again until the game was totally out of reach. Fitzpatrick had averaged 234 yards per game. He ended up with 191. The running game, led by Fred Jackson, came into the game averaging 135 yards. The Jets stuffed them, giving up only 96 yards. If not for a first-quarter Sanchez red zone interception, a fumble and a Nick Folk-missed field goal, the game would have been a complete laugher.

The New York Jets had been 0-2 under Rex Ryan coming off the bye week. He reminded the team of that stat and it must have caught their attention. Now he's hoping they can keep the momentum going when Wonder Boy, Tom Brady, comes to town Sunday night.
A win would at least give them a tie, depending on what Buffalo does when they travel to Dallas Sunday afternoon.

Know one thing: The Jets will be looking at the tapes from the New York Giants, Patriots game to see what Big Blue did on both sides of the ball to come away with a 24-20 victory. It was the first time the two teams met since the Giants blew up New England's quest to run the table in the 2006-2007 season winning the Super Bowl in Arizona. Although the game Sunday did not have that kind of significance, it showed the Giants could overcome injuries at key positions against a quality team. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw was out with broken bone in his right foot. Starting wide receiver Hakim Nicks hamstring prevented him from playing. Still, Eli Manning showed why he is becoming one of the elite quarterback's in the league. Twice, with his team trailing, he drove them downfield to take the lead.

First, down 3 (13-10) with a little more than 7 minutes to go, Manning directs an 8 play, 85-yard drive connecting on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham. Brady gets the ball with 3 minutes to go and good field position as Manningham was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Nine plays later, the Patriots took their last lead of the day when Brady finds tight end Ron Gronkowski for a 14-yard touchdown pass. With 1:36 left in regulation, a field goal would have sent the game into overtime. Manning wanted it all. Starting at their own 20, Manning completes passes to wide receiver Victor Cruz (19 yards) and tight end Jake Ballard (28 yards). Looking downfield on his next pass attempt, Manning steps up in the pocket and scrambles for 12 yards. On the next play with Cruz streaking towards the end zone, Manning heaves the pass as Cruz gets bumped by free safety Sergio Brown who is called for pass interference. It sets up the game-winning, one-yard touchdown pass to Ballard.

Both the New York Jets and the New York Giants set themselves up with big wins to dictate how their season will go from this point on. After losing three in a row, many were ready to throw dirt on the Jets. They can put some room between them and New England with a win Sunday night. The Giants travel to San Francisco to play the surprising (7-1) 49ers. It only gets more interesting after that as they face the Eagles, New Orleans, and Green Bay. Hopefully, they can get both Bradshaw and Hicks back. They're going to need them.

All of the good feelings that came out of the New York Jets locker room after they dismantled the Buffalo Bills a week ago, were quickly snuffed out when they traveled to Pittsburgh to face a team hosting their home opener. The Steelers were also playing with a chip on their shoulders after losing to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos the week before. The last time the Steelers set their spikes on the home turf, they walked off with heads down and shoulders shrugged as Tim Tebow threw a game-winning, overtime touchdown. Seemed like Pittsburgh remembered how that game ended as they brought the Jets back to reality in their 27-10 victory at Heinz Field.

With both teams missing key defensive players, (Darrelle Revis for the Jets and Troy Polamalu for the Steelers) the Jets did pick up where they left off in their home opener against the Bills. Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead after a Shaun Suisham 45-yard field goal. In New York's first possession, QB Mark Sanchez completes 4 of 5 passes for 80 yards, ending in a 14-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes. It was all downhill from that point on for the offense as the Steelers defense suffocated Gang Green the rest of the game. After Nick Folk converted a 38-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-6, the Jets would not get on the scoreboard again.

The defense that Jets head coach Rex Ryan cited as "the best he's coached" since he's been here, could not stop Pittsburgh when it mattered. It began late in the first half with the Steelers starting on their own 20. Ben Roethlisberger completes six passes on the drive for 55 yards. The big play came after connecting with Emanuel Sanders for 19 yards. Thirteen yards were added after safety LaRon Landry gets flagged for a late hit. The drive ends in a one-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller giving the Steelers a 13-10 lead. The Jets offense sputtered the rest of the game with Sanchez only completing 6 of 22 passes for 58 yards. The running game was non-existent as they gained only 90 yards, 22 of those yards coming from Tim Tebow out of the wildcat formation.

The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the time of possession holding on to the ball for more than 13 minutes than New York. It wore on the Jets defense as Roethlisberger finished his day throwing for 275 yards completing 24 of 31 passes. As in his customary fashion, Big Ben shook off several Jets defenders scrambling out of the pocket before tossing a complete pass. As solid as Roethlisberger was overall, Sanchez was only able to complete one pass to his wide receivers in the second half.

Two games do not a season make but it's clear that the New York Jets should be a tad concerned when they travel to Miami to face a team coming off a rout over the Oakland Raiders. Couple that with the fact that Miami is facing its ex-head coach Tony Sparano (now offensive coordinator for the Jets) and just like the Steelers, the Dolphins will be playing with a little extra incentive.

East Rutherford, NJ - So this is what the New York Jets defense looked like with the best cornerback in football Darrelle Revis out with a torn ACL in his left knee, a 34-0 loss to the 49ers at MetLife Stadium. Not a good look, particularly since the San Francisco 49ers spent the week in Ohio rather than travel back home after getting beat by the Minnesota Vikings last week. Considering the 34-0 loss, Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan, not only needs to worry about the Jets defense, but he also needs to be concerned with the 11 players on the offensive team.

With a crowd of 79,088 peppered with San Francisco red, the Mark Sanchez led Jets sputtered as their first three possessions ended in two punts and a fumble. Tim Tebow completed his first pass of the year, but tight end Dedrick Epps gets blasted by C.J. Spillman causing the turnover. It didn't get any better for Sanchez the next time the Jets had the ball. Starting on their own 47 after a horrible Andy Lee punt, Sanchez moves Gang Green to the San Fran 25 yard line. Scrambling left as the pocket protection broke down. Sanchez gets hit by Aldon Smith who then recovers the fumble. 9ers QB Alex Smith moves his team 56 yards on six plays resulting in a 36-yard David Akers field goal and a 10-0 halftime lead.

It was Deja Vu for Sanchez and the offense to start the third quarter as they turned the ball over again the first time they touched the ball. Attempting a short pass to Shaun Greene from his own 46, Sanchez is picked off by Patrick Willis after the ball is tipped by tackle Will Tukuafu. No harm was done as Akers misses a 40-yard field goal attempt but it stalled whatever momentum the Jets were trying to establish. The 9ers extended the lead to 17-0 after a Smith six-play, 52-yard drive. The big play, a 25-yard reception by Delanie Walker. The next turnover sealed the Jets fate and started the mass exodus by the New York faithful.

After completing a 4-yard pass, Santonio Holmes twisted his right knee as he fell to the turf. Holmes rolls over writhing in pain as the ball comes out of his hand and is picked up by Carlos Rogers who runs 51 yards for the backbreaking touchdown. The play was reviewed but the call was not overturned. The clock could not move fast enough for the Jets as they were completely outplayed in every facet by San Francisco.

How ugly was it for the New York Jets? The defense that Ryan touted as his best since he's been here, allowed 245 rushing yards. Three 49er backs ran for more than 50 yards. On offense, the Jets only gained 45 yards rushing. The offensive line didn't help Sanchez either. He was pressured almost every time he dropped back to pass, completing only 13 of 29 passes.

Said Sanchez of the team's overall performance, "this is not the way we imagined this game going. We just left too many opportunities out on the field."

Ryan was clearly steamed afterward using language he had to apologize for. Parents may want to shield their kids from the following quote.

"I apologize for my language," he began his postgame press conference. "Because I was going to say we got our butt kicked. But really, we got our ass kicked. There's no two ways ins or outs about it."

He then dissected how the ass whipping took place.
"We go in and it should be 7-3 at halftime. It's 10-0 because of the mistakes we make. Then we come out, turn the ball over four times. Here's the recipe for getting our ass kicked: 2 for 13 on third down that 15%, four turnovers, a blocked punt when they rush one guy and give up 245 rushing. How's that for a recipe."

Rex Ryan will allow his team the next two days off in order to let his team reflect on the loss.

Starting from the coaching staff to the players, they will need that time to get it together as they have the undefeated Houston Texans coming to New Jersey next Monday night.

After three straight road losses, the New York Jets needed a win any way they could get one. The 0-4 Miami Dolphins came to town just at the right time, although the way the game began, it was hard to tell which team started the game without a victory.

Looking to get his offense on track, Jets head coach Rex Ryan elects to receive after winning the coin toss. They rewarded him by going 3 and out without gaining a first down. Mark Sanchez missing on his 2 pass attempts. It would only get uglier for Gang Green the rest of the quarter as they would be out-gained 176-10 in total yards. Miami had 6 first downs to none for the Jets. Said head coach Rex Ryan, "again a slow start. I don't know why. It seems like it's our m.o."

After the Dolphins took a 3-0 lead (23-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter) they were poised to increase the lead with the ball on the Jets 18 after the kick-off bounces off Brian Mc Intyre. Miami's quarterback Matt Moore looks for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, but Jets cornerback Darrell Revis steps in front for the interception. 100 yards later, the Jets take a 7-3 lead. The Fish would get within 1 after another Carpenter field goal (21 yards) when the Jets offense finally woke up.

With more than 5 minutes to go before the half, Sanchez directs them on a 19 play, 81-yard drive ending in a Sanchez quarterback sneak from 6 yards out. It was his second rushing touchdown of the year. Prior to that, the offense was abysmal. Four times the offense took the field and 4 times they ended up punting. Still, the defense allowed them to get their feet under them as Revis smothered Marshall. Moore's receivers dropped passes that would have kept drives alive. In fact, Marshall dropped a potential touchdown pass with the Dolphins on the Jets 5 yard line.

Miami failed to do anything to begin the third quarter while Sanchez wanted to continue moving the offense. Getting the ball with 7:16 left, he moves them 79 yards on 16 plays. Nick Folk caps the drive with a 28-yard field goal. From that point on it was evident why the Dolphins may not win a game for the rest of the year.

Just as the Jets could not move the ball to begin the game, Miami had a problem moving the ball as the game went on. They punted on their only 2 possessions of the third quarter gaining only 1 first down as a result of a Jets penalty. The fourth quarter wasn't any kinder as New York extended the lead to 24-6.

After another 3 and out, the Jets begin at midfield and watch as veteran La Danian Tomlinson gains 12 yards out of the backfield. Sanchez, out of the shotgun, finds Santonio Holmes across the middle for a short, quick pass which he turns into a 38-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

The New York Jets did exactly what they were supposed to do against a Miami Dolphin team that had come to Met Life Stadium with no wins. It was a much-needed victory after losing their last 3 games on the road. They still have a lot of work to do as the running game once again was not a factor. Sanchez (14-25, 201 yards and no interceptions) did not put up numbers that will raise any eyebrows either. The offensive line did a good job of giving him time to complete passes.

Still, the New York Jets were at a serious crossroad and needed this victory as the schedule has them hosting the San Diego Chargers followed by a bye week. Then they play 2 straight division games at Buffalo before hosting New England. Their season could be determined by the outcome of those games.

East Rutherford, NJ - The week started out for the New York Jets with head coach Rex Ryan making another obnoxious, demeaning remark. This time about San Diego head coach Norv Turner. Ryan could not backpedal from the statement fast enough. He might still be apologizing. Then, on Friday, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis hangs up on a blowhard sports radio host, while trying to defend his 100-yard interception touchdown return against the Miami Dolphins Monday night. With a bye week staring them in the face, followed by two straight division games against Buffalo (on the road) and New England (at home) the Jets could not afford to lose to the Chargers. Ironically, the guy who just might have saved their season is the same guy who had been M-I-A for most of the first six games of the year.

Plaxico Burress came into the game with 14 catches for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not really the offensive production the Jets were hoping for when they signed the enigmatic receiver after spending nearly two years in jail on a gun charge. By games end, Burress would haul in 3 touchdown passes in the 27-21 victory over the Chargers.

Ryan attributed a big part of the victory to the exuberance of the fans. "I want to tip my hat to the fans," he started. It had to be super hard for the Chargers to communicate. You talk about home field advantage. It was probably the difference in the game."

The fans didn't have much to cheer about in the beginning as the offense, once again, came out sluggish. Mark Sanchez (who was pretty subdued after the game) saw his first pass of the game to tight end Dustin Keller get taken away by linebacker Donald Butler as he was falling to the ground. 37 yards later, Butler gives his team a 7-0 lead. You could not help but think the Jets were mumbling to themselves, "oh no, not again." Their second possession ended a string of 4 consecutive three and out over the last 2 games when they marched down the field, resulting in a 35 yard Nick Folk field goal.

The defense continued to struggle going into the second quarter as Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers extends the lead to 14-3 after a 14 play, 76-yard drive finding tight end Antonio Gates for a 2-yard touchdown catch. Not to be outdone, Sanchez (18-33, 173 yards, 3 TD's, 1 Int.) finds Burress for the first of his 3 touchdowns bringing New York within 4 (14-10). San Diego takes an 11 point (21-10) lead on the very next possession as Mike Tolbert caps an 11 play, 87-yard drive, finishing with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Jets are cascaded with a chorus of boos from the more than 79,000 fans as the half comes to the end.

"There was no panic, there was no chewing anybody out," said Ryan of his halftime message to the defense. They must have gotten the message as they didn't give up a single point in the second half. The Jets closed the gap to 4 points (21-17) when Burress' second touchdown catch of the day was highlighted by a 15-yard run by Shonn Greene. He finished his day with 112 yards on 20 carries. His second straight 100+ yard game. "The offensive line did a great job," Greene started. "When everyone does their job, we move as a unit."
With the defense showing Rivers a different look every time he took the field, San Diego struggled the way the Jets did at the start. First, with the Chargers threatening on the Jets 25, looking to extend the lead, Rivers pass to Vince Jackson gets tipped and falls into the hands of that man, Revis. He returns it 64 yards to the San Diego 19 yard line. At one point, it looked like he would take it to the house. "What I should have did is what I did last week and cut it back," said Revis.

Five plays later, the Jets would take their first lead of the day (24-21) when Burress hauls in his third touchdown catch of the afternoon. This time, with San Diego playing him one on one, he steps inside towards the goal post for the 3-yard catch. In all of the excitement with the media suffocating him at his locker, Plax had a hard time remembering how the play developed. "I didn't think the guy (cornerback Antoine Cason was the victim on all 3 of his touchdown catches) would play me with outside leverage," he began.

"He just gave me the release and I just worked it. I didn't have time to finish the rout I beat him so bad at the line of scrimmage."

The Jets defense did not let up their second-half dominance after going up 27-21 on another Folk field goal (30 yards) after Rivers gets picked off, this time by cornerback Kyle Wilson. With 1:29 left and a chance for the Chargers to stage a come from behind win, Rivers comes up short missing his last pass to attempt to Jackson.

Like the team they share MetLife Stadium with, the New York Jets now have a chance to get healthy as they don't play again until November 6th when they visit Buffalo. Hopefully, there won't be any off the field issues like there was leading up to their game against San Diego.

"We played well," said ex-Charger LaDainian Tomlinson, who battled the flu.

He did start but came out after only gaining 14 yards on 5 attempts.

"This was our best performance of the year. We had great focus this week in practice and guys understood the magnitude of going into the bye week with a win," Tomlinson continued.

Dean Smith Acknowledgement, NFL Combine, Nets Scrambling, and Knicks in the Basement

GLENN: THANKS FOR JOINING US.

GREG: IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE PASSING OF DEAN SMITH, THE COACHING INNOVATOR WHO WON TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AT NORTH CAROLINA, AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN 1976 AND INDUCTION INTO BASKETBALL'S HALL OF FAME MORE THAN A DECADE BEFORE HE LEFT THE BENCH, DIED ON SUNDAY. HE WAS 83.

GLENN: THE NFL COMBINE IS IN FULL SWING. TEAMS ARE GETTING READY FOR NEXT SEASON.  BUT I WANT TO TAKE A QUICK LOOK BACK TO SUPER BOWL 49 BECAUSE I DO HAVE AN ISSUE.

GREG: STAYING WITH FOOTBALL AND THE COMBINE WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MEDIA’S CREATION OF THE JAMEIS WINSTON - MARCOS MARIOTTA COMPETITION? AND SPEAKING ABOUT GUYS COMING OUT OF COLLEGE, CARDEL JONES, OHIO STATE’S STAND OUT 3RD STRING QUARTERBACK DECIDED TO STAY IN SCHOOL. SHOULD HE HAVE STAYED OR SHOULD HE HAVE BOLTED FOR THE NFL?

GREG: THE NEW YORK JETS HIRED TODD BOWLES AS HEAD COACH TO REPLACE REX RYAN. IS THIS A GOOD MOVE FOR THE JETS? AND GIANTS MAY GIVE TOM COUGHLIN AN EXTENSION IS THIS GOOD FOR THE GIANTS?

GLENN: SINCE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT QUARTERBACKS, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT MY TOP FIVE NFL QBS OF ALL TIME: 1) MONTANA 2) BRADY 3) DOUG WILLIAMS 4) AARON ROGERS 5) WARREN MOON ...THAT'S RIGHT I SAID IT! AND RUSSELL WILSON IS RIGHT BEHIND MOON, SO THERE.

GREG: I NOTICED THAT PEYTON MANNING IS NOT ON YOUR LIST. MANNING TOLD THE DENVER BRONCOS THAT HE IS READY TO ROLL. DOES HE HAVE ANOTHER SUPERBOWL RUN LEFT IN HIS ARM?