Take a dash of terrible playcalling, a dab of bust, and a whole lot of underachiever and you’ve just found the perfect recipe for the Jets 2007 defense.

Defensive Line - It’s not that they don’t try. You can see the grimmaces and strained muscles and hear the grunts on game film, but for all the might, for all the effort, there’s been little result. The pass rush is non-existent and whatever run-stopping ability they discovered in the second half of 2006 has failed to carry over.

DE Shaun Ellis looks more and more like a goner as days pass and has led many Jets fans to wonder if that massive contract extension was a mistake and whether his production was due to having John Abraham opposite him. Ellis’ pass-rushing ability appears spottingly, at best; likely a combination of the ineptitude of the line and Ellis’ declining skills.

NT Dewayne Robertson, what else can we say? It’s become apparent that the 300-pound miscast is coasting at this point, knowing that he’s as good as gone at the end of this lost season. Robertson was a bad fit in Mangini’s system from the getgo, and while he has had some bright moments, he’s still seemed lost most of the time. He’s unable to take on blocks, and while trying to take on multiple linemen, he’s lost his ability to get to the passer. online free pokerpoker game download7 card stud strategiestexas holdem poker,holdem poker site texas,texas holdem poker strategyfree texas holdem download7 card stud rules7 card stud gamespai gow pokerfree online video pokerinternet gambling poker,internet poker,card game internet pokeronline poker lawpoker oddsplay money pokerpoker freelive online pokerfree texas hold emtexas hold em poker onlinecaribbean pokerhow to play pokerfree online poker tightpokervideo poker downloadwin 7 card studonline video pokerplaying poker onlinepoker card gamegambling pokeronline poker sitetexas holdem,texas holdem download,free texas holdem downloaddraw pokervirtual pokerfree money online poker,free poker online,free online poker tightpokerfree texas hold em pokeronline casino pokerinternet gambling pokeronline poker softwareonline poker freefree poker moneylimit 7 card studonline poker schoolfree poker gamefree 7 card stud pokerfree poker softwareplay texas holdem onlineonline poker no downloadfree omaha poker,hi lo omaha poker rule,omaha pokerfree online poker game,free texas hold em poker,free pokeronline poker 7 card stud7 card stud gamebest card credit rate transfercompare credit card offer The third man on this lost unit, free-agent acquisition Kenyon Coleman, has been serviceable, if not solid. However, it’s clear that Coleman is not the answer on this unit and is merely a rotation player, not worth the 20+ million he received in the offseason. Coleman’s got a good motor, but it’s difficult to make an impression when you’re fighting a losing battle down after down.

Backup d-linemen Eric Hicks, Sione Pouha, and C.J. Mosley have each had an individual moment to shine, but for the most part have been ineffective and unnoticeable. Neither Pouha nor Mosley is the answer in the middle and Hicks is just an aging veteran hanging on. Look for the Jets to massively overhaul this entire unit in the offseason, particularly in the draft. They need to replace Ellis and Robertson as well as increasing depth.

Linebackers - David Harris has been a revelation; Victor Hobson and Bryan Thomas have disappeared; Eric Barton is serviceable and Jonathon Vilma is on the next train out of town.

In the two games since taking over for Vilma in the starting lineup, Harris has compiled 41 tackles, 30 of them solo tackles. Most of them are likely due to missed tackles and/or assignments by fellow ‘backers, but Harris has been a clear impact player the past two games, particularly against Buffalo. He has proved to be one of the best, if not the best, value pick from the 2007 draft. The rest is a whole other story.

Hobson started off as his consistent, usual self, but has disappeared as the season began its downturn. Thomas likely is swimming in all his new contract money ala Scrooge McDuck and I personally wouldn’t care if weren’t on this team next year. He’s shown no heart this year whatsoever. Eric Barton is what he is. He’s a better fit on the outside in the 4-3, but on the inside of the 3-4 he’s a decent rotation player with a good motor and solid pass-rushing and coverage skills who is more suited to a backup role. I’d be mildly surprised if he returned next season.Vilma, on the other hand, has clearly been ostracized by this system and some would say by the regime running the organization. His mysterious knee injury and subsequent surgery have hidden the fact that Vilma was having a second terrible season in the 3-4. He was pushed off the ball far too often and was completely unable to utilize his range, instincts and speed in this assignment-driven system. His trade value prior to the injury was late 1st round, but his injury may have shifted that to the 2nd and who knows what impact the Jets desire to move him will have on the proceedings. Let’s just hope this doesn’t turn into another Pete Kendall.

Backups Brad Kassell and David Bowens have been completely non-existent and don’t expect to see either of them return. In my opinion, Bowens has been completely misused and I’m still confused as to why we haven’t seen him more in an attempt to jumpstart the pass rush. Really a shame. Did someone say Terrell Suggs or Quentin Groves?

Secondary - Much like the linebackers, it’s been a rookie and then everyone else. Rookie CB Darrelle Revis has been outstanding this season. He’s made rookie mistakes but as late as the second Buffalo game, Revis clearly established himself as the #1 corner on this team for the years to come. He’s got good ball skills and as shown by Revis’ team-leading 47 solo tackles (not a good thing), is a sure open-field tackler. Revis’ next challenge will be learning to cover taller, more physical wide receivers like a Randy Moss. Don’t expect to see him playing in the slot after this year.

While Revis was supposed to shore up the corner spot opposite last year’s starter Andre Dyson, it’s been Dyson and fellow cornerback David Barrett that have collapsed and proven unreliable. Both are guarantees to be gone by next season as both have given up big plays at inopportune times and have proven so invisible in pass coverage that teams have chosen to attack them instead of the rookie, Revis. Backup cornerbacks Hank Poteat and Drew Coleman again have proved to be just that and should land on the 2008 roster as depth players backing up Revis and whomever else is brought in to start opposite him and in the slot.

As far as the safeties go, it’s been a lost year for SS Kerry Rhodes, likely due to having to forgo many of his playmaking abilities to try to provide a stabilizing presence in a misshapen unit. There’s been only a couple games when Rhodes has been let loose on the defense and been able to make the plays that he made last year. Here’s my question though, has Rhodes had to forego his special talents to help a bad secondary or has the secondary become worse because Rhodes hasn’t been allowed by defensive coordinator (and Satan’s right hand man) Bob Sutton to play by the line of scrimmage and roam the field? It’s likely a mixture of both, but I tend to lean on the latter instead of the former.

Rhodes’ opposite safety spot has been a revolving door this season. From Erik Coleman to Eric Smith to Avram “One Big Mistake” Elam, it’s been a constantly shifting face at free safety in an attempt to find something that works. Elam has shown an ability to make the big hit, but sometimes to the Jets detriment. Smith had overtaken Coleman in the preseason but an injury set him back and we’ve yet to see him 100% this season. Coleman, the once-golden-boy of the Jets secondary is clearly on the outs and has lost his place in the Jets future. He’s been unable to cover consistently for the better part of 2 seasons and has yet to duplicate the success of his rookie year. The Jets will likely look at New England free agent corneracks Randall Gay and Asante Samuel in the offseason to shore up the outside and could go into next season with Elam and Smith fighting for the starting FS job.

(Special Teams and Coaching still to come…)

Before we can hypothesize what this team will look like next year, we need to figure out what it will look like next year. So, like we did after 4 weeks, let’s look at the team that has so befallen expectations.

(Note: No grades this time around, we don’t need to be reminded again.)

Quarterbacks - A month ago, I wrote “Clemens is unlikely to see the field unless the season gets completely out of hand.” Well, it’s out of hand, pocket and time at this point. It’s a season lost to the football gods and it’s time to see what Clemens offers. In his first start since the second game of the season, it was immediately evident that Clemens’ arm is much stronger than Pennington’s. It was none more evident than when Clemens rolled left and threw across his body to Justin McCareins 20 yards downfield. Also apparent was the advantage Clemens has in the legs department. Clemens scrambled for several first downs and was the second-leading rusher with 48 yards on the day. Never to be confused with Vince Young or Michael Vick, Clemens figures to be more along the lines of a Ben Roethlisberger who can create time in and out of the pocket with his legs and give his receivers the extra time they need to get open as well as tuck and run if needed.

Where Clemens clearly lacks though, is accuracy, sporting just 51% accuracy on the season. However, that’s to be expected from a young quarterback and when he misses he misses high, which is better than missing to the other team. It will be interesting to see how Clemens handles the rest of the season. This bye week should give him a good chance to reflect on second career start before a tough second half of the season that includes matchups with Tennessee, Pittsburgh, New England, and Dallas.

Former starter Chad Pennington has gone the way of Browning Nagle, Richard Todd and Ken O’Brien, and after being unable to fulfill expectations is likely to be on another team next year. It’s an unfortunate end to a good career for the former Marshall standout. I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Chad, and hope he lands on his feet next year… as well as landing the Jets a late round draft pick.

Running Back - Umm, can we just scrap this year and start over? Although Thomas Jones is at the age where most running backs suddenly “lose it”, this year seems more attributable to the offensive line, an unbalanced offense and spotty playcalling than Jones’ sudden loss of ability. There’s been several series and games when Jones has show the ability to make something out of nothing and to bounce plays outside for extra yardage. Jets fans have got to hold out hope that if the line is fixed up this offseason and Clemens’ presence and strong arm balances out the playcalling, then Jones could return to the 1,200 yard back of yore.

On the flip side of the coin, it’s likely Leon Washington’s role in the offense will continue to be minimal given his sudden revelation in the kick return game. However, Washington’s speed and ability to read the field makes him ideal on short passes and screens, giving the Jets offense a dangerous option if they choose to use it.

Wide Receiver/Tight End - Laveranues Coles’ concussion interrupted what could be Coles’ best season as Jet. Paired with Jerricho Cotchery, the duo gives new quarterback Kellen Clemens a dangerous tandem that isn’t afraid to go across the middle. Although Cotchery’s touchdown numbers are down, his receptions, yards, and yards per catch and yards after catch averages are all up and are likely to surpass the career highs he set last year. Developing WR Brad Smith is an athletic beast and an absolute sponge when it comes to learning the positional nuances. His growth in a season and a half is nothing short of extraordinary and Smith figures to develop even more when he has a full offseason and training camp to commit to learning the position.

With Pennington no longer under center, McCareins likely has a chance to audition himself for teams for next season and perhaps increase whatever trade value he has. TE Chris Baker continues to show his pass-catching ability and I’m thoroughly convinced that the Jets should go out and sign a Kyle Brady type in the offseason to stay in and block so Baker can be utilized more in the passing game. (Note: I said a Kyle Brady type, not Kyle himself.) Yes, that’s right, I have no faith in Joe Kowalewski or Sean Ryan to be the 2nd TE the Jets offense needs.

Offensive Line: I think the phrase “you win some, you lose some” adequately describes the Jets offensive line–either that or “terribly inconsistent.” There’s been rays of life; i.e. LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson shutting down elite pass rushers Jason Taylor, Aaron Schobel, and Osi Umenyiora in consecutive weeks. However, there’s been horrible, horrible misjudgments; i.e. Adrien Clarke. C Nick Mangold has had a solid second season, although certainly not the pro bowl season everyone expected and RG Brandon Moore has proven that he is a solid right guard, but certainly prone to replacement should one surface. RT Anthony Clement has certainly seen his time and it’s only a matter of time before he’s somewhere else. While I think Clement could be a decent depth player, he’s not a starter anymore and his play thus far this season has likely doomed him in the eyes of Jets management.

Honestly, it’s a mixed bag at this point and it’s become apparent that LG Pete Kendall really was the glue that kept the line together last season. However, it’d be rash to consider the line with Kendall this year as Clement and Moore have clearly regressed. Likely, the Jets will head into the draft looking for at least 3 new offensive linemen in an attempt to mimic the success of the better teams in the league.

(Defense and Special Teams to follow tomorrow…)

Hey folks, like Jay-Z and MJ from retirement (twice), I’m back from a much-needed respite. Sorry for the absence, but it’s a one-man show around here and unlike certain organizations (*cough*JetsCentral*cough*), I don’t have the funds to outsource talent.

I’ve been quite busy with things in the world, errands, a job search, work, and certain social appointments.

Anywho, I’m getting back into the swing of things, so today will be the first return and then as things pick up after the bye weekend we’ll get back into all-out mode.

That’s right, I managed to fit in a Beatles and an N’Sync reference into a title about the QB change. I figured since I’m a day late, I had to spruce it up to grab people’s attention. Anywho,  head coach Eric Mangini has named Kellen Clemens the starter for Sunday’s game against Washington (and the foreseeable future).

Well, Jets fans, you get what you’ve been asking for and now Clemens is going to start against an aggressive, hungry defense pissed off after being embarrassed by New England. Obviously, it was time, but this is just the signal of a lost season and it’ll be interesting to see how the veteran players react to Mangini’s concession.

Also, I’m stating this now to preface the start of the Clemens era. If, somehow, someway, the Jets turn around the season under Clemens and win 5 or 6 of their remaining

games, Jets fans are prohibited from saying the following sentence: “If we had started Kellen after the Baltimore game, we’d be in the playoffs!” It just doesn’t work that way. You can’t say how he would have performed in the prior games and circumstance. You’ve been warned, Jets fans. Oh, and also, if you’re gonna boo the kid, then just trade in your tickets for a Knicks game. That’s the only time booing is accepted from start to finish.

From The Other Side is back. This week, we welcome back former Spectrum Sports Editor Dave Jarka. You may remember that Dave wrote without a doubt the most in-depth comprehensive preview prior to the firsts Jets/Bills game this season. We welcome him back for a second contribution.

Four weeks after winning its first game of the season, the Buffalo Bills set their sights on sweeping the New York Jets in 2007.

Team Overview
There are some differences that exist between the Buffalo team since they last played the Jets. The Bills with Trent Edwards going under center seem to start exerting a better sense of confidence in its play. As Jets fans saw in the first game of the season, Edwards showed a sense of maturity and smarts that you wouldn’t expect out of a rookie and has secured the job away from J.P. Losman. There was a bit of controversy going into last week’s game against a stingy Baltimore defense, but Edwards managed the game well and once again kept rookie mistakes to a minimal in the Bills’ second win of the year and was thus able to secure the job away from Losman with his performance.

Marshawn Lynch has continued to be a workhorse back for Buffalo, which is something that a team with a young starting quarterback needs. Lynch is averaging 76.2 yards a game and leads the team in touchdowns with four with most of this production coming from some very hard running. He still is underutilized in the passing game.

It has taken a bit of time, but Lee Evans is starting to appear again in the Buffalo passing attack. Edwards originally was not throwing the ball as much as a team’s No. 1 wide out would like an openly admitted that he would prefer Losman at quarterback.  However, the duo was able to connect five times against the Ravens and Evans had a season-high 98 yards and now leads the team in total receiving yards with 211.

Edwards spreading the ball around and concentrating on throwing to the open receiver has also seen more production out of the tight end position. Robert Royal and Michael Gaines both have nine receptions this year with Gaines having the lone receiving score for the Bills.

Slowly but surely, it seems the Bills defense is finally starting to recover from injuries. The returns of Keith Ellison and Coy Wire have re-strengthened Buffalo’s linebackers.  Ellison retook his spot on the weak side while Wire becomes the topic back-up across the board. John DiGiorgio has played well enough in Paul Posluszny’s absence to remain the starter in the middle.

The return of Anthony Hargrove has helped add some extra kick to the pass rush. His continuing presence on the field should help opening things up more for Buffalo’s best pass rusher Aaron Schobel, who still only has 1.5 sacks on the year. John McCargo still remains the defensive tackle with the biggest upside.

The situation in the defensive backfield seems to have stabilized itself. Terrence McGee leads the team with nine passes defended while Jabari Greer has turned out to be a bit of a pleasant surprise opposite of him while Ashton Youboty still battles the injury bug. In Jim Leonhard’s absence, George Wilson has stepped up admirably well. The former practice squad wide receiver took an interception for touchdown in his first career start against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

With the team being able to move the ball better offensively, Rian Lindell has had more chances to kick field goals as he is seven for nine on the season. Brian Moorman continues to boom his punts for 45.4 yards per boot and has landed a third of his kicks inside the 20-yard line. McGee and Parrish both are potent on their kick returning abilities.

The Match-Up
Expect to see higher statistics from Edwards this week after putting in a good effort against Baltimore last week. He and Evans are starting to get some chemistry together while maintaining the trend of throwing to the open receiver.

With the loss of Jonathan Vilma for the remainder of the year, look for Lynch to be able to find increased running room in the New York defense although Lynch wasn’t exactly the “Jet Killer” like Willis McGahee is.

If Chad Pennington can avoid the mistakes he made against the Bills earlier this season, we could see another big day out of Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery. Buffalo’s pass defense has improved, but they are still no where close to being great.

Thomas Jones will find it harder to run on the Bills with the injury returns after a banged up Buffalo squad held him to just 35 yards earlier this year.

In terms of intangibles, it will be a case of momentum vs. disparity with Buffalo coming off its win over the Ravens and the Jets currently on a four game skid. Coincidentally, the last time these two teams clashed the shoes were on the other feet with the Bills being winless and New York had just come off a victory over Miami. It turned out to be a fairly even match-up with the home team (Buffalo) walking away with the win. Thus in this sense, the Jets will have the advantage which is buffered as well by the fact that this will be Edwards first NFL career start on the road.

However, I think the biggest “X-factor” comes down to Pennington. With Kellen Clemens waiting in the wings, either Pennington will either sink or swim this week as it looks like his job is on the line on a weekly basis. Pennington should be able to swim in the choppy water of the Hudson River as he as proved to have a higher quarterback rating at home than on the road. So thus, it looks as the stars are aligned for a second Jets win.

1. Offensive Playcalling - The last time the Jets played the Bills, they came out run heavy and very conservative and it ended up costing them. The Bills have a young, wounded defense that can be exploited in the secondary. For the Jets to win this game, they’re going to have to call a much more aggressive gameplan and really attack the Bills from all angles. They cannot afford to simply sit back and wait for the game to come to them. That’s what’s gotten them in trouble. A perfect example is how they started the game last week against Cincinnati by going deep immediately to Laveranues Coles on a deep post. It’ll be interesting to see what the Jets choose to emphasize and establish tomorrow afternoon.
2. David Harris - With starting ILB Jonathon Vilma out for the remainder of the season, the rookie Harris will get every and any opportunity to earn his way through his first year. Truth is, the Jets don’t have much choice, but for those Jets fans clamoring to see more of the big, physical run stuffer, this will be the perfect opportunity. Buffalo is likely to run, run, run rookie RB Marshawn Lynch early and often and Harris will be a big part of the Jets defensive gameplan. However, the thing I’m interested to see is Harris on passing downs. We all know Harris can stop the run, but with Vilma out, he’ll likely have to play most 3rd downs. Can he hold his own dropping back in coverage? The Bills will likely send a TE and running backs into the middle of the field to test him. This is going to be a big game for the first year ‘backer out of Michigan. Let’s see if he steps up.
3. Darrelle Revis - Andre Dyson’s as good as gone, David Barrett can’t cover Stephen Hawking, and Hank Poteat is nothing better than a nickel corner. This secondary is relying heavily on Revis to contain opposing team’s passing games. Last time the Bills and Jets met, Revis was torched in the slot and the Bills’ rookie QB Trent Edwards was able to consistently find open targets. During that game the Bills used star WR Lee Evans in the slot a lot to create matchup problems for the young Revis and it proved to be troublesome for the young cornerback. This week, Revis will have to rebound from the Cincinnati game in which he committed two crucial pass interference calls that cost the Jets points. It will be interesting to see whether the Jets finally leave Revis alone on the outside and allow Barrett and Poteat to play the slot.
4. Offensive Line - Last week, when it mattered the offensive line folded, stopping an run of solid play that had been going on for several weeks. This week, LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson will face off against pro bowl DE Aaron Schobel for the second time this season. Earlier this season, Ferguson did a very good job on Schobel and gave Pennington a good amount of time to find the open man. Schobel is a smart player and likely will have new tricks and moves for Ferguson and it will be up to Ferguson to adapt and continue to develop. Ferguson’s ability to handle premiere pass rushers on a consistent basis has been one of few bright spots of the season and this is just another test for the young bookend.
5. Matt Chatham - Chatham was added to the active roster this week and Mangini will likely use him often in an attempt to spark a pedestrian linebacking corps. Not that Chatham is the answer to the Jets problems at the second level, but his energy and knowledge of the system couldn’t hurt. It’ll be interesting to see how much time he gets fresh off the PUP list.
6. Leon Washington, Brad Smith - What are they going to do now? It may not be an exciting time to be a Jets fan, but these two are some definite bright spots in a cloudy situation.

The Jonathon Vilma Saga comes to a crushing end, at least in the eyes of those hoping the run defense would pick up. Vilma has been placed on injured reserve and is out for the remainder of the season.

Get those David Harris jerseys ready.

• Bent sends his thoughts from across the pond, but soon enough he’ll be on this side of the Atlantic.
• Is there any wonder why the Dolphins haven’t won a game?
  
• As a Jets season ticket holder, WHY, N.FL., WHY!?!
• Rock highlights the drive that saved Chad’s job.
• Gross has somewhat of a Vilma update.
• Glauber thinks the N.F.L.’s new draft legislation is a good idea.

• Check out Wednesday’s player interviews and Mangini’s press conference.
• Mangini knows that the defense is clearly an issue.
• Here’s a transcript of the Buffalo conference calls.
• TE Sean Ryan is seeing his hard work pay off.
• GM Mike Tannenbaum and the Jets will be honored for their work in the community.

• Pelzman thinks the Jets simply didn’t do enough in the offseason.
• Typical Chad.
• Even TE Chris Baker says it was his back, not his mouth, that kept him out of action.
• The Jets have to be wary of the Bills offense moving the ball at will again.
• Was a vote for Chad, a vote against Kellen? (Thanks to TJB)
  
• Patriots DE Richard Seymour is practicing again.