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…)

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.

In his press conference this afternoon, Eric Mangini named quarterback Chad Pennington the starter this week against the Bills. Mangini said that he was only focused on this week as far as the quarterback situation goes.

Well, a lot of people aren’t going to be happy about this, but there’s a lot of reasons possibly why he didn’t make the switch.

1. Having already had TE Chris Baker and ILB and defensive captain Jonathon Vilma speak out against him, Mangini fears that benching Chad would lose the locker room completely. After a game in which Chad threw a 50+ yard touchdown pass, 3 total, and overall played his best game of the season, benching Chad would seem like a scapegoat maneuver. It also could be viewed as Mangini wanting to play “his guys” and seeing how a good deal of this team’s current core is built up of “Herm’s Jets”, Mangini is being careful to not poison the locker room.
2. 20/31, 272, 3 TDs, 1 INT. If reports are true, and Mangini gave Chad one last shot to save his job based on the Cincinnati game, then Chad should have done just that.
3. Kellen Clemens isn’t ready. Look, I know there’s a lot of people out there who saw the Baltimore game, specifically the 4th quarter, and immediately thought, “Screw Chad! This kid can win us games NOW!” Well, look at it closer. When Baltimore was putting pressure on, he looked nervous and inconsistent. His passes were overthrown and he was holding on to the ball too long in the pocket. Did he have a very good 4th quarter? Yes, but it was against a team in prevent defense barely rushing more than 4 guys. Do you think teams are going to sit back and let a 2nd year QB pick the team apart? Not a chance. They’re going to analyze that Baltimore film and send the house after him time after time, confusing him and forcing him into bad mistakes. Imagine a young quarterback going through the next 9 games exactly like the first three quarters in Baltimore. It would be a bad situation for both Clemens and the Jets.
4. Because, as much as everyone hates to admit it, Chad Pennington is the best chance for this team to remain competitive–and it has, so far. This team has been in every single game (sans Patriots). As much as we’d like to think we know more than the guys running this team, we don’t. They see Chad and Kellen on the practice field and in the class room, meeting room and film room every day. They obviously think from seeing that work day in and day out that Chad continues to be this team’s best chance to win.

The bottom line is we don’t know more than Eric Mangini. He’s forgotten more about football than most fans, observers and journalists will probably ever know. Whether you like him or not, respect him or not, or understand his decisions, you’ve got to give him the benefit of the doubt. The way I look at it is I would much rather the Jets remain competitive and finish out the season 6-10 or 7-9 (the latter a long shot, I know) than put in a young quarterback who isn’t ready and watch him get beat up every week while finishing with one of the worst records in the league.

I know this is going to seem off topic, but just bear with me for a second.

Things you need to know before we start:

1. I own Shaun Alexander and Willie Parker and have spent the past 6 weeks contemplating how much it would cost to murder Alexander and Mike Tomlin. (On a side note, is there any bigger story than Tomlin turning into the fantasy football equivalent of Michael Meyers? I mean, have you seen what he’s done to Willie Parker’s touchdown numbers? GIVE HIM THE BALL ON THE GOAL LINE!) Ahem.
2. My league has 14 teams and we start 2 QBs, 2 WRs, 2 RBs, 1 TE, 1 WR/RB, kicker, team defense, and 4 individual defensive players.
3. We count completions (1 point), receptions(1 point), 20 rushing yards per point, 25 receiving per point, and 50 passing per point. Everything else is pretty much standard.

Sunday afternoon, I watched intently as my team APPLEBAUM! 07 was hanging on for dear life. It was one of those make-or-break weeks where you find out whether you’re going to spend the rest of the season chasing a title or pondering the pros and cons of adding Selvin Young for the next four weeks before ultimately deciding against it and picking up Fred Taylor instead. Read the rest of this entry �

Look, let’s face it. That loss was not on Chad Pennington. It wasn’t. The run defense was awful and he played well enough to keep his job if you base it solely on that game. However, if you wrap the game within the context of the season, which you have to do, then the interception in the fourth quarter has got to force change. For the fourth game in a row, Chad has thrown an interception on a potential game-winning or game-tying drive, and each time it was due to Chad’s inabilities as a quarterback. On the final drive, Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots pointed out that Pennington continued to throw the same route as the Jets moved down the field and that it was only a matter of time before the Bengals’ cornerbacks adjusted and jumped the route. I believe Wilcots said, “If you wait on it, he’ll throw it right to your numbers.” Wilcots was talking about the defensive backs numbers, not the wide receiver. In the words of the late Owen Hart, “Enough is enough and it’s time for a change.”

Formerly a staunch supporter of Pennington, Mangini was much more vague this week referring to his quarterback situation.

On what he’ll do about his quarterback situation …

“I will have to watch the tape to evaluate that. I will watch the tape and personally evaluate every player on this team. I will meet with all of our players through the week and evaluate them. The conversations I have with the players are internal, and I hope you can respect that.”

On if he’ll stick with Pennington as his starting QB …

“I am going to look at the film. I am going to assess every situation with coaches and players. Our current result is not good enough. The coaching is not good enough, and neither is the production from the players. Our current situation is just not good enough. There is plenty of accountability to go around for what is going on with the organization right now. It all starts right here. At this point I am going to evaluate each person on this roster from top to bottom. I am going to look at every situation. I am going to evaluate our coaching staff. The organization will be evaluated from top to bottom, and we will do some things that make it possible for us to play a complete football game.”

This is a big change from the “Chad is our starting quarterback” days. If I had to guess, I’d say Kellen Clemens starts next week.

1. QB Chad Pennington - Short leash and all. Most Jets fans didn’t need Mort’s report to understand that this was it for Chad. Play big or go home, or at least to the sidelines. Cincinnati’s defense is abysmal and is prone to giving up big plays. Even with TE Chris Baker left at home, Pennington has some outstanding weapons to make plays against a defense that has been beaten all year. If the Bengals play Pennington like everyone else has and stack the line, then Chad’s going to have to go over the top and find his receivers down the sidelines. Unfortunately, barring a shoulder transplant sometime in the past seven days, Chad’s unlikely to be able to do that and as the Bills showed, any defense can gameplan Chad Pennington’s arm and abilities. Get those Clemens chants going now.
2. Darrelle Revis, Andre Dyson, David Barrett - Not since they matched up against the Patriots has the Jets secondary faced such a daunting offense. Pro bowl quarterback Carson Palmer and pro bowl wide receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmendzadeh have the potential to absolutely light up the Jets secondary, using the Jets corners as playthings. The problem here is that while Revis has clearly taken a step up and asserted himself as the Jets #1 corner, neither Dyson nor Barrett has shown an ability to consistently take away a team’s top threat. Look for Palmer to spread the ball around early, trying to expose the Jets’ corner most susceptible to being picked on.
3. The Run Game - Thomas Jones had his biggest game as a Jet last week in the loss to Philadelphia and gave Jets fans hope that perhaps Jones can indeed be a stabilizing presence in a backfield needing one since the loss of Curtis Martin. Jones flashed an ability to make something out of nothing, reading blocks and bouncing outside for his first two runs of the day that totaled over 60+ yards combined. This week, Jones is facing a Bengals defense so banged up that they are starting former Jet Anthony Schlegel at LB and moved DE Robert Geathers to OLB for the game, his first experience at the position. Jones should be able to find holes against this defense and once he gets to the second level should expect to find vulnerable defenders.
4. Leon Washington - Because it’s just fun seeing him with the ball in his hands. I don’t expect the Bengals to kick to him today, but if they do, watch out. Leon was close to breaking one last week against Philadelphia but was tripped up. Look for Washington to get the ball in all facets of the game this week, especially in the short pass. As mentioned above, the Bengals linebackers are weak and short-staffed, so Leon could do a lot of damage on screens, draws and safety-valve passes to the flat. If Washington can get the ball in space, then it’s going to be a long day for the Bengals defense.
5. Pass Rush, Run Defense - Please. Please. Please, show up. Please. The Bengals offensive line is tattered and this really is the perfect matchup to show that they have some semblance of a defense. If the Jets can get in Palmer’s face, it could make things a lot easier on the Jets secondary. On the same theme, Bengals RB Rudi Johnson is out and Kenny Watson will be starting in his place. The Jets SHOULD be able to contain Watson and if so, could reduce the Bengals to a one-dimensional team.

After a one-week respite, From The Other Side is back. This week’s blogger is current Spectrum Sports Editor Joe Glenn. Joe’s going to be at the game with me tomorrow, so once again, I have to watch the game with an opposing fan. In case you’re keeping score, that’s each home game I’ve managed to bring an opposing fan to. Maybe I’m cursing the Jets. Okay, I’m officially off-task. Enjoy people.

It can only go uphill from here
By Joseph Glenn

The Eagles are coming off a bye week and things can really only get better. For a team that came into the season with Super Bowl dreams, the 1-3 Eagles have struggled offensively, to say the least. With the exception of a 56-point outburst against Detroit, Philadelphia has been held to 13 points or less in each of their other contests.

Philadelphia heads to Giants Stadium to play at the same venue as their last game. The New York Giants held the Eagles to a field goal in a 16-3 victory in Week 4.  Quarterback Donovan McNabb was sacked a ridiculous 12 times. He was also only able to pass for 138 yards, probably because he was on lying on the ground so much. 

McNabb, who was known for his ability to run, cannot be accused of turning to the ground too much this year. He has only run on 13 occasions, gaining a measly 35 yards. He has been sacked more than he has run this year, as opposing defenses have gotten to him 17 times so far this season. 

Wide receiver Kevin Curtis was kept in check by the Giants. A week after he had 221 yards, Curtis had 2 receptions for a total of 21 yards. Despite the low number of receiving yards in Week 4, he is the team leader at 323.

The offense should receive some help as long as they do have the return of Brian Westbrook. The versatile running back was out of their last game with an abdominal strain.  Westbrook returned to practice this week. He is averaging 97 rushing yards a game this season and is known for his ability to contribute to the passing game as well. 

Cornerback Lito Sheppard and tight end L.J. Smith also practiced this week and might be able to return to the lineup as well. Running back Correll Buckhalter did a good job filling in for Westbrook, rushing for 103 yards on 18 against the Giants.

Philadelphia has been penalized for 258 yards this season, compared to 152 by opponents. However, their rushing defense is ranked 6th in the league, allowing only 74.5 yards per game. They have let up 299.0 yards of total offense per game, good for 9th in the NFL.

The Eagles undefeated following a bye-week under head coach Andy Reid, at 8-0. Another factor that helps is that the Jets are also struggling this season. They are 1-4 so far, after reaching the playoffs last season. The good news for both teams is that somebody has to win.