Turn On The Jets 2009/2010 Season Awards: Players

First a few updates:

1. I made a mistake when discussing restricted free agents in my last article. If you look at the comments section under the article, two people corrected me with the actual rules on RFA’s and the options the Jets have on players like Leon Washington and Kellen Clemens. Here is what they are eligible to do (pulled from comment by SBS0311, thanks to you and DEK for the heads up) -

Your tender suggestions on Clemens and Washington aren’t permitted under the CBA. There’s five distinctions:

No compensation

Draft Round compensation (ex. Clemens 2nd, Leon 4th).

2nd Round Compensation

1st Round

1st and Third

It would actually cost the Jets the same exact money to tender Clemens at a 2nd round level as it would to tender him at no compensation.

With Leon, the Jets will have to tender him at $1.545 M for 2nd round and then at increasing salaries for the 1st and then the 1st and 3rd.

Anyway, bad job by me with the mistake and thanks again for the corrections.

2. My thoughts on the whole Rex Ryan middle finger at Miami fans – I am sure Rex was prompted by excessive amounts of heckling (as was pointed out in this PFT article http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/01/31/rex-ryan-faced-extreme-provocation-before-firing-middle-finger/) However, as much as we all hate Dolphins fans and all enjoyed Rex calling out us sweeping them next year, giving the middle finder is something he just can’t do. I am sure he will pay a fine, which is deserved and hopefully that is the end of this issue. I don’t want Rex to change his personality but when he is out in public, he is going to have to contain the obscene gestures.

3. Nick Mangold discussed getting a long-term deal at the Pro-Bowl and honestly there is no reason the Jets shouldn’t act on it during this off-season. They are already limited at signing UFAs because of the “Final Eight” rules in the CBA agreement so why not take care of their own? Mangold is the best center in the NFL and has without question earned a long-term, big money deal from the franchise.

Turn On The Jets 2009/2010 Season Awards: Players

Welcome to day one of the TOJ Awards for the 2009/2010 New York Jets season. Today we will be honoring the Jets best and worst players on each side of the ball. Tomorrow, we will be looking at the best and worst games of the past season and on Wednesday we will be looking at the best and worst moments/individual plays of the past year.

Best Overall Player – Darrelle Revis, Cornerback – 54 tackles, 31 Passes Defensed, 6 INTs, 1 TD (2 INTs in Playoffs)

Revis had one of the best seasons in Jets history, at any position and was robbed of the Defensive Player of the Year Award. After his first pro-bowl season in 2008, Revis established himself as the league’s best cover corner and maybe the only  legit “shutdown” corner currently in the NFL. By the end of the year, Revis was getting the league-wide recognition he deserved all year for the job he did shutting down receivers like Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Randy Moss,  Marques Colston, Terrell Owens, and on and on. He was the cornerstone of the Jets defense and allowed them to play as aggressively as they did because of his man to man cover skills. Hopefully, being snubbed for the DPOY Award will inspire him to come back even better next year, which should be a scary thought to the rest of the league. The highlights say it all:

Best Offensive Player – Nick Mangold, Center

It was between him and Thomas Jones but in the end I decided to give it to the best lineman on the league’s best offensive line, which led the way for the league’s #1 ranked rushing attack. Darrelle Revis is the best in the league at his position and so is Nick Mangold, which is why he is deserving of that long-term contract he desires. Despite only being a fourth year player, Mangold quarterbacks a largely veteran offensive line that runs complex blocking schemes drawn up by Brian Schottenheimer and Bill Callahan which had to counter defenses loading up the box.

Best Defensive Player – David Harris, Linebacker - 127 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 2 FFs, 2 INTs

I am not going to double up on any awards which took Revis out of the running for this one. However, Harris deserves recognition for putting together an All-Pro caliber year as the top tackler in the league’s top defense. An all-around threat, Harris consistently made big plays for the Jets all season and then after bouncing back from an ankle injury finished the year with monster games against San Diego and Indy in the playoffs. He is only entering his 4th year and should be the heart of Rex Ryan’s defense for years to come.

Most Underrated: Offense – Jerricho Cotchery, Receiver - 57 receptions, 821 yards, 4 TDs/Brandon Moore, Guard

Cotchery’s numbers won’t blow anybody away but if he didn’t basically miss three complete games (Buffalo, Oakland, and Miami where he barely played because of ankle injury) he would have been a 1000 yard receiverwith a rookie quarterback. Most people forget how well Cotchery played in the first four games of the year before Braylon Edwards was acquried and before an ankle injury slowed him down for a few weeks (90 yards week one, 87 yards week two, 108 yards 1 TD week three, 71 yards week four). Cotchery also stepped up in a big way during the Jets post-season run, routinely making clutch third down receptions along the sideline.

Brandon Moore is the least talked about guy on the Jets offensive line and the only player who isn’t a former first round draft pick. However, he has been a consistent player for them the past few years and is very good in both the running and passing game. His level of play isn’t too far below Alan Faneca’s.

Most Underrated: Defense – Marques Douglas, Defensive End – 64 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF, 4 TFLs, 1 TD

Sione Pouha stepped up a big way after the Kris Jenkins injury, however I decided to go with Marques Douglas an unheralded off-season acquisition who proved to be a major upgrade over Kenyon Coleman and provided energy and some playmaking ability to the Jets defensive line. There were questions about whether Douglas could handle being a full-time starter and he answered them by playing a ton of reps in a defensive line rotation that for the most part only had four players getting serious reps.

Biggest Disappointment: Lito Sheppard, Corner – 31 tackles, 8 Passes Defensed, 1 INT, Vernon Gholston, Linebacker – 17 tackles

It was hard to decide between these two so I decided they both deserved criticism. Sheppard couldn’t stay healthy and was extremely inconsistent when he was on the field, proving that he wasn’t the answer to the Jets #2 corner problem. Gholston made no impact in the first four games of the year when he had the chance to start and was a below average special teams player the rest of the season, who probably shouldn’t have even been active in most weeks.

Biggest Offensive Playmaker: Shonn Greene, Running Back – 540 yards, 2 TDs (304 yards, 2 TDs in Playoffs)

Even though Greene didn’t become a factor until week 7 with a breakout game against Oakland and was then relatively quiet for most of year, he exploded when it counted during the Jets last two regular season games and playoff run. Greene averaged 5.0 yards per carry in the regular season and bumped that up to 5.6 in the playoffs, including a long TD run in both the Cincinnati and San Diego game. Greene had some nagging injuries throughout his rookie year but if he can stay healthy next season, it is scary to imagine what his numbers could be.

Biggest Defensive Playmaker: Calvin Pace, Linebacker – 55 tackles, 8 sacks, 7 TFLs, 3 FFs

Keep in mind Pace only played in 12 regular season games, which means he likely would have been a double digit sack guy if he hadn’t been suspended the first month of the season. He remains the Jets best pass rusher until they hopefully upgrade the position. After a quiet first two games of the playoffs, Pace had a big day against Indy in a losing effort including a forced fumble deep in Colts territory.

 The Get Me The Damn Ball Award – Dustin Keller, Tight End – 45 receptions, 522 yards, 2 TDs (3 TDs in the playoffs)

The Jets did a poor job of using Dustn Keller enough throughout the season, some of the blame goes to Mark Sanchez and some goes to Brian Schottenheimer but they must find a way to get more targets to Keller. For an offense that is so reliant on the run, play action to the tight end should be a big part of the offense. Keller finally became more involved in the post-season and responded with 12 catches, 181 yards, and 3 touchdowns in 3 games…tempting me to draft him again in fantasy football, even after a disappointing statistical season.

The Stop Talking, Start Tackling Award – Kerry Rhodes, Safety – 63 tackles, 3 INTs, 13 passes defensed

Kerry Rhodes is clearly a talented player but he is guy who is starting to wear thin on the organization according to multiple sources. He didn’t improve his play until he was benched and he doesn’t play nearly physical enough. I am not ready to give up on him yet like most people seem to be, because he showed his potential in a big spot against the Chargers during Divisional Weekend. However, he needs to cut back the media appearances and have a big off-season, which will hopefully translate into a better, more consistent 2010-2011 season.

The Other Guys Who Deserve Positive Recognition Awards – Thomas Jones for putting together a career season and being a terrific short yardage/goal-line back…Jim Leonhard for being tough enough to play through his injured hand, and elevate his play during the playoff run…Damien Woody, Alan Faneca, and D’Brickashaw Ferguson for rounding out the best offensive line in football…Mike DeVito for developing into a quality role player off the bench.

Another Good Highlight Tape Of Jets Season

Grading Out The AFC Championship Game

First a few updates:

1. Of course it is raining today…when I reflect about yesterday’s game, you can’t get around the fact the Jets lost to a better team and that there was no stopping Peyton Manning yesterday, especially withDwight Lowery and Drew Coleman playing major reps at defensive back. You can look at different points of the games and different decisions, but the bottom line is that the Jets weren’t stopping Indy, period. Even if the Jets made both field goals, Shonn Greene stayed in the game, and on and on…the Colts still would have scored enough points to win.

2. There will be a few tweaks in the site for the off-season, the final stats and game highlights for the 2009 season have been put up. I switched out the 2009 schedule with the Jets 2010 opponents, and there will likely be a few other changes here and there. We are done with our in-season schedule, so there won’t be 6-7 articles a week here. I will be laying out an off-season schedule in an article in the next day or two as I finish up Jets/Colts coverage. Obviously, we will have free agency/draft coverage, reflections on the past season, individual articles grading out each player’s performance this season, and plenty of other things that I will figure out later.

3. Since a new Collective Bargaining Agreement hasn’t been figured out yet, the Jets will be under specific free agency rules. Tim Graham breaks them down here (http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/9749/jets-have-29th-pick-ufa-limitations) Basically, the Jets won’t be able to sign a free agent, unless one of their free agents signs with somebody else. However, this won’t impact their ability to make trades which we all know Mike Tannenbaum loves to do. In terms of the draft, the Jets will have the 29th overall pick in the first round.  I don’t know the rest of their picks as of right now, but I am pretty sure they don’t have a 3 or 4 because of the Braylon Edwards/Lito Sheppard trades…if anybody knows exactly, please post it.

4. Shaun Ellis will be replacing Robert Mathis in the Pro-Bowl.

5. Nobody chokes in a big spot like Brett Favre…last pass as a Packer was a brutal interception in the NFC Championship Game that cost his team the game. He choked down the stretch for the Jets and now his likely last pass as a Viking was a brutal interception in the NFC Championship Game that cost his team the game. Good article by Mike Florio and Favre being delusional and thinking he went out on top: (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/01/25/favre-cant-walk-away-yet/).

Grading Out The AFC Championship Game

Quarterback (A) – Mark Sanchez played arguably his best game of the season in the biggest spot of the year, which is a good sign for the future. He stood in the pocket, took huge hits, and delivered accurate passes especially on the touchdown to Dustin Keller. Sanchez is only going to get better with another off-season in the offense and even more time to work with Braylon Edwards, Dustin Keller, and Jerricho Cotchery. I really believe the Jets made the right choice trading up for this guy and that their offense is on the way to catching up with their defense with Sanchez under center.

Running Back (C) - Shonn Greene is going to be the Jets feature back next season and they missed him badly after he left. However, Greene had injuries throughout his rookie season and he is going to have to find a way to stay healthy next year. Thomas Jones was clearly worn down or his knee injury was worse than the team was letting on. It will be very interesting to see if he is back next season. 

Wide Receiver (A) - Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery both stepped up with 100 yards games. They are a good duo of starting receivers for Sanchez to grow with. However, the Jets need better depth behind them. Brad Smith isn’t really a receiver. He is a more of gadget/special teams player. They need to find a quality slot guy.

Tight End (A) - Dustin Keller stepped up in the playoffs, with a touchdown reception in each game. It is good to see him and Sanchez on the same page because he has the talent to be a pro-bowl caliber type player.

 Offensive Line (B) – They were excellent in pass protection but didn’t have their best game against the run. How about this unit starting the past 35 games together?

Defensive Line (C) – Not a great overall day for this group. Ellis was clearly limited because of his hand injury and they couldn’t generate a pass rush or slow down the Colts running the ball.

Linebackers (C) – David Harris played a terrific game, racking up 11 tackles and 2 sacks. Calvin Pace made a huge play by forcing that fumble but beyond that he didn’t get to the quarterback. Bart Scott and Bryan Thomas barely played because the Jets were using so many defensive backs.

Secondary (F) – I think it is illegal in most states what Peyton Manning and Pierre Garcon did to Dwight Lowery. I don’t think you will be seeing Lowery, Drew Coleman, and Lito Sheppard in a Jets jersey next season.

Special Teams (C) – You need as many points as you can get against the Colts so the misses by Jay Feely hurt.

Coaching (C) – The Jets had no answer for Peyton Manning on defense. People have been criticizing Brian Schottenheimer but I thought overall he called a good game. The double move to Braylon was well-timed and he finally broke out the pass play for Brad Smith.

Jets/Colts Highlights

And So It Ends: Colts – 30 Jets – 17

Similar to 1998, the Jets were 30 minutes away from the Super Bowl and similar to 1998 they ended up losing by 13 points. The Colts proved to be the better team today as a locked in Peyton Manning targeted and abused Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman. It wasn’t about Dallas Clark or Reggie Wayne who the Jets did a good job on, it was about Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie abusing the Jets secondary. After an early two sacks, the Jets pass rush disappeared and with no pressure in his face, Manning beat up on the Jets defense.

On offense, the Jets moved the ball well throughout the day but were victimized by two missed field goals and a 3rd quarter injury to Shonn Greene. I love Thomas Jones but he looks like he just might be about done. The major positive from the day? Our rookie quarterback going on the road and having one hell of a performance. Mark Sanchez racked up 257 passing yards and two touchdowns. He stood in the pocket all day, avoided getting sacked (major credit to the Jets offensive line) and completed an array of difficult passes. I don’t think anybody with half a brain will be comparing him to JaMarcus Russell anytime soon.

Is the future bright for this team? Absolutely. However, that doesn’t really mean much today. Beyond that, you never know what could happen in the NFL to prevent bright futures from occurring. Remember 1999?

In the end, this team put together a great year and has given us plenty to be optimistic about for the upcoming years. Let all Jets haters get their shots in the next few days because they are bitter their teams didn’t accomplish as much as the Jets this year or their futures aren’t looking as bright (unless they are Colts, Saints, or Vikings fans…well at this point, maybe not Vikings fans). The Jets will regroup, get Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington back (remember them?) improve their cornerback position, add a pass rusher, and be ready to compete for a AFC East title next year…so maybe we could be the home team in AFC Championship Game next year.

It has been a great time covering the Jets this seaon and after a few more days of Jets/Colts coverage (and a brief vacation) we will be in off-season mode.

Final Thoughts On Jets/Colts

1. I hope everybody has really taken the time to sit back and enjoy this playoff run…the extra media coverage, the bandwagon fans, and everything this else that comes with success. However, let’s not be satisfied with making it to the AFC Championship Game. I am not buying a AFC Championship t-shirt, I want a Super Bowl t-shirt. We are past the point of everything being “gravy” or playing with house money. The Jets need to seize this opportunity by the throat tomorrow. If you think this past month has been fun, imagine what the next two weeks would be like.

2. You have to love Mayor Bloomberg renaming Manhattan, “Revis Island.” You also have to love how the Empire State Building has been green the past month. I was only 10 years old in 1998, so my memories aren’t great but I don’t think the Jets have ever had such a hold on this town before.

3. I referenced the bandwagon fans before. I am in my second semester of taking classes at Lehigh and working at Muhlenberg and I can promise you I was the only person on either campus wearing any Jets stuff first semester. Yet, the past week all of a sudden I saw about 25 Sanchez jerseys, and I am pretty sure I could see the tags hanging out the back of them. Beyond that, I keep hearing all these casual/new Jets fans talking about the team when they clearly haven’t followed them all year…if they had been, they wouldn’t be wearing a Sanchez jersey, they would be wearing a Revis/Greene/or Mangold jersey haha.

4. I am getting up bright and early tomorrow and heading down to South Jersey for a full day of tailgating before watching the game with my cousins, Uncle, and Dad. I am telling you right now, I got some butterflies but overall I feel confident. For all the bandwagon fans out there, even more haters exist who refuse to give the Jets credit.

5. I am sorry this is a little late but check out http://davissportsdeli.com/podcasts/?p=325 for the DavisSportsDeli Podcast, which I made an appearance on yesterday. Aaron Fischman does a great job with the show, so it is something worth checking out over the next few months.

6. I think the Jets receivers are going to have big games tomorrow and by big, I don’t mean necessarily huge statistical days but both Braylon and Cotchery are going to haul in a few catches each in big sports. I like how they match up with the Colts cornerbacks. I also think Kerry Rhodes is going to step up again.

Nice Jets Video Posted Over on Youtube that I Saw Linked At Barstool Sports

TOJ TV

And Of Course…Al

Final Thoughts On Divisional Weekend

1. Shaun Ellis is going to play with a cast on his hand this weekend, that will hopefully allow him a little more grip with his fingers. Whether the Jets win or lose, he will get surgery after the AFC Championship game since the recovery time is only a week, he would have enough time to get ready for the Super Bowl. Beyond that, the Jets are 100 percent healthy heading into this week’s game. Rex Ryan didn’t say anything else too notable at his press conference today. He took a little extra time to single out praise for Jim Leonhard, who obviously came up huge yesterday.

2. Cowboys/Vikings – Big let down performance from Dallas. Was that really the best effort they could put forward? It was almost like the whole goal of their season was to get over their December woes and finally win one playoff game, then they forgot the season isn’t over when you finally accomplish those things. I also think Keith Brooking should get a tissue. It was a bush league move by the Vikings to throw for that last touchdown but you can’t show your emotion by running over and saying something to the sideline when your losing by 31 points. I really can’t stand Brett Favre but if the Jets win, I will be rooting like crazy for Minnesota because I want to take him down in the Super Bowl.

3. Cardinals/Saints – Big let down in this game and I am an idiot for picking Arizona. I forgot how good New Orleans could be, since I haven’t seen them win in a month. Yes, Reggie Bush also made me eat my words since he had a ridiculous touchdown run and a punt return for a touchdown to go with it. It is hard not to like the Saints this weekend, especially in that building, in front of those fans.

4. Ravens/Colts – A dull game that was over when Ed Reed’s two interceptions were negated, one by his own fumble and one by a penalty. Many people are pointing to this game saying the Colts will beat the Jets because they just beat a team who is just like them in Baltimore. However, I saw potential in this game. Indy only scored 20 points against a Ravens defense that isn’t as good as the Jets and is completely one dimensional on offense. Manning is Manning and their defense was impressive but the Jets have more weapons on offense than the Ravens and Sanchez has been better than the Flacco the past two weeks. The Colts are the best team in football, which is fine. You should have to beat the best team in football for a shot at the Super Bowl.

5. Norv Turner and Wade Phillips just got contract extensions today. Enjoy another few years without a Super Bowl, Dallas and San Diego.

6. It was nice to enjoy the Jets win yesterday and today but now it is time to shift the focus to Indy. Yesterday was a memorable win for the Jets franchise, since they haven’t won two playoff games in a season since 1982. However, I am not satisfied and I don’t believe this team or fanbase is either. I do believe this Jets team is good enough to win the Super Bowl .You don’t get a chance to play in the AFC Championship every year, so you have to take advantage when you are there. The Jets are the ugly stepchild of this Championship weekend. You have three teams with big name quarterbacks, big time passing games, and big time regular season records and then you have the Jets with their rookie quarterback, power rushing game, big time defense, and 9-7 regular season record. They have crashed the party and rightly believe they can keep shocking the world this Sunday.

They were joking around on the NFL Network today saying that the football Gods are smiling down on the Jets because they play the old-fashioned way. They win with defense and running and are the last link to old days of the NFL left in this 2009 season. With all those missed field goals and all the help they got in December, it does sort of seem like Lombardi, Halas, and company are looking down and smiling on the Green and White.

Grading Out The Jets Win Against The Cheap-Shot Chargers

First a few updates:

1. Why the cheap-shot Chargers? Look at dirtbag Antonio Cromartie throw an elbow into Shonn Greene’s back after he rips off his 53 yard touchdown run in the game highlights at the bottom of this article…unbelievble (by the way, I think they are still scraping Eric Weddle off the turf back in San Diego). Beyond that, Shaun Phillips head-butted D’Brickashaw Ferguson…thank you very much for the 15 yards, Kris Wilson was flagged for a 15 yard penalty after taking a cheap shot on Wallace Wright during a punt, and Vincent Jackson was flagged 15 yards for kicking the Jets challenge flag in the 4th quarter…real classy stuff, San Diego…enjoy the off-season because your 11 game winning streak didn’t mean crap when it mattered, so enjoy all those stats you piled up while you watch the AFC Championship game next week…in the end all I have to say the Chargers is this: (beware explicit language, young TOJ readers…and yes they exist because my little cousins read this site)

2. Shockingly enough, Mike Francesa gave the Jets absolutely no credit when analyzing the game last night. He spent 20 minutes coming up with a long list of excuses why the Jets were lucky and should be thanking the gods…give up it already big guy, Rex Ryan is the most popular fat man in this city now…Francesa just sounds like another bitter, whiny Giants fan who still call the Jets a fluke and lucky and then act like they didn’t win a super bowl because their 3rd string receiver caught a ball with his helmet, in the most lucky play in NFL history…give me a break, shut up and accept the fact that your team is irrelevant right now and is the third best team in their own division…and no hiring the interim coach from a 6-10 team to coach your defense isn’t going to change that.

3. I loved John Clayton’s article today previewing the AFC Championship Game, when discussing who is going to win “This one is pretty easy, although I thought the Chargers would beat the Jets. The Colts, after letting Sanchez and the Jets get into the playoffs, will go to the Super Bowl.” Yes, it is clearly easy John…just like it was easy for you to pick the Bengals to beat the Jets wild-card weekend.

4. If you can’t tell I am somewhat agitated about the lack of respect the Jets are still getting (which I will further detail in my article later in the day)…regardless, I looooove how it is becoming clear already that nobody thinks the Jets have a chance this week.

5. Stats and Game highlights have been updated.

6. New TOJ TV is coming this week and Corbett just sent me a text that he has big plans…get ready.

7. AFC Championship = 2 article minimum per day from this site…i can taste a Super Bowl at this point, which means other things like attending class, doing homework, going to my job all take a back seat this week to the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets. By the way, if the Jets win the Super Bowl I can promise you now I will be writing a book on this season and it will be better than anything of the beat writers come up with.

8. You know what I noticed yesterday? The Chargers over celebrating every tackle they made on defense  like they won the Super Bowl, clearly they were shocked when they actually stopped somebody. Also, the Vikings acting like have never won a playoff game before…did you see the way they were celebrating? Calm down man, you still have to beat the Saints…I know this, the Jets weren’t acting like the 9-7 team on Sunday, that would be the Chargers who were clearly rattled and are also clearly both choke and cheap shot artists.

Grading Out The Jets Win Against The Cheap-Shot Chargers

Quarterbacks (C) The numbers (12/23, 100 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) bear out an ugly game for Mark Sanchez but the reality is that he did his job well enough for the Jets to win and beyond that made a huge play in a big moment. Third and goal from the two yard line…the Jets go play action…the Chargers do a great job of covering everything, Sanchez buys time, stays patient and fires a rocket into Dustin Keller…boom, 10-7 Jets, that was a big-time play in a playoff game. The interception was a bad decision but Sanchez also made a few other nice throws down the field to Braylon Edwards and converted some big third downs to Jerricho Cotchery.

Running Backs (A) Shonn Greene is a beast, period. You can’t give Mike Tannenbaum enough credit for trading up for this guy and grabbing him in the third round. The best part about Greene is that he is fresh, because he barely played the first 6 games of the season. Thomas Jones is handling losing carries to Greene with class and still came up with a few nice runs, none more important than the game-sealing 2 yard gain on fourth and 1. Tony Richardson deserves to be mentioned for having another great year at fullback and actually catching a couple of passes yesterday.

Wide Receivers (B) They weren’t asked to do all that much but they stepped up when necessary. Braylon Edwards had two big catches down the field on third downs and Jerricho  converted two big third downs as well. Unfortunately for Brad Smith it appears the tiger formation is dead.

Tight Ends (B) Good blocking all day by Keller and Hartsock. Obviously, Keller also came up huge by freeing himself in the end-zone and making a difficult catch for the go-ahead touchdown.

Offensive Line (A) Best in the NFL, week in and week out.

Defensive Line (A) Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito deserve some serious recognition for playing the game of their lives yesterday. Pouha had 5 tackles and blew up numerous run plays. He seemed two steps quicker off the ball than usual. DeVito had three tackles, 1 sack, and 1 tackle for a loss in extended reps for an injured Shaun Ellis.

Linebackers (A) Were there two players wearing #52 on the field yesterday? David Harris was everywhere, coming up with 10 tackles, one for a loss, and a pass defensed. Bryan Thomas played another really strong game and Bart Scott chipped in with 4 tackles. Somehow, Calvin Pace didn’t register a single stat.

Secondary (A) Peter King tracked Darrelle Revis all game and wrote in his Monday Morning Quarterback article that Revis was thrown at 4 times, with the following results: 1 interception, 1 tackle for a 4 yard loss, 2 incompletions (1 knocked away by him)…well then, who was the Defensive Player of the Year again? It was also a great job by Rex Ryan to move Revis all over the field and have him take turns guarding Tomlinson, Gates, Floyd, and even Naanee on one play and not just leaving him on Vincent Jackson all day, who Ryan said after the game wasn’t worthy of that type of attention…owch. Kerry Rhodes aka “Mr. Redemption” played a terrific game (8 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 huge onsides kick recovery). He has won me back over and effectively shut up all his critics and how about Jimmy Leonhard? How can you not love the 5’8 guy taking out Malcom Floyd (and getting screwed out of a forced fumble), coming up with a monster interception, and adding 6 tackles? Awesome stuff. Donald Strickland had a big third down pass break-up.

Special Teams (A) I am glad our kicker is Jay Feely and not Nate Kaeding. Brad Smith had a nice kick return to start the second half and Cotchery broke a nice punt return in the fourth quarter. The Jets coverage units were excellent, led by James Ihedigbo.

Coaching (A) Rex Ryan dialed up all the right calls and had his team properly motivated. He doesn’t look so stupid now for saying he thinks the Jets should be Super Bowl favorites, does he? Brian Schottenheimer did a great job sticking with the run, but needs to ditch the reverses and tiger formation.

Jets – 17 Cheap-Shot Chargers – 14

Awesome Video From Jets Locker Room After Game

LaDanian Should Probably Slide Himself Into Retirement

How Sweet It Is: Jets Beat Chargers…Off To Indy

Wow. Wow. Wow. What are they going to say now? Everybody who said the Jets didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs, everybody who said their defense was overrated, everybody who said Mark Sanchez couldn’t win a road playoff game, everybody who says this is a pass first league and you can’t win by running the football and playing defense…could do us all favor and shut the hell up. LaDanian Tomlinson said it best today after the game, “sometimes you just have to give the other guys credit. The Jets kicked our butts today.” Yes, they did LaDanian, yes they did.

Let’s start out with giving some love to the defense, who held the Chargers to 14 points and made countless big plays. Darrelle Revis made another ridiculous interception. Kerry Rhodes aka Mr. Redemption, came up with a vintage 2006 sack and a huge onsides kick recovery. Jim Leonhard turned the momentum with a huge interception. Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito played the games of their lives, which helped compensate for an injured Shaun Ellis. David Harris was being all over the field. Bryan Thomas and Bart Scott put together all around solid games. Donald Strickland had a big third down pass break-up.

On offense, Mark Sanchez did enough. He bounced back from his interception and made a clutch play on a third and goal to give the Jets a 10-7 lead. Braylon Edwards made two big catches down the field. Jerricho Cotchery had a huge third down conversion late in the game. Dustin Keller made a terrific touchdown reception. Shonn Greene…man, Shonn Greene is a beast…and yes, I loved rubbing it in the Chargers face by mocking LaDanian Tomlinson’s touchdown celebration. Thomas Jones came in off the bench ice-cold, to ice the win by getting a huge yard on fourth down in the final two minutes. Jay Feely took care of business as usual on his field goal attempt, which is more than I can say for Nate “1st team all-pro” Kaeding…haha.

In the end, what else can I say except that I love it. Enjoy it Jets fans, because these are the times to remember. The town is ours for another week and if you don’t think we can take down Peyton Manning and the Colts, then don’t bother checking this site for the rest of the week.

Grading Out Jets Wild-Card Win

First a few updates:

1. Oh New England…talk about it all coming crashing down today…nice job by Bill Belichick being completely out-coached, Tom Brady playing like absolute garbage and Randy Moss not giving a crap…33-14? In your own building…yikes. Even the refs couldn’t save a team with no defense, no running backs and a coach who has done a poor job all season.

2. So much for my pre-season Super Bowl pick..c’mon now Philly, that was the best effort you had? Regardless, now I have to hope for Dallas to bring Brett Favre to tears next week.

3. I hope everybody takes the time to call Mike Francessa tomorrow and remind him about what he was saying the whole week leading up to the Jets/Bengals game and e-mail Bill Simmons or Mike Florio about their comments on the Jets all year.

4. Another week of heavy work here at TOJ…you should be able to write a thesis on Jets/Chargers by next Sunday…and we have more TOJ TV on the way.

5. Stats/game highlights…updated.

Grading Out Jets Wild-Card Win

Quarterback (A) – 12/15, 185 yards, 1 touchdown and zero turnovers. Keep in mind that of Sanchez’s three incompletions, one was a dropped 50 yard touchdown by Braylon Edwards, one was a drop by Dustin Keller and one was a batted ball…the guy played near perfect. You aren’t going to see a rookie quarterback play much better on the road in the playoffs. If Sanchez keeps this up, the Jets are going to be one hell of a tough out.

Running Backs (A) – Shonn Greene…the Jets other rookie showed why the Jets traded up for him. He hits the hole hard on every play and always falls forward when he is tackled. Thomas Jones has been dealing with a swollen knee but still showed good burst on his touchdown and was able to contribute 15 carries…regardless, the torch is slowly being passed to Greene as the Jets feature back.

Wide Receivers (B) – How about some love for Jerricho Cotchery? Nobody really seems to appreciate what a good player this guy is. He had a clutch 6 catches for 67 yards, including some unbelievable sideline grabs that converted big third downs. When the money is on the line…he is the Jets number one receiver. Braylon Edwards has unbelievable physical talent but has to concentrate, the Jets can’t afford drops like that from this point on. Quiet day for Brad Smith and the Tiger formation.

Tight Ends (A) – Dustin Keller stepped up in a big way yesterday.  He provided all the big plays in the Jets passing game and sprung Shonn Greene on his touchdown run. The Jets are going to need him to keep playing this way because he is a key weapon for their offense.

Offensive Line (A) – They are the best unit in the NFL and the Jets will go as far as they take them.

Defensive Line (C) – Not one of their best days at the office. However, Shaun Ellis played a very good all around game, recording a sack, a forced fumble and 2 tackles for losses.

Linebackers (C) – Bryan Thomas played arguably his best game of the year, leading the team with 7 tackles and a sack. His play compensated for average games by Bart Scott, David Harris, and Calvin Pace.

Secondary (A) – Darrelle Revis…the best defensive player in football this season, period. Jim Leonhard stepped up with a sack, forced fumble and four tackles. Lito Sheppard played a pretty good game. The Jets need Dwight Lowery and Donald Strickland to get healthy.

Special Teams (A) – I told you I was worried about the kick coverage…however, how about Jay Feely? Hopefully, Steve Weatherford can get healthy and medical clearance for next week but you have to appreciate Feely stepping up the way he did.

Coaching (A) – Great game plan by Brian Schottenheimer on offense…and clearly Rex Ryan has his team believing in him.

Game Highlights

See You In The Second Round: Jets Shut Up Critics, Win 24-14

I will keep this quick because I am trying to enjoy the rest of this night:

1. How you like us now?

2. Great game by our offensive rookies, the future is looking pretty bright on that side of the ball with Shonn Greene (135 yards, 1 touchdown) and of course Mark Sanchez (12/15, 182 yards, 1 touchdown).

3. Weak game by our rush defense obviously but the pass defense was outstanding, highlighted by Darrelle Revis aka the Defensive Player of the Year, grabbing an acrobatic interception and shutting down Chad Ochocinco.

4. MVP? Dustin Keller who had a key block on the Greene touchdown, 99 yards receiving and a touchdown…and also obviously Revis.

5. Carson Palmer…completely outplayed by Mark Sanchez in his home stadium.

6. One more time…rookie coach, rookie quarterback, no Kris Jenkins, no Leon Washington…second round of the playoffs.

7. I want San Diego in round 2.

Final TOJ NFL Rankings & Other Thoughts on Regular Season/Jets vs. Bengals

First a few updates:

Note: This terrific picture above was created by JetsFan_MD and posted on www.jetsinsider.com. Considering my two favorite things in the world are the Jets and the TV show LOST…this is about as good as it gets for me.

1. Rex Ryan didn’t sound too confident about David Harris practicing this week with his sprained ankle. He may end up being a game time decision. Ryan Fowler would step in, although he had a head injury apparently so he could be replaced by Kenwin Cummings…ut-oh.

2. Ryan didn’t say anything else too notable in his press conference. He was pretty low key and respectful of the Bengals, which is the right approach to take. However, he did affirm that the Jets goal is to make the Super Bowl and that they aren’t just happy to be in the playoffs.

3. Not too much love from Mike Francesa on WFAN today, who didn’t give the Jets much credit for last night. He did say he thought they had a decent shot to win on Saturday but he seemed more anxious to talk about Jason Bay or John Mara…you have to love how salty Giants fans are today.

4. Yes, of course there will be a playoff edition of TOJ TV coming this week. I am also trying to set up a question exchange with the Bengals FanBall blogger.

5. In case you are curious, I have insane amounts of free time on my hands this week since I am on winter break and all my friends work full time (you know because they enjoy having money, unlike me who would rather accumulate student loan debt), so yes this web-site and the facebook page will be updated so much that you will be fully convinced I have no life…oh well.

Final TOJ NFL Rankings & Other Thoughts on Regular Season/Wild-Card Weekend

Long title, right? Now, I am not one to pat myself on the back but check out (http://turnonthejets.com/2009/09/07/2009-nfl-predictions/):

• I picked 5 out of 6 AFC playoff teams right, my only miss was on the Bengals winning the North (I picked Pittsburgh). My wild-card picks? Jets and Ravens.
• I picked the Dolphins (7-9), Titans (8-8), Browns (5-11), and Jacksonville (7-9) record correctly and missed by one game on Denver, Buffalo, Chiefs, and Chargers.
• I picked 4 out of 6 NFC playoff teams right, my only misses were on the Saints (yikes) and Cowboys. I had the G-Men (ha) and Falcons in the playoffs.
• I picked the Cardinals (10-6) record correctly and missed by one game on the Eagles, Packers, Bears, and Lions.
• Just for reference I picked a San Diego/Philly Super Bowl.

Just call me young Nostradamus. Better pay attention to my playoff picks.

And then check out (http://turnonthejets.com/2009/09/07/40-predictions-for-2009-new-york-jets-season/) and see how many Jets specific things I missed including gems on Mark Sanchez’s stats, Lito Sheppard’s INT total, Vernon Gholston’s sack total, and plenty more.

Final TOJ NFL Rankings

1. Indianapolis Peyton Mannings (14-2) Going into the playoffs on a 2 game losing streak (by their backups).
2. San Diego Chargers (13-3) Going into the playoffs on a 11 game winning streak…watch out.
3. New Orleans Saints (13-3) Going into playoffs on a 3 game losing streak…ut oh.
4. Minnesota Vikings (12-4) You can bet I will be rooting against them.
5. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) Need a playoff win in the worst way.
6. Green Bay Packers (11-5) Very dangerous team.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) They are better than they showed last week.
8. Arizona Cardinals (10-6) Risky to sleep on them after last year.
9. New England Patriots (10-6) Too bad about Wes Welker’s injury (and I am being serious, no matter how much I hate him and New England you never want to see anyone get hurt, especially somebody as good as him).
10. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) Well at least they are going in with some momentum, right?
11. Baltimore Ravens (9-7) They can run and play defense, which  means they are dangerous.
12. New York Jets (9-7) They can run and play defense better than anybody in the NFL, which means they are dangerous.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) Too little, too late for the defending champs.
14. Houston Texans (9-7) They can thank Kris Brown for missing the playoffs.
15. Tennessee Titans (8-8) 8-2 over their last 10 games.
16. Atlanta Falcons (9-7) Two straight winning seasons for the dirty birds.
17. Miami Dolphins (7-9) Have fun sitting at home.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9) Not a bad year for a young team.
19. Denver Broncos (8-8) They should be embarrassed.
20. Carolina Panthers (8-8) Strong finish with Matt Moore at QB.
21. New York Giants (8-8) Embarrassed themselves the past two weeks and final 11 games for that matter.
22. San Francisco 49ers (8-8) Only .500 because they get to play the Seahawks or Rams 4 games a year.
23. Chicago Bears (7-9) They felt worse than 7-9. Jay Cutler stunk the joint up.
24. Cleveland Browns (5-11) Finished the season on a 4 game winning streak…go Mangini.
25. Oakland Raiders (5-11) All they do is beat playoff teams…and lose to everyone else.
26. Buffalo Bills (6-10) Consistently mediocre.
27. Washington Redskins (4-12) And so ends the Jim Zorn era.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12) I guess Matt Cassell isn’t a franchise quarterback.
29. Seattle Seahawks (5-11) The most irrelevant team in the NFL this year.
30. Tampa Bay Bucs (3-13) Showed some fight occasionally.
31. Detroit Lions (2-14) A two game improvement from last year.
32. St. Louis Rams (1-15) Well then…

Some final Regular Season Observations

Do you think Jim Zorn just had Bruce Springsteen playing into his headset during the second half of the season?…I know the Giants fired their defensive coordinator today but when you allowed 40+ points every week, the problem goes beyond the coaching…Denver was 8-4 the past two years and both times lost out to miss the playoffs, cough cough…At least Jason Taylor can now get an early jump on next season of Dancing With the Stars…The 49ers are Texans are between 7-9 and 9-7 every year and then picked to make the jump by all the experts for the following season, only they just go 8-8 again and miss the playoffs, I look forward to this repeating again next year…My favorite non-Jets regular season games – Steelers vs. Titans opening night, Colts vs. Patriots on Sunday night, Saints vs. Patriots on Monday night, Dallas vs. Giants on Sunday night in week two, Saints vs. Redskins, Denver vs. Patriots, Ravens vs. Chargers, Titans vs. Texans on Monday night, Titans vs. Cardinals.

Bye Bye Miami