Results tagged “ganggreen”

With Herman Edwards having left for Kansas City (and a substantial raise) and the Jets saying they allowed him to go, Gang Green is left looking for a new head coach.

Another week, another loss and, for the time being another pair of injured quarterbacks for the Jets (2-8), who were shut out 27-0 in Denver. Now it's just pathetic, and even the most diehard Jets fan will have to come to grips with that in the coming days and weeks ahead.

The Jets (11-6) visit top-seeded Pittsburgh (15-1) (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., TV: CBS, Radio: 1050 ESPN) in an AFC Divisional Playoff game. For those who haven't been paying attention, Pittsburgh has a rookie quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger (pictured impersonating Stevie Wonder - OK, a joke) who has yet to lose in his first 13 starts,an NFL record. Yes, last year the Giants could have easily drafted him rather than giving up an arm and a leg to trade for the top pic, but hindsight is 20/20 and the jury is still out on Eli. But curmudgeony critics point out he hasn't had any truly "big games" and "is due to lose".

Interestingly, the Jets' spot had been assured at some point in the second half of their game, but most players said they were not aware of the Pittsburgh-Buffalo result until they had arrived in the locker room. Say what you want about competitiveness, but it brings up yet another opportunity to second-guess everything, considering it is the norm for playoff-bound teams rest key players in fear of injury.

The usually well-behaved Jets were penalized 12 times for 84 yards - astoundingly, all in the first half. Jets QB Chad Pennington (17-for-31, 189 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT) knew his performance was subpar, and said he blames only himself.

Justin McCareins' 11-yard touchdown reception with 5:32 remaining stood as the final difference, but it was his heady reach-out for a first down two plays earlier that kept the drive alive and set the tone for the game's waning moments.

Starting QB Chad Pennington did not return to action after the midway point of the fourth quarter, when he aggravated the right shoulder he had had bruised on a first quarter scramble that resulted in a fumble. Even though the game's outcome had not been completely decided at that point, coach Herm Edwards should be commended for his decision to not risk Pennington's shoulder (and likely the Jets' entire season) when the team has an experienced backup like Quincy Carter ready in the wing. That said, it was a sloppy handoff from Carter to Curtis Martin that resulted in a Buffalo safety late in the game.

A 5-1 start for New York is as well as even the most optimistic Jets fans would have predicted. Even so, everyone will be paying attention to Gang Green's matchup with Miami next Monday night to see how the team will react to this type of loss. That's really the most important question at this point for this team.

With another 100-plus yard outing (32 carries for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns on the game's first two possessions) Curtis Martin surpassed Freeman McNeil the franchise's all-time rushing leader, finishing the day with 8,185 yards during his seven-year career in green (11,984 overall).

Things went about as well as possible for Pennington, who completed each of his first 10 passes to finish 10 of 11 for 169 yards and one touchdown in a the better part of a half of action. While former C.W. Post standout Ian Smart staked his claim to the squad with a 59-yard punt return for a score (a total of five returns for 114 yards), number two running back Lamont Jordan made headlines when he expressed his displeasure with being relegated to get his reps with the third offensive unit (while Jonathan Reese again spent time with the second team), but on Sunday, both he and coach Herman Edwards seemed to downplay whatever rift there may or may not be between the two.

Of course, wins and losses often signify little more than one team’s third team is better than the other’s, but the season’s first certainty is that Offensive Coordinator Paul Hackett remains every Jet fan’s favorite target for second-guessing this season, as the suddenly young Jet unit continued its struggles in the red zone. Offensively, the Jets walked away with two field goals and a touchdown in three trips inside the Saints’ 20-yard line on the evening.