- Jets 20, Dolphins 14: They didn't make it look easy, but the Jets took down the Dolphins to get the Brett Favre era off to a solid, if not resounding, start. Favre, came out of retirement and got traded to the Jets from Green Bay, threw two touchdown passes. The first, to Jerricho Cotchery, was a well-executed play on both ends. The second, to Chansi Stuckey, was not. On a fourth-down desperation play, Favre simply heaved the ball toward the end zone and was lucky that it was not picked off. Favre then had to watch from the sideline as Miami's Chad Pennington threw for more than 150 yards in the fourth quarter and almost led the game-winning drive throwing to stalwarts such as Anthony Fasano and Greg Camarillo. But then Darrelle Revis intercepted Pennington in the end zone, and the game was over. This week, the Jets play at home against the Patriots, who will be without Tom Brady, who is likely done for the year.
- Mets 6, Phillies 3: Averting the disaster of a three-game sweep, the Mets salvaged the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader and the finale of a three-game series against the rival Phillies. Thanks in part to Johan Santana's 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball, the Mets now lead them by two games with 19 to play. Carlos Delgado had two homers -- again -- and also singled in two runs in the first. His resurgence has been noteworthy, but this rumblings of his earning consideration for the MVP award is a product over-excitement. How quickly Mets fans forget how much he stunk until June (and how much great Albert Pujols has been). The news was not all good; Billy Wagner could be done for the year.
- Across the way in Flushing, Serena Williams won her third U.S. Open title by defeating Jelena Jankovic in straight sets. She also took over the No. 1 ranking in the world with an impressive performance in a well-played match. That said, would it kill the women to play a deciding third set once in a while? It hasn't happened since 1995, when Steffi Graf was still roaming the courts.
- Mariners 5, Yankees 2: Fourth place? Get used to it. The Yankees fell to the lowly Mariners again Sunday, losing two of three in the Pacific Northwest. Mike Mussina stayed stuck on 17 wins after taking the loss. His bid for 20 is the only thing worth following these days.
Results tagged “jerrichocotchery”
With the Jets in Miami to start their 2008 season, Brett Favre is ready to play football again. After retiring and unretiring -- and reportedly turning down $20 million from the Packers to stay inactive -- Favre forced a trade to the Jets. The Packers legend will face a new test in the green and white of the Jets, but just how stiff will his challenge be? The Jets were 4-12 last season, but seven of their losses came by eight points of fewer. Then again, just two of their wins came against teams other than the Dolphins, who went 1-15 in their worst season in franchise history.
Eight of the Jets' 12 losses have come by seven points or fewer. Too many of them have followed the script of Sunday's 10-6 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Jets fans have to be sick of a banged-up team not expressing confidence in its quarterback -- Chad Pennington wasn't named the starter but played over Kellen Clemens and his sore ribs -- and then going out there and laying an offensive egg. Without his most dynamic playmaker (Laveranues Coles is on injured reserve), Pennington still found a way to complete 81 percent of his passes and throw for 264 yards.
With the Jets 3-10, the best thing that can be said about them is that they're still playing hard. They seemed insulted that people thought the Dolphins could beat them last week, and, despite playing in front of empty seats in a heavy rain Sunday, the Jets fought back before losing to the Browns, 24-18. Kellen Clemens scored the Jets' only touchdown with his quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter, but his inconsistent play and...
As the Jets look ahed to their game Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, they may be hoping that's where they are in a season or two. Cleveland, like the Jets, is coached by a former defensive protege of Patriots Coach Bill Belichick. Romeo Crennell had a rough go of it during the first few seasons, but he now has an offense filled with playmakers like Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow and run by an unheralded...
Maybe the Jets shouldn't have been underdogs against the Dolphins, but no one figured they'd roll as easily as they did in their 40-13 win in Miami on Sunday. Miami remained winless at 0-12 as the Jets improved to 3-9 -- with two of those wins coming against Miami. Playing without Jerricho Cotchery and his finger injury, the Jets did have Laveranues Coles back earlier than expected from a high ankle sprain. He responded...
Neither the Jets nor the Dolphins have enjoyed their seasons too much. One half of the Jets' wins came on Sept. 23 when they edged the Dolphins 31-28 at home. Now they travel to Miami. They're 0-5 on the road, but Miami has lost 14 straight. Ironically, the Jets stand to gain the most if they lose and somehow pass the Dolphins in the NFL draft pecking order. But shhh! No one's thinking about that....
Welcome back, Chad! All those fans who cheered Chad Pennington's departure had nothing to complain about Sunday during the Jets' 31-28 win over Miami. All it takes is a suspect defense for a struggling unit to turn itself around. Pennington threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Hand out the gold stars to Thomas Jones (110 yards rushing), Jerricho Cotchery (54 yards receiving) and Laveranues Coles (30 yards and a touchdown). For a team that hadn't even held a lead over the first two games, the Jets looked plenty impressive on offense in Week 3.
Ready for a quarterback controversy? Kellen Clemens took a while to get his feet under him, but he almost led the Jets back in their 20-13 loss in Baltimore. A drop and a poor throw of his own cost Clemens down the stretch, and the Jets are 0-2. At least they didn't go weakly into the Baltimore night. If not for Justin McCareins' buttery fingers, this game would have gone to overtime. This performance won't make it any easier for Coach Eric Mangini to stand by Chad Pennington as his starting quarterback when the Week 1 starter recovers from an ankle injury.
Mike Nugent's field goal with 10 seconds remaining helped the Jets squeak by Miami, 13-10, during a rainy Christmas night in South Florida. The messy game looked like many others this season; it was defensive and sluggish. Who cares about style? With a win against Oakland on Sunday, the Jets will make the playoffs. Not too shabby for a team most thought would be dreadful.
For too long this season Chad Pennington has been hung out to dry by his offensive teammates or made foolish mistakes himself. In plenty of games, he hasn't had reliable protection from his offensive line, a running attack to keep opponents honest or a receiver to make plays. This in turn has forced him into situations where mistakes are likely.
After hanging on in Week 1 to down the Titans and rallying to make the Patriots sweat -- a little -- in a Week 2 loss, the Jets travel to Buffalo for a Week 3 matchup. The Bills have played New England tough and also scored a convinving win over Miami. Both games were on the road, but neither result included an encouraging performance from Bills quarterback J.P. Losman, but the Bills' defense has been capable of making opponents' quarterbacks uneasy.
The Jets' 24-17 loss to the Patriots at home included a comeback that fell short. The question that should be asked is which half should carry more weight? The first half, when the Patriots pushed the Jets around, and looked well on the way to an easy victory? Or the second half, when the Jets took advantage of sloppy Patriots defense and showed the capability to make a big play?


