Police are looking for a cousin of a former Jets linebacker in connection with two murders. Investigators suspect a cousin of Jonathan Vilma, who now plays for the New Orleans Saints, has been using in Vilma's unoccupied Westchester County condo, where two men were apparently killed. The victims were believed to be involved in a "black paper scheme": Con men tell gullible people that smuggled paper money has been dyed many times black and that a special bleach is needed to take the dye away—but really the black paper is just construction paper. Newsday reports, "With black paper found in the condo, and black paper and bleach found in the dead men's Bronx apartment, detectives said the victims scammed the wrong people." Police also found blood in the condo; the victims' bodies were dumped in Queens and Brooklyn. Vilma is not suspected in the killings; his agent said the player "was in complete shock that anyone was in the house other than his real estate agent." more ›

Authorities are determining "whether two Bronx immigrants were executed in former Jet linebacker Jonathan Vilma's million-dollar Long Island condo," the Post reports. Last week, two "bullet-ridden bodies" were found in Brooklyn and Queens. The Daily News says, "The killings may have been sparked after a [Bronx] apartment...was robbed by a crew of gun-wielding men who stole a suitcase full of cocaine from [Sekou] Sakor, a Liberian immigrant" (his body was dumped off the Paerdaget Bridge). Another hypothesis, from the AP: The victims may have been involved in "an Internet scam in which people were sold what was purported to be cash smuggled from overseas, stained black to avoid detection, at a discount, only to be given paper." Apparently residents at Eagle Chase heard gunfire last Thursday—and a bullet passed through into a neighbor's apartment. Vilma, who is currently playing for the New Orleans Saints, is not a suspect in the killings, but cops want to ask him about who had access to the residence. more ›

For the Giants, the opening of free agency saw them lose three players. Kawika Mitchell went to the Bills, Reggie Torbor to the Dolphins and Gibril Wilson to the Raiders. The loss of Wilson will hurt the most, but remember he was once a fifth-round pick. GM Jerry Reese proved last year that he is very good drafting players and won’t overpay in the free agent market, so don’t panic the Super Bowl champs will be just fine. more ›

If they want to, the Jets can trace the morphing of their season from disappointing to disastrous from their Week 4 loss in Buffalo on Sept. 30. Before that, their only defeats came against the Patriots and the Ravens. Those are nothing to be ashamed of. But now the team hasn't won since a Week 3 squeaker against the Dolphins, and, let's face it, everybody's beating Miami these days. The Jets will try it all over again at home this Sunday, but the change everyone wanted made hasn't happened. Chad Pennington is still the quarterback. more ›

With their 23-3 win over Oakland, the Jets capped their unpredictable run to the playoffs in a predictable way. Few people expected the Jets to finish at .500 this season, but by the time the Jets beat Miami last week, most had them taking down the Raiders in the season-finale. But give the Jets credit for taking advantage of the win-and-you're-in situation, even if it came against a team that last won on Oct. 29. more ›

The short answer is: not much. With a new coaching staff and an oft-injured quarterback, the Jets will keep the pain in growing pains. Their offense includes more holes than the defense, so if improvement comes under first-year head coach Eric Mangini, it will come on that side of the ball. But in a division including two playoff-caliber teams in New England and Miami, the Jets may find it hard to show progress this season. more ›

There were seven fumbles, three turnovers, six dropped passes, eight penalties and a blocked field-goal attempt in which rookie kicker Mike Nugent slipped on an imaginary banana peel. more ›

As the Jets trailed 14-3 in the first half as the Niners had just scored on two consecutive possessions, defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson left his skybox booth for the sole purpose of confronting his players. Shortly into the second half, it appeared to have worked. more ›

Jets defensive back Donnie Abraham's 66-yard interception return for a score was the lone highlight of an ugly second half that featured four turnovers by the fish. It was one of several examples of a dominating performance by the Jet defense on the afternoon. Rookie Jonathan Vilma had a respectable first NFL start, in his hometown no less, leading the team with 8 tackles (3 solo). Victor Hobson (pictured) got in the action with an interception in the third quarter. more ›

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. more ›