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......

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.......

After a much-needed bye that followed six straight losses, the Jets return to the Meadowlands field Sunday to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, the first of three Super Bowl-caliber teams on their schedule in the second half. A win in any of those games -- they are also at Dallas on Thanksgiving and at New England on Dec. 16 -- would be a major surprise. That's the only way the Jets can affect the NFL......

Even if a good portion of the announced paid attendance wasn't there to see it, the Jets played an entertaining if not successful football game in their 23-20 overtime loss to the Redskins on Sunday. Kellen Clemens showed flashes of brilliance and moments of poise -- including a drive that culminated with the game-tying field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation -- but the Jets defense didn't hold up its end of the bargain.......

Remember how excited some people got when Roger Clemens announced he was coming back to the Yankees? New Jets starting quarterback Kellen Clemens -- no relation, but like Roger's kids, his name does start with "K" -- won't get as much attention, but he still has quite a following. Weeks of calls for Chad Pennington to sit in favor of Clemens didn't persuade Coach Eric Mangini, but a 1-7 start has been enough for him......

If a change in clothes doesn't help the Jets, what will? Despite looking snazzy in their New York Titans throwbacks, the Jets looked anything but sharp on the field in a 16-9 loss to the Eagles on Sunday. Some creative playcalling, including a reverse, got the Jets deep inside Eagles territory as the fourth quarter wound down, but Chad Pennington couldn't get the ball to Laveranues Coles on fourth-and-one fade. The whispers are growing louder......

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......

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......

Life's easier the lower you keep everyone's expectations. Bill Waterson once had Calvin impart that wisdom in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, and the Jets are about to find that out as well. Last year, Coach Eric Mangini worked wonders to get the team into the playoffs and created a situation where media and fans will be looking for more. Don't be surprised if the team doesn't improve upon last year's results. Many......

Last week, the Jets warmed up for their road game against the Vikings by showing up on Sesame Street. Head Coach Eric Mangini has a son who loves the show. Chad Pennington, Laveranues Coles and, most interestlingly, Australian punter Ben Graham all shared the Queens sound stage with Elmo. The Jets make their only Monday Night Football appearance -- and will probably get higher ratings than the Seasame Street episode -- when they face the......

When Travis Taylor hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass 2 minutes and 7 seconds into Sunday's game between the Jets and the Vikings, the New York sideline couldn't have been pleased. A week after being burned on big plays against the Bills, the Jets had blitzed, but the gamble hadn't paid off. The Vikings took advantage of single coverage and struck quickly at home. But that was the Jets' low point, and after the 26-13......

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. But Sunday, Laveranues Coles lent a helping hand in the Jets' 26-11 win over......

When Laveranues Coles caught his second touchdown of the game to give the Jets a 17-point lead with 13:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, some of the fans at the Meadowlands headed for the exit, hoping to get home to catch more of the Mets-Cardinals playoff game. A Dolphins rally prevented those who stayed from leaving until the final seconds, lest they miss a Jets collapse. But the Jets hung on by the skin of......

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......

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? Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles......

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......

Dominated every which way it seemed, the Jets managed to make a 31-21 loss to New England look a bit closer after two late TD receptions by Laveranues Coles, but it was clear that Monday night's broadcast was interesting for one reason only – it was the final Monday Night Football on network television. Think about that - no longer will Monday night games be able to reach every TV set in America. Sports fans......

No, they didn't get a new stadium deal. No, they didn't win. But...next week, the Jets don't have a game. That means they won't have a chance to lose a game or have a chance to get injured. With their luck though, Brooks Bollinger will drop a can of Chunky Soup on his foot. Last night's ugly 27-14 loss to the Falcons, dropping the Jets to 2-6, featured four (!!) turnovers by Vinny Testaverde before......

Vinny Testaverde will get the headlines, but the game ball should go to the Jets’ defense, which held Tampa Bay to twelve points in the a 14-12 victory Sunday. Four times Tampa Bay advanced deep into Jets’ territory and four times the defense held them to just a field goal. For his part, Vinny was good enough. He completed 13 of 19 for 163 yards. Curtis Martin carried the ball 23 times for a......

With a record of 1-1 and hoping to rise above the .500 level early on this season is both the Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. in East Rutherford. Listed as probable for the game are both Jets RB Curtis Martin and Jags’ QB Byron Leftwich. Martin was upgraded on Thursday after incurring a bruised right knee during last week’s victory over Miami. Don’t be surprised to get a......

After an opener that went as bad as one could have imagined, the Jets returned to looking like a half-way decent NFL team yesterday, defeating visiting Miami 17-7 in East Rutherford. Thanks to a handful unforced errors on the Dolphins' part, a shaky start eventually yielded to a settled down performance by Chad Pennington and company, who are now receiving "Blue Collar Worker" metaphors and accolades, particularly after a late 90-yard scoring drive that provided......

Simply put, the Jets looked awful in their season-opening 27-7 loss in Kansas City on Sunday. How bad? The Daily News recounts: 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. So bad, linebacker Jonathan Vilma has a fat, bloody lip – courtesy of a sideline altercation with teammate Justin Reed in the third quarter. So......