Results tagged “paulhackett”

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.

It seems nobody believes in this team right now, at least after a stretch that saw the team's offense disappear and the team back into the playoffs, even with Chad Pennington seemingly healthy. Read between the lines in receiver Santana Moss's diary - 'Everything is fine, but the media and fans are busy being negatoids'.

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.

At 10-4 after a great all-around effort in a 37-14 win over the visiting Seattle Seahawks yesterday, we would think the Jets can relax as they coast into the AFC playoffs, right? Not so fast. In order to clinch an iron-clad spot in the postseason, they must defeat AFC East rival New England next weekend at home (4 p.m., TV: CBS).

Mike Holmgren's Seahawks are an interesting bunch, considered by some to be a legitimate NFC title contender, especially in a "Terrell Owens-suddenly-gets-injured-and-the-Eagles-are-grounded-once-again" World. Seattle's defense has forced 32 takeaways on the season. At 7-6, the team is still in contention for a playoff spot (St. Louis is 5-0 in the NFC West Division, but 6-7 overall).

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.

Much of the off-season talk among Jets fans, politicians and residents of the West Side of Manhattan has centered on one thing – the proposed $1.4 billion New York Sports and Convention Center. While Cablevision (the parent company of Madison Square Garden) has led a high-budget campaign for public opinion, while the team has recently started its counterstrike with legend Joe Namath extolling the potential of the project, of which the city would cover $600 million (and team owner Woody Johnson paying the remaining $800 million). Mayor Bloomberg and company are pushing for the project heavily, ostensibly as a boon to the city’s hopes of landing the 2012 Olympic Summer Games.

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.

Matthew Rose, Wall Street Journal