NY TIMES Jets Beat Reporter Karen Crouse's take on this weeks Wildcard game-My Slant at the end...
Punishment Laps Help Jets Kick Penalty Habit
By KAREN CROUSE
Published: January 5, 2007
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Jan. 4 — The realization came during training camp. The Jets’ owner, Woody Johnson, was watching a practice from the sideline when his franchise quarterback, Chad Pennington, jogged past while running a punishment lap for making a rare mental error. It was then that Johnson knew that his new coach, Eric Mangini, would be a stickler for correctness.
Under Mangini’s predecessor, Herman Edwards, the Jets did a good job when it came to self-discipline. They led the N.F.L. in fewest penalties during Edwards’s rookie season, in 2001. And last season, despite a 4-12 record, the Jets inflicted relatively little harm on themselves, finishing with the fifth fewest penalties in the league.
But this season has been even better, with the Jets ranking No. 3 in the league in fewest penalties (70) and No. 2 in penalty yardage (560). Of the 12 teams in the postseason, no one has better penalty numbers than the Jets, a testament to their self-control and a clear factor in their surprising success.
In a season in which the Jets were breaking in a rookie head coach, using coordinators who had never called plays in the N.F.L. and relying on a backfield bereft of Curtis Martin, there was virtually no margin for error, no way for the Jets to succeed if they tripped themselves with repeated penalties. They didn’t.
Mangini’s message of playing smart was reinforced through the running of extra laps for practice infractions that fell under the category of self-destruction, like turnovers, penalties and mental errors. All those laps later, the Jets are getting ready for a first-round playoff game on Sunday against New England.
“Those laps have a lot to do with it,” safety Rashad Washington said Thursday with a wry laugh. “Those things get tiring, especially after you’ve been practicing twice a day and you end up having to run a lap in the middle of practice, then come back and jump right back in. You try your best in practice not to make dumb penalties so you don’t have to run, and it carries over to the game.”
The discipline displayed by the Jets received mostly lip service from the playoff-bound Giants. Despite having a coach, Tom Coughlin, with a reputation for being a disciplinarian, the Giants were among the most penalized teams in the league this season. They ranked No. 22 in fewest penalties, with 101, and were 23rd in fewest penalty yards (881). Last season they were even worse.
In fact, each New York team has been a reflection of its coach, with the Jets playing with the dispassionate poise of the poker-faced Mangini and the Giants (8-8) playing with the questionable composure sometimes displayed by Coughlin.
The Giants were called for 18 personal fouls in 16 games this season, the worst number of any team. The Jets had five, which was tied for the second-fewest in the league with five other teams.
The Jets were also one of five teams that did not incur an unsportsmanlike penalty during the regular season. Jets tight end Doug Jolley was called for one in a preseason game against the Giants, when he head-butted defensive back Sam Madison.
After that game, a 13-7 loss, Mangini talked about Jolley’s foul being “really unacceptable” and “selfish.” Within days, Jolley was gone, traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a seventh-round draft pick.
If the laps did not drive the message home about penalties, Jolley’s banishment probably did. “The coaches emphasize not making stupid penalties,” Washington said, “and being focused and committed to what we’re trying to get done.”
There are at least two people with officiating experience at every practice, and at Mangini’s behest, they call practice as tightly as any game crew. “It is a significant emphasis,” Mangini said.
Erik Coleman, the Jets’ third-year safety, gave an assist to the practice officials for the feat the Jets pulled off of going nearly eight games this season without drawing a defensive pass-interference penalty.
The streak was snapped when safety Kerry Rhodes was called for interfering with Oakland tight end Courtney Anderson in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ 23-3 victory last Sunday. “I didn’t think it was pass interference,” Rhodes said, smiling.
Corwin Brown, the Jets’ defensive backs coach, said during a chance encounter in a hallway Wednesday that he was not aware of the streak. His players are positive that his fingerprints are all over their success.
“Corwin’s been working with us on being patient and calm when the ball is in the air and just looking at the receiver,” the rookie cornerback Drew Coleman said. “We call it not losing your moxie.”
What does the moxie mantra cover? “Playing with a little poise instead of getting rattled when stuff goes bad and getting all out of whack,” Washington said. “Just calming yourself.”
Moxie by proxy: it is the Jets’ way. The question to be answered Sunday is if the Mangini-mirroring Jets are disciplined enough to defeat a team that is heavily favored to beat them.
EXTRA POINTS
Eric Mangini tried to make light Thursday of the cold-fish handshakes that he and his mentor, Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, exchanged after each of their regular-season meetings. “We do a lot of self-scouting after the game: what we did well, what we did poorly,” Mangini said. Breaking into a smile, he added that he thought his handshake was strong and firm. “I’ve experimented with a couple other different kinds that haven’t worked for me,” Mangini said with a laugh. ... Center Nick Mangold did not receive any votes for offensive rookie of the year despite making 16 starts and few mistakes. But, Mangini said, “He got center of the year for us.”
So Karen Is Right: The Jets are one of the Least Penalized teams in pro football. When we attended Training camp in July, They ran 2 laps in the 90+ degree sweltering heat(that made my wife pass out after a panic attack) for every Penalty incurred.
Jets Playoff Coverage#1
Jets Beat writer Tom Rock Leads off our best of the Jets coverage leading up to Sunday's Match up with New England
My Comment at the end:
Why not them?
BY TOM ROCK
Newsday Staff Writer
January 3, 2007
No one came out and said "I told you so," likely because no one had actually said it to begin with. But mixed in with the feelings of elation and joy that pervaded the Jets' locker room following Sunday's playoff-clinching win over the Raiders was a tone of vindication.
"I'm glad I'm not in the business of making predictions," left guard Pete Kendall said of the dire reports many in the media provided at the beginning of the season, prognostications that proved to be quite wrong. "I never took personal offense at what people from the outside said. It seemed, I guess, relatively well thought out. But the perception and the reality that I saw when we got together in August, there was quite a bit of difference. I'm not going to sit here and say that I thought at that point we were a 10-win team, but I knew that what I had read and what I was seeing were two different things."
The Jets trudged through the season, overcoming bad losses to the Browns and Bills, earning emotional wins over the Patriots and Dolphins, and now head into the playoffs. Finally, this team gets some respect.
But then comes the nine-point spread from Vegas, even though the two Jets-Patriots games this season were decided by an average of five points, one of them a Jets win, and five of the last eight meetings were decided by a touchdown or less. Following closely behind are the statistical analyses, pointing out that the Jets are ranked 25th in overall offense, 20th in overall defense and 24th in rushing defense. Then come the backhanded compliments, about how the Jets have had a nice season and it's an accomplishment just to be in the playoffs, but how can they compete with the dynasty Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have forged in New England?
The Jets played 16 games to escape the doomsday predictions that were floated in August, only to emerge and find similar thoughts in January.
"I don't really put much stock in what people from the outside think or say about us," Kendall said. "We know that we control our own destiny, so whether people think we're a one-and-done team or we're going all the way. If we play poorly, we're a one-and-done and if we play well enough, we'll see where it winds up. There's nothing that any talking head or pundit is going to do to affect that."
The Jets may not be putting any weight into the buzz surrounding their wild-card game against the Patriots in Foxborough on Sunday, but they certainly hear it. Whether it rankles them, drives them or amuses them depends on the player.
Tight end Chris Baker said he's pretty sure about the answer most teams would give when asked whether they preferred to play the Jets or the Chiefs, the other AFC wild card.
"People would probably say they'd rather play the Jets, that nothing jumps out at you on film," he said. "They don't do this well, they don't do that well. That's been the perception all year. They're a product of this or that or whatever. I think we had a pretty good year."
Linebacker Matt Chatham has been on the other end of the Rodney Dangerfield scale of respect when he won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. He said the NFL is set up for teams like the Jets to outperform any preseason naysaying.
"This is such an odd league that we have where you can come in and do anything each year," Chatham said. "I know the mentality of this city is tough and expectations might not have been quite as high for us, but any team in the league should have the expectations that they are going to do things until proven otherwise."
Which is why the Jets refuse to believe they don't have a very good chance to win Sunday.
"Why wouldn't we?" receiver Laveranues Coles asked. "When you say we don't have a chance, it's probably the same people who are doubting us. Look at who's saying we don't have a chance. How smart have they been this far?"
Key matchup
Justin Miller vs. Laurence Maroney
One foot. That's how much better the Jets' Justin Miller was than the Patriots' Laurence Maroney when it came to returning kickoffs this season, topping the NFL with a 28.3-yard average compared to the rookie's 28.0. Where Miller separated himself was in touchdowns (he had two, including a 103-yarder) and volume (his 46 returns were fewer than only one other returner whose average was in the top 10). Although Miller hasn't busted one loose since Week 8, he has been steady, averaging 26.0 yards during the second half of the season and 25.7 in the last four games. In what is expected to be a slugfest Sunday, every foot of field position will help. Edge: Jets
Previous matchups:
D'Brickashaw Ferguson vs. Richard Seymour. Edge: Patriots
Reche Caldwell vs. Hank Poteat. Edge: Jets
And my Slant: The Jets are right: Why Not them? if anyone can beat New England, it's the Jets. So why won't the Oddsmakers in Vegas give the Jets any Play? maybe it's because they never give anything away to an east coast team, much less a NY team. I remember SB XXI, and the Vegas Boys were giving the edge to Denver, weather they were close geographically, or everyone loved Elway and Reeves. there was lost of Denver money on that game. I even heard that a few Texas Gamblers who just Despised NY were going with Denver. Guess they losta few oil wells that day. My point is that here goes the oddsmakers again going against a New York Team. If anyone can make it happen like last years Steeler's team,..it's Eric's Genius Jets.
My Comment at the end:
Why not them?
BY TOM ROCK
Newsday Staff Writer
January 3, 2007
No one came out and said "I told you so," likely because no one had actually said it to begin with. But mixed in with the feelings of elation and joy that pervaded the Jets' locker room following Sunday's playoff-clinching win over the Raiders was a tone of vindication.
"I'm glad I'm not in the business of making predictions," left guard Pete Kendall said of the dire reports many in the media provided at the beginning of the season, prognostications that proved to be quite wrong. "I never took personal offense at what people from the outside said. It seemed, I guess, relatively well thought out. But the perception and the reality that I saw when we got together in August, there was quite a bit of difference. I'm not going to sit here and say that I thought at that point we were a 10-win team, but I knew that what I had read and what I was seeing were two different things."
The Jets trudged through the season, overcoming bad losses to the Browns and Bills, earning emotional wins over the Patriots and Dolphins, and now head into the playoffs. Finally, this team gets some respect.
But then comes the nine-point spread from Vegas, even though the two Jets-Patriots games this season were decided by an average of five points, one of them a Jets win, and five of the last eight meetings were decided by a touchdown or less. Following closely behind are the statistical analyses, pointing out that the Jets are ranked 25th in overall offense, 20th in overall defense and 24th in rushing defense. Then come the backhanded compliments, about how the Jets have had a nice season and it's an accomplishment just to be in the playoffs, but how can they compete with the dynasty Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have forged in New England?
The Jets played 16 games to escape the doomsday predictions that were floated in August, only to emerge and find similar thoughts in January.
"I don't really put much stock in what people from the outside think or say about us," Kendall said. "We know that we control our own destiny, so whether people think we're a one-and-done team or we're going all the way. If we play poorly, we're a one-and-done and if we play well enough, we'll see where it winds up. There's nothing that any talking head or pundit is going to do to affect that."
The Jets may not be putting any weight into the buzz surrounding their wild-card game against the Patriots in Foxborough on Sunday, but they certainly hear it. Whether it rankles them, drives them or amuses them depends on the player.
Tight end Chris Baker said he's pretty sure about the answer most teams would give when asked whether they preferred to play the Jets or the Chiefs, the other AFC wild card.
"People would probably say they'd rather play the Jets, that nothing jumps out at you on film," he said. "They don't do this well, they don't do that well. That's been the perception all year. They're a product of this or that or whatever. I think we had a pretty good year."
Linebacker Matt Chatham has been on the other end of the Rodney Dangerfield scale of respect when he won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. He said the NFL is set up for teams like the Jets to outperform any preseason naysaying.
"This is such an odd league that we have where you can come in and do anything each year," Chatham said. "I know the mentality of this city is tough and expectations might not have been quite as high for us, but any team in the league should have the expectations that they are going to do things until proven otherwise."
Which is why the Jets refuse to believe they don't have a very good chance to win Sunday.
"Why wouldn't we?" receiver Laveranues Coles asked. "When you say we don't have a chance, it's probably the same people who are doubting us. Look at who's saying we don't have a chance. How smart have they been this far?"
Key matchup
Justin Miller vs. Laurence Maroney
One foot. That's how much better the Jets' Justin Miller was than the Patriots' Laurence Maroney when it came to returning kickoffs this season, topping the NFL with a 28.3-yard average compared to the rookie's 28.0. Where Miller separated himself was in touchdowns (he had two, including a 103-yarder) and volume (his 46 returns were fewer than only one other returner whose average was in the top 10). Although Miller hasn't busted one loose since Week 8, he has been steady, averaging 26.0 yards during the second half of the season and 25.7 in the last four games. In what is expected to be a slugfest Sunday, every foot of field position will help. Edge: Jets
Previous matchups:
D'Brickashaw Ferguson vs. Richard Seymour. Edge: Patriots
Reche Caldwell vs. Hank Poteat. Edge: Jets
And my Slant: The Jets are right: Why Not them? if anyone can beat New England, it's the Jets. So why won't the Oddsmakers in Vegas give the Jets any Play? maybe it's because they never give anything away to an east coast team, much less a NY team. I remember SB XXI, and the Vegas Boys were giving the edge to Denver, weather they were close geographically, or everyone loved Elway and Reeves. there was lost of Denver money on that game. I even heard that a few Texas Gamblers who just Despised NY were going with Denver. Guess they losta few oil wells that day. My point is that here goes the oddsmakers again going against a New York Team. If anyone can make it happen like last years Steeler's team,..it's Eric's Genius Jets.
Giants Playoff coverage#1
Newsday's Shaun Powell Let's us know why The Giants have Eagles Coach Andy Reid to thank for This Sunday's Game in Philly. My comment at the End:
Shaun Powell
SPORTS COLUMNIST
Just Reid and weep for Coughlin
January 2, 2007
The upcoming Giants-Eagles game was made possible by a coach who was set up to fail. Midway through the season, he lost his best player for good, his team began losing, the city began grumbling, his job came into question and everything was on the verge of collapse. All those forecasts about making the playoffs died quickly, like a New Year's resolution to hit the gym.
Andy Reid found a way, though. The better ones do. He plugged in a replacement quarterback with a weak arm, tweaked his game plan, changed his clipboard and challenged his players.
Instead of accepting disaster, which was widely assumed once Donovan McNabb went down, the Eagles shook up the NFC East and all conventional thinking. Rather than finding excuses for losing, the way the Giants do, Philly listened to Reid and believed him when he said the season wasn't over, it was just beginning.
That's why Reid should be coach of the year over the two boy wonders: Eric Mangini of the Jets, who had a healthy quarterback and enough sick-looking opponents, and Sean Payton down in New Orleans, blessed with Pro Bowlers Drew Brees, Will Smith and Jammal Brown.
Reid had to adjust his approach on the fly, without much time to prepare, the hardest task in the coaching biz. This is what separates the good from the average, or more bluntly, Reid from Tom Coughlin.
While East Rutherford burned all around him, Coughlin did not find a way, and the Giants reached the postseason mostly despite him, not because of him.
Like Reid, Coughlin was handed a joker from the bottom of the deck. He lost Michael Strahan, the Donovan McNabb of his defense. There were plenty of other injuries to various parts of the team. And the bad luck spilled onto the field, where Mathias Kiwanuka didn't wrap up Vince Young.
Coughlin had unexpected issues, agreed. But again, this is where coaches earn their large paychecks. This is where they can make an impact. They can't tackle or pass or run the football, but they must plug holes and inflate confidence when all looks lost and the bandwagon is broken.
Given how the Giants ruined a 6-2 start with too many bad and unforgivable losses and needed the mediocrity of the NFC to slip into the playoffs, we can all conclude that Coughlin's job should be and is on the line.
The question now is: Does he make the decision to fire him a tough one or an easy one? Does he go to Philly and beat Reid, or do the Giants take yet another foot in the behind?
What Coughlin needs to do, for the first time this season, is surprise us. Make us notice his coaching. Shake up the playoffs. Do a better job of dealing with weakness: Cover his team's, exploit the other team's. Instill faith, belief and confidence in a locker room lacking all three. Remind his players, over and over, that they're playing in the NFC, where everyone's got problems. Most of all, do for the Giants what Reid did for the Eagles.
That's really what this season, and Coughlin's employment, comes down to: his performance in a game nobody expects the Giants to win.
He took one step forward when he stripped the play-calling responsibilities from John Hufnagel, something that should've been done long ago, back when Tiki Barber was feeling "insignificant." Now Coughlin must get radical with a defense that gave up nearly 400 yards and almost blew a 27-7 lead to the Redskins. The Giants can't pressure the quarterback or defend against the pass or stop the run when it counts. Good luck, Coughlin.
Reid was hearing about his job when the Eagles were 5-5 when McNabb went down. Then they were slapped around by the Colts. They've won every game since, after Reid gave up the play-calling duties and balanced an offense led by Jeff Garcia, who couldn't keep a job in Cleveland last year. They passed the division leaders along the way, leaving the Giants and Cowboys choking on exhaust, and won the NFC East.
"We're a little bit like zombies," Reid cracked. "Back from the dead."
"Dead" is a fair description of the Giants right now and Coughlin's chances of coming back next season. Too many bad mistakes and losses and, to be fair, injuries have us checking for a pulse. To rise like Lazarus, or even Andy Reid, will require a big game from someone in particular. Will we see Coughlin or coffin?
My only disagreement here is that it doesn't matter what we all(Fans-Writers-Bloggers-radio and TV hosts) Think. John Tisch and John Mara are not firing the Coach THIS year. Why?? simply because for thesecond year in a row the Giants have had too many injuries, esp on the Defense, to cost a coach his job.
Shaun Powell
SPORTS COLUMNIST
Just Reid and weep for Coughlin
January 2, 2007
The upcoming Giants-Eagles game was made possible by a coach who was set up to fail. Midway through the season, he lost his best player for good, his team began losing, the city began grumbling, his job came into question and everything was on the verge of collapse. All those forecasts about making the playoffs died quickly, like a New Year's resolution to hit the gym.
Andy Reid found a way, though. The better ones do. He plugged in a replacement quarterback with a weak arm, tweaked his game plan, changed his clipboard and challenged his players.
Instead of accepting disaster, which was widely assumed once Donovan McNabb went down, the Eagles shook up the NFC East and all conventional thinking. Rather than finding excuses for losing, the way the Giants do, Philly listened to Reid and believed him when he said the season wasn't over, it was just beginning.
That's why Reid should be coach of the year over the two boy wonders: Eric Mangini of the Jets, who had a healthy quarterback and enough sick-looking opponents, and Sean Payton down in New Orleans, blessed with Pro Bowlers Drew Brees, Will Smith and Jammal Brown.
Reid had to adjust his approach on the fly, without much time to prepare, the hardest task in the coaching biz. This is what separates the good from the average, or more bluntly, Reid from Tom Coughlin.
While East Rutherford burned all around him, Coughlin did not find a way, and the Giants reached the postseason mostly despite him, not because of him.
Like Reid, Coughlin was handed a joker from the bottom of the deck. He lost Michael Strahan, the Donovan McNabb of his defense. There were plenty of other injuries to various parts of the team. And the bad luck spilled onto the field, where Mathias Kiwanuka didn't wrap up Vince Young.
Coughlin had unexpected issues, agreed. But again, this is where coaches earn their large paychecks. This is where they can make an impact. They can't tackle or pass or run the football, but they must plug holes and inflate confidence when all looks lost and the bandwagon is broken.
Given how the Giants ruined a 6-2 start with too many bad and unforgivable losses and needed the mediocrity of the NFC to slip into the playoffs, we can all conclude that Coughlin's job should be and is on the line.
The question now is: Does he make the decision to fire him a tough one or an easy one? Does he go to Philly and beat Reid, or do the Giants take yet another foot in the behind?
What Coughlin needs to do, for the first time this season, is surprise us. Make us notice his coaching. Shake up the playoffs. Do a better job of dealing with weakness: Cover his team's, exploit the other team's. Instill faith, belief and confidence in a locker room lacking all three. Remind his players, over and over, that they're playing in the NFC, where everyone's got problems. Most of all, do for the Giants what Reid did for the Eagles.
That's really what this season, and Coughlin's employment, comes down to: his performance in a game nobody expects the Giants to win.
He took one step forward when he stripped the play-calling responsibilities from John Hufnagel, something that should've been done long ago, back when Tiki Barber was feeling "insignificant." Now Coughlin must get radical with a defense that gave up nearly 400 yards and almost blew a 27-7 lead to the Redskins. The Giants can't pressure the quarterback or defend against the pass or stop the run when it counts. Good luck, Coughlin.
Reid was hearing about his job when the Eagles were 5-5 when McNabb went down. Then they were slapped around by the Colts. They've won every game since, after Reid gave up the play-calling duties and balanced an offense led by Jeff Garcia, who couldn't keep a job in Cleveland last year. They passed the division leaders along the way, leaving the Giants and Cowboys choking on exhaust, and won the NFC East.
"We're a little bit like zombies," Reid cracked. "Back from the dead."
"Dead" is a fair description of the Giants right now and Coughlin's chances of coming back next season. Too many bad mistakes and losses and, to be fair, injuries have us checking for a pulse. To rise like Lazarus, or even Andy Reid, will require a big game from someone in particular. Will we see Coughlin or coffin?
My only disagreement here is that it doesn't matter what we all(Fans-Writers-Bloggers-radio and TV hosts) Think. John Tisch and John Mara are not firing the Coach THIS year. Why?? simply because for thesecond year in a row the Giants have had too many injuries, esp on the Defense, to cost a coach his job.
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