Jets Takeoff

Plenty more on the Jets’ 16-9 win over the New England Patriots throughout the week - as I was at yesterday’s game - but for now here’s what you need to know:

First and foremost, the Jets backed up the talk. Rex Ryan, Kerry Rhodes, and Kris Jenkins had a lot to say before the game. They did their most important talking on the field.

• The Jets blitzed Tom Brady all day, and while they didn’t record a sack, they hurried him 15 times and knocked him to the ground five times. New York had Brady confused with their schemes, and the aggressive play – coming after him with six or seven at a time - was something he had not seen from them before. Brady finished 23-of-47 for 216 yards, completing less than 50 percent of his passes for just the second time in 22 games.
• The Jets secondary was superb. Darrelle Revis limited Randy Moss to four catches for 24

  

  Darrelle Revis, the Jets’ star cornerback

  yards, one week after shutting down Andre Johnson. Wes Welker sat this one out with a knee injury, and that helped. Rookie Julian Edelman was Brady’s favorite target, catching eight passes for 98 yards.

• Revis made a spectacular interception on a deep pass by Brady in the first quarter. With Revis and Moss running step-for-step down the Patriots’ sideline, the cornerback out-jumped Moss for the INT. Later, in the second quarter, Lito Sheppard broke up what would have been a sure touchdown pass by swatting the ball away in the back of the endzone.
• New York held the Patriots to just 83 yards on the ground, and New England was forced into passing situations (low-percentage situations given the way the Jets’ defense was playing) as they trailed throughout the second half. New England did not score an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2006.
• The Jets trailed 9-6 at halftime but quickly took control of the game in the second half. Leon Washington’s 43-yard kickoff return set the Jets up with good field position to start the half. On the third play of the drive, Sanchez hit Dustin Keller in the back of the endzone for a nine-yard touchdown play. An early fourth-quarter field goal by Jay Feely, his third of the game, gave the Jets a 16-9 lead. From there, the defense secured the win.
• Jerricho Cotchery and Chanci Stuckey had four catches apiece. Washington led the Jets with 58 yards rushing, while Thomas Jones added 54. Sanchez threw for 148 yards in the second half, 163 (14-for-22) for the game.
• The crowd at the Meadowlands was as loud as I’ve ever heard it for a Jets’ home game. The crowd noise resulted in three delay-of-game penalties by New England. I guess Jets’ fans listened to Rex Ryan’s voice mail.

Again, plenty more on this one coming up.

When: Today at 1 p.m. (Ch. 2,3)

Where: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Line: Patriots by 3.5

What to expect from the Jets: The Jets delivered a great opening week performance last Sunday. The defense dominated, Mark Sanchez looked remarkably poised and confident for a rookie, and Rex Ryan had his team prepared to play and believing they could win. But we may have overrated the Texans coming into that game, and the Jets face one of the league’s best today when New England attempts to win for the ninth consecutive time at the Meadowlands. Sanchez will not have an easy time of it against the Patriots. He’ll need help from his offensive line and running game. That means Thomas Jones, who had two big runs last week but was shut down otherwise, will have to find more holes, more often. Interested to see if the Jets’ receiving corps steps up like they did a week ago to compliment Jerricho Cotchery. Expect the defense to blitz Tom Brady at every opportunity. The key matchup: Darrelle Revis going up against Randy Moss. Revis shut down Andre Johnson a week ago. He’s one of the best cornerbacks in the league and today he’ll have his work cut out for him. Shaun Ellis returns today to join a front seven that punished Houston from the start. They’ll need the help today. With Brady, Moss, Wess Welker, Ben Watson, Laurence Maroney, and Fred Taylor, New England possesses some powerful weapons on offense.

What to expect from the Patriots: It took a remarkable finish by New England a week ago to escape with a win over the Bills. Despite showing some rust last week, Tom Brady did what Tom Brady does. He executed two fourth-quarter drives that resulted in the win. TheNew England defense is a work in progress, not as strong as they’ve been in the past, but sure to improve. And there’s no better defensive mind than Bill Belichick. You know for sure he’s drawn up one of his patented defensive gameplans. How well his team executes it is the question. New England is loaded on offense and they’ll test the Jets’ defense more than Houston did last week. The Patriots should be better today than they were Monday night on both sides of the ball.

Prediction:The Jets have done a lot of talking leading up to this game. The Patriots have been listening. As good as New York looked last week, you can’t expect that type of success every game, especially with a rookie quarterback and first-year head coach. And, these are the Jets after all, so expect some bumps in the road. Today may be one of them. And as off as the Patriots may have looked at times last week, they still got the job done, and they always bring their “A” game against the Jets. Brady has won all seven of his starts at the Meadowlands. He’s beaten the Jets in 12 of the 14 games he’s started against them. Expect No. 13 to come today. Patriots 27, Jets 20.

In June, Rex Ryan added fire to the already heated rivalry between the Jets and New England Patriots.

“I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings,” Ryan said in an interview on WFAN. I came here to win, let’s put it that way…. I’m certainly not intimidated by New England or anybody else.”

Rex Ryan and the Jets have a chance Sunday to back up the talk and send the Patriots home with a loss.

Just days later, the head coach added this: “I’m not going to concede anything. Do I recognize the fact that Belichick is a heck of a coach? Absolutely. My thing is, I’m not intimidated by him or anyone else in this business. Period. I don’t care who it is. Our football team certainly isn’t going to be intimidated either. If there are some issues with that, so be it.”

That message certainly resonated with his players, most notably with safety Kerry Rhodes, who back in June said that the Jets ”will be the best defense in the league this year.”

This past week, there was more from the Jets’ safety: “You go out from the first quarter on, from the first play on, and try to embarrass them. Not just go out there and try to win, try to embarrass them. Try to make them feel bad when they leave here. We don’t want to just beat them. We want to send a message to them, ‘We’re not backing down from you and we expect to win this game, and it’s not going to be luck, it’s not going to be a mistake.’ ”

Tomorrow afternoon at the Meadowlands, the Jets must back up the tough talk. That means beating the Patriots. The thought of the Jets having a chance against New England seemed inconceivable a week ago. But then Mark Sanchez showed his poise, the defense dominated, and Ryan had his team believing they could win. And they did, a 24-7 victory over the Texans. On Monday night against Buffalo, the Patriots looked vulnerable despite an impressive comeback late in the game.

Rex Ryan left this voicemail message with season-ticket holders this past week: ”Hey, this is Rex Ryan, the head coach of the New York Jets,” is how the message began. “I just wanted to let you know how much we need you this week. You know, I’ve already admitted that, hey, the Patriots have a better head coach and they’ve got a better quarterback than us. But we’re going to see who’s got a better team.”

He continued: “Again, I admit that I’m not as good as Belichick, but at the end of the game, I want to be 1-0 against him,” Ryan said at the end. “So, help me out if you don’t mind. That’s my challenge, OK? Thank you. Bye.”

If Ryan’s going to be 1-0 against Belichick after Sunday’s game, then he, and his players, better back up their tough talk.

5) Jets, Mangini fined for not disclosing Favre injury. (NY Times)

4) Sunday will be a big test for Gang Green. (NY Times)

3) Five keys to a Jets’ win over the Patriots. (Newsday)

2) Kerry Rhodes wants to “embarrass” New England. (NY Daily News)

1) Rex Wants You! (NY Daily News)

A WEEKLY LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS, DOLPHINS, AND BILLS

New England Patriots (1-0): This was not a vintage Patriots’ performance, but Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes to Ben Watson in the game’s final 2:06 and the Pats squeaked by the Bills 25-24 Monday night in Foxborough. Brady finished with 378 passing yards, completing 39-of-53 pass attempts in his first game action since Week 1 last year when he tore ligaments in his knee. Randy Moss had 12 receptions for 141 yards and Wes Welker had 12 catches for 93 yards. The Patriots rushed for just 73 yards as Laurence Maroney and Fred Taylor were held in check, though Taylor did have a rushing touchdown. New England trailed 14-10 at halftime and was down 24-13 with 5:32 to play. Despite trailing until Watson’s TD with :50 left, the Patriots outgained the Bills 441-276. New England has not lost a regular-season game with Brady at quarterback since December 10, 2006.

Buffalo Bills (0-1): The Bills squandered an 11-point fourth-quarter lead and lost to their division rival for the 12th straight time. A fumble by Leodis McKelvin on a kickoff return after the Patriots pulled to within five points in the fourth quarter set up New England’s winning drive. It was Buffalo’s first and only turnover of the night, and it was costly. Trent Edwards was 15-of-25 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while Fred Jackson led Buffalo on the ground with 57 yards rushing. The Bills were just 4-of-10 on third down and had the ball for only 22:52. In his Bills’ debut, Terrell Owens had two catches for 46 yards. Jackson had five receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Schobel had a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Miami Dolphins (0-1): The Dolphins didn’t look like the same team that finished 11-5 and made the playoffs a year ago, as they lost 19-7 on the road to the Atlanta Falcons. Miami turned the ball over four times, leading to 10 points by Atlanta. The Dolphins didn’t score until Chad Pennington connected with Ricky Williams on a 9-yard pass with 3:22 left in the game. Pennington was 21-of-29 for 176 yards. He was intercepted once and fumbled once. Williams and Ronnie Brown combined for only 82 yards on the ground. The Dolphins were 4-of-11 on third-down attempts. Atlanta led 10-0 at halftime and 19-0 until Williams’ score late in the game. Davone Bess led Miami with seven receptions while Ted Ginn Jr. had just two receptions for 26 yards. Anthony Fasano fumbled twice. The Dolphins allowed four sacks. The Miami defense did not force any turnovers.

THIS WEEK IN THE AFC EAST:

Patriots at Jets, Sunday 1 p.m.

Buccaneers at Bills, Sunday 4 p.m.

Colts at Dolphins, Monday 8:30 p.m.

Here are your choices:

Mark Sanchez: A spectacular debut for the rookie quarterback. Sanchez completed 18-of 31 pass attempts for 272 yards and a touchdown, repeatedly coming up with big third-down completions. The one interception he threw in no way diminished a performance that exceeded expectations.  Sanchez appeared poised and confident right from the start, and his footwork, decision making, and accuracy were better than advertised.

Jets’ Defense: The Gang Green defense ganged up on Houston all day. The game announcers and studio analysts kept asking where the Texans’ Andre Johnson was. The answer: getting schooled by Darrelle Revis, one of the best cornerbacks in football. The front seven, led by David Harris, Bart Scott, and Kris Jenkins, dominated Houston all day. The Texans were unable to run the ball and Matt Schaub spent the majority of his day trying to get back on his feet after one punishing hit after another. It’s scary to think how good this defense will be when Calvin Pace and Shaun Ellis enter the fold. This could become the best defense in the NFL.

Rex Ryan: You’ve got to give the head coach credit. The Jets looked like a well-coached team on Sunday. Ryan, much like his quarterback, looked relaxed and confident. The team was prepared to play and they believed they could win. Ryan gets credit for that.  He and his staff called an excellent game on both sides of the ball. The enthusiasm, aggressiveness, and tenacity his players showed were painfully lacking a year ago and that’s why Ryan was brought in. In his first game as an NFL head coach, Ryan delivered.

Now it’s your turn to tell me who you think should get the Week 1 game ball.

Greg Bishop’s game recap (New York Times).

Gary Myers talks about Joe Namath’s pep talk to Mark Sanchez (NY Daily News).

Mark Cannizzaro writes about the Jets’ impressive start to a new era (New York Post).

Wallace Matthews takes a close look at a Jets’ defense that dominated the Texans yesterday (Connecticut Post).

Dave Hutchinson praises the Jets’ receiving corps and highlights other key performances (The Star-Ledger).

The Jets beat the Texans, 24-7, this afternoon at Reliant Field in Houston in a game dominated by Gang Green on both sides of the ball. Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan won in their Jets’ debuts as New York thoroughly outplayed the Texans from the first quarter on.

Here’s what you need to know from today’s game:

Mark Sanchez had plenty of reasons to celebrate during the Jets' season opening win at Houston.

• Sanchez was near perfect in his first start. He was 18-of-31 for 272 yards and a touchdown, converting on numerous third-down plays. More impressive than the numbers, the rookie showed poise, confidence, and great footwork. It’s only one game, but few rookies have shown such maturity in their first game, and a season-opener at that.
• Wide receivers Jerricho Cotchery and Chanci Stuckey, tight end Dustin Keller, and running back Leon Washington had productive games. Stuckey caught four passes for 64 yards including a 30-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Keller caught four passes for 94 yards, while Cotchery had six catches for 90 yards. Washington caught four passes for 24 yards out of the backfield. He carried the ball 15 times for 60 yards, twice out of the “Seminole” offense, the Jets’ version of the “Wildcat.”
• Running back Thomas Jones had an interesting day. Stopped for losses or short gains on all but two of his 20 carries, Jones finished with 107 yards and two touchdowns. His 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed the victory for the Jets. On the Jets’ next possession, he had a 39-yard run.
• The Jets outgained Houston, 462-183, and had the ball for 38:46 to the Texans’ 21:14. The Jets had 22 first downs to Houston’s 11.
• The Jets’ defense was simply fantastic, dominating the Texans all afternoon. Houston gained just 38 yards on the ground and 145 through the air. David Harris led the defense with 11 tackles (six solo), while Bart Scott and Kris Jenkins led the defensive front seven as they punished Houston all day. Lito Sheppard had New York’s lone interception. Darrelle Revis (can we call this guy a star already), Kerry Rhodes and the Jets’ secondary shut down the Texans’ receivers. Again, it’s only one game but it looks like Ryan has put his stamp on this defense. And remember, the Jets were playing without Calvin Pace and Shaun Ellis.
• Houston’s only score came off a fourth-quarter interception by Sanchez that was fumbled, then taken for a 48-yard run into the endzone. Matt Schaub was 18-of-33 for 166 yards in a game where he struggled to find open targets and was inaccurate with his throws. Steve Slaton ran for just 17 yards and had a key fumble in the second quarter as Houston was driving. Meanwhile, Andre Johnson had four catches for just 35 yards.
• Ryan did a lot of talking this offseason, and was vocal about the importance of getting a win today. After this dominating performance he deserves a lot of credit for getting his team ready and getting his players to believe they could win. Ryan has every reason to feel good after his first win as an NFL head coach.