Jets Takeoff

Who: New York Jets (6-2) at Cleveland Browns (3-5)

When: Today, 1:00 p.m.

Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium; Cleveland, Ohio

TV and Radio: Channels 2,3; 1050 ESPN Radio

Line: Jets -3.5

Preview: (From The New York Times’ Mike Tanier)

Eric Mangini is on a cross-country quest to silence his doubters, joined by a ragtag company of spunky rookie quarterbacks, castoff veterans, fleet-footed punters and other misfits. Having conquered the defending champion Saints and vanquished his mentor Bill Belichick, Mangini hosts the Jets, whom he coached through his metamorphosis from Boy Genius to baby-faced Machiavelli before being ripped apart by the tectonic forces of Big Apple expectations and Brett Favre egocentrism. Now slightly cowed but no less ambitious, he plans to beat the Jets by baffling them. Thirteen players have carried the ball for the Browns, 13 have caught passes, 5 have thrown them and Mangini has developed a new arsenal of trick plays and sneaky strategies to overcome his team’s lack of talent.

The rookie Colt McCoy is the favorite to start against the Jets, though Mangini is also being coy about his quarterback. Pressing a rookie into service against the Jets sounds like a terrible idea, but the alternatives are Seneca Wallace (injured, too small) and Jake Delhomme (injured, too Jake Delhomme). If he starts, McCoy will flit in and out of the lineup so the Browns can use the Wildcat and other chicanery; when Darrelle Revis tries to cover the Browns’ top receiver, he will discover they do not have one. Crafty.

In the undercard, Rex Ryan and his twin brother Rob (the Browns’ defensive coordinator) bantered through the week; Rex even wore a wig and dressed like his shaggier sibling on Wednesday. It is the closest a Jets news conference ever came to imitating “The Patty Duke Show.”

My prediction: You have to give Mangini credit. People were ready to run him out of town last season, then his Browns finished strong. A slow start start this year didn’t lead to any kind of letdown as Cleveland has won its last two over the Saints and Patriots. Colt McCoy is the starter at quarterback and he’s injected life into the Browns. Winning in the Dawg Pound is never easy, and it won’t be today for a Jets team that is not playing good football. Still, New York is the better team, and they need to start playing better. No better time to do that than today. JETS 16, BROWNS 13

Great news for all Jets’ fans.

One of my favorite Jets of all time, and one of the classiest men ever to put on a Jet uniform - Chad Pennington - has been named the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins.

I know that Miami is a rival, but I’ll never root against Chad. Even as the Jets compete against the Dolphins down the stretch (Miami is 4-4, two games behind New York in the AFC East), I’ll be watching No. 10 and rooting for his success.

The Jets will host Miami in Week 14 (December 12, 4:15).

Pennington and the Dolphins host Tennessee on Sunday.

Funny? Or too much? You make the call.

Rex Ryan turns to a blond wig, size 5-XL Cleveland Browns t-shirt and a pillow to impersonate his twin brother Rob, the defensive coordinator of Eric Mangini's Browns. (Photo and caption from the NY Daily News)

 Whatever you think of this, this much is certain: This is Rex Ryan.

Hey, a win is a win so we’ll take this one.

The Jets improved to 6-2 with their 23-20 overtime win over the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit. With the win, the Jets are now tied with New England for first place in the AFC East. The Patriots lost to the Browns, 34-14, today in Cleveland. Here are some highlights (or lowlights) from today’s game:

AP photo

- The Jets gained just 36 yards on their first four drives. On their fifth drive, they drove 75 yards to set up a Nick Folk field goal. Then, New York scored its first touchdown in six quarters when Mark Sanchez hit Braylon Edwards for a 74-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter.

- Eleven penalties for 99 yards is unacceptable. At times today, the Jets looked undisciplined. That’s on Rex Ryan.

- Five fumbles, though only one was lost, and one key interception by Sanchez. That’s on the players.

- Sanchez was 22-of-39 for 323 yards. Down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Sanchez rallied the troops. He had a one-yard touchdown run and led a drive that resulted in a Nick Folk field goal to send the game into overtime. In overtime, his 52-yard pass to Santonio Holmes set up Folk’s game-winning field goal from 30 yards out. Sanchez was great down the stretch, and he did it without the help of any timeouts late in the game.

- Don’t forget, this game would have never gone into overtime had the Lions converted their point-after-attempt after going ahead 13-10 in the third quarter. Earlier in that drive, a roughing the kicker penalty on Trevor Price made Jason Hanson unavailable for the PAT. The penalty led to the Detroit score.

- This one was ugly – the fumbles (Braylon Edwards had a big one at the start of the second half that led to a Detroit field goal), penalties (the late hits and unsportsmanlike conduct calls are inexcusable), having 12 men on the field, the questionable use of timeouts – but a win is a win. And the Jets are now back in first place in the AFC East.

AP photo

Game recap, compliments of the Daily News’ Manish Mehta:

A week after the Jets’ Halloween horror show, Rex Ryan’s team rallied for a 23-20 overtime win over the Lions Sunday. The Jets played uninspired, undisciplined and ugly for the better part of the game before Nick Folk’s 30-yard field goal lifted them to their fourth consecutive road win.

The Jets committed a pair of costly second-half turnovers to fall behind 20-10 three minutes into the fourth quarter. But Mark Sanchez’s 1-yard sneak for a touchdown with 1:40 to go got the Jets within one score.

Sanchez’s score capped a 6-play, 56-yard drive that got the Jets to within 20-17. Ryan’s defense forced a 3-and-out on the Lions’ ensuing drive led by backup quarterback Drew Stanton. (Matt Stafford was knocked out late in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury). Folk hit a 31-yard field goal as time expired in regulation. Santonio Holmes’ 52-yard catch and run set up the game winning field goal.

Ryan’s bunch won despite committing 11 penalties, fumbling five times, and having critical communication breakdowns. Mark Sanchez, who entered the game with the league’s worst completion percentage, was 22-for-39 for 323 yards, one TD and one INT.

The Lions capitalized on a pair of Jets’ miscues early in the third quarter to erase their 10-7 halftime deficit. Braylon Edwards’ fumble gave the Lions the ball in Jet territory. Matthew Stafford completed passes of 12, 15 and 15 yards before the drive stalled at the Jet 3. But Trevor Pryce was flagged on Jason Hanson’s 21-yard field goal to keep the drive alive. Stafford scored on a 1-yard run on the next play to help the Lions retake the lead. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, filling in for an injured Hanson, missed the extra point to keep it at 13-10 Lions midway through the third quarter.

The Jets committed their second turnover of the second half on their next drive when Sanchez was picked off by Alphonso Smith at the Lions 1. Sanchez pumped right before underthrowing a streaking Santonio Holmes in the endzone. It was Sanchez’s fifth pick in the past three games.

Ryan’s defense looked lost on a Lions’ 90-yard scoring drive that pushed its lead to 20-10 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Ryan was forced to call two timeouts due to miscommunications. Eric Smith’s pass interference on Brandon Pettigrew set up Stafford’s second touchdown pass – a 2-yarder to Nate Burleson – to cap the 9-play drive. Burleson beat Coleman for a 36-yard pickup on third down earlier in the drive before beating Coleman again for the score.

The Jets used one big play to hold a 10-7 halftime lead. In an otherwise forgettable first half, Sanchez and Braylon Edwards hooked up for a 74-yard touchdown with one minute to go before intermission to give the Jets their first lead of the game.

Who: New York Jets (5-2) at Detroit Lions (2-5)

When: Today, 1:00

Where: Ford Field; Detroit, Michigan

TV and Radio: Channel 2; 1050 ESPN Radio

Line: Jets -5

Preview and Prediction: These aren’t the Lions you’ve been used to seeing the past few years. This is a hungry bunch with some talent, certainly a team capable of winning games at home as last week’s victory over the Redskins proved. But let’s be honest, the Jets are a much better team, still a top contender to reach the Super Bowl even after last week’s disappointing performance against Green Bay. This one won’t be easy though. Detroit has talent: On offense, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. On defense, rookie Ndamukong Suh. They’ve won twice at home this year and they’ve been within five points in three of their losses. Meanwhile, the Jets are a lot better team than they showed in last week’s 9-0 loss at home, and the offense should get back on track today. JETS 27, LIONS 20.

In the Stamford Advocate, AP writer Larry Lage previews today’s marquee matchup:

Calvin Johnson is usually covered by a cornerback and a safety when he runs a route.

The Detroit Lions receiver expects to experience something unusual against the New York Jets. He’ll only need to beat one man — All-Pro Darrelle Revis — to get open.

“We haven’t seen a lot of that this year, so it’s definitely something that we’re looking forward to,” Johnson said. “I think that there’ll be a lot of opportunities for us come Sunday.”

The Lions (2-5) have a chance to win three straight games at home.

It won’t be easy because the Jets (5-2) have won six straight road games and they’re motivated to bounce back with a win after getting shut out last week against Green Bay. They might also have an answer for Johnson, who caught a career-high three touchdowns in his last game and has seven scores in four games.

 Click here to read the full article.

This is a story too good to pass up.

One of the most important components of public speaking (Trust me on this one, I teach a public speaking course) is body language. Apparently, the NFL takes body language pretty seriously as well:

From The Star-Ledger’s Jenny Vrentas:

Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer made an important announcement today: Starting last week, the team began fining its franchise quarterback. For his body language.

Apparently, Mark Sanchez wanted to implement the system. Veteran back-up Mark Brunell collects the money. Sanchez incurs fines in practice, including today.

“Today, there was a play in practice when he screwed something up,” Schottenheimer said. “He kind of looked like it was someone else’s fault. That’s a fine.”

“It’s fun stuff,” he added. “He’s a passionate guy that loves to play. We just stay on him about that.

Part of Sanchez’s growth in year two has been in the way he handles tough situations. This system helps keep that in check.

The Jets said that the fines only apply to practice, but believe it or not this is another step in Sanchez’s progression. Everything he says and does reflect the words and actions of an evolving leader. That’s what being a franchise quarterback is all about.

Yes, you read that score correctly. Today was an ugly one for the Jets at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Questionable offensive play calling, a fake punt that came within one yard of extending a first quarter drive, and three turnovers. That’s the story.

(NY Daily News photo)

For some reason, the Jets didn’t come out and try to establish the run, despite the fact that the Packers don’t have a good run defense. LaDainian Tomlinson had 54 yards on 16 carries and Shonn Greene had just 22 yards on only six carries. How is that possible considering Green Bay had the league’s 23rd ranked run defense heading into the game?

Mark Sanchez was intercepted twice and he wasn’t sharp, completing 16-of-38 for 256 yards.

Nothing special today from the special teams, including a missed field goal by Nick Folk and nothing to write home about in kickoff and punt returns.

The Jets tried to get too fancy at times and it cost them. However, they’re still 5-2 and they can win their next four games before their primetime matchup at New England.

The Jets have built up enough credibility and good will to accept a lackluster performance. Just be sure not to let it happen again next week when the Lions come to town.

Here’s the Daily News’ lead:

Thanks to three turnovers, two failed replay challenges and one inept offense, the Jets looked nothing like the world beaters that had backed up all its bravado through the first seven weeks of the season.

Rex Ryan’s team disappeared in a 9-0 loss the Packers Sunday afternoon at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

The Jets’ five-game winning streak came to a crashing halt.

 Click here to read Manish Mehta’s full story on today’s game.