Greg Cote, Jets (3-1) And Dolphins (1-3)

Cote’s pick, MIA 20-17. Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations are in store — maybe Stephen Ross in a Carmen Miranda fruit hat? — But in addition to the customary celebrity bravado now associated with Dolphin home games, there is this: Miami will tell a watching nation if it is a playoff contender. Beat your division rival/opponent to go 2-3, you are; lose on this home stage for 1-4, you are not. Trends favor Planes. NYJ has won four Mondays consecutively over Dolphins and past three in MIA. Now Jets trade for Braylon Edwards, a stretch-the-field WR the Fins lack. Despite it all, the Dolphins will probably win Monday Night Football.

What the Dolphins require is this game Monday night. Against the Jets. Against Rex Ryan. Against Mark Sanchez. Against time that’s hastily running out. It’s the ideal time to not only ignite new life into a somewhat dulled competition, but it is the perfect time — and realistically last chance — to save the season. The Dolphins need thrill right now. They need to confirm that their distinctiveness is stronger than that of another quality team.

Miami Dolphins’ Joey Porter Has Fighting Words for Jets

If Monday night’s game against the Jets should end in a tie after four quarters, we’ve got a proposal for a new way to settle things: Somebody get out those old, beat-up boxing gloves. Judging by linebacker Joey Porter’s manner Thursday, it sounds as if he would be on board for the idea. As he put it, he expects Sunday’s game to be similar to a “knuckle-up” schoolyard throw-down regardless.

Porter, who says he feels like “we’re going to have some opportunities to get the ball away from quarterback Mark Sanchez” as he pointed in the direction of last year’s AFC East title as evidence of what Miami is capable of. Porter also said that their conference isn’t big enough for two bullies. Stating that there can only be a certain amount of bullies in a playground and said that the AFC East still runs through Miami, not the Jets.

Alex Smart on Jets Dolphins

New York Jets (-1.5, 36.5) vs. Miami Dolphins: The Monday nighter heads to Land Shark Stadium, where the Jets will duke it out with the Fins. Last week, New York’s rookie QB Mark Sanchez finally looked like a rookie, throwing three interceptions in the Jets’ 24-10 loss in New Orleans. The Dolphins had a successful first game without QB Chad Pennington, as Michigan product QB Chad Henne threw for 115 yards in Miami’s 38-10 victory. The Jets have owned this series for years, going 20-5-2 ATS in their L/27 against Miami.

Look for the Jets to win big against their division rival, Dolphins. Sanchez is off to show to the whole world that last week was just a fluke. Dolphins on the other hand won their game last Sunday, that I think was a fluke. Look for the Jets to be back defensively where they were and look for them to pound the Fins and grab the cash.

Jets Beat Brady At Home For First Time

Rex Ryan sent a message to the Jets fans while his New York Jets delivered one of their own. Rookie Mark Sanchez outplayed Tom Brady and the Jets backed up their big mouths, shutting down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 16-9 on Sunday. So huge, in fact, that Ryan said he was giving the fans a game ball that would be placed in the team’s trophy case.

The win was the first for the Jets over Brady at home and the first over the Patriots at the Meadowlands since 2000. And, it came after a week through which Ryan reiterated his offseason remarks that he didn’t come to “kiss Bill Belichick’s rings” and sent a voicemail to season ticket holders, telling all of them to be loud. The fans obviously answered the call, causing a rough time for the Patriots’ offense all game as Brady was forced into consecutive delay of game penalties in the third quarter.

Jets Acquire WR Braylon Edwards from Browns

The New York Jets have reached an accord with the Cleveland Browns to acquire bothered but talented wide receiver Braylon Edwards. The Jets sent their wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik and undisclosed draft choices to the Browns on Wednesday to acquire the deep threat they had been lacking. Edwards, in his fifth season, has a meager 10 receptions for only 139 yards – well below what he is really capable of.

Edwards is also dealing with off-field issues as the NFL is investigating whether he violated the league’s conduct policy following accusations he assaulted a man outside a nightclub. Edwards supposedly punched promoter Edward Givens, a friend of NBA star LeBron James, early Monday morning following an argument in downtown Cleveland. This trade might put the Jets in the elite class… or not. They are taking a huge risk on the huge head case that goes by the name of Braylon Edwards. Let’s see what a motivated Edwards can do for a winning team. Will he change his attitude towards the Jets? Or will he bring the rest of the Jets down?

Thomas Never Doubted He’d Come Back Strong

Pierre Thomas put on around 10 pounds during the offseason, hoping that would make him more in the image of ex-Saints power runner Deuce McAllister. Maintaining the additional bulk proved harder than Thomas expected, first because of a right knee sprain and then because of a virus two weeks ago that made it hard for him to keep food down.

Thomas sat out the Saints’ season-opener against Detroit because of the lasting effects of his knee injury and rarely got on the field against Philadelphia in Week 2. The Saints did not make Thomas a normal part of the offense until the second half of their victory at Buffalo, one night after he was vomiting in his hotel room. He then ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns in the span of a mere two quarters. In the Saints’ 24-10 victory over the New York Jets last Sunday, with Drew Brees held under 200 yards passing, Thomas had 86 yards rushing and 46 yards receiving. His 36-yard gain on a screen pass gave the Saints a first down at the Jets’ 1-yard line in the first half. He accelerated swiftly into open spaces and ruined several tackles, his feet always churning until he was finally brought down.

The New England Patriots: Spooking the NFL One Week at a Time

The Pats have gone out and tamed two first-class sophomore quarterbacks in consecutive weeks. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco played respectable games. Even the New York Jets’ win over the Patriots seem a bit off. The whole game looked like New York was waiting for New England to prevail; all the Jets could do was blitz all the time and pray that Tom Brady would not find his gait.  When Brady was knocked out at the start of last season there was a scuttle to reorganize the AFC pecking order. When New England regenerated itself, Miami had just squeaked by them in the East. A sense that the league had been given a brief break from Brady, Belichick, and the Ark of the Covenant they keep stored under Fox borough.

The New England Patriots status has preceded them this year. Tom Brady is still on the road to recovery from his knee injury. Brady must remember that hit every time he drops back. But Brady is slowly recapturing his form, and in the meantime the rest of the NFL is praying that Matt Cassel just dreamed that he left for Kansas City. If teams would like to pound New England they need to go out there and strike them in the mouth. You have to act, instead of just reacting to what the Patriots settle on showing up.

D Propels Undefeated Saints Past Jets

A fresh start with the New Orleans Saints marked the return of “the shake” back in 33-year-old Darren Sharper. The NFL’s active leader in career interceptions had two more against rookie Mark Sanchez, returning one for a club-record 99 yards for a touchdown to aid the undefeated Saints hand the New York Jets their first defeat of the season, 24-10 on Sunday. Sharper’s trademark shoulder-shaking revelry are becoming an illustration of a defense that can now take recognition for leading New Orleans to victory after taking the fault for the Saints’ failure to make the playoffs the past two seasons.

The win ensured the Saints, who have a bye week next week, would still be undefeated when they play host to the New York Giants on Oct. 18. The Giants host the listless Oakland Raiders next weekend, giving them a great shot at staying undefeated as well. The Jets-Saints matchup drew a lot of interest not only because it was the weekend’s only game between unbeaten teams, but also because it pitted a fearsome defense designed by Jets coach Rex Ryan against the Saints’ league-leading offense, driven by Brees’ creative passing and the imaginative play calling of head coach Sean Payton.

Jaguars Vs. Titans

I am rating Tennessee at just 0.6 points better than an average team heading into this season so it’s not such a huge surprise that the Titans are 0-3 after going 13-3 last season. The Titans have actually played at a continuously good rate, as they have out-gained the Jets, Texans and Steelers 5.6 yards per play to 5.1 yppl. Jacksonville, on the other hand, has been out-gained 5.6 yppl to another 6.3 yppl by teams that would out-gain an average team by 0.7 yppl, so the Jaguars haven’t played that bad either. My ratings favor Tennessee by just 1 point and using this year’s games only would result in a math prediction of Tennessee by 2 points. With that being the case, I’ll lean with the dog.

Question we can ask ourselves is will the Titans go 0-4? Who will start in week 4 for the Titans? Nevertheless, I’m going for the FG dog. Woof!

Saints Vs. Jets

Two unbeaten teams square off here in what should be an interesting match-up of one of the NFL’s top offensive teams against what looks like one of the NFL’s best defensive teams. New Orleans was the NFL’s best offense last season and the Saints have averaged 6.6 yards for every play and 40 points in 3 games against teams that would combine to allow 5.2 yppl to an average team. New York, on the other hand, has yielded just 4.2 yppl and 11 points per game to good offensive teams Houston, New England and Tennessee – who would combine to average 5.9 yppl against an average defensive team. The Jets would actually have an advantage over New Orleans’ offense based on this year’s games (NO is +1.4 yppl on offense and NYJ is +1.7 yppl on defense), but my ratings actually give the Saints a slight 0.1 yppl benefit when they had the ball. New Orleans is an improved team this season because their defense has changed from worse than average to good, and allows just 4.9 yppl to teams that would combine to average 5.3 yppl against an average team. New York rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez is getting a lot of praise, but he’s averaged his 6.3 yards per pass play against teams that would combine to allow 6.8 yppp to a normal quarterback.

The Jets’ rushing attack has also been below average and New York’s offense has been 0.6 yppl worse than average through 3 games (5.2 yppl against teams that would allow 5.8 yppl to an average team). In fact, after scoring 6.6 yppl against Houston’s horrible defense in the opener, the Jets have managed just 4.3 yppl. The Jets may be able to slow down the Saints to league average fabrication but their offense is probable to be held below 20 points and ratings favor the Saints by 7 points with a total of just 42 1/2 points. The unbeatable Jets may not be getting sufficient respect here and unbeaten teams (3-0 or better) are a perfect 9-0 ATS as underdogs of 7 points or more the last 17 seasons. However, studies have resulted that very good offense has an advantage over very good defense, especially at home, and New Orleans applies to a 54-24-3 ATS statistical match-up indicator that is based on that premise. I’ll lean with the Saints at -7 or less.

Rex Ryan Is Already the Best Coach in the NFL

The Jets think that they are “the team to beat” because Ryan, 46, has instilled a strut and authentic self-belief in his players that has translated into victories on the field. Ryan, who served as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator from 2005-2008, has made playing the game of football pleasurable again for Jets players who were smothered by their former coach Eric Mangini’s dictatorial policies for three meticulous seasons. Ryan has emphatically encouraged his players to speak their minds and voice their thoughts.

Despite the fact that he has only three games on his resume, Rex Ryan is simply everything you would want in an NFL coach. He is a player’s coach who requires discipline and respect. He has a very brilliant football mind. But, he doesn’t act as if he’s a mastermind who could successfully split the atom. In all likelihood, Rex Ryan is the man who will eventually lead the New York Jets to their first championship since the 1969 season.

Defense Keeps Jets Undefeated

The New York Jets’ defense was far from wonderful for most of the game but it is their defense that kept these Jets undefeated. Then came the fourth quarter, and David Harris and his stingy teammates were back to being prevailing. Harris had an interception and a big sack on Tennessee’s last two drives, and Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes and bulldozed his way in for one more as the Jets stayed insurmountable by holding on for a 24-17 win over the Titans on Sunday.

Sanchez is the first rookie quarterback to start a season and win in his first three games, helping the Jets to the fourth 3-0 start in the Jets’ franchise history. Rex Ryan also joined Al Groh (2000) as the solitary Jets coaches to win their first three games. It isn’t the Jets’ offense that rules over the field week by week, but it is the Jets’ defense that is keeping them undefeated.

Jets Studying Options

The New York Jets are in the midst of evaluating their personnel and seeing what is available out there for them. If they plan to get players, then General Manager Mike Tannenbaum needs to act swiftly and decisively.  He said that once the review and assessment has reached its conclusion and the need can be filled by free agency, then the Jets will hit “hard”.
The Jets general manager has stated that New York likes having the three quarterback option in its roster and since Brett Favre is retiring again, they are looking at ways to fill that open spot. Another name being touted around is Ray Lewis, but he stops short of commenting on Lewis’ remarks about playing for the Jets, as there are league rules in tampering. But those comments and actions can only be held out for so long and by next week as the free agent market opens, expect the Jets to make some major moves.
What Tannenbaum did say is that Baltimore’s model on defense is something good and to emulate that you need players that are explosive and versatile. This means a defensive line with Ray Lewis on it.

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