The confident N.Y. Jets were talking a good game this season. And at 3-0, they were backing it up. But during the past three weeks, they’ve failed to back up that talk with three straight defeats. After yesterday’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills, it will be even harder to keep that swagger because it was announced that four-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Kris Jenkins will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
This is a devastating loss for the Jets’ defensive line. They certainly won’t be able to replace Kris with Sione …read more

Chad Pennington? Who’s Chad Pennington? Miami Dolphins fans have already forgotten who he is. They’re thinking Dan Marino. After all, Fins fans have been looking for the second coming of the legendary Hall of Fame quarterback since he retired ten years ago. And while I’m not about to annoint Chad Henne as that man after just two starts, I will say I think the Dolphins have found their QB of the future. Chad was 20-of-26 for 241 yards and two touchdowns (with no picks) in a thrilling 31-27 win over the N.Y. Jets on Monday Night Football last night.
Said Dolphins …read more

The Cleveland Browns have traded disgruntled receiver Braylon Edwards to the N.Y. Jets for receiver Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik and two undisclosed Draft picks. Terms of the deal were not known at the time of this post. Braylon is signed through 2009, so I don’t know whether he’ll be getting a new deal. And if there isn’t an extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, he will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2010.
It’s been a season of turmoil for the Braylon (and the entire Browns organization, for that matter)—who never realized his full potential in Cleveland. In four …read more

It’s one thing to talk trash all week. It’s quite another to actually back up that talk. The N.Y. Jets proved today just how confident a football team they are by backing up a week of brash verbiage by beating arch rival New England 16-9. During the week of prep for this game, Jets head coach Rex Ryan said he wasn’t going to “kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.” And defensive back Kerry Rhodes said he wanted to “embarrass” New England.
Afterward, coach Ryan continued with a confident demeanor:
“The Patriots are a hell of a football team. I just thought we were the …read more

N.Y. Jets head coach Rex Ryan named rookie Mark Sanchez their starting quarterback for the 2009 season this morning at a press conference. Mark will begin his journey as the Jets starting QB on September 13 at Houston. I’m not surprised by this decision. A lot was made of Mark’s less-than-perfect performance (3-of-8 passing for 43 yards with a touchdown and interception) in Monday night’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. But he made some good throws, too. Make no mistake. There are going to be growing pains. The Jets would be pretty naive to think there won’t be interceptions …read more

The NFL suspended N.Y. Jets linebacker Calvin Pace four games without pay today for violating the league’s Policy on Performing Enhancing Substances. Calvin will miss the first four games of the 2009 regular season. So, he will see his first action October 12 against Miami.
Apparently Calvin took an over-the-counter dietary supplement that contained a substance that he didn’t know violated the league’s policy. Which, of course, was a big mistake. As an NFL player, if you are considering taking any supplement, you should first clear it with your team’s head trainer. Let that qualified professional examine the product and give …read more

N.Y. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez won’t really have to get used to being the center of attention. He had plenty of practice as the starting QB for the USC Trojans the past season-and-a-half. But every move he makes is going to be held under a microscope by the New York media. So, he’d better be prepared for the best and the worst.
The best, for Mark, would be a GQ pictorial that came out earlier this week. Today’s minicamp practice was leaning toward the worst. Working with the Jets second team offense, Mark struggled with 7-on-7, red zone and two-minute drills. …read more

I’m really not sure what to make of this quote, but I guess I’ll milk the “Brett Favre Unretirement Watch” for all it’s worth with this latest tidbit. According to the N.Y. Daily News, Brett not only wants to play football again, he wants to do so in a manner that will allow him to exact revenge on his former team, the Green Bay Packers. I could see that.
According to an unnamed source, Brett wants back into the NFC North:
“Favre can’t stand Green Bay. He wants to play Green Bay and say, ‘I told you so.’ His bitterness is creating …read more

Brett Favre was given his requested release from the N.Y. Jets yesterday, thus officially removing him from the team’s roster and making him an eligible free agent once again. Well, sort of. This is where it gets a little complicated. Or, at least I can help make it complicated. It’s what I do.
In a statement released by his agent Bus Cook, Brett said:
“Nothing has changed. At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football.”
Hmmm. Naturally, the part of his statement that reads “at this time” intrigues those of us who want to see Brett play some …read more

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
As a member of the Pro Football Writers of America, I have a vote in the Annual PFWA Awards. Below are the five categories, the nominees, and who I voted for.
Horrigan Award (for the person — not a player or team PR staffer — who helped the media best do its job last season):

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner. Roger’s background in NFL public relations and his understanding of our jobs have helped improve the lines of communication between the media and teams. His appearances at our writers meetings at the Super Bowl, where he …read more