E-Boland & Gang Green

Brett Favre said the crash-course portion of his season when it comes to learning the playbook is about over.

“We’re not cramming really,” Favre said. “We’re kind of going back. We’re kind of rehashing some of the things we’ve done well, some of the things that could have been done well, really narrowing down, not so much adding. Maybe adding something off a play that worked well. A different formation, personnel group, something like that. But we’ve got enough really to go into the rest of the season and have success with.”

[* An interjection to reader BigM, who posted this under my previous entry: “Im sure one reporter will say ‘So Favre, Do you now feel like your on the same page with your WR's? Is the chemistry finally there??’
Mmm, sigh. I was hoping not…but BigM was pretty close].

Anyway, back to learning the terminology of the playbook. Damien Woody and Chris Baker had some interesting recollections about Favre’s early struggles with it.

“Now the way I can tell is he’s not forgetting the play call in the huddle, now it’s like he just knows it now,” Damien Woody said. “Once you get to that point, you just go out and play football. I think he definitely he’s more comfortable in the offense, guys are more comfortable with him calling the plays. We’re more in sync, so now I think you’ll start to see his true abilities start to come out on the football field. And by no means is this a finished product. I think it’s going to get better and better.”

Baker smiled when I asked him to compare Favre in the huddle now to the first few training camp practices.

“It’s been a dramatic jump,” Baker said. “We do have a pretty complex offense and just to call the play out was for tough for him early on. A couple times we just got the play, we didn’t get a formation or the protection, things like that, back in camp. But he’s really evolved and he’s obviously had to study a lot and he’s taken ownership and he really understands what we’re trying to do and the concept of everything we’ve done. There’s been a lot of effort put into it and I guess you could say you saw some of the results of that on Sunday.”

* Not too much from the 35 minutes we were able to watch practice. We watched Reggie Hodges punt for the first portion of the practice. Nothing great; nothing horrible. A couple of good hits downfield, though not consistently. But no shanks, either.

Hodges, still recovering from a hamstring injury, took to the sideline exercise bicycles for the final part of the time we were out there. James Dearth was also on a bicycle. Kris Jenkins, limited much of last week, didn’t appear, in the time we were outside, limited in any way.

* Eric Mangini on David Clowney and Mike Nugent: I’d say they’re both making significant strides. David hopefully will be involved to some degree either this week or next week.”

* Mangini on Eric Smith's suspension: "I definitely support the Commissioner's initiative to protect the players and to do everything possible to promote player safety. But I'll just reiterate that Eric Smith, he's a good player, he's a good person, and he'd never do anything intentionally to harm somebody else."

* Laveranues Coles caught three touchdowns Sunday and treated each of the footballs differently. The first one he handed to a kid in the crowd, the second he kept for himself and the third he signed and gave to Favre, who very much appreciated the gesture. As for the kid, Coles said he spotted him before the game.

“I saw him early,” Coles said. “As a player, you’re always scouring the stands to see just how many of your jerseys are up there, to see how popular you are. Of course, I’m outnumbered by No. 4, but that’s to be expected. But anytime I see one of my jerseys, I say ‘Man, he’s got my jersey on, he must really like me.’”

* Irving’s Delicatessen in nearby Livingston, N.J. brought a huge selection of sandwiches, salads and desserts into the press room today for lunch. The word tremendous doesn’t even begin to cover it.

* We’re back again tomorrow for this week’s final practice and player availability. And, again, Live Chat VII here on this blog at 11 a.m. Thursday morning.

With this being the Jets bye week, the team had meetings yesterday and will practice today (Tuesdays are normally an off day) and tomorrow before having a long weekend. It should allow for the Jets, and hopefully some of the writers covering them, to catch up on their social lives. Or start one.

Anywhoo, we'll have Eric Mangini in the press room at 10:15 a.m., followed by Brett Favre. Hopefully, he won't be asked about the process of "getting on the same page" (yecht) with his receivers. Keeping the fingers crossed. After Favre we'll head to the locker room and see what Eric Smith has to say about his suspension and what other players have to say about Sunday and what's ahead for this team that, given the schedule, has a decent chance to get on a bit of roll. Our 35 minutes at practice follows all that so I'll be back after that. Also, this reminder: Live Chat VII will be Thursday morning at 11.

Here is the just-released statement from the league:

"Safety Eric Smith of the New York Jets has been suspended for one game and fined $50,000 for a flagrant violation of player safety rules, the NFL announced today. Specifically, on a pass play on Sunday, Smith engaged in helmet-to-helmet contact with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who was in a defenseless position at the time contact was made.

The suspension will sideline Smith for the Jets’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, October 12 following the Jets bye on October 5. The $50,000 fine includes the game check Smith will forfeit for the week of his suspension.

Smith’s actions violated Rule 12, Section 2, Article 8(g) of the NFL Official Playing Rules, which prohibit:

“…using any part of a player’s helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/‘hairline’ parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily; although such violent or unnecessary use of the helmet is impermissible against any opponent, game officials will give special attention in administering this rule to protect those players who are in virtually defenseless postures.”

On September 17, Commissioner Roger Goodell specifically advised all players of his intention to strictly enforce playing rules that promote safety on the field:

“Player safety on the field is important to all of us in the NFL. Football is a tough game and we need to do everything possible to protect all players – offense, defense, and special teams – from unnecessary injury caused by illegal and dangerous hits. From this point forward, you should be clear on the following point: Any conduct that unnecessarily risks the safety of other players has no role in the game of football and will be disciplined at increased levels, including on a first offense."

Smith, speaking today before the suspension was announced, insisted he didn't intentionally lead with his helmet and though the Jets didn’t categorize it as such, Smith sure sounded like someone who had suffered a concussion. He said he remembered only up until the play before the hit and that he was still somewhat groggy. Smith said he got word from Jets safety Abram Elam, a childhood friend of Boldin’s who spoke to Boldin’s mother Sunday night, that the receiver was doing all right.

“I felt better about it, but you still feel bad,” Smith said.

Back after doing some newspaper stuff.

* UPDATE: Well, not really an update, but here's some additional stuff. First, HOF poster R in CT asked about this. A replay of Sunday's Jets game will be shown at 8 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) on the NFL Network. So there you go.

Also from today: The Jets released Ben Graham, who kicked a couple more line-drive punts Sunday, for the second time in three weeks. That would seem to indicate Reggie Hodges, signed Sept. 16 to replace Graham but almost immediately sidelined with a thigh injury, is ready to return. The team also announced OL Will Montgomery, waived Sept. 25 when Hank Poteat was signed, had been re-signed to the active roster. WR Paul Raymond was released from the practice squad.

* AND Jesse Chatman, suspended the first four games for violating the NFL Policy on Steroids and Related Substances, was back in the locker room. Chatman admitted to using a masking agent but declined to specify the reason for using it, only that it was not to mask any kind of steroid or performance-enhancing substance.

“There’s a lot of particulars that go with it that I just care not to go into,” said Chatman, who has battled weight problems throughout his career. “The public’s going to think what they’re going to think but hopefully they’ll know that I’m not a cheater and I never have been.”

An exemption will allow Chatman to practice with the team this week, though the Jets will have to make a roster move next week to fit the running back on the roster

Kris Jenkins is as good a place as any to start, for when someone commended him yesterday on his blocked field goal, the big nose tackle offered this, smiling of course:

"Well, I would hope I didn't waste Woody's money by coming out here and doing nothing."

His analysis of the play?

“I just ran the snapper over.”

Indeed.

For those interested in trivia, that was the first blocked field goal by the Jets since Bryan Thomas blocked a Stephen Gostkowski attempt Sept. 17, 2006.

* Gregarious might be a bit strong but the Jets were a pretty happy team after yesterday’s victory in which they scored the second-most points in team history. The statistics were impressive across the board, led by Brett Favre’s six TD passes and Laveranues Coles’ breakout game (8 receptions, 105 yards, 3 TDs). Favre spread the ball to eight different receivers.

* Speaking of Favre, I didn’t see any of those “Coles still pining for Pennington” stories today for some reason.

* The Jets refrained all week from calling yesterday a “must-win” game, which made sense because if things don’t go your way and you lose that game, where does that leave you? But Shaun Ellis, after yesterday’s game, gave a pretty good answer about what the Cardinals’ game meant, especially after what happened the previous Monday in San Diego.

“Monday night was a complete let-down,” Ellis said. “It was very frustrating. We wanted to come out and show we are a good football team, and we could play.”

* Eric Mangini on the momentum change between the second and third quarters, as disparate two quarters as anyone in either locker room had ever seen:

“I can tell you I enjoyed the second quarter a lot more than I enjoyed the third quarter. I was part of both of them and I can tell you I liked the second quarter a lot better.”

* The Jets’ five sacks increased their season total to 13, tied for third-best in the league. Just for fun, through four games last season the Jets sack total was three. Inside those numbers: David Bowens had two sacks yesterday, his first two-sack game since his Miami days, when he recorded two Nov. 27, 2005 at Oakland…Thomas’ third-quarter sack was his team-best fourth this season and gave him 21.5 for his career…Shaun Ellis recorded his third sack this season, increasing his career total to 56.5, which ranks him fourth on the Jets all-time list.

* It wasn’t entirely positive yesterday. Safety Eric Smith is facing – likely – at the very least a fine, and at worst some kind of suspension for his hit on Anquan Boldin. Our NFL columnist Bob Glauber weighed in on that this morning. Also, there has to be concern regarding the defense looking helpless in the third quarter against the Cardinals’ two-minute offense.

“We have to put our foot down and stop things like that,” Darrelle Revis said afterward.

But, while 35 second-half points didn’t look good, forcing seven turnovers and recording five sacks did.

* The schedule today: Mangini’s Monday After press conference at 3:40 followed by locker room availability at 4. A little bit of an altered schedule this week because of the bye: the Jets will practice Tuesday and Wednesday this week, then are off through the weekend and back at it next Monday.

* An Aside, Part I: Because of the bye week, as I mentioned above, the Jets will not be off tomorrow, making the previously scheduled live chat here decidedly inconvenient. So we will have Live Chat VII – from the World’s Most Famous Futon – Thursday morning at 11. You have been notified.

* An Aside, Part II: I have someone Eric Mangini should get on his staff post haste. I worked in Warren, Ohio awhile back and I still occasionally read on line the paper – the Warren Tribune Chronicle – I used to write for. I came across this quote from Ursuline High School coach Dan Reardon about one of his players, a running back, who was injured during last Friday's game.

“No comment,” he said when asked about it. “He’s a minor so it’s against the law for me to comment on a medical condition.”

Against the law?? I emailed the writer, Lou Cali Jr., to see if this coach was serious and, apparently, he was. Hysterical. That rivals any non-answer about an injury Mangini has ever given.

And with that, time to leave the Island and head to Fort Florham. We have a new saying around here: the Triborough is your friend. Thank you, Robert Moses (and the many readers who suggested it weeks ago instead of the Cross Bronx). Back after the locker room.

About an hour before this one and it's still pouring at the Meadowlands. But you probably already knew that. The inactives:

Jets: K Mike Nugent, Brett Ratliff (3rd QB), P Reggie Hodges, QB Erik Ainge, WR David Clowney, CB Justin Miller, LB Marques Murrell, DL Kareem Brown.

Cardinals: Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB), SS Adian Wilson, RB J.J. Arrington, T Brandon Keith, WR Early Doucet, TE Jerame Tuman, DE Bertrand Berry, DT Gabe Watson.

Live-blogging action coming your way later here with a Newsday staffer-to-be named. I'll be back later tonight. Enjoy the afternoon.

Stephen Haynes here (you aren't sick of me yet, are you?) to chat with you for a few hours. I'll be providing updates, comments, censored-but-candid opinions... and stuff.

OK, so maybe the Jets will have to wait until Week 6 for that "easy schedule" stuff to kick in. Because when the schedule came out long before the season, and when everyone played the “Win, Loss, Win, Win” game (that everyone plays), you might’ve had the Cardinals down as a pencil-it-in win – especially if Matt Leinart was starting. Fast forward a few months: he’s not and they’re not. The Jets could realistically enter their bye week at 1-3, behind the 4-0 Bills. And, with Buffalo facing the Rams today, 4-0 is likely.

This isn’t a Must Win game (those don’t exist in Week 4), but it’s kind of a must-win game. Perhaps more for the team's psyche than for the standings. After all the off-season additions, the acquisition of Big Kahuna No. 4 and the good training camp vibes, three straight losses and a dip to last place might affect morale and get the doubts creeping in. And doubts, like bed bugs, bite. Or gradually eat away at the foundation like termites. Pick a simile.

But on the flip side, if they go into the bye at 2-2 with the Bengals, Raiders and Chiefs on the slate – followed by a shot at the Bills – optimism (the genuine kind, too) will be in abundance. So…

Keys to the Game

Offense
- Attack the right side of the Cardinals defensive line. They’re giving up 5.29 yards per carry at right defensive end, and Bertrand Berry being out probably won’t help them there. Arizona’s run defense isn’t horrible (allowing 102 yards/game) and their speed at linebacker helps in pursuit on stretch plays, but the right side is the weak side. As well, the Jets are getting 4.97 yards per tote running around left tackle. Not so much luck directly behind D'Brickashaw Ferguson, but around, yes.

- Stop defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. At 285 pounds he’s a bit undersized, but he’s a talented pass-rusher on the inside (nine sacks in 2007). He hasn’t had one yet this year, but he’s a threat. Alan Faneca will have to control him.

- Attack the secondary deep a few times. The Cardinals have yet to give up a pass play of 40 yards, but Pro-Bowl safety Adrian Wilson is out with a bad hamstring. Behind him on the depth chart is Aaron Francisco, who has started just five games in four seasons. At free safety is Antrel Rolle. Yes, the former cornerback. He's got good speed back there, but it's possible (probable, probably) that he's still adjusting to the new position and isn't completely comfortable there yet. Why not test him? Arizona’s pass rush isn’t great – and Berry, their best rusher, is out – so the Jets can afford to use some 3- and 4-receiver sets to pressure that secondary.

Defense
- Blitz Kurt Warner. Blitz Kurt Warner a lot. He’s gotten good protection through three games, but the Jets have to see for themselves. Warner has a tendency to go stretches where he locks onto his “Z” receiver (Larry Fitzgerald in this case) and he often holds the ball too long, looking for the big play. If the Jets can get around that offensive line, they’ll have their shots at him. Warner has thrown to his tight ends just eight times and Edgerrin James has just one reception. Which means the Cardinals probably wouldn't make the Jets pay too much underneath and/or over the middle if they send the linebackers.

- Force a couple turnovers. That's obviously an obvious key, and obviously, it's easier said than done, but it’s almost imperative in this game. Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are the best wideout tandem in the league and it’s near impossible to shut both of them down. They’re physical, run good routes and can beat press coverage. So unless the front 7 is battering Warner and forcing fumbles, three-down stops will probably be hard to come by. A key turnover or two would help compensate for that. And Warner throws some balls into traffic, so the Jets will have their chances. They’ve got to capitalize. Obviously.

With Kris Jenkins back and James no longer being a threat to gash a defense with long runs (he hasn’t broken a 30-yarder since 2005), the Jets should be able to commit both safeties to coverage.

1st Quarter
Nothing doing. A turnover for each team and the Jets will begin the second quarter from the Cardinals 2, facing a 2nd & goal. Score: zip-zip.

Recap: Leon Washington got the first two carries for the Jets, so he started the game. How the carries are split in this game will be something to look for. And speculate about, since Thomas Jones had 37 yards last week against the Chargers... The Jets forced fumbles on back-to-back snaps and Hank Poteat recovered the second one. The Cardinals had been moving the ball and reached the Jets' 9. A Favre interception put the Cardinals back in scoring range, but a blocked field goal kiboshed that. As was mentioned in the keys to the game, turnovers are often Trucco-Sebastian makeup for errors....

2nd Quarter
- Touchdown Jets. Favre connects with Laveranues Coles on a 12-yard touchdown at 14:50 to cap the 10-play, 49-yard drive. 7-0, Jets
- Touchdown Jets. Darrelle Revis jumped a curl route, intercepted a Warner pass for Boldin and took it back 32 yards for the score at 13:25. 14-0, Jets
- Touchdown Jets. Favre hits Coles for a 34-yard touchdown at 7:25. Cornerback Eric Green got injured on the play, leaving Coles wide open on a go route up the sidelines. The drive lasted four plays and netted 83 yards. 21-0, Jets
- Field goal Jets. Jay Feely connects from 20 yards on his second try. He missed on his first attempt from 22 yards, but a roughing the kicker call gave the Jets a second chance. The drive was setup by an Eric Smith interception that gave the Jets the ball at the 19. 24-0, Jets
- Touchdown Jets. Favre hits Coles on a fade route for two yards. Coles has caught a career-high three touchdowns. And, with Jay Feely's extra point, the Jets set a franchise-record with 31 points in a quarter. 31-0, Jets
- Field goal Jets. Jay Feely hits a 30-yard field goal. The play was setup by the David Bowens sack, fumble force and recovery. Feeley booted it with 0:02 left and time expired as it went through. He, of course, adds to the franchise record for points in a quarter. 34-0, Jets

Highlights: Turnovers. Both teams have given it away and taken it away, but the Jets' 5 > the Cardinals' 1. Poteat's recovery of a James fumble kept at least three points (probably) off the board for Arizona, the blocked field goal defintely kept the Cards from three points, and the Revis pick-6 gave, obviously (it's the word of the day), gave the Jets a direct +7 and Eric Smith's interception put the Jets in the red zone for a field goal and the Bowens recovery of a Warner fumble gave the Jets a field goal just before the half... Favre has gotten great protection and has taken advantage of it with three touchdowns to Coles (5 catches for 82 yards). He's 13-for-20 with 154 yards. The one sack he took was on the 2-minute drive and it was more his own fault as he held the ball about seven seconds. His one glaring mistake was a swing pass thrown across the field and across his body that was picked off. Granted, a defensive lineman had jumped offsides (no flag, though) and Favre might've thought that he had a free play... The Jets defense hasn't really looked dominant, but they've certainly been opportunistic, taking advantge of almost all of Warner's mistakes. He was sacked three times and fumbled each time, and he's been intercepted twice, both times because he held the ball too long and stared down his intended target.

Halftime: 34-0, Jets

3rd Quarter
- Touchdown Cardinals. Edgerrin James powers through for a four-yard touchdown to finish a six-play, 79-yard drive. 34-7, Jets
- Touchdown Cardinals. James gets in from two yards out. Then he got in from two yards out again on the two-point conversion. The Cardinals drive lasted 13 plays (5 minutes, 41 seconds) and went 76 yards. 34-15, Jets
- Touchdown Cardinals. Tim Hightower ran for a one-yard score that capped a six-play, 54-yard drive. The drive, so soon after the Cardinals' last score, was made possible by the attempt and recovery (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) of an onside kick. The Cardinals failed on the two-point try. 34-21, Jets

Recap: The score says it all. It was all Cardinals. The offense seemed to get untracked, or the Jets defense let up. One or the other or a combo, either way it adds up to 21 unanswered points in the quarter. The Jets defense wasn't able to pressure Warner much and the receivers made some nice plays in traffic. Boldin has been held in check, but it's been Steve Breaston who has picked up the slack with 6 catches for 69 yards and some big first downs.

4th Quarter
- Touchdown Jets. Jerricho Cotchery caught a 17-yarder from Favre to finish the 12-play, 80-yard answer-back drive. 41-21, Jets with 11:50 left.
- Touchdown Cardinals. Boldin snags an eight-yard touchdown from Warner, who was 6-for-6 on the drive. Arizona went 62 yards in six plays and just over two minutes. 41-28, Jets with 9:49 left.
- Touchdown Jets. Cotchery hauls in a 40-yard pass from Favre, finishing the four-play, 49-yard drive. The defense was fooled on a play-fake and Cotchery was able to get a couple steps on the secondary. The pass was Favre's fifth touchdown. 48-28, Jets with 7:26 left.
- Touchdown Cardinals. Warner hits Jeremy Urban for 14 yards in the end zone. The drive went 66 yards on six plays. 48-35, Jets with 4:49 left.
- Touchdown Jets. Favre hits Dustin Keller for a 24-yard score that ends a four-play, 29-yard drive. The Jets convert the two-pointer with a run up the middle by Washington. The touchdown was Favre's sixth, setting a career-high (if you're wondering: the single-game NFL record is seven, set by the Bears' Sid Luckman against the Giants in 1943). 56-35, Jets with 1:04 left.

Final: 56-35, Jets

With the win, the Jets improve to 2-2. The Cardinals drop to 2-2.

Notes & Stats
The 56 points were the second most scored by the Jets in their history. The record is 62, set in a 62-18 win over the Buccaneers on Nov. 17, 1985. Ken O'Brien went 23-for-30 with 367 yards and five touchdowns in that (no-) contest.

Brett Favre completed 24 of 34 for 289 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. He threw a first quarter interception, but by the time he lofted his sixth touchdown, that was long forgotten.

Thomas Jones had a game-high 18 carries for 46 yards. Leon Washington, who started the game, finished with seven carries for 26 yards and four catches for 17.... Laveranues Coles caught eight passes for 105 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. Jerricho Cotchery had four catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns.... Dwight Lowery had a game-high nine tackles (all solo) and forced a fumble... Darrelle Revis had four tackles and two interceptions.

Kurt Warner had a good fantasy football game with 472 yards and two touchdowns. But there were the seven turnovers (three interceptions and four fumbles lost)... Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald each had 122 receiving yards and Anquan Boldin caught 10 passes for 119 yards and a score before suffering an injury on Arizona's final drive and getting carted off the field... Chike Okeafor led the Cardinals defense with six tackles, a sack and an interception.

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”

But we know exactly what we’re after here every Friday: hooking the big fish of picking against the spread. Some weeks you get the fish, some weeks you’re Jonah but, regardless, there’s always another week to cast your line. What the h – am I talking about? I went 11-5 in Week 1, won like three games in Week 2, but recovered with some good work last weekend to move to 24-22-1 on the season. Now, if you’re into early-season trends, that roller coaster would portend to bad things for me this weekend. Still, the season stops for no one, other than the Rams for whom it stopped before it started. The other games in a bit, but to the big one from our perspective in this blog:

The Jets were awful Monday, bringing to mind the old John McKay line to a reporter after another bad loss during the Bucs’ first season: “Well, we didn’t block. And we made up for it by not tackling.”

Or, for the Jets Monday, covering, coaching or accomplishing much of anything other than on special teams.

Sunday brings the Cardinals and their scary-good receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, to the Meadowlands. As an aside, it’s always nice returning to the Meadowlands as I, in some form or another, will get to see, in no particular order, three favorites of mine: Newsday’s NFL columnist Bob Glauber, who thinks the Giants are playing; the NY Times’ outstanding national writer Judy Battista, whose observations about the league are always insightful to hear; and Jenn Sterger, just because.

So this game was one, when the schedule came out, most chalked up as an automatic win but not so much anymore with the Cards off to a 2-1 start and quite close to being 3-0. Is this a must-win for the Jets? Not really and I hesitate to put that title on any September game. But at home, before the bye week, for a team that entered the season with playoff expectations and has lost two straight, this is one a good team wins. Period.

I liked this quote from Kerry Rhodes on Wednesday: “I wish we could play today, except my body’s not ready yet. We want to get out and try to get that bad taste out of our mouths from the game Monday. It’s another chance to prove we’re a good team; that we can get it done. We want to get out there.”

Translation: well, there really isn’t need for one. The Jets were embarrassed by what happened on national television and want to prove something, to the fans but to themselves most all. I think the Jets will come out much the way the Chargers did last week in front of a rabid Qualcomm Stadium crowd. Naturally, that would exclude an INT return for a touchdown from the quarterback on his first throw [Rivers to Barrett], but the larger point is how quickly San Diego was able to overcome that. They (cliche alert!) weren't going to be denied.

The Jets caught a bit of a break on offense with Cardinals defensive end Bertrand Berry – the team-leader in sacks – getting sent back to Arizona with a severe groin injury. The Jets offensive line actually played pretty decent last Monday and Favre should have time to throw Sunday. It is also very much time to get Thomas Jones consistently involved in the offense – his per carry average is 4.2 – and Leon Washington needs to start seeing the ball in space as well. There was also talk this week – much of it from Favre – about the Jets discovering something in Monday’s woebegone second half with the effectiveness of their empty-set packages. I think we’ll see some of that Sunday.

Kurt Warner isn’t very mobile so Bob Sutton should bring the house early and often. More blitzing isn’t always the panacea people think it is but in this case, it is. Covering a slot receiver – a problem over the first three games – would help, too. As for covering Boldin and Fitzgerald, I like the Jets chances there. While that duo is the best in the NFL statistically, the Cardinals aren’t the Chargers where the list of guys on offense that can hurt a defense just goes on and on and on. Darrelle Revis and Dwight Lowery, to this point, have done a pretty good job of shutting down the top line guys for the opposition. As for the D-line, Kris Jenkins’ back steadily improved as the week went on and he looks as if he’ll be just about 100 percent Sunday. A good thing for the Jets as, even though Boldin and Fitzgerald get most of the attention, Edgerrin James is still dangerous and he’s run well against the Jets in the past.

In the end, I picked the Chargers to win by 1 point last week and if it weren’t for those other 18 points, I would have been spot on. This week I see some back-and-forth early but…

a 27-17 Jets victory.

We move to the other games, with my best bet in CAPS and this public service announcement: all picks are against the spread and should only be used by me for any actual cash wager:


Jets, Eagles, Jaguars, Titans, Raiders, Cowboys, Chiefs, Saints, Bucs, Steelers, BENGALS, Panthers, Bills.

Some other things:

* Random Act of Randomness: I just heard Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, talking about the current economic morass, say on television, “We are where we are.” That's obviously a hybrid of the hideously hackneyed “it is what it is,” which needs to be stricken from public - and private - discourse immediately. Eric Mangini uses “it is what it is” on occasion, as do some of his players, but it’s not a situation unique to the Jets.

* Speaking of need-to-be-redacted phrases, can media people please, please stop using, “New York FOOTBALL Giants” as if they’re saying or writing something creative or funny? “New York Giants” probably works just fine. No one’s been confused about the football/baseball thing for a good 50 years or so.

* That out of the way, off to the colleges, because after Sunday, Saturday is the best day of the weekend.

A conversation late Thursday afternoon between Jets PR person Bruce Speight and myself.

B. Speight: “People are saying this is the best team Pete Carroll’s ever had at USC and maybe one of the best college teams ever. You buying?”

Me: “No.”

And that was one of the longer convos I’ve had with Bruce, who for some reason, still requires his poor interns – Matt Hintz, Christie Upton and Jeanette Owusu – to read this blog for snippets. Of what, I don’t know.

Anyway, in no way did I have Oregon State winning last night, but I did have the cover and that’s what we’re all about in this here space. Three quickies for Saturday:

* Notre Dame is still terrible, but Purdue hasn’t had a good defense since shutting down USC in the 1966 season’s Rose Bowl, and I see big numbers for Jimmy Clausen. The Irish can’t stop anyone so Purdue QB Curtis Painter should put up some nice stats himself, but I like Notre Dame, at home, having enough to become the worst 3-1 team in the nation.

I see Penn State, at home, beating Illinois, BUT the cover number (14 ½ today) is too big for me so we’ll go with Illinois as the ATS pick. And in the big one Saturday night, Nick Saban, like him or not, can coach a little and has Alabama poised for a return to national championship contention. But not yet. Georgia’s just flat out better. I’ll take the Bulldogs by 8 or so [Update: at 31-0 Alabama in the second, I determined this to be a really bad pick].

Talk to you Sunday.

Hey guys! Katie Strang here to give E-Bola the day off today. I know he broke this yesterday, but Mangini confirmed today the Jets will be donning their throwback Titans uniforms as a nod to the history of the organization.

The team practiced in the indoor field today. Both Jenkins and Favre were moving well and participating in the portion we were allowed to watch.

Here are some of the more interesting nuggets from Mangini's presser:

On Boldin/Fitzgerald:

A couple of plays in the Miami game illustrated how impressive they are, where Bolden can hurt you on the catch and run or he can get deep on you. Fitzg