MEET THE NEW HC OF THE NYJ

I haven't been paying much attention to the whole ordeal, but I do know the Jets are looking for a new coach, and interviewing a lot of candidates. (I prefer to wait until a decision is made and not get my hopes up for anyone in particular...I don't really know enough to make a judgment on anyone...and they never do what I expect...and it's always some guy who leads them to an occasional playoff appearance, and then gets fired after about 4 years or so anyway.)

And nothing's official yet...but does this have "Jets scoop up Gruden" written all over it or what?

He was, after all, willing to toss aside the quarterback that led him to the playoffs last year to go hard after Brett Favre. He has won a Super Bowl.

Gruden seems like just the type of guy who would stroke Favre's ego enough to get him to come back...which is really what the Jets' owner wants (though he may be the only guy in that camp).

So maybe the Jets continue along the lines they're on now and hire a Steve Spagnuola...but if they suddenly change course and hire Jon Gruden, don't be so surprised.

PICKS: I wasn't even going to make Championship Game picks, because I just don't care. (We're celebrating my mom's birthday on Sunday and my dad said he tried to make the dinner reservations for earlier in the afternoon, but failed. So we're not watching much...but I told him, "Dad, who even cares?" We'll be back in time for the end of the second game...maybe. I might watch that.) But now that I'm here, I'll make the picks:

EAGLES 31, CARDINALS 17 (I can't believe Philadelphia might win baseball and football championships - enough to get me to root for Arizona in this one)

STEELERS 24, RAVENS 10 (In case you were wondering, any combination of these four teams gives us a new Super Bowl matchup...so any way you slice it, I win.)

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES: Everything should be back to normal posting-wise next week...I'm just about done with the overwhelming amount of school work that hits this time of year.

I'll be in New York City this weekend for my brother's CD release party - that's the album cover there on the left. It's available for $5.94 on iTunes now.

The show is in Astoria on Saturday night. Look me up if you need the info.

RIDICULOUS, PART II

A big event like the Willie Randolph firing gets two postings in one day (make sure you scroll down if you didn't see the first yet).

I wanted to react to Omar Minaya's press conference.

And I want to start by saying I respect Minaya for his friendship with Randolph, and I respect how hard a decision it was for him. I'm sure he's genuine when he says that. I also respect the fact that it was 11:15pm local (Anaheim) time when he had his meeting with Randolph, which he stressed. And I respect that he wanted to be up front and honest with Randolph, and inform him right away, and not have word get out ahead of time, and that he wanted to sleep on the decision before making it and speaking to Randolph. I respect all that...I really do.

And I respect that it was HIS decision, something else he stressed. What I don't respect at all is the way he made the decision.

Omar, you wanted to sleep on this decision? The past month wasn't long enough for you? You could have hibernated on this decision.

Yes, Omar, you met with Randolph at a reasonable time in Anaheim. But please remember something - this Randolph firing affects a lot of people, not the least of which are the fans - 90% of which were sleeping, back on the east coast, when this decision was "announced" (if a press release and an e-mail is an announcement). I firmly believe you wanted to avoid the type of press conference you had to hold in Anaheim anyway on Tuesday afternoon. Did you know that some media types would be left back in New York, and you might not have to answer all of the tough questions? You really looked nervous addressing the folks you addressed on Tuesday - maybe you were nervous about doing it in New York.

You could have slept on the decision Saturday night, Friday night, last week, etc. There's no reason you had to fly all the way out to Anaheim to fire Randolph. You talked about not humiliating Randolph - I don't know that it would have been less humiliating for him to just have to clean out his office in between games of a doubleheader.

I feel like the decision that was made wasn't fair to Randolph - he has to be accosted by the media in a hotel lobby instead of at a presser in the old Jets locker room at Shea? It also wasn't fair to the fans - we deserve more than a note on the crawl on ESPNEWS.

(That said, I also decided, after listening to Jerry Manuel, I am not going to take all of this out on him. I hope the Mets do well the rest of this season, though I don't think some of the players deserve a successful season.)

Bottom line - I think it says a lot about the type of General Manager you are when it takes you this long to make a decision that everyone else knew was coming for a long time. What else might you be hesitant to pull the trigger on?

I am not in the business of calling for people to lose their jobs. It's different in professional sports, I feel (I'm not going to go to my boss and ask her to fire someone I work with, but I would voice that opinion about a pro sports figure), but I still don't like making a habit of it. And with that said, Omar Minaya needs to put the Mets in a position to improve, and fast. Or else I think the GM spot should have a vacancy as well.

RIDICULOUS

Why can't I root for a team that just does things the normal way?

We can go back and forth arguing about whether or not Willie Randolph deserved to be fired - but the truth is the Mets were expected to be on top of the division by now, and they're only better than the Nationals; they should have won the division last year, and they collapsed; and your 1A star player isn't responding to the manager - it makes sense that Randolph was on thin ice.

But I think we can all agree that this was the stupidest way to fire someone in the history of professional sports. My belief (and Omar Minaya will talk later today, so maybe there will be more answers then, but I doubt it) is that the Mets were getting dangerously close to getting back to .500 (they're 34-35 right now), and the timing was getting worse. So the Mets had to fire Randolph after a win over the AL West-leading Angels. In the middle of the night. Just ridiculous.

A quick recap of the Randolph years:

2005 - A season of "seeing what we have". It was a bridge season - Mike Piazza's final year in a Mets uniform, the first for Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez*. Record: 83-79

2006 - Everything Randolph did worked out. The Mets got to Game 7 of the NLCS, but lost to a team they were better than. Record: 97-65.

2007 - Expectations were sky-high. The Mets got off to a fast start, but suffered a historic collapse in September to miss the playoffs. Blame can go all around, but that shouldn't make the manager exempt. Record: 88-74.

2008 - The Mets never got off the ground. Again, it's not all Randolph's fault, but someone has to take the fall. The Mets are classy enough to allow Randolph to earn a 34th win on the season before giving him the ax 3,000 miles from home. Record: 34-35

So where do the Mets go from here? I neglected to mention pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto are also gone. Jerry Manuel takes over as interim manager, and Ken Oberkfell and Dan Warthen come up to the Mets from Triple-A New Orleans. Warthen will most likely be pitching coach - I know very little about him. Luis Aguayo also joins the major league team from the minors.

Manuel has shown the fire for Willie throughout their time together. In the situations when Mets fans wanted some emotion from Randolph, it's been Manuel who has provided it. Manuel must have the respect of the players, otherwise it would have been foolish for the Mets to keep him (although, some might say it's foolish to fire a manager at 3:15am...but what do I know). I'm surprised the Mets didn't turn over the entire staff, to be honest.

I can't predict what will happen the rest of the way for the Mets. What I will say is that they make it very hard to root for them to recover from this disaster. Does the Mets turning it around and having a successful end to the season legitimize the managerial move in the middle of the night? I don't know that I want to find out. I like Jerry Manuel, but I also like Willie Randolph. I might feel a bit satisfied by the Mets continuing to play uninspired ball under a different leader, and maybe start fresh next year....though it pains me to think of that - it's a long time away.

This is probably the most significant Mets move in the history of 200 Miles From the Citi. The blog was born in April of 2004, in the midst of the Art Howe era (and by era I mean "two seasons"). Basically, Willie Randolph is all this blog has known. My feelings on Randolph started out as excitement and enthusiasm for a fresh face in the Mets dugout. They quickly turned to expectation, as the Mets showed such promise in 2006, and then disappointment when that feat wasn't repeated, and in fact, everything got much worse. And finally, frustration and a need for change, because it seemed like the Mets were going nowhere fast under Randolph. I think that's an accurate representation of the feelings of most Mets fans.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Would it really be fair if I didn't interrupt the baseball preview on Valentine's Day to pay tribute to the last manager of the Mets to lead the team to a World Series appearance?

Bobby Valentine is in Japan these days, managing the Chiba Lotte Marines. I'm sure his name will be popping up in the next month or so as Major League Baseball extends eastward to open up its season.

I've never really had the chance to comment on Valentine, since the blog came into existence during the Art Howe debacle years.

Most people are either gung-ho in love with Valentine, or way in the other direction, flat-out hating him. I never loved him, but I never hated him...and you can't argue with the success the Mets had while he was manager.

I was mostly amused by Bobby Valentine's antics, the most entertaining of which was the "sneak-back-in-the-dugout-wearing-a-lame-disguise-after-being-thrown-out-of-the-game". That was funny. No one does that. He did. I loved it. Only rarely did I feel his antics got in the way of the game. He was also spirited - he cared, and it showed. You didn't get that same emotion out of his successor.

The one thing I'll fault Valentine for is the fact that some of the Mets mentioned in the Mitchell Report are closely connected with him - especially Matt Franco (who has denied the allegations), who followed Valentine to Japan. I feel like he's the type of guy (Valentine is) that would let players get away with stuff like this right under his nose if it would help them win. I get the impression he'd be one of the people sticking up for Roger Clemens wholeheartedly right now.

Anyway, Valentine is on a list that includes just three other men - Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra, and Davey Johnson - men who took the Mets to the World Series. Until another man takes the Mets one step further (looking your way, Willie Randolph), he'll be the one I look back fondly on for now. So Happy Valentine's Day.

UPDATED SIGNINGS

Been a while since I updated the two headliners on this site, and both have made some recent moves:
The Mets avoided salary arbitration with Aaron Heilman by agreeing to a one-year contract on Friday. The contract gives Heilman a raise from $453,000 last year to $1.2 million in 2008.

It's a little less exciting to get Heilman back for next year than it would have been before last season, coming off a great 2006. Heilman was good last year, but nowhere near as reliable as he was the year before. He did appear in half the team's games....and it felt like it - you saw him almost all of the time. Heilman will be better if the Mets don't overwork him. I also haven't heard how happy Heilman is to be back - remember, he still wants to start, and the Mets don't really have designs on doing that with him.

Interesting note on the Mets - they haven't been to a salary arbitration hearing since 1992.

Also, earlier this month, the Mets traded two minor leaguers to the Cubs for Angel Pagan - he's 26, a switch-hitter, and will play a reserve role in the outfield.

Kept forgetting to mention this - but here's why the Southern Bureau is such a good friend. During baseball's winter meetings, he kept sending me e-mails with updated quotes from Omar Minaya, commenting on the moves the Mets were making, and that this year's Mets team was better than last year's. Southern Bureau wrote me saying:

"Huh?? Did I miss something?? They haven’t done anything, right??

And…more importantly…WHEN DID I START CARING SO MUCH ABOUT THE METS???"

Since you became the Southern Bureau, that's when.

Meanwhile, the Jets hired Bill Callahan as assistant head coach/offense. (I'm not sure what the /offense means...but I guess it stresses he'll be keeping a closer eye on Brian Schottenheimer's act than the defense.) Callahan was coaching at Nebraska most recently, and before that was with the Raiders, as an assistant for some years, and as coach for a couple, including a Super Bowl appearance.

Not sure what to think about the Callahan move - it comes from Mangini, allegedly, so I don't think it puts heat on him - but he could take over for Schottenheimer first, and then grease the skids for the head position down the road.

(I also read that Callahan's expertise is the running game, and the Jets are looking to him for a shot in the ground game.)

SHAKEUP

The Mets had a busy day back from the All Star break - here's the breakdown:

RICKS - Down (far left) is out, Henderson (near left) is in. Rick Down was fired as the Mets hitting coach. The Mets have not yet named a replacement. Rickey Henderson is the newest Mets coach, but his specific role has not been announced. The speculation is that Howard Johnson will become the new hitting coach - he was a hitting coach in the Mets' minor league system, and was the hitting coach for the Norfolk Tides when David Wright came through (and possibly at other levels with Wright). That's the speculation. If that happens, does Henderson assume the first base coach role? Would anyone understand a word he says if he does become first base coach? Lots of questions from this move...some of the answers should come on Friday.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE YOUNG - The Mets released Julio Franco (far left) in order to make a roster spot available for Lastings Milledge (near), back from the minors and an injury. At first the thought occurred to me that after a day or so the Mets would give Franco a coaching job, but I read on mets.com that Franco would have asked for his release in a week or so, because he has been disappointed with his playing time over the past year and a half. He wants to play until he's 50 (he'll be 49 in about a month and a half), and he needs more playing time, he says, to be ready for that. I wonder if there was some truth to the rumor that Franco was stirring up some discontent in the clubhouse. He was not upset that he was released...I haven't heard reaction from his teammates.

FALLOUT - I heard an interview with Willie Randolph before Thursday's game - he didn't seem too happy with the firing of Down, one of his guys.

Just throwing this out there...but might one of my guys become the hitting coach? Maybe bring in Gary Carter...and that's why he hasn't been working this year? Maybe the Mets knew someone like Down was on a short(ish) leash, and he's on standby for a job? This is more wishful thinking on my part...but there's some logic there.

I don't know how the team will react to the Franco release. I know lots of players understand the business aspect of the game - but one of the reasons Franco was here was to be a mentor to the young part of the team. How will those young guys react?, I wonder. The other piece of Julio Franco's release is that Ramon Castro will now get more pinch-hitting appearances. With Sandy Alomar, Jr. up, as a possible injury replacement at catcher, the Mets can spare Castro.

HISTORY IN THURSDAY'S GAME: Jose Reyes and Ruben Gotay led off the first inning for the Mets with back-to-back homers off Reds starter Bronson Arroyo - the first time in Mets history that has happened.

Speaking of leadoff men...Scott Hatteberg hit leadoff for the Reds. That's weird.

INJURIES: Oliver Perez should be back to make his start on Sunday.

How about this - I heard Gary Cohen report on SNY that Ruben Gotay started on Thursday because Jose Valentin hurt a finger trying to break up a fight over the break. Wonderful. He's already battling a sore knee...he is in really bad shape and shouldn't even be playing...but he's got incentives to meet in his contract and is trying to battle through the injuries.

BEAT THE STREAK: FYI - I'm at 10 games through Thursday. I'll highlight the milestones.

ODDS AND ENDS

Seeing as how I'm not sure when the next time I'll be able to update will be (keep checking back - you never know when it'll be - it'll be a fun surprise!), a couple of the more time-sensitive issues that I've been meaning to get around to:

-From winter ball, some good news. Anderson Hernandez discovered his stroke. After hitting .246 in the minors last season, and .152 with the Mets, the second base prospect hit at a .287 clip during the winter ball season. He also hit .310 in 6 games of what I think is the equivalent of the winter ball post-season. We'll watch to see if he carries that type of hitting into spring training. I think that would be important because I'd much rather see Anderson Hernandez and his glove at second than Jose Valentin, who I don't feel so good about as the Mets' regular second baseman this year.

-The Mets did not tender a contract to Victor Zambrano back in December, making him a free agent. There were rumors the Mets would re-sign Zambrano at a later date, but he ended up signing with Toronto. That officially makes the Scott Kazmir trade a disaster (as though there were any doubt), and if Zambrano comes back strong from Tommy John surgery with the Blue Jays, look for lots more criticism headed Rick Peterson's way. I feel Peterson could be doing a better job for the Mets...at least, the Zambrano thing was a huge failure on his part.

-On the subject of Peterson, he was one of seven coaches the Mets locked up under contract this off-season. Peterson got a three-year deal, third base coach Sandy Alomar, bullpen coach Guy Conti, hitting coach Rick Down, and bench coach Jerry Manuel all got two-year extensions, and newcomers Howard Johnson (first base coach) and Tom Nieto (catching instructor) got one-and-two-year deals, respectively.

HoJo beat out Gary Carter (among others) for the first base coaching job. Remember, Manny Acta has left the staff to be the Nationals' manager.

-Finally, another Blue Jays connection: John Thomson also signed with the Blue Jays, after receiving overtures from the Mets as another possible arm for the pitching staff. And after he turned down the Mets because he didn't want to pitch to Paul LoDuca or for a team with Cliff Floyd in the outfield. Wow. Talk about taking shots. I don't remember LoDuca having a response to that, a little surprising, since he can be a hothead.

Floyd, though, shot back, saying from Cubs camp last week, "From what I've seen, he's not one of the greatest pitchers in the game. It didn't really affect me in terms of my pride....People who talk a lot seem to always be on the short end of the stick. I wish him the best of luck. Hopefully, his luck can change in Toronto because it didn't change in the National League." Nice job, Cliff. Well said.

Thomson did make 9 starts for the Mets, incidentally, in 2002, going 2-6 with a 4.31 ERA.

FLASHBACK: I've mentioned many times how my mom is cleaning out lots of my old stuff as my parents renovate their house. Recently, I got a bunch of stuff, and I just went through some of it today. Among the books were a few years' worth of the old Topps Sticker Yearbooks. I remember my brother and I competing over stickers to fill every page. Fun stuff. Surprisingly, the price was just 35 cents. And I was going through the 1987 edition, and came across the 1986 World Series page. Thought it was a good excuse to use the new scanner at the House sponsored by DirecTV. So here it is:

A BETTER MAN THAN YOU OR I

I have some strong feelings about Bill Belichick, the former HC of the NYJ, today, one day after the Jets lost to the Patriots in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. I realize in advance that some of this sounds like sour grapes...well, it sort of is. But it doesn't just stem from Sunday's game - it's been building up inside me since the man to the left's one-day stint as Jets head coach. Here are my rants:

The Man Doth Celebrate A Bit Too Much

Did the Patriots win the Super Bowl on Sunday, or win another Patriots-business-as-usual-first-round-playoff-game? I think it's the latter, but watching Bill Belichick at the end of the game made it seem as though the former took place. Belichick is usually a bit more reserved at the end of games than he displayed Sunday, unless the Patriots have just won the Super Bowl. Now, it's no secret that this game meant a lot to him, because he was upstaged in November by his former protege, Eric Mangini. But Belichick was showing up the Jets by whooping it up on the sidelines after Asante Samuel's interception return for a touchdown and after his team sealed the victory. He won the playoff game, but trust me - the Jets noticed Belichick's reactions and will not forget them. Speaking of celebratory moods...

He's Really Happy For You

Belichick also redefined class at the end of the game. First there was this:

Bill putting all the controversy to rest with a good ol' heartfelt hug for Mangini after a win. I'm sure he would have done the same if his team had lost. As a matter of fact, I'm sure Bill put this whole issue to bed and will never have to address it ever again, because, hey - he hugged Eric Mangini.

I did hear, however, that after the game, since he was done playing for the season, another former Jets coach, Bill Parcells, called up Belichick and was quoted as saying, "Billy, you call that a hug?":

That's just passion right there, folks.

Then, there's this, seen to the right. Because he's such a classy fellow, Belichick sought out Jets quarterback Chad Pennington to give him a handshake and congratulate him on a job well done. I give Belichick the benefit of the doubt - I bet had the Patriots lost, he would have sought out Pennington to congratulate him, too, and wouldn't have left the field in 3 seconds. He probably didn't even know cameras were trained on him when he sought out Pennington, that's how much he blindly let his heart lead him...Oh! Speaking of cameras:

Kenny Rogers and Bill Belichick Have More In Common Than Just Being My Arch-Enemies

I couldn't get a still picture, but you all saw it, and can watch it again here. This is where I am going to lose the sarcasm piece - I'm so glad, if Belichick fooled everyone at those other times, that his true colors shone through at this moment. It's HIS fault that there are a zillion cameramen waiting to see how he greets Mangini - he has no right to push this guy out of the way.

Finally, I just want to put in my two cents on the whole Belichick-Mangini thing. People have said Belichick is mad because Mangini left to take a job within the division...which other people counter by saying Belichick did the exact same thing. On Saturday night on NBC, Peter King said the thing that makes Belichick so upset is that Mangini broke an unwritten code among members of the Bill Parcells coaching tree - don't mess with my players. They say he did this by talking to members of the coaching staff, taking guys like Matt Chatham to New York, and by tampering with Deion Branch. Now, if the Branch allegations are legitimate, that's a fine reason to gripe...but I think it's the only one. I'm obviously not a football coach, but I think an unwritten rule like that is crap - you want to go out and get the best players and win - you have to be ruthless, in my opinion. If, indeed, Parcells followed that rule and waited on Vinatieri (too long, it turned out) because he wanted to give the Patriots a shot to re-sign him, he probably cost his team an NFC East title and a home playoff game. That's not smart coaching to me, that's stupid team management. I find it hard to believe these guys play by those rules - but that's what Peter King says.

And if that's how Belichick feels, he should look in the mirror. First of all, no two ways about it, he screwed the Jets in 2000. Just screwed them. And the reason he left the Jets was to get out of Bill Parcells' shadow. But then he proceeded to rebuild the Patriots with Parcells-type players. Sure, he added his own, but the veteran types were Parcells guys.

Anyway, if that's what's got Belichick so mad, so be it. It just gives the Jets extra incentive when they play the Patriots. And he didn't help his case in future matchups with his actions on Sunday.

One last thing - I can't really blame Belichick for wanting out of Parcells' shadow. Parcells treated him awfully bad. I have a friend at NFL Films these days - I recommend to him a piece on their relationship - because NFL Films has some good stuff from the late 80's, early 90's Giants, and Parcells was flat-out mean to Belichick. I saw some of it on that NFL Network special I mentioned that I saw on the '90 Giants. I'm sure there's tons more. So Belichick has a case there.

FINAL PLAYOFF PREVIEW

There's nothing left to do now but play the game. I'm going to get my last words in on what I think will happen this weekend, then sit back, try to concentrate on something other than football for part of Saturday, so I can write some report cards, then let my brain melt Saturday night and Sunday. First, an in-depth look at Jets-Patriots, then I'll give you all my picks for the Wild Card Round.

In the playoffs, there's plenty of motivation to win. Any extra motivation is icing on the cake, but can be used to your advantage. The Jets know that Bill Belichick has slighted his former assistant/mentee this season. They are using that as some sort of extra motivation this week, whether or not they're saying it. And Belichick knows that too - how else do you explain him suddenly becoming Mr. Nice Guy this week in the media when talking about the Jets and Eric Mangini? Mangini has played the game well, not making a big deal of Belichick making himself look like a jerk back in November, and not making a big deal out of it this week, as a matter of fact, he heaped plenty of praise upon the Patriots. I start with that not because I think it's the biggest factor this weekend, but I do think it will be A factor - and definitely a plus for the Jets.

Yesterday, I wrote about the younger players getting some playoff experience this year, at the very least. Truth is, the Jets are full of playoff veterans. There are key members of the Jets (mostly on defense, but including quarterback Chad Pennington) who made the run in the playoffs with the Jets 2 years ago. There are plenty of former Patriots, who enjoyed the same success the Jets' opponents will be pointing to on Sunday (including the Jets' current head coach). My only concern is this is a new experience for kicker Mike Nugent - but he does have big-game experience from college at Ohio State. The Jets sorely need themselves a clutch kicker - remember two years ago. But now that I think about it, the FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium must benefit the kicking game. That's good for the Jets.

Things to look for this Sunday - as I mentioned yesterday, I fully expect the Jets to spring some sort of gadget play on the Patriots. I'm thinking some sort of fake kick. Sticking with special teams, I think Justin Miller will have a huge return at some point in this game. Not sure he'll score, but he'll set the Jets up nice. I also think this will be a tight game, my heart will be racing, and I will curse the football gods for putting the Jets up against the Patriots in round one. But I'll be thanking them when it's over. JETS 22, PATRIOTS 14

THE PLAYOFF PICKS:
I'm participating in a playoff pool I join annually, which gives you 250 shares to start with, and you can bet a maximum of 75 per bet. You can bet over/unders and spreads. So I will use those spreads for these picks (I'm not sure how far off they are from the real ones):

Saturday
Kansas City at Indianapolis (-6.5): I know that people expect Larry Johnson to run all over the Colts, but I just think the Colts are the better team. I expect the Chiefs to jump out to an early lead, maybe 7-or-10- to 0, but the Colts to cruise from there. I say Colts 27, Chiefs 13. The over/under is 50.5. I'm putting $25 on the under.

Dallas at Seattle (-2.5): I originally said on this game Seahawks 24, Cowboys 10. I know very little about gambling, but I know that the bookmakers really know what they are doing. And home teams usually start out with at least 3 points in their favor. This seems like a game where the bookies are begging people to take Seattle. Therefore, I'm going with Dallas, taking the points. And I've adjusted my score. Seahawks 21, Cowboys 20. Seattle is still a tough place to win. I've got $20 on the Cowboys getting the points. The over/under here is 46.5 - I'm not touching that.

Sunday
New York Jets at New England (-8.5): I had to take the Jets with those points - even if they lose, I don't see this game being more than an 8-point spread either way. This is my big bet of the day, $75 on the Jets. The over/under is 37.5, I would think under, but I'm not touching it.

New York Giants at Philadelphia (-6.5): I think this is the surest bet of the day, that the Eagles will win. I'm not as sure about the point spread, so I'm not going there, but I am pretty sure this will be a high scorer. Eagles 34, Giants 24. Over/under is 46.5 - I like the over for $25.

So to recap, I have $145 on the line this week. Some people will blow all $250 this week - I just hope I can move into the top 3 or so, then maybe next week I'll step up the bet amounts.

One last thing regarding picks - I really like what Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio do come playoff time - they do "Confidence Picks", where they rank the players they are most confident in on a given playoff weekend (they'll do quarterbacks, running backs, coaches, and defenses, I think), with the most confidence being given a 1, least given an 8, then adding up their total scores, and figuring out what teams will win that way. The problem is, I never hear the end of their show, so I never know how the system works. If I have time tomorrow during the Chiefs/Colts game, I may try it out, see if it's an accurate representation of picks.

Enjoy the games - I will have a recap on Sunday - hopefully it will be about a win...and if they lose, hopefully I'm not too upset to write. I'll try my darndest.

PLAYOFF PREVIEW #2

Why the Jets would not be here with Herman Edwards

Eric Mangini has done a great job with the Jets this year. You can't overstate that fact. Without Eric Mangini, the Jets would not be a playoff team. But it's not just because of Eric Mangini that the Jets are where they are right now.

The Jets have built themselves a fresh coaching staff - a mix of veteran coaches as well as new entries to the coaching ranks. These coaches aren't afraid to take chances, and spice up the playbook. Last year's coaching staff was.

The biggest reason for the Jets' success this year, in my opinion, isn't Eric Mangini. It's Eric Mangini AND Brian Schottenheimer. I really think Schottenheimer deserves a lot of the credit for not only catering the offense to Chad Pennington's arm, but using the other weapons at his disposal to the best of their ability. Brad Smith is one of the more exciting players the Jets have had in a long time - and Schottenheimer has been creative in using him - it's great to watch.

Herman Edwards and his guys were stale. Doug Brien cost the Jets the chance at the AFC Championship Game two years ago, but Herman Edwards helped set him up to fail. The Jets wouldn't even be in shouting distance of the playoffs if those guys were still here. Here's why - they would have tried too hard to protect Chad Pennington - they weren't risk-takers. Curtis Martin might have been allowed to play, because of a soft spot in Herman Edwards' heart. And that would have hurt Martin and the team. And the Jets would probably have finished below .500.

This fresh bunch of coaches (some of whom, incidentally, actually played for Herman Edwards - Richie Anderson, for example) has pressed all the right buttons. Martin can't play - we'll start 4 different running backs - and each one has been successful on different days. Credit the defensive staff, too - continuing to develop the Jets' young talent into a formidable presence. Kerry Rhodes should have been a Pro Bowler this year - watch out for him in years to come. Jonathan Vilma is already a force in the AFC.

If things don't go well this weekend, I will come back to this write-up to remember how promising the future is for the Jets. I've said it before - although I fully expect the Jets to be dangerous this post-season, I look at this playoff run as a bonus for the young players. They have a chance to get some playoff experience under their belts, and make more playoff runs in the future. The same goes for the young coaching staff.

PREDICTION: Tomorrow I'll get into my playoff picks, but for today I'll give you this one tease - I believe the Jets will pull off one crazy gadget play during this game to try to catch the Patriots off guard. I'm sure we'll see some kind of reverse or end around, but I'm really thinking about a fake field goal or punt...more likely the latter.

STATS: Yesterday I mentioned Tom Brady's record on turf - 22-1. I would be remiss if I didn't mention his playoff record - 10-1. Gotta respect that. He talked yesterday about how he loves this time of year...how even though the body starts to wear down, you sort of get a second wind because it's the playoffs. He would know.

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: It's Chad Pennington. Well-deserved - no one came back from a worse situation (well, unless you count the whole team of the New Orleans Saints - but that's not the way the award works) to do as well. He set a career high for yards this year, with 3,352. (Think that would have happened under Mike Heimerdinger?) Also, give Laveraues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery some credit here, too. Those guys got Pennington a lot of yards after the catch, and pulled down some clutch catches in some tough situations for him.

AND NOW, A RANT: I've been sitting on this one for a while, but I'm not unleashing it. Last year I went off on broadcasters who overuse the word "unbelievable". I don't know if it bothers me less, or if they listened to me, but the word seems to be used less. (I still hear it, mind you, because every so often I talk to the TV and ask the person if what they just observed was really unbelievable...but it seems to be less.) So now I ask for another phrase to come to an end.

The phrase is what it is. Actually, that's what it is. "It is what it is". I hate it. It is the most overused cliche right now. I've been thinking about this for years - I remember in April, 2004, having an argument with one of my cousins about this phrase - it's NONSENSE. The words have become popular in recent years, I'm sure, because they are overused by none other than Bill Belichick, and ever since the Patriots got good, it's all over the place.

Media Member: Bill, how big is this weekend's game?
Belichick: You know, they're all big. It is what it is.

Media Member: How bad does this week's loss sit with the team?
Belichick: All losses are tough. It is what it is.

Drives me nuts. To me, it seems to have originated as coachspeak, then turned into a lockerroom cliche, and then it became sports radio language. It means NOTHING! You might as well say nothing. Everything is what it is. It bothers me...a lot. I want it to go away. And don't get me started with "Threw him under the bus".

AN OFF-SEASON POST

I'm not sure how many times I'll be writing during this off-season, but it'll be at least one. Here it is:

The Mets are reportedly going to announce on Monday that their new field (seen at the left), which will open in 2009, will be called "Citi Field", which is because Citibank (or Citigroup) is buying the naming rights. As far as corporate names go, that's actually pretty good. I'm pleased. Could be much worse. It could be one of those company names that people hate, and instead it would be called "The New Shea", or it could be a company that's going to go out of business and the name would have to change again (like a dot-com, or like Enron). Citibank is stable (although banks are prone to takeovers and mergers), and "Citi Field" is pretty cool for a stadium in a city. I'll take it.

Some people are saying it's too bad the "Shea" name is going by the boards...I agree, but it's the way of the world right now - hopefully William Shea will be remembered by Mets fans without the stadium bearing his name. And there is one sponsor that would have been better, which Mets fans apparently voted on somewhere - MetLife.


HOW ABOUT A GARY CARTER UPDATE?

The latest on Hall of Famer Gary Carter is as follows - he was up for the hitting coach position with the Colorado Rockies, but that position was filled in-house (former Met Howard Johnson was also up for the Rockies' hitting coach position). I do believe a bench coach job will be opening up in Colorado as well, which Carter could also be an option for.

But there are a couple of other possibilities - the Dodgers are reportedly interested in Carter as manager of their Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas. And now that Manny Acta is going to be named the new manager of the Washington Nationals, the Mets may look in-house to fill Acta's position, in which case Johnson and Carter could be possibilities. Now, I love him, but I know Carter is full of hot air and talks a lot, so that might be a stumbling block - but all he's done as a coach/manager in the minors is win (see below), so maybe that outweighs everything else. In other words, Willie Randolph will deal with a coach who annoys him because he knows how to win.

Also, let's say he fills Acta's job and becomes the Mets' third-base coach - if he makes a mistake, at least he'll be a stand-up guy about it and face the media (he'd love the attention). Gary Carter will not be a major league manager with the Mets - Randolph will be in his way - but it'd be nice before he goes elsewhere if he gets the chance to coach with the Mets. (It'd also be nice to see HoJo back at third, as a third base coach. I bet the Mets choose between those two guys.)

GARY CARTER'S MANAGERIAL RECORD

2005: (Gulf Coast Mets): 37-16
Postseason: 0-2

2006: (St. Lucie Mets)
1st Half: 40-30
2nd Half: 37-32
Postseason: 2-0, 3-0 (5-0 total)

****Finally, Congratulations to Dave from Brighton on his marriage. We here at johnnymets.blogspot.com are very happy for him. It was an honor to be involved in what was a very fun and joyful wedding.

THE PICK

The Patriots are reeling. Sure, they're 1-0, and the season is barely two weeks old, but they're finally starting to feel the effects of all of their departures. At least, if you believe the hype. Which I'm not sure I do. They've recovered from all the other adversity they've faced in the past few seasons, why should the departure of Deion Branch hurt so much?

I have one reason, and it's what I'm going to hang my hat on this week when the Jets host the Patriots at 4 o'clock on Sunday. Never before has Tom Brady lost someone so close to him. He was pals with Lawyer Milloy, and Ty Law, and Willie McGinest, and Adam Vinatieri, and most of the other guys who left the team before. Damien Woody helped protect him. David Givens was a decent receiver with the Pats, and an important part of their post-season success. But no one was as close to Brady during games, on offense, than Deion Branch. Brady and Branch had an uncanny chemistry - one they claimed allowed them to communicate and change a pattern without even speaking to each other, with barely even a glance. Branch isn't the most special receiver in the league (though he is one of the speediest, and I think he will make an impact with Seattle), but he was the most special receiver to Tom Brady, and that's going to have a long-term effect on the Patriots.

Will it have a short-term effect, though? I like to think it will, at least this week. The Jets defense played pretty well against Tennesse last week, and on paper, the Titans have more impressive receivers than the Patriots do (though no one to get them the ball). The first touchdown the Jets gave up last week could be pinned on the defense, but the second came after a Jets fumble inside their own five, so you can't fault the defense. So I think the Jets' D will hold their own against the Patriots' offense, especially since Eric Mangini has an idea about Tom Brady's tendencies. (The Jets' defense did come up with 3 interceptions last week - and maybe Tom Brady tries to force a few into the wrong places this week.)

The Jets' offense is a question mark. Early in his career, Chad Pennington played VERY well against the Patriots. Then he hit a wall, and has had some of the worst games of his career against New England (including a 5-interception performance around Christmastime a few years ago in the most embarrassing game for the Jets organization ever - a prime time game featuring a certain sideline interview of Joe Namath by Suzy Kolber). I wonder if Bill Belichick is the genius who figured out how to play Pennington, or if it was Mangini. And if it was Belichick, does Mangini know what to tell Pennington to prevent the scheme from working?

I think Mangini is a key to this game. And with everything going on with the Patriots, and with the home crowd going nuts for the Jets' home opener, I think the Jets can pull this one out. I'm going to go with a 17-13 win for the Jets, in a real nail-biter, and the totally unexpected will happen this weekend - the Jets will be alone in first place in the AFC East - a situation that could affect the way the rest of this season unfolds. Dare people start believing in the Jets?

I'm 1-0 with the Jets, picking a 17-10 win last week, which ended up being a 23-16 win. I'm off by 6 points. Overall, here's the way the Yahoo! league is shaping up:

1. The Wife (in first, of course): 10-6
2. Cousin Eddie: 9-7
3. Johnnyjets, Southern Bureau: 6-10
5. Justin in NYC: 5-11
6. Dave in Brighton: 2-14

Dave says he's hoping to double his win total each week, so he's looking for a big 4 this weekend.

There's a lot to update on the state of the Jets. I don't have time for all that now...time to focus on the Mets. But I didn't want to completely ignore the latest developments.

First, personally, I am mad at Herman Edwards. The Jets knew they were heading for a tough off-season, what with the salary cap problems, and the big contracts that would need to be restructured or released. I think Edwards is part coward, because he had a chance to escape all of these tough decisions by taking the job in Kansas City.

Today, the Jets released Ty Law, Jay Fiedler, Jerald Sowell, and Jason Fabini. None are huge surprises, especially Law and Fiedler. Sowell and Fabini were long-time Jets, so these moves sort of go along with the change of regime. Things are going to look a lot different on the field next year. Look for B.J. Askew to be a big factor at fullback.

Curtis Martin had his contract restructured, so it looks like he's a part of Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum's plans. Mangini says he really respects Martin, and since Martin is such a good veteran influence, he will be THE guy in the lockerroom.

The big question still surrounds Chad Pennington. He didn't get cut today, so that's a good thing. March 3, I think, is the deadline for these decisions to be made...and there's still a significant possibility that he will be cut. I just can't see it. Sure, he's being overpaid right now, because he's been injured. But what he has done for this organization has earned him the right to at least compete for his job over the summer, and I think, given that chance, he will show that he is still capable of leading the offense. I know, I'm an optimist - maybe unrealistic. But he's had full healing time, and he's a competitor (not to mention a winner) - and people don't believe in him right now, so I think all of that points to a better Chad Pennington this season. Cutting him, I think, would be a mistake. As for the anonymous Jets player who compared Pennington to an "egg" in the pocket - it was probably an offensive lineman, whose fault it is that Pennington has taken the hits that have contributed to him being injured.

That's where I'll leave it for now - there's going to be lots to talk about this off-season, and if I'm not absorbed in baseball, I'll devote some time to the Jets.

Just thought I'd weigh in on the weekend of playoff football:

• Jacksonville IS the worst 12-4 team of all time.
• The Giants are awful. What a disaster. I truly think that had I picked the Panthers to win that game, the Giants would have found a way to win. I have nothing against the Giants, I root for them. I don't root for them over the Jets, but I still root for the Giants. I don't like Tom Coughlin, but I really like Tiki Barber, and I root for them. But they clearly hate me, and are out to get me.
• It's a shame about Carson Palmer. Definitely not a dirty hit. To have it happen on Palmer's first post-season pass...maybe there is a more snake-bitten franchise than the Jets. But they've still been to two Super Bowls.
• Washington played disgusting football. There is no way they beat the Seahawks in Seattle. No way.
• The NFL's announcers obviously read johnnyjets.blogspot.com. The use of the word "unbelievable" was definitely curbed this weekend - although it reared its head a few times. Incidentally - this is related to the fact that the best broadcast teams were working these games this weekend - the ESPN Broadcast crew (though Mike Patrick's game in recent weeks has admittedly suffered), Maddens-Michaels, Simms-Nantz (though I don't like Nantz), and Buck-Aikman. The further down the broadcasting depth chart you go, the more the word "unbelievable" appears as a crutch for stupid analysts.
• In a related story, we're going to have to suffer through Enberg-Dierdorf one more time this season during this coming weekend's games, and it's most likely going to be during the Steelers-Colts game, unless CBS decides the Colts are the prime game, and sends Enberg to Denver. (I will miss the live telecast of the Patriots-Broncos game to attend a BU hockey game with the Brighton, Wilmington, and Upper East Side Bureau Chiefs of JJDBSDC, so I sincerely hope CBS sends Simms and Nantz to Indy.)

Finally, in a new feature, which I will try to get Dave in Brighton to participate in (oops - on the phone with him now, he already looked at the spreads, so he won't participate) -

JOHNNYJETS.BLOGSPOT.COM PICKS THE SPREADS FOR THE WEEK!!

I have SEA - 8.5 over Washington, with the over/under at (48.5)

DEN - 2.5 over New England (only because it's in Denver), with the over/under at (46.5)

IND -4.5 over Pittsburgh, over/under at (52.5)

CHI -1.5 over Carolina, over/under at (27.5)

Much to my surprise, I learned that the Indy/Pittsburgh spread is 9 right now. That's something.

Finally, thanks to big Jets fan cousin Eddie for letting me know that Terry Bradway was on Mike & The Mad Dog this afternoon, to say the Jets interviewed Jim Haslett (Booooo), will interview Mike Tice (are you kidding me - (I forgot to mention this yesterday - but he is the only thing on this planet that could happen to the Jets that would be worse than Haslett), and apparently will meet with Patriots defensive coordinator Eric Mangini this week about their head coaching position. Not much conversation about Mike Sherman....yet. But the Mangini thing is sure to make news up here in the Boston area - I'll keep my ear close to the ground.

Welcome back to 1992. Or 1993. Or 1995. Or any other hopeless time in the history of the Jets. Because that's where we're again headed.

I don't know why I trust sports figures. Not just athletes now, but coaches as well. I believed Herman Edwards when he said he wanted to be head coach of the Jets for the next 10 years - way back at the beginning of the season when the Edwards-to-K.C. rumors first started swirling. I believed him again at the end of the season, when Dick Vermeil had announced his retirement, and the rumors kicked up again, and Edwards said he didn't plan on going anywhere. But money speaks loud, very loud, I suppose. And despite Terry Bradway's claims that he wanted Edwards back, lately, he didn't. So Herman Edwards is gone, and all the Jets have in his place is a fourth-round draft pick.

The departure of Edwards isn't the only shoe to drop. No, so many shoes will be dropping in the Jets' offices it will be like an earthquake hit a shoe store. First of all, the players had a very good rapport with Edwards. I'm willing to bet 75% of the players who would have come back to the Jets while Edwards was still head coach will now look elsewhere (some of them may very well consider joining the Kansas City Chiefs). Those who are left behind will toil under a new head coach they will not like nearly as much, and will have to adjust to a new system.

Speaking of new systems, the coaches aren't going to be the same. Remember Mike Heimerdinger's one-year-stint as offensive coordinator for the New York Jets? Yeah, I doubt he'll be back for a new coach...he might, but I doubt it. It actually depends on who the new coach is - more on that later - but if it's an insecure guy who wants his own people in there, Heimerdinger's gone. If it's someone who's comfortable enough in what he does, maybe he'll keep Heimerdinger on, realizing that it would kill the Jets to have to learn another new offense.

Then there's defense. Donnie Henderson is probably not going to get the head coaching position, and I don't imagine he'll be sticking around for another coach. If he goes anywhere else as an assistant, he'll probably re-join Edwards in K.C. He's also being considered for head coaching positions elsewhere.

This is probably a good time to insert the current mailbag - featuring one relevant e-mail (OK, one e-mail at all):

"Johnny...

Obviously the playoff picks are important, but the Herm Edwards era is OVER in New York. I know earlier in a BLOG you said you liked him (when I questioned him), but now that he's leaving....thoughts?? How could this happen?? Are you upset?? What sort of coach should be the next coach?? Any specific names??

kevin
JJDBSDC Southern Bureau Chief"

Well, I did like Herman Edwards a lot. I really did. Yes, now that it's over, it's easier to see his flaws (get ready for clock management issues, Kansas City), but he was a great motivator, and you could see his players loved playing (and winning) for him. I liked rooting for him. He seemed honest with the media, wearing his heart on his sleeve....until recently. Clearly, I think you can tell I'm upset by this, because the Jets are spiraling into a bad time...because the Jets being the Jets, they will probably make the wrong choice for the next head coach.

The right choice for the next head coach of the New York Jets would be Mike Sherman. The former Green Bay head coach is no-nonsense, and might restore some credibility to a franchise that was heading in the right direction, but has just come crashing back to where it was 15 years ago. I also think he got a raw deal being fired in Green Bay, and it would be a steal for the Jets to be able to scoop him up.

The absolute WRONG choice for the Jets would be Jim Haslett. Here's why. The Jets under Jim Haslett:
2006: 6-10
2007: 7-9
2008: 7-9
2009: 7-9 (fired at the end of the season)
Welcome to mediocrity - or whatever lies just below mediocrity.

The right choice for the Jets would involve someone who doesn't underachieve (*cough* Haslett *cough*), and someone who can make the Jets believe they can win again. And I know I've beaten this drum before, but it has to be someone who believes in Chad Pennington's ability to bounce back and again be a good quarterback. This is probably an entry for a different day, but I saw a post-season interview with Pennington, and he said he's on track for his recovery. 32 weeks after his first surgery, he said, was opening day in Kansas City. 32 weeks after this most recent surgery, he says, will be mini-camp. So this time, he says, time will not be an issue. He's going to go out and compete with whoever else the Jets bring in to challenge him at quarterback, and I believe he's going to win out, and do well again as Jets' quarterback (there I go again, believing what an athlete tells the media). But I am shying away from the thinking that Chad Pennington's career is over.

How about this for an ideal situation, that I just thought up...Mike Sherman is hired as head coach. Pennington comes back, and wins the starting job over new backup....Brett Favre, who retired from Green Bay, but announced he was coming back to play for his old coach (I think he really liked Sherman), and agreed to back up Pennington if Pennington earned the starting job, which he did. That would be something.

I need to vent about something, now a little bit off topic. It's the word "unbelievable". This word has taken over the sports lexicon. Watch any analyst, sports broadcast, or even news show (it's snuck its way into the news lexicon to a point), and chances are you will hear this word used to describe something or someone. I've found lately that nothing is unbelievable, because so many crazy things happen in sports, you just have to believe what you see. But there people are, describing Vince Young's performance in the Rose Bowl as "unbelievable". Or Shaun Alexander's season as "unbelievable" (Oh, by the way - another rant - people are all over Alexander these days, as 'the best player you've never heard of'. No, I've heard of him. He's still the most selfish player in the NFL. He's not an MVP. Remember, last year, Alexander got mad at Mike Holmgren for keeping him out of a one-yard run situation when he could have scored a touchdown, and then he ended up missing the NFL rushing title by a yard? Well, this year he won the rushing title and set a touchdown record, and there's peace and harmony in Seattle. I was watching the Colts-Seahawks game, when Alexander was approaching the record, and he's running in from the sidelines in a goal-line situation to get his touchdown, when Holmgren is calling him back, because he doesn't want him in on that particular play. You might say that's a guy who's excited about playing, I say, based on his track record, that's a selfish player more concerned about individual statistics than team performance. By the way - the reason Holmgren wouldn't want him in in a goal-line situation? Shaun Alexander is a fumbler. And I think he'll cost Seattle a playoff game with his fumbles this year. So there.) Anyway, I get mad at myself whenever I use the word "unbelievable" - I wish others would try to curb their use of the word.

Playoff picks: I really like Washington to beat Tampa Bay today. Tampa is giving 2, but I think Washington will beat them outright. I just think Joe Gibbs has it together there, and can beat Chris Simms in his first playoff start. Also, Washington is probably looking for revenge from Tampa's dramatic comeback win over the Redskins in the regular season. I'll say Washington, 31-10.

I don't want New England to beat the Jaguars tonight. I definitely don't. But I have a feeling they will. Jacksonville claims to be underappreciated this year - I've been calling them the worst 12-4 team ever. They'll earn my respect if they come out and beat a good team. This is a team, mind you, that could only muster 10 points against the 49ers and eke out a 10-9 win. I think Jacksonville keeps it closer than the 7-and-a-half-points in the spread, but New England (disrespected? please give me a break) wins, maybe 23-17.

On Sunday, the Giants-Panthers game is a tough call. Eli Manning is making his first playoff start against a Panthers team that is similar to the one that went to the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, but I think the Giants will win. Maybe it's because they're home, maybe because they've been playing well lately. I say Giants will cover the 2-and-a-half, and win, 27-20.

Then the Steelers visiting the Bengals. This one has Steelers written all over it. The Bengals have been struggling the past few weeks, they've reached the high of making the playoffs. I think Cincinnati will be dangerous next year, but look for Jerome Bettis to score a couple of touchdowns, and the Steelers to easily beat the Bengals, and cover the 3-point spread. I say Pittsburgh, 24-14.

My NFL New Year's Resolution - to cut down on my use of the word 'unbelievable', and realize that all sports figures, head coaches who I trust included, are not to be believed...dare I say, they are 'unbelievable'.

I wasn't going to write anything today, but there are two things: First of all - Vinny Testaverde...are you kidding me?

At least the Arizona Cardinals have shown they read the site - they signed Rohan Davey Tuesday.

Secondly, this e-mail was too good not to post:

"Dear JohnnyJets,

So it looks like I might finally get my big shot this Sunday and I was writing to ask if you could hype me up a little bit, or at least stop writing that the Ravens are "salivating at the thought of facing" me.

A lot of the players and coaches read the site (Heimerdinger hates you, by the way), and I thought that if you were on my side it would both help settle my nerves and build a little support in the lockerroom.

How about some crazy prediction, like that I'll have a 370 yard, 4 TD performance. Or maybe you could say I'll be like the Jets' Tom Brady. I'll leave the specifics up to you since you're the writer and I'm the NFL quarterback.

Thanks,
Brooks B."

I find it hard to believe this is the real Brooks Bollinger - first of all, the "sender" section of the e-mail has the real person's first initial and full last name - you may want to change that. Secondly, there's no way Heimerdinger hates me.

People keep trying to make me believe this is the Jets' Tom Brady situation. It's not. The Patriots lost a fading older quarterback in 2001. They replaced him with a young up-and-coming backup (no one knew that at the time, but at least Brady was young). The Jets lost their up-and-comer and replaced him with a faded oldest quarterback.

Brooks, you might win your first NFL start. The Ravens are in a bad spot at quarterback as well...and your defense might carry you. Especially if Jamal Lewis' legs keep doing an impression of Chad Pennington's arm (ouch...I think it might be too early to make those jokes...I just upset myself). But the only 370's you'll be recording are the ones you get when you're spun around and sacked. (I do know a circle is 360 degrees - he'll get spun one full rotation and another ten degrees.) Maybe you'll accumulate 370 yards and four TD's on the season. Those are the best encouraging words I can do.

Good luck, Brooks. Remember, if you see Ray Lewis coming at you, tuck the ball away and run for your life. Just try to run forward, and not backwards.

Maybe it's the orange couch, but I've gotten an e-mail from another Jets fan and blogger, and it's made me realize that other people could actually be reading what I write, so I better get my act together.

For those of you who want another Jets option (not a total switch, mind you, but another option for Jets news) check out: http://www.thejetsblog.com/

The web site is quite good - it has standings, newspaper article links, a fan confidence rating, and it has links to great Jets sites and other NFL blogs (and hopefully maybe this one in the near future!). But like I said, check out the site, and then come back here for my unique perspective on all things Jets.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that the picks will be posted on Friday, instead of by Friday this week. I'm giving Dave from Brighton another day to try to get his picks in. I haven't heard from him since he went away - I'm hoping everything's OK. It's not like him not to call in with his picks against the spread from a vacation with his girlfriend. So unlike him. I trust he made the picks, though, and he's holding onto them, and he is not cheating, because anyone who knows Dave knows he wouldn't mess with my statistics by doing something stupid like cheating. Plus, he's so compulsive he would never be able to settle on the right number to cover up the cheating - he would probably think 16-0 was too high, as would be 15-1, 14-2, 13-3, 12-4, or 11-5. But then he might think he'd be underselling himself with 0-16, 1-15, 2-14, 3-13, 4-12, or 5-11. And he'd never be able to choose from between 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 wins. Maybe that's why I haven't heard from him yet. He's probably driven himself nuts.

But I'll keep you posted. I'll also make my Jets prediction for the week on Friday.

I'm going to tell you what. Sunday is going to show what the Jets are made of...it really will. I like Herman Edwards a lot. To a fault sometimes. I don't blame him for what has gone on when things go wrong. I give him all the credit when things go right, and I blame others for the stuff that goes wrong. But like I said at the end of last year - the others are all gone. Cottrelll...and now Hackett. Now, if something goes wrong, it's on Herm. And last week, a lot of that was the players' faults. (But the coach goes along with that.) But this is where Herman Edwards is best - psyching up his guys to go out and show that they're not as bad as they played against Kansas City. The Jets can beat Miami, and they SHOULD beat Miami this week. Edwards will be telling the players that, and if he's still effective when he speaks, they will believe him and take it to the Dolphins. If they don't, it's on Edwards, and it's going to be a long season, with a lot of Jets fans calling for Edwards to be next out the door.

Picks tomorrow.

If you're new - thanks for reading! If you're Dave, Kevin, Justin, or my wife, thanks for coming back!

When we last left the Jets, it was a heartbreaking scene. Two words I will mention here for the last time, and then try to put them behind me: Doug Brien. That's all I'll say about that.

But 2004 is behind us. The 2005 season is minutes away. And much has changed. The jerk that cost us a chance at the AFC Championship Game is gone (no, not Paul Hackett - though he's gone too - I'm talking about the guy I mentioned above and promised to never mention again). Mike Nugent is the Jets' kicker...and I was just reading some of my postings from last year...and in one, I promised I will never have faith in another kicker...but I will. And Mike Nugent is his name. More changes: LaMont Jordan is an Oakland Raider - off to pursue his fortune as a star, starting running back. Derrick Blaylock will back up Curtis Martin. Santana Moss is gone, traded to Washington for Laveranues Coles, back in the Green. Ty Law is no longer one of the players I dislike - I now love him (truth be told, I never could say I hated Ty Law - and I think my Patriot fan friends will back me up on this. I never loved him, of course, but he was so darn good I couldn't hate him - part of me always respected his ability. Sort of like being a Knicks fan and watching Michael Jordan play back when I cared about the NBA - but I digress.) And much to my dismay, Anthony Becht is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer - and new offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger will probably make a star out of Doug Jolley and Chris Baker instead of Becht.

Chad Pennington has a new shoulder...and he will hopefully play a full, injury-free season. He looked good in the pre-season...and looked awful in the pre-season. But the bottom line is - it was the pre-season. Next week he takes on the Chiefs in Kansas City, and we'll judge him then. But I will say this. For the first time, an organization didn't sugarcoat an injury. After last season ended, we knew Pennington had a serious problem. He was out of mini-camps, and didn't take the field until training camp. The Jets didn't try to pull the wool over our eyes - they said when he wasn't ready, and they didn't rush him back. He came back for the second pre-season game, and played well. And the coaching staff had him throw deep so we could see that he was back, and healthy, and everything works. I feel confident that Pennington is 100% this season, and hopefully he can avoid all other injuries and have a great season. If he gets hurt, the backup is Jay Fiedler. Capable, yes, and yes, he had a very good pre-season, but most of that wasn't against the number one defenses. I just don't trust Fiedler to go all the way - so Pennington needs to stay healthy.

The other parts of the offense haven't changed much. The offensive line is the same except for Kareem McKenzie - who left via free agency. Adrian Jones takes his spot, and has received good reviews - so with Jones, Jason Fabini, Kevin Mawae, Pete Kendall, and Brandon Moore, Pennington should be well-protected. Curtis Martin is Curtis Martin. He'll have another great year - he doesn't age. He led the league in rushing last year, but was disappointed because he didn't break a lot of long runs. So this off-season, he worked on his speed. I don't want to say he'll be even better this year, but he shouldn't drop off.

The offense should be better because Pennington has his favorite target back. Coles is back, and the two of them look like they were never apart. The only difference now is that Heimerdinger is the coordinator, but Pennington and Coles have a great chemistry. The other receiver is Justin McCareins, and I look for him to have a good year because he is reunited with Heimerdinger - his coordinator when he was putting up good numbers in Tennessee. Wayne Chrebet is also back for another campaign - bothered by concussions in the past, but watch him on third down this year. As I mentioned before, Jolley and Baker are the tight ends, and Pennington didn't seem to use them much until the final pre-season game, but they're supposed to be a bigger factor under Heimerdinger.

The defense is much easier to write about, because I don't have to keep writing Heimerdinger. Seriously, though, I think Donnie Henderson's squad is going to be the best in the league. John Abraham is back (still don't know how I feel about this - but he's one of the best at his position, so I guess there are worse things than having him starting on your defense), along with Shaun Ellis, the revitalized DeWayne Robertson, and Lance Legree on the defensive line (although Sione Pouha could definitely make a long-term appearance instead). Jason Ferguson is gone, but the Jets should be OK on the line. The linebackers are a good young bunch. Eric Barton nearly cost the Jets the San Diego game in the playoffs, but that one play overshadowed a pretty good year. Jonathan Vilma was the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and I don't expect a sophomore slump. He's a team leader, and he's awesome. Victor Hobson is solid...not great, but a good linebacker. The secondary is outstanding. David Barrett came up huge in the second half of last year. Oliver Celestin had a great camp, a great pre-season, and is the starting strong safety. Erik Coleman is the free safety, and I love watching him play. And Ty Law is a future Hall of Famer - great signing by the Jets - and risk-free. My worry when they signed him was that they, like the Mets, have bad enough luck signing free agents when they're healthy, that if they signed Law, whose health was sort of a question mark, he would probably never play in the NFL again. But he's OK, and will start the season, and he is a risk-free investment. So good move by the Jets.

On special teams, the Jets have punter Ben Graham, an Australian who beat out Micah Knorr for the job. He kicks the ball high and far, and apparently has learned how to be enough of a holder for Mike Nugent to win the job. Nugent will be awesome. I'm glad the Jets drafted him. Hopefully he won't let me down. It looks like Justin McCareins will be returning punts - although it was supposed to be rookie Justin Miller's job. He disappointed in camp. I think Derrick Blaylock will see some time returning kickoffs...but I'm not sure. Maybe Jerricho Cotchery too.

Other changes took place since the end of last football season. ESPNRadio has come to Boston, so I can now listen to Mike & Mike in the Morning on my way to work instead of watching it in the brief time before I leave on ESPNEWS. This means I can watch Mike Greenberg, the huge Jets fan. I love that he can be so unbiased about being a fan. It's refreshing, especially being a Jets fan. So I look forward to Monday mornings listening to him. And finally, I finally have DirecTV for a football season. Hey Peyton - I've got the Sunday Ticket. I've been excited to watch all the college football this weekend. But it's time for the NFL - and for the first time in a long time, as my cousin Eddie put it - the Jets have a legit shot at winning it all. It's a very tough schedule....but I think they can do it. It's so important that they get home field advantage....and I'll be here to chronicle whether or not they can do it. We resume our johnnyjets.blogspot.com schedule - providing school doesn't prevent me from sticking to it:

Monday: Recap of Sunday's game
Tuesday: Mailbag
Wednesday: Recap/Preview of the rest of the AFC East
Thursday: Focus on the Next Opponent
Friday: Preview and Picks

The Picks feature will be different this year. I didn't have a final count of my record (for entertainment purposed only, of course) from last year, but I was right around .500. This year, I will take on my wife, who was one of the best in the country on ESPN.com's Pigskin Pick 'Em last year, along with Dave from Brighton, who wants to be the third wheel on our picking bicycle. He kept track of some of his picks last year, but I don't know what his record was. I don't think it was much better than mine. We'll be using point spreads from USA Today, and we'll start with Thursday night's Patriots-Raiders season opener. I will also include my eliminator pick for the week.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to an exciting NFL season.

Steelers 20, Jets 17 OT

I probably should have written this entry Saturday night, when the emotion was still running strong. But even now, three days later, I'm struggling (or as Joe Namath would say, "strug-a-ling") to write anything except &$*#!!(#()DougBrien(!#####. (Those punctuation marks are supposed to be curse words, but it doesn't look angry enough to convey how I feel).

Right off the bat I should have known the Jets were in trouble, when I realized that CBS's number two broadcasting team was Dick Enberg and Dan Dierdorf. This is the second-best CBS has to offer? Come on.

The Steelers jumped to a 3-0 lead, then 10-0 after a Troy Polamalu interception off a badly thrown ball by Chad Pennington set up a Jerome Bettis touchdown. The Jets came back with an ugly-looking field goal by Doug Brien, making it 10-3 in the second quarter. Early in the game it looked like the Jets were afraid to throw the ball. Pittsburgh wasn't afraid to throw, but they should have been - Ben Roethlisberger looked horrible.

Late in the second quarter, all my dreams started to come through. Santana Moss returns a punt 75 yards for the touchdown!!! The game was tied at 10! Halftime. For the first time I see an NFL commercial featuring an actress instead of an actor...but they're going to have to do a little better than Rene Russo for my tastes. (But it is a step in the right direction, NFL.)

Anyway, third quarter, not much happens, when all of a sudden - HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE REGGIE TONGUE JUST PICKED OFF ANOTHER PASS AND OH MY GOD I THINK HE'S GOING ALL THE WAY - 86 yards for the touchdown. 1 7-10, Jets. I get all kinds of congratulatory calls, even from Patriots fans who are telling me they're rooting for the Jets so the Pats can host the AFC Championship Game....and I'm telling these people, just one more score. I can't believe what the Jets are doing here - they just need one more score and it's all over!

They never got that one more score.

All day long I was waiting for Pittsburgh to pull off one of their fancy offensive plays (direct snap, option, something), and they finally did it on second and goal from the four yard line with 6:00 left in the game. Hines Ward takes the shovel pass from Ben Roethlisberger to tie the game at 17.

But I'm thinking, OK, this is good, 6 minutes - that's plenty of time for Pennington. The Jets started at their own 23, and looked good, moving the ball down the field. They attempt a 47-yard field goal with 2:03 left in the game and it HITS THE FRIGGIN' CROSSBAR - ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? So the Steelers take over after the 2 minute warning and HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT DAVID BARRETT JUST INTERCEPTED ROETHLISBERGER AGAIN AND I THINK HE'S GOING TO TAKE IT ALL THE WAY...nope he's down at the 37-yard line.

OK. Wow. This is great. The Jets are going to win - all they have to do is move the ball down the field a little bit....the Jets get to the 25. Then they stop moving the ball. And here's where many people have many different opinions about what should have happened. The Jets only ended up gaining an extra yard or so, going way conservative in the final 40 seconds, not wanting to turn the ball over and lose the chance to win the game. I think the Jets would have benefitted from a couple of extra running plays - throw LaMont Jordan at the D a couple of more times, see if he can break one. But I wasn't unhappy when Brien came out for the 43-yard attempt. I said to myself, he missed one before, he can't miss one now. Of course, we all know he missed it. I've defended Doug Brien this whole season, for reasons I can't quite think of right now. I'll never have confidence in a kicker again. I've learned my lesson - if I'm ever coaching a team, I'll go for the touchdown, not a lousy kick. I didn't learn my lesson from San Diego - it took a Jets heartbreak for me. I hope Herman Edwards learned the same thing.

In overtime, the Jets won the toss, did nothing, and on third and ten, threw a 2-yard pass to Wayne Chrebet. Come on. This is the play being called at this juncture?!??!? Pittsburgh won on a 33-yard field goal. There's the recap. I'm too angry to write more about this game.

Let's talk about the future. I take small consolation in the fact that Paul Hackett will be fired. If the Jets would have made it to the AFC Championship Game, it would have been harder to make a case to fire him, but now there's no excuses. He's gone. So now I'm excited to see what Chad Pennington can do when he's not so restricted. Now we'll see what kind of quarterback Pennington is. The Jets have a bunch of free agents this year, and one of them is talking big....and it's a very unlikely suspect. I'll write about that later this week - tomorrow if there's time.

For now, I need to take a look at the mailbag (untouched since the end of Saturday night's game...I'm afraid of what I'll find):

"Johnny....

Now that the Jets are eliminated, I'll ask the biggest question that's been bothering me with the Jets this season...

What the hell is Curtis Martin wearing in the post game press conferences?? Why does he look like one of those things old women have in their front yard....the lawn jockeys. Does he look in the mirror and think....yes...this looks good.

He looks like an idiot.

kevin
Wilmington, NC"

Kevin- Interestingly enough, I think Curtis Martin always makes those "best-dressed players in the NFL" lists...what are those guys thinking? I agree - he does look like an idiot. Actually, less like an idiot, more like a clown.

Also, after the game, Martin talked about how disappointed he was with the loss, and how he had postponed all his business meetings until after the Pro Bowl, because he was sure the Jets were going all the way. What kind of business meeting does Curtis Martin have to attend? And does he dress like that in the boardroom?

"Dear JohnnyJets,

I should first say that I was rooting for a Jets upset Saturday, not only because I like the Jets but also because I wanted Pats to host the AFC Championship game instead of going on the road.

As I watched the Steelers move down the field in the fourth quarter against an exhausted Jets defense for the game-tying score, I had a familiar feeling rising in my throat -- worry followed by anger followed by resignation. It was my Red Sox feeling. The same one I get when I see the Sox faltering and I know, I just know, that they're going to blow it.

Of course, the Red Sox banished this feeling (forever?) this season. Do you think the Jets will follow the Sox lead and stock up on pitching in the offseason?

Dave in Brighton."

The inevitable comparison to the Red Sox. I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind. I need to write an off-season entry comparing the two fandoms. It was tough to be a Red Sox fan for so long...but it's also tough to be a Jets fan. My cousin, who has an 8-month-old son, and I were talking after the game Saturday, and lamenting how bad it was, and how at least our fathers saw a Jets championship. He said his son might be 32 before the Jets get this far in the playoffs again (not a stretch...although I do think the franchise is on the upswing for the first time ever), and he thinks he should raise his son to root for another team. He won't though...because we're stupid Jets fans.

I need to mention this - I'm not sure if it's funny or not, but it's my form of therapy (besides watching tapes of Jets' old playoff wins...the Jacksonville game from '99 and the Indy game from '03...yes, I'm sick). I was at the gym on Sunday, and there's this guy wearing Steelers garb from head to toe. I got so mad I imagined going up to him and kicking his ass. Even in my imagination, my kick was wide left. Thanks a lot, you've been a great crowd. Don't forget to tip your waitress.

Jets 20, Chargers 17 OT

That was either the most exciting Jets game I've ever seen in my life, or the most frustrating. Parts of it made me want to run down the street screaming at the top of my lungs, and other parts made me want to roll up into a ball and cry.

It got off on the wrong foot, courtesy of Doug Brien's foot. On the opening drive, the Jets moved the ball right down the field, only to have Brien miss a 33-yard field goal.

The defense played well, holding San Diego scoreless in the first quarter - the Chargers defense was able to do the same to the Jets offense.

The Chargers got on the board first when Drew Brees hit Keenan McCardell with a bomb for a 7-0 lead. I'm not convinced, after seeing a few replays, that McCardell didn't bobble that ball. The original camera angle showed the ball juggling around, I'm sure of it. ABC kept showing the reverse angle, which showed McCardell's feet were clearly in bounds, but there was never a non-reverse angle close-up to see whether McCardell had control of the ball. Nevertheless, 7-0 San Diego.

The Jets answered later in the second. After Jon McGraw came within inches of blocking a San Diego punt (he came within inches of blocking a couple of other punts Saturday night), Marty Schottenheimer charged onto the field to yell at the refs. That gave the Jets 15 extra penalty yards, and the Jets made Marty pay. Chad Pennington called an audible from the 13-yard line, and hit Anthony Becht for a touchdown. Becht was so wide open he walked into the end zone...but geez, Anthony, act like you been there before. (Most likely for Becht, he'll never be there again...as a Jet.) Becht - I knew they were saving him as a big secret playoff weapon.

The score was 7-7 at halftime, and the Jets blew a couple of chances to get at least three before the break. At halftime, Steve Young talked about how the Jets owned the third quarter - scoring nearly three times as many points in the third quarter as their opponents. This game was no different. It started on a 47-yard bomb by Pennington to Santana Moss for a 14-7 Jets lead.

Allow me to say a few words here on Pennington. He looked amazing. He was throwing the ball about as good as he has all season - long, on the 47-yarder to Moss, and short, on screens to Curtis Martin. He was also making great decisions - no turnovers, and the great audible call to Becht for the touchdown. If Pennington plays like this all post-season, the Jets will be hard to beat.

The defense played well too - although there were times when they made you scratch your head. First of all, only the Jets defense falls for the hard count on 4th and 1 in the Chargers' own territory. Dewayne Robertson was the guilty party on Saturday. And only the Jets would have 10 guys on the field - FOR CONSECUTIVE PLAYS - late in the game. Come on guys. Robertson, by the way, made up for jumping offsides with a great play on the next play, driving LaDainian Tomlinson backwards for a loss. The penalty wasn't costly, but Robertson could have been the goat. More on possible goats later.

It was in the third quarter, on the drive where the Jets ended up kicking a field goal to go up 17-7, that Herman Edwards and running backs coach Bishop Harris got into an animated argument on the sideline. Edwards says it was a "family argument", and stays in the family. The Jets won, so it isn't an issue...but those guys better not crack the deeper they get into the playoffs.

The Jets held a 17-7 lead into the fourth quarter, and things are looking good, right? Wrong. The Chargers kick a field goal to make it 17-10, and then the Jets have a chance to put the game away late. They get the biggest gift ever - a Jets-like 12-men on the field penalty on a Jets punt by the Chargers!! - gives the Jets the first down. They can run out the clock...........no they can't. The Jets can't run out the clock ever. And they're too far out for a field goal. So they kick it back to the Chargers, who proceed to go 78 yards to the Jets 2. The Jets defense has been really good this year inside the 5-yard line, so I legitimately thought the Jets would stop the Chargers and win the game. Until Eric Barton threw an elbow at Drew Brees' head on a fourth down incomplete pass to allow the Chargers another set of downs to tie the game at 17. Barton. Leave it to a former Raider to try to cheat. Unreal. Another possible goat saved by his teammates.

The Jets called heads for the overtime coin toss...of course, it's tails. The Chargers get the ball back, it looks like there's no way the Jets can get it back together and win. They stop the Chargers. Then the Jets go three and out. Again, no way the Jets stop San Diego. Until the Chargers get down near the Jets' 25, and run three straight plays, going nowhere. And then Nate Kaeding misses!!!!!!! the 40-ish yard field goal. I made promises to God before that field goal that I'm never going to be able to keep.

The Jets finally, finally capitalized. They drove right down the field, thanks to a great catch by Santana Moss to get it across the 50, then some great runs by LaMont Jordan to get the Jets to the 9 yard line. Ironic that the (lately) inconsistent foot of Doug Brien now controlled the Jets' destiny. And it was only fitting that Schottenheimer called a timeout right before the snap, essentially making Brien kick the field goal twice. But Brien did it, and the Jets are advancing. This is the type of game the Jets usually lose. I wish they'd just win a blowup so I can enjoy a playoff game without feeling like I'm going to throw up for four quarters and overtime.

A couple of other personal notes. I hate when ABC shows stats such as: Curtis Martin has fumbled the fewest times per carry of any NFL back ever (minimum however many carries). I feel like they're just setting him up to drop the ball at the 1-yard line.

I wonder how much it costs ABC to pay Samuel L. Jackson to do their intro and spots during the game. Probably way too much. And I saw FOX doing the same on Sunday with Keifer Sutherland. I'm getting tired of these actors...including the guy from the Practics (I think) and Don Cheadle (I think) doing the playoffs commercials. Great, we get it. You guys are actors AND you like sports. Wonderful. I don't want to see any more of those...unless they start using hot actresses.

I love when everyone picks against the Jets. It makes me feel like they're going to win. I don't know why, that's just the way the Jets operate (and the way my mind operates).

So the Jets are headed to the Divisional Round. And thanks to the Indianapolis Colts' win today over the Denver Broncos, I better learn how to spell Roethlisberger. More on the Jets preps for Pittsburgh throughout the week. E-mails tomorrow.