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.

A correction: Yesterday I think I wrote something to the effect of "the Steelers' game in Miami during the NFL's opening weekend", referring to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's article on the Steelers' bonding at the team hotel during Hurricane Jeanne. It was actually the weekend of September 26th. The Dolphins opened up against the Titans. The Steelers opened up against Oakland. My bad.

I don't know how much I'll be able to write the rest of the week due to a family issue. So I will predict Jets 17, Steelers 10. And I'll pick things up recapping the game on Sunday and previewing the AFC Championship Game.

If I was a New England Patriots fan, I'd be pretty worried about the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. As it is, though, I'm a New York Jets fan, and I'm pretty worried about the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, so I've got my own problems.

The Steelers are clearly better than the Chargers. Even their newspaper writers are better. After just reading through the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's sports pages for the first time, they put Southern California's papers to shame. (Good article on how the Steelers bonded during Hurricane Jeanne at a Miami hotel during the season's opening weekend.)

My concerns include: the Jets playing two straight overtime games - and not overtime games where you take the overtime-opening kickoff and kick a field goal to win the game. Two straight pretty greuling overtime games. And Saturday's win over the Chargers came just six days after the game against the Rams. At least the Jets now have a week before they play Pittsburgh.

Also, the Steelers, obviously, are coming off a bye week, and Ben Roethlisberger has now had two straight weeks of rest. Maybe, just maybe, that could work in the Jets' favor. But I'm not counting on that. More on that throughout the week.

Let's go to the mailbag:

Dear JohnnyJets,

The latest odds are PIT -9, Atlanta -7, Philly -9.5, and NE -2. Aside from the Pats, do you think the league is really that imbalanced? How can a league with such parity have 9 point favorites in the second round of the playoffs?

Around the league...Favre threw 4 INTs against 1 TD, for a 55 QB rating against the Vikings yesterday. Has he jumped the shark?

The last time the Patriots lost to the Colts was Oct. 22, 2000. Don't the Colts have to win one eventually? What were you doing Oct. 22, 2000?

Dave in Brighton"

Dave - I love the fact that the Jets are 9-point underdogs. Philly and Minnesota will probably be closer than 9-and-a-half points as well. I do think the league is imbalanced...but not with the teams remaining in the playoffs. I think the Rams will play the Falcons tight in the dome, the Jets have a real shot at upsetting Pittsburgh (more on that throughout the week...and come on, did you think I would think any differently), and the Vikings, if they can beat the Packers in Green Bay, can beat the Eagles in Philly. I might go on a limb and say they will beat the Eagles. I don't like the Vikes, but the Eagles are weak. They won't win the NFC Championship Game, I'll say that for sure - and I'm not sure they'll even make it past this week.

Brett Favre is a tough read. The past few seasons he's good enough to get the Packers into the playoffs, but then their season comes to an end because he plays an absolutely horrid game. I think he probably could play a couple of more playoff-caliber seasons (based on the people around him - receivers, backs, etc.), but I don't think he'll win any more Super Bowls.

As for the Colts, I do think they are bound to win one against the Patriots. And I think they catch the Pats at a time prime for the beating. I think it'll come this week. And I do believe on October 22, 2000, if it was a Sunday, I was watching Game 2 of the Subway Series. That's a total guess. If it was a Monday-nighter, I was waiting anxiously for Game 3. And I was working at Channel 7.

Speaking of Channel 7 - former sports intern Kevin weighs in:

"JJDBSDC....

Is football season over yet?? It is for my Panthers (no Super Bowl for me this year), so lets switch to baseball for a bit....

As a Mets fan...when they make big free agent signings, do you have early 90s flashbacks? Beltran = Bonilla?? Pedro = Gooden?? Koo = Franco?? (Koo??)

I know you are distracted with the Jets, but deep down you're a baseball guy, and I'm sure you've thought about these things.

Also...good comments on the Samuel L Jackson intros. They're obnoxious.

kevin
Wilmington, NC"

Kevin - I'm saving my baseball stuff for our sister station, johnnymets.blogspot.com, but I will comment real quick. Gooden was never a Mets' free agent, so I equate Pedro more to a Saberhagen or a Viola. I do cringe, though, whenever they make a free agent signing. But I do always give new management (in this case, Omar Minaya), the benefit of the doubt.

Sorry about your Panthers. Let me know if they send you to Jacksonville to cover this year's game. Or if the Jets make it, and you want to do a great feature story on an excited Jets fan and his dad who make the trip to sunny Florida for the event of a lifetime.....

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.

I'll write a recap on Sunday in the afternoon. I can't do it right now - I'm too emotionally "Charged". No pun intended. Yes, actually, pun intended.

Jets at Chargers, Saturday, 8pm (5pm Pacific)

Playoff time!! It looks like it'll be raining on Saturday night when the Jets and Chargers face off. Actually, I think it will be raining a lot, and the field will be quite muddy. I like the Jets' chances in the rain and muck.

Curtis Martin is going to plow ahead no matter what the conditions. The wet weather could work against LaDanian Tomlinson, since he relies more on his speed. (Just my speculation - there are no facts to back these statements up.)

The Jets will have Santana Moss back to return punts...a hamstring problem kept him from doing that the past few weeks. That's good, because Justin McCareins makes me nervous every time he goes back for a punt return.

It's looking less and less likely John Abraham or Wayne Chrebet will play - which means we'll see more of Bryan Thomas and Jerricho Cotchery. Not great, but two guys who have been playing well of late.

Jonathan Vilma was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year - well-deserved honor. He's been playing great -the Jets need the rest of the defense to play like Vilma's been playing, or else they are toast.

I think we see a return of the dominant Jets' defense of the middle (not the end) of the season, and I think Curtis Martin does most of the work to get the Jets to Pittsburgh. Jets, 24-14.

Here's the rest of my picks:

Indianapolis, 34-17
Green Bay, 20-13
Seattle, 3-0 (which is to say, I have no idea, nor do I care about this game)

GO JETS!!!

By the time my readers read this, the Jets will be in San Diego, and Friday's practice will be the last before the game. I'm getting pretty excited.

A wrap-around of Jets/Chargers news:

Herman Edwards says Chad Pennington was throwing the ball really well in practice on Wednesday (Thursday was the travel day). That comment was met with skepticism by the New York media (but what aren't they skeptical about). Pennington himself says his shoulder is improving, and feeling better. Whatever. I'm buying what they're selling - just win, Jets. Apparently neither John Abraham or Wayne Chrebet are the sure bets to play they were the other day. I expect we'll see a little of Abraham...I don't know about Chrebet - concussions are tricky.

The San Diego papers aren't even really worth reading. In Chargers news, though - Drew Brees was named Comeback Player of the Year. There wasn't much competition there, I'm sure. I think tomorrow I'll do a breakdown by key position as a last-day preview.

For now, though, a couple of e-mails to address:

Dear JohnnyJets,
I worry that you're going to watch the game in your home, where theJets have just a .571 winning percentage.

It's ultimately your decision. But are you willing to accept responsibility for the Jets losing?

Maybe you could break down the Jets record, on games watched at your home, when Kathy was there and when she wasn't there.

That would be a helpful stat.

Dave"

Dave, you're absolutely right, I can't believe I let that stat slip through the cracks. The games I watched at home were:

CIN (W), MIA (W), BAL (L), NE (L), BUF (L), CLE (W), SEA (W)

I remember Kathy being in and out for the Cincinnati game (but out more than in), and the same with Baltimore (perhaps in more than out). The others, I think she was there for most of, although I sometimes get so absorbed in the games I lose track of the wife. I'll say she was there for all of the Miami game (Monday night), the New England game, the Buffalo game, and the Cleveland game. But I've been wrong before. So the winning percentage with her in full attendance is 2-2, without, it's 2-1. So I guess it's a .667 winning percentage at home without Kathy versus a .750 winning percentage at the bar without her. I like staying at home, so I'll take that chance.

One more from Dave:

"JohnnyJets,

For entertainment purposes, what was your regular season recordagainst the spread? Kathy's?

Dave in Brighton"

I was going to put this in, but I was waiting until I had Kathy's numbers at my disposal. This was a weak year for me, in all honesty. I went 8-7-1 in the final week, but I threw out my paperwork last night, so I'm not sure what my overall record was. I think I finished at .500 (for entertainment purposes only). Kathy finished 115 overall in the ESPN pool - out of 60,000 people. Not bad. But I don't have her numbers at my disposal right now. I'll try to get them tomorrow. Then I'll pick the other playoff games (for entertainment purposes only), and preview the Jets/Chargers game. I can't wait.

One more thing - I'm not going to say I'm happy the Jets lost going into the playoffs, but I'm just so darn happy the Jets are in the playoffs. It doesn't happen much, and hasn't happened much in my lifetime. This is an unprecedented streak they are on right now, believe it or not (three playoff appearances in four years). Now, don't get me wrong - I'll be disappointed if they don't win a couple of games (namely, four). But to say I'm disappointed with them finishing at 10-6 when they could have been 11-5 or even 12-4...I'd be lying. 10-6 is fine with me. If they had won 2 more games...they'd be right where they are now - at San Diego, in the first wild card spot. And I'd be disappointed with that.

The San Diego papers focused on Marty Schottenheimer's failures in the post-season - his career post-season record is 5-11. and he's lost 4 straight games in the post-season.

The New York papers focused on Herman Edwards' positive attitude. Nothing ground-breaking.

A couple of new developments - Wayne Chrebet will probably play on Saturday night, after his "mild" concussion suffered on Sunday. John Abraham will also play, back from his knee injury. I forgot to mention yesterday that Curtis Martin won the rushing title over Shaun Alexander by a yard, with 1,697 rushing yards. Nice job by him and the offensive line. That offensive line, though, allowed Chad Pennington to be sacked a career-high six times last Sunday - they better shape up before Saturday night.

Another note, just because I was talking about career playoff records. Herman Edwards (who I think has a relationship with Schottenheimer from their Kansas City days) is 1-2 in the playoffs. Chad Pennington is 1-1. Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, among other key Chargers - never played in the playoffs. That's got to work in the Jets favor nerves-wise.

I'm going to touch on a personal note, and tomorrow I'll get back to the real playoff scenarios.
The wife will not be here on Saturday night, and that is a very good thing. She claims she hasn't seen the Jets win all year...and I think she's right. I remember her sitting and watching with me parts of 5 of the 6 Jets' losses this year. So it's a good thing I won't be watching the playoff game with her. I've also broken down my record as a Jets watcher.
Sunday was my first loss watching the Jets at John Brewer's Pub - this year's place to watch my out-of-town Jets games. So:

John Brewer's: 3-1
In Person: 2-1
At Work: 1-0
At Cousin Eddie's house: 0-1
On TV at home: 4-3

So I'm taking a risk by staying at home and watching this playoff game winning-percentage-wise, but it is the site they've accumulated the most wins. At least the wife won't be around to jinx them.

Congratulations to the Jets on the playoffs, and congratulations to both of my readers for being 2 of the 27% of all Americans who read blogs. That's up from 17% - the increase all in the past year. Maybe next year at this time I'll have a 10% increase in readership.

The San Diego papers are talking tough. Actually, I only read one article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. It says the Jets backed in to the playoffs, and the Chargers are a much different team than the team the Jets faced in Week 2. That may be true, but the article also mentions the fact that of the Chargers' 12 wins, none came against playoff teams. Their four losses came to the Jets, Falcons, Colts, and Broncos - playoff teams all. So let's get on the Chargers' back for building up wins against weak teams. They played the NFC South, including such powerhouses as the aforementioned Falcons, and the Buccaneers, the Panthers, and the Saints (and the Saints and the Panthers came when those teams were playing their worst football of the season). Then, factor in the fact that the Chargers play in the AFC West, where they went 5-1 against the Broncos, Raiders, and Chiefs. The Jets got their 10 wins against some bad teams, but the Chargers also have been bottom-feeders. At least the Jets have a shot in an East coast city in the second round. The Chargers don't stand a chance.

Another thing about San Diego. It's been a special place for the Jets the past few years. In 2002, the Jets went to San Diego with a 1-4 record, and many expected them to be blown out of the water. The Jets proceeded to win, 44-10 (I think...I'm sure we'll hear about that game this week, and I'm too lazy to look it up right now), and turned their season around, advancing to the playoffs behind the right arm of one Chad Pennington. This year, in Week 2, in what was then considered to be a big test for the Jets, the Jets won again in San Diego, 34-28. Perhaps this weekend we'll see another turnaround. The Jets have been struggling lately. Chad Pennington says he's searching for a rhythm. Perhaps he'll find it in San Diego, and lead the Jets on the four-game winning streak to end all four-game winning streaks.

I need to get to bed (it's late here on the East coast, the chilly East coast, where the real football teams play), but I have an e-mail to address:

"Dear JohnnyJets,

How much do you think the early-season win over San Diego is playing
in the minds of the Jets (and the Chargers, for that matter)? Do you
think it makes the Jets more likely to win Saturday's game because
they know they can beat SD, or do you think it doesn't really matter
because both teams have warmed up/matured/weathered the season since
then?

Can you feel the vibes from Patriots fans who want the Jets to win so
New England doesn't have to play Indy?

I tuned into the last 2 minutes of regulation yesterday, just enough
time to hear Deirdorf (sp?) say Pennington looked hurt on the final
drive. Did you see anything that made you think that?

Also, do you think CBS was trying to jinx Pennington by putting up
that graphic that said he'd never thrown an INT in the red zone in his
career? (He almost threw 2 immediately following.)

Dave in Brighton"

Last things first, Dave, I don't think CBS was trying to jinx Pennington, but for that reason, I'm always afraid to mention that stat. It's one of my favorite stats in the history of football...and it's come close to being broken many times over the past two seasons. Last year, Pennington threw one of his five interceptions against the Patriots from just outside the 20 yard line, keeping the streak alive. So I will never mention it in writing...and hope CBS refrains from showing the stat during the playoffs (and ABC and hopefully Fox, home of the Super Bowl, for that matter).

I couldn't hear Dierdorf towards the end of the game, and I intentionally tried not to listen, since they were so bad. But I must apologize (to my readers, not to Dierdorf), and correct an error from yesterday's posting. I said something to the effect of Dierdorf's bias to his Rams...he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, and still lives in the St. Louis area, and was clearly biased to the Saint Louis football team, not the Rams...sorry for the error. I got my former St. Louis Cardinals mixed up with my former Los Angeles Rams...My bad.

As for your first comment, as I mentioned above, I think the early season meeting only serves to boost the Jets' confidence. I don't think it affects the Chargers too much, but I do think it helps the Jets to know that they can go into San Diego and win.

And since you mention the Patriots fans...I should throw this out there. Here are the possibilities for Round 2:

Jets win, Colts win: Jets play the Steelers, Patriots play the Colts
Jets win, Broncos win: Jets play Patriots, Broncos play Steelers
Chargers win, Colts win: Patriots play Colts, Steelers play Chargers
Chargers win, Broncos win: Patriots play Chargers, Steelers play Broncos.

Since the Steelers had the better record, they always play the lowest seed remaining. So I'm sorry to inform you Dave, when the Jets win, the Patriots (and their fans) need to root real hard for the Broncos to avoid the Colts.

Rams 32, Jets 29 OT

So the Jets lost. So they lost a long and torturous game. I don't really care - they're going to THE PLAYOFFS!!!

I'm psyched. Let's make one thing clear, because I can sense a negative vibe uprising. The Jets did not back into the playoffs. The Minnesota Vikings backed into the playoffs. The Jets MADE the playoffs. They won 10 games, they played a good (not VERY good, but a good) game against the Rams, and they deserve to be one of 12 teams with a shot at the Super Bowl.

The Jets should have won this game in regulation. It would have been nice for the Jets to punch it into the end zone on their final drive and stick it to the Rams, eliminating them from the post-season. But Chad Pennington didn't look too sharp, and the Jets settled for the game-tying field goal. Then, I think, the Jets knew they were already in the playoffs when overtime came around, and their defense played pretty well for most of OT, but I think the Jets knowing they were in the playoffs had an effect on some of the gameplan in OT. For example, I don't think the Jets would have settled for a 53-yard field goal if they had to win the game to get into the playoffs. They just left the Rams in such good field position after missing the field goal that it wouldn't have been a smart play. I guess what I'm saying is, overall, I'm happy with the loss...but boy, would it be nice someday for the Jets to be in a position where they had a playoff spot wrapped up in the final week.

Curtis Martin and LaMont Jordan had nice warm-ups going into the playoffs. Pennington didn't play too well, and got lucky when a big interception was dropped at the end of the game, and he still couldn't throw the ball long, but he's shown he can win in San Diego, so I'm not too worried about him....right now. I am worried about the defense. They played pretty bad for most of the game - in particular, the secondary. Granted, the Rams came out a lot more fired up then I thought they would, but the secondary let those guys get way too open - especially on the touchdown passes. Erik Coleman and Jon McGraw had decent games, but David Barrett, Donnie Abraham, and Terrell Buckley did not play well. (McGraw also dropped a key INT late.) The receivers had good games, and it looked like the Jets wanted to work the tight ends into the offensive game plan a lot more, which is a good sign heading into the playoffs. That might open up the wide receivers a bit more. I don't think the coaches had a good game. The Jets should have run out the clock more in regulation, but had two very quick three-and-outs at the beginning of the fourth quarter, after the second of which, the Rams scored the go-ahead touchdown.

Jerricho Cotchery is showing he might be a weapon on kick returns (although the Rams special teams were very bad). Wayne Chrebet doesn't look like he'll be a factor - he suffered a minor concussion. The talk this week was that he wanted to come back next year - I hope he re-evaluates now, and decides to retire.

A word or two on the announcers. According to Dick Enberg:

"Curtis Martin is on his way to his fifth straight Super Bowl." (meaning 5th Pro Bowl)

After the Jets kicked the tying field goal with :03 seconds left on the clock, they were getting ready for the ensuing kickoff and Enberg says, "The Rams have won the toss and elected to receive." Good call, Dick.

And Dan Dierdorf was so blatantly biased towards his (L.A.) Rams that it was ridiculous. Just ridiculous. Too many examples to mention. Let's hope Dick hangs 'em up like Wayne, and Dan never does another Jets game ever.

So it's Jets-Chargers, Saturday night at 8pm. I'll do my best to preview this all week. Remember, though - the Jets beat the Chargers in Week 2, 34-28. Erik Coleman had a big game, intercepting Drew Brees on the final drive, and also chasing LaDanian Tomlinson down from behind on a big run and stripping him of the ball.

The 34 points the Jets scored in that game reminds me of something. The Jets seem able to score when they want to (I guess I should qualify that by throwing in - 'against certain teams'...and the Chargers should be one of those teams). My problem is, if they can drive right down the field when they need to play catch-up, as they did when they were trailing the Rams on Sunday, why can't they just jump out to a big lead on teams like the Rams and then bury them? The answer to that is Paul Hackett's play-calling, and that's why he deserves to be fired.

One last note for today - the 49ers scored first on the Patriots on Sunday, ending their consecutive-game scoring first streak. I really would have loved for the Jets to do that last week.

Oh well. On to San Diego. I'll try to read the San Diego papers this week and keep you up on all that's going on on both coasts.

Jets at Rams, Sunday, 1pm

Things could be worse for the Jets. They could be going into the deciding game of the season with an injury list that looks like this:

Reid, Dexter S Shoulder Doubtful *
Seymour, Richard DE Knee Doubtful *
Chatham, Matt LB Hamstring Questionable *
Faulk, Kevin RB Knee Questionable *
Gay, Randall CB Arm/Flu Questionable *
Givens, David WR Ankle Questionable *
Graham, Daniel TE Rib Questionable *
Johnson, Bethel WR Thigh Questionable *
Law, Ty CB Foot Questionable *
Moreland, Earthwind CB Abdomen Questionable *
Pass, Patrick FB Knee Questionable *
Samuel, Asante CB Shoulder Questionable *
Wilson, Eugene FS Thigh Questionable *
Brady, Tom QB Right Shoulder Probable
Miller, Jim QB Right Shoulder Probable

That's a long injury list. And but it's the Patriots injury list, and they've been doing OK for themselves - I just thought I'd throw that out there.

As for Sunday's game...I've been talking about it all week. On Wednesday, the Jets had all kinds of fiery speeches thrown at them - one by Herman Edwards, then in a closed-door meeting, Chad Pennington, Curtis Martin, and Terrell Buckley. (In my opinion, Buckley's speech was probably him apologizing for how badly he's played filling in for Ray Mickens.) The veterans were fired up, and they say they are going to turn that emotion into a great performance on the field. I think they will. The Jets seem capable of turning it on in must-win games like this Sunday's...I hope they can do it four more times, the last one being the Super Bowl. As for this week, the Jets will find enough offense to outscore the Rams, and it's on to the playoffs! Jets, 31-20.

Here's my take on the rest of the (mostly meaningless) NFL (for entertainment purposes only):

SF +14 (that spread seems like too much considering most of the good Patriots will probably sit much of the game)
PIT +9 (the Steelers are playing too well, Roethlisberger or not, to be nine point underdogs...although I do think the Bills will win)
BAL -11 (Miami finishes with a whimper)
MIN -3.5 (the Vikings charge into the playoffs, instead of folding again)
CIN -3 (the Eagles might as well not show up if they're going to pull what they did Monday night)
GB +3 (the Bears might not show up at all)
NO +8 (the Panthers will win, but the Saints will keep themselves in it until the end)
TEN +3 (Volek will lead the Titans to the win over the Lions as home underdogs)
CLE +10.5 (I don't think Houston's good enough to blow out Cleveland)
TB +3 (the Bucs have played decent enough, they should be able to beat the Cards)
SEA -6 (the Seahawks take advantage of the Jets beating the Rams)
IND +9 (as I said earlier in the week, Manning might be rested, but the Colts' defense will make it tough for Denver)
JAX NL (Jacksonville collapsed last week, but in desperation should beat Oakland)
SD +3 (they're still better than banged up KC)
DAL +3 (the Giants stink)

Lastly, I just want to comment on Paul Hackett. He will probably be fired at the end of the season - Herman Edwards wouldn't give him any type of vote of confidence this week. That's probably a good thing. I can't wait to see the offensive weapons on the Jets being used correctly...including Chad Pennington. He likes Hackett, but he's good (and smart) enough to adjust to someone new.

Go JETS!!

Yesterday I talked about Chad Pennington in the so-called "big games". Today, I'll focus on the Jets as a whole in those types of games.

A Jets coach has never led the Jets to the playoffs three times in four years. Herman Edwards will try to accomplish that feat when the Jets take on the Rams on Sunday. If he accomplishes it, each time he will have done it on the last day of the season.

In 2001, the Jets won on a last second field goal at Oakland, winning the opportunity to go back to Oakland for a first-round playoff loss to the Raiders. (Vinny Testaverde was the quarterback that year.)

In 2002, as I mentioned already this week, the Jets beat the Packers, and got a miracle, last second win by the Patriots over the Dolphins, eliminating New England and Miami, and vaulting the Jets to the playoffs.

Last year the Jets were 6-10.

This is what Herm Edwards has to say about the scenarios the Jets keep putting themselves in:

"It's good for you," Edwards said Wednesday. "The harder, the better. Come on. The bigger the bully, the better. Come on. Because life is about a fight. You can't go run in your house and close the door. You're not in your neighborhood, so you'd better go fight. If we do that, we'll be OK."

This is why I love Herman Edwards. He will get the team psyched to win on Sunday. The Jets will beat the Rams. David Barrett will have a good game, silencing the Rams deep. Terrell Buckley will get burned a couple of times, but the Jets will score enough to win. The question for me is, what will happen with the Jets in the weeks after the Rams? (And I don't even want to think what will happen if the Jets lose...but I really don't think they'll lose. No way. I'm convinced.)

The big criticism about Chad Pennington is that he can't win the big game. While Chad Pennington is not my favorite person right now, I will argue that Pennington can win, and indeed has won, the big game in his time in New York.

This season's big games have been defined as Week 7 against the Patriots, then against the Steelers, and last week again versus the Patriots. In week 7, Pennington was one of the reasons the Jets lost, making a poor throw on the Jets' last possession on a drive that could have won the game. But the Jets had other opportunities to win that game, and some dropped passes and fumbled balls were among the reasons the Jets lost. As for the other two games, we're not seeing the same Chad Pennington. He is hurt, and is playing with a bad shoulder. I'm not making excuses, I'm just saying what's going on...Pennington should not be playing. Anyone who has seen him make throws in the Pittsburgh game or the New England game can see he's clearly not himself. What is tougher to explain is why his shoulder didn't look so bad against Seattle or Houston...actually, Houston wasn't his finest day throwing the football either, in retrospect. And maybe Seattle's suspect defense made Pennington look better than he is.

Anyway, there are the facts for Chad Pennington being unable to win the big game. But in 2002, Chad Pennington won three big games in a row...and the situation was similar to the situation the Jets find themselves in now. After losing to 2-12 Buffalo, the Jets needed to beat New England (in New England, I believe), then Green Bay in order to make the playoffs. Pennington was outstanding, winning both games, (and Green Bay did play its starters for the first half of the latter game, before they started pulling guys out once the Jets started to blow them out - lest you think the Packers rolled over for the Jets) and then Pennington played really well in the playoffs - which is a really big game, beating the Colts. Pennington had a rough outing the following week in Oakland, and that might have made him gun shy for future big games, but I don't think so. I think Pennington has done OK in his career in big games, and I don't buy the fact that he can't win the big game.

I do buy the fact that he's got a bad shoulder, and he's killing the Jets if he's trying to hide it. That's all I'll say on Pennington, for now.

Dave writes in again today:

"Dear JohnnyJets,

On the radio today, my favorite midday sports anchors Dale and Neumy were talking about some of the lines on this weekend's games. The fact that some teams don't have anything to play for makes this either a minefield or a gold mine, for entertainment purposes, of course.

Buffalo minus 3 against the Steelers, Chicago minus 3 against Green Bay, and perhaps most notably, Denver minus 9 against the Colts.

What's your strategy this week to put .500 in the rearview mirror once and for all? Better yet, what's The Wife's strategy?

Dave in Brighton"

I was thinking about this same thing, Dave. It reminds me of when we had this conversation about the Dolphins following the firing of Dave Wannstedt. It's so tough to tell what's going to happen any week, let alone when teams start resting players. You'll see my picks on Friday (brutal week last week, by the way - 5-10-1, back to a game under .500), but Buffalo minus-3 looks awfully good, especially considering what they have riding on this game. Denver minus-9 is tough, because the Colts are too good to be that kind of an underdog this year - they might rest Manning, but remember, their defense has been really good this year too. So my strategy is to just think about which team is better, no matter what, just like I did on Monday night when I picked the Eagles over the Rams. That worked out well. The Wife's strategy is the same as always - don't stress, just pick, then laugh at me when the picks come out better.

I'll start with e-mail, then have to get back to installing my brand new iPod.

"Dear JohnnyJets,

How would you describe the feeling in Jets nation, now that the team might go 10-6 but not make the playoffs?

Do you think Chad has learned a lesson about picking a fight with people who buy ink by the gallon, as Tommy Lasorda once said?

Signed, Dave (back) in Brighton"

Dave, welcome back to Massachusetts. Real quick on the Pennington point - I think he learned his lesson mid-week last week, because he kept talking about it as a mistake. He won't be saying anything controversial for a while, and will be hearing a bunch of masked "I told you so"'s all week this week.

As for your first point, about the feeling in Jets nation, it's about the same as usual. Utter disappointment late in the year. 10-6 and not making the playoffs would be a slap in the face, but it would be just the latest chapter in the disappointing life of a Jets fan. However, I don't expect 10-6 and no playoffs - I fully expect 11-5 and playoffs, and then whatever happens after that. As was printed by Gary Meyers in the Daily News today, the Jets should beat the Rams next week, because they beat bad teams and the Rams are a bad team.

The Jets have a disappointing history (not that I need to tell you that), and the best thing about Herman Edwards and Chad Pennington is that they are so positive all the time. There wasn't a lot of positivity coming out of the Jets clubhouse on Sunday (rightfully so), but it does give you hope for the future, with the positive attitudes usually in the clubhouse.

Here's the playoff scenario - the Jets need to win to get in the playoffs....that's the most important thing. If the Jets lose, they need either Denver or Buffalo to lose. Hopefully the Jets take care of business themselves.

Hopefully I'll remember, because I'm actually working a bit this week, but tomorrow I want to talk a bit about Chad Pennington's performances in "big games".

Patriots 23, Jets 7

I just got feeling back in my fingers, so I can write about this game. I'm really ticked off, so I don't know how much I'm going to rehash.

I can't find any play-by-play game recaps (I thought espn or yahoo had those, but I guess I was wrong), but I think the turning point of this game happened in the second quarter, on the Patriots touchdown drive.

The Jets had the Patriots at third and nine, in Patriots' territory. 3rd and 9! And the crowd is into the game, yelling, trying to rattle Brady, when what happens...the Jets have just 10 guys on the field! The Jets call time out. The Jets have to call time out! What a momentum swing. The Patriots have time to regroup, they come out with a pass play that gets them the first down. Not two plays later, the Jets have to call another timeout because they again have confusion on defense after having just 10 guys on the field. Way to take the crowd out of the game, boys. The Pats went up 10-0, then 16-0, then 23-0. The Jets got crushed.

Chad Pennington looked awful. He padded his stats in garbage time. Everyone's saying Paul Hackett should be fired (which is probably the case, but he can't really be blamed for this game) but it's not really fair for Hackett right now. Pennington can't throw the ball far down the field when his shoulder is at normal strength. Right now, he's got a serious problem with his shoulder, and he can't make a throw over five yards. It was like watching Bad Vinny (as opposed to good '98 Vinny) every time Pennington dropped back to pass vs. the Pats. I think the Jets might be better off going with Quincy Carter next week, just so the Jets can use Santana Moss' speed and have him streak down field. Pennington just can't get the ball to him.

Every time Pennington tried to throw the ball twenty or more yards he was picked off. The first drive, Bruschi got him, and then on another drive, down 16-0 at the start of the fourth quarter, Pennington was picked again. Curtis Martin couldn't get going, not really his fault, I think it was more a result of the play-calling. Martin would run for a yard, then everyone in the building knew he was getting the ball again on second down. I don't like to hear the Jets get booed at home, but they deserved every boo they got on Sunday.

Everyone sucked. Special teams - allowing Troy Brown to rip off a huge punt return right before the half, then turning the ball over on a squib kick (which resulted in a missed field goal) right after that drive ended with a field goal. The defense just didn't play smart, or well. The defense played poorly. Very bad game all around.

The Patriots played well, they played smart. The Jets kept shooting themselves in the foot. They had their opportunities to jump out to a lead, and stop the Patriots' streak of scoring first (it was 0-0 after one), but the Jets just kept beating themselves. Bad, bad game.

I feel like the Jets bounce back very well from these types of games (probably better than I do), so I think they will do well in Saint Louis next week, and probably get into the playoffs. But they need to improve...a lot...if they're going to do anything in the playoffs.

Sunday, 4pm - Jets vs. Patriots

Since there's a bunch of traveling and Christmasing on the horizon, I'm going to post the picks and predictions and then see you post-game on Sunday.

A couple of things before the prediction, though. John Abraham, Curtis Martin, and Kevin Mawae are the Jets' Pro Bowlers. Abraham says he will not be back for any of the regular season games. He's shooting for the first week of the playoffs, but it's still not clear if that's even realistic.

Also, on Wednesday, apparently, Chad Pennington started his talk with the media by saying, "Group hug, real quick?". That's great comedy.

The big talk now in the papers (even in New York), is how horrible Tom Brady played in the last couple of minutes of the game Monday night in Miami. And the talk of Pennington not being able to win the "big game" is starting up again.

I'm kind of mad the Patriots lost to Miami, first of all, because the Jets lost to Pittsburgh. Had the Jets beaten Pittsburgh, and needed Miami to beat New England to keep their division title hopes alive, it wouldn't have happened. I'm also mad about it because the Patriots are going to be coming off a loss...they're 2-0 coming off their last two losses (That's spread out over a year and a half - I came up with that stat myself - and it might actually be 3-0 coming off their last 3 losses, but I can't remember that far back). But the point is, I would have rather seen the Pats coming into the Meadowlands off a win rather than a loss.

I still think, though, that the Jets will beat the Patriots. I don't care what ANYONE says, the Patriots' defense has gotten worse as the year has gone on. Other people may believe this is not the case, but that is my opinion, and that's what I put on this site - MY OPINION. And the fact that a wide receiver is playing defense only furthers my point that the Patriots are having defensive problems. So that works in the Jets favor. If Tom Brady makes some more bonehead plays (though highly unlikely), that works in the Jets favor. And this is the second road game in a row for the Patriots, for whatever that's worth...that has to work in the Jets favor. Meanwhile, it's the second home game in a row for the Jets, and the Pats are coming off a Monday night game - short turnaround.

All that still doesn't decide the game. The Jets have lost three straight to the Pats, and it's about time for the fortunes in the series to shift. The Jets have hung in there with New England, barely losing earlier this year. Since that meeting the Jets' defense has improved (and it wasn't too bad at that point of the year), and that will help the Jets get over the hump. Jets, 21-7.

One more thing about this game - I'm happy the Dolphins allowed the Patriots to get out to a 7-0 lead in Monday night's game, because now it allows the Jets to break the Pats' streak of scoring first in 20 straight games or so. I really think the Jets will get on the board first, even if it's just a field goal...they are well aware of that streak, and the Jets are well aware that they need to score first if they hope to win.

Here's my take on the rest of the NFL (after a three-week let the wife pick 'em hiatus, I pick up at 88-84-4 on the season):

NYJ +3
GB +3
OAK +7
DEN -4
BAL +6
DET -6
CIN -6
SD +7
JAX -6.5
TB -3
ATL +3
BUF -10
WAS -2
SEA -7.5
MIA -6
PHI +2.5

Merry Christmas to all (even you, Al M.)...and I'll post again when I get back from the game on Sunday.

On Thursday I will probably post the angry e-mail from Mr. Montoya. But today I need to devote the space to Chad Pennington.

Here's my take on Pennington's attack on the media:

I don't care. I don't. Pennington was supposedly mad at what the writers said about him following the loss to Pittsburgh, and supposedly used that as motivation in his 3-touchdown performance against the Seahawks, and then, after trying not to speak to the media on Sunday, spoke AT the media on Monday. I don't care for a few reasons.

1) What the media writes about this situation is biased, because they can tell any story they want, and leave out whatever part of Chad's speil (?) they want. (I know that in some newspapers they've already done that, because before Chad [I'm not on a first-name basis with him, it's just that 'Chad' is easier to keep writing than 'Pennington'] told them 'it's a privilege to cover the Jets', he told them he was privileged to be in the spot he was in, QB of the Jets, and that hasn't shown up in any of the papers, because it's not juicy enough.

2) I don't care because Chad had a great game on Sunday, and if he needs to be mad at the media or someone else to have a great game, then get mad, Chad, get mad. The newspaper reporters are making a big deal out of this, saying that this whole thing shows that Pennington gets rattled. I don't understand how that's the case. If this had happened before the Pittsburgh game, when Pennington threw 3 INT's, I'd believe he's susceptible to the media rattling him. But he went out and led the Jets to a 37-14 win. That's not rattled.

3) Here's why I do care about this thing: Chad Pennington is too smart to do something like this. It doesn't fit into the type of person he's been the past few years. I do believe that Pennington is pissed, but I don't think he needs to make a big public stink about it. I have a feeling Pennington was looking ahead to what a big game this Sunday is (for the Jets to clinch a playoff spot with a win, for the Jets to prove they can beat a really good team), and wanted to create a distraction from the media hubbub that usually surrounds the Jets-Patriots matchups (especially when there's playoff positioning on the line). I could be way off, but I just have a feeling that this is what Pennington is up to, and it's just something that the New York media can string along and make a big deal out of.

One last thing - it's also an opportunity for the Jets' beat writers to make a big deal out of how badly they've been treated by New York Jets players in the past. For an example, check out Rich Cimini's rant in the Jets Insider in the New York Daily News Wednesday. Boo-hoo, Rich. If you don't enjoy what you do, don't do it. I didn't like the Red Sox being a bunch of jerks, so I stopped producing sports, and now I teach. And now I have a week-and-a-half of vacation. Maybe you should become a teacher Rich. And stop complaining about Chad Pennington handing you your lunch.

Oh, one more last last thing: I heard Pennington on the radio following the Steelers loss. He was harder on himself than anyone in the media could have been. So I'm not sure that he was totally angry at the media's coverage following the Pittsburgh game at all...he knows he played poorly. I think he was more mad at the perception that he can't win the big game, so he'll probably have that motivation on Sunday against the Patriots too.

Unfortunately, due to a holiday concert at my school, and the wife needing the computer, I need to keep this one short. So I will take a couple of e-mails, and save a huge long rant of an e-mail for tomorrow...as well as my comments on Chad Pennington's comments.

"Dear JohnnyJets,
Do you find it a privelege to run a New York Jets blog? ChadPennington says you should, because you get to write about some of the greatest athletes in the world for an audience that is known to include at least 3 people who are not your wife.
On a separate note, could you, as a Jets fan experienced at hysteric overreaction, give me any tips on how I should hysterically overreact to the Pats' loss last night [Monday]?
I have an unsubstantiated theory that the Pats are play much worse in the final 2 minutes of the first half and of the game than they do the other 56 minutes.
I can cite last night [Monday], and the end of the first half against the Ravens.
I have no other proof.
On the Jags bandwagon since 9/04,
Dave in S.C."

Dave - I'll reserve comment on the Pennington comments until tomorrow. Here's how you can hysterically overreact to the Patriots' :
"Oh my God, the Patriots lost to the Dolphins!! That was horrible. How can I ever get past that disaster of a game?!?! I hope they don't even show up in New York on Sunday, since it's going to be all downhill from here." That might be a start.

As for your theory that the Pats are a bad "final 2 minute" team, remember that the first time they played the Jets, the Patriots won the game with a drive in the final two minutes of the first half. (Then the teams played to a scoreless second half.) Tom Brady has also won more than his share of games coming back late in the game...I can't think of whether or not that has happened yet this year, though...maybe week 1 against Indy. The fact is, they've been ahead so much this year, they haven't had to play too well in the "final two minutes".

One more e-mail:

"Dear JohnnyJets-

Please note that for the last two weeks of the season, I will not be providing picks to your Web site. I have utterly choked since broadcasting my picks, and have fallen to #223 in the country. I was at 72 two weeks ago! If you want me to make a miracle run at winning the plasma TV, you will cease and desist from publishing my picks. I can't deal with the pressure.

Sincerely,
Your Wife"

Thanks, Wife. I was actually going to comment on this fact before I knew the wife had sent an e-mail...I knew I should have just published the picks without asking her - I knew it would put the pressure on. She says I should say she choked worse than Tom Brady on Monday night. I prefer to compare her to the singing frog in the old Warner Bros. cartoon...she picks the games when no one's looking, and then when everyone's attention is on her, she acts like she's just your run of the mill girl.

OK...tomorrow is the last day of school, so I will start writing more then. I'm actually undecided on whether I will print the Al Montoya e-mail - it's got an angry tone...that's just not what we're all about here at johnnyjets.blogspot.com. Especially during the holidays. Maybe that's the answer to Dave's question - send angry e-mails as hysteric overraction to your team losing to one of the worst teams in football.

Not much to talk about with the Patriots playing as I write this. The only development I will get to tonight is Chad Pennington being ornery.

Pennington, after Sunday's game, tried to walk out of the lockerroom without speaking to the media, but he was held up by a Jets PR guy. Pennington stuck around, spoke for about a minute and a half, and then bolted. He was very short and terse with the media on Sunday. Teammates said, "Chad had something to prove".

On Monday, Pennington apparently ripped into reporters because of the things they wrote leading up to the Seahawks game...or more accurately, following the Pittsburgh game. I have not seen or read these quotes, but I will write more about this scenario tomorrow. All I'll say for right now is that if Pennington was playing angry on Sunday, keep playing angry....he played one of his better games of the season on Sunday.

One e-mail to get to (thankfully Dave is no longer charading as a Brighton resident during his Christmas holiday):

"Dear Johnnyjets,
Is it possible that the AFC East could provide three (3) playoffs teams?
Is there a scenario where the Jets and Bills would win both wild cards?
Is this unprecedented?
Would that make the AFC East the best division in football?
Would it make it the bet division insports?
What do you think the best division in sports is? NL East,probably, you jamoke.

Signed,Dave in Mauldin, SC...home of the flourescent orange Mauldin Mavs visor."

Well, Dave, it's a shame the Dolphins tanked this year, because the AFC East would definitely be the best division in sports if the Dolphins were the slightest bit competitive. Well, since Miami is competitive right now with the Patriots, I'll go along with it. Sure, the AFC East is the best division in sports...and definitely the NFL. I think the Bills have a real shot at the wild card - having won 8 of their last 10 games. Here's the breakdown of the 4 wild card potentials (not counting the Jets, who hopefully get in even at 10-6):

BUF: at SF, vs. PIT
BAL: at PIT, vs. MIA
JAX: vs. HOU, at OAK
DEN: at TEN, vs. IND

I think all of those teams will lose one of their final two games, except for Jacksonville. So I think the Jaguars get into the playoffs, proving you, Dave from Mauldin, SC, quite prescient, picking Jacksonville to do something big early in the year.

One other note I wanted to touch on before I go to bed - the Eagles are so screwed. Even if they've proven they can win without Terrell Owens, which I don't think is the case, I think his broken leg is going to mess with their heads so much that they might lose their first playoff game -not even making it to the NFC Championship game. Just a thought. Look for Atlanta (or an even crappier team) to make it to the Super Bowl out of the NFC.

Jets 37, Seahawks 17

Ah, good ol' reliable Seattle. Nothing like a good choke job by the Seahawks to make you feel better about your team. But seriously, folks, the Jets played very well, improving to 10-4 on the season, and moving to within a win of a playoff spot. (For you non-Jets fans out there, just realize that 10 wins in a season is still a pretty novel thing to us Jets fans...we're used to double digits in the losses column.)

Chad Pennington came back from last week's disaster in Pittsburgh with an awesome game. 253 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT. Classic Chad. His throws looked as good this week as they looked bad last week. So maybe his arm isn't in as bad shape as I thought. I'll get a look in person next week against New England.

Curtis Martin rushed for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns (LaMont Jordan added 84 yards on the ground) as the Jets racked up 482 yards of offense. Very nice. The only negative spot on offense came in the third quarter when Anthony Becht dropped a touchdown pass on the goal line. He got booed off the field for the second consecutive home game. The Jets' tight ends were being talked up all week as needing to become a bigger part of the offense, and Becht had just two passes thrown his way (including the dropped TD), and Chris Baker had one catch. Maybe they'll throw Becht's way a lot more in the coming games...or they're saving it for the post-season. Either way, it doesn't look like Anthony Becht will be back in a Jets uniform next year. The good news, though, is that uncharacteristically, after Becht dropped the TD pass, the Jets went right back to the air from the 7-yard line and Pennington threw a touchdown to Santana Moss. Usually the Jets would run it into the ground and settle for a field goal in a situation like that.

On the ensuing drive, the Seahawks drove down to the Jets' 1-yard line, and the defense held, forced fourth down, and then Shawn Alexander fumbled the ball into the end zone. The defense has been playing so well...and another second half shutout - that's starting to mean something to me now. Terrell Buckley got burned again for a touchdown (so did Donnie Abraham), but if the defense keeps playing like this, who knows what could happen.

Doug Brien had a couple of hiccups, missing an extra point and a field goal, but he tends to do that once or twice a year. So I think it's out of his system.

The officiating was once again horrid. Seattle had a few gripes in that game, nothing that changed the course of the game, really, but the Jets caught a couple of breaks. I think...I'm not really positive. I have a bad feeling that someone's season this year is going to hinge on a bad call by the referees....I hate when that happens. It better not be the Jets. I just feel that no matter what, the refs tend to favor the home team, and it gets aggravating...especially when the Jets' path to the championship takes them on the road.

Moving on to some other news from Sunday - the Broncos collapse has been unreal. They got whipped by the Chiefs on Sunday, and with the Jaguars and Bills winning, (and pending the outcome of Sunday night's Baltimore game), the Broncos have put themselves almost out of the playoffs. Speaking of the Bills winning, that Jets' loss to the Bills isn't looking so horrible anymore. (Although I'm still a little upset by it.) But the Bills, after starting off 0-4 (remember, I called them the best 0-4 team in football...you can look it up), are now 8-6. And I called them the best 0-4 team in football because they lost some really, really close games back in September. They could easily be 9-5, 10-4...even 11-3 right now. I think. The Jaguars snuck by them, the Jets beat them by two...Bledsoe was driving the Bills to tie against the Patriots late in the game....anyway, the fact remains the Bills are 8-6...but they're making a playoff push.

A couple of e-mails from Dave (not in Brighton this week):

"Dear JohnnyJets,
I know you eschew the Sunday morning pregame shows, so I wanted to let
you know that Chad Pennington was the guest on Fox's "Ten Yards with
TB" segment.
As a dutiful JJDBSDC agent, I took notes so you could have blog fodder in case Al takes the week off.
If you're not familiar with the segment, Terry Bradshaw gives you 2 choices, and you pick one of them. Chad's picks in CAPS.
call your own plays/COACH CALLS THE PLAYS
big arm/OK ARM
zero int's/FOUR TD'S
rhodes scholarship/HEISMAN TROPHY
rock and roll/COUNTRY WESTERN
boxers/briefs
Chad said BOXER-BRIEFS.
METS/yankees
Chad offered that he likes the Islanders, too.
namath/MONTANA
Before making his choice Chad said "Joe, I love you," which is almost as funny as "Joe, I wanna kiss you."
LARRY THE CABLE GUY/jeff foxworthy
Mets? He must be nuts. Maybe they taped it before the Pedro business.
Dave in Brighton"

Dave, thank you. But to be honest, I saw an ad for the pregame show Saturday while watching Redskins/49ers, so I knew about Pennington and Bradshaw. So I tuned in to see that. He was very entertaining...as usual. Pennington is a good interview, as is Tom Brady. Thanks for the transcript, though...and you don't know how happy I was to hear Pennington roots for the Mets. Perhaps there's a shot I'll fire up johnnymets.blogspot.com again.

Dave checked in again later in the day:

"Dear Johnnyjets,

Granted I didn't see the game because I'm out of market, but what's up
with the Jets running up the score on poor helpless Seattle? 37-14?
How offensive.

Dave in Brighton"

An interesting thing about the Jets offensive output, Dave. After the Jets lost 20-13 to the Bears in 2002, jeopardizing their playoff hopes, they reeled off games of 30, 42, and 41 points against New England, Green Bay, and Indianapolis as they won the AFC East, then their divisional playoff game. The Daily News made the comparison today, with the Jets coming off the loss to Pittsburgh, that maybe the Jets would start another offensive streak like that....so far, the Daily News is right. 37 points. Granted, it was the Seattle Seahawks defense, but it was a good game plan. I'll take it. Let's do the same thing to New England next week.

That's all I have for today...this will be a big week for the blog. Thanks for reading, and we'll do e-mails tomorrow (and the rest of the week, if there's enough e-mail).

Good news - after I put this preview in, I'll try to finish up my final paper for the semester, then I'll hopefully get back to daily Jets updates.

And I just checked the e-mail, and there's a huge amount to talk about. So I'll post the picks, then respond to all the mail. Thanks for reading and writing, I apologize for the delay in the replies...it's the schoolwork (lest you think I am being rude).

So we'll start with the Seahawks at Jets, Sunday 1pm, on FOX25 (one of my many former employers) here in Boston.

The Jets see this as a must-win game, which I'm not so sure is a good thing. I have a feeling that this is going to be a real nail-biter, but I think the Jets will win. This is one of those games where the Jets have the potential to choke...bad. But there's only one team in the NFL with as spotty a history as the New York Jets, and that is the Seattle Seahawks. They need this game worse than the Jets do, and they will play worse than the Jets.

John Abraham again will not play, but as I've been saying, Bryan Thomas can fill in ably. There's a chance we'll be seeing a lot more of Derrick Strait, which is good, because Terrell Buckley has been killing the Jets lately. The secondary is going to be huge this week, because the Seahawks can throw the ball...but I'm not really worried about the defense. They'll be fine. Especially David Barrett, who has been fun to watch the past few weeks - I hope teams continue to test him - he makes a great deflection at least once a week.

But it's the offense I'm worried about. This week the Jets said Chad Pennington is not at 100%...which we already knew by watching him the past couple of weeks. But he says he knows he can be effective the rest of the season. The Jets are supposedly going to try to get the ball to their tight ends more these last few games...which to me might mean that Pennington can't get the ball downfield. But I expect the Jets to be able to do enough on offense to beat Seattle...I'm going to say Jets 31, Seahwaks 24.

That would mean the Jets cover the six and a half point spread....which seems like a lot...but I guess the Jets win by a touchdown. But you don't care about my picks - you want to know who The Wife picked - so here they are, Saturday games first:

PIT -10.5
WAS -3.5
ATL -3.5
NYJ -6.5
HOU +1.5
JAX +3.5
MIN -3.5
CLE +9.5
DAL +12.5
BUF -2.5
STL +1.5
NO +7.5
TEN +1.5
DEN +1.5
BAL +8.5
NE -9.5

The Wife suffered a setback last week, just hitting 7, she's down to 136 overall. Still not bad.

OK. Let's attack the mailbag, lots to get to.

"Word up, yo! Far be it from me to complain. And I give you all the credit in the world for keeping the web site afloat amidst the craziness of your life. However, I have to admit that the "analysis" on the site is letting me down a bit lately. I give you credit for making an assertion (vague and general though it was) that it seems unrealistic for the Jets to win 2 or 3 road games in the playoffs, but I GUARANTEE you won't pull the trigger on picking them to lose a specific game when the time comes. And you of course asserted that the Jets will beat the Patriots in two weeks. C'mon. Do you really believe that? (Then again, why wouldn't they? The Pats have already lost one game in their last 28, right?!)

AND THEN, you made some sort of half-cocked reference to the Colts probably putting up 45 points on the board against New England in the playoffs "with the way the Patriots are playing." Huh? Correct me if I'm wrong, but since losing their two starting cornerbacks (and usually playing without their third cornerback as well) and routinely using a wide receiver and a back-up linebacker at db, the Patriots have held the Rams to 20 points in St. Louis (tough to do with a full complement of db's), held Drew Bledsoe below 100 yards passing while annihilating and embarrassing the Bills, held the Chiefs to 19 points in Kansas City (even harder to do than holding down the Rams in St. Louis), essentially shut out the Ravens (yielding only a field goal after 30 yards of penalties on the same play), and held the Browns (who, granted, suck) to 7 points before pulling all of their healthy starters before finally having a tough day on defense against the Bengals. So I guess my final question is a two-parter... 1) What evidence exists that the Patriots' defense is prone to struggles? 2) Aren't they only likely to get even better as their three cornerbacks return from injury, all presumably before they would meet the Colts in the playoffs? (Oh yeah, and don't forget that the Colts are like 0-71 with Manning against the Pats and always give up a ton of points.)

Sometimes, all I can do is shake my head as I think about your web site while standing in my crease and watching my teammates in their winged helmets pepper the goalie at the other end of the ice!

Faithfully Yours,
Al Montoya
Ann Arbor, MI"

You're right, I probably won't pick against the Jets because I think they CAN win all of their remaining games. And I do think the Jets will beat New England next week at home. But we'll get to that next week. I'll watch the Patriots' defense this week against Miami and make another judgment before they play the Jets, but the fact is, their defense has not been as good overall this season as in the past (I know, they're 12-1, blah, blah, how can their defense not be that good!?!? It hasn't, I'm sure, if you look at the stats, and from what I saw of last week's game [admittedly, not much], they look like they're slipping, rather than improving.) I'll re-evaluate after Monday night's game. Let's move on....that's not the last we heard from Al. We'll get back to him.

"Dear JohnnyJets,

For entertainment purposes only, how do you think the Steelers, Eagles, and Pats will finish the season?

Is it possible there will be 3 teams at 15-1? Would that be historic?

Have you done the math to figure out who the Jets might face in the playoffs? Could they beat the Colts on the road?

Is your wife ranked No. 1 in the world yet? Have you ever ranked No. 1 in the world in anything? Spelling, maybe? Or blogging?
Dave"

Thanks for writing Dave. A quick look at the remaining skeds -
NE - Miami, Jets, 49ers - 2-1 (loss to Jets), finish 14-2.
PIT - Giants, Ravens, Bills - 2-1 (Bills or Ravens might pull the upset), finish 14-2
PHI - Cowboys, Rams, Bengals -2-1 (I think the Rams or Bengals pull off upsets - Bengals perhaps because of rested starters) - finish 14-2

I haven't done the math on who the Jets would face, but figure the Jets get the wild card (which is still a risky gamble), and figure NE and PIT get byes...the Jets can beat either San Diego or Indy on the road. The Jets already beat the Chargers at San Diego this year, and the Jets have proven in the past they can win in Indy. And although I picked the Colts to win the AFC, if the Jets face them in the first round, I can see the Jets winning. Remember 41-0 a couple of years ago? And that was with Ted Cottrell as the defensive coordinator - the Jets have a better defense this year. The interesting thing about the Jets playoff hopes this year is that they can win in New England, in Pittsburgh, and in Indianapolis or San Diego. So it's a long shot to get to the World Series as a wild card, but the Jets could do it this year....but let's worry first about beating Seattle and earning a playoff spot first.

As for your other questions: after last week's setback, unless The Wife hits 16 this week, she will not be ranked number one in the world (she is, however, in the playoffs in fantasy football. I am not.). I've never ranked number one in the world in anything...I won my school's spelling bee, but lost the District spelling bee, so scratch spelling. Not blogging, there are far better bloggers, I'm sure. I still manage to maintain something of a life. I've never even been on a Little League championship team. We came close once - we went 16-0, then lost in the playoffs.............man. That's a sad memory. I have gotten birthday cards telling me I'm #1 though, so I must be number one in something in the world.

Thanks for writing Dave. Kevin has written back with a qualifier on last week's abbreviation:

"JJDBSDC

Johhny
Jets
Dot
Blog
Spot
Dot
Com

Its not vulgar...but that's for assuming that since it was from me, it was. Probably a good guess.

kevin"

Thanks Kevin. I like it. Maybe I'll put JJDBSDC on my merchandise.

OK. One more time from Al:

"Where are the picks? And where are the email replies? Tuesday came and went without email replies. (And I don't want to read any excuses like, "I replied to emails on Monday." If you choose to do that, it should not count as a replacement, we faithful readers should get an EXTRA DAY of email replies!)

This web site has really gone downhill in recent days!

By the way, what are the chances that you're a Mets fan as well? (That sure is a swell looking stadium they have in Flushing Meadows, but I digress...) If so, I want you to know that I wish you nothing but joy and happiness for the next four years with the lying, crying, whiny, manipulative, backstabbing, hypocritical primadonna pitcher! (One other thing, I happen to know a Boston reporter who went to Shea for the Pedro press conference. He said he has never encountered worse people than the New York media types. The photographers were bossing people around and pushing people out of the way. And at one point, one of the NY reporters snapped at my friend, "ENOUGH BOSTON QUESTIONS!!!" Great place, that New York! I can't wait to play there.)

-Al Montoya
Ann Arbor, MI"

If I ever get e-mail on consecutive days, rest assured I will post them that day. Tuesday is the regular e-mail day, but there will be follow-ups...sadly, it's just that people hadn't been writing me, so I hadn't checked the mailbag. I will be more vigilant.

And Al, you know darn well I am a Mets fan. Well, maybe was a Mets fan. I can't decide yet. Because I don't know if I can take four years of Pedro Martinez. All we need to know about Pedro is he spent his entire welcome to the Mets press conference badmouthing the Red Sox. Show a little class, jerk. You sound awfully offended by the reaction to the media...you sound a lot more like a member of the media than the future goaltender of the New York Rangers...just saying...is Al Montoya your real name?

By the way, Al - How about those BU Terriers beating your alma mater, Michigan, at Michigan, for the second year in a row?!?!?! GO BU!!

OK. Time to get some other work done. Then I'll step up the blogging for the playoffs - and maybe take my spot as #1 blogger!!!!!!! Go Jets.

Gotta write something or people are going to get suspicious about me giving up on the Jets. Truth is, things aren't looking so good. The Jets are showing they're capable of hanging with the really good teams on the road...but they can't get over that hump and beat them (them being the Patriots, Steelers, etc.) The problem with that (and it remains to be seen whether or not the Jets will be able to beat these teams at home...I have a feeling they will, and we'll find out on December 26th, when the Jets host the Patriots) is that the Jets, provided they make the playoffs, which, barring a huge collapse (nothing we in Jetsland haven't seen before), should happen, will have to win on the road in order to advance. One road win is possible, two is unlikely, and the way the Jets played on Sunday, three road wins just isn't going to happen. Unless things really start changing.

Starting with Chad Pennington. I hope he's not hiding a serious injury, because he didn't look good at all against the Steelers, and he made some awful passes. We have to hope they were just bad passes, considering the circumstances (cold weather, hostile environment), and not because his shoulder is still hurting him.

Let's quickly check the mailbag:

This I found sitting in the mailbag from Saturday:

"The game hasn't been played yet, and I happen to think that the Jets could win (but probably won't), but I just had to tell you how utterly shocked I was to read that you think the Jets will beat the Steelers. Stunning. Truly stunning. By the way, can the Jets still go 19-0 and win the Super Bowl by 40 or more points?

Love Always,

Al Montoya
Ann Arbor, MI"

I don't understand. You thought the Jets could win, and so did I. What's the problem here? 19-0 and win the Super Bowl by 40 or more points? Come on now. That's just silly. They're already 9-4.

Then this:

"Jo Hnyj Ets,

Hi. I was just wondering, would Jets players and coaches break out in a nasty rash if they beat a team with a winning record? And if they finish 10-6, are they still the best team in NFL history?

Take care.

Hugs and Kisses,

-Al Montoya
Ann Arbor, MI"

No one said they were the best team in NFL history. And it's looking like 11-5 (though 10-6 isn't out of the question). And no to the rashes. You'll find out in a couple of weeks.

"I know they just beat the Jets (tears shed from this JJDBSDC reader)...but...is it just me, or are the Steelers the worst 12-1 team in NFL history??

I mean...does anyone REALLY think they'll win the AFC?? How will they ever outscore the Colts (this reader's pick to win it all)?? I know they've beaten the Patriots once, but if they played again...who would you bet on?? And don't even get me started on how "our lord and savior" Chad Pennington will carve them up next time out.

Your expertise is appreciated....

From the balcony at the Lion King...
kevin"

Kevin...thanks for writing. Rare contribution to the Jets site. Not sure I get the JJDBSDC reference - I hope it's nothing profane. Anyway, I happen to agree with you. The Steelers are so ripe for the picking, I can't believe they haven't been beaten in 10 or 11 weeks, whatever it's been. I have half a mind to pick the Giants over them on Saturday, but the Giants are so friggin' bad that they'd lose to a team made up of people going to see the Lion King instead of a hockey game with his college buddies. Not that I speak from experience. The Patriots and Colts, I think are both better than the Steelers, and I have to agree, the Colts look like the best team in that bunch right now, considering they'd probably put up 45 on the Patriots' defense, the way the Pats have been playing lately. But I get the feeling the Eagles could beat the Colts. That's what I'm going to say for now - Eagles over Colts.

OK. I am so swamped in homework, I've written way too much tonight. Gotta go...One week from now all the homework will be done for Christmas break, and I can focus all my attention on football (lucky you). I might also pop over to johnnymets.blogspot.com and write about how that site might be shutting down for 4 years, because of 56 million reasons. What a crappy day. See ya.

Sunday at 4pm - Jets at Steelers

The Jets and Steelers are two of the top defenses in the NFL, so this should be a pretty ugly game. The Jets will be without John Abraham, but like I said earlier in the week, Bryan Thomas should fill in nicely. I don't have much time here, so I'll cut right to the chase. The Jets can win this game, and I think they will. The Jets have to win in Pittsburgh some time...and Ben Roethlisberger has to lose a game eventually. I think this weekend is the confluence of those events, at the confluence of the Pittsburgh rivers. Jets 15, Steelers 3. Just a hunch, but it won't be pretty.

Again, I give you The Wife's picks, because mine are worth crap (and again, for entertainment purposes only). The Wife, by the way, is up to number 72 in the world!!

NYJ +4.5
DAL -5.5
DET +9.5
IND -10.5
SEA +4.5
NE -10.5
CHI +5.5
OAK +7.5
NYG +9.5
CLE +9.5
MIA +10.5
SD - 5.5
SF +5.5
CAR -3.5
WAS +9.5
TEN -1.5

The Wife hit 10 last week, jumping like 40 spots in the world rankings. She goes heavy on the 'dogs this week. I disagree with her San Diego pick. For some reason I think the Buccaneers are going to upset the Chargers in San Diego.

The Jets got by without Chad Pennington, now, they're going to have to survive without John Abraham. Abraham didn't play in the second half of the win over the Texans on Sunday, and now will reportedly miss 2 to 3 weeks with a knee injury. All the Jets are saying is that Abraham will miss the Steelers game this week, but the Daily News says sources close to the team think Abraham will miss at least two weeks. So that's some bad news - here's the good news...the Jets have now allowed the fewest points in the NFL. Their defense has been very good - no we'll see if they can keep it up without Abraham. Actually, one last point on Abraham - now Bryan Thomas steps into the starting job for at least a few games, and he has played extremely well this season so far. He had a great game in Buffalo, which was overshadowed by the loss, and has played very well in the games he's been in. So I expect the Jets defense to keep it up.

A couple of other housekeeping issues - The Wife hit with Dallas Monday night, in what was quite possible the greatest game in a couple of years (too bad I was sleeping)...so she's now up to number 72 in the country. She moved up about 40 spots after a 10-6 week. Not bad. I guess that's it for the housekeeping. On to the e-mail:

"Dear JohnnyJets...

A couple questions on the same topic this week...

-Which is worse...the NFC or the NBA's Eastern Conference?

-If the Jets played in the NFC East, would they be 11-1?

-How do you feel about the possibility (likely possibility?) that a
7-9 will make the playoffs this year?

10-5 through Sunday's games,
Dave in Brighton"

Dave - congrats on the 10-5...nicely done. Too bad you're not number 72 in the country. Let's answer your questions...I don't know if the NFC is worse than the NBA's Eastern Conference. I would say the NFC is better, simply because people know it exists. I can't say the same about the NBA's East. Or West.

If the Jets were in the NFC East, they could be 11-1 - but they're the Jets..so there are no guarantees on any of these sorts of things. They could be 1-11, for all we know. Sorry I can't be more definitive...but the Jets are in the AFC East, and they're 9-3...I'm happy with that.

Finally, I haven't gone through remaining schedules for the NFC teams, but I think it's very likely a 7-9 team is making the playoffs in the NFC. At the most, the wild card team will be 8-8...and these teams are playing so poorly that 7-9 is more likely. Meanwhile, the Jets could go 13-3 (more likely 12-4 or 11-5), and barely win the wildcard.

One more thing - the Jets can clinch a playoff spot this weekend...if they win, Denver or someone lose, and the Chargers and Ravens win, I think. I'll try to get it straight....but the Jets need to beat the Steelers. That's the priority.

Uh-oh. No e-mail. I hope I haven't lost my two faithful readers.

I would usually do playoff picture stuff on a Wednesday, but I crunched some numbers today, and you never know when I will have the next chance to write, so I'll put this here today.

The Jets are 9-3. The Patriots are 11-1. For the Jets to have a shot at hosting playoff games, they need to win the rest of their games (at Pittsburgh, vs. Seattle, vs. New England, at St. Louis). They would need the Patriots to then go 2-2 the rest of the way (vs. Cincinnati, at Miami, at Jets, vs. San Francisco). Here's the catch, though - the Patriots two losses would have to be to the Jets (obviously), and the Dolphins, which is a Monday nighter in Miami. It's pretty darn unlikely (not the loss to the Jets - the Jets are probably all that stand between the Patriots and 15-1 - but I'm not going to say it's impossible. Nothing is impossible in the NFL. The Dolphins have suddenly found their offense, so maybe they'll play for pride in front of a national audience on their home turf and A.J. Feeley will throw for another five touchdowns.

But, you might say, even if this unlikely scenario plays out, that still leaves the Jets and the Patriots in a tie atop the division - it doesn't mean the Jets win the division. And I answer you, you're right. And you have to go deep into the tiebreakers to figure out who would win the division - here's how it would play out, if my calculations are correct (and if the season plays out like I talked about above):

1) Head-to-head: 1-1....so we go to:
2) Division: 4-2, 4-2...so we go to:
3) Common Games: 11-3, 11-3...so we go to:
4) Conference Games: 9-3, 9-3...so we go to:
5) Strength of Victory...and we try to figure out what strength of victory means.

I don't think it means margin of victory, because if it did, it would probably say "Margin of Victory"..but it doesn't, so it must mean "strength of victory". And I don't know what that is. Maybe it means record against teams with records over .500...I don't know. But it looks like the division could come down to Strength of Victory, then if that doesn't work out, it would go to strength of schedule, and the Patriots would win the division anyway, because the Jets have one of the weaker schedules in the league.

In order for all of this to play out, the Jets would need to win in Pittsburgh next week, and here's an interesting tidbit - the Jets have never won a game in Pittsburgh. The Jets HAVE beaten the Steelers, most recently last season at a snowy Meadowlands, but never in Pittsburgh. So that's a tall order, leading up to the miracle scenario playing out. Stranger things have happened. And Cincinnati is playing some good ball these days...maybe they'll upset the Patriots next week and help the Jets out even more.

I'll still post e-mails tomorrow if people are still reading my website. Also, FYI, Kathy is now number 89 in the country. She's got Dallas plus the points Monday night. I'll let you know if they cover how far up she moves.

JETS 29, TEXANS 7

Before I even get into the football part of the game, let me just tell you that this was the worst officiated game I've ever seen in my life, and I've seen a good amount of football. The referee was Tom White...don't expect to see his crew doing any important games down the stretch here. Actually, what you should expect is to hear something about this crew apologizing to both the Jets and the Texans this week, and if they don't, it's a shame. They were absolutely horrible. I wouldn't be surprised if Tom White actually retires at the end of this year - a lot of the errors looked like a senile old man trying to figure out what was going on...the NFL should gently nudge him out the door.

Here's what I mean: Third quarter, the Jets stop the Texans on their own 2, so Houston punts out of their own end zone. The ball is snapped, it goes out of the end zone for a safety, and then the ref comes out and says, "There was no snap, the players weren't ready." WHAT? Are you kidding me? If the players weren't ready, how come the ball was snapped?!!? Then, there were two more penalties on the next two punt attempts as the Texans tried to punt out of the end zone. So a safety was taken away from the Jets. Then, just to show I'm not only pointing out how the Jets got screwed, Houston also got screwed. David Carr takes 3 steps back to pass, then throws a pass to the sideline. The receiver, obviously running the wrong route, continues towards the end zone, so there's no one around to catch the ball, it drops harmlessly. After about 15 seconds, White throws a flag, and calls intentional grounding. Intentional grounding?!?!? It was a miscommunication - you can't call intentional grounding on that!! Then, to make matters worse, the crew couldn't remember the down, so the loss of down confused the hell out of them. And one more thing - they walked off ten yards on a 15-yard penalty, and only remembered to walk off the extra five yards right before the ball was snapped.

OK. There was also a football game. Chad Pennington looked great - he made one bad pass, an interception (that turned out to not be costly), right before halftime. He threw two touchdowns, only had about 155 yards passing, but he was good ol' Chad Pennington, leading the Jets to a 22-point win. Curtis Martin was also great, one touchdown caught and another rushing, another 100+ yard game on the ground. The defense also played another great game. Everyone keeps pushing this stat - the Jets have six second-half shutouts this year. That's all well and good, but it's a second-half collapse that's killing the Jets right now (the Baltimore game), so I'm not too crazy about the fact that they've had six of the second-half shutouts. I'll be impressed if they keep doing it, I guess. But still, the defense is playing very well - they really kept the Texans' long passing game in check.

The Jets also got plenty of help on Sunday. The Jets are 9-3, and they now have a 2-game lead on the Ravens and the Broncos in the wild card race, as those two teams both lost. The only help the Jets didn't get was from the Browns, and the division still looks like a long shot at this point. More on that later in the week.

I gotta go....your e-mails tomorrow, if you care to send along something.

The Jets absolutely own the Houston Texans. They've never lost to the Texans. Absolute dominance. All-time Series: Jets 1, Texans 0. After tomorrow, it should be 2-0 Jets. The Jets barely beat the Texans last year at Reliant Stadium, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:21 to go in the game. I expect this one to be a tough one as well, but I think the Jets will pull it out in Chad Pennington's return: I'll go Jets 21, Texans 17. So I guess I'm taking the Texans, plus six and a half.

I was 7-9 with my picks last week. I don't have my overall standings with me, but here's a fact, and I don't know whether I'm embarrassed by this or proud of it: My wife is having an awesome year picking games. On the ESPN Fantasy Games page, we play the Pigskin Pick 'Em, and I am having a brutal year, somewhere in the 50th percentile. Kathy, on the other hand, has 108 correct picks, and stands 114 in the world, in the 99.8%. So from here on out, I'm going to ride her picks. Here they are for Week 13 (FYI, she actually picked the Jets to cover, so what do I know):

NYJ -6.5
CHI +7.5
CAR +1.5
SF +10.5
ATL +1.5
NE -7.5
ARI +5.5
TEN +10.5
BUF -3.5
CIN +7.5
KC -1.5
DEN +2.5
GB +6.5
WAS -2.5
PIT -3.5
DAL +7.5

I don't think those picks look so great, but I'm not the one ranked in the top 115 in the world. I hope I didn't put too much pressure on her by telling her I'd be publishing her picks to the world (read: two people who read this site).

Enjoy the football - I know I sure will! (I'll be at the Jets game.)