The cold reality of a job that I actually enjoy and that keeps me busy is that I have less time in my life for such things as Jets blogs...especially when the Jets are on their way to a sub-.500 record (to put it mildly). But I'm working on getting this thing updated more - whether or not that happens, you'll soon see. But at least I'm getting the Friday picks in. There's no Jets game this week (it's a bye week - back to the old Jets' standby line, back when they weren't any good - "at least they can't lose this week!!!"), so I'll start with an e-mail from an old friend:

"Wow. It is truly bizarre and completely jolting to realize that one of the most mind-bogglingly over-the-top optimistic people in the world has seemingly lost all hope for his team. It is most likely warranted, but still... I feel like I should stock up on bottled water and canned goods because the apocalypse cannot be far behind if John is no longer picking the Jets to win the Super Bowl. *SIGH*

Love Always,

Joe Beningo

P.S. Until I just looked it up, I always thought my name was spelled with a "d" instead of that first "n" (Bedingo). Who knew?"

"Joe Beningo" here is the same guy who used to write as "Al Montoya", and who obviously is too ashamed to admit that he reads my blog to give his real name...so I'll continue to protect his identity. But as I told him earlier this week - I'm pretty sure he's used the Beningo alias before, and I'm pretty sure in that previous e-mail he also mentioned that he wasn't sure how to spell his name. I guess that A-material never gets old.

But yes, I'm not an idiot here. I'm even taking this dismay to the next step, thinking that Chad Pennington's career may very well be over. It's sad. I don't want to talk/write about it. A quick stray from the e-mail/picks, which is very related:

I'm reading a pretty good book about the history of the AFL, told in quotes from players from the AFL and the NFL of that era. It's very good, and pretty informative. Anyway, I just read about when the Bengals started, and they had a great young quarterback out of the University of Cincinnati named Greg Cook. From all accounts, he was a steal how they got him, because he wasn't very highly touted, and he could throw the ball from one end of the field to the other, they say. (I know these things tend to get exaggerated over time, but it seems like this guy was the real deal, and could at least throw the ball 70 or so yards in the air.) Cook (I had never heard of him, by the way) worked with Bill Walsh, then an assistant with the Bengals, and he had an awesome rookie season, winning AFL Rookie of the Year. But during the year, he suffered a shoulder injury, and played through a lot of pain...and of course, medicine not being then what it is now, they couldn't scope the shoulder and see what was wrong. During a pickup basketball game over the off-season, someone touched Cook's shoulder, and he was done. Just like that, done. Turns out it was a rotator cuff. Now, Pennington's got the benefit of modern medicine, but it's a very similar story - and Pennington tried to come back and play football too soon. I just feel like he's in big trouble. That's all I'll say about it for now.

Now the picks - and the standings. Dave from Brighton is the only one who had a week over .500 - going 7-6-1, upping his record to 38-45-3. The wife went 5-8-1, dropping to 51-48-3, and with a 6-7-1 week, I pull to within a game of the lead, at 50-49-3. But I need to pick it up - for crying out loud. This has been pathetic so far - I need a big week. So here it is:

NYG -2 Was: The Giants are playing pretty good football. The Redskins are winning games...but not playing great football. Santana Moss is having a great season, and I'm not sure how, because Mark Brunell is throwing him the football. There must be a lot of yards after the catch going on there. This one's at the Meadowlands, and the Giants should win by 10...let alone 2. I take the Giants. (Dave - Giants, Wife - Redskins +2)

CIN -9 GB: This game's in Cincinnati, and the Bengals should win easy, with all of the injuries the Packers are going through. But the Bengals have had trouble putting teams away, so I think the Packers keep it close enough. I take Green Bay +9. (Dave - Bengals -9, Wife - Bengals -9)

DET -3 Chi: Detroit seems to be better than Chicago, but it's so hard to tell. I take them because they're at home. Det - 3. (Dave - Detroit, Wife - Chicago +3)

CAR -8 Min: Minnesota might not win another game all year. They sure won't win in Carolina -and they won't get within 8 points. I take Carolina -8. (Dave - Carolina, Wife - Carolina)

TEN N/L Oak: Last week I said if Oakland didn't beat the Bills, in Oakland, I wouldn't pick them again the rest of the season. Well, they won, and now they go to Tennessee coming off a confidence-builder. They're good enough, I think, to beat Tennesse. I take Oakland. (Dave - Oakland, Wife - Tennessee)

DAL -9 Ari: Drew Bledsoe is awful. If I had written a recap of last week's games, I would have ripped him apart for throwing that interception, allowing the Seahawks to win that game. But I didn't, so I won't dwell on that now. He's awful, but the Cowboys as a whole should be enough to beat Arizona handily. I take Dallas -9. (Dave - Dallas, Wife - Dallas)

HOU -2 Cle: How bad is Cleveland to be an underdog against the winless Texans?? I don't think they're that bad. I take Cleveland, plus 2. (Dave, Cleveland, Wife - Houston: "They have to get a win sometime.")

NO -2 Mia: This is a Baton Rouge home game for the Saints - it's close enough to being home. I take New Orleans...also, Miami's bad. (Dave - New Orleans, Wife - New Orleans)

STL N/L Jax: The Rams are still going with Jamie Martin. The Jaguars are pretty good. They'll beat the Rams, even in Saint Louis. (Dave - Jacksonville, Wife - Jacksonville)

SD -6 KC: I'm still not getting on the Chargers bandwagon. I know they're better than their 3-4 record indicates, but maybe this is when their season starts to take a dive. They've played better than I've expected, I'll admit that - but I'm picking the Chiefs to beat them this week. I take Kansas City +6. (Dave - San Diego -6, Wife - Kansas City)

TB -11 SF: Tampa Bay has had a bye week to prepare for the 49ers. Sorry, San Fran. TB -11. (Dave - TB, Wife - SF +11)

DEN -3.5 Phi: Dave in Brighton's pick for Game of the Week. Understandably. Denver is a different team at home, and I think they'll beat Philadelphia, who have been playing pretty poorly. But, I think they'll show up for this game, and keep it close. I say it's a 3-point Denver win, so I take Phi +3.5. (Dave - late change to Phi +3.5, Wife - Phi)

NE -9 Buf: Everyone's lauding the Krafts for not putting Tedy Bruschi on IR, instead putting him on the PUP, meaning he could be activated for Sunday night's game. I say (and I said this in August, I wish I had written it here as proof), put him on IR, and probably save his life - don't even give him the option to come back this year. It's just not right that he's coming back so soon. I hope he doesn't get hurt. The Patriots should win this one easy. I take NE -9. (Dave - NE, Wife - NE)

PIT -9.5 Bal: Baltimore flat-out stinks. And on Monday night, they'll be without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Pittsburgh might win by 90.5. Actually, I predict, 27-10. Steelers, -9.5. (Dave - Pittsburgh, Wife - Pittsburgh)

It seems like a lot of similar picks this week, as I wrote that. We'll see. Enjoy the weekend.

I'm on my way out the door for a quick trip to NYC, so I only have time to list the picks - Atlanta 63, Jets 10. No, seriously, one thing the Jets do is show up when they play to a national TV audience...and when they play games like this. So it won't be a blowout, I'm sure. At least the defense will try to keep it close. I say Atlanta 27, Jets 21. Or something to that effect. But the Jets cover the 7-point spread. (Wow. I just picked the Jets to lose. Perhaps the first time on the site. How far we've fallen.) Dave in Brighton picks Atlanta, the wife takes the Jets.

The overall standings in our picks race are tightening up. Dave from Brighton still brings up the rear, but an 8-6 week has him at 31-39-2. I also went 8-6, moving two games over at 44-42-2. The wife had a 6-8 week, dropping to 46-40-2. I'm only two games back....to my wife. Ugh.

Here are the rest of the picks - starting with KC-Miami, kickoff just 40 minutes away this Friday night:

Me: KC +2 Dave: Miami -2 Wife: KC +2

STL - 3 NO - Me, Wife: NO +3 Dave: STL -3

GB -1.5 MIN - Me, Dave: GB - 1.5 Wife: Min +1.5

IND - 15 HOU - Me, Dave: Ind -15 Wife: HOU +15

CIN PK PIT - Me: CIN Dave, Wife: PIT

PHI -4 SD - Me: PHI -4 Dave, Wife: SD +4

CLE -3 DET - Me: Det +3 Dave, Wife: CLE -3

WAS -13 SF - Me, Dave: WAS -13 Wife: SF +13

SEA -3 DAL - Me, Wife: SEA -3 Dave: Dal +3

OAK -3 BUF - Me: OAK -3 (Last time I'll pick Oak if they lose) Dave, Wife: BUF +3

CHI -1 BAL - Me: CHI -1 Dave, Wife: Bal +1

ARI -3 TEN - Me, Wife: TEN +3 Dave: ARI -3

NYG -1.5 DEN - Me, Dave: NYG -1.5 Wife: Den +1.5

Dave says he wonders if this is the week he picks the Jets correctly. The wife was amazed how many underdogs she picked.

Enjoy the week.

I never got around to the Mets season summary (perhaps that will come), but I had to put in my two cents about last night's NLCS Game 5 between the Cardinals and the Astros.

Due to my current teaching life, I no longer stay up to all hours of the night playing video games and watching whatever sporting event that is on TV (like the old days of Arena Football, on the crappy ESPN2). Therefore, I went to bed last night with the Cardinals still winning in the seventh inning, 2-1. That's when the Astros came back, on a Lance Berkman homer, I hear, to take a 4-2 lead.

They took that lead into the ninth, with their invincible closer on the hill, Brad Lidge. All we've heard about this post-season is how Lidge didn't blow a lead for the Astros all season until the final Friday of the regular season. He looked a little shaky on Sunday, but got one of the best-turned double plays of all-time to end the game with the tying run on third, so that had to make him feel only more invincible.

So Lidge strikes out the first two batters of the ninth, then goes to 3-2 on David Eckstein. Eckstein rolls a single into left field. Then Lidge walks Jim Edmonds. Then Albert Pujols launches a bomb to left field, the Cardinals take a 5-4 lead, and go on to win. Now the series shifts to Saint Louis Wednesday and Thursday (if necessary), and everyone thinks the Astros are dead and buried.

I hate to promote the guy, but Bill Simmons wrote a very good article about how the Astros and their fans must feel right now on ESPN.com. (I don't like Simmons because I'm jealous - there, I've said it, OK. I'm jealous at what he does for a living.) Simmons knows the pain, because he is a Red Sox fan, and his comparisons between this game and Game 6 of the 1986 World Series are dead-on.

I'm not so sure that the Astros will collapse, though. I still am not totally sold on the Cardinals - I don't know that they'll be able to close this out. But they really have a home field working for them - the Cardinals fans are going to be nuts about having at least one more, and possibly two more, home games this post-season, and the Astros are facing a very tough go the next one (or two) nights. I do feel, though, that they're capable of putting Monday night's game behind them and closing out the series on Wednesday. We'll see.

I worry, though, about Brad Lidge. His situation too closely resembles Donnie Moore, and we all know what happened to him. I don't think Lidge will do anything drastic personally, but I wonder how this will affect him professionally. He was so dominant this season (and even last year) - I wonder how he handles this type of adversity, on such a big stage. I don't know anything about him, so I don't know his makeup - but I want to root for him to come back and pitch well.

So I should talk about the way I found out about this, just so I can answer those "Where were you when....?" questions. I was sleeping. We talked about that already. But when I woke up, and turned on ESPNEWS, the bottom right corner didn't say "Astros advance to first ever World Series", so I figured the Cardinals won. I was more surprised when I saw the Indianapolis Colts' score. But I waited for the NL spot on the crawl, and saw the final score was 5-4. Still didn't think much of it, other than the fact that it didn't end 2-1. Then it says, "Pujols GW 3-run HR", and I'm doing the math, and thinking "Wow." Then they show the highlights, and the situation was just - and I'm going to use a word here that is so overused today that it has lost some meaning, but here it is applicable - UNBELIEVABLE. This is unbelievable, people. Other stuff that gets tagged "Unbelievable" is really quite believable. It needs to be used less.

Anyway, I love hearing stuff about the 1986 World Series and how the champagne was all ready to go and the podium for the trophy presentation was all set up for the Red Sox in Game 6, and then it had to be all torn down. I'd like to hear about the stuff that went on at Minute Maid Park on Monday night - at least they had another half-inning to get things done, since the Astros had to hit in the bottom half.

At the very least, this NLCS just went from insignificant to somewhat exciting. I'll try to write about it on Thursday.

Surprise!! A mid-week writing on the page. I'm going to try to be better at this...we'll see how that turns out.

As though it didn't already seem that the Jets were headed in this direction with the whole Vinny Testaverde thing...now Kevin Mawae is out for the rest of the season (and the Jets couldn't even make the center-quarterback exchange with the Pro Bowler at center), and Ty Law looks like he might not play in Monday night's game versus the Falcons...at Atlanta. This season is now headed in the same direction as....well, it's easier to list the seasons that this season is NOT headed in the same direction as - 1968, 1998, 2002, and 2004. Yup, such is the sad life of a Jets fan. You could toss 1986 in there too...but it only makes it sound like they're a better franchise than they are.

With all that said, this blog will become more of an NFL recapper, instead of focusing on the depressing, slowly maddening Jets. And this was some weekend for us DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers (especially those with TiVo - well, not really, but I had to work TiVo in). I'll start with the Monday nighter, because I didn't stay up to see how the Colts came back - but you just had a feeling the Rams weren't exactly going to blow the doors off of Indy, in Indy. After jumping out to a 17-0 lead, Saint Louis lost Marc Bulger, and things just weren't the same. They also couldn't stop Edgerrin James, apparently, because he ran for 143 yards and 3 TD's. The Colts are 6-0 - the only undefeated team left in the NFL. The way the rest of the "favorites" are playing right now, they should win the Super Bowl. I think the next best team out there is the Falcons, and I don't think the Falcons could beat the Colts in the Super Bowl. I wouldn't mind seeing the Colts win it. I like Peyton Manning a lot - I only hate him when he's playing the Jets. And I only wouldn't want to see the Colts win if they had to go through the Jets in the playoffs - but since that's NOT going to happen, "Go, Indy!"

The Giants blew a great chance to win in Dallas, but that game was still pretty exciting for a Giants game. Actually, only the final minutes were exciting, but that's all I watched, so it's all good. The Giants had a chance to tie late, needing a touchdown. And after Tiki Barber got them to the three, Brandon Jacobs fumbled on the 1, and the Cowboys recover, and it looks like it's over. But remember, the Cowboys' QB is Drew Bledsoe, one of the dumbest men alive, so you always have a chance in this situation. Two handoffs got stuffed by the Giants, then Time Outs, and then Bledsoe threw an incomplete pass out of his own end zone, stopping the clock. The Cowboys punted, and Eli Manning proceeded to throw two great passes and got the Giants into the end zone in the final minute to tie it. Unfortunately for the Giants, they blew a bunch of chances to blow this one open early and lost on a field goal in overtime. The Cowboys had been driving on the Giants all day - they just couldn't get into the end zone - that didn't matter in OT.

Atlanta and New Orleans was sort of an unexciting exciting game. It ended anticlimactically, with a Falcons good field goal after the bad field goal was taken back by a bad Saints penalty. I don't know how Jim Haslett still has a job - he's as bad a coach as Mike Tice.

Pittsburgh was brutal this week, led by Tommy Maddox. Maddox threw three picks, the last coming in overtime, and returned for the game-winning touchdown by the Jaguars. That came after the Steelers took the overtime-opening kickoff (or a punt, I forget), into field goal range, only to fumble it away. Then the pick on their next possession. Is it any wonder that the Steelers will start Roethlisberger next Sunday?

The Jets game I won't dwell on, I will just say that I logged my first-ever correct prediction this week - Curtis Martin ran right through the Bills defense. They stink against the run. And the Jets stink, period. Willis McGahee is the worst thing ever to happen to them in the division. He owns them...every time they play him, he has a big game. He's like Michael Jordan was to the Knicks back when I gave a crap about the NBA.

Here's my favorite game of the weekend - Carolina at Detroit. I don't know, first of all, how Detroit was favored in this game (by a point), and I don't know how they almost won. But they led the Panthers by 6 late, late, late in the game, and Jake Delhomme is driving the Panthers down the field. He takes off on a run, slides feet first, and gets laid out on the field...15-yard penalty, and in comes Chris Weinke. I don't like Weinke, but I enjoyed seeing him lead the Panthers to the win - a touchdown with about a minute left. Maybe it's because I picked the Panthers...I can't say. But it was exciting.

My final thoughts - Dom Capers is going to get fired. The Texans stink, and who else can be more responsible than him?...Shaun Alexander is a touchdown machine - it's ridiculous - but he's still the guy who put himself before the team in last season's final game, and that's just bush league....LaDanian Tomlinson is definitely the best player in the NFL right now...I wonder if my jersey jinx would work on other teams - like if I bought a Tomlinson jersey, would he start to be brutal?...Tampa Bay is done - Chris Simms isn't a winner, and Tim Rattay isn't good...I was actually right on another prediction - the Broncos are a different team at home. They have an almost unfair home-field advantage.

It was a very exciting Sunday in the NFL, and it was a very exciting Saturday in college football - but I won't get into all that. Monday night was also a very exciting night for the NLCS - for more on that, check out johnnymets.blogspot.com.

So, I'm going to hop onto this Vinny Testaverde train for a couple of stops. It helps that the Jets are playing Buffalo Sunday, and week one was a huge aberration for the Bills. I have no idea how they won that game at all - they actually looked OK. Last week, they beat the Dolphins. Even Chad Pennington's one arm beat the Dolphins. I think this is a great opportunity for the Jets to get some confidence back and beat a team soundly.

The game is in Buffalo, so that's a slight drawback - but it's only October - the Jets have struggled in Buffalo in much colder weather - I don't remember the last time they went to Buffalo in the early part of the season - actually, yes I do. Chad Morton returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, and the Jets won in overtime in the first week of the season a few years ago. I think that was one of Vinny's last starts - I think that was the year Pennington took over in Week 4. So the timing here is right for the Jets.

This week will also be a test for the Jets' running game. If they can't run on Sunday, they're not going to run all year. The Bills' run defense is one of the worst in the league. I'm banking on them getting the running game going, because I think Curtis Martin will somehow get to 1,000 yards again this year, and this is where it starts.

I think Vinny will again be OK, but not spectacular. The big difference right now between Vinny and Brooks Bollinger is that last week, receivers caught the ball for Vinny. If they can do that again, the Jets win again. The Jets are also getting three points. I say they win outright. Jets, 27-17. (Dave in Brighton and the wife also both pick the Jets.)

The standings in our picks league here thus far are:
Wife: 40-32-2 (10-3-1 last week)
Me: 36-36-2 (9-4-1 last week)
Dave: 23-33-2 (7-6-1 last week)

We all improved a lot last year (Despite being one game over .500 last week, Dave did improve a lot - it was his first week being over-.500).
The rest of our NFL picks for Week 6:

In Dallas, the Cowboys are three-and-a-half-point favorites over the Giants. I don't know how the Cowboys did what they did to Philadelphia last week, but I think with the extra week to prepare, the Giants come on strong and beat the 'Boys. I take the Giants getting the points. (Dave takes the Cowboys, wife takes the Giants.)

In Detroit, the Lions are one-point favorites over the Panthers. Are you kidding me? Are the Panthers that bad on the road? This is a steal - the Panthers win big. (All three of us take Carolina.)

The Falcons are 5-point favorites over the Saints, at the Saints (which I believe is San Antonio). I take the Falcons to win by at least a touchdown...so do the other two.

The Bears are 3-point favorites over the Vikings in Chicago. It's rough to look at the Bears being a favorite...but the Vikings are in rocky waters - no pun intended. Mike Tice is not a good coach - and I don't think he unites his team in the wake (again no pun intended) of this scandal. I take the Bears giving the points. (Dave takes the Bears, wife takes the Vikes.)

In Kansas City, the Chiefs are five-and-a-half point favorites over the Redskins. I just can't buy into the Redskins being good. It's in Kansas City, too, so despite the fact that Washington has a good run defense, I'm going with the Chiefs...but in the back of my mind I feel like Washington can win this game and prove to all the naysayers (like me) that they are actually good. (The wife is buying into the Redskins - she takes them and the points...Dave takes the Chiefs.)

In Tennessee, it's the Bengals giving 3 to the Titans. I think the Bengals bounce back from their loss last Sunday night to the Jaguars. Another tight loss for the Titans - I say about 24-20 Bengals. Dave and the wife also take Cincinnati.

Tommy Maddox will start for Ben Roethlisberger as Pittsburgh hosts Jacksonville. The Steelers are favored by three. I don't think the quarterback change makes much of a difference. I take the Steelers, as do the other two.

In Baltimore, the Ravens are five-and-a-half point favorites over the Browns. I don't see this one. I'm not sure how the Ravens can be favored, let alone by more than a field goal. They'll probably be lucky to score 5-and-a-half points. I take the Browns, getting the points. (Dave takes Cleveland as well, the wife takes Baltimore.)

Tampa Bay is a four-and-a-half-point favorite over the Dolphins in Tampa. I feel like the Dolphins are going to have a rough go the rest of the year, especially trying to balance their running attack between Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Tampa is going to pounce on them, as revenge for last week's loss to the Jets. I take Tampa giving the points, as do the other two.

Denver is a three-point favorite over the Patriots. It's in Denver, and that's the only reason I'm picking the Broncos. I don't think the Broncos are very good, I don't like picking against the Patriots....but the Broncos have some kind of home field advantage out in Denver, and I have to take them. The other two homers take the Patriots.

In Oakland, it's the Chargers favored by two over the Raiders. Oakland is a home dog against the Chargers. I'm all over the Raiders in this one. The Chargers came close to beating the Steelers last Monday night - I actually didn't see the end of that game. I saw most of the game, though, and found myself not hating the Chargers as much as it seems like I would, based on the fact that I don't think they're going to be very good this year, and they're still playing O.K. But I'm picking the Raiders to beat up on the Chargers and prove me right. (Dave and the wife take the Chargers.)

Seattle, in Seattle, is giving nine-and-a-half to the Texans. The Texans are brutal, but the Seahawks aren't that great. It's tough to take the Seahawks giving nine-and-a-half, but I will, only because they're home. Dave also takes Seattle, not tempted by the big spread, but the wife takes Houston.

On Monday night, Indianapolis is giving 13-and-a-half to the Rams in Indy. The spread is a lot, especially considering who the Colts are playing. I'm taking the Rams, because even without Mike Martz, and probably Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, they're capable of scoring a lot of points. This will be a big test for the Indy Defense, and if I'm wrong, more power to the Colts. But I take the Rams getting the big points. Dave takes Indy, the wife takes the Rams.

Enjoy the weekend.

Just a reminder - this is not the place to come for a sensible pick. I'm here to give Jets fans a reason to believe their team might win on Sunday, every Sunday. This task is getting tougher and tougher. The running game looks brutal. The passing game is non-existent. Vinny Testaverde is the quarterback. All signs that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should crush the Jets on Sunday. But no. The Jets will ride the momentum of Vinny's return to a 7-3 victory! (Jets, plus 3-and-a-half at home). (Dave in Brighton takes Tampa Bay, the wife takes the Jets.)

The wife says she will no longer trash talk. This after saying rubbing in her recent success over Dave and myself...then pulling out a 3-11 with her picks last week. Dave was 6-8, I went 7-7 (also my birthday). Overall, it's the wife at 30-29-1, then me, 27-32-1, then Dave, 16-27-1.

The rest of the picks:

Cleveland, at home, is favored by three over the Bears. Across the board, we take Cleveland. They should easily beat the Bears, I say.

Green Bay, 0-4, is a three-point favorite at home against the Saints. Again, this is the Saints. They only show up to play once in a while. I take Green Bay, -3. Dave takes the Saints, wife takes Green Bay.

Saint Louis is at home to the Seahawaks, and the Rams are -3. I take the Rams, because they're home, and the Seahawks lost last week on the road to the friggin' Redskins. Come on. Dave and the wife both take Seattle.

Atlanta is home to New England, and the Pats are 3-point underdogs. You think they'd respond pretty well to last week's drubbing. But I think the Falcons are legitimately very good. I take the Falcons, the other two take the Pats.

Buffalo is a 3-point favorite at home against Miami. Buffalo's in big trouble. J.P. Losman is benched, at 1-3, and Kelly Holcombe is starting. All three of us take the Dolphins, probably thinking like me, that the Bills are that bad.

Detroit hosts Baltimore, and gives a point. Baltimore's not good...Detroit is about a point better. I take Detroit, so does Dave, wife takes Baltimore.

Houston is home to Tennessee, and the Texans are -3. Houston's a tough place to win, but Houston's not good either (despite last week's showing vs. Cincinnati), and Tennessee's playing pretty well this year. All three of us take Tennessee.

The Colts are -14 in San Francisco, for Alex Smith's first NFL start. The Colts' D + NFL debut = more than 14 points win. I take Indy -14. So does the wife. Dave takes San Fran - maybe it's the lure of the big spread.

Carolina is on the road, favored by two-and-a-half in Arizona. I can't believe Arizona beat San Francisco last week...there's no way they'll beat the Panthers. I take Carolina. Dave and the wife seem to agree with my reasoning - they both take Carolina.

Philadelphia is favored by three in Dallas. Tough call here - I actually think Philly wins by 3, so it'll be a push. But I'll take Dallas, plus-3, because they're home. Dave and the wife take Philly.

Denver, in Denver, gives Washington six-and-a-half. A couple of factors at work here - the Broncos have played well at home, and the Redskins are somehow 3-0 despite the fact that they stink. I take Denver, winning big. So does Dave. The wife takes the crappy Redskins.

Jacksonville is home to Cincinnati, giving three. I can't pass up Cincy as an underdog - they're the new New England. They're going undefeated. I take Cincinnati plus the points. So does Dave. The wife takes Jacksonville.

Monday night, San Diego is giving three in San Diego, to Pittsburgh. We all three take Pittsburgh - my reasoning being I don't buy into the Chargers this year - despite back-to-back big wins. Pittsburgh will bring them back to earth. Dave says "it'll be nice to root for Pittsburgh for once."

I must admit - I'm into hockey right now. It helps that the Rangers are off to a 1-0 start, and as my friend Steve in New York says, it's also going to be a long winter - they're all we have. But I still pick the 1-3 Jets over the 4-0 Bucs this weekend.

I know, I know...it's very, very, very unlikely that the Jets will win this weekend. A number of factors are working against them - Baltimore is a very tough place to win, their defense is very tough, and...I feel like there was one more thing...I forget...oh, no wait, that's right: the Jets are starting Brooks Bollinger.

But remember what I've told you - if you want a legit pick, read me, and then go somewhere else to see people pick the Ravens. I pick with my heart, not with my head, and looking at this game with my heart, I can figure out a way the Jets will win (or at the very least, cover the spread).

The backup for Bollinger this weekend will be Vinny Testaverde. I don't think Vinny's appeared on the blog before - I think the blog was born in the post-Testaverde Jets era. He says he wants Herman Edwards to stay with Bollinger the entire game, or something to that effect, so Bollinger's not worried about Testaverde breathing down his back. That's a good thing, because the entire Ravens defense will be breathing down his back - he doesn't need that extra breath. I will say this, though - Testaverde had one of the greatest games in his career against the Ravens. I believe it was in 2000 - and the Jets played the Ravens with a chance to make the playoffs (like their entire December schedule that year - Al Groh's year, when they lost to the crappy Lions, et al., and missed their chance), in Baltimore, and they lost, on Christmas Eve, 34-20. Testaverde passed for 481 yards - and that was the year the Ravens won the Super Bowl, so racking up some yards against the Ravens isn't impossible...especially this year.

However, the key to victory for the Jets this week will be in the running game. Both running games. Curtis Martin versus Jamal Lewis. Lewis has been absolutely awful this year - but the Ravens have had a week to figure things out after a bye. Martin hasn't been good, but the Jets' offensive line has been brutal - I don't know if it's Jamal Lewis, honestly, or if it's the Ravens' O-line...but these two teams have sort of mirrored each other early on. Both teams have had quarterback problems, and running problems, and offensive problems in general. Both teams are supposed to have good defenses, and both haven't played to their potential thus far.

It's going to come down to defenses, I think, on Sunday. Neither team will find the end zone, I predict. The Jets' defense will step up big time for the next couple of weeks, before they get tired from carrying the team. The Ravens defense will keep Bollinger from doing anything big, but I expect him to play smart, to throw short passes that will open up a little room for Curtis Martin to run, and I think the Jets will out-field-goal the Ravens, and win, 9-3. With the Jets 7-point underdogs, I pick them to win outright (here, anyway - in another pool I picked the Ravens to win...and I'm starting to regret that - I just convinced myself the Jets can win).

As for the rest of the NFL - last week was a bad week - the wife was 9-5 - she had a good week, and overall, she is 27-18-1. Dave from Brighton had a brutal week, at one point standing at 1-8, finishing at 4-10, and he's 10-19-1 overall. What's worse? Not only did the Jets lose both of their quarterbacks...but I went 3-11!! Yikes. I'm at 20-25-1 overall. The wife likes to point out she has almost as many wins as Dave and I combined. I need to tell her that Dave didn't play week one. Anyway, for this week, both Dave and the wife also pick the Jets - I'm not sure why. Oh, and Brooks Bollinger sent in an e-mail with his picks - but he only gets to make his pick if both the wife and Dave go down with season-ending injuries.

So, away we go:

The Patriots are five-point favorites over the Chargers at home. All three of us pick the Pats - me, because I'm not buying into the Chargers' hype this year, the other two because they like the Pats.

The Jaguars are three-and-a-half point favorites over the Broncos, in Jacksonville...I think the Jags carry the momentum from last week's overtime win in New York into this week, and bring the Broncos back to earth after their big Monday Night win. Dave and the wife agree.

The Bengals look to go 4-0 as 9-and-a-half point favorites over the Texans, in Cincinnati. I'll pick the Texans when they show up one week...so it's Cincy giving the points for me. Dave also takes Cincy, the wife takes Houston.

The Colts are giving 7 in Tennessee. It's a tough place to win, but the Colts are a well-rounded team now with a good defense, and they can beat the Titans. I take Indy -7. So does Dave. The wife takes the Titans.

The Chiefs are two-point favorites at home against the Eagles. I can't pick against Philly - they should win outright. Both Dave and the wife also take the Eagles.

In Tampa Bay, the Bucs try to go to 4-0 against the Lions. They are favored by six-and-a-half. I take Detroit getting the points. They probably won't win, but I feel like they can keep it close. I don't want Tampa to be 4-0...so maybe that's motivating my pick too. Both Dave and the wife take Tampa.

The Giants are giving three at home against the Rams. I take the Giants, because I've been impressed by them so far (last week notwithstanding). Dave takes the Giants, the wife takes the Rams.

New Orleans hosting Buffalo is a pick-'em. All three of us take Buffalo. The Saints are still the Saints (not to say Buffalo is much better...but they're a little better).

Washington is a 2-point favorite at home against Seattle. Seattle wins outright, ruining the Redskins' hopes of an undefeated season. Dave and the wife agree.

The Falcons host the Vikings, as five-and-a-half point favorites. Back down to earth for Culpepper after crushing the Saints last week - Falcons win, big. The wife and Dave agree.

The Raiders are three-point favorites over Dallas. Another trip out west for the Cowboys? They can't win...and the Raiders are dying for a win - they'll get it this time at home. Dave also takes Oakland...the wife takes Dallas.

In Mexico, it's 49ers versus Cardinals. Arizona's the home team, favored by 3. The 49ers should win this game. All three of us take San Fran.

Monday night, Carolina is at home, 7-and-a-half point favorites over the Packers. I take Green Bay to cover, but not win. I say Carolina, 27-20. Dave takes Green Bay, the wife takes Carolina.

A lot of similar picks for Dave and I. That means we can pick up lots of ground on the wife with a good week....or else hand the season over to her as she runs away with it.

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

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

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

"Dear JohnnyJets,

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

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

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

Thanks,
Brooks B."

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

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

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

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

I don't feel much like rhyming about the Jets' loss to Jacksonville.

I suppose the game was a great one to watch. A 26-20 overtime game, with the Jets forcing overtime in the game's final minutes. Unfortunately, the Jets lost it, and they probably lost their chance at doing anything this season in the process.

I hate negativity. That's why I can't stand a lot of Jets fans. It's all negative. I try my best to be positive constantly. I try to give the coaches the benefit of the doubt. At least the coaches not named Paul Hackett. But when you're a Jets fan, there's always a part of you that's constantly focusing on the negative. Despite all of my positive thoughts about Chad Pennington's arm, part of me believed it wasn't right. I would rather look at the 7-for-7 on the final drive (where the Jets passed) versus Miami than the fact that his throws were wobbly. I'd rather not think about what would happen if Pennington took another shot to the shoulder.

Well, Pennington took another shot to the shoulder, and there's no denying it now - he can't throw the football. And despite how much he says they need to cut his arm off for him to not play, he can't play. The Jets can't let him go out there - they're only going to cost themselves games. And I think - and this is total speculation - that Pennington's career could be in serious jeopardy...let alone his season.

Now, the Jets actually did something smart before the season. And that was sign Jay Fiedler, just in case Pennington's arm didn't recover in time. Well, now Fiedler could possibly miss the rest of the season with a serious shoulder injury. Only the Jets would sign a capable backup as a plan B, (although I don't believe Fiedler is capable of winning a playoff game), only to see that quarterback suffer the same fate as the starter.

So next week in Baltimore the Jets face the prospect of starting Brooks Bollinger. Positive thougts - Bollinger looked the best of the three quarterbacks the day I saw the Jets in training camp....negative - it had to be the worst day of practice of the summer. The Ravens' defense has got to be salivating at the thought of facing Bollinger. He played last season a little bit in the game against Arizona...and Arizona's defense gave him a hard time. Baltimore's defense has been struggling...this is the time for them to right the ship.

Now quarterback names are being thrown about - and the name Quincy Carter has even come up. I'm not positive, but didn't Carter bail on the Jets at the end of last season? Weren't there rumors that he was back on a drug suspension at the end of the year after the Jets took a chance on him? I hope they don't turn to him again.

I'm going to throw something out here that I kept forgetting to mention at the beginning of the year. I never understood why a team like the Bears, when they lost Rex Grossman, didn't take a chance on Rohan Davey when he was cut by New England. He's played well in NFL Europe, and I'm going to suggest the Jets take a chance on him. They're obviously not sold on Bollinger, if they're so anxious to look for help, and Davey has been on the World Champs for the past few years. And at the very least, he's got the arm that Mike Heimerdinger can take advantage of in his system. Come to think of it, he's a bit like Steve McNair - in build, size, and running ability. Who knows? Maybe there are other issues with Davey...but the Jets are in a desperate situation.

I had to take a day before I wrote about the Jets' situation. I needed to stew a bit. I'm not going to even get into the punt returning problems Justin Miller had. Or the offensive line problems that resulted in Pennington and Fiedler getting roughed up in the first place. It's tough, rooting for the Jets. You hate to say, "Same ol' Jets", because it looked like they were turning a corner, but it looks like we're dealing with the same ol' Jets.

WRIGHT WATCH update: On Sunday, David Wright hit his 42nd double of the season. With just 7 games remaining, Wright is 3 doubles away from breaking the Mets' team record (2 doubles from tying the record). He also hit his 23rd homer of the season (#37 career) on Sunday.

With the win on Sunday over the Nationals, the Mets are 78-77, and out of last place in the NL East (and they'd be in first place in the West).

With the Mets starting a series in Philadelphia, look for Wright to be in the hunt for the doubles record against the Colorado Rockies' pitchers at Shea on the season's final weekend. He might even be setting a new record by then...if his doubles don't go out of the park at Citizen's Bank Park.

PICKS!!!

A bad loss to the Chiefs in Week One,
And you thought things couldn’t get worse.
Well, now just look what I’ve done –
This week’s Jets pick is in verse.

They bounced back in last week’s game,
Beating Miami by ten.
This week expect more of the same,
The Jets will triumph again.

Some have the line at No Line,
Some have New York minus-3.
Leftwich’s status – not fine.
He has a bad arm, leg, and knee.

Curtis Martin is better,
His status received an upgrade.
He really is a go-getter…
And Blaylock’s there should he fade.

Chad Pennington’s treasured arm
Has shown recent signs it’s alive.
Once he starts getting warm,
Like in last week’s game’s final drive.

The defense is a major force –
For the Jags it won’t be an easy day.
But their D’s tough too, of course,
The offenses will not find their way.

There’s one weak spot to be found-
And it helps the Jets and their Curtis.
The Jaguars give up lots of ground –
“The running backs can really hurt us.”

So it’s with the Jets I will stick,
A defensive struggle it’ll be.
And for this week’s big pick -
It’ll be Jets, thirteen to three.

OK. Now I'll be normal again. For some reason I just felt like doing that - I was inspired, I guess.

So last week I was the best against the spread - 10-5-1. The wife was 8-7-1, and Dave from Brighton went 6-9-1. Overall, Dave's record is the same (he had nothing for Week One), the wife is 18-13-1, one game in front of me at 17-14-1.

This week, the wife picks the Jets, and Dave also does...we're using No Line on that game.

Across the NFL:

The Rams are home to the Titans. I think this is the first home game for Saint Louis - after losing at San Francisco and then winning in Arizona. Tough luck for Tennessee. After beating the Ravens in Tennessee last week, I think they're going to get smoked. I take the Rams giving six-and-a-half. (Wife picks TEN, Dave takes ST.L.)

Philadelphia hosts Oakland. Wow. Tough early sked for Oakland. At New England, home to KC, now at Philly. I take Philly, giving seven-and-a-half. (Dave and wife take PHI)

Cincinnati is in Chicago, favored by three. Chicago is good defense, Cincinnati is good offense. I think Cincy's offense is better. I take CIN -3. (Dave takes CHI +3, wife takes CIN)

Minnesota hosts New Orleans. For some reason, I wrote down that I'll take New Orleans. Maybe the dome will benefit them...I don't know. Maybe I think they'll only lose by three, getting three-and-a-half. (Dave takes NO, wife takes MIN giving the points).

Carolina is three point favorites at Miami. After beating the Patriots, they can't lose to Miami. This is a typical let-down game, but the Panthers already had their let-down in Week One. I take Car - 3. (Dave and wife also take CAR)

Indy is giving 13-and-a-half to Cleveland. I picked Indy minus the points, but I'll be interested to see how Peyton Manning does against Romeo Crennel. Interesting matchup here. We'll see if it's Crennel who has Manning's number or Belichick. (Dave takes Indy, wife takes Cle).

No line on Buffalo and Atlanta, because of Mike Vick's uncertain status. I think he'll play. And win. I take Atlanta. (Dave takes BUF, wife takes ATL).

The Packers have to win eventually, don't they? They host the Bucs, and are home 'dogs. They can't lose as a home 'dog. I think they win outright. I take Green Bay, plus three-and-a-half. (Dave and wife also take GB)

Seattle hosts Arizona, giving six. I don't know why, but I'm taking Arizona. I guess I figure they're going to win eventually, and the NFC West will be all messed up, and to get to that point, they're going to have to beat Seattle, and that will probably happen this week. So I take Ari, +6. (Dave takes Sea, and so does the wife)

Pittsburgh hosts New England, and is giving 3. It looks like two losses in a row for the Pats. I don't buy Roethlisberger, but the Steelers can play smashmouth like the Panthers did last week. Regular season, anyway. Steelers, -3. (Dave and the wife, both Pats fans, take NE and the points)

Dallas is favored by six-and-a-half in San Francisco. I think the Cowboys win by a touchdown. I take Dallas. (Dave takes Dallas, wife takes SF)

Sunday night, it's Chargers-Giants. I have to say, the Giants have looked good in their first two games. Eli Manning hasn't impressed the heck out of me, but he's playing smart. I also think the Chargers are overrated (or were, anyway, before they started 0-2). So I'm taking the Giants, getting five-and-a-half, although the Chargers will probably sneak by and win this game. (Dave takes SD, wife takes NYG)

Monday night, it's Denver-KC, in Denver. Kansas City, the way they've been playing, should kill Denver. They're actually getting three. Easy pick. KC, plus-3. (Same for Dave and the wife).

Enjoy Week Three!

Mark it down: 7:38pm on Wednesday, September 21, 2005. That's the first moment I heard anyone affiliated with the Mets or Mets' telecasts mention the fact that David Wright is near a Mets record. It was at that moment that MSG flashed a graphic showing David Wright with 41 doubles - 3 away from Bernard Gilkey's team-record.

I don't want to brag, but....it's been a good two months (actually, a little more) for the Wright Watch on johnnymets.blogspot.com, and we've been watching for doubles ever since. So you knew that Wright was only 4 doubles away (well, maybe you didn't realize it was four - because late Tuesday night, in the 12th inning, Wright hit number 41, then scored the game-winning run to beat the Marlins on a Mike Jacobs single) from breaking the record. Wright needs 4 more doubles in the team's final 11 games to beat the record - and he's not quite done in game number 151 - this one might go extra's too.

Just wanted to give that update. I love the fact that the Mets can pretty much eliminate the Marlins from the post-season. I love Dontrelle Willis, but the rest of the Marlins strike me as a bunch of punks who don't appreciate what they had two years ago when they won the World Series. I don't like rooting for them.

In case anyone still checks this site, a new posting for you.

The Mets are 73-76, so they're going to finish with a better record than last year. David Wright is at 40 doubles with 13 games left to play. He needs five to break the team record.

As for the rest of the Majors, there are some very interesting races shaping up, which are well worth watching, despite the lack of Mets involvement.

First of all, I think I said a long time ago here that the White Sox wouldn't go far in the playoffs. At the time, it was a "when" they make the playoffs...but since the Indians don't lose anymore, that's become a big "IF" they make the playoffs. The Indians have cut the White Sox' Central Division lead to 3-and-a-half, and as I write this they are beating Chicago in the first of six remaining head-to-head games. The Indians could pass and then eliminate Chicago all by themselves - and they still have three games against the Royals mixed in. Chicago can't beat anyone. We're seeing one of the biggest collapses by anyone ever.

The Red Sox and Yankees are at it again. The White Sox collapse could overshadow the fact that the Red Sox have fallen apart lately, and the Yankees are within a game-and-a-half of first place in the East. The Sox are losing at the moment to Tampa and the Yankees are tied with the Orioles - and these teams have three head-to-head games to close out the season - so watch out for those. At the very least, they are going to mean something, when the Sox could have been setting up their post-season pitching rotation the way things were going coming into September. An interesting note here is that this is the reverse of what we've seen for so many years - the Yankees are putting pressure on the Sox. The Sox are usually the ones a game and a half out at this point in the season...this time they actually control their own destiny.

The A's and Angels are within two games of each other out West, and the AL Wild Card will come down to the loser in the East or Central, it looks like. And the way it looks right now, the White Sox will fall out of everything, so it looks like both East teams may end up in the playoffs.

In the NL, the West is the Padres', the Central is the Cardinals', and the East is most likely the Braves' (five game lead there). But the Wild Card is still a toss-up between the Marlins, Astros, Phillies, and Nationals (four back). It does look like, though, what people have been saying all along is going to come true - that the Astros will benefit from the teams in the NL East beating each other up. Look for Houston to come through in the end.

Finally, here are the match-ups I want, considering I look for teams who have never before faced each other in the World Series:

The Angels versus anyone. Or the Astros versus anyone.

The Red Sox versus Houston or Florida or San Diego.

The Yankees versus Houston.

The Braves versus the A's.

The Indians can't play the Braves or the Marlins...maybe not the Cardinals. They can play San Diego.

I think that covers everyone. To make it easier, I will be rooting against the Cardinals and Yankees - they've played too many teams. But the races will be good - enjoy them. And keep your eye on the Wright Watch.

Nothing from the mailbag - so we'll focus on the new Jets news from Monday.

The Jets got banged up in Sunday's win over the Dolphins. Curtis Martin is going to have an MRI on his knee. So far this year, he's had absolutely no room to run, and my dad made the point that he looks like the Curtis Martin of two years ago so far more than the Curtis Martin of last year (and as a point of reference, he says last year's Martin looked like the regular Curtis Martin...in other words, great). I still say the Curtis Martin of two years ago was pretty darn good...but the point is well taken. He hasn't looked like he's had much of a burst. And apparently he suffered the knee injury in the first quarter on Sunday. There was one play where he took a hit along the sideline, and it took him a good 10-15 seconds after the play to get up. You never see that from him. Still, he doesn't say he's hurt. That's the problem - even if Curtis Martin were seriously injured, he would never say it. Hopefully the MRI turns out well. Derrick Blaylock would be OK as a short-term solution, but the Jets need Curtis Martin for the season.

No matter who's playing running back, there's going to be some injured guys as their lead blocker. Both Jerald Sowell and B.J. Askew were hurt in the game. Both sprained ankles. Heimerdinger loves using Sowell - I wonder if this would hurt the Jets. Also, Erik Coleman apparently broke his thumb - the Jets can't afford to lose many guys in the secondary.

If you want a quick recap that pretty much sums up the Patriots-Panthers game on Sunday, check out the "Orange Couch" on wect.com - my friend Kevin was there, and he wrote about it. I feel the same way about the Pats - they still have to be considered the team to beat. But what I like about them losing is it's a situation they rarely face...and it's always a question mark as to how they're going to bounce back. And for them, it doesn't get easier - at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Could the Patriots lose two in a row?

Next week, as I mentioned yesterday, the Jets have Jacksonville. That's why I said before Derrick Blaylock could be a very good short-term solution - the Jets will be able to run on the Jaguars, and Blaylock can run as well as Martin could in that situation. After that, though, the Jets need Martin back. This could be a rough couple of weeks for the Jets - they're already beat up a bit, and after the Jaguars, they play the Ravens. Then Tampa. Then Buffalo. Really, it's a very tough schedule all year for the Jets.

I like having two staggered NFL games on a Monday night. I will be in bed before the late game is over, but I should make it through the first one.

Good news - I heard from Dave in Brighton - he's back from California, and safe. The bad news - he didn't make picks for Week One. Disappointment from the entire johnnyjets.blogspot.com staff. We'll have to do winning percentage at the end - although me and the wife will be going head-to-head wins-wise.

MOVE OVER MIAMI

Jets 17, Dolphins 7 (NYJ: 1-1; MIA: 1-1)

Week One is a distant memory. The Jets are tied for first place.

A couple of weeks ago, leading up to the season opener, I think I wrote something to the effect of: the Jets will need their defense to carry them early in the year, while the offense works out its bugs. Clearly they needed a stronger effort from the defense last week against Kansas City, but the offense was a lost cause. Sunday's game against the Dolphins was more of what I think we can expect from the Jets in coming weeks - great defense, effective-enough offense, and hopefully by the end of the year the offense is even better. The Jets are going to be good this year - everything is going to be OK - but they aren't going to blow teams out, and the wins probably aren't going to be pretty - they'll be typical Jets wins...but the point is, they will get plenty of wins.

The Jets got a lot of help Sunday too. First of all, they beat the Dolphins, so they're 1-0 in the division. That's big. They can't lose division games in the first place - let alone to Miami. They'll have a tough enough time with Buffalo and New England. But both of those teams dropped to 1-1 with losses on Sunday - the Bills lost to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, and the Patriots lost to the Panthers in Carolina. I didn't see the Bills' win in Week One, but by all accounts they looked good. They didn't look good in Tampa. And the Patriots looked very vulnerable - a look that we haven't seen in a while. There are chinks in their armor...good news for the Jets.

The Jets' game against the Dolphins started ominously - the first snap from Kevin Mawae to Chad Pennington was dropped. Fortunately, it was negated by an offsides, and I'm sticking with the story that Pennington rushed the snap because he saw the Dolphins jump. But things quickly got better - the Jets drove 80 yards on 9 plays, scoring on a beautiful fade pass from Pennington to Laveranues Coles. The pass was even better because Pennington had a blitz coming at him - it looked like 8 Dolphins rushing - and he made the great play. 7-0, Jets.

The only bad thing about the first drive was that on Pennington's first successful snap from center, the crowd cheered, and they did the same on the first shotgun snap. That's slightly embarrassing.

The Dolphins' first drive was just as effective - they drove right down the field on the Jets, but the Jets tightened up and stopped Miami inside the 5-yard line. Olindo Mare lined up for a 20-yard field goal, and a bad snap resulted in a missed field goal. That's why I feel it would have been important for Herman Edwards to have challenged last week's touchdown by Priest Holmes - it clearly would have been overturned, and the Jets play strong inside the 10-yard line. They could have forced a field goal (or a missed field goal), and who knows what would have happened. But I should forget about Week One.

The defense played a great game - holding the Dolphins scoreless until the fourth quarter. They got much better pressure on the quarterback (granted, it was Gus Frerotte), but they played very well. Mike Nugent had his first field goal - a 41-yarder with about a minute left in the first half, and special teams played pretty well overall. Ben Graham had a good game - and one of his punts - out of his own end zone - kept carrying, and was actually dropped by Wes Welker, pushing the Dolphins back to inside their own 40.

The other good news was right after the Dolphins touchdown the Jets put together their own very good drive - a drive which ended on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jerald Sowell, making it 17-7 Jets. Pennington was 7-for-7, for 74 yards on the drive. A good sign. The pass to Sowell came off a great play action fake.

Pennington can't come out of the gate throwing bombs (and when I say bombs, I'm talking Pennington bombs). I think it takes him a few short passes to warm up in the game, before he can start unloading. Pennington is never goint to rifle the ball...what we saw on Sunday was typical Pennington - well-placed passes - some look floaty, but they're effective. If the Jets are going to win games, that's how they're going to win them. He's going to underthrow some receivers, but the more comfortable he gets, the less we'll see of that.

The bad news from the game was the Dolphins were constantly in the Jets' backfield. There was a lot of pressure on Pennington, and the running game was virtually non-existent. That needs to be fixed.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are up next at the Meadowlands. They played the Colts in Indy, and held Peyton Manning and company to just one touchdown in a 10-3 loss. There was plenty of running room for Edgerrin James, though, so we'll see if Martin has a breakout game next week. It's going to be a tough defensive struggle, I have a feeling, but the Jets should be able to out-defense the Jags. I feel better about the Jets' defense versus Byron Leftwich than I do the Jags' defense against Pennington. But more on that as the week goes on.

One last thing - this Sunday was my first experience with the Sunday Ticket. Outstanding. I needed to develop a rhythm, though, because it was tough figuring out which games to turn to to catch good game action. And Tivo was essential when the Jets were on, because if I missed a Jets play while checking out another game, I could just rewind and see what I missed. I need to improve my channel-changing though. I'll get better at it next week.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS

OK, maybe a little dramatic...but if the Jets don't win Sunday, I'm pushing the panic button. I'm going to let you in on one of my dirty little secrets: I owned an Anthony Becht jersey. I know, I know, it was a stupid purchase. But I really thought he was going to be the next Mickey Schuler (I know, I know, that's not even a whole heck of a lot, but for a Jets fan, that's the comparison). But really, I thought he was going to be great. I still do think it was the wrong system at the wrong time - and if he was still around, it might have been him having a 100-yard receiving day last Sunday. Instead, he caught one pass for 7 yards in his Tampa Bay debut. But I digress. The point is, I had an Anthony Becht jersey (still do, as a matter of fact). It's my fault he didn't succeed as a Jet.

This is a curse. It's a curse I must live with. It dates back to about 1994. I read a great article in Sports Illustrated about Boomer Esiason and his son Gunnar, and I said, "I want a Boomer Esiason jersey. He will be my favorite Jet." (I was at a crossroads at this point about who my favorite Jet would be - among the candidates was Aaron Glenn.) Well, I buy the Boomer jersey - I remember it like it was yesterday - I went to Modell's on Steinway Street in Astoria, bought the jersey, wore the heck out of it, and was wearing it the night of Dan Marino's fake spike at the Meadowlands, when the Jets blew their big halftime lead, and their chance at first place, and lost every game the rest of the way to finish 6-10 and oh by the way who got burned on that fake spike - oh yes the other candidate for my jersey purchasing Aaron Glenn.

I didn't buy another jersey after Boomer for a little while. But then 1998 came. The Jets had a steal in the draft, I was convinced, when they took Boston College's Glenn Foley in the sixth round. He earned the starting job, and went 0-2, losing to San Francisco in Week One on Garrison Hearst's 96-yard touchdown run in overtime (remember that?). Anyway, after he lost in Week Two, he also hurt his ribs. Of course, we all know Vinny Testaverde took over, played for about 4 more years, and Glenn Foley took about 8 snaps with Seattle before retiring to a bar somewhere...being seen only on the free agent lists in John Madden football games (where I would sometimes sign him as a backup for old time's sake.)

So along comes the 2000 draft, and I say no to Shaun Ellis, no to John Abraham, no to Chad Pennington, I want the tight end's jersey. So I custom ordered from NFL.com an Anthony Becht #88 jersey. He's going to be a star! I convince myself. Well, it looks good for a while. When the Jets make their playoff run in 2001 he's a key part - catching touchdown passes and two-point conversions late in games versus Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Testaverde found him a reliable target. But he never matched those numbers (not even very impressive numbers, anyway) again. He even developed a big case of the dropsies. I think the one that sealed it was an October Monday Night Football game where he dropped a pass that would have given the Jets big yardage, and incurred the wrath of the home fans. Well, sorry, Anthony - little did you know it was probably my fault.

Anyway, after Becht was gone, I said I'm never going to get another Jets jersey. Why put anyone through what I put poor Glenn Foley and Anthony Becht through? Then, I had a better idea. Why not get a sure thing? What's more of a sure thing than Chad Pennington? And I had a string of bad luck with green jerseys - how about a white Chad Pennington jersey!? Foolproof. So for my birthday, good old mom got me a Pennington jersey. Well, we're 0-1. Sorry Chad.

But the jersey jinx is going to end this week. Pennington said it himself this week - "It's just one game. People are going crazy over one game." The Kansas City game was just one game. (One horrid, horrid game.) So it can all be put behind us this weekend. One more aside - I love Mike and Mike in the morning. Mike Greenberg is me on a national stage, basically. On Friday morning, during the segment of their show they call "Stone Cold Lead Pipe Locks", where they pick a couple of NFL games each against the spread, Greenberg says he never picks the Jets because he doesn't want to jinx them, and he sure doesn't want to pick against them (a sentiment I share - I just can't do it. If you want an unbiased pick there are plenty of other places to look. If you want someone to convince you the Jets have a shot at winning on any week, turn to me.). But this week, after last week's debacle, he has to do it, because if they don't win this weekend, he doesn't know what he'll do. So Mike Greenberg is picking the Jets, -6. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Here's my breakdown. I can't believe the Gus Frerotte-led Dolphins beat the Broncos last weekend. I just can't believe it. There's no way they are going to be 2-0. That's first of all. Secondly, this is the Dolphins. The Jets can beat the Dolphins. And they can beat them bad. Thirdly, when all was said and done last week, the Jets had many opportunities, as poorly as they played through two and a half quarters, to get back into that game. The fumbles and dropped passes hurt so much because after Kansas City scored their quick 17 points to go up 17-0, the Jets just couldn't get the ball into the end zone. And they were tantalizingly close. So if the Jets can play that poorly and not get their doors blown off (this is subject to your opinion, but really, that game could have been a lot worse than 27-7), they really are a better team than they showed.

Here are some things that need to happen on Sunday: 1) Kevin Mawae needs to get the ball to Chad Pennington on the snaps cleanly. 2) Chad Pennington needs to field the snaps from Kevin Mawae cleanly. 3) Curtis Martin needs some running room. 4) Chad Pennington needs some time in the pocket. 5) The receivers need to catch the ball. 6) Gus Frerotte needs to hit the turf - often. 7) The Jets need to win.

I think most of the above will happen - especially number 7. Remember, the last time the Jets faced the Dolphins, both Martin and LaMont Jordan ran for more than 100 yards the same night. That might not happen again, but the margin of victory could be similar. I say the Jets cover the six-point spread, and beat the Dolphins, 31-10. (The wife picks the Jets as well.)

No picks from Dave yet, but I'm sure he's keeping track. He'll be back by kickoff on Sunday. What follows are my picks, followed by the wife's in parentheses. I am out of the eliminator pool, thanks to the Vikings. I am not going to continue with that, because I now hate eliminator pools.

Baltimore is 3-and-a-half favorites in Tennessee. Come on. The Titans are bad, but the Ravens can't possibly beat them without their starting quarterback....could they? I hope not. TEN +3.5 (same for the wife).

I think the Steelers are better than the Texans, and can beat the Texans by a touchdown, even if the game is in Houston. I take Pit -6 (the wife doesn't like that Roethlisberger is questionable, she takes HOU +6).

The Colts are nine-point favorites over the Jaguars in Indy. I like Jacksonville to keep it close, though the Colts will most likely win. JAX +9 (wife takes IND -9)

Detroit is a one-point favorite in Chicago. I didn't think the Lions could beat the Packers last week - I was wrong. They have to be able to beat the Bears. DET -1 (wife - CHI +1)

Minnesota is looking to bounce back from my elimination in the elimination pool as three-point underdogs in Cincinnati. Despite my anger, I take MIN +3 (same for the wife).

No line on Philly-San Fran because of McNabb's status. The Eagles should be able to beat the 49ers with me at quarterback - and I can't throw a spiral. PHI. (same for the wife)

Tampa Bay is 2-and-a-half point favorites over Buffalo in Tampa. Not sure why. Buffalo played real well last week. I take the Bills + 2.5 as underdogs, despite Anthony Becht's imposing presence. (the wife takes TB - 2.5)

The Patriots are -3 in Carolina. I think the Pats win by 3. This is a push. But because I don't want to pick the Pats, I'll take CAR, +3. (the wife, of course, takes NE - 3)

In Seattle, the Falcons and Seahawks are pick 'em. I don't know why, but I'm picking Atlanta. Probably because I'll be rooting for them - I like Vick. (wife also takes the Falcons)

In Arizona it's a pick 'em between the Cardinals and Rams. I don't know why, after last week's awful loss to the 49ers, but I wrote down the Rams. Why did I do that? Who knows. (wife also takes the Rams)

In Green Bay, the Browns are six-and-a-half point underdogs. Green Bay might win, but 6.5 seems like a lot. I feel like it's a field goal squeaker. (wife takes the Browns too)

In Denver, the Broncos are giving three to San Diego. I don't buy the Chargers. I have said that many times. I feel like last year was a fluke. Antonio Gates is back, but I don't think that makes a difference. DEN -3. (wife also takes Denver)

The Sunday night game is Kansas City at Oakland, with the Chiefs giving one. I take the Chiefs, because of what they did to the Jets last week. KC -1. (The wife also takes KC)

Monday night there are two games - the original is the Cowboys hosting Washington, with the 'Boys giving six. I take Dallas - I think they're going to have a good year. (wife takes Dallas too)

The other Monday nighter is the Saints, playing a home game at the Giants. The Giants are 3-point home/road favorites. I take the Giants -3, even though they always screw me. (the wife takes NO).

Remember, these picks are for entertainment purposes only. Last week, I was 7-9. The wife was 10-6. Next week Dave from Brighton will be on board.

This weekend also marks the first time I get to watch the NFL on the Sunday Ticket in the privacy of my own home. Think of me on Sunday as the happiest person on earth...until the Jets game. When I'll be the most nervous person on earth. And probably hoarse.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Picks tomorrow.

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

Well, so much for the 9-0 homestand and the push back into the playoffs by the Mets. An 0-3 start to a homestand will do that.

The Nationals completed the 3-game sweep of the Mets Thursday afternoon at Shea with a 6-5, 10-inning win. The game featured a blown save by Braden Looper - who better not be closing games for the Mets when they make a for-real run next season. Royce Ring should be the closer. Or anyone not named Looper.

So the Mets now find themselves at 71-75. I'd like to think they'll finish better than last year's 71-91, but the way they've been playing, I'm not so sure.

The good news from Thursday (besides the grand slam by Cliff Floyd wasted by the blown save...by the way, Floyd will not have the best season ever by a Met, which he was on pace to do, but he's still had a fine season - despite the fact he has only 30 homers after being on pace for 45 earlier in the season) - David Wright hit his 40th double. So:

WRIGHT WATCH:

SECOND HALF: 18 SEASON TOTAL: 40 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 5 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 16 GAMES TO BREAK THE RECORD!!

And you thought there was nothing left to watch for this season.

Just wanted to make a new post to welcome all the readers I'm sure to get from North Carolina. Also, I should plug Kevin from Wilmington's blog for both of my regular readers who don't yet know about it - wect.com, click on the "Orange Couch". I'd put a direct link to it, but first of all, how lazy are you that you can't type it in, and second of all, I don't know how.

It goes without saying that I am embarrassed to be a Jets fan, and horrified at what might still come the rest of the season after Sunday's performance at Kansas City. I need to work out a code so that when I come back from a weekend away, and I have Tivo-ed the Jets game, and I sit to watch it later that night, someone should stop me. I think this will only apply to games where Chad Pennington fumbles more than 5 times in one half. But Sunday would have applied.

It was just disgusting. And then it comes out that Jonathan Vilma was punched in the face by James Reed on the sideline during the fourth quarter. Great - nothing like a little team disharmony to go with a terrible performance.

The good news - the Dolphins are bad. Even though they won on Sunday, they are bad - and they're coming to the Meadowlands for the Jets' home opener. Get ready for a blowout - the Jets should be able to beat the Dolphins anyway, and their pride is now hurt.

The other bad news from Sunday - Larry Johnson, the Kansas City running back who tore up the Jets - probably shouldn't have played. He turned himself in to police today (Tuesday) for assaulting his girlfriend on Saturday night. He was out with another girl on Saturday, and his girlfriend saw him at that bar. He took her and forcibly tried to get the bouncer to remove her from the bar. The nerve of her to interrupt his date! Anyway, imagine if the police had arrested him during the game - that would have been great. And imagine they couldn't find him - and they're watching the game on Sunday?

The officers are sitting there, watching the game - one of them says to the other, "We got this arrest warrant out for this guy Larry Johnson. No one seems to know who he is."
Game in the background - Announcer says, "And the Chiefs score a touchdown! Larry Johnson!"
Officer 1 to officer 2 - "You don't suppose......"
Officer 2 - "Naaah."

I hope that came across like it was in my head.

I expected a flood of e-mails following the loss. All I got was one:

"From one man who suffered a harrowing defeat last weekend (the University of Evil over my alma mater 17-10) to another: I was curious to read your breakdown of the breakdown, so to speak. And yet, nothing. I fear someone should have taken your belt and shoelaces. Are you faring ok? Still processing oxygen? What is your analysis of what happened and where your beloved Jets go from here?

Love Always,
Don Lagreca"

Sorry. The problem was, I didn't finish watching the game until about 8:30/9:00 Sunday night, because I was away, as I mentioned. By then, I was mad that I had watched the whole thing (it was like watching a train wreck - I was wondering how bad it could have gotten), and that I had missed the end of the 4 o'clock games, and then I needed to cool down so I could actually fall asleep and be effective the next day. Then Monday I was still mad, and I didn't feel like writing about it. So there.

I really think this was just a bad game. I've seen the Jets be horrible before - we all have. There's no way they're going to play every game this poorly. And I need more proof before I lessen my expectations for a great year. I will say I should have been more uncomfortable with the fact that the Jets have high expectations placed upon them this year - that's never a good thing. If the Jets don't blow out Miami (OK, if they don't beat Miami), then I'll start worrying. And the following week will be a good measuring stick, with Jacksonville at home. In the end, as horrible as Sunday was, it was just one loss. It only counts as 0-1 (although it deserves to jump them to 0-10), and the Jets can bounce back next Sunday. I promise to write something up after that game and re-assess.

Another thing that left me angry Sunday was the total disaster that was my picks. I'm already out of the knockout pool...I might keep picking that on this site for fun....now that I've lost my money. But my other picks were brutal too - weird week of football. I'll update the standings between Dave, the wife, and me on Friday.

By the way - clever alias by the man who beat me out in one of my weekly pools - and in case you didn't guess, he's a Michigan alum. And I don't know how he knows about Don LeGreca.

To my new Carolina readers - I'm rooting big-time for your Panthers on Sunday. I'd appreciate e-mails if you'd like to offer predictions or info on the upcoming game with New England.

It's been a little while since I've posted, but since I might be getting some more readers, so I figured I'd better put something interesting to read on here.

For my new North Carolina visitors, I should tell you about myself. I am a huge Mets fan, and I write in this space so I can vent about such things as the Mets being 2-9 in September, right after it looked like they turned a corner and were about to make a post-season push.

For my regular readers - remember when the Mets started their stretch of 17 out of 20 on the road with a 5-2 start? Well, after dropping 2 of the 3 home games in between, the Mets went 2-8, finishing 7-10 in those games. Tonight, Tuesday night, they open up a 3-game homestand against the Nationals, then it's the Braves and Marlins at Shea. This is a long homestand - 9 games. If the Mets go 9-0, maybe I'll come back on here and talk about them going to the playoffs. But they won't, because they have to play the Braves, and they can't beat the Braves.

The Mets' record is 71-72 right now - they're five-and-a-half behind the Marlins for the wild card. They're tied with the Brewers - that should tell you about all you need to know.

You also need to know, especially if you're new to the site, that David Wright hit his 39th double of the year on Sunday - so he is five away from tying the team record for doubles in a season (44). He has 19 games left to get those five doubles - the Wright Watch will be in full force.

One more thing for the many new readers I'm sure to get from all of the Orange Couch readers - you know, me, Dave in Miami, Dave in Brighton (when he gets back from Napa), and Justin in New York - (unless the Orange Couch gets more readers than I do....which I find hard to believe...actually, I just listed more readers than I get, so I guess it does) - I am a teacher, so I can't stay up until the end of the baseball games anymore - and if I do, it's watching from bed. So I can't update the site every day after games. But I'll try.

OK - I gotta go - Sam Shelby just walked in. I bet he wants to talk about gearing the blog towards a southeastern audience. I'll just smile and nod.