By Tom Rock
Just got back from the game at FedEx (where the Jets delivered, get it?) and figured I’d post a blog since I haven’t in a day or so.
This was a game that showed the good and the bad of the Jets. Rookies Brad Smith and Leon Washington scored TDs on a reverse and kickoff return, respectively, and Reggie Newhouse made a sweet catch in the end zone on a smart pass by rookie Kellen Clemens in the fourth quarter. Then there were the bads: the penalties, the continuing inability to finish extended drives with six points. Bollinger took a shotgun snap to his facemask from Nick Mangold and Tim Dwight and Cedric Houston each had moments where they had difficulty hanging onto the ball. But, it should be noted, the Jets have yet to turn the ball over in the preseason.
I wrote an early story about the kicking game, which is probably what most of you saw in Sunday’s newspaper. Unfortunately the kicking game was pretty sorry. They asked Ben Graham to do a few things that came across as awkward, and while he boomed a few punts and pinned one inside the 5 in the fourth quarter, there was a 7-yarder AND an 8-yarder thrown in. Nugent was OK, converting all of his kicks, but nothing exceptional.
The Jets got some production from the running game, which was nice to see, especially for Houston and Blaylock, who have been under the gun a bit this week with the Suggs-No Suggs situation. I think the Jets will still make a move for a running back – word is swelling that they are very interested in TJ Duckett in Atlanta – but I just have a hunch that they feel a little burned by the Suggs deal and will wait for other teams to cut down their rosters so they can pick up a veteran. Had the running game flubbed again tonight, there would have been some pressure to get the Duckett deal done. Now, the Jets can be a bit more patient.
Watching SportsCenter right now and this kid Bell for Denver looks legit. The Broncs may be cutting Ron Dayne pretty soon – he’s making too much $$$ to be a third-strong RB. Ask you Giant Fan Friends what they think of that move. You might get that same knowing grin you got from your Eagles Fan Friends when you bragged about getting Rich Kotite for a coach!
Mike Tannenbaum and Terry Bradway were sitting a row behind me in the press box, by the way, and Mike was working his phone throughout the contest. Couldn’t help but wonder how the Blaylock stock fluctuated throughout those conversations.
Chad Update: Nothing new. Mangini said he isn’t sure if Pennington will be back with the team for Monday’s practice. He did say that he doubts he will make a decision on a starting QB this week. He also said that Chad’s absence this weekend will not count against him in the “competition.”
When I first heard that Pennington would miss practice, the weasley reporter part of me immediately thought he had injured his shoulder. But when I thought about it for a few minutes I realized, as others did on message boards and chatter, that it would be pretty bad to pin an injury absence on a “family illness.” That’d be bad, bad karma.