Erik Boland: Inside the Jets

By Tom Rock

The Jets could be playing without three of their four main captains on Sunday. Vilma is on the IR, Pennington will be on the bench, and the Jets just revealed that Laveranues Coles has a concussion. Shaun Ellis, the lone man standing with a C on his shirt on offense or defense, had better watch himself! Oh yeah, Mike Nugent and Brad Kassell are captains also.

Coles didn’t dress for practice today. It’s the second time this year he’s had to deal with a head injury, taking that hit against the Dolphins on Christmas 10 months ago. Something to keep an eye on.

Mike DeVito took a pounding in practice today, getting the brunt of a Darian Barnes hit in the one-one-one tackling drills. Maybe Barnes was taking out some aggression since he was inactive on Sunday and DeVito dressed. Anyway, DeVito looked pretty stung and wasn’t participating in many drills after the collision. A few of DeVito’s fellow defensive linemen later surrounded Barnes and it seemed that there was some words exchanged until TE Chris Baker and a few others came over to break it up. Were they just having fun jawing or were there real issues? Hard to tell from far away.

Kellen Clemens is still the starting quarterback, and he went through his first Wednesday press conference (though he did step to the podium on Monday when he was announced as the starter). Apparently Kellen was unsure of the rules and asked a Jets PR staffer if he could walk through the locker room now without being bugged by us buggy reporters. “That’s the deal,” he was told. Kellen seemed to enjoy that.

I saw Pennington in the locker room out of the corner of my eye, but I didn’t see anyone talk to him. We guess he’s now fair game in that room, just like Kellen was when he was the backup. It’s strange how things change.

Ben Graham keeps shanking punts, and he put two off far to the right in practice today. One went so far off course it hit a car in the parking lot. He’s got that thunderous kick, but if he can’t start controlling it the Jets may be having some auditions during the offseason. Or maybe even during the bye.

Finally, I asked Nick Mangold, the center, if there is a different, um, feel from either quarterback. He, of course, comes in intimate contact with them on each play that isn’t a shotgun snap. Mangold said he didn’t change his snap for any quarterback and couldn’t tell whose hands he was dealing with without looking. He also said that Kellen and Chad “have the same twang” in their voice, which may make it easier when it comes to hearing the signals.

Happy Halloween!

By Tom Rock

Oh, and one more Vilma item before he fades away into IR-blivion. Here's a link to his blog. Don't get too excited, though. He doesn't say whether it's the right or left knee there either.

By Tom Rock

I’m sure many of you heard Jonathan Vilma’s sometimes contentious exchange with his buddies on WFAN this morning, but not all of you may know that he held a conference call with us beat reporters shortly before that. The main points of that conversation will be in Wednesday’s newspaper, but I thought I’d share a few notes and quotes that didn’t make it into traditional print.

Vilma was asked why it seems that he is not producing in the 3-4 as much as he was in his first two years when the centerpiece of a 4-3.

“I think what you’re seeing from the first two years and this past year and a half are the styles of defenses,” he said. “You have one style where the defense calls for me to run around and make tackles. In the 3-4 you’re asking for a different style where I’m not running around as much sideline to sideline. Instead I’m taking on linemen, taking on guards more. You can’t say it’s the same style and you’re seeing a different player. You’re seeing the same player, just in a different defense. It’s hard to relay that to the fans, it’s hard to relay that to the media, that the 187 NFL-leading tackles, that’s not gonna happen in the 3-4 no matter how well you play. But at the same time you see a defense that gets better and a player who gets better in it, that’s what you should be looking for.”

By Tom Rock

The decision to replace Chad Pennington with Kellen Clemens sent the anticipated ripples through the team.

Receiver Laveranues Coles, who has a close friendship with Pennington, said he would take his lead from the quarterback. “I’m going to pretty much feel the way that he feels,” Coles said. “If he’s cool with it then I’m cool with it.”

Jerricho Cotchery chalked the change up to the team’s dire position. “We are 1-7, so we are trying to do anything possible to get a win,” he said. “(Mangini) let us know that this wasn’t the only change, so there will be others.”

And running back Thomas Jones, a newcomer to the Jets this season, said he’s been impressed by Clemens’ leadership and presence in the huddle. Last year in Chicago, Jones went through a similar situation where the starting quarterback was under constant scrutiny and fans and media were calling for his job. That team went to the Super Bowl. This team will not.

“At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter,” Jones said of the quarterback position. “I have a job to do and I can’t spend my time worrying about another position.”

By Tom Rock

Trying to spin it by saying that Kellen Clemens deserves a shot, Eric Mangini today announced that the second-year backup will start at quarterback on Sunday against the Redskins. The real reason, of course, is that Chad Pennington hasn't been able direct the offense to any wins.

"That's the bad part of losing," Pennington said. "It's a team game and when you lose changes need to be made. Sometimes drastic changes need to be made."

Mangini wouldn't commit to Clemens for any longer than this week. The Jets have a bye following Sunday's game against the Skins.

As for their respective demeanors, Pennington seemed to be a little relieved by the news. He spoke softly about how his time as a backup and eventual replacement for Vinny Testaverde and talked about how he and Kellen had prepared for this scenario, which was becoming more and more obvious in recent weeks. Clemens, on the other hand, said he was very excited, but he had a long face and it seemed that he was at least a bit emotional about taking over for someone like Pennington, about whom he said "It's all just a credit to the man that Chad Pennington is."

By Tom Rock

This season is starting to taste like a big ol' jar of Vlasic dills. Yuk.

A few things that were cut from the newspaper copy today that might be of some interest. First, Jonathan Vilma was on the sideline standing almost the entire game. He walked off the field without crutches and a slight limp. He seemed to be favoring his right knee.

Eric Mangini was pretty involved in the defense, huddling with the players after just about every series. It's definitely more of a hands-on approach for Mangini, and to his credit, the defense performed pretty well. Of course, it was the Bills.

I saw a replay of the broadcast and caught some interesting scenes after the Bills scored their TD. First off, Pennington was ready to go back in. He flung his hat, put his helmet on and started blowing on his hands. That must have been before Mangini told Schottenheimer to tell Pennington not to bother. Then, as Clemens was playing, Pennington was standing next to Vilma on the sideline, two of the team's captains chatting about, presumably, the course of this season. They could also have been chatting about where they'll both be playing next year if, as anticipated, it's not here in NY. Then, finally, after Clemens came off teh field from his interception, he was walking on the sideline showing some frustration. He just happened to be pacing behind Pennington, who stood there, arms folded, like a cigar store wooden Indian. Was Pennington giving Clemens his space? Or a cold shoulder?

By Tom Rock

I was stunned to learn today that a bloody mary includes a pickle. Katie Strang made that announcement this morning as we were browsing over the lunch plate of a Star-Ledger reporter (which included an abundance of pickles). Apparently Katie uses pickles in place of -- or sometimes in concert with -- the traditional celery stick. She also admitted that she likes to drink pickle juice.

Speaking of mixology, the Jets are mixing things up with their inactives for this game. Here the players who are out: Tuiasosopo, D.Coleman, Barnes, Will Montgomery, Adrian Jones, Jason Pociask and C.J. Mosley.

That means that Jacob Bender and Mike DeVito are both activated for the first time today. It's hard to imagine they both stood out in practice since they probably go up against each other on a regular basis. The inactive list also means that Matt Chatham, who came off the PUP list a few hours ago, will be available to play. We'll keep an eye on how those guys are used. Also, Chris Baker is active after missing last week's game with a back injury.

Bills RB Anthony Thomas was a late addition to the Bills injury report with an eye injury, and he is inactive.

Weekly fashion report: Jets are wearing green shirts and white pants. Bills are wearing white shirts with blue on the shoulders and white pants.

By Tom Rock

As expected, the Jets placed Jonathan Vilma on IR and he will have surgery on a knee injury that sidelined him sporadically last Sunday and kept him from practice all this week. The initial tests suggested that Vilma would need surgery, but the player wanted a second opinion and the resulting prognosis was likely similar, although no decisions have been made. Vilma has never missed a game in his career and has started every game since his third game as a rookie in 2004.

Here are some quotes passed out by the Jets.

From Vilma: “I am disappointed that my season ended prematurely. I was looking forward to playing the rest of the season and helping the team get back on track. I now look forward to supporting my teammates for the rest of the 2007 season and returning to the field with them in 2008.”

From Mitch Frankel, Vilma’s agent: “The Jets have been very supportive of Jonathan throughout this process and have been focused on his best interests. This is a not a career-threatening injury and the doctors expect a full recovery. He is a competitor and wants to be on the field with his teammates all the time, whether it be the meeting room, on the practice field, or in the game. He is looking forward to returning to the field with the Jets in 2008.”

From Mangini: “Jonathan is a leader and has always done everything he can to help this team win. He’s diligent in his preparation and has always unselfishly taken the time to share his knowledge of the game with his teammates. I know that he will approach this challenge with that same type of effort and focus.”

From Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum: “After reviewing all of the information available, the best thing for Jonathan and the Jets is to place him on injured reserve and turn his focus to rehabilitation and the 2008 season. Jonathan has been a leader on this team since we drafted him in 2004. He is as tough as they come and a student of the game who devotes a tremendous amount of time toward preparation and maximizing his ability.”

By Tom Rock

Mangini refused to say which of Jonathan Vilma's knees is the one that is injured. Perhaps he felt he gave up too much information already when he announced that Chad would be the starting QB on Wednesday. A coach has to have SOME secrets.

But he was asked directly, and I'm paraphrasing here, what the big cockamamee deal is which knee it is. Here, for the record, is his answer:

"Historically whenever you have an awareness of an injury, and opponents have an awareness of an injury, that is something you take into account when you're running routes, when you're running plays, the directions that you run plays. How a guy can cut or not cut. Where they're going to be quicker. What may be effected, that does come into the decision-making. What kind of routes you;re going to run against them. Whatthe liklihood of being able to take advantage of a slowed-down player might be."

Mangini was told that if Vilma returns to the field with a huge brace on his knee, it'll be obvious at that point.

"Maybe we'll put a huge brace on both knees," he said.

By Tom Rock

While the Jets have made no formal announcement, they are preparing for Sunday’s game against the Bills without Jonathan Vilma, and there appears to be a strong possibility that they will be without the inside linebacker and defensive captain for a while.

Tests on Vilma’s knee reportedly revealed a “significant” injury that could require surgery and sideline the Pro Bowler for the season. In his daily briefing, Eric Mangini offered little in the way of an update on Vilma, refusing to even disclose which was the problem knee. He did confirm that Vilma will not practice today, the second-straight day he will miss.

“We’re just going to have to see,” Mangini said when asked if Vilma will practice at all this week. Asked if Vilma could be facing surgery, Mangini said: “It’s really just going to matter what the results (of the tests) are, and talk to the doctors and put together the best plan.”

Mangini said the injury occurred in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals, though there was no apparent play on which the injury took place. Vilma did not start the second half of the game and played sparingly in the third and fourth quarters.

Vilma had denied Mangini’s announcement that he was injured in a radio interview on Tuesday. Mangini dismissed that denial based on Vilma’s “toughness.” “Guys, when they’re dealing with any type of setback, they deal with it differently,” Mangini said.

Vilma has 39 tackles and an interception this season. He has tallied at least 100 tackles in each of his three previous NFL seasons. Last year, remarkably, he was on the field for every one of the team’s defensive snaps.

By Tom Rock

It appeared to be a meaningless drive, but it might have saved Chad Pennington’s job.

And it wasn't as memorable as The Drive by the Broncos, seen here, but, like Elway's masterpiece, it did occur in the state of Ohio.

The game was over, most fans in New York had already changed the channel, and the crowd in Cincinnati was filing out of the stadium. Johnathan Joseph had just returned a Pennington interception to make the score an insurmountable 38-23 with 46 seconds left. There were 37 seconds left when the Jets got the ball back with no time outs remaining at the Cincinnati 39.

“It was weird, everyone still had the mindset that we were still in the game even though we weren’t,” said receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who caught the eventual 32-yard touchdown pass off the chest of Brad Smith as time expired. “A lot of teams would have just gone through the motions on that drive. Chad came in and was like ‘Let’s finish this game.’ Everyone already had that mindset that we were going to continue to fight, but Chad came in and got his point across and we took care of it from there.”

It wasn’t a particularly pretty drive. It started with a 7-yard pass to Cotchery on the sideline, then a pair of long incompletions. Finally, on fourth-and-3 with three seconds remaining, Pennington wound up and heaved the ball into the end zone for the touchdown. The Jets (perhaps optimistically thinking that a playoff tie-breaker would come down to points scored) went for two points and Pennington hit Leon Washington for the conversion to make the final score 38-31.

“There’s not a lot of guys that would do that,” Pennington said of the players on the drive. “That means a lot to me as a quarterback.”

It likely meant a lot to him remaining a quarterback as well. As Eric Mangini sifted through the film from the game, it was likely impressive to have that drive as the final image in his head and not the interception. When Mangini announced that Pennington would start this weekend, he cited that drive as “Classic Chad.”

Asked if he thought the drive was crucial in helping save anyone’s job, Laveranues Coles said “If it was, I don’t think anybody has it in their mind at the time.” Cotchery said yesterday that he wasn’t sure what decision Mangini would have reached without that drive, but he was sure of one thing. “Chad’s the leader, and that drive right there definitely showed his leadership.”

The drive not only solidified Pennington’s status, but made an impact on some others and could prove to be a turning point toward respectability in the coming weeks.

“Just to be a part of that is a good feeling because you know that those guys will go down fighting,” Coles said. “That was truly one of the better moments of my career. Even though we were on the losing end, that drive was a special moment in my career.”

By Tom Rock

The NFL has flexed its flex-schedule flexibility and has decided to start the Nov. 18 game between the Jets and the Steelers at 4:05 p.m. instead of 1 p.m. Make note of that, all you Jets season-ticket holders, because when you sell your stubs for this game you should at least have the courtesy to let the Pittsburgh fan you are dealing with know about the change.

That does, in fact, give the Jets a little extra time to prepare for Big Ben and his gang of Steelers. The Jets have their bye on Nov. 11. But it could have a negative impact on the Jets, who were already staring at an impossibly short upcoming week. After the Steelers game on Sunday they will have Monday and Tuesday to get ready for the Cowboys, then travel to Dallas on Wednesday for the Thanksgiving Day game (a 4:15 p.m. start).

This is startling on two accounts. First, 4 o'clock games stink from a writing point of view because all of the sidebars and notebooks and Q&As we do bump right against deadline. And second, it's startling to realize that Thanksgiving is in less than a month.

By Tom Rock

When Mangini opened his daily remarks by announcing that Chad Pennington would be the starting quarterback on Sunday, there was a near gasp from the assembled media. No, it wasn’t so stunning that he stuck with Pennington. But the fact that the super-secretive Jets coach would come out and make a public decision in either direction seemed out of character.

“I just thought it was something that was important so we could move forward and get this issue behind us,” Mangini said. “It’s always tempting not to say anything along those lines. Very tempting. But I thought it was just better to move forward even though the alternative isn’t bad either.”

By Tom Rock

Eric Mangini announced this morning that Chad Pennington is the starting quarterback this weekend. Following his evaluation during the last two days, Mangini said he liked Pennington's decision-making as well as his play-making, pointing to his 5-yard scramble on third-and-5 ("Classic Chad," he said) and the Jets' final TD and 2-point conversion with no time remaining.

Mangini said it was tempting to not make an announcement -- "very tempting" -- but he wanted to "move forward and get this issue behind us."

Mangini also noted that Jonathan Vilma will not practice today and will undergo further tests on his knee, injured during the game. Vilma had denied reports that he was injured, calling his sporadic playing time on Sunday a coach's decision. Mangini agreed, saying he's the coach and he made the decision, but that it was based on the injury impacting Vilma's performance.

By Tom Rock

Eric Mangini promised a shake-up, and he has delivered. David Clowney, the obvious reason why the Jets are losing, has been released.

Just kidding. Clowney had nothing to do with the Jets’ fate. Literally. The receiver was signed on Oct. 3 and inactive for three games. The move likely makes room for the return of LB Matt Chatham to the active roster. Chatham has been on the PUP list since training camp began and he finally started practicing last week.

If anyone can save the Jets, No. 58 can.

By Tom Rock

Not that there is one to break. But Glauber, who types during the press conference, posted the essence of Mangini's statements today. First, everyone is on notice, from quarterback down, from quality control assistant coach up. Second, he has not announced a decision on the starting quarterback but again refused to crown Pennington.

"Once I decide, then I'll let you guys know," he told us.

I'll keep an eye out for that email from him.

By Tom Rock

As Jonathan Vilma sat at his locker on Sunday, there was a strange sound wafting through the air. Muzak coming from a speaker? The muffled ringtone of someone’s cellphone?

No. It was the Jets defensive captain who was bent down, tying his shoes … and humming. A surprisingly chirpy tune at that, considering that the Jets had just suffered whiplash from watching the Bengals blow past them in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. It was almost as if Vilma was enjoying a stroll through a park, pitching kernels of popcorn to nearby squirrels.

“(Kenny) Watson did a good job running, no doubt about that, and they did a good job blocking so you’ve got to give them credit,” Vilma said in answer to a question, then returned to his tune. “Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm.”

Vilma later said the humming was a tool he used because he couldn’t “really say how I feel” and he wanted to answer reporters’ questions with as little emotional weight as possible. If he didn’t make headlines by losing his cool, perhaps he thought no one would notice his team’s collapse.

By Tom Rock

Here's the video tour of Vinny's shack. Mangini comes out in a little while to elaborate on his promised changes. Perhaps Chad will soon be entering the real estate market himself.

Hear what Eric Mangini had to say following yesterday's loss in Cincinnati. Click here to listen.

By Tom Rock

Apparently Pennington doesn't have to be perfect to keep playing. He just called heads for the opening toss. It was tails. And Mangini still stands behind him.

By Tom Rock

Chris Baker ain’t missing much but the beautiful weather. Other than that, our stay in Cincinnati (or “almost Cincinnati,” since we are staying in Covington, Kentucky, just across the river) has been rather uneventful and uninspiring.

Baker, the Jets starting tight end, is one of the Jets inactives. So too is starting cornerback (according to the depth chart anyway) Andre Dyson. Dyson has missed a tackle in each of the last two games, both going for TDs. The rest of the inactives are Tuiasosopo (3rd QB), Clowney, Montgomery, Devito, Bender, and Pociask.

Anthony Schlegel is starting for the Bengals. I’ll just let that sit with you, dear reader, for a moment.

ESPN is reporting that Chad Pennington is “on a short leash.” Wow, what a surprise! I can’t believe it. I read in online, so it must be true.

Jets, by the way, are wearing green bottoms and white tops.

By Tom Rock

So here’s “The Watch” story, as referenced by Marvin Lewis yesterday.

When Mangini was an offensive assistant in Baltimore, the head coach at the time, Ted Marchibroda, needed a watch during training camp. He asked Mangini if he could borrow his, and of course the young assistant said “Sure.”
Two or three weeks later, they’re sitting at dinner, and Ted calls Eric over to his table.

“Oh, Eric, I really like this watch,” Ted says. “It’s the favorite one I’ve ever had. How much did you pay for it?”

Eric says he’s not sure, probably about $30. So Ted pulls out his wallet, hands Eric $30, and says “Go buy yourself one.”

It’s a charming story. Does it live up the hype Marvin Lewis bestowed upon it? No. Was it worth the 24 hours of breathless anticipation? No. But it was a nice story. And Mangini does a pretty good impression of Marchibroda, which adds to the delivery. And I'm sure he appreciated a reason to smile during this week of being 1-5.

Anyway …

Another practice that started with one-on-one tackling. The receivers were doing a pretty cool drill in which they would have to make cuts and catch the ball, then drop it almost immediately, cut again, and catch a second ball. Then a third. They did it with four footballs, so it was a little dizzying. But it was a cool drill to watch that required a lot of synchronization.

Nick Mangold had to leave the locker room early for a special phone interview with the Dayton Daily News, essentially his hometown newspaper. Nick’s a great guy, but his quotability is starting to dry up. One time earlier this year he was asked about facing the formidable Giants defensive line that had just sacked McNabb 12 times. “Every NFL defense is formidable,” he said. He was once anointed (here and elsewhere) as The New Pete. I guess the Jets took care of that pretty quickly.

There was an article and a picture in a recent issue of Jets Confidential in which Jets long snapper James Dearth had his face photoshopped into a picture of the 70s band Earth, Wind and Fire. The headline was, of course, “Dearth, Wind and Fire.” Dearth got a chuckle out of it and passed it around to his teammates. It took Hank Poteat a little while to realize what was up, but eventually he caught on.

One thing I forgot to mention from yesterday’s practice was that Darian Barnes – who’s a really nice guy who gives thoughtful answers and can carry on a strong conversation but is a little crazy – spent some of the workout without his helmet. Apparently it was in the shop for a little while, because one of the equipment guys came running out with it. But there were a few plays where Barnes participated in the drills without the head protection. I told you he’s crazy.

By Tom Rock

Just got off our conference call with Chad Johnson (who was running about cinco ot ocho minutes late) and Marvin Lewis. Johnson was entertaining, but said he wouldn’t be pulling any post-TD extravaganzas until his team is at least back to .500.
Lewis, who was a defensive coach in Baltimore when Mangini was an offensive assistant there, told us to ask Eric about “the watch.” He wouldn’t give any further details. Hmm.

Matt Chatham practiced with the team today. In fact, he had about six weeks of frustration come out on the first contact of the workout when he went against James Pociask in one-on-one tackling drills. The drills are supposed to be “thud” but Chatham spun and flung Pociask to the ground.

Don’t go thinking that Chatham’s hit on the fourth-string tight end will be a difference-maker though. A few reps later he missed a tackle on Sean Ryan. Then he put a hands-free hit on Brett Ratliff.

Pennington spoke today. The big point he made was that the time for talking is over. Now the Jets need to win.

D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Jerry Mackey were honorary captains for Freeport on Friday night in their game against Farmingdale. According to people I spoke with they even wore their old Red Devil varsity jackets. Didn’t help, though, as Freeport lost. Ferguson said that’s OK because there is always a second meeting with these teams and he said the Red Devils will get their win in the playoffs. He also joked that he and Mackey tried to sneak onto the field in uniform to help out the high schoolers, but somebody ratted them out.

I received this email from the NFL today. Good thing they didn't try to make a Chris Chambers monster robot!

SUPERSIZE ME: NFL COMMISSIONS RECORD-BREAKING REPLICA PLAYER

The National Football League is set to unveil a towering replica of Miami Dolphins star player Jason Taylor to mark the historic game between the Dolphins and New York Giants on October 28 at Wembley Stadium, the first competitive NFL to be played outside North America.

The formidable animatronic, the biggest animated human figure ever built at 26ft, is a ‘world first’ and has been specially created by an award winning team at London-based SFX Company Artem Ltd, as part of an experiential marketing campaign undertaken on behalf of the NFL by Not Actual Size.

Remarkably, this feat of engineering has taken just under 10 weeks to construct, with a team of more than 40 people working round the clock to build the superstructure in time for its official unveiling in Trafalgar Square on Monday October 22.

Weighing in at over a tonne, the Big JT animatronic boasts life-like features and some impressive record-breaking statistics:

* Standing at 26ft tall – Big JT is almost the height of two double decker buses stacked on top of each other (the real-life Jason Taylor is 6’6 and weighs 255 lb). It is the biggest structure of its kind ever built.

* The animatronic has moveable feet and arms and travels at 4-5mph – a single Big JT footstep covers nearly 2.5m

* 150 square metres (equivalent of half a football pitch) of fabric has been used to create the biggest-ever authentic football jersey shirt and trousers for Big JT. The fabric and specifications used on his kit are exactly the same used on the official NFL team uniforms.

* Each of his custom made boots are 6ft long and contain laces measuring 6.5m in length

* The oversized football the animatronic holds is twenty-five times bigger than an official ball

* Each of the animatronics eyeballs are the size of a large grapefruit

* Big JT’s handspan is larger than a doorway

* A specially adapted camera is fitted to the helmet of Big JT and is programmed to transmit images of what Jason ‘sees’ onto a 40ft LED screen which travels behind him. Big JT also reacts to footage of himself and team mates played on the screen - cheering touchdowns and tough tackles.

Here's the Eric Mangini press conference from today. Click here to listen.

By Tom Rock

As that old commercial used to say: “You make the call.”

It’s third-and-1 at the Eagles 4. Plenty of time to do whatever you want with whatever personnel you want. You have two time outs remaining, so you can size up the defense and then figure out what you want to do.

How do you play it?

And if anyone says run a quarterback sneak against a stacked defensive line, well, the Jets might be contacting you for possible employment in the near future.

By Tom Rock

The word "throwbacks" has a whole different meaning in the NFL than it did on my former beat: fishing. Back in those hook and sinker days a throwback was a fish that didn't quite measure up, that wasn't worth keeping, that needed to go back and grow a little before it had any value.

Here are the throwbacks on Throwback day for the Jets. In other words, the inactives:

For the Jets: Tuiasosopo (3rd QB), Clowney, Coleman, Kowlaewski, Montgomery, DeVito, Bender, Pociask. Worth noting that both Draian Barnes and Stacy Tutt are active at FB and Erik Coleman is active after coming back from a concussion.

For the Eagles, their secondary takes a hit with the loss of Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard. Also out are Kimo von Oelhoffen, Pago Togafau, Scott Young, Victor Abiamiri and Greg Lewis. Kevin Kolb is the third QB.

By Tom Rock

The big matchup this week won’t involve Donovan McNabb or Jonathan Vilma or anyone else contractually bound to tell you how Mm-mmm good Campbell’s Chunky soup is. In fact, it’ll be between the punters. That’s right, all you fans reading in Sydney and Melbourne and some other third Australian city which I don’t have time to Google right now. It’s Ben Graham against Sav Rocca.

The two Australian Football League products will go toe to toe on Sunday, trying to pin each other’s team back. They both also hold on field goals and PATs.

Graham, who played for Geelong from 1993 to 2004, was a team captain there from 2000-2002 and won the Carji Greeves Medal in 1999. He came to the Jets in 2005 as a free-agent tryout and made the team. Rocca played for Collingwood from 1992 to 2000 and for the Kangaroos from 2001 to last year. He is now the NFL’s oldest rookie ever, taking the place of Graham on that list.

Today Graham said he had played against Rocca many times during their careers

“I played on him going back about 12 years ago and he kicked six goals on me,” Graham said to a small group of reporters so mesmerized by his accent that no one really thought to ask what kicking six goals meant. “But we ended up winning the game,” Graham said. “He played well, but we won.”

Graham said Rocca approached him for advice before making a decision to come to the NFL. And there has been a lot of communication between the players’ wives. Mat McBriar at Dallas is the third former AFL player to make it in the NFL as a punter.

Mangini said Rocca has similar leg strength to Graham. “Like Ben’s, some kicks explode off his foot,” he said. Mangini, who lived in Australia for a while and still has a brother living there I think, tried to explain to us how the skills of Australian football make these guys good punters. From what I understand, they kick the ball to pass and score and they don’t believe in wearing pads. And they drink Fosters.

Since the story of today is Chad Pennington, we'll let him speak for himself. Click here to listen to his press conference.

Also, here is Eric Mangini's press conference. Click here to listen.

By Tom Rock

Apparently Vinny's workout for the Cardinals was so impressive that he was signed by a team on the other side of the country!

And he's also in the real estate market. You don't find houses like that in Elmont!

E.J. Underwood is looking for a place on Long Island now, maybe he can put in a bid on Vinny's $7-million castle. Underwood, who was cut from the Giants practice squad last week, was just signed to the Jets practice squad, replacing former Rutgers dude Manny Collins.

By Tom Rock

So you think the Jets have QB troubles? Look who might resurface in the desert.

Back to New York:

I remember writing about Clemens pushing Pennington during the summer when Chad was having some struggles and Kellen looked good in preseason. There was always this kind of haze when I was writing those stories, a lot of careful words like "could" and "possibly" and "not a quarterback controversy." I don't want to say I was insincere. But I tried to be as measured as possible, figuring that Pennington would work things out. And in the first game he looked pretty good (minus the hobbling off the field part). And when he returned for the Miami game he did alright. But in the last five quarters, well, perspectives have changed dramatically.

When Pennington stood at the podium after the game on Sunday and looked off into the distance to replay those interceptions in his mind, it was startling. It was as if he were looking for answers as much as we reporters and you fans were. It was a look of confusion, like he was trying to analyze a car wreck right after it happened. He looked at the back wall, squinted, winced a little, and talked about where he thought things might have gone wrong.

Seems to me that that could be a crack in confidence. An NFL quarterback has to bave a cockiness to be able to throw, make decisions, take hits. If there's even a sliver of doubt, the wheels fall off. We'll see Pennington tomorrow, be able to look into his eyes, and get a better feel for whether or not the confidence has returned.

Mangini has made it clear that Pennington is the starting quarterback. But he'll be on a short leash on Sunday against the Eagles. If things aren't clicking at halftime, I wouldn't be surprised if Mangini makes a move to Clemens. That gives Pennington 30 minutes of play, probably about six or seven series, to turn that foggy gaze back into an icy stare.

It's not a lot of time. But at 1-4, the Jets aren't afforded that luxury.

By Tom Rock

The coach was asked about the apparent ability of the Giants to pick up on the Jets’ no-huddle play-calling. In particular, there were times LB Antonio Pierce was physically shuffling defenders to counter upcoming plays, most notably on a run by Leon Washington for minus-5 yards.

“There are times in practice where they make a signal and I’ll turn to Schottenheimer and say, What play is that?,” Mangini said. “He’ll say no, no, that’s the dummy call. So if it’s changing enough to where I could potentially be fooled at practice …”

Mangini talked a lot about consistency. He’s very consistent in that approach. He said the team needs to stop playing like Jekyll and Hyde. They played more like Heckle and Jeckle in the second half yesterday.

I would think that mantra can turn quickly into nagging if it is not backed up by tactile results. In other words, wins. But Jerricho Cotchery said because they can watch the tape and see the err of their ways, the coaching is not being ignored. At least not yet. A few more Ls and all the talking about consistency, trust and finish could start to sound like blah, blah, blah, blah. As Kerry Rhodes said, “You can always talk about it and say we need to be like we say, but, until we do it it’s gonna be the same thing every week.”

Lots of questions today about Chad. Mangini says he’s still the starting quarterback. Lots of questions about Thomas Jones. No confirmation yet if he’s still the Jets starting running back. He’s been underused so far this season and the frustration may be starting to get to him. As you may have read, he bolted from the locker room on Sunday before anyone had a chance to speak with him. He was at his locker today, walking the tight rope between expressing a desire to get more carries and questioning the coaching of the team. There were a few times he looked as if he might fall off that tightrope, but he held his balance pretty well. For now. Just to get an idea of how bad the Jets running game is, they are 29th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (77), and tied for last with Kansas City in yards per carry (3.0). They have only two rushing touchdowns, and their longest run of the season is 12 yards, the shortest longest in the NFL.

On the good side, they are one of only two teams in the league not to lose a fumble. Whoop-dee-doo.

By the way, we're working on getting audio of the Mangini presser up sometime soon. I know you will all be hitting the refresh button throughout the night in anticipation, but do yourselves a favor and maybe try to watch a little of the baseball game.

By Tom Rock

I don’t think Coles did anything wrong, mind you. I’m merely honoring his request.

When the Jets receiver – who had eight catches for 89 yards and continues to make stunning grabs – was asked if his buddy Chad Pennington’s interception troubles are of concern, he turned the table on himself:

“You can’t blame for Chad. You can’t say nothing about Chad. Y’all want to blame somebody, blame me. We lost as a team. If y’all want to blame somebody and point a finger, it’s definitely not at Chad. Point it at me.”

Here's a picture of him pointing at someone.

If only it were that simple.

More later, after we get to talk to the players. Maybe Thomas Jones will even be available.