NEWS
Score one for the Jets in the Battle of the Meadowlands, as new starting QB Mark Sanchez led the Jets to a 27-25 victory over the New York Giants on Saturday night at Giants stadium.
Facing arguably the best pass rush in the league, Sanchez didn’t show traditional signs of rookie fear (such as the rough start he had the week before against Baltimore), going a solid 13-for-20 for 149 yards. He threw a 31-yard TD to WR Chansi Stuckey, hitting Stuckey at the 10 yard line with Giants’ defenders Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka chasing him down. Sanchez led the Jets to 20 points in 2 1/2 quarters of work.
“You get a little more confidence when you know your coach believes in you and has named you the starter,” Sanchez said. “It was similar to that at SC. Once you’re the guy, you talk a little different, you walk a little different and you act a little different.”
Backup RB Leon Washington, who was embroiled in contract controversy in the offseason, continued his incredible offseason, rushing nine times for 62 yards (nearly a 7.0 YPC!).
Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 11:59 pm by bryan
Mark Sanchez’s debut as a starter in the NFL got off to an awful start on Monday against the Baltimore Ravens. For head coach Rex Ryan, he saw enough promise to name Sanchez the starting QB for the Jets’ upcoming preseason game against the New York Giants – but more importantly – for the regular season opener.
On Sanchez’s first drive on Monday, he handed the ball off to Thomas Jones for 6 yards on first down, then received a vicious hit from linebacker Ray Lewis on second down as he threw a 25-yard Pick-6 to Haloti Ngata of the Ravens. It didn’t get much better for Sanchez from there, as Lewis nearly intercepted his second pass for another easy touchdown.
He finally connected on a 19-yard TD for his last pass of the game to RB Leon Washington, who carried the Jets’ offense on his 5’8” back for the entire first half.
The MNF commentators sure appreciated that Sanchez could get right back up and throw a TD after being literally and figuratively knocked down by the Ravens’ defense. Ryan, who came to the Jets during the offseason after 10 years as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, understood what he threw his rookie into, and admired Sanchez’s resolve.
“I’m proud of the way he responded,” Ryan said of Sanchez. “It ain’t going to be perfect; sometimes you have these type of nights. You’ve got to give credit where credit is due, and most of that goes to their defense.”
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 6:04 pm by bryan
According to head coach Rex Ryan, the Jets’ preseason game on Monday against the Baltimore Ravens could go a long way towards deciding the opening day QB.
“If there’s such a thing as a special preseason game, I think this is it,” Ryan said on Saturday, upon the team’s first practice after returning from training camp at SUNY Cortland.
Ryan, who just came to the Jets’ head coaching job after spending a decade as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, clearly holds his former defense in high regard.
“Obviously, you’re taking the body of work and it won’t be just through one game,” he said, “but if someone steps up and shines against what is one of the best defenses in the National Football League, then you’d have to weigh it more than you would going against somebody else.”
For his part, Sanchez sounds about as confident as a rookie QB could be, knowing that he’ll be staring down LB Ray Lewis in 48 hours. However, he warned that this was only one game, and should not be the only source of judgment on his overall performance, regardless of how he plays on Monday.
Coach Ryan promised that both Sanchez and QB Kellen Clemens would see snaps in the first half on Monday night, although he would not divulge specifics.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 9:58 pm by bryan
The Jets will be missing starting defensive end Shaun Ellis in their regular season opener at Houston on Sept. 13, as Ellis was suspended without pay Monday for the game and fined $100,000 for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
The 31-year-old DE was arrested in November on charges of possession of marijuana, speeding, and driving without insurance after being pulled over by police a few miles from the Jets’ training facility. After being uncooperative in producing his license, registration and insurance, Ellis willingly turned over the marijuana when the officer smelled it in his car, admitting to having smoked it the night before.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Ellis said after the morning practice at SUNY Cortland. “I knew there was a possibility of that. The league made a decision. That’s what I have to go by and I have to accept it.”
With linebacker Calvin Pace already having been sidelined for the opening four games in July after violating the league’s policy on performing-enhancing substances, the Jets will now be missing two of their defensive starters when they square off against Houston’s high powered offense with QB Matt Schaub, RB Steve Slaton, WR Andre Johnson and TE Owen Daniels.
“It hurts,” Ellis said. “It’s a situation that happened last year and for it to carry on into this year, it’s kind of tough. I just wish I would’ve been able to have dealt with it last year. This year is just going into things fresh with that behind me, but it didn’t happen that way.”
Ellis was also fined $10,000 by the NFL in December for throwing snow at fans after the Jets’ 13-3 loss to Seattle. In retaliation for fans throwing snowballs at the Jets players, Ellis picked up a large chunk of snow and heaved it into the stands at Qwest Field, appearing to hit a few fans but with no reported injuries.
Monday, August 17, 2009 at 7:12 pm by bryan
Jets head coach Rex Ryan named rookie QB Mark Sanchez the starter against the Baltimore Ravens in their week 2 preseason game on Mon., Aug. 24, according to ESPN. Sanchez was informed of the decision earlier today.
“I have my work cut out for me,” said Sanchez. “That’s why it wouldn’t be right of me or anyone else to make this a make-or-break game.”
Coach Ryan had previously determined that QB Kellen Clemens would start their first game against the Rams, and the QBs would flip-flop the next week. However, Sanchez’s performance in the Rams’ game might have made Ryan’s decision easier.
I think he earned the reps with the 1s and all that,” Ryan said. “It might have been done on paper that way in pencil, but he had to earn it. The guy had to earn his reps, and I think he’s done that. Without question, he’s done that.”
Despite the Jets’ loss, Sanchez came in with 28 seconds left in the first quarter and completed his first pass, a 48-yard bomb to David Clowney. He finished 3 for 4 for 88 yards in one series, which ended with a 1-yard TD run by Thomas Jones.
“He actually performed like I thought he would,” Ryan said of Sanchez. “He’s cool, doesn’t get rattled and just went in there and did a great job. He was part of the solution. He let his teammates work and, shoot, they drove it right down the field.”
Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 11:10 pm by bryan
Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez performed well enough in the team’s preseason opener to earn the first start of his young career. On Sunday, head coach Rex Ryan announced that he, not Kellen Clemens, will get the opportunity to see what he can do against the vaunted first-team defense of the Baltimore Ravens next Monday night.
Sanchez played one series in the opener against the St. Louis Rams, and it was a good one. New York’s top pick in this Spring’s draft completed 3 of 4 passes for 88 yards; 48 of them coming on the first play of his career, a deep connection with David Clowney. The drive culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by Thomas Jones. Meanwhile, Clemens went 4 of 4 over two series, but also lost a fumble.
It’s important to note that while he did stop short of naming Sanchez the regular season starter, he has spoken glowingly of him multiple times so far this preseason, something he hasn’t done of Clemens. At this point, unless Sanchez struggles mightily for the rest of the exhibition season, it’s hard to imagine the rookie not being thrown into the fire come September.
at 10:20 pm by reggy10
Rookie Jets QB Mark Sanchez may have eased some fears about how quickly he can adapt to the pro game. Despite the Jets losing to the St. Louis Rams on Friday night 23-20, Sanchez excelled in his only drive, leading the Jets to a score.
On his first play from scrimmage in the Jets’ preseason opener, Sanchez completed a 48-yard bomb to WR David Clowney (who later scored a touchdown).
“I said, ‘Here we go, man!” Sanchez said. “‘Let’s go! Let’s do it! Dial it up!”
Seven plays later, RB Thomas Jones punched in the TD from the 1 yard line. Rookie Rams’ head coach Steve Spagnuolo challenged the call but the play was upheld.
QB Kellen Clemens, competing with Sanchez for the starting job, completed all four of his attempted passes for 24 yards in the two series which he played.
Coach Rex Ryan has not named a starting QB for the Jets’ next preseason game against the Ravens on Monday, August 24.
Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 11:04 pm by bryan
Four veteran starters for the New York Jets are going to miss the team’s preseason opener against the St. Louis Rams on Friday while nursing injuries.
Cornerback Darrelle Revis, nose tackle Kris Jenkins, center Nick Mangold, and tackle Damien Woody are all a little banged up and will sit out as a precautionary measure. None of the injuries are considered serious.
Get used to news like this for the next few weeks. Few teams are going to push their veterans hard and risk turning a minor injury into a major one, not when the games are meaningless. And experienced players like these know how to prepare for the regular season and know how to take care of their bodies in August to be ready for September.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 9:16 pm by reggy10
6,100 raucous Jets fans came to the campus of SUNY Cortland last night for the Jets’ Green & White Scrimmage, ready to watch QB Kellen Clemens and rookie QB Mark Sanchez battle for the open starting quarterback job that was vacated by Brett Favre after his (second) retirement at the end of last season.
According to Sports Illustrated, Sanchez outplayed his veteran counterpart, completing nine of 15 passes – including four drops – for 70 yards while splitting reps with the first- and second-team offenses. Clemens completed five of seven for 26 yards. Neither QB led the team to score a touchdown – third stringer QB Erik Ainge was the only QB responsible for a score.
For those looking for a conclusive decision based on last night’s results: you’re out of luck. New head coach Rex Ryan hopes to have a QB decided by the third preseason game, but both Sanchez and Clemens will continue taking first-team reps at this point.
Sports Illustrated quoted Coach Ryan as saying [about Sanchez] , “I thought he did well. I think we all wanted to see what he could do. He was putting the ball out there and we just got to do a better job of catching them.”
For those not focused on the ongoing QB battle, this was also many fans’ first chance at seeing their new head coach in action. Ryan, known for his defensive prowess (and recently making news with his liquid diet that’s helped him lose 20 pounds in five days), has already instilled a tenacious energy in the defense.
Friday, August 7, 2009 at 4:15 pm by bryan
