NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

Transcription

1 NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS December 8, 2014 Table of Contents ASSOCIATED PRESS... 2 Jets find new way to lose in OT defeat to Vikings (Jon Krawczynski)... 2 Vikings race past Harvin, Jets in overtime (Dave Campbell)... 3 Minnesota homecomings for Havin, Decker and Wiliams (Dave Campbell)... 5 NEWSDAY... 5 Jets lose to Vikings in overtime on 87-yard TD (Jess Myers)... 5 It's time for Jets to start over (Bob Glauber)... 7 Percy Harvin dazzles in return to Minnesota until injury forces him out (Jess Myers)... 8 Grading Jets: Special teams gets an 'A' (Bob Glauber)... 9 Q&A: Despite early pick-6, Geno Smith plays better (Bob Glauber) THE RECORD Jets notes: No satisfaction for Decker in homecoming (J.P. Pelzman) Jets replay vs. Vikings (J.P. Pelzman) Jets lose to Minnesota, in OT (J.P. Pelzman) NJ ADVANCE MEDIA Breaking down what went wrong for Jets on Minnesota Vikings' game-winning touchdown (Darryl Slater) NFL draft order: Jets move up to fourth after overtime loss to Minnesota Vikings (Dom Cosentino) What Percy Harvin's ankle injury means for his future with the Jets (Dom Cosentino) Rex Ryan takes blame for Cover Zero call on Minnesota Vikings' touchdown that beat Jets (Darryl Slater) Story of the season: Jets go 0-for-5 in red zone in overtime loss to Minnesota Vikings (Dom Cosentino) Geno Smith plays solidly, but Jets still lose to Vikings in overtime Instant analysis (Dom Cosentino) Minnesota Vikings 30, Jets 24: The good, the bad and the ugly as the Jets invent another way to lose (Darryl Slater) Jets-Minnesota Vikings greetings from the press box: Will Jets let Geno Smith throw? (Darryl Slater) NEW YORK POST Harvin shows Vikings what they miss and what they don t (Mike Vaccaro) Geno Smith recovers from pick-six to put up decent game (Brian Costello) Teddy Bridgewater s poised play dooms Jets (Brian Costello) How Victor Cruz ignited the downfall of Rex Ryan s Jets (Mike Vaccaro) Jets report card: One play ruined the grade (Brian Costello) Jets plummet to 2-11 with pitiful OT loss to Vikings (Brian Costello) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS P a g e

2 Rex Ryan shoulders blame for NY Jets but Woody Johnson must know it extends beyond head coach (Manish Mehta) Sheldon Richardson sparks NY Jets' pass rush vs. Vikings (Seth Walder) NY Jets WR Percy Harvin comes alive against former team, but leaves game early with injury (Manish Mehta).. 32 Jets lose to Vikings in overtime on 87-yard Jarius Wright touchdown (Seth Walder) NEW YORK TIMES Geno Smith and Jets Fall Short Against Vikings (Pat Borzi) WALL STREET JOURNAL Jets Go for Broke in Minnesota, End Up Broke (Alex Raskin) ESPN NEW YORK Rex Ryan: Don't blame Woody Johnson for lousy season (Rich Cimini) Geno Smith shows mettle, rebounds from horrendous start (Rich Cimini) Rock bottom: Rex Ryan outsmarted by rookie quarterback (Rich Cimini) Percy Harvin could be done for year (Rich Cimini) Rex Ryan takes blame for blitz that backfired in OT (Rich Cimini) Rapid Reaction: New York Jets (Rich Cimini) METRO NEW YORK Rex Ryan and Marty Mornhinweg relationship not fractured (Kristian Dyer) Turnovers plague Jets in overtime loss to Vikings (Kristian Dyer) SUNDAY S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS ASSOCIATED PRESS Jets find new way to lose in OT defeat to Vikings (Jon Krawczynski) Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Rex Ryan has faced plenty of calls for his ouster during another trying season for the New York Jets. After his big gamble in overtime against Minnesota went bust, he's sure to hear some more. The embattled coach brought the house with one of his trademark blitzes on third down, and Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater saw it coming all the way. He changed the play to a screen pass that Jarius Wright took for an 87-yard touchdown to beat the Jets on Sunday. "That game's clearly on my shoulders," Ryan said. "Calling that third down, trying to get off the field on cover-zero (blitz). He hadn't hit anything against it all day. Probably showed our hand a little too early there." After stopping the Jets (2-11) on the opening possession of overtime, the Vikings faced a third-and-5 from their 13-yard line. As Bridgewater came under center, the Jets defense started to crowd the line of scrimmage, prompting the young QB to check to a screen designed to get the ball out of his hand quickly before the defense had a chance to get to him. 2 P a g e

3 Bridgewater zipped the ball out to his right and Wright made a twisting grab to haul it in, broke a tackle from Jaiquawn Jarrett and then won a foot race with defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson for the secondlongest overtime touchdown in league history. "Teddy saw what they were going to be in and we switched to the better call," Wright said. "I'm glad I had the chance to be in that situation." It was a gut punch of an ending in a season full of them for the Jets, who hung in there on Sunday after Geno Smith had an interception returned 27 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. Smith rebounded to finish 18 for 29 for 254 yards, including a pretty 35-yard touchdown to former Viking Percy Harvin in the first quarter. Harvin had six catches for 124 yards and added a 47-yard kickoff return in his first game in Minnesota since he was traded to Seattle before last season. Nick Folk kicked five field goals, Richardson had three sacks and a safety and the Jets rolled up 410 yards of offense. But they also failed to score a touchdown on five trips inside the red zone, turned it over again when Chris Ivory was inches from the goal line and fumbled and failed to capitalize on the numerous opportunities the Vikings (6-7) gave them. "I feel for every guy on this team," Smith said. "I know the effort that we put into it. I know how badly everyone wants to win and I know that it means a lot to our community, to the fans, including myself and everybody. But it's hard to have to keep losing this way." Bridgewater was 19 for 27 for 309 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and Charles Johnson had four catches for 103 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings. It only got worse for the Jets after the game, when Harvin needed crutches to get out of the stadium after leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an injured left ankle. "I can't even put it into words," Harvin said. "Especially at the end of the game, you've got OT, the offense is playing well, the game on the line, I definitely, definitely didn't want to be on the sideline. I wanted to be in that battle with my guys to finish this thing out. But I couldn't go." Jets owner Woody Johnson left the stadium without offering comment, but Ryan insisted that the focus should be on the coaching staff and not the owner's suite. "Woody's competitive. He wants what's best for this football team," Ryan said. "He's passionate and he wants to put a great product on the field and obviously, today, he wants to win. Like anything else, so I'm responsible for this and I'll tell Woody and our fans and everybody else that. This is on me. "But one thing. Obviously, I deserve a lot of criticism for the way this team's performed this season. I get that. But Woody doesn't. I can tell you that much. The Jets are in good hands with him as the owner, that's for sure." NOTES: Harvin's receiving touchdown was his first since 2012, when he was playing for the Vikings.... Jets WR Eric Decker had six catches for 89 yards in his return to his alma mater, the University of Minnesota, where the Vikings are playing while their new stadium is being built.... It was Ivory's first fumble since Vikings race past Harvin, Jets in overtime (Dave Campbell) Associated Press 3 P a g e

4 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Percy Harvin was hurting on the sideline, unable to help the New York Jets. Jarius Wright ended the game with the kind of electrifying play Harvin used to make in Minnesota. Wright's 87-yard reception from Teddy Bridgewater, the second-longest overtime passing touchdown in NFL history, gave the Vikings a victory over Harvin and the Jets on Sunday. "We ran it a couple other times," Wright said. "I thought in my head there was a chance to score." Bridgewater saw the Jets ready to bring heavy pressure on third-and-5, so he used a check to call for the bubble screen pass. Jets coach Rex Ryan, who moved one loss closer to a possible firing after the season, second-guessed himself for the blitz. "He hadn't hit anything against it all day. Probably showed our hand a little too early there," Ryan said, adding: "But I came here to win the game, not just play it close. Obviously, so that's clearly on my shoulders." Bridgewater threw a bit high, but Wright jumped for the off-balance grab, slipped by Jaiquawn Jarrett and outran defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson the rest of the way with a block by John Sullivan to help spring the sprint. "I just missed the tackle. There's no excuse for that. I've got to get him on the ground," Jarrett said. Booed every time his name was announced, Harvin hobbled off the field after taking a hard hit from Josh Robinson as he neared the sideline late in the fourth quarter. Harvin had a 35-yard touchdown reception and a 47-yard kickoff return. He finished with 124 yards on six catches in his first game in Minnesota in more than two years after playing his first 3 1/2 seasons with the Vikings (6-7), who beat the Jets for the first time in eight matchups since Oct. 12, "I wanted to be in that battle with my guys to finish this thing out. But I couldn't go," said Harvin, who left on crutches. Cordarrelle Patterson, the player the Vikings drafted last year to take Harvin's place, was again a nonfactor with the offense and lost a fumble on a kickoff that led to one of five field goals by Nick Folk, who tied the game at 24 with 23 seconds left in regulation. Gerald Hodges returned an interception thrown by Geno Smith for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, but the much-maligned second-year quarterback bounced back for the Jets (2-11) by going 18 for 29 for 254 yards and tallying 33 yards rushing on six attempts. Smith was just 7 of 13 for 49 yards against Miami in the last game. The Jets totaled 410 yards of offense, their second-highest output this season. "We didn't cover anybody today. We let them off on third downs. We didn't protect the quarterback nearly as well as I'd thought," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said, listing his disappointments. "We were sloppy with the ball. I don't know. How much time you got?" Richardson had a safety among his three sacks, but Bridgewater wasn't rattled by that big hit he took in his own end zone in the first quarter. He finished 19 of 27 for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Charles Johnson caught the first one for 56 yards and totaled 103 yards on four receptions. Johnson almost scored again in the second quarter, when Bridgewater connected as he was hit for a 22- yard gain to the goal line. Johnson fumbled as he tried to reach across, but Jerome Felton dived between two Jets to recover it in the end zone for his first career score and a lead for the Vikings. 4 P a g e

5 "Go out there and let it rip and don't worry about overthinking things and trying to be perfect," has become Bridgewater's mantra, at the urging of quarterbacks coach Scott Turner. Said Bridgewater: "Because when you try to be perfect, that's when you make mistakes." NOTES: According to STATS research, the only series with a longer stretch of one team beating the other was between the Jets and Philadelphia from Dec. 9, The Eagles have never lost to the Jets in nine matchups. Denver's 10 straight wins over Cleveland is the longest active streak in the league by number of games.... Vikings DT Sharrif Floyd aggravated his knee injury and didn't play in the second half. SS Robert Blanton hurt his left leg and was scheduled for an MRI test. LG Charlie Johnson also left the game, with a sprained right ankle.... Eric Decker had six catches for 89 yards for the Jets in his return to his alma mater.... Harvin's last scoring reception was for the Vikings on Oct. 25, 2012, against Tampa Bay, also the last time he played in Minnesota. Minnesota homecomings for Havin, Decker and Wiliams (Dave Campbell) Associated Press Percy Harvin will play in Minnesota for the first time since Oct. 25, 2012, before the moody-and-multitalented wide receiver hurt his ankle, fell out of favor and was traded by the Vikings to Seattle. This afternoon will be more meaningful, though, for a couple of Harvin s teammates with the New York Jets. There s wide receiver Eric Decker, of course, who finished his college career at Minnesota at the site of Sunday s game, TCF Bank Stadium. Decker grew up in Cold Spring, about 80 miles to the northwest. There s also cornerback Marcus Williams, an undrafted rookie from North Dakota State who was promoted from the practice squad and is making his fifth straight start. Williams is from Hopkins, a secondring suburb of Minneapolis, and he has a past memorable performance on this field, too. In 2011, Williams helped the FCS champion Bison upset the Gophers with a pair of defensive touchdowns off turnovers. NEWSDAY Jets lose to Vikings in overtime on 87-yard TD (Jess Myers) Newsday On the game's final play, the Jets allowed an 87-yard touchdown pass. On their first play, Geno Smith threw a pick-6. In between, the Jets did pretty well. Fine, but they still lost, 30-24, in overtime to the Vikings Sunday and fell to 2-11 with their 11th defeat in the past 12 games. On third-and-5 from his 13-yard line, with the Jets blitzing, rookie Teddy Bridgewater audibled into a bubble screen. Slot receiver Jarius Wright leaped high to grab the pass, broke a tackle by safety Jaiquawn Jarrett and raced down the right sideline, eluding Sheldon Richardson and Phillip Adams for the touchdown 4:39 into OT. 5 P a g e

6 "That game's clearly on my shoulders," Rex Ryan said. "Calling that blitz in cover-zero, trying to get off the field. He hadn't hit anything against it all day. Probably showed our hand a little too early there." Jarrett shouldered the blame, too. "He didn't get by me, I just missed the tackle,'' he said. "There's no excuse for that. I've got to get him on the ground.'' That's been the Jets' position throughout this miserable season, and despite some encouraging play by Smith, they went down again. It didn't matter that they ran for 168 yards, got three sacks from Richardson and had a 35:52-28:47 edge in time of possession. As usual, the Jets still figured out a way to lose. A cold wind was blowing through the open end of TCF Bank Stadium, and it immediately got colder for the Jets. Linebacker Gerald Hodges' 27-yard interception return gave the Vikings (6-7) a 7-0 lead 12 seconds into the game. For Smith, things got better -- they pretty much had to -- and the Jets even led, briefly, but red-zone failures would haunt them. On five trips inside the Vikings' 20, they settled for four Nick Folk field goals and committed a turnover. "If I knew the answer, we would have corrected it,'' said Smith, who completed 18 of 29 passes for 254 yards and ran for 33 yards. "There's a number of reasons for it. Turnovers. Penalties. Lack of execution. But it ultimately comes down to concentration. Really just wanting to score when you get down there. A sense of urgency has to be heightened in the red zone.'' Minnesota took a lead in a crazy first 20 minutes, but the Jets appeared to right themselves. Then Smith led a 76-yard drive that ended when safety Andrew Sendejo forced a Chris Ivory fumble that the Vikings recovered at the 4 midway through the second quarter. "That's a thing we emphasize all the time,'' Ryan said. "We run the ball and we fumble it running in. Chris Ivory, all of a sudden the ball gets knocked out. It's been that kind of year for us. We just miss an opportunity to make a big play.'' Smith recovered quickly from the pick-6. After Richardson sacked Bridgewater for a safety on Minnesota's first possession, Smith hit Percy Harvin for a 35-yard score and a 9-7 lead. "You get behind seven points right off the bat and you feel like momentum has swung big time,'' receiver Eric Decker said. "We buckled up and [Geno] led us down. We all settled down at that point and just started executing what we do best, fought back into it, got a safety, got a touchdown and the next thing you know we're right back in the battle.'' Minnesota led at the half and after three quarters, but two Folk field goals in the fourth forced overtime. The last one came with 23 seconds left, after Smith led a three-minute drive that included his escape from a sack on an 18-yard scramble to the Vikings' 32. Folk hit from 44 yards to tie it at 24. The Vikings had a chance to avoid overtime, but Blair Walsh's 56-yard field-goal try as time expired fell well short. After the Jets won the overtime coin toss, they drove past midfield but stalled, and a punt pinned Minnesota deep. Three plays later, Wright was celebrating in the end zone as the Viking horn blared. But if the Jets had converted one more drive into seven points instead of three... "What killed us was that we were 0-for-5 in the red zone,'' Ryan said. "Obviously, that hurts. We hit one of those, the game's over.'' 6 P a g e

7 It's time for Jets to start over (Bob Glauber) Newsday A grim-faced Woody Johnson walked quickly through the concrete hallway beneath TCF Bank Stadium, where his pathetic team had just lost another game in mind-numbing fashion yesterday. Flanked by a security guard, his brother, Chris, and a handful of others, Johnson was asked if he had any comment about the state of his team after this latest loss pushed the Jets' record to Johnson continued walking, his back to his questioners, and gave a dismissive wave. Not here. Not now. It won't be much longer before Johnson offers his take on the state of his team. Even then, words won't be necessary. Johnson's actions will tell you all you need to know about how he feels. Once these next three games against the Titans, Patriots and Dolphins are over, Johnson will state his intentions. And given the increasingly futile state of his team, it would be a shock if he doesn't completely blow up the operation and start anew. It's what needs to happen. Coach Rex Ryan, the overseer of the worst season since the Rich Kotite era? Gone. General manager John Idzik, the architect of a roster at the heart of a stunning regression from last year's 8-8 season? Gone. It is virtually impossible for Johnson to justify anything other than the biggest housecleaning of his 15- year run as the team's owner. Ryan has outlived his usefulness near the end of his sixth season -- and fourth straight without a playoff berth. And though it is unusual for a GM to be shown the door after just two seasons, it was an unusual and awkward setup from the beginning. Johnson wanted to keep Ryan instead of letting Idzik choose his own coach, and Idzik was on board. The relationship showed some initial promise last season, as the Jets rallied late to finish.500. But with Geno Smith showing he simply isn't ready to be a franchise quarterback, and with Idzik putting Ryan in a winnow mode with a roster that was anything close to win-now, it will be hard for Johnson to swallow hard and entrust Idzik with selecting a new coach and investing another two to three years to see if it will work. It doesn't guarantee that a new regime will succeed, but continuing along the same path isn't the answer, either. An unusually toxic relationship has built up between Idzik and a restless fan base, some of whom have gone to great lengths to express their frustration with the bookish GM. Billboards near MetLife Stadium calling for his ouster, and a flyover at practice demanding the same thing, underscore how difficult it will be for Johnson to pledge his continued allegiance. Especially at a time when a GM with more of a personnel background would be better suited to making the roster moves that will lead to meaningful and sustained success. Idzik is an intelligent and decent man who has worked tirelessly to transform this team into a winner. But when you're 2-11 with a quarterback you've selected as your answer at the most important position in 7 P a g e

8 the sport, and when your defensive backfield is a shell of what it needs to be, then there is a price to be paid. It's the bottom-line nature of this business. Cold and cruel, sometimes, but that's the way it is. Idzik sat in stone silence alongside assistant GM Rod Graves as the Jets collapsed in overtime against the Vikings. What was there to say? It was another in a series of excruciating losses for a franchise that comes up with an astonishing assortment of ways to lose. This time, it was an 87-yard touchdown in overtime, as rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater recognized that the Jets were coming on a blitz and changed the play at the line of scrimmage. Bridgewater checked to a wide-receiver screen, hitting unheralded Jarius Wright on a short pass and then seeing Wright take off up the right sideline. "Woody's competitive, he wants what's best for this football team," Ryan said afterward. "He's passionate and he wants to put a great product on the field... Obviously, I deserve a lot of criticism for the way this team's performed this season. I get that. But Woody doesn't. I can tell you that much. The Jets are in good hands with him as the owner, that's for sure." After seeing his team find one more agonizing way to lose, Johnson knows his next statement needs to begin with big changes in the weeks ahead. Percy Harvin dazzles in return to Minnesota until injury forces him out (Jess Myers) Newsday Jets receiver Percy Harvin's first game back in Minnesota Sunday -- where he began his career and was named the NFL's top offensive rookie in featured glimpses of what Vikings fans saw from him during his four seasons here. It also featured one of the great frustrations during his ultimately unfulfilled time, both with the Vikings and Seahawks, as an injury prevented him from helping his new team, the Jets. Harvin caught the Jets' lone touchdown, hauling in a 35-yard pass from Geno Smith in the end zone. He saluted the Vikings fans to a chorus of boos. Then he flipped the ball into the stands to a Vikings fan wearing a No. 84 jersey. That's the number now worn by Cordarrelle Patterson, the new speedy SEC product who can return kicks, catch passes and run out of the backfield. Patterson is the guy Minnesota hopes will fulfill Harvin's old role, eventually. On the Jets' final drive of regulation, Harvin caught a 9-yard pass and was hit hard near his team's sideline. He did not return to the game. He left the locker room on crutches, after being checked by trainers because of a left ankle injury. "I can't even put it into words," Harvin said when asked to describe his frustration at the injury. "Especially at the end of the game, you've got OT, the offense is playing well, the game on the line, I definitely, definitely didn't want to be on the sideline, I wanted to be in that battle with my guys to finish this thing out. But I couldn't go." When he could play, he was often spectacular, showing off the speed that made the Vikings draft him in the first round in 2009, and that helped Seattle win the Super Bowl last season. He was the game's leading receiver, catching six passes for 124 yards, and picking up 109 more yards on four kickoff returns. 8 P a g e

9 "He was the difference in the game. He gave us a great shot with his return ability, as a receiver, everything," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "He did a tremendous job for us and obviously, we know what kind of explosive player he is. The kind of talent he has is rare." Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wasn't in Minnesota to coach Harvin, but came into the game fully aware of the wrinkles he brings, and said that slowing the speedy Jet was the home team's biggest challenge. "When he was starting to catch balls and we had to change and start concentrating on him a lot more, that was the most disappointing thing for me," Zimmer said. A throng of reporters crowded around Harvin after the game, asking him about the kick returns and the touchdown, and asking just as many questions about the injury. Harvin had surgery on his right ankle in 2012 after missing 10 games for the Vikings, in a season when he appeared to be in the offensive MVP discussion before going down. Sunday, in his return to where his pro career began, he showed glimpses of both the incredible talent that can win games, and the frustrating injuries that in this case can derail them. Grading Jets: Special teams gets an 'A' (Bob Glauber) Newsday OFFENSE C Many of the final numbers were certainly impressive: 410 total yards, 47-percent third-down efficiency, and Geno Smith threw for 254 yards and a touchdown. But Smith did have that pick-6 on the first play of the game, and the Jets were once again abysmal in the red zone. No matter how well you move it between the 20s, you have to make the most of your opportunities, and five Nick Folk field goals won't get it done. Percy Harvin had a terrific game with six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown before leaving late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. DEFENSE C- Even without suspended running back Adrian Peterson, the Vikings were efficient enough to produce 114 rushing yards, but it was rookie Teddy Bridgewater who did the most damage with 309 passing yards and two touchdowns for a rating. The Jets were caught on the final play of the game showing a blitz, and Bridgewater responded by changing the play at the line of scrimmage to a wide-receiver screen. It wound up going 87 yards for the winning score. The Jets got good pressure on Bridgewater -- Sheldon Richardson had a career-high three sacks, including a safety -- but Bridgewater solved the defense in the end. SPECIAL TEAMS A Folk, who missed two field goals last Monday against the Dolphins and sustained a hip flexor, was perfect on all five attempts, including a 44-yarder late in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. Punter Ryan Quigley had two punts inside the 20, and the Vikings were a non-factor on kickoff returns, particularly Cordarrelle Patterson, who averaged 21.5 yards on four returns. 9 P a g e

10 COACHING C Rex Ryan came into the game with a career record of 8-1 against rookie quarterbacks, but Bridgewater got the best of him this time. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called a much more balanced game than Monday's loss to the Dolphins, but his inability to fix the team's red-zone problems has been an issue all season and continued against the Vikings. Q&A: Despite early pick-6, Geno Smith plays better (Bob Glauber) Newsday Did Geno Smith feel more comfortable running the offense after throwing only 13 times in Monday's loss to the Dolphins? Mostly yes. Smith looked more comfortable in the passing game, and actually was given the chance to make a considerable number of throws, completing 18-for-29 for 254 yards, with one touchdown and a pick-6 on his first attempt. The big drawback: red-zone efficiency. The Jets had to settle for four Nick Folk field goals on five trips inside the Vikings' 20. "I think I did a decent job,'' Smith said. "Obviously, rebounding from the first play was huge and definitely helped my confidence. There are still some plays I wish I could have back. "You look at the first play of the game, throw a pick-6, I'm pretty sure in everyone's mind [it's] 'Oh, here we go again.' But in my mind, I erase it and you move on from there. Every single play is different. Whether you're running the ball 50 times or passing the ball 50 times, it's about execution, and it takes 11 men to do so, not just one.'' Did Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater change the final play of the game at the line of scrimmage? Yes. After making a hard snap count, Bridgewater noticed that the Jets were in a formation that called for an all-out blitz. So he changed the play to a short pass to his right to Jarius Wright. Safety Jaiquawn Jarrett had a shot at Wright but failed to make the tackle, and Wright raced 87 yards for the touchdown. "We didn't hold our water [and showed blitz]," defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said. "If you show your hand too early, you just have to make the [tackle]." Rex Ryan took full responsibility for the call. "Kid made a nice check to a screen pass, which we knew was coming,'' he said. "We've got to make a tackle.'' Did Richardson, who had three sacks, including one for a safety, feel a need to make more plays because defensive end Mo Wilkerson was sidelined? Yes. Wilkerson has missed the last two games with turf toe, and he's hoping to be back for Sunday's game against the Titans in Tennessee. Richardson had the first multisack game of his career. "You could say that,'' Richardson said about needing to step up in Wilkerson's absence. "There's plays I left out there for me to make. I wish him a speedy recovery.'' Is Percy Harvin's ankle injury related to the one that required surgery in 2012? 10 P a g e

11 No. Harvin suffered what appeared to be a sprained left ankle late in the fourth quarter. He needed surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right ankle two years ago. At 2-11, does Rex Ryan feel as if he's run out of ideas to help his team? No way. "You go right back to work and put a plan together that we feel good about,'' he said. "That's what we owe our players, owe our fans, and that's exactly what we do. Our team's tough. We'll keep fighting. We'll keep competing to the end. We've got three games left and every game's precious.'' Did Jets receiver Eric Decker, who starred at the University of Minnesota, enjoy his return to the stadium? Sure did, although there's one thing he hasn't missed. "Always fun to get back,'' he said. "Very cold. I'd forgotten how cold it is here. But good to be back on campus and see a lot of family and friends.'' Did the Vikings know Geno Smith was going to attempt the pass that was intercepted by linebacker Gerald Hodges? They did. Hodges, who returned the interception 27 yards for a touchdown, said coach Mike Zimmer showed him the play during the week. Smith was attempting to complete a slant route to Harvin. "We worked really hard on formations this week,'' Hodges said. "You get the chance to see the formations so many times, that when it comes up in game time, you see the formation and you already know the play is coming. You put yourself in position before the ball is even snapped.'' Has Ryan ever lost an overtime game in such miserable fashion? Yes. When he was defensive coordinator for the Ravens in 2007, the Dolphins got their only win of the season when Cleo Lemon hit Greg Camarillo on a short pass that turned into a 64-yard touchdown in overtime. "Got split in two-man [coverage] one time, and I had an extra [defensive back] in there,'' Ryan said. "Dolphins in Baltimore. I remember that one, too. Those have a tendency to stick with you for a lifetime, just like this one.'' THE RECORD Jets notes: No satisfaction for Decker in homecoming (J.P. Pelzman) The Record December 8, Eric Decker came open across the middle on third-and-3, gathered in Geno Smith s pass and got to the Minnesota 47-yard-line before he was stopped. It appeared the Minnesota native s 26-yard catch might be the first big play in a potential game-winning drive for the Jets in overtime. But in this Jets season, there are no storybook endings, only horror stories. The drive stalled and the Jets punted, which led to the 87-yard game-winning touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater to Jarius Wright. 11 P a g e

12 "At crunch time, they made a play," said Decker, a former standout at the University of Minnesota who was playing for the first time as a pro in the stadium in which he finished his college career. "It s tough to lose a game that way, but take nothing away from the fight that we had. It s just unfortunate that we haven t found a way yet to win a football game in the fourth quarter." Decker had six receptions for 89 yards. SECONDARY SHUFFLE: Coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman rotated players at all four of the secondary positions during the game, with cornerback Darrin Walls benched for a portion of the game after surrendering a 56-yard scoring catch to Charles Johnson in the first period. However, he returned later. Rookie Calvin Pryor, the team s first-round pick, started at one of the safety slots in place of veteran Dawan Landry, who was part of the rotation later. Ryan called the play of the cornerbacks "a little inconsistent." He said, "At times, I thought we played really well and then [at] other times we made some mistakes." Walls had an interception for the second consecutive game. BRIEFS: Tight end Jeff Cumberland had a drop in the end zone, which was one of many reasons why Nick Folk attempted five field goals. The Jets scored no touchdowns in five red-zone trips. Folk bounced back from a rare poor game against Miami, in which he missed two of his four field-goal attempts. He went 5- for-5 against the Vikings, connecting from 36, 33, 22, 24 and 44 yards. That tied a career-high for Folk, who also made five in the Jets last meeting with the Vikings, a Gang Green victory in October Former Jets OL Vlad Ducasse had been playing mostly on special teams in recent weeks, but he took over at left guard in the third quarter when starter Charlie Johnson suffered a leg injury. Johnson didn t return and Ducasse finished the game. Ducasse was a second-round pick of the Jets in 2010, but lost his starting job to Brian Winters last season and then left via free agency. The Jets are 0-6 away from MetLife Stadium this season, and 7-23 since the beginning of the 2011 campaign. Jets replay vs. Vikings (J.P. Pelzman) The Record December 8, Star of the game Minnesota QB Teddy Bridgewater completed 19 of 27 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning 87-yarder to Jarius Wright. Granted, Wright did most of the work on the short pass, but it was Bridgewater who recognized the Jets full blitz in his pre-snap read and audibled to the screen pass to Wright. Wright had 123 yards on four receptions. Bridgewater threw one interception, but it was on a desperation heave on the final play before halftime. Costly mistakes Minnesota LB Gerald Hodges intercepted a pass by Geno Smith on the first play from scrimmage and returned it 27 yards for a score. It was the eighth pick-six of Smith s two-year career. Jets RB Chris Ivory lost a fumble at the Minnesota 2 in the second quarter. Former Jets S Andrew Sendejo stripped the ball from Ivory. Minnesota special-teamer AntoneExum Jr. had a clear shot at Jeremy Kerley s muffed punt in the fourth quarter, but couldn t recover it and the Jets Phillip Adams corralled it. The Jets got a tying field goal on that possession, forcing overtime. 12 P a g e

13 Eye-catching Jets WR Chris Owusu, re-signed to the active roster Thursday after Greg Salas (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve, made a terrific catch for a 7-yard gain in the second quarter. Minnesota CB Josh Robinson upended Owusu and jarred the ball loose, but Owusu caught the carom while on the ground. Charles Johnson, who beat Jets CB Darrin Walls for a 56-yard TD catch in the first quarter, had Phillip Adams beaten even worse in the fourth quarter, but Bridgewater underthrew Johnson and the pass fell incomplete. Former Don Bosco standout Corey Wootton had three tackles for Minnesota. DE Justin Trattou, also formerly from Bosco, made his Vikings debut after being signed last week. Coaching decisions Jets coach Rex Ryan challenged a 17-yard completion to Minnesota s Greg Jennings in the third quarter, contending that Jennings was out of bounds. He lost and is 2-for-7 on challenges this season. The Vikings didn t score on the possession, which ended with Blair Walsh pushing a 39-yard field-goal attempt wide right. The Jets offense was more balanced Sunday. They had 42 rushes and 29 pass attempts. Against Miami on Monday, they had 49 rushes and 13 passes. Looking ahead The Jets (2-11) will visit Tennessee (2-11) on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. Tennessee failed to score an offensive TD in a 36-7 loss to the Giants. The Jets and Titans are tied with Oakland, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay for the worst record in the NFL. Jets lose to Minnesota, in OT (J.P. Pelzman) The Record MINNEAPOLIS Geno Smith threw an interception on the Jets first play from scrimmage Sunday, and it was returned for a touchdown. But the Jets recovered from that horrible start and forced overtime, only to lose on Teddy Bridgewater s 87-yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright 4:39 into overtime at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota s victory marked the third consecutive loss for the Jets (2-11). Former University of Minnesota star Eric Decker had a 26-yard catch to the Minnesota 47 on the Jets lone overtime possession. But the drive stalled and the Jets punted. Minnesota took over at its 8 and the TD came on a wide receiver screen on third-and-5. Wright slipped out of an attempted tackle by safety Jaiquawn Jarrett and sprinted down the right sideline before leaping into the stands. The Jets blitzed heavily on the play, leaving themselves vulnerable once Wright broke containment. Nick Folk s 44-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 24. The kick answered a 20-yarder by Minnesota s Blair Walsh that had put the Vikings ahead with 5:23 to go in the fourth quarter. On the first offensive play, Smith made what his become a common mistake for him during his two-year NFL career. He eyed his intended target, Harvin, until he let go of his pass. Hodges made a nice catch of the ball, which was behind him, and then covered the 27 yards to the end zone. But the Jets quickly bounced back. Sheldon Richardson sacked Bridgewater in the end zone for a safety, and Smith threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Harvin on the Jets next possession. Harvin made a nice adjustment on his route to catch the pass. Harvin left the game before overtime with a sprained left ankle, and was on crutches in the locker room. 13 P a g e

14 Minnesota (6-7) responded on Bridgewater s 56-yard scoring pass to Charles Johnson, who beat cornerback Darrin Walls. The play gave the Vikings a 14-9 lead with 5:53 left in the first quarter. Folk s 36-yard field goal cut the deficit to 14-12, and he also connected on a 33-yarder with 17 seconds left in the first half. In between those two kicks, Minnesota scored another touchdown. Bridgewater again connected with Johnson for 22 yards to the Jets 1, but safety Jarrett knocked the ball loose before Johnson crossed the goal line. However, Minnesota s Jerome Felton beat Phillip Adams to the ball and recovered it for the score. The Jets chipped away at Minnesota s lead in the second half. Folk connected from 22 yards on the Jets first possession of the second half, but they could have had more than three points. Bilal Powell forced a fumble by Cordarrelle Patterson on the second-half kickoff and T.J. Graham recovered at the Minnesota 26. Runs of 9 and 14 yards by Chris Ivory gave the Jets a first-and-goal at the 3, but they lost 1 yard on three plays and settled for Folk s kick. Folk s 44-yarder 45 seconds into the fourth quarter tied the score at 21. It capped an 11-play, 65-yard drive. The Jets were lucky they got that much. On third-and-3 from the 6, defensive end Brian Robison deflected Smith s pass and defensive end Everson Griffen nearly intercepted it. NJ ADVANCE MEDIA Breaking down what went wrong for Jets on Minnesota Vikings' game-winning touchdown (Darryl Slater) Star-Ledger _vikings_game-winning_screen_touchdown_pass.html MINNEAPOLIS -- The Jets' defenders listened and waited, ready to surge toward the Vikings' rookie quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, and pummel him. The Jets and Vikings were knotted at 24 with 10:35 remaining in overtime Sunday, and Minnesota was backed up in its own end, facing third down and 5 at the 13-yard line. Jets coach Rex Ryan, who later took blame for the decision he was about to make, called a Cover Zero play, with no deep defenders. Ryan was going to come right after Bridgewater, force him to make a mistake, look like a floundering rookie. Except Bridgewater never let Ryan get his way, because before the Jets' rushers could even breach the line of scrimmage, Bridgewater made a savvy, veteran decision. Bridgewater shouted a hard snap count, baiting the Jets into moving and revealing their plans for an allout blitz. Aware of their impending blitz now, Bridgewater changed his play call to a quick screen pass -- a built-in option for this particular play, which was initially going to be a different kind of pass. "I just saw the (Jets') look and got us into the right play," Bridgewater said. All of this happened before Bridgewater even touched the ball, before he zipped the screen pass to Jarius Wright, before safety Jaiquawn Jarrett botched a tackle attempt, before Wright ran free, for an 87-yard touchdown that gave the Vikings a win. 14 P a g e

15 Great quarterbacks separate themselves from good ones before the snap. Bridgewater has a long way to go toward greatness. But this was a great play, in a moment that demanded it, against a Jets team (and secondary) whose season just keeps getting worse every week. "We didn't hold our water," Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said of the defense showing its hand. "He faked us out a little bit with a pre-hut and made a check. If you show your hand too early, it's kind of dead fish out there really." Richardson said the Jets did "not really" have time to adjust their defense back to a different call, to counter Bridgewater's pre-snap check. Let's take a look at how this decisive play unfolded, from start to finish. Here is how the Jets lined up. Cornerbacks Darrin Walls and Kyle Wilson, and Jarrett are the three defenders at the top of the image, from top to bottom. The Vikings' three receivers on that side of the formation are Wright, Greg Jennings and tight end Kyle Rudolph. Safety Calvin Pryor, seen here at the linebacker level, will blitz up the middle when the ball is snapped. So Walls, Wilson and Jarrett were the last lines of defense on the receiver-heavy side of the formation. The Jets' seven-man blitz didn't get to Bridgewater before he turned to throw. Jennings and Rudolph fanned out to block. But Walls, Wilson and Jarrett were all in position to close on the play and make the tackle. Jennings popped Walls, who was responsible for Wright. Rudolph was heading toward blocking Wilson. Again, as you can see, even as Wright catches the ball, Jarrett had a clear path to make the tackle and stop Wright behind the first-down marker. Walls was blocked out of the play, but he did what he could, despite being blocked. "My guy caught the screen, and the inside receiver came out to block me," Walls said. "I forced the ball back inside, and I didn't see what happened after that. Screens sometimes can be difficult to cover in Cover Zero. We've just got to get the guy on the ground." Jarrett couldn't do it. So where to Jarrett go wrong? Wright cut to the right as Jarrett approached him. Jarrett failed to counter the juke, and could only dive for a tackle attempt. He grabbed Wright's ankle, but Wright wiggled free and ran away. Jarrett simply didn't react fast enough to Wright's move, so Jarrett ended up over-running the tackle attempt a bit. "I've just got to trust my technique and get him on the ground," Jarrett said. "I've just got to make the play. I've got to make sure I wrap up and grab cloth." Wright said that once he got into the open field, he told himself, "I have to score." Richardson played an excellent game Sunday, with three sacks, but he couldn't catch up to Wright. And that was that. "I was close, but my legs were kind of dead, so I couldn't dive to get him," Richardson said. Here is one last look at the game-winning play in full speed: 2015 NFL draft order: Jets move up to fourth after overtime loss to Minnesota Vikings (Dom Cosentino) NJ.com 15 P a g e

16 time_loss_to_minnesota_vikings.html MINNEAPOLIS The Jets might be disappointed after their overtime loss to the Vikings here on Sunday, but the did improve their position for one of the top picks in next year's draft as a result. After last week's games, the Jets were slotted to get the No. 5 overall pick. But now they've moved up to No. 4. The three teams that entered the weekend with the same 2-10 record as the Jets Bucs, Jaguars, Titans all also lost on Sunday. But the Raiders, who were in position to get the No. 1 pick, knocked off the 49ers. That means there's now a five-way tie among 2-11 teams. But because the Raiders have played the hardest schedule of that group, according to last week's tiebreakers at NFL.com, their draft position has now fallen all the way to fifth. Here's how the top five picks in the draft would shake out if they were to be determined as of Sunday evening: 5. Raiders (2-11) 4. Jets (2-11) 3. Jaguars (2-11) 2. Titans (2-11) 1. Bucs (2-11) The Jets' remaining three games are at the Titans, home against the Patriots (9-3), and at the Dolphins (7-6). What Percy Harvin's ankle injury means for his future with the Jets (Dom Cosentino) NJ.com ith_the_jets.html MINNEAPOLIS Percy Harvin struggled to get to his feet. Once he did, he needed to grab a chair just so he could turn around. He couldn't say whether his left ankle was broken or severely sprained. He just knew he couldn't put any weight on it. In Sunday's overtime loss to the Vikings, Harvin finally had the kind of performance the Jets had been hoping for when they shipped a conditional draft pick to the Seahawks to get him back in October. But he left the game late in the fourth quarter with the injury and did not return, and he eventually left the locker room on crutches. Two years ago, Harvin had to have surgery on his right ankle. Shortly after Sunday's game, there was no telling how serious the injury to his left ankle would be. "It's disappointing," Harvin said. "Especially in the time of game it was. I wanted to be out there battling with my teammates. So, yeah, that part was very disappointing." A wide receiver/kick returner, Harvin caught six passes for 124 yards, including his first touchdown in two years a 35-yarder from Geno Smith in which Harvin did an outstanding job of adjusting to the ball. He also returned a kickoff 47 yards and totaled 109 yards on four returns. 16 P a g e

17 Harvin had played for the Vikings from 2009 to 2012 before he was traded to the Seahawks last year. The fans here booed him every time his name was announced. He seemed to enjoy playing the heel, such as as when he stared up into the crowd and tossed the ball into the stands after his touchdown catch. "I expected it," he said of the booing. He also said he likes to toss the ball into the stands any time he scores a touchdown. "I'm not a big rah-rah guy, but to hear the boos and then finally get that score, to stare at them was a pretty good feeling." Jets head coach Rex Ryan said Harvin was "the difference in the game." "He gave us a great shot with his return ability, as a receiver, everything," Ryan said. "The kind of talent he has is rare." But as time was winding down before overtime, Harvin could be seen hobbling toward the locker room. Harvin said he was injured while making his final catch, a 9-yard reception on an out route at midfield with just less than two minutes remaining in regulation. The Jets, down at the time and driving toward the game-tying field goal, took a shot at the end zone three plays later, but because Harvin had to come out, Smith's pass was directed at T.J. Graham. Harvin said he hadn't yet had an X-ray, and he wouldn't say whether he rolled the ankle, felt it snap, or if anyone had fallen on it. The Jets are now 2-11 and headed nowhere except toward a high draft pick, but Harvin's injury does have the potential to impact the team next season. Harvin's contract, which he signed with the Seahawks last year, calls for him to make $10 million next season with no guarantees. Should he be unable to play in the Jets' final three games, Harvin may no longer get to audition his skills to convince the Jets he's worth keeping at that price. But what he showed on Sunday was exactly the sort of dynamism the Jets had been missing for most of the season. Harvin was a bona fide deep threat on the outside who had an impact that helped free up the rest of the offense. The Jets rushed for 168 yards, and Smith finished with a quarterback rating of 87.4 even though he threw a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage. "We always knew that he could make plays downfield," running back Chris Johnson said. "He came in today and he showed that." Rex Ryan takes blame for Cover Zero call on Minnesota Vikings' touchdown that beat Jets (Darryl Slater) Star-Ledger ta_vikings_touchdown_pass_that_beat_jets_in_ov.html MINNEAPOLIS -- Though better tackling by safety Jaiquawn Jarrett would have prevented the Vikings' 87- yard touchdown screen pass Sunday that sunk the Jets in overtime, Jets coach Rex Ryan put the blame on himself for the play. Ryan called Cover Zero, with no deep defensive backs. So once Jarius Wright caught Teddy Bridgewater's screen pass and got past Jarrett's initial, failed tackle attempt, Wright was in the clear for a touchdown that sent the Jets to another loss, Instead of getting off the field on third down and 5 from Minnesota's 13-yard line, with 10:35 left in overtime, the Jets headed home with a 2-11 record. 17 P a g e