NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

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1 NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS September 26, 2014 Table of Contents ASSOCIATED PRESS... 2 Jets' Decker 'planning' to play vs. Lions (Dennis Waszak)... 2 Jets' tall task: defending Lions' Megatron (Dennis Waszak)... 3 Lions-Jets Capsule... 4 NEWSDAY... 5 Marty Mornhinweg: I asked too much of Geno Smith (Kimberley Martin)... 5 Eric Decker believes he'll play Sunday against Lions (Kimberley Martin)... 6 THE RECORD... 7 Jets notes: Keeping quiet about special teams (J.P. Lezman)... 7 Jets' Marty Mornhinweg: Don't blame Geno Smith (J.P. Pelzman)... 8 NEW YORK POST... 9 CJ: Jets best option is to run over opponents (Kevin Kernan)... 9 Slew of injuries frustrating for Jets Milliner (Brian Costello) Mornhinweg: I put too much on Geno s plate (Brian Costello) Eric Decker plans on giving hamstring another go (Brian Costello) Lions Calvin Johnson can t wait to face Jets secondary (Brian Lewis) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS NY Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg accepts blame for some not all of Geno Smith's miscues (Seth Walder) NY Jets must protect Eric Decker and his hamstring by being in caution mode (Manish Mehta) NY Jets' Willie Colon is set for Lions guy named Ndamukong Suh (Seth Walder) NJ ADVANCED MEDIA Chris Johnson wants more carries for himself and Chris Ivory, but grasps why that hasn't happened (Darryl Slater) Jets won't say whether Jalen Saunders will return punts again Sunday (Dom Cosentino) Eric Decker, Nick Mangold, Muhammad Wilkerson return to Jets practice; Dee Milliner still sits (Dom Cosentino) Detroit Lions: A quick scouting report on the Jets' Week 4 opponent (Dom Cosentino) Eric Decker expects to play for Jets against Lions, but... (Dom Coesntino) Willie Colon on facing Ndamukong Suh: 'I'll never back down from a fight' (Darryl Slater) Jets-Lions injury report: Calvin Johnson does not practice for second straight day (Dom Cosentino) Marty Mornhinweg: Geno Smith will 'be just fine,' but 'has been too loose' with taking care of ball (Darryl Slater) P a g e

2 Rex Ryan not optimistic Dee Milliner will be able to play for Jets Sunday (Dom Cosentino) ESPN NEW YORK Willie Colon on Suh: 'One of the best' (Rich Cimini) METRO NEW YORK Eric Decker making progress in attempt to return from hamstring injury (Kristian Dyer) THURSDAY S SPORTS TRASACTIONS ASSOCIATED PRESS Jets' Decker 'planning' to play vs. Lions (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) Eric Decker is ready to play again. The New York Jets wide receiver hopes his ailing right hamstring allows him to. Decker sat out practice for the second straight day Thursday with tightness in his leg, but is optimistic about his chances of playing against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. "I'm planning on getting out there," Decker said. "I can't promise anything, but obviously I'm leaning on the positive side that I'm definitely going to be out there." Decker was limited Monday night against Chicago because of the injury, which occurred in Week 2 at Green Bay. He was a game-time decision, and could be in a similar situation this weekend. Decker had one catch for 19 yards against the Bears before pulling himself out of the game. He says he couldn't get his leg loose enough, so he and the Jets were smart to not push it. "I've got no regrets," Decker said of playing Monday night. "As a competitor, it's hard to be out. I thought through last week, how I felt (Monday) pregame, I could get some snaps in. I knew I wasn't going to play the whole game. I knew I could do a little bit, at least, to help. That's all I could do was 15, 16 snaps, whatever it was." Decker, second on the team with 10 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown, acknowledged that there's some concern about waiting until he's feeling 100 percent healthy. That was something he considered Monday night. "If I sat out, would it be better today? I don't know," he said. "But I do know that I wasn't going to push it past the point where I'm going to make it worse. When I woke up Tuesday morning, I didn't feel worse than I felt Monday after the Green Bay game. So I knew I was smart about it. "I'm just going to gauge how I feel. If I can mentally get through the game and feel OK, then I'm going to do that." Dealing with a soft-tissue injury is something new for Decker, who first hurt the hamstring during training camp and aggravated it against the Packers. "It's kind of a pain in the butt," he said. "You've really got to kind of gauge it. Everyone's different with how they recover and how bad the pull is or strain or whatever they diagnose it as. For me, it's just kind of feeling it out and pushing it to the point where I know my body well enough to where it's, 'OK, that's good pain and that's bad pain.' So, just being smart about it." 2 P a g e

3 Meanwhile, top cornerback Dee Milliner didn't practice because of a quadriceps injury that sidelined him for the game against the Bears. Coach Rex Ryan said it "probably doesn't look good" for Milliner to play against the Lions. Wide receiver David Nelson was also sidelined for the second straight day because of an illness. Ryan said the team sent him home before practice. Defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson (knee), center Nick Mangold (shoulder) and right guard Willie Colon (calf) were all limited, but are expected to play. Backup center Dalton Freeman injured a knee during practice, which was held in the indoor facility because of storms. Ryan had no immediate update on the severity, but said Colon and rookie Dakota Dozier could snap in place of Freeman if Mangold is sidelined at any point. Jets' tall task: defending Lions' Megatron (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) Calvin Johnson is looming for the New York Jets' still-shaky secondary. The Detroit Lions wide receiver is a tall task, in more ways than one, and Rex Ryan knows it. "I'm a football historian, but I don't think I've seen (anyone like him)," the Jets coach said. "I've gone against him a couple times, but no. Brandon Marshall is as close as it gets, I think, but he's even a little bigger and little faster." Johnson is 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds with a rare combination of size, speed and game-changing athletic ability. With his dominant receiving skills, he can toy with helpless defenders towering over many of them. "They're a threat," defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said of tall receivers. "Who can get up that high? Just because I could dunk a basketball didn't mean I could get up that high. It's about the challenge in the red zone, the fade route, the seam route and him just throwing the ball up and you can't physically get up there." Johnson didn't practice for two straight days with an ankle injury, leaving his status uncertain for the Lions' game against the Jets on Sunday. But the Jets are fully expecting to see Johnson on the field, and lots of him. Thurman can relate firsthand to what the Jets' defense is preparing for. He faced a guy during his playing days who was Megatron long before Johnson: Harold Carmichael, a 6-8, 225-pounder who caught 590 passes and 79 touchdowns in 14 NFL seasons, including 13 with the Philadelphia Eagles. "It's very difficult to defend," Thurman said. "Have you ever played basketball and you've been down under the basket and the guy's taller than you and he just posts you and they lob the ball up there and you're sitting there, you're kind of jumping and swinging at the ball? "That's kind of how it is if you are a defender." Thurman was listed at 5-11 during his eight seasons as a playmaking cornerback and safety with the Dallas Cowboys from He permanently etched himself on the list of villains in Eagles fans' minds when he plowed into Carmichael during a game in Thurman knocked Carmichael from the game with an aggressive but legal hit that ended his then-record 127-game streak of catching at least one pass. 3 P a g e

4 Sure, that's one way to neutralize a big-time pass-catching threat. But the Jets are planning to have to defend him for four quarters, and they might need to get creative. "We'll just run base defense," Ryan said with a big grin. "That's our story. We're just going to play him in man, straight-up man. We actually did that a couple years ago." Yep, and it worked. Then again, it was Darrelle Revis who helped limit Johnson to one catch for 13 yards back in "It was duly noted," Ryan said, "that he was pretty good." There's no Revis this time, of course. Top cornerback Dee Milliner appears likely to miss his second straight game with a quadriceps injury. That means converted safety Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls will see a lot of Johnson on Sunday. Allen, whom Thurman confirmed will stick at cornerback the rest of the season, has dealt with tall tight ends such as New England's Rob Gronkowski and New Orleans' Jimmy Graham as a safety in man-to-man coverage in previous seasons. "He's much faster than probably any of those guys I've been against," Allen said. "He's probably the best receiver in the league, hands down. I've got to do the best job I can to stop him from catching the ball and just limit him to the things they want." Johnson has 19 catches for 329 yards and two touchdowns through three games, and might be looking forward to this matchup, sore ankle and all. He needs one game of 200 or more yards receiving to break a tie with Hall of Famer Lance Alworth for the most in NFL history with six and he's going up against a defense that allowed the Packers' Jordy Nelson 209 yards receiving in Week 2. Johnson said there was "no doubt" he gets excited seeing the good games other receivers have had against the Jets. He's also expecting, from New York's tendency to blitz, the rare opportunity to predominantly face man-to-man coverage on Sunday. Ryan laughed when he was told of Johnson's comments. "I'm crazy," the coach said, "but I'm not that crazy." Thurman acknowledged that defensive backs can play press coverage against Johnson, but it's not easy. "You have to pick your spots," he said. "I think you can jam him at times and re-route him. But you can't do it consistently. You have to change up how you face this guy." So, there's a good chance Ryan and Thurman are still drawing up plans at this very moment, trying to shut down Megatron. "There's nothing he can't do," Thurman said, "so the challenge of it is huge." Lions-Jets Capsule Associated Press DETROIT (2-1) at NEW YORK JETS (1-2) Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX OPENING LINE Pick-em 4 P a g e

5 RECORD VS. SPREAD Detroit 2-1, New York 1-2 SERIES RECORD Series tied 6-6 LAST MEETING Jets beat Lions in OT, Nov. 7, 2010 LAST WEEK Lions beat Packers 19-7; Jets lost to Bears AP PRO32 RANKING Lions No. 10, Jets No. 21 LIONS OFFENSE OVERALL (11), RUSH (25), PASS (6). LIONS DEFENSE OVERALL (1), RUSH (2), PASS (3). JETS OFFENSE OVERALL (8), RUSH (2), PASS (18). JETS DEFENSE OVERALL (2), RUSH (1), PASS (9). STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES Matchup of top two overall defenses in NFL, based on yardage allowed.... Lions have not allowed opposing rusher to gain more than 80 yards through first three games.... WR Calvin Johnson needs one game of 200 or more yards receiving to break tie with Hall of Famer Lance Alworth for most in NFL history with six. Johnson has at least one 200-yard game in each of past three seasons, and he's going up against Jets defense that allowed Packers' Jordy Nelson 209 yards receiving in Week QB Matthew Stafford has 112 touchdown passes, seven from passing Hall of Famer Bobby Layne for most in franchise history.... Ndamukong Suh has 28 1/2 career sacks and needs just one more to break Shaun Rogers' team record for sacks by a DT.... LB Stephen Tulloch was lost for season last weekend after tearing ACL in left knee after celebrating a sack.... In second game of consecutive home games as Jets coach, Rex Ryan is With four sacks for second straight game, Jets increased season total to 10 sacks, matching Jacksonville and Washington for most in NFL.... Jets have allowed just 35 yards per game on 14 carries per game to opposing running backs. Their average of 2.50 yards per carry allowed to opposing running backs would rank first when compared to top-five rushing defenses since NFL merger.... QB Geno Smith coming off shaky game in which he threw two INTs, including one returned for TD on first pass. Despite five turnovers in three games, Ryan sticking with Smith over Michael Vick and says team believes in second-year QB. Smith leads NFL QBs with seven rushing TDs since start of last season.... RB Chris Ivory had career highs with four catches and 52 yards receiving vs. Bears. Leads team with 189 yards rushing on 33 carries.... WR Eric Decker's status uncertain with balky right hamstring that limited him to one catch for 19 yards vs. Bears.... LB Demario Davis leads Jets with 21 tackles and has 2 1/2 sacks in past two games.... DE Muhammad Wilkerson had 1 1/2 sacks against Chicago. NEWSDAY Marty Mornhinweg: I asked too much of Geno Smith (Kimberley Martin) Newsday FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Marty Mornhinweg shouldered the blame for the Jets' red-zone issues and Geno Smith's struggles near the goal line in Monday night's loss to the Bears. "I'm just simply putting too much on the young quarterback that's developing,'' the offensive coordinator said Thursday. "I just relied a little too much on him [in the red zone]. 5 P a g e

6 "And there will be a time -- hopefully very quickly -- where we can do that. But that game, looking back on it, I put just a little too much on his plate there, and I could have helped him a couple different ways.'' Mornhinweg wouldn't get into the specifics of how he could have helped Smith more, but he maintained he has "great confidence'' in him. But he quickly added: "Maybe I had a little too much confidence last week.'' While fans and analysts have called for backup Michael Vick to replace Smith, who has four interceptions and two fumbles in three games, Mornhinweg explained the importance of patience. He also stated the obvious about the Jets' organizational goals this season. "Look, we're right in the middle of developing a young quarterback,'' he said, adding that he wouldn't consider starting Vick. "... We're going to go through some ups and downs now. And when you go through a little dip, you've got to motor through it now. You've got to be pretty tough mentally. And we all have to do that together now.'' But the team is in a precarious position. After losing two straight, the Jets (1-2) are in must-win mode heading into Sunday's game against the Lions. And the longer it takes Smith to navigate the NFL learning curve, the worse it might be for their chances of making the playoffs. But Mornhinweg stood firm, reiterating the organization's ultimate goal. "We need to develop Geno,'' he said. "Listen, Geno is going to be just fine. Lookit, to be great, in many cases, you've got to go through some failures. And sometimes, it's on Monday night.'' After Smith threw a pick-6 on the second play from scrimmage, he responded by completing 14 of 18 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. But trailing in the third quarter and on the Bears' 18-yard line, he lofted a first-down pass that was picked off in the end zone. Mornhinweg never has been one to regret play calls, but he admitted that like Smith, he has to do a better job in the red zone. "We need to run the football better down there,'' he said. "It's just that simple.'' The Jets had 114 rushing yards, but on their final drive, they had six pass attempts -- and no running plays -- from the Bears' 20. Smith, however, isn't absolved of blame. He had 26 completions and 43 pass attempts, both career highs, for 316 yards and a touchdown, but turnovers are "an issue,'' Mornhinweg said. "Good quarterbacks take care of the ball,'' he said. "He simply has been too loose there.'' Nevertheless, he said he's confident Smith will improve, and Mornhinweg has no plans of disrupting his development -- for Vick or anyone else. "Sometimes you have to go through some bad stuff to be great,'' Mornhinweg said. "So we're right in the middle of that process. And that learning curve... we all want it now. Now! But we just have to step back and look at the big picture.'' Eric Decker believes he'll play Sunday against Lions (Kimberley Martin) Newsday FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Eric Decker plans to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday. 6 P a g e

7 He thinks. "I'm planning on getting out there. I can't promise anything, but obviously I'm leaning on the positive side that I'm definitely going to be out there," the Jets wide receiver said Thursday after a second straight day of not practicing. The right hamstring he aggravated Monday night against the Bears has forced him to be a bystander for much of the week, either on the sideline or in the trainers' area. But although he didn't practice Wednesday, Decker did participate in position drills and he said he expects to practice Friday. "Hamstring's feeling better," he said. "I said from the beginning of the week right after the game, I was going to take it day by day and today felt better than yesterday... So, I'm happy with my progression and happy with where I'm at right now." And, like his coach Rex Ryan, Decker said he's "got no regrets" about playing Monday night. "As a competitor, it's hard to be out," said the receiver, who played only 12 snaps and caught one pass for 19 yards against the Bears before aggravating the injury. "I thought through last week, how I felt pregame, I could get some snaps in. I knew I wasn't going to play the whole game. I knew I could do a little bit, at least, to help... I just took myself out, Coach took me out, so nothing would get worse." THE RECORD Jets notes: Keeping quiet about special teams (J.P. Lezman) The Record September 26, Trying to keep mum The Jets did their best Thursday not to give Sunday s opponent, the Detroit Lions, any information on some of their key special-teams people. Neither coach Rex Ryan nor special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey would say whether rookie Jalen Saunders will resume his role as the team s primary punt returner. Saunders was removed after misplaying a first-quarter punt Monday against Chicago. The Bears recovered at the Jets 40 and soon scored their second touchdown of the game. "We watched him all week in practice," McGaughey said of Saunders. "We ve watched other guys and we just have to make a decision at the end of the week who we re going to go with." Those other guys include veteran wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, who took over Saunders role Monday, and Walter Powell, a wideout who was claimed off waivers from Arizona earlier this month. He has yet to be active for a game. McGaughey also refused to say who will replace Ellis Lankster, who was released Tuesday, as one of the Jets gunners on punt coverage. Megatron update Superstar Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson missed practice for a second straight day Thursday because of an ankle injury he suffered in the Lions victory over Green Bay on Sunday. If he does play Sunday against the Jets, it s possible that his snaps could be limited. 7 P a g e

8 As for the Jets, cornerback Dee Milliner (quadriceps) again sat out and isn t expected to play. Center Nick Mangold (shoulder) and defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (knee) both returned to practice Thursday and are expected to play. Mangold s backup, Dalton Freeman, suffered a knee injury during practice and was unable to finish, Ryan said. Also, wide receiver David Nelson (illness) missed practice for a second straight day. Ryan said he was sent home before practice. Jets' Marty Mornhinweg: Don't blame Geno Smith (J.P. Pelzman) The Record FLORHAM PARK There may be a quarterback controversy outside the Jets complex here. But inside the building, not so much, judging by offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg s remarks Thursday. Mornhinweg, speaking to reporters for the first time since Geno Smith s uneven, two-interception performance in a loss to Chicago on Monday, squarely put the blame on himself for Smith s struggles in the red zone. One of Smith s two picks came on first down from the Bears 18. "I am just simply putting too much on the young quarterback that s developing," Mornhinweg said. "I am putting just a little bit too much on his plate." And the Jets offensive guru also indicated he isn t ready to pass that plate to backup Michael Vick anytime soon. When asked if the Jets might use Vick at quarterback, Mornhinweg said, "we are right in the middle of developing a young quarterback now. We are going to go through some ups and downs now." Smith has five turnovers in the first three games of the season. "You have to be pretty tough mentally, and we all have to do that together," Mornhinweg added. "We need to develop Geno. Listen, Geno is going to be just fine. We are going to go through some ups and downs. We have to motor through the dips. To be great in many cases, you have to go through some failures." Some of Smith s failures against the Bears could have been avoided if the Jets had stuck with their trademark running game. Instead, Mornhinweg called only six running plays in 16 snaps in the red zone, putting more of the load on Smith. Especially surprising was the fact the Jets didn t run the ball at all after Greg Salas 51-yard catch-and-run got them to the Chicago 20 on their final possessions. The Jets had two timeouts with 1:41 left, yet didn t run the ball once. "I just relied a little too much on Smith" in the red zone, Mornhinweg said, "and there will be a time, hopefully very quickly, where we can do that." It also would be a help to Smith if wide receiver Eric Decker can play against Detroit on Sunday. Decker suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of the loss at Green Bay on Sept. 14, but felt no pain while warming up Monday night. He made one reception for 19 yards but had to remove himself after only 12 plays because the muscle had tightened up again. Decker said he is optimistic about playing against the Lions, even though he missed practice Thursday for a second consecutive day. 8 P a g e

9 "I m planning on getting out there," Decker said. "I can t promise anything, but obviously I m leaning on the positive side that I m definitely going to be out there." "I ve got no regrets," Decker said of playing against the Bears. "As a competitor, it s hard to be out. I thought through last week, how I felt [in the] pre-game, I could get some snaps in. I knew I wasn t going to play the whole game. I knew I could do a little bit, at least, to help. That s all I could do was 15, 16 snaps, whatever it was [12 actually]. "When I woke up Tuesday morning," Decker added, "I didn t feel worse than I felt Monday after the Green Bay game. So I knew I was smart about it. I m just going to gauge how I feel. If I can mentally get through the game and feel OK, then I m going to do that." Decker has 10 receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown despite his playing time being very limited in the last two games. NEW YORK POST CJ: Jets best option is to run over opponents (Kevin Kernan) New York Post Chris Johnson wants the ball more. Not only for himself, but fellow running back Chris Ivory as well. More carries will equal more success for the 1-2 Jets. The Jets have put too much on quarterback Geno Smith s plate, expecting far too much from the young quarterback, especially in the red zone. Smith, who has been a turnover machine, needs a little bit less on his shoulders and more of the burden put on veteran teammates. Chris Ivory and I really haven t had the opportunity to run the ball a lot, Johnson said Thursday as the Jets prepared for Sunday s matchup at MetLife Stadium against the 2-1 Lions. We ve done pretty well with the opportunities that have been given to us. Asked if he wanted more chances to run the ball, Johnson plowed straight ahead: Yeah, of course. He said he would like to see the Jets run it times a game, to give us both the opportunity to run the ball hard and make plays and try to put our offense on our back. Me and Chris both envisioned getting more carries, he said. Jets running backs carried the ball a measly 22 times in the loss to the Bears on Monday night and were basically an afterthought in the red zone. Johnson is averaging 11.6 carries per game this season. Over his previous five seasons he averaged Ivory has averaged 11 carries per game and has 190 yards (5.8) to Johnson s 123 (3.5). Johnson not only wants the ball more, he knows he needs to do more to help Smith. I like what I see out of Geno so far, a confident guy, putting the ball where he needs to put it. Every young player is going to make a couple of mistakes, but us as veteran players around him, Johnson said, we have to step up and make the plays to help him out. I had a swing pass the other night, if I had caught the ball I would have had a big play on that, I dropped the ball. 9 P a g e

10 Johnson said game situations have dictated the amount of carries. He understands that, but the bottom line is he knows the Jets must run the ball more and get back to their pound and ground roots even though it will not be easy against a front seven like the Lions. It s going to be very tough, they got a very good front seven, they get a lot of penetration, but if we execute we ll be all right, Johnson said. We ve been put in situations where we have had to throw the ball. It s a long season. And we know it will get better and better as the year goes along. It s just a scenario that teams go through, Johnson added. He has not talked to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg about the situation. Johnson said it still is early and it is not the time right now to go in there and talk to Marty and tell him what he needs to do. Too often in the red zone the Jets have given up on the run too quickly. Johnson said he believes in his team and realizes, minus some key mistakes, things could be different. Nobody really envisioned going into a game getting carries, he said. That s not the game plan; the game plan is for us to run the ball. There is a feel to the game, and Johnson said with so few carries that makes it difficult. A running back needs to get in a rhythm and continue to get carries back to back, he said. In preseason it worked out well for us. I feel that if we get in the right situation we can start turning some of these games around. I think there is going to be an opportunity to pound the football. We re very close. There s no reason we shouldn t be 3-0. Ground and pound, score in the red zone, limit the Geno Turnover Machine and the Jets will be right where they need to be come Sunday night. Slew of injuries frustrating for Jets Milliner (Brian Costello) New York Post Dee Milliner spent Wednesday s practice on a stationary bike a sight that has gotten all too familiar for the Jets and the cornerback. Milliner has missed two of the first three games this season, and no one sounds optimistic about him playing Sunday against the Lions. He suffered an injury to his right quadriceps in practice last week as he was just getting over a high left ankle sprain. The mounting injuries have Milliner and coach Rex Ryan frustrated. I d be lying if I said there wasn t [some frustration], Ryan said. There is because you know the guy is an outstanding athlete and a guy I think is going to be an outstanding player. It just seems like little things. Those things happen. It s certainly not his fault. Unfortunately, sometimes those things happen. The latest injury occurred in practice last Thursday when Milliner was backpedaling in coverage. He felt the quad tighten up on him and has not practiced since. Milliner said he understands Ryan s frustration. He s just like me, Milliner said. He wants me to be out on the field. I want to be out on the field. To come back from my ankle and have another thing happen, it s just gets frustrating and irritating at times. 10 P a g e

11 DE Muhammad Wilkerson did not practice after injuring his knee at the end of Monday s game. Wilkerson did not sound concerned, though. He said it is just a bruise and that he will be fine. Lions star WR Calvin Johnson missed practice with an ankle injury. Johnson tweaked the ankle at the end of their game with the Packers this week, but told reporters it was not a big deal. It is the first practice he has missed this year. Jets WR Eric Decker (hamstring) did not practice. Ryan said he is hopeful Decker can play this week. Decker played just 12 snaps in Monday s game after getting cleared to play just before kickoff. He s a durable guy, Ryan said. I think he s going to do whatever it takes to play. I m confident, I m hopeful that he ll play. We ll see as it goes during the week. This past week it wasn t until right at the end that he felt good enough to play. C Nick Mangold (shoulder) also missed practice, but said his injury is nothing serious and he will play. WR David Nelson (illness) was not at practice.. G Willie Colon (calf) was limited. The Jets signed CB LeQuan Lewis from their practice squad. They have one open roster spot after releasing CB Ellis Lankster. They also signed cornerback Marcus Williams to the practice squad. Mornhinweg: I put too much on Geno s plate (Brian Costello) New York Post It certainly does not sound like Michael Vick is going to be the starting quarterback for the Jets anytime soon. Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was asked Thursday whether the team needs to consider going to Vick after Geno Smith struggled Monday night, and Mornhinweg said no, that the team has to live with Smith s growing pains. We re right in the middle of developing a young quarterback, Mornhinweg said. We ve discussed this. We re going to go through some ups and downs now. When you go through a little dip, you ve got to motor through it now. Mornhinweg acknowledged it is a tough balance to strike between wanting to win now and still developing Smith for the future. He said the Jets have to be patient with Smith, a sign the Jets are not considering making the change to Vick even if Smith s struggles continue. Sometimes you have to go through some bad stuff to be great, Mornhinweg said. We re right in the middle of that process and that learning curve. We all want it now, but we just have to step back and look at the big picture. We re going to go through some ups and downs and he ll have some fabulous games where he does the right thing. Smith had two brutal interceptions in Monday s loss to the Bears, one of them coming in the red zone where the Jets scored just one touchdown in six trips. Mornhinweg took the blame for the red zone struggles, saying he put too much on Smith and should have run the ball more. 11 P a g e

12 I just relied a little too much on him, Mornhinweg said. There will be a time, hopefully very quickly, that we can do that. But that game I thought, looking back on it, that I put just a little too much on his plate and I could have helped him a couple of different ways. Mornhinweg said Smith played beautifully for 90 percent of the game against the Bears, but tried too hard on a handful of plays. The Jets were confident this summer Smith had gotten over the turnover woes that plagued him as a rookie, when he had 21 interceptions and four fumbles. Through three games, though, Smith already has five turnovers. This is an issue now, Mornhinweg said. There s no question about that. Good quarterbacks take care of the ball. That s not to say that great quarterbacks aren t going to have some bad games, but [they] consistently take care of the football. We have discussed that and we emphasize it daily. He simply has been too loose there. It s that simple. So, that needs to be corrected. Geno is a tough guy mentally now. I suspect that he ll continue a little progression there and get better at that. Never one to go into too much detail, Mornhinweg did not want to explain exactly how he put too much on Smith on Monday night, but repeatedly said it. After the Green Bay loss and the timeout fiasco, Mornhinweg said he needed to trust Smith more. This week, it sounds like he thinks he should trust Smith less. I have great confidence in Geno, Mornhinweg said. Maybe I have a little bit too much confidence in that last week and put a little bit too much on his plate. As upset as Mornhinweg sounded with how the Bears game went, it is clear he is willing to live with Smith s mistakes. To be great in many cases you ve got to go through some failures, Mornhinweg said. Sometimes it s on Monday night. Last year he had a great Monday night game [in Atlanta]. Shoot, last year he brought us from behind four or five times in the fourth quarter. Shoot, we re 0-for right now. We re 0-for-2. The more that young players are in those situations, typically the better they re going to do. You ve got to motor through. That s where we re at. Eric Decker plans on giving hamstring another go (Brian Costello) New York Post Jets wide receiver Eric Decker did not practice again Thursday, but sounds optimistic about playing Sunday against the Lions. Decker is nursing a right hamstring injury that has bothered him during the past two games. He did individual drills Thursday, but did not participate in any team drills. I m planning on getting out there, Decker said about Sunday. I can t promise anything. Obviously, I m leaning on the positive side that I m definitely going to be out there. The hamstring problem originally arose during training camp and then flared up two weeks ago in the loss to the Packers. He did very little in practice last week, but played Monday night against the Bears. Decker lasted just 12 snaps, though, before feeling soreness in the hamstring again. 12 P a g e

13 Some have questioned whether it was wise for Decker to play instead of just resting. He said he has no regrets. If I sat out, would it be better today? I don t know, Decker said. I do know I wasn t going to push it past the point where I was going to make it worse. When I woke up Tuesday morning I didn t feel worse than I did the Monday after the Green Bay game. I think I was smart about it. I m just going to gauge how I feel. If I can mentally get through a game and feel OK, I m going to do that. Decker said he expects to practice Friday. Lions Calvin Johnson can t wait to face Jets secondary (Brian Lewis) New York Post After seeing what Jordy Nelson did to the Jets secondary in Week 2 and watching Alshon Jeffery s followup act on Monday night, Calvin Johnson admits he s licking his chops at the thought of getting single coverage Sunday against the Jets. No doubt, Johnson said Wednesday. I definitely look forward to the opportunity to get single-high coverage out there. Johnson is perhaps the most unique physical specimen to ever play wideout in the NFL. The All-Pro known as Megatron is fourth in the NFL with 329 receiving yards on 19 catches, and after constantly finding himself doubled and zoned is salivating at the notion of finally seeing single coverage from the Jets. We expect to get some of that because of the blitzes they bring all the time, said Johnson, confident he can t be covered one-on-one. That s my mindset. Though Johnson said he considers himself uncoverable one-on-one, as late Alabama coach Bear Bryant said, It ain t bragging if it s true. Jets coach Rex Ryan said Johnson should feel like he can beat any single coverage, because he can but insists Johnson shouldn t expect to see it. Well, he s right, Ryan said. But he s not going to get that. I m crazy, but I m not that crazy. Converted safety Antonio Allen one of the corners who would have to deal with Johnson said he will be alone on Johnson from time to time, and the Lions star should feel he can beat his man. But Allen said he s just as confident. He should feel that way, Allen said. He s been in the league eight, nine years, hasn t been stopped in one-on-one coverage. Sometimes cover-two isn t going to stop him. I feel the same way. I don t feel like anybody s going to catch a ball. I feel that way about every single receiver in the league. With Dee Milliner (quadriceps) and Dexter McDougle (ACL) both out, Gang Green have used Allen and career backup Darrin Walls at corner. Playing a lot of single high the last two weeks with one safety deep, the other closer to the line and the corners in man-to-man coverage the Jets gave up 209 yards to Nelson in Week 2 and 105 to Jeffery on Monday. Next up is Johnson, more accomplished than either. We re excited to play against him as well. He s the best receiver in the game there s no bigger challenge than that,. We ll see what we ve got, said Walls, who couldn t think of a wideout to compare 13 P a g e

14 to Johnson. No one, really. He s as big as any receiver, he s as fast as any receiver. I can t compare him to anyone I ve played before. With size (6-foot-5, 239 pounds), speed (a yard dash) and leaping ability, even Ryan couldn t think of a comparable receiver. No, Ryan said. And I m a football historian but I don t think I ve seen [anybody like him]. I ve gone against him a couple times, but no. Brandon Marshall s probably about as close as it gets, but [Johnson] is even a little bigger and a little faster. NEW YORK DAILY NEWS NY Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg accepts blame for some not all of Geno Smith's miscues (Seth Walder) New York Daily News September 26, Marty Mornhinweg is preaching patience. The offensive coordinator isn t hiding from the fact that Geno Smith is scuffling heck, he took blame for part of it but thinks it is too soon to consider a move at the position. After Smith s two costly interceptions in Monday s loss to the Bears, there have been some calls for the Jets to turn to backup Mike Vick. Oh no, Mornhinweg said about whether he would consider starting Vick right now. Look, we re right in the middle of developing a young quarterback now. Mornhinweg, who is normally very cautious about revealing anything about the team, did not let Smith escape unscathed from his press conference Thursday without some criticism for the quarterback s five turnovers in three games. The coordinator had expressed confidence before the season that Smith would take better care of the football, something that has not happened so far. This is an issue now. There s no question about that. Good quarterbacks take care of the ball, Mornhinweg said. He simply has been too loose there. But he also pinned some of the blame for Monday on himself. Two games ago, Mornhinweg didn t trust Smith enough to make an adjustment, which ultimately led to the timeout fiasco that erased a game-tying touchdown against the Packers. Facing the Bears he made another mistake: relying on Smith too much. I m just simply putting too much on the young quarterback that s developing, putting just a little bit too much on his plate there, Mornhinweg said. I m talking specifically in the red zone. I just relied a little too much on him. Mornhinweg wouldn t divulge exactly what he relied on Smith so heavily for, but it isn t a good sign that Smith was in over his head in the red zone. Though only a second-year player, it s also Smith s second year in the system and he has been taking on increased responsibilities in the offense. The Jets were a pathetic 1-for-6 on touchdowns in the red zone last week and will have to improve come Sunday against the Lions. Mornhinweg also criticized the effort of the team team s run game which otherwise has performed admirably this season in the red zone. 14 P a g e

15 Mornhinweg also cautioned that even if a quarterback were to improve in his second season, he wouldn t be perfect. To be great in many cases you ve got to go through some failures, Mornhinweg said, and sometimes it s on Monday night. Mornhinweg wasn t alone in not wanting to overreact to the two-pick performance against Chicago: earlier in the week Rex Ryan offered public support for the young quarterback on two separate occasions. Smith himself said he does not believe he is on the hot seat. The coordinator, facing the team this week that he once coached, is still optimistic on Smith. When you go through a little dip you ve got to motor through it now, Mornhinweg said. Listen, Geno s going to be just fine. NY Jets must protect Eric Decker and his hamstring by being in caution mode (Manish Mehta) New York Daily News September 26, Eric Decker did very little in practice Thursday, which was about as surprising as discovering a dart board with a picture of Bill Belichick as the bull s-eye in the Jets coaching offices a few years ago (really). Decker, after all, is still dealing with a hamstring injury after the Jets brain trust trotted him out there in the Jets loss to the Bears on Monday. Decker predictably didn t last long. He played a grand total of 12 snaps, hauling in one catch for 19 yards, before calling it a night. If I sat out, would it be better today? Decker said on Thursday. I don t know. But I do know that I wasn t going to push it past the point where I m going to make it worse. Decker maintained that he didn t suffer a setback, but he missed practice Wednesday and did light individual work that included no change-of-direction work beyond 15 yards on Thursday. Decker is wired like most good players who want to fight through annoying injuries to help, but the Jets should protect their wide receiver from himself and rest him for at least another week. The potential short-term gain by playing him against the Lions doesn t warrant the potential long-term risk of missing a few weeks. Rex Ryan said he was hopeful that the team s top free-agent signing this offseason will be ready. Decker didn t make any promises, but plans to be out there this weekend. The organization already erred by rushing back Dee Milliner from a high ankle sprain a couple weeks ago. The team s top cornerback pulled himself out of that game in Week 2 and is now dealing with a quad injury that will likely keep him on the shelf for a second consecutive game. The Jets can t afford for Decker to aggravate his hamstring and miss extended time. Playing Decker against the Bears was a mistake even if Ryan maintains that he has no regrets. It s easy to look back now and (say), Oh, he tweaked his hamstring again, Ryan said. Let s see how it affects him moving forward. If he was out for five weeks, then absolutely you d regret it. But I don t think that s going to be the case. 15 P a g e

16 Ryan, of course, doesn t know. Nobody, including Decker, truly knows how much time, if any, he ll miss. Hamstrings have derailed plenty of players seasons in the past. They re silent killers in the NFL. They linger. Although Decker, who expects to practice Friday, is right that nobody knows his body better than he does, he has no history of dealing with the most maddening soft-tissue injury of them all. Hamstrings pull, catch and tighten without warning. Decker initially suffered the injury in training camp, which prompted him to miss the second preseason game against the Bengals. He aggravated it in Week 2 at Lambeau Field before admitting that the issue had lingered for the better part of a month. He missed three consecutive practices last week before participating in a limited fashion last Saturday. The cautious approach giving him Monday night off would have been the wisest one, but Decker convinced the decision-makers that he was ready to go. The Jets should have waited until Decker was 100% healed rather than adopt a limited-play time plan that didn t make much sense. The best prescription would have been rest. As a competitor, Decker said, it s hard to be out. Decker has only missed one game due to injury in his five-year career a sprained MCL kept him out of the Broncos 2011 divisional playoff loss to the Patriots so the Jets should have expected that he d lobby to play in his first prime-time game with his new team. To complicate matters, he has a short week to prepare for the Lions. Decker was effective in the first two games with nine receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown, but Ryan & Co. need to resist the urge to play him unless he s running without restrictions. Geno Smith, frankly, needs him. The temptation to play Decker against the Lions is great for an offense lacking playmakers, but the longterm risk far outweighs the reward. He belonged on the sidelines on Monday night. He might belong there again on Sunday. NY Jets' Willie Colon is set for Lions guy named Ndamukong Suh (Seth Walder) New York Daily News Willie Colon is gearing up for a battle with a heavyweight. The Jets right guard is expecting Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to line up over him on most snaps in Sunday s game at MetLife Stadium, which should set up for quite a show. I m never going to back down from a fight, Colon said. I m pretty sure he s the same way, and we ll handle all that Sunday. He s a menace, Colon added. It s going to be a war. 16 P a g e

17 Suh s reputation precedes him, and Colon has been known to be a hothead when blocking in the trenches. The guard sarcastically described his personality as docile, calm, collected on Thursday. Along with Nick Fairley and Ziggy Ansah, who pose a threat as well, Suh is just one of the players the Jets offensive line is going to have to control. (They are) probably one of the best defenses that we ll play all year and they re doing it at a high level and we ve got to bring it, Colon said PAINTED INTO A CORNER Antonio Allen s move to cornerback was initially just an experiment, but now it looks like the former safety has a new home. The Jets (1-2) moved him in training camp after several injuries, and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said Allen will remain at cornerback for the rest of the season. I don t see how we can go back, Thurman said. That s when you get in trouble, when you start taking a guy and saying, OK, you re at safety, now we re going to move you to corner. Oh, now let s move you back. We can t do that to him. STAYING POSITIVE Eric Decker (hamstring) ran some routes in positional drills in practice Thursday, but was listed as a nonparticipant in practice. Rex Ryan offered little about Decker s status for Sunday against Detroit, but the wideout is confident he ll play. I m planning on getting out there, Decker said. I can t promise anything, but obviously I m leaning on the positive side that I'm definitely going to be out there.... It sounds like CB Dee Milliner (quad) will likely miss another game. I d say it probably doesn t look real good, Ryan said. Milliner has played in only one game so far this season (at Green Bay) and had to leave early due to tightness in his left ankle.... Lions WR Calvin Johnson (ankle) did not practice for the second day in a row. His status is unclear, and if he were to miss the game, it would be a huge break for the Jets.... C Dalton Freeman suffered a knee injury in practice, Ryan said. NJ ADVANCED MEDIA Chris Johnson wants more carries for himself and Chris Ivory, but grasps why that hasn't happened (Darryl Slater) NJ Advanced Media ivory_but_understands_why_that_hasnt_happened.html FLORHAM PARK Chris Johnson is used to carrying the ball about 17 times per game. Over his final three seasons in Tennessee, that is the number of carries he averaged. He knew he probably would not average that many carries this season with the Jets. But he expected more than what he s gotten through three games 13, 12 and 10 carries. Not that the Jets other primary running back, Chris Ivory, is getting many more. Ivory has 33 carries to Johnson s 35. Ivory s per game carry totals: 10, 13 and 10. The Jets have actually run the ball quite well this season. They are averaging rushing yards per game, second in the NFL, largely because they ran for 212 in the opener against the Raiders. This week, the Jets face a Lions defense that ranks second in the league in rushing defense (63.7 yards per game allowed), 17 P a g e

18 behind only the Jets, but is lacking middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch, who is out for the year with a knee injury. It s not like the Jets haven t run the ball at all this year. They rank fourth in the NFL in rushing attempts, with 97, compared to 104 passing attempts. Last year, they ran the ball 13 more times than they threw it. So they are still basically a 50/50 run/pass team. While Johnson would like to see more opportunities for him and Ivory to carry the ball, he understands why it hasn t happened. The Jets ran 34 times against the Raiders 10 by quarterback Geno Smith, who has 20 total runs this year while passing 29 times. But the Jets led that game from the very end of the first half on. In the Week 2 loss at Green Bay, the Jets ran 22 times in the first half and passed 14. They led at halftime, after being up 21-3 early in the second quarter. The game tightened in the second half, when the Jets lost their best receiver, Eric Decker, to a hamstring injury, which let the Packers stack the box to stop the run. In the second half at Green Bay, the Jets ran the ball 15 times and threw it 18 times. The Jets played from behind the entire game in Monday night s loss to Chicago. They trailed 14-0 in the first quarter, 17-6 in the second, at halftime and early in the third quarter. Their first-half run/pass split was 13/21. In the second half, it was 13/22. Ivory and Johnson both ended the game with 10 carries. Of course we want to run the ball more times and get into where we run the ball 35, 40 times a game and give us both the opportunity to get a chance to run the ball hard, Johnson said of himself and Ivory. I know we both envisioned probably getting more carries, not just us both getting 10, 12 apiece. Probably more than that. A lot of times, you ve got to go how the game goes, and we ve been put in situations where we ve had to throw the ball. Through three games, Johnson has not been incredibly productive. He is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, with a long of 11. Ivory is averaging 5.7, but if you take out his 71-yard touchdown run, he is averaging 3.7 yards on his other carries. Johnson was asked if there is anything he can do better to gain more yards. I m not sure, he said. It s just a situation where we need more opportunities, and I feel like the more opportunities not just for myself, but Chris, too we ll get back to where we were in preseason. It s just the game situations that we re in. We re not getting a chance to actually do it. We re not getting the opportunity for him to get 20 touches and me to get 20 touches and just get the running game going. If we ve got a lead or the ball game is close, I think it ll be an opportunity to do what the coaches want to do, and that s actually pound the football. Johnson said it is not the game plan for him and Johnson to each get just 10 to 12 carries per game. The game plan is for us to run the ball a lot, Johnson said, though he noted that in-game adjustments are required every Sunday. On the Jets final drive against the Bears, they didn t run the ball once when they reached the red zone. Geno Smith threw a 1-yard pass, an incomplete pass that did not officially count because of a holding penalty on the Bears, another incomplete pass, a 5-yard pass and two incomplete passes to close out the drive. Six snaps, six passes, even though the Jets had two timeouts remaining when they reached the red zone and had first-and-10 on the 20 with 1:41 remaining. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said 18 P a g e