NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

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1 NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS October 1, 2014 Table of Contents ASSOCIATED PRESS... 2 Terminator 2: Jets sign Conner, put Bohanon on IR (Dennis Waszak)... 2 Court hearing set for Jets practice squad player... 2 NEWSDAY... 2 Geno Smith, Rex Ryan not concerned with negativity from outside (Kimberley Martin)... 2 Terminator 2: John Conner back with Jets (Kimberley Martin)... 4 Joe Namath won't pass judgment on Geno Smith (Colin Stephenson)... 4 THE RECORD... 5 Jets look ahead: Chargers (J.P. Pelzman)... 5 Jets on the beat: Geno Smith's fate could be GM's call (J.P. Pelzman)... 6 NJ ADVANCE MEDIA... 7 Jets re-sign John 'The Terminator' Conner to replace Tommy Bohanon, who goes on injured reserve (Darryl Slater)... 7 Jets player film spotlight: How and why Chris Ivory's game vs. Lions started fast and finished slow (Darryl Slater)8 Jets report card: Loss to Lions wasn't all Geno Smith's fault (Dom Cosentino) Rex Ryan agrees with his brother Rob: 'Nobody's doing worse than the Ryan brothers' (Dom Cosentino) observations from a film review of Jets' loss to Lions (Dom Cosentino)) NEW YORK POST Terminator 2: Jets re-sign fullback John Conner (Brian Costello) Joe Namath has a Jets culprit, and it s not Geno or Rex (Zach Braziller) No need for Jets to panic and ditch Geno for Vick (Brian Costello) John Idzik s draft a dirty dozen so far (Brain Costello) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Joe Namath not impressed with Geno Smith, but says NY Jets receivers and offensive line deserve some blame (Michael O Keeffe) NY Jets still in AFC East as Patriots hardly running away with division early this year (Seth Walder) The de-rexing of Rex Ryan has been going on since John Idzik joined NY Jets (Mike Lupica) ESPN NEW YORK Film review: Foul ups, bleeps and blunders (Rich Cimini) Source: 'The Terminator' returns to Jets (Rich Cimini) TUESDAY S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS P a g e

2 ASSOCIATED PRESS Terminator 2: Jets sign Conner, put Bohanon on IR (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press Daily Clips Cont. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) -- The Terminator is back with the New York Jets. Fullback John Conner has been re-signed by the team Tuesday after fullback Tommy Bohanon was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list with a broken collarbone. Bohanon needs surgery to repair the injury that occurred during the Jets' loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He was a seventh-round draft pick out of Wake Forest last year and had played in every game since joining the Jets. Conner rejoins the team that drafted him in the fifth round out of Kentucky in He was released by New York in 2012 after dealing with injuries, but finished that season with Cincinnati. Conner played last season for the Giants, but was among the team's final cuts out of training camp. Court hearing set for Jets practice squad player Associated Press October 1, 2014 FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) A judge in New Jersey is scheduled to take a first look at the domestic violence case against a New York Jets practice squad member. Quincy Enunwa pleaded not guilty earlier this month to simple assault and domestic violence. Florham Park police say the rookie wide receiver pulled a female victim off a hotel bed and that she injured her head and finger. An NFL spokesman said the league was reviewing the case. Enunwa was arrested just after the league put in place tougher penalties for players accused of domestic violence, including a six-week suspension for first offenses and at least a year for second offenses. The 22-year-old wide receiver is on the practice squad, meaning he is not active for games. NEWSDAY Geno Smith, Rex Ryan not concerned with negativity from outside (Kimberley Martin) Newsday Geno Smith appeared put off by the question. 2 P a g e

3 The mere thought that he possibly could be regressing in Year 2 seemed to rub the Jets quarterback the wrong way, and he didn't waste time pointing that out. "You guys try to make it about something else, but it's football," Smith told reporters Monday when asked if he thinks he has gone backward since his rookie year. "When you play football you understand that there are going to be ups and downs throughout a game and through a season. And the key thing is that in this locker room, we're sticking together, we're going to get better from this and we're going to continue to move forward." When pressed further on what he specifically thinks the media is overblowing, Smith replied: "Something that's not football. It's about the game. It's about what you do between those white lines and nothing else." The Jets have put forth a united front, with players coming to Smith's defense by taking shots at fans on air and social media in the aftermath of Sunday's loss to the Lions. Collectively, the Jets are trying to tune out the non-believers. And Rex Ryan is determined not to let any negativity seep into his locker room. "I'm not [concerned]," Ryan said about the possibility of a locker room split regarding their quarterback situation. "We have guys that believe in each other and I think, to a man, that our team believes in Geno." But the questions about Smith have surfaced only because of his play between those white lines. The second-year player has eight turnovers in four games after committing 25 turnovers as a rookie. The Jets (1-3) have the third-lowest red-zone conversion percentage with touchdowns on five of 14 drives (35.7 percent). The chants for backup Michael Vick during the Lions game -- and Smith losing his cool with a heckling fan -- are indicative of a franchise and a fan base frustrated by mounting losses. And the calls for a change continue to grow louder among fans and some media members as Ryan reiterates his support for the struggling Smith. Smith and the offense held a players-only meeting Monday to discuss the issues plaguing the unit. Asked if the purpose of the meeting was, in part, to help tune out the negativity outside of the facility, Smith said, "Not really." "We make it all about us, the things that we can do better," Smith added. "We don't ever speak about those things because they really don't affect us. They don't affect me." But he managed to take another dig at the media nonetheless. "No grievances. I understand the semantics are a huge thing in this market, but no grievance," he said about the nature of their meeting. "I don't want you guys to get that misunderstood. No one's hanging their head around here, no one's sad, no one's down on themselves, we're ready to go out and play." The odds already are stacked against them, but Ryan is confident his players will rebound. And the key to doing so is staying the course -- with Smith as their quarterback. "One thing I'll promise you that our fans, everybody else will get, is what we have," Ryan said. "We will put it out there, we will work our tails off to find a way to get better and I believe we will get better and I think we have gotten better. It hasn't resulted in the wins and losses yet, but I think the key thing there is yet. "I think we're on the right path, I just think we need to stay the course and focus on attention to detail," Ryan added. "I believe that we're going to get it done and I believe that [Geno's] going to be one of the main reasons we get it done and get it turned around." 3 P a g e

4 Terminator 2: John Conner back with Jets (Kimberley Martin) Newsday The Terminator has returned. The Jets announced Tuesday the signing of former draft-pick John Conner after placing fullback Tommy Bohanon on injured reserve with a broken collarbone. Bohanon, a seventh-round pick last year, suffered the injury Sunday against the Lions and will undergo surgery. He ends the season with one carry for 3 yards and two catches for 30 yards. In 20 career games, Bohanon has 18 rushes for 65 yards and 13 catches for 99 yards. The coaching staff was unaware that he had played the second half against the Lions with a broken collarbone. "That ought to tell you about the kind of toughness he has," Rex Ryan said on Monday. Conner -- nicknamed "The Terminator" by Ryan for his punishing hits and because he shares a name with a character in that movie -- was a fifth-round pick of the Jets in Following his 2012 release, Conner spent time with the Bengals. He also played for the Giants last season and this preseason but was cut in August. For his career, Conner has 21 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns, plus 10 receptions for 49 yards in 50 games. Notes & quotes: The Jets signed CB LeQuan Lewis to the practice squad and released CB Brandon Smith from the practice squad. Joe Namath won't pass judgment on Geno Smith (Colin Stephenson) Newsday As the chatter among Jets fans about whether Geno Smith should be replaced by Michael Vick gets louder, the biggest Jets fan of them all isn't ready to pull the plug on the second-year quarterback just yet. But Joe Namath made it clear again Tuesday that he hasn't seen enough from Smith to be convinced he will be the long-term answer. "He's young," Namath said of Smith at an event in Manhattan to promote Namath's involvement with an initiative to test new treatment for concussions and traumatic brain injuries. "He's learning. The thing that I've said in the past and I said today -- I don't see outstanding passing ability; I don't see outstanding footwork, speed, athleticism. Not outstanding; [just] good. He's got to develop. "Now, is he going to develop fast enough for this team to come out ahead this year, or is it going to go backward? That remains to be seen. We've seen great physical athletes play that position and not make it." When asked directly whether he thought Smith deserves to be benched in favor of Vick, Namath, the icon who led the Jets to their only Super Bowl triumph in 1969, scrambled out of the way. 4 P a g e

5 "Well see, this is the thing that they [Rex Ryan, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and general manager John Idzik] have access to that I don't," Namath said. "I don't sit with [Smith] every day and know how he's thinking; I don't know exactly the play call and the process that he's supposed to go through. They're the only ones that know the mental process he's going through. "So... I couldn't make that call. And I wouldn't make that call without knowing more." Namath is helping the Jupiter (Florida) Medical Center raise $10 million for research on whether treatment with a hyperbaric chamber can help people with traumatic brain injuries. He seemed to support Ryan despite the Jets' 1-3 start. He pointed out several times that Ryan has a winning record (43-41) in five-plus seasons with the Jets. On the other hand, Broadway Joe seemed less enthusiastic when talking about Idzik, who is in his second year as GM. "You know, school's out," Namath said when asked his evaluation of Idzik. "It's still not -- we'd like to have seen a better team out there; better personnel out there at some spots: wide receiver and defensive back. "Injuries kind of get in the way, too, you know. Guys haven't developed the way they've been picked. [Dee] Milliner, from Alabama -- you know I'm pulling for him, being a Jet and Alabama, too -- but meantime, he's been limping around for the last couple of seasons. "Guys don't work out all the time. I think you've got to find the right men to play the game. And why do some teams stay in the hunt more than others, year in and year out? It's the people that are making decisions." Namath was asked if he believes Ryan has been given a fair chance to succeed with the roster Idzik has put together. Over the summer, Idzik failed to land a top cornerback in free agency, and the Jets reportedly are more than $20 million under the salary cap. "I don't think [Ryan's] been sabotaged," Namath said. "I think that they all want to win. Knowing how to go about it is something that may need to be changed. If you're not winning, you change personnel. This is professional sports. Results is what counts. "I heard about this extra money that they have. I don't know what they're saving it for, myself, looking at the talent they have out there right now, but maybe they just couldn't find other players." THE RECORD Jets look ahead: Chargers (J.P. Pelzman) The Record October 1, Jets (1-3) at Chargers (3-1) At Qualcomm Stadium Sunday, 4:25 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: ESPN-FM P a g e

6 Early line: Chargers by 6 1/2 San Diego QB Philip Rivers has nine TD passes and only one interception and leads the NFL in passer rating at His stats are impressive considering the Chargers are ranked 31st in the league in rushing offense and are averaging a feeble 2.4 yards per carry. Part of the problem has been a revolving door at center since Nick Hardwick was placed on injured reserve after the first game of the season. The Chargers have had three starters in four games, including veteran Doug Legursky, signed after Hardwick went down. In the spotlight Jets QB Geno Smith. Coach Rex Ryan again gave the struggling second-year pro a vote of confidence, but he must stop making mistakes for the Jets to be able to use the formula of a strong running game, tough defense and Nick Folk field goals that worked well for them last year. Detroit safety James Ihedigbo, a former Jet, said after the Lions win Sunday that Smith locks onto his primary receiver. Smith must do a better job of going through his progressions. Game plan The Jets should be able to stop San Diego s nearly nonexistent running game. Once they do that, perhaps they will be able to get some pressure on Rivers, who has been sacked only five times. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg needs to stick to the run if it is working, something he hasn t done this season. A strong rushing offense would help keep the home crowd quiet and open up play-action possibilities for Smith, who has been much more accurate when given time in the pocket. Jets on the beat: Geno Smith's fate could be GM's call (J.P. Pelzman) The Record October 1, A cryptic statement by Rex Ryan on Monday seemed to indicate the ultimate decision on whether embattled quarterback Geno Smith will be benched won t be up to him, but might be made by general manager John Idzik. If so, will Idzik make the right call? Let s look at some decisions on which the second-year GM has had the final say during his time with the Jets, and how well he s done. Of course, the biggest decision Idzik has made since taking over in January 2013 is the one that s causing the most controversy at the moment. In today s NFL, nothing is more important than finding the right quarterback, preferably a franchise quarterback. Idzik and the rest of the Jets hierarchy believe Smith, picked in the second round of the 2013 draft, can be that guy, but the evidence so far is mixed at best. Yes, it s a small sample size, but Smith still is making rookie mistakes in his second season, raising the question of how long the Jets can stick with him before giving the still-talented Michael Vick a chance. Buffalo coach Doug Marrone said Monday it was his decision to bench quarterback EJ Manuel, who was drafted ahead of Smith last year, in favor of veteran journeyman Kyle Orton. Who would make that decision for the Jets? It s a lot murkier. "To say who s going to outright make that call or whatever," Ryan replied Monday when asked hypothetically about Smith being benched, "I d rather not say those things, but it would be a team decision." 6 P a g e

7 Idzik certainly has plenty of reasons to stay with Smith, not the least of which is his own reputation. But so far, Idzik s results as a personnel procurer have been as mixed as Smith s performance on the field. He addressed the lack of weapons on offense by signing wideout Eric Decker and running back Chris Johnson in free agency, and both have contributed. And yes, Idzik deserves praise for acquiring the 2013 first-round draft pick used on budding star defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in the Darrelle Revis trade, but he hasn t done enough to fix the hole at cornerback left by Revis departure. He has continually drafted and signed corners Dee Milliner, Dexter McDougle and Dimitri Patterson who have extensive injury histories. Milliner has played in only one game this season, McDougle is on injured reserve, and Patterson was released because he went AWOL and skipped a preseason game. He was dealing with multiple leg injuries at that time. The lack of proven cornerbacks led to Ryan moving safety Antonio Allen to corner. Allen was becoming a very good coverage safety, and moving him has had a ripple effect. First-round safety Calvin Pryor was a "box" safety in college and is learning on the job, and wouldn t have as many coverage responsibilities if Allen hadn t changed positions. The Jets had corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in for a visit during free agency, but he opted to sign with the Giants. Maybe the Jets could have signed him had they overpaid, but that goes against Idzik s conservative financial strategy. That approach has disenchanted some people in the building, according to an ESPN report. And although Ryan repeatedly has said he s comfortable with the talent he has at cornerback, one couldn t blame him for being dissatisfied. The Jets reportedly are $21.2 million under the cap. Idzik should be commended for not giving out contracts that are financially reckless, as his predecessor Mike Tannenbaum sometimes did, but he needs to find a happy medium and start spending more generously when necessary. CONNER RETURNS: The Jets re-signed FB John Conner, who played for them from He replaces FB Tommy Bohanon, placed on injured reserve. NJ ADVANCE MEDIA Jets re-sign John 'The Terminator' Conner to replace Tommy Bohanon, who goes on injured reserve (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media l The Jets are bringing back one of the NFL s most well-known fullbacks. They have re-signed John Conner, a punishing, fifth-year pro nicknamed The Terminator, because he shares a name with the main character from that movie. A league source confirmed Tuesday that the Jets had re-signed Conner. In Sunday s loss to the Lions, the Jets lost their only fullback, Tommy Bohanon, to a broken collarbone. The Jets later announced Conner's signing, while also announcing that Bohanon will have surgery and go on season-ending injured reserve. 7 P a g e

8 Conner's signing was first reported by Yahoo Sports. Coach Rex Ryan said Monday that the Jets would explore bringing in another fullback, as it was possible that Bohanon would have to be placed on IR. The Jets drafted Conner in 2010, in the fifth round out of Kentucky. He played two and a half seasons for them, before being cut. The Bengals picked him up in December 2012, and cut him in August The following month, the Giants signed him. Conner was released by the Giants in this year s final cuts. Fullbacks don t play a prominent role in today s NFL. Bohanon played sparingly in the Jets offense, but they did use him, primarily as a blocker. He got 16 offensive snaps against the Lions, as he continued to play after breaking his collarbone. In the previous week s loss to the Bears, Bohanon played 13 offensive snaps. Bohanon, a second-year pro whom the Jets drafted in the seventh round, has 18 career carries for 65 yards and 13 career catches for 99 yards. He had one carry and two catches in four games this season. Conner s career stats: 21 rushes, 88 yards, two touchdowns, 10 catches and 49 receiving yards. All of Conner s rushing stats came during his time with the Jets. While with the Jets, he also made four catches for 18 yards. Here's a piece on Conner from when the Jets were on HBO's "Hard Knocks" during their 2010 training camp, when Conner was a rookie: Jets player film spotlight: How and why Chris Ivory's game vs. Lions started fast and finished slow (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media me_vs_lions_started_fast_and_finished_slow.html In Sunday s loss to the Lions, the Jets went with a heavy does of power running back Chris Ivory early on. After that, he was not as much of a factor. Ivory finished the game having played 37 of 64 snaps. He ran 17 times for 84 yards. He caught two passes (on six targets, though it was really five) for 16 yards. He broke or avoided three tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. He now has 15 broken or avoided tackles this season, third in the NFL, per PFF. On the game s opening drive, which ended in a field goal, Ivory ran nine times for 51 yards. He was the focal point of this drive, which comprised 13 plays before the field goal. Late in the drive, the Jets handed off to Ivory on six consecutive plays. But after the first drive, Ivory ran just eight times for 33 yards during the rest of the game. Ivory s intriguing game, which included a critical drop on the Jets final offensive play, makes him a good option for our Jets player film spotlight this week. Let s take a look at the footage and see what occurred with Ivory on Sunday. Ivory was in for the game s first four plays. Geno Smith ran a play-action fake to him on the game s first play, and threw to Eric Decker. On the game s third and fourth plays, Ivory gained 4 and 5 yards, and had big holes each time. He got the 5-yard gain on third-and-1. Then Ivory came out of the game for two plays, and Chris Johnson entered. Johnson would play just 18 total snaps in the game. Ivory returned for the drive s seventh play, on which he again gained 5 yards on third-and-1, with a nice stutter-step and cutback move as he ran left. Ivory s next three gains would be his biggest of the drive 8 P a g e

9 9, 8 and 11 yards. How did he make those gains? It was a combination of his reactionary skills and some great blocking, as you will see. On the 9-yarder, check out the space that Ivory has to run. But also note how he spots a secondary hole opening to his left, and hits it quick and hard, to gain a few extra yards. Good vision by Ivory. And that s center Nick Mangold and right tackle Breno Giacomini down the field, to lead block for Ivory, and establish the secondary hole. This was an important run on first-and-10. On the 8-yarder, check out this large hole Ivory gets, courtesy of Mangold, left guard Brian Winters, left tackle D Brickashaw Ferguson and fullback Tommy Bohanon. Ivory gets the Jets into the red zone on the next play, with an 11-yard gain. Give Ivory a lot of credit here. He really doesn t have a big hole, but he breaks through anyway. Defensive end Jason Jones tries yanking Ivory down from behind, but Ivory keeps his legs moving. So even though Jones gets a piece of Ivory s leg, Ivory is able to surge ahead. This is Ivory s biggest asset gaining yards after contact. He is currently tied for first in the NFL, with 3.6 yards after contact per attempt, per PFF. Even though Ivory didn t have a giant hole here, you will notice that Giacomini handles Ndamukong Suh on the play, while right guard Willie Colon picks up middle linebacker Tahir Whitehead, after initially giving Giacomini some help, with a quick bump of Suh. Colon nicely transitions from moving right to bump Suh, into sliding left to take on Whitehead. Colon, Winters and Mangold combine to give Ivory another good hole on first-and-10 at the Lions 13, as Ivory gains 4 yards. Then the Jets go back to Ivory again, for a sixth straight carry, on second-and-6 from the 9. Suh blows up the play after lining up between Giacomini and Colon. He gets to the inside of Giacomini and does an incredible job of chasing down Ivory, stopping him for no gain. This is why Suh is one of the very best at his craft. Colon bumps Sun a little bit at the beginning of the play, but Colon s job on this play was to get into the second level and hold off a linebacker. Giacomini rode Suh all the way through the play, but Suh was able to power through and get to Ivory. Excellent persistence by Suh and a big play, as it forced the Jets into third-and-6 at the 9. Ivory comes out of the game on third-and-6. Bilal Powell, the Jets third-down back, enters. Smith faces pressure and has to throw the ball away. Ivory finishes the opening drive having played 10 of 13 snaps. He carried the ball on nine of those snaps. Ivory will play 27 of 51 snaps for the rest of the game and get eight carries on those 27 snaps. For some reason offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will also target him five times on passes. Ivory will catch two of them. So what changed? Not a whole lot in the first half. Ivory was in the game to begin the next drive, and even though Smith technically targeted him on a short throw to open the possession, it was really a throwaway under pressure. (Technically, this is Ivory s first of six targets, but for the purposes of realistically assessing his day, he had five targets.) All three backs were in the game on the next snap a read option by Smith on which Ivory was a lead blocker. So Ivory was not really a factor on the Jets second possession. The Jets went three plays and out again on their third possession. The snap allocation on that drive Johnson, Johnson, Powell. Ivory re-entered for the fourth possession. It started poorly, as he carried for a loss of 4 yards, after strong safety James Ihedigbo got into the backfield unblocked, because he ran right past tight end Jeff Cumberland. Cumberland was able to atone for his apparent mistake on the next play. He sealed off defensive end Devin Taylor, helping Ivory gain 6 yards. But the Jets were still in third-and-8, so they had to pass the ball. Powell replaced Ivory and the Jets went three-and-out. 9 P a g e

10 Ivory concluded the first half with two good carries a 7-yarder on the Jets fifth possession, and a 17- yarder to begin the Jets desperate, final possession of the half, which started on their own 24-yard line with 16 seconds remaining and yielded nothing. Ivory broke a tackle to get a couple extra yards on the 7- yarder. He finished the first half with 14 carries for 79 yards. In the second half, he would carry just three times for 5 yards. And again, Mornhinweg would target him on five passes. Mornhinweg tried getting Ivory involved to start the second half. But he did it with a pass into the flat that Smith sailed over Ivory s head. Ivory is not really known as a receiving threat. Still, Mornhinweg would target him four more times after this, albeit with some success. (And not all of the failures were Ivory s fault.) Ivory played the first two snaps of the Jets first second half possession. Then Johnson and Powell got the next eight snaps (including two penalties that officially wiped out plays). Ivory watched from the sideline. Ivory re-entered for the final three snaps of this touchdown drive. On first-and-10 from the Lions 14, Mornhinweg let Smith take a shot into the end zone for Decker. Not a bad play call at all. Then he ran Ivory for 3 yards. On third-and-7 from the 11, Smith connected with Decker for a touchdown. Ivory s limited playing time on this drive was simply a result of having three solid backs. But even after this drive, the Jets still had four possessions left in the game, all in the fourth quarter, though they trailed after the first play of the quarter, so they were in passing mode. Still, during the Jets final four drives, Ivory would carry just twice. Ivory s fourth quarter got off to a productive start. Smith found him in the flat for an 8-yard completion. Two plays later, Giacomini sealed off Suh, enabling Ivory to gain 3 yards on third-and-2. Check out the block, along with Ivory s nice cutback to his right. Two plays after Ivory s third-down run came a terrible missed opportunity for Smith. Look at all this open field in front of Ivory as he rolls out into the flat. But Smith sails a first-and-10 pass over Ivory s head. Even though Smith had two turnovers, this might have been his worst play of the day. Ivory did get a hand on the ball, but remember, Ivory is not a proven pass catcher out of the backfield. That is not his strength. Though Ivory had just made an 8-yard catch earlier in the drive, on first-and-10, these are not plays he makes on a consistent basis. That said, if Smith connected with him here, it would ve been a big gain. Or at least that is probably what Mornhinweg was thinking after the play, and when he saw it again on film. Johnson was in for all of the Jets next drive, which ended after three plays when Smith lost a fumble. On the drive after that, the Jets cut the lead to 24-17, with a 35-yard touchdown run by Johnson. Ivory touched the ball once on that possession, an 8-yard catch in the short middle his fourth target (and second catch) of the second half. Then came the final drive. Mornhinweg went with Ivory, who had been mostly effective all day. The Jets were in decent position on the drive s second play second-and-1 at their own 25, with 4:28 remaining. Ivory hadn t been a major factor running the ball in the second half. But Mornhinweg was going to go with his hot hand. Ivory was about to carry for the third time in the half, after being targeted four times on passes in this half. All Ivory need to do was gain 1 yard not too tough for a power back in order to give the Jets a fresh set of downs. He couldn t do it. He was tackled for a loss of 1. And it happened because of guess who? Suh. Suh again lined up between Colon and Giacomini. Again, they both bumped him after the snap, before Colon rolled off to look for another defender to block. But Suh absolutely powers through Giacomini, 10 P a g e

11 forcing him into the backfield. Suh reaches his right arm out, filling the running lane. Ivory has nowhere to go on his initial cut, to his left. By the time Ivory changes course and cuts back right, Suh is almost on top of him, and Ihedigbo has had enough time to close, and get into the backfield to tackle Ivory. Giacomini was absolutely plowed by Suh on this play. Suh didn t make the tackle, but he made sure Ivory had nowhere to run. This is one of those game-changing moments that do not show up in the stat sheet. Everybody will remember Ivory s brutal drop on the Jets final offensive play third-and-2 at their 24, after his run for a loss of 1. (Again, it was Suh who forced the Jets into this tough spot.) But was Ivory going to get the first down anyway? There were a couple defenders near him just before the ball hit his hands, after he rolled out into the flat. The Lions showed eight in the box to stop the run on this play. So swinging a pass out wasn t the worst idea. But to Ivory? Johnson is a more proven pass-catching option out of the backfield. Smith targeted Johnson twice on Sunday, and Johnson caught both passes. Ivory, on this play, had a decent enough chance of getting the first down. It wasn t a lock, given the defenders in his area. But we ll never know what would ve happened, because Ivory dropped the ball. The Jets punted and never regained possession. Jets report card: Loss to Lions wasn't all Geno Smith's fault (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media ths_fault.html Here's how we graded the Jets' loss to the Lions on Sunday: Quarterback: This was Geno Smith's worst game of the season, and by a wide margin. Our more detailed take on his performance is here. Grade: F Running backs: Chris Ivory carried nine times for 51 yards on the opening drive, then didn't touch the ball the next two series and only had eight carries the rest of the game. Chris Johnson averaged better than seven yards on just six carries. Bilal Powell played 11 snaps and never touched the ball. The Jets were playing from behind from the middle of the second quarter on, but they seemed to abandon way too soon and not because of their RBs. And why in the world was Ivory targeted six times on passes? Grade: B Wide receivers: Pro Football Focus had the Jets with six drops (three for Eric Decker, one for Greg Salas, plus two for Ivory), but a few of those were bad passes by Smith that would have been tough catches. There were significant stretches especially in the first half when the wideouts simply couldn't get open. Decker had a solid game. Salas had 60 yards, and most was after the catch. And Jeremy Kerley caught just one pass on three targets for three yards, which, as we noted Monday, can't all be on Smith. Grade: C- Offensive line: Here we have a group that's not shouldering nearly enough blame for the offense's woes. Left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson earned his first positive grade of the season from Pro Football Focus, and center Nick Mangold again was terrific. But the rest of this group was in the negative, with Brian Winters posting the third-lowest pass-blocking efficiency rating of any guard in the league. Per PFF, Smith was only blitzed 10 times, yet he was under pressure on 14 of his dropbacks, the fifth-highest percentage in the league during Week 4. The difference? When pressured, Smith was 3-for-11 for 51 yards and an 11 P a g e

12 interception. When not pressured, he was 14-for-22 for 158 yards and a touchdown. And right tackle Breno Giacomini got flagged twice for false start. In a home game. Grade: D+ Tight ends: Jace Amaro was the Jets' most productive receiver on Sunday, hauling in five passes on five targets for 58 yards. Zach Sudfeld and Jeff Cumberland were targeted once each and had zero catches, though Smith didn't see Cumberland at least once when he was wide open. And all three seemed to hold their own as run blockers, per PFF. Grade: B+ Defensive line: This group did what it does: Muhammad Wilkerson had eight tackles, three quarterback hits, one hurry, 1.5 sacks. Per PFF, he had the highest run-stop percentage among 3-4 D-ends last week. Sheldon Richardson had eight tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit, one hurry, and three stops. Per PFF, Damon Harrison's grade was about even, and Leger Douzable played just 17 snaps but managed three pressures. Grade: A- Linebackers: David Harris struggled in coverage against wideout Golden Tate (two catches for 58 yards with Harris guarding him) and tight end Eric Ebron, who beat him for a touchdown. Harris was on Tate at times because the Jets were mixing coverages and playing some zone to account for Calvin Johnson, who was mostly a decoy (two catches, 12 yards, just 37 snaps) and to keep from getting beaten deep. All told, Harris gave up six catches on six targets for 88 yards. Ouch. Demario Davis allowed just 15 yards in coverage. Quinton Coples had three hurries, a batted pass, and a missed tackle, and Calvin Pace managed just one hurry. Grade: C- Defensive backs: Antonio Allen missed two tackles and got beat on that 59-yard touchdown by Jeremy Ross, though he was supposed to get help from somewhere and not from safety Calvin Pryor, who was nearest to the play. "I m not going to get into the specifics of it, but Calvin was not supposed to be deep on that play," head coach Rex Ryan said. Tate had eight catches for 116 yards, and it didn't seem to matter who the Jets had on him. There's lots of reasons for it, obviously, but the Jets and Saints remain the last two defenses in the league without an interception. Grade: C- Special teams: Ryan Quigley netted 49.3 yards on six punts, only one of which was returned. Kicker Nick Folk is now 8-for-8 on field goals this season. Saalim Hakim only returned one kickoff for 32 yards. Rookie Walter Powell didn't drop any punts in four tries, which is an improvement from the previous two weeks, and may be why rookie Jalen Saunders got cut. A negative: LeQuan Lewis was penalized twice on the coverage units. But he, too, got released on Monday. Grade: B Coaching: The Jets played a pick-your-poison defense, which resulted in a few mismatches (Harris on Tate, especially) the Lions were able to exploit before the Jets adjusted out of it. But the offense continues to have issues in part because of coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's play-calling. Per PFF, Ivory has the highest elusive rating of any back in the league, and has forced 21 missed tackles on 50 touches this season. So why didn't he get the ball that much after the first series? And why was he more of a pass-catching target than Chris Johnson? And zero carries for Bilal Powell? Here's one more for you: PFF says Smith's completion percentage jumps 16.2 percent when the Jets use play-action, yet they only used play-action on 11.1 percent of Smith's dropbacks last week. Why? Grade: D+ Rex Ryan agrees with his brother Rob: 'Nobody's doing worse than the Ryan brothers' (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media orse_than_the_ryan_brothers.html 12 P a g e

13 FLORHAM PARK -- On Monday, one day after the Saints got thumped by the Cowboys, Pro Football Talk dredged up a quote uttered last week by Rob Ryan, the Saints' defensive coordinator and the twin brother of Rex Ryan, Jets' head coach. Right now, man, nobody s doing worse than the Ryan brothers, Rob Ryan said, per Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. We might say we are two of the best coaches, and I believe that, and I know that. We re doing everything we can to do it, but we have to do more. There s got to be something else out there. We keep emphasizing it and all of that, but that s lip service. We need to start getting turnovers and it needs to start happening this week. The reason for Rob Ryan's comment? Through Week 4, Rob's Saints and Rex's Jets are not only 1-3, they're the last two teams in the NFL without an interception this season. The Chiefs were in that group, too, until they picked off Tom Brady twice en route to their rout of the Patriots on Monday night. The Saints and Jets are also tied for last in the league in turnover differential (minus-6). Rex was asked about Rob's comments during his Monday press conference. "Well, I would agree with him, obviously," Rex said. "This hasn t gone the way that we wanted it to go, certainly. And I m sure he would be the same way." The Saints are much worse off than the Jets, by the way: They're giving up 396 yards per game, the fourthworst average in the league, while Rex's Jets are yielding just yards per game, which ranks fourthbest. But in Sunday's loss to the Lions, Rex's defense gave up a 90-yard touchdown drive just after the offense got the Jets within a touchdown, a drive Rex referred to after the game as "a killer." 5 observations from a film review of Jets' loss to Lions (Dom Cosentino)) NJ Advance Media html We've graded quarterback Geno Smith's awful performance. We broke down the play of the game. We showed you our report card. And we took a closer look at running back Chris Ivory's game, which included a breakdown of what makes Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh so dominant. Now let's take a look at an overall film review of the Jets' loss to the Lions on Sunday. 1. Where did the diamond formation go? Part of the reason Ivory piled up 51 yards on nine carries on the Jets' first possession was because the line opened some huge holes for him. Those holes stopped materializing. On their second series, the Jets rolled out the diamond formation that includes all three running backs. The Lions stopped Smith for a one-yard loss, but Fox analyst Daryl Johnston noticed that a look like the diamond would force the Lions to be aware of the read option. "I really think that this is one of the things that kind of gives you some fits," Johnston said. Yet the Jets never went back to it again, even as the offense kept sputtering and stalling. 2. David Harris in coverage. The raw numbers say Harris, an inside linebacker, got picked on in coverage six catches on six targets for 88 yards, per Pro Football Focus. But there appeared to be a miscommunication one of several among the Jets' defenders between Harris, outside linebacker Calvin Pace, and safety Dawan Landry on Lions receiver Golden Tate's first catch, which went for 35 yards: Later, Tate was in the slot up against on Harris one-on-one, which was a mismatch, especially since Harris was unable to knock Tate off his route. The Jets clearly wanted to play zone to contain Calvin Johnson, but 13 P a g e

14 Johnson was ineffective because of an ankle injury. On Lions quarterback Matt Stafford's 16-yard touchdown just before halftime, tight end Eric Ebron again found the middle of the zone, and Stafford was able to put the ball on his back shoulder, away from Harris. The Jets mostly cleaned this up in the second half and didn't leave Harris alone in coverage like that again. 3. The Jets' receivers didn't get open a lot, but... With 6:19 left in the second quarter, Smith scrambled into a two-yard sack even though he had wideout Eric Decker wide open over the middle. This All-22 screen grab is a little blurry, but Smith is the player circled on the right, and Decker is the circle on the left: And on the Jets' final offensive play, when Ivory dropped a pass on third-and-two with less than four minutes remaining, Smith also had Decker open downfield but instead made a quick move to get the ball to Ivory. 4. The Lions' first killer TD drive. Darryl Slater took a closer look at the Lions' first touchdown on Monday. But at the end of the first half, the Lions needed just five plays and 46 seconds to march 47 yards to extend their lead to How? With quick passes much like the waste-no-time routes and releases the Packers' Aaron Rodgers used two weeks earlier to move 97 yards on the Jets at the end of the first half. Stafford's three quick ones picked up 31 yards. As noted above, he then found Ebron in the middle of the zone for a TD. But here's something else: The Lions began with such good field position because Ryan Quigley's punt only sailed 38 yards. This after Quigley's first four punts covered more than 50 yards. This loss really was a total team effort. 5. The Lions' second killer TD drive. After the Jets cut the score to midway through the third quarter, the Lions started at their own 10 because Jeremy Ross foolishly decided to bring out a kickoff he caught six yards deep in the end zone. And then the Jets gave up three consecutive third-down conversions: First, Tate put an inside-out move on nickel corner Kyle Wilson in single coverage; second, running back Reggie Bush was wide open on a screen/comebacker with blockers in front of him; third, another breakdown in the Jets' zone allowed wideout Ryan Broyles to cross the middle with no one anywhere near him. As you can see here, Jets safety Jaiquwan Jarrett only playing because rookie Calvn Pryor had to leave the game with a thigh injury stepped toward Broyles as the ball was snapped. But Harris and cornerback Darrin Walls went toward him, too: Harris seems to have Broyles covered here, though he also seems to think he has help from Jarrett: But as Broyles crosses the field, neither Harris nor Jarrett stays with him. And Walls backpedals to go deep, even though Landry is deep down the middle and there's nothing else in front of Walls on his side of the field: Stafford found Broyles wide open for a 21-yard gain. Two plays later, Tate caught a bubble screen, and Walls missed a tackle in the open field. That play went for 16 yards. The Lions then scored on a Stafford run on the first play of the fourth quarter. That put them up two touchdowns. At that point, Geno Smith still hadn't turned the ball over. NEW YORK POST Terminator 2: Jets re-sign fullback John Conner (Brian Costello) New York Post 14 P a g e

15 Are you ready for Terminator 2? The Jets signed fullback John Conner on Tuesday to replace the injured Tommy Bohanon. Conner was a fifth-round draft choice of the Jets in 2010 and got a lot of attention on Hard Knocks. Jets coach Rex Ryan liked to point out Conner was his draft pick. Bohanon broke his collarbone in Sunday s loss to the Lions and will undergo surgery. The team placed him on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday. Conner rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on 21 combined carries in 2010 and 11. The Jets cut him in the middle of the 2012 season as he struggled to overcome a knee injury. The Giants signed Conner last year after Henry Hynoski was injured. Conner was in training camp with the Giants this year, but was released before the season. Joe Namath has a Jets culprit, and it s not Geno or Rex (Zach Braziller) New York Post Joe Namath doesn t believe the Jets should bench Geno Smith. The Hall of Fame quarterback, however, isn t sure Smith is the long-term answer, either. From what I ve seen, and I ve said this before, I don t see anything outstanding in his passing ability or his footwork or his speed or his quickness, Namath said. Namath, who led the Jets to their lone Super Bowl title, in 1969, stopped short of blaming Smith for the Jets massive offensive struggles a month into the season. Smith has committed eight turnovers and was particularly off target in Sunday s loss to the Lions at MetLife Stadium. Namath has seen a quarterback too frequently under a heavy rush and not being helped enough by his teammates. If Geno s offensive line played a little bit better, he ll play better. If the guys caught every ball they touched, then he d play better, he said. We bring in a top-notch receiver from Denver [Eric Decker], two times he dropped the ball in the last game that would ve kept the drive going. After the loss to the Lions, Smith cursed out a fan as he walked off the field, dropping an F-bomb. He later apologized through the media. Namath understands his frustration in his rookie year, he lost his composure as well, giving a few fans the finger. I made that mistake, the 71-year-old Namath said. Emotions come out sometimes, man. It s immature. You don t get a lesson until you live through it. Namath defended Jets coach Rex Ryan, despite the slow start. He pointed to Ryan s record in six seasons with Gang Green, and pointed to the limited roster with nearly $21 million cap space. I heard about this extra money that they have, Namath said. I don t know what they re saving it for myself, looking at the talent they have out there right now. I don t think [Ryan] has been sabotaged. I think they all want to win. Knowing how to go about it is something that may need to be changed. Namath feels second-year general manager John Idzik still has a lot to prove in terms of his talent evaluation. Of his 12 picks in the most recent draft, two have been cut and two are on season-ending 15 P a g e

16 injured reserve. Last year s first-round pick, Dee Milliner, has been a disappointment, either injured or ineffective. School s out, Namath said of Idzik. We d like to have seen a better team out there, better personnel out there in some spots. Wide receiver, defensive backs. Injuries get in the way, ya know, guys haven t developed that they have picked. You got to find the right men to play the game, and why [is it] some teams stay in the hunt more than others year in and year out? It s the people that are making decisions. It starts at the top. Namath was at the Grand Hyatt in Midtown Manhattan to announce the creation of the Joe Namath Neurological Research at Jupiter Medical Center. The research center will look to combat the debilitating effects of traumatic brain injuries sustained by concussion. Part of Tuesday s announcement was the launch of a clinical trial to study the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat brain injury. Namath, who last February said head injuries sustained during his playing career have adversely affected his health, has seen improvement after a series of hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments for six months. No need for Jets to panic and ditch Geno for Vick (Brian Costello) New York Post This was back in January, before Michael Vick was a Jet, before seven turnovers in four games from Geno Smith and a few weeks after the 2013 Jets season ended with optimism. I asked a senior Jets official about what the team would do at quarterback. We have no choice, he said. We have to ride this thing out with Geno. The point then was the Jets felt they had to figure out who Geno Smith is another failure in the Jets four-decade quest to replace Joe Namath or the guy who could lead this team for the next 10 years. The Jets felt the results from 2013 were inconclusive and needed to see more. They went into the 2014 offseason committed to Smith, even as they signed Vick. The Jets informed Vick up front he was not going to compete for the starting job, despite general manager John Idzik s public competition propaganda. This was always going to be Smith s team. The Jets can t abandon that now. The calls for Vick from fans and talk-show hosts are understandable, but misguided. Vick is not going to cure this football team s problems. Is he worth one more victory? Probably. More than that? Doubtful. People have this image of Vick from 10 years ago. He s not that quarterback anymore. Vick showed very little in this offseason and preseason. Everyone is acting as if the Jets have Peyton Manning on the bench and inserting him into the game will solve the turnover issue. You might forget that Vick has his own turnover issues 52 career fumbles and 85 career interceptions. He has a career completion percentage of The Jets need to stay the course and stick with Smith. He may not be the long-term answer, but there is a better chance he is than the 34-year-old Vick will be. 16 P a g e