Jets Players

CHAD PENNINGTON AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF JETS

2006-01-05T03:27:00.000-08:00

Pennington will start throwing anywhere from late February to the first of April, all depending on his progress. It depends on what he wants to do. This isn’t his first rodeo, so he knows what to expect, what to go through. The Jets are doing what the organization needs to do to get Jets better at every position, including the QB position. Likewise, Pennington is doing what he needs to because if he gets better, the organization will get better. No one can argue with the success of Jets and what they’ve been able to do. There are going to be critics. There already have been. There are going to be people that say Pennington can’t be back. But he has successfully dealt with these kind of situations. When he was in middle and high school he was told he wasn’t going to play college football but he played college football. Then he was told that he couldn’t play at the 1A level, then he wasn’t going to get drafted I was going to be a FA. But he was drafted as a back-up. When it comes to coaching changes or personnel changes, if a team is looking for a coach, he should be like coach Herm Edwards. Not a lot many of you will understand the type of man he is and how he handles himself with character and integrity. With all he’s done for the organization over the last five years is praiseworthy.

As far the team’s competency is concerned, the Jets from Pennington’s standpoint is a bad team, because they experienced some rare circumstances with injuries. The team lost two QBs in seven plays but there’s no team in the League that can say that. But the team has handled adversity with class and with character.

Reference source: http://www.sportsfeatures.com/index.php?section=pp&action=show&id=28001

CHAD PENNINGTON’S AMBIGUOUS STATUS

2005-12-29T03:50:00.000-08:00

It is difficult for the Jets to count on Chad Pennington returning from a second shoulder surgery. Infact, Pennington’s health is the Jets' biggest question this offseason. Pennington hopes to start throwing in March. The Jets are interested in acquiring a starting-caliber quarterback to compete with Pennington. Another health concern is RB Curtis Martin, 32, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks ago. Debris, including bone fragments, was removed from the right knee. When Edward was quizzed for a status report on Pennington's rehab, he himself sounded ambiguous. Pennington is ahead of his schedule, as compared to his recovery from the prior operation on his right rotator cuff in February. If that's the case, why don't the Jets have as much information about Pennington's progress as they did nearly three months after the February procedure? Edwards' deliberately vague answers has made it apparent that the team already recognizes that it won't know Pennington's status with any certainty by the time free agency begins in March, and therefore will be .exploring every possible option for acquiring a quarterback with starting potential in the .offseason. There is a strong preference among some in the organization toward bringing in an experienced player; Jon Kitna, Patrick Ramsey, Kerry Collins and perhaps Drew Brees are among those who could be available.

THE SPURNING CARLOS DELGADO IS NOW METS ACQUISITION

2005-11-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yes I am talking about the same Carlos Delgado who snubbed the Mets last winter. Now he's the newest employee in Flushing anyway. The Mets obtained the slugger from the dismantling Marlins for rookie Mike Jacobs and pitching prospect Yusmeiro Petit. Carlos Delgado is a first baseman of a different stripe. He's not as good or as young as Pujols, of course. But he is a guy who will class up the joint, turn it into a dignified home for ideas and discourse - plus smack 30 homers along the way. He batted .301 with 33 homers and 115 RBI last year. Delgado was trained from an early age for this kind of baseball challenge. His father turned him into a lefty hitter, made the young boy hit baseballs that were painted half black to increase the kid's concentration

With Delgado owed $13.5 million next season and free-agent closer Billy Wagner commanding roughly $11 million a season if he signs, the Mets could soon be $5 million over the money freed by shedding Mike Piazza's contract and swapping Mike Cameron for Xavier Nady, who will play right field. This being the reason, the Mets have ruled out pursuing Alfonso Soriano,

Delgado spurned the Mets last January to sign a four-year, $52-million contract with the Marlins. As a part of the deal the Marlins will provide $7 million of the $48 million that Delgado is still owed through 2008.

CHAOTIC OFF-SEASON FOR THE JETS

2005-11-17T01:57:00.000-08:00

The Jets in this off-season be facing yet another crucial decision in what will be considered as a critical off-season for general manager Terry Bradway. Moreover, Herman Edwards, who has two years remaining on his deal, is all set to go to Kansas City, or another NFL Team or the college ranks. It's sure to be a tumultuous off-season. Despite Edwards 2-7 record this season, Edwards is still considered to be the best thing that has happened to the Jets since Bill Parcells got here in 1997. Parcells improved the football talent of the team but scrammed before cleaning up the rest of this backward organization. The misfortune has become the team’s forte. But this season's misfortune has not erased Edwards' accomplishments - three playoff appearances in four years, something no Jets coach had ever done. He has done more than any coach in this team's history to inculcate respectability and class. It's hard to imagine the Jets wouldn't let him go. Even the buzz of the Kansas City is Edwards and not Chiefs assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Al Saunders. One problem in the Chiefs' set-up is that the team gave up a first-round pick to the Rams to get Vermeil in 2001 and now may be unwilling to give up another first-round pick for another coach. The Jets are in a great need of a quarterback, running back, fullback, right tackle, guard or center and maybe a tight end and if Edwards leaves the team, the Jets may decide to get on a transformation plan with any additional picks they would get in exchange for Edwards and do whatsoever is needed to draft USC quarterback Matt Leinart.

JETS NEED TO TAKE FASTER STARTS

2005-11-03T02:22:00.000-08:00

In the rabbit and tortoise chase for victory, the Jets in the role of tortoise are not working out. For them being slow and steady is getting on to their nerves. They have encountered more turnovers than touchdowns in the first quarter this season, which is probably the reason why the Jets are off to such a terrible start. Coach Herman Edwards has emphasized the importance of putting together a drive of more than three plays to help turn the tide on what has been an offensive struggle. The Jets at 2-5 have scored seven points in seven first quarters advancing into their game on Sunday against San Diego. Their only score came when they played against Miami and incidentally that was the only time they have had a halftime lead this season. Vinny Testaverde has yet to prove his determination in three games, though he has run for two. Laveranues Coles has the only touchdown catch among receivers. Moreover, the Jets despite of scoring early are hurting themselves with mistakes and penalties. One reason is their inability to do much on first and second downs that has put the Jets in nearly impossible third-down situations. The team’s defense is also terrible particularly when the offense cannot sustain a drive or score. The team’s defense can get a tremendous lift if it could play with and protect a lead.

ANOTHER BLOW FOR NEW YORK JETS DEFENSE

2005-10-27T02:42:00.000-07:00

The Jets are already under pressure against the run, and have received another hit Tuesday, as they have lost starting linebacker Eric Barton for the 2005 season due to a torn left triceps suffered in Monday night's loss at Atlanta. The injury is such that it will require surgery and Barton will be placed on injured reserve. Barton, 28, was the Jets' leading tackler in 2004, with 125 stops, and also led the team in fumble recoveries, with three. In four games this season, he had 21 tackles. Barton now holds seven years of playing experience but was seeing his first action in a month on Monday, after missing three games with an ankle injury. The injury to his triceps has come only a few plays into his appearance, and is potentially a serious delay. Second-year veteran Mark Brown, who had started the three games Barton missed, likely will become the full-time starter now. Statistically, the Jets are ranked 29th in the NFL in defense. Losing Barton for the rest of the year certainly won't help the Jets to emerge out as victors. Signed as an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2004, after spending the first five years of his career with the Oakland Raiders, Barton started all 16 games for the Jets in his first season with the team and proved to be a dependable two-way defender. He has 460 tackles, 12 sacks, three interceptions, 11 passes defense, six forced fumbles and four recoveries in his career.

Players of note

2004-08-13T04:56:00.000-07:00

The very first New York Titan, Don Maynard (born 1935) of Texas Western College (now University of Texas at El Paso) was an example of the lack of player-evaluation skills of NFL teams in the 1960s. Released by the Giants, he was signed by the Titans in 1960 and became an American Football League All-star and Super Bowl champion. With 72 pass receptions in his first year as a Titan, he had 5 seasons with 50 or more catches and 1,000 yards receiving. Maynard held the pro record for total receptions and yards receiving. A 4-time AFL All-star, he is 6th in all-time pro football td receptions. Maynard is member of the All-time All-AFL Team.

In the 1968 AFL Championship game against the defending American Football League Champion Oakland Raiders, Maynard caught 6 passes for 118 yards and 2 tds. That made the Colts so wary of him in Super Bowl III that, though he played injured and didn't have a reception, his very presence on the field opened up the Jets' offense. One of only 20 players who were in the AFL for its entire 10-year existence, and only 7 players who played their entire AFL careers in one city. Maynard is a member of the American Football League Hall of Fame

Jets Background

2004-08-13T04:54:00.001-07:00

The Jets began as the Titans of New York, a charter member of the American Football League in 1960. When a group including Sonny Werblin bought the team from Harry Wismer in 1963, the team was re-named the New York Jets.
In 1965, the Jets signed Alabama quarterback Joe Namath after the NFL passed on Namath in the amateur draft. Under Namath's guidance, the Jets rose to the top of the AFL and in 1969 represented that league in the Super Bowl. They were pitted against the "best team in the NFL", the Baltimore Colts. At the time, the AFL was considered to be inferior to the NFL and most people considered the Jets to be heavy underdogs. In the week leading up to Super Bowl III, Namath famously "guaranteed" a victory and the Jets went on to complete one of the greatest upsets in football history by defeating the Colts 16-7. This victory showed that the AFL was capable of competing with the NFL and eventually led to the merging of the two leagues in 1970.

Jets : Team News

2004-08-13T04:50:00.000-07:00

The thought of having a talented linebacker like Sam Cowart play outside of a middle linebacker like Marvin Jones made Herman Edwards and then-defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell excited. But Cowart never got comfortable playing on the outside, and the statistics showed. Now that Jones has been released, Cowart is happy to be back in the middle and working with new coordinator Donnie Henderson. "What we're asking him to do fits his personality because he's very good at running inside out making plays," Edwards said. "He has no fear when the hole opens up, and he's hitting the gaps and making some plays in the backfield." Cowart, Henderson and Edwards will get to see the first true glimpses of their overhaul on defense when the Jets play the Saints tonight in New Orleans. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.