The NFL is a long and winding road of dizzying heights and terrifying lows.
Sunday was about as low as you can get if you're a Jet fan.
The New England Patriots came into The Meadowlands and imposed their will as they squashed the Jets 38-14 on Opening Day. The Jets defense never sniffed Tom Brady as the Pats QB finished 22 of 28 for 297 yards and 3 TDs. Randy Moss turned back the clock to his halcyon days in Minnesota as he finished with 9 catches for 183 yards and a score and the Jets special teams gave up an NFL record 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half.
Then it got ugly.
Chad Pennington was sacked on a 2nd and 12 from the Patriots' 41 with 10:20 left in the third quarter and the Jets down 21-7. He injured his right ankle on the play and tried valiantly to stay on the field, but eventually hobbled to the sidelines. The majority of the "fans" at the Meadowlands erupted in cheers. Ugly. There's no other way to describe it. They were pleased that their QB, who finished 16 of 21 for 167 yards and two touchdowns, was injured. Unbelievable. They were happy because the injury meant that their boy Kellen Clemens, a guy who has never completed an NFL pass, was going to get a shot. Hey, I hope Clemens is the real deal too, but the lack of respect from many of the Jet fans for Pennington is mind-boggling. WAKE UP JET FANS!! It was a vulgar display -- you guys are better than that.
Somehow Pennington limped back into the game, his right ankle heavily taped, and led the Jets to a touchdown in their following series, but it was too little, too late.
REASONS TO GET UP ON MONDAY:
Chad Pennington. Pennington showed the heart of a lion and played well despite a lack of a running attack. How a guy that leaves everything he has on the field and isn't beloved by the fans is simply beyond me. Hopefully, the injury isn't serious because it won't get any easier next week as the Jets travel to Baltimore.
Laveranues Coles. Coles continued to make his claim as the league's most underrated wide receiver. He finished with 7 catches for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns.
REASONS TO SLEEP IN ON MONDAY:
Rush Hour? The acquisition of running back Thomas Jones did nothing for the running game. I'm not sure if it was the offensive line not opening holes, the lingering effect of Jones' preseason injury, the Patriots stout defensive line (even without Richard Seymour) or a combination of all three. Jones finished with 14 carries for 42 yards (3.0 average) and those numbers don't even fully illustrate how poor the running game was. Adrien Clarke got the start at left guard instead of the rookie Jacob Bender, but the decision didn't really factor into the contest. As a whole, the line played poorly. Whatever the reason, the Jets better make some adjustments because defenses will be able to pin their ears back if they know the Jets can't run.
You can hit him you know. The Jet defense got absolutely no pressure on Tom Brady the entire game. They couldn't get to him with their front three and they couldn't get to him when they blitzed. He looked like he was running a seven-on-seven drill while wearing a red jersey.
In the end, the Jets absorbed a thorough ass-whipping from a division rival -- not a great way to start the season. But, this isn't college football where an opening day loss destroys your chances at a title. It can get late pretty early in the NFL, but there's no reason to press the panic button in Jets-Land just yet.
The first thing the Jets need to do is evaluate the seriousness of Pennington's injury. Pennington is going to do everything is his power to be ready for next Sunday, but the Jets may have to rein him in and make sure he doesn't risk further injury.
Not like some Jet fans would care.
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