The injury bug bit the Jets again on Tuesday.
Cornerback and kickoff returner Justin Miller's season is over after he suffered a knee injury on Sunday against the Ravens. The Jets placed the third-year vet on the IR late Tuesday. It's been a rough season for Miller. His preseason was slowed by a hamstring injury, he battled back but payed poorly in Week 1 against the Pats and he was involved in an altercation in the off-season in which he struck a woman.
The injury hurts the Jets two-fold. First, it weakens a secondary which already includes a hobbled Andre Dyson, a rookie in Darrelle Revis (although Revis has looked good so far) and David "I can't cover anybody" Barrett.
Secondly, and probably most importantly, it robs the Jets of a home run threat on kickoffs. Miller has returned three kicks for touchdowns in his short career. The Green and White will probably go to a tandem of Leon Washington and Brad Smith as returners, but I think they should consider putting Revis back there. He was a dynamic punt returner at Pitt and should be able to make the transition to kickoffs. Maybe the Jets don't want to put too much on the rookie's plate or perhaps they fear injury (which is a legitimate concern), but it could give the team a spark on special teams.
Just a thought, guys.
Also in Jet-Land, Eric Mangini squashed any thoughts of a quarterback controversy when he declared that Chad Pennington is and remains the starter for the New York Jets. He didn't name Pennington as the starter for Sunday's must-win game against the Dolphins at the Meadowlands yet, but here was the coach's statement:
"If he can, he will," Mangini said yesterday when asked if Pennington would start against Miami. "We'll just assess it throughout the week. But if he's able to, he will."
Outstanding.
Assuming that Pennington is healthy enough to play (which I will assume since he was healthy enough to dress and be the second-string QB last week in Baltimore) Mangini has to give the ball and the team back to Pennington as soon as possible.
Here's why.
Clemens' performance on Sunday, even though it was uneven, showed that the Jets are in capable hands with the second-year quarterback from Oregon. The old saying is that if you have two quarterbacks, you really have no quarterbacks is not always true. But, if Mangini doesn't insert Pennington as the starter as soon as he is ready to play then he'll be down to one quarterback. I'm not saying that Pennington would quit on the team, he's been through too much and is too much of a team guy to do that, but the Jets would probably lose him mentally.
Again, I'm not just a Pennington fan -- I'm a Jets fan. I'm rooting for the Green and White to win ballgames and that means having number 10 behind center. He gives the team the best chance to win and Sunday's date with the Miami Dolphins is huge. It's a bit strange to say that a contest between two 0-2 teams is huge, but the Jets should probably pack it up if they fall to the fish at home on Sunday. Not only would they be 0-3, but they would be 0-3 in the AFC and 0-2 in the division.
And that would be a steep hill to climb regardless of who is quarterbacking your team.
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