If you told me before Sunday's game that the Jets would scoop up a fumble for a touchdown, return a kickoff for a score and get a gift three points right before the half I would have signed up for it in a heartbeat.
That sounds like a win to me, right?
Not so. Welcome to the 2007 New York Jets.
The Jets took a 17-7 lead into the half before the Giants realized they could run at will, pick the Green and White apart through the air and jump patterns on Gang Green's wide receivers. When the dust settled, Big Blue scored 28 second-half points and rolled up the Jets 35-24 at the Meadowlands. The Jets now stand at 1-4 and their season is clinging on life support.
REASONS TO GET UP ON MONDAY:
Leon Washington. The explosive Washington delivered his second kickoff return for a touchdown this season. His 98-yard scamper in the third quarter answered the Giants opening second-half scoring drive and gave the Jets a 24-14 advantage. Washington has been terrific as a replacement for the injured Justin Miller. His return should have sparked Gang Green to a victory, but it turned out to be the final points the team would score. On the plus side, Washington finished with 3 kickoff returns for 155 yards and 2 punt returns for 20 yards, but rushed for only 13 yards on 9 carries and caught 1 pass for -1 yards.
Kerry Rhodes. So far Rhodes hasn't been the play-maker he was last season, but he came through with a big play in the first quarter. In the first quarter, Rhodes ripped the ball away from running back Brandon Jacobs, recovered it and took off for a touchdown. The play gave the Jets an early 7-0 lead. Rhodes also led the team with 9 tackles on Sunday which is a terrible sign since he's playing free safety.
REASONS TO SLEEP IN ON MONDAY:
Chad Pennington. Pennington crushed the Jets chance of winning in Buffalo last weekend and absolutely destroyed the team's prospects against the Giants. Pennington's first pick came with the score tied at 7-7 and the Jets driving at the Giants 37-yard line. Sam Madison jumped a pass intended for Jerricho Cotchery and killed a scoring chance. It would get worse. Early in the fourth with the score 24-21 Jets and the Green and White sitting pretty with a 1st-and-10 at the Giants 23-yard, Pennington floated a pass into double coverage. The ball was intercepted by Aaron Ross. Then came the final nail in the coffin. The rookie Ross stepped in front of another short pass late in the fourth and took it back for a touchdown to put the Giants up to stay, 35-24. Three picks, three daggers in the heart. Pennington finished 21 of 36 for 229 yards, one TD and 3 INTs.
The defense. It was a total team breakdown on Sunday. The Jets looked good for about 30 minutes, but then they forgot how to cover and how to tackle. It was torture watching this team play defense in the second half. The Giants moved the ball easily through the air and on the ground after the intermission. The highlight/lowlight of the day on D was Plaxico Burress' 53-yard touchdown catch and run. Jets corner Andre Dyson played patty-cake with the lanky wideout for about 20 yards before Burress discarded him like used Kleenex. Every Giant rusher (and this includes QB Eli Manning) averaged at least 4.3 yards a carry. Disgraceful. In all, Gang Green allowed 188 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns.
Lack of running game. Once again, Thomas Jones and the Jets failed to establish a ground attack. For some reason, the Jets continually ran the ball outside against the Giants. The G-Men's greatest strength along their defensive line is their speed -- they basically have four defensive ends up front. The Jets should have pounded the ball between the tackles. Jones is more effective as a north-south runner, not an east-west guy. Ridiculous. Jones finished the afternoon with 13 carries for 36 yards. As a team, the Green and White rushed the football 25 times for a measly 55 yards (that's a 2.2 average).
Cat scratch fever. For the second straight week, kicker Mike Nugent missed a makeable field goal. He went wide left on a 42-yard attempt midway through the first quarter. The field goal would have given the Jets an early 10-0 advantage, but instead the Giants took possession after the miss and went in for the tying score.
Last week's loss at Buffalo was disappointing, but this one was down right upsetting. I know the talk on the radio and in the paper will be about Pennington's second straight terrible performance, but this team is leaking fluid all over the place. The defense can't stop anyone, the running game is non-existent and their kicker has forgotten how to kick. The coaching staff also has to take some heat for this abysmal start. Example. Jonathan Vilma picked off an Eli Manning pass with 23 seconds left in the second quarter. The Jets were up 14-7 and had a chance to extend the lead to 14 points going into the half. Gang Green was set up at the Giants 27-yard line with 1 timeout. You would think the team would be able to run at least two plays, right? No, they ran one -- a running play that lost 2 yards -- and then milked the clock and kicked the field goal. Terrible. I understand you don't want to make a mistake there, but you have to take at least one shot for a touchdown, don't you?
The season is teetering on the brink, but I have a sliver of hope for Jet fans. In 2002, the Jets also started out 1-4 and they came back to win the division.
But it would be a minor miracle if this year's squad could equal that feat.
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