NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS September 7, 2014 Table of Contents NEWSDAY .............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Mike Francesa wants Michael Vick weekly, but not sporadically (Neil Best) ............................................................2 Bart Scott worries about Calvin Pryor's hitting style (Bob Glauber) .........................................................................2 Jets' defense is champing at the bit to face Raiders' rookie Derek Carr (Kimberley Martin) ....................................4 Jets thin at cornerback, but nothing defensive-minded Rex Ryan can't handle (Bob Glauber) ................................5 THE RECORD .......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Jets matchup: Raiders (J.P. Pelzman) ........................................................................................................................7 Five keys to the Jets season (J.P. Pelzman) ...............................................................................................................8 Jets out to prove experts wrong again (J.P. Pelzman) ...............................................................................................9 STAR-LEDGER ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 The art of defending the deep ball: One of the NFL's most stressful situations is tougher than ever (Darryl Slater) .................................................................................................................................................................................10 NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Jets’ rookie TE won’t start, but proves he can actually catch (Brian Costello) ........................................................14 ‘Put up or shut up': Jets beyond amped, already talking playoffs (Brian Costello) .................................................14 Serby’s Sunday Q&A with Geno Smith (Steve Serby) ..............................................................................................17 Grown-up Geno Smith ready to lead Jets to greatness (Steve Serby) ....................................................................21 NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 23 The Playbook - Oakland Raiders vs. NY Jets: Gang Green opens against the perfect opponent (Hank Gola) .........23 Ready ... Set ... Geno Smith heads into season opener primed to take off, says NY Jets coach Rex Ryan (Seth Walder) ....................................................................................................................................................................24 With NY Jets' holes, GM John Idzik and Rex Ryan should be in this marriage till the end (Manish Mehta) ...........25 NY Jets' Antonio Allen was always safety plan at cornerback (Seth Walder) ..........................................................27 Sad state of New York sports makes you want to root for Rex Ryan and NY Jets (Mike Lupica) ............................28 NEW YORK TIMES ................................................................................................................................................ 31 Rex Ryan’s Words Stay Bold, but a Little Less Brash With the Jets (Ben Shpigel) ...................................................31 ESPN NEW YORK .................................................................................................................................................. 34 What Jets need from Geno (Field Yates) .................................................................................................................34 W4: Raiders vs. Jets (Rich Cimini) ............................................................................................................................36 METRO NEW YORK .............................................................................................................................................. 37 Jets vs. Raiders: 3 things to watch (Mark Osborne) ................................................................................................37 Jets season preview: Who struggles, who surprises, what’s their record? (Kristian Dyer) .....................................39 Michael Vick appearance with Mike Francesa may be one-time deal (Kristian Dyer) ............................................40

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Daily Clips Cont. SATURDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS .................................................................................................................. 40

NEWSDAY Mike Francesa wants Michael Vick weekly, but not sporadically (Neil Best) Newsday September 6, 2014 http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/mike-francesa-wants-michael-vick-weekly-but-notsporadically-1.9245033 No one has been more surprised by all the attention Mike Francesa's (tentative) radio partnership with Michael Vick has received than Francesa himself. "It's amazing how much publicity it's gotten," he said Saturday. Of course, that was a big part of the reason he expressed interest in having Vick on every week in the first place. "He gets a response; people are interested in him," Francesa said. So much so that Vick fielded no fewer than nine questions from reporters Friday related to his (tentative) Tuesday afternoon appearances on Francesa's WFAN show this season. Francesa was vaguely aware of Vick's answers before he went off the air Friday, but he did not see the full transcript of the backup quarterback's comments until later, including Vick saying that although he plans to be on the radio this coming Tuesday, he does not necessarily plan to be on every Tuesday, as his contract calls for him to be. "We're going to knock this Tuesday out and then maybe sometime later on in the year, but it remains to be talked about," Vick said. Not so fast, Francesa said. "If he thinks it's going to be every couple of weeks or every couple of months, it's not going to work," he said. "If he wants to do it on a weekly basis, I welcome that. If not, this will be a one-time deal and thanks for the memories."Francesa also read what Vick said Friday about whether Francesa might get him riled up: "I can get him riled up. You can't rile me. You see what I go through every Sunday? You can't rile me with words." Francesa agreed, saying, "I didn't take that seriously. That guy can handle anything that's thrown at him . . . An interview is not going to bother him. I just need him to show up." Vick and Francesa still have not met or spoken to each other. WFAN operations manager Mark Chernoff struck the deal with Vick's agent after ascertaining that Francesa would be interested in having him on. "I always thought the Jets would put the kibosh on it because it was me," said Francesa, who has had a strained relationship with the team in recent years. "Obviously, they didn't." Now Vick appears to be having second thoughts. "Listen, all I expect him to do is explain his role with the team and give me his view of how the team played, and if he participates, we obviously want to discuss his participation," Francesa said. "I don't know if he's getting cold feet or if he is getting some pushback from the organization, I have no idea. I have no way of knowing that . . . I hope he shows up." Back_to_Top Bart Scott worries about Calvin Pryor's hitting style (Bob Glauber) 2|Page

Daily Clips Cont. Newsday September 6, 2014 http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/bob-glauber/bart-scott-worries-about-calvin-pryor-shitting-style-1.9245855 Bart Scott was one of the hardest-tackling linebackers of his generation, so he certainly appreciates Jets rookie safety Calvin Pryor's aggressive style and penchant for leveling ballcarriers with ferocious hits. But the former Jet and Raven worries that Pryor might be a bit too reckless for his own good. "He's a bit of a launcher,'' said Scott, now an NFL analyst at CBS. "He's explosive and dynamic, but it's not always about making the big hit all the time. It's about making the smart one, securing the tackle.'' Scott worries that Pryor's style eventually will take a toll -- not just on the players he hits but on himself. "He's going to pay the price,'' Scott said. "When you're a big hitter, you hurt other people but you hurt yourself. It takes a toll on the tackler as well.'' As Pryor prepares to begin his NFL career against the Raiders on Sunday, he is not surprised to hear Scott's warning. This is not the first time he has heard it. It likely won't be the last, either, because if Pryor's NFL performance is anything like the way he played for Louisville -- he took delight in knocking opponents out of games -- his style certainly will draw attention. And possibly criticism. "I've had people complain about how I tackle before,'' Pryor said. "[At Louisville], I was told by my coaches that I shouldn't be so aggressive where I throw my whole body into the guy where I could get hurt.'' He never changed his style, though, always delivering a big hit when the opportunity presented itself. Take a look at a highlight reel of Pryor's career at Louisville and you will see him flying around and producing hits that make you glad you're not on the receiving end. He offers no apologies. "That's just the way I play football,'' he said. "If I feel like a receiver or a running back is in the position where I don't have to launch at him, I won't launch at him, I'll just make the correct tackle. But if I feel like I have to launch or throw my body out there, I'll do that.'' Pryor might be walking a fine line, though. With the NFL becoming increasingly sensitive about big hits -especially gratuitous shots that result in concussions -- the way defensive players tackle has come under more scrutiny. Safeties in particular have become a focus of the league's officiating department. Three safeties -- Dashon Goldson of the Buccaneers, Michael Griffin of the Titans and Brandon Meriweather of the Redskins -- have been suspended the last two years as a result of repeated flagrant hits. Unlike cornerbacks, who most of the time already are close to the opposing receiver when they begin the tackling process, safeties have more space between them and the receiver and therefore can take an extra step or two before making a more forceful tackle. "You have to be careful now, because the rules aren't what they used to be,'' Scott said. "[Pryor] has to really adjust his technique and use his shoulder more.'' Pryor acknowledges that there are split-second decisions to be made as he lines up a player. Just the slightest change of direction can alter the result of the hit. Sometimes he can control where he places his body; other times, instinct takes over and might change his movement.

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Daily Clips Cont. "As a safety, you have more of an awareness of what's going on and what's going to happen, so you're able to get to a play quicker than most,'' he said. "Sometimes that puts you in a vulnerable position." "Let's say a receiver is trying to catch the ball, you may want to try to hit him low. But at the same time, you want to try to make a big play and knock the ball out or have a huge hit. Those are the decisions you have to go through in your mind before the play takes place. But it's a quick reaction and it happens very fast.'' Scott and others may have reservations about Pryor's style, but Jets coach Rex Ryan does not. Nor does Ryan see a need for Pryor to adjust his technique. "He might have been one of the least-penalized players in college,'' Ryan said. "He's a big hitter, and I don't want to change that style of play. I don't want to take away one of his best attributes.'' Ryan acknowledged the increased emphasis on tackling within the framework of the NFL rules, especially as it pertains to safeties, but he doesn't put Pryor in the same category as those who have been repeatedly fined or suspended. "Calvin's a way different hitter,'' Ryan said. "There's not one cheap thing about this kid. Where he gets his biggest hits are on ballcarriers or running backs. But against wideouts, it's all clean. He lowers the target, doesn't leave his feet and he doesn't hit you in the head.'' Ryan is counting on Pryor to make plenty of those big hits and provide an aggressive dynamic that hasn't always been there for the Jets. As long as it's within the rules, it's all good. But if Pryor delivers some hits that run afoul of the league's increased emphasis on player safety, Scott may be right: Pryor might have to change his style after all -- maybe for his own good. Back_to_Top Jets' defense is champing at the bit to face Raiders' rookie Derek Carr (Kimberley Martin) Newsday September 6, 2014 http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-defense-is-champing-at-the-bit-to-face-raidersrookie-derek-carr-1.9245850 Look out, Derek Carr. Rex Ryan's defense is coming. For all the questions and concerns about the Jets' secondary, Ryan's defensive front seven will have one major advantage Sunday against the Oakland Raiders: Ryan himself. The defensive guru is 7-3 against rookie quarterbacks. And that has his defense feeling pretty confident about facing Carr. "I definitely think we can rattle him,'' safety-turned-cornerback Antonio Allen told Newsday. "We can rattle any quarterback. "I mean, we did a good job with Tom Brady last year. But we can't dwell on that. We have to do the same thing we did to [Brady] to this guy. Give him different looks, just hide our coverages and get after him.'' Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson flashed a mischievous grin when asked if his coach is champing at the bit to face a young quarterback in Week 1. "Somewhat,'' Richardson said, laughing. "He is.'' The Raiders announced Monday that Carr -- and not veteran Matt Schaub -- will be their regular-season starter. Schaub said he was surprised by the move, but the Jets didn't seem to be. They highlighted Carr's 4|Page

Daily Clips Cont. ability to air it out downfield and his composure during Oakland's 41-31 win over Seattle in their preseason finale. The rookie, the younger brother of former Giants quarterback David Carr, led four scoring drives against Seattle, throwing three touchdown passes in the process. "He was highly rated for a reason,'' Jets outside linebacker Calvin Pace said. "He's good throwing the ball and whatnot. The one game that he had against Seattle, I just think he showed some poise. It seemed like he had been there before.'' That's because Carr spent much of his life watching his older brother in action. David, now 35, was drafted No. 1 overall by the Texans in 2002 and also spent time with the 49ers, Panthers and Giants. Derek, 23, knew what it felt like to be in an NFL locker room long before he outplayed Schaub for the starting job. And now he's determined to prove he can handle everything the Jets' defense throws at him. "Rex Ryan has great blitz packages,'' Carr said. "He has a lot of different looks and me being a rookie quarterback, he'll probably show them all . . . I always expect a lot, and I will be ready for anything. I tend to overthink everything and over-prepare.'' Ryan said the Jets did their due diligence on Carr during the draft process, "so we know the kind of athlete he is. He gets the ball out quick, [he's] smart, has a live arm, athletic guy, has a good feeling in the pocket . . . So we were impressed with him. " . . . Obviously he has the physical makeup and the skill set that [makes you] think he has got a chance to be an outstanding quarterback in this league,'' Ryan added. "And the bloodlines with his brother going through everything he went through and playing a long time himself, [Derek] probably has a better understanding than most rookies.'' Still, Jets offensive tackle Willie Colon said it's "pretty [gutsy], to say the least'' to start Carr against a Ryanrun defense. "I don't know Schaub's situation, I'm no quarterbacks coach, but you throw him into a hostile environment, against a good defense, things are going to happen,'' Colon told Newsday. Brady, a future Hall of Famer, had a 48.24 completion percentage and a 61.5 quarterback rating against the Jets last season, throwing one touchdown pass and one interception in the two games. So how will Carr fare against the Jets' stout defensive line? Pace said it's impossible to predict how a rookie quarterback will perform when the lights come on "and it's for real.'' For that reason, the Jets expect the Raiders to rely heavily on their running game. "So we just have to stop that and make him beat us,'' Pace said. "And we'll see if he can do that.'' To the Jets, that means one thing: Advantage, Ryan. Said Pace, "I would bet on us every time.'' Back_to_Top Jets thin at cornerback, but nothing defensive-minded Rex Ryan can't handle (Bob Glauber) Newsday September 6, 2014 http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/bob-glauber/jets-thin-at-cornerback-but-nothingdefensive-minded-rex-ryan-can-t-handle-1.9246522 What began as a routine Sunday afternoon training camp practice quickly turned into a crisis for the Jets, one they are still attempting to manage as they begin the regular season with Sunday's game against the Raiders at MetLife Stadium. 5|Page

Daily Clips Cont. First it was third-round rookie cornerback Dexter McDougle, who got his cleat caught in the grass at the team's Cortland practice field and suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Less than 30 minutes later, 2013 first-round cornerback Dee Milliner went down with a sprained ankle that still hasn't recovered enough for him to play. Not only that, but newly acquired starter Dmitri Patterson also was out with calf, ankle and quadriceps injuries -- an absence that would become permanent after Patterson went AWOL for a preseason game against the Giants and was released after getting suspended. Three cornerbacks, two of whom won't play another game this season and one who might be out another few weeks. But if there is a glimmer of hope for the Jets, it rests with the man who is standing outside the team's cafeteria after a midweek practice session. Coach Rex Ryan, who is one of the brightest defensive minds in the NFL, believes he can navigate the difficult challenge ahead by using the limited resources now at his disposal and turning what looks to be an impossible situation into a unique opportunity. The Jets may be without three of their top cornerbacks, but Ryan's uncanny ability to put his players in the best position to succeed could go a long way toward helping his team overcome its greatest weakness. Ryan offers an aw-shucks reaction when it is suggested that his exceptional defensive mind gives him a distinct tactical advantage that could help cover up at least some of his secondary's deficiencies. "I got a great secondary coach and a great defensive coordinator in Dennis Thurman,'' he said, "so I think that helps.'' But Ryan's influence on the secondary is undeniable. He helped Darrelle Revis become the greatest cover corner of his era by having Revis play almost exclusively man-to-man defense. And Ryan's teams -whether it be with the Jets or with the Ravens during his run as their defensive coordinator -- routinely were sound in the secondary, in large part because of his imaginative schemes that took advantage of individual skills. Talent helped, yes, but Ryan didn't always have it. In the 2008 season, when Ryan ran the Ravens' defense, his starting cornerbacks were Frank Walker and Fabian Washington, both middling players. But Baltimore reached the AFC Championship Game that year and Ryan's defense played a huge role. And in Ryan's first season as the Jets' coach in 2009, his starting cornerback opposite Revis was Lito Sheppard, who once had been one of the NFL's top corners but was a shell of his former self when he got to the Jets. Ryan provided safety help for Sheppard on nearly every passing play and the Jets wound up with the NFL's top-ranked defense. Ryan now will put his defensive wits to great use with this year's team because of the rash of injuries and Patterson's quick flameout. Instead of Milliner and Patterson starting at corner, Ryan will have Darrin Walls, an undrafted free agent the Jets signed in 2012, and Antonio Allen, a converted safety. The starting safeties will be veteran Dawan Landry and first-round rookie Calvin Pryor. "For his style of defense, you need corners that can play man-to-man, and I think [Ryan] has the eye for those kinds of guys,'' said Walls, 26. "We've had some great corners here, and we still have some. We're out there playing for him, and we want to keep the tradition going.'' Said Allen, "He's very detailed and he's very smart and he's going to draw up schemes to go up against offenses that can't pick up on what we're doing. The guy can coach.'' 6|Page

Daily Clips Cont. For the Jets to fulfill Ryan's lofty expectations for this season, he might need to do some of his greatest coaching yet. His defense looks terrific up front with defensive ends Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson and linebackers David Harris and Demario Davis, but the undermanned secondary will be Ryan's greatest challenge. He insists he's up to the task. And by the end of our conversation, after he tried to deflect much of the credit to his assistant coaches, Ryan acknowledged that he has an advantage in at least one respect. "I think [the advantage] is through my experiences,'' he said. "Obviously, growing up the son of Buddy Ryan, I was around football all my life. And then all the years as a coordinator, I've had different scenarios happen. So I've seen a lot of different things through the years. I feel good about being able to take what I have and make it work.'' Back_to_Top

THE RECORD Jets matchup: Raiders (J.P. Pelzman) The Record September 6, 2014 http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets/jets-matchup-raiders-1.1082558 Raiders (0-0) at Jets (0-0) At MetLife Stadium Today, 1 p.m. TV: CBS; Radio: ESPN-FM 98.7 Line: Jets by 5 1/2 What's at stake Jets Although it's opening day, this game has the feel of a must-win for the Jets. That's because four of their next six contests are against 2013 playoff teams with very talented quarterbacks, so the Jets cannot afford to stumble against the still-rebuilding Raiders, whom they scored 37 points against in their previous meeting last December. Raiders Oakland has lost its last 13 games played in the Eastern time zone since a victory at Pittsburgh in December 2009. So third-year coach Dennis Allen changed things up this week. The Raiders flew to the East Coast on Thursday, one day earlier than they normally would, and practiced in Jersey City on Friday. Also, secondround pick Derek Carr, named the starting QB on Monday, will be attempting to win his NFL debut. Key matchup Jets LDE Sheldon Richardson vs. Raiders RG Austin Howard Ex-teammates will match up against one another. Howard, who started at RT for the Jets for the past two seasons, left for Oakland and a lucrative free agent contract in March and has moved inside on the line. Certainly he is familiar with the talented Richardson, and if Howard can handle him one-on-one at least some of the time the Raiders likely will be able to run the ball effectively, a must when starting a rookie at QB on opening day. 7|Page

Daily Clips Cont. How they'll win Jets Quarterback Geno Smith demonstrates his new-found poise, avoids turnovers and guides a mostly conservative offense while taking a shot downfield here and there. Running backs Chris Johnson, Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell help the Jets control the clock. The defense rattles Carr by bringing blitzes and disguising its coverages, leading to mistakes by the former Fresno State star. Raiders Carr shows maturity beyond his years and makes plays against the Jets' decimated secondary, which will start Darrin Walls and former safety Antonio Allen at the CB spots. Carr also benefits from a strong running game, led by former Jacksonville star Maurice Jones-Drew. A savvy, veteran defense baits Smith and the Jets into mistakes, and gives Carr a short field to work with. Back_to_Top Five keys to the Jets season (J.P. Pelzman) The Record September 6, 2014 http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/five-keys-to-the-jets-season-1.1082605 Five keys to the Jets season 1. Will the corners hold up? Injuries and the release of veteran Dimitri Patterson have left the Jets with little experience at cornerback, and for now they are counting on converted safety Antonio Allen to be a starter. Can the secondary withstand the pressure of facing numerous big-time quarterbacks after opening day, and will 2013 firstround pick Dee Milliner (ankle) be rusty when he returns? 2. Is Geno Smith the answer? The Jets handed the second-year signal caller the job, hoping he is ready for a breakout season after an up-and-down rookie campaign. If Smith falters, how soon would they be willing to turn to veteran Michael Vick? He showed in limited playing time during the preseason that he still can dazzle with his arm and with his feet. 3. Will the run defense dominate again? The Jets allowed an NFL-low 3.4 yards per carry in 2013, as the defensive front manhandled opponents and seemed impenetrable at times. They will need a similar performance this season to hide the deficiencies of the secondary, and to assist an offense that still is designed more for ball control than explosiveness. 4. How much will Johnson and Decker help? Running back Chris Johnson and wideout Eric Decker were the team’s marquee signings during the offseason as the Jets tried to add more punch to an offense that ranked 29th in scoring last season. Johnson seems to have recovered from a knee injury that hampered him in 2013 and the sure-handed Decker will have to adjust to receiving more attention and coverage from defenses than he did in Denver. 5. Can RG Willie Colon stay healthy? Colon has suffered arm and knee injuries in the past 10 months but has recovered. The Jets need him to continue to stay upright because their offensive line depth is questionable. Their four O-line backups — 8|Page

Daily Clips Cont. Ben Ijalana, Dalton Freeman, Oday Aboushi and Dakota Dozier — have totaled four career games (all by Ijalana) and zero starts. Back_to_Top Jets out to prove experts wrong again (J.P. Pelzman) The Record September 6, 2014 http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/out-to-prove-experts-wrong-1.1082549 In the month that for decades has been synonymous with the new season of television, the Jets again trotted out some all-too-familiar reruns as they prepared for their season opener today against visiting Oakland. Rex Ryan was asked if he thinks pundits have underrated his team, a hanging curveball for the Jets coach if ever there was one. "Oh, absolutely," Ryan agreed, to the surprise of no one who has heard his news conferences. "I have no idea where they rank us, but I don’t need to. After you flip through page one, page two, and you still aren’t up there, and there are like 10 teams, or whatever, you’re like ‘All right, yeah, we are better than what they say.’ " "I think to these so-called experts," linebacker Calvin Pace said, "we’re always the laughingstock or we’re clowns, or we’re this or that. And that couldn’t be further from the truth." When Pace mentioned "clowns," he likely was referring to a newspaper cartoon in 2012 that depicted the Jets as circus clowns at the start of the failed Tim Tebow experiment. And the tone and content of both Ryan’s and Pace’s comments are reminiscent of this time last year, when the Jets were bristling at the low opinion people had of their chances. Ryan used all that as motivation, and apparently it worked. Despite being outscored by 97 points in 2013, the Jets somehow finished 8-8 and were in the playoff chase until mid-December. They believe they have better personnel on offense this year and thus can go further. "The thing we have to do," Pace said, "is just go out, handle our business, play well, don’t give up any big plays on defense and just try to get the ball back to the offense in the best possible situation. If we do that, we’ll be fine." Ryan, as usual, is optimistic in public about his team’s situation at cornerback, despite the fact that three of their projected top four corners won’t be in uniform Sunday, and it’s still unclear when 2013 first-round pick Dee Milliner (high ankle sprain) will return. Ryan lavished praise on third-year pro Antonio Allen, a hybrid safety-linebacker in college who was switched to cornerback on Aug. 11 and has played less than four quarters in parts of two games at his new position. "Is he still going to be a little bit of a work in progress?" Ryan asked rhetorically. "Sure, he’s probably not as good now as he’s going to be in the next couple of weeks, or three weeks, four weeks down the road. But for right now, he’s doing a good job for us. I’m excited to watch him play. I think he’s a playmaker, and you put him out there and we’ll see what happens." Ryan also has said he feels much better about his receiving corps than he did at any point last year. That group includes free agent signee Eric Decker, who was ripped last week by ESPN’s Mark Schlereth, who called him a "marginal No. 2 [receiver] at best." 9|Page

Daily Clips Cont. "I didn’t really have a reaction, to be honest," Decker said Friday when asked about Schlereth’s comments. "That’s his opinion, I guess. I’m not going to get into a battle over who says what or how he feels." Decker also defended himself, saying, "I’m confident in my ability. I’m confident in this team. I’m going to let my talking be on the field." That’s a mantra Ryan and the Jets perhaps should adopt. Then again, if Ryan is right and his team is much better than most people think, the Jets will talk even more. Their first chance to make a statement comes today. Back_to_Top

STAR-LEDGER The art of defending the deep ball: One of the NFL's most stressful situations is tougher than ever (Darryl Slater) Star-Ledger September 6, 2014 http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/09/the_art_of_defending_the_deep_ball_how_one_of_football s_most_stressful_situations_is_getting_even_to.html FLORHAM PARK – In his previous football life, Dawan Landry often shook his head when he saw a defensive back get beat by a deep pass. “The guy is in position,” Landry would think. “He should make a play on the ball.” Then Landry experienced the reality of the deep ball, and learned why defending it is among football’s most stressful experiences. Landry played quarterback in his first season at Georgia Tech, 2001, and then switched to safety. He has played there ever since, and will begin his ninth NFL season Sunday, when his Jets host the Raiders. From the moment he moved to the other side of the deep ball, defending it instead of throwing it, he realized why making a play on this ball is not as simple as it seems. “From the outside looking in, it always looks easy,” Landry said. “It’s a lot more technical than it looks.” Often last season, it appeared far too challenging for the Jets. They finished 22nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed, largely because of deep completions. In the first 11 games alone, they surrendered gains of 30, 31, 38, 40, 46, 53, 53, 60 and 60 yards on deep passes. And those were just the long balls that didn’t result in touchdowns. Opponents scored on deep completions of 43, 51, 55, 66 and 77 yards. Those 14 completions accounted for 25 percent of the passing yards the Jets allowed in their first 11 games, during which they went 5-6. The Jets spent countless hours of practice and film study working on improving their deep ball defense this offseason. “We have to be better,” said Dennis Thurman, their defensive coordinator. “It is not something that we are going to just keep talking about. It is something that we have to get.” But the deep ball has a chance to test the Jets even more this season. In Sunday’s opener against an Oakland team that loves throwing long passes, the Jets will start a converted safety, Antonio Allen, and a career backup, Darrin Walls, at cornerback. Even when Dee Milliner returns from a high ankle sprain, one of those two players is likely to continue starting.

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Daily Clips Cont. The Jets’ cornerback issues come in a season when the NFL is aggressively trying to limit contact by defensive backs more than five yards down the field. This could hamper one of the longtime tactics for defending the deep ball -- the "look and lean" technique. “A lot of these offenses, they’re going to throw the deep ball just to get a pass interference,” said former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson, now an ESPN analyst. “They’re not just looking for the big play. They’re looking for the penalty also.” For the Jets especially, one of football’s most stressful defensive plays just got even more nerve-wracking. THE MOST ANXIOUS OF MOMENTS The deep ball can put an anxious pit in a defensive back’s stomach. All it takes is that sound – the simultaneous gasp of thousands of fans when they see a quarterback flick a long pass to a receiver who is a step ahead of a defensive back. “The times I’ve gotten beat in games on a deep ball, the first thing you hear is the crowd,” Woodson said. “You can hear that, definitely. You know the ball is in the air. Now you have to absolutely track the ball, and that can be a kick in the ass.” Defending the deep ball is about more than just running as fast as the receiver, or being able to catch up to him. But that is a legitimate part of it. “If you don’t have that type of recovery speed, I don’t care what type of skills you’ve got, you’re going to get beat with the deep ball,” said former NFL receiver Desmond Howard, who now analyzes college football for ESPN. When physical skills are equal, as they often are in the NFL, precision and patience take over. This is where Landry failed at first, as a young safety at Georgia Tech. When a receiver beat him deep in a one-on-one practice drill, Landry decided to turn around and play the ball. That might feel like a natural reaction, but it is all wrong, because you lose track of the receiver, drift away from him and slow your pursuit, all at once. Landry said defensive backs are always taught to never look back for the ball until they are “in phase” with a receiver – basically running next to him, hip-to-hip. Once in phase with the receiver, the defensive back should “look and lean,” Landry said. That means simultaneously turning back for the ball while slightly leaning into the receiver’s area. The purpose of the lean is twofold: It lets the defensive back physically track the receiver while not looking at him, and also closes the spacing between the two players. By his own admission, looking and leaning is the toughest part of playing the deep ball for Walls – locating the ball in the air while maintaining “control” of the receiver. He called it “the hardest thing for DBs to do." For as challenge as the "look and lean" is to perfect, Tim McDonald, the Jets' secondary coach, hopes the NFL's downfield contact emphasis doesn't completely eliminate the tactic. "We’ve got just as much right to that space as they have, as long as we lean, not into them, but we lean to that space," McDonald said. "We don’t give him space to come in and get the ball." What if a defensive back gets beat, and trails his receiver? In this situation – “out of phase” – the defensive back must look at the receiver’s hands. When he sticks them out to catch the ball, the defensive back has to jab his own hand ahead to disrupt the play. The best receivers, like Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne, wait until the last minute to extend their hands on deep balls, and rarely tip off defensive backs by turning their heads early, to look for the ball. 11 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. There is a delicate balance for a defensive back trying to determine when exactly to turn, locate the deep ball and momentarily lose sight of the receiver. When in phase, he can glance at a receiver’s eyes, to see when he looks up for the ball. But this can present problems for a corner trying to time his initial contact, because a receiver usually looks up first, and then stretches his hands out. So, watching his hands can be safer. “It’s better to just play through (looking at) their hands than their eyes, because you might make early contact,” said Milliner. Despite standard teaching points, every secondary coach and defensive back has a preference. McDonald wants his players to watch for outstretched hands, wait for the "blur of the ball" to appear in their field of vision, and then reach out to break up the pass. Former NFL cornerback Eric Davis liked playing outsidein technique on deep balls. This means being closer to the sideline than the receiver, so you keep both him and the ball in your field of vision when looking up to track the pass. Even if, after all this, the defensive back finds himself in the ideal situation to go after the ball, he can still screw it up. Say a cornerback is running stride for stride with a receiver down the right sideline, and he is to the inside of the receiver. A common mistake is for the corner to turn his head left, to locate the ball. When the corner does this while running, he fades toward the inside of the field, away from the receiver. He also loses sight of the receiver. The corner should look over his right shoulder instead, said Davis. “You have to turn your head up, toward the sideline, and look up,” said Davis, an NFL Network analyst who played 13 seasons in the league. PREPARATION IS KEY As a kid, Ed Reed loved playing a game with his friends, though it only required one friend. Reed would stand on the field, and his buddy would stand 50 yards away, and they would simply throw the ball back and forth. Reed watched it spiral through the humid Louisiana air, tracking the arc of the pass into his hands. “Looking back at it, you never know the things that you do as a kid, how it’s going to bless you later in life,” Reed said. Few players in football history tracked – and picked off – deep balls better than Reed, a future Hall of Fame safety who joined the Jets midway through last season and now appears on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.” Tracking deep balls is one of a defensive back’s hardest duties. A corner can position himself perfectly, in phase, but if he looks at the wrong moment, or just can't spot the ball, he is toast. There is more to both skills than just reacting to outstretched hands. Davis said a cornerback must know the quarterback's arm strength. Against a quarterback with a cannon, like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, a corner must wait longer to look, because the deep ball will travel farther. A quarterback with a weaker arm, one that maxes out at 35 yards, requires the corner to look once he is about 15 yards off the line, since "that ball is in the air because we’re halfway there," Davis said. Positioning matters, too. If the receiver Davis guarded happened to "outside release" off the line -- which means trying to get between Davis and the sideline -- Davis knew there were only a few routes the receiver could run, one being a deep "go" route, straight down the sideline. If the receiver kept running straight at the 15-yard mark, especially with a weaker-armed quarterback, Davis knew he could expect the deep ball, and turn to locate it. And depending on whether the play began 12 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. from the far hash mark, near hash mark or middle of the field, Davis would have an expected angle in mind: Would the ball drop in at 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock or 1 o'clock in his field of vision? Ball tracking in the deep middle of the field seemed to come naturally to Reed, who said he developed hand-eye coordination by playing basketball and baseball in high school. Even in the NFL, he would catch punts during pregame warm-ups, to mimic deep balls. “I loved to catch punts before a game because that’s ultimately tracking a deep ball, 60, 70 yards down the field,” Reed said. Woodson, the former Cowboys safety, found a similar solution to problems he encountered with tracking the ball from the middle of the field. Mike Zimmer, then the Cowboys’ secondary coach, would shoot balls from a Jugs machine, arcing them almost like punts, and have Woodson and the defensive backs turn, run, locate the ball, chase it and catch it. Woodson said this taught him to do what the best defensive backs, like Deion Sanders, so often do -“become the receiver” when the ball is in the air. You can't ever develop into a great deep ball defender unless you learn this. And you can't learn it if you don't locate and track balls properly. "When we go out looking to draft people, one of the things you ask is: Can he find it? Can he catch it?" said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. "Because the great ones can catch it. You have to be able to find it, or there’s no way to play the deep ball." Once a defensive back masters the foundation of playing the deep ball, such as looking and leaning, and he can track the ball, he must then put himself in the receiver's brain. For a safety, playing the deep ball is “truly all about angles,” Reed said. Reed often determined the angle he might need to break on a pass by surveying the offensive formation. He looked at the receiver alignments and splits, considered the route combinations they might present, and determined the angles at which he could need to break toward a pass -- 45 degrees to this route, 90 degrees to that route. He processed it all before the ball was even snapped, a human protractor. Reed, a sage of film study, was with the Jets for the final seven games last season. The Jets signed him largely to patrol the deep middle of the defense and prevent deep balls – something that occurred with mixed results. In the final five games, as the Jets went 3-2, they allowed just two completions of longer than 26 yards on deep attempts. Neither produced a touchdown. At the very least, they did not get burned as badly as earlier in the season. Reed’s most significant contribution, though, probably came off the field. He frequently held film analysis sessions with the younger defensive backs. When he spoke to them about deep balls during these meetings, he emphasized the importance of understanding down-and-distance situations in which opponents tend to take the most deep shots. “Most of it is just realizing when that situation is, and just being able to recognize it,” Walls said of Reed’s message. As the Jets tried to build on Reed’s lessons this offseason, McDonald put his defensive backs through all the usual deep-ball drills in practice – what to do when you’re in phase, what to do when you’re out of phase, how to look and lean. All the while, McDonald wanted them to understand that sharpening deep ball defense is not entirely robotic repetition, nor just reacting to a receiver's movements during games. Much of it depends on identifying the receivers on film every week who are likeliest to take the Jets deep – and put them in this potentially harrowing, game-changing situation.

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Daily Clips Cont. “To me, it’s as much mental as it is physical,” McDonald said. “That (mental aspect) is the part of the game that we really have to be better at.” Back_to_Top

NEW YORK POST Jets’ rookie TE won’t start, but proves he can actually catch (Brian Costello) New York Post September 6, 2014 http://nypost.com/2014/09/06/jets-rookie-te-wont-start-but-proves-he-can-actually-catch/ Jace Amaro hopes to drop nothing but points on the Raiders on Sunday. The rookie tight end’s struggles became one of the stories of the early days of training camp, when Amaro seemed to drop every pass thrown his way. He rectified the problem, though, and drops were not an issue over the final few weeks of the preseason. “I think it was more of just a confidence thing,” Amaro said. “Overall, it was feeling comfortable with the whole system. Now, I feel comfortable. I can’t really remember the last practice or anything where I had trouble with a couple of drops or anything like that. I feel really smooth out there. I feel good. I feel like my routes are crisp. I feel really comfortable running routes and Geno [Smith] said he feels like it’s night and day since the first day I’ve gotten here.” Amaro said he won’t start against the Raiders. Jeff Cumberland will. It was an injury to Cumberland in training camp that actually accelerated Amaro’s learning. Cumberland strained his left Achilles’ tendon and missed the team’s second and third preseason games. That allowed Amaro to get more playing time in the games and more reps in practice. “Him being hurt really did help me out a lot,” the second-round pick out of Texas Tech said. “It really did give me a boost to get where I wanted to be a lot quicker. Right now, I feel like I’m 100 percent ready to go for the whole season.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Jets added CBs Leon McFadden and Phillip Adams last week as teams cut their rosters down. How much can be expected of those guys after spending just a few days with the Jets? “They got here this week, and we’re not going to ask too much of them this week,” defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said. “But, they’re learning the system. They’re in there spending extra time with the coaches, spending extra time with their teammates and trying to get up to speed.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------DT Sheldon Richardson faced Austin Howard a bunch of times last year in training camp when Howard was the Jets’ right tackle. Now, Howard is starting at right guard for the Raiders, after leaving the Jets as a free agent. Richardson figures to see Howard quite a bit. “The whole game. I can’t wait for it,” Richardson said. “I’m actually excited about it. That’s my dog. I can’t wait to play against him.” Back_to_Top ‘Put up or shut up': Jets beyond amped, already talking playoffs (Brian Costello) New York Post September 6, 2014 14 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. http://nypost.com/2014/09/06/put-up-or-shut-up-jets-beyond-amped-already-talking-playoffs/ Hopes inside the Jets locker room are as high as they’ve been in several years. The players and coaches are confident this group is capable of big things. Just ask them. Coach Rex Ryan has put everyone in the NFL on notice, including the Patriots, that they should worry about the Jets. The defensive players think this could be the best group in the league. The offense feels it is much improved with the additions of receiver Eric Decker and running back Chris Johnson, plus Geno Smith’s raised comfort in Year 2. On Sunday, they get to either look like fools or fortune tellers when they open the 2014 season against the Raiders at MetLife Stadium. “Enough with the talking,” guard Willie Colon said this week. “For us, it’s put up or shut up. It’s important for us to get going.” The Jets finished 2013 on a high note, winning three of their final four with improved play from Smith. It was enough to save Ryan’s job and bring him back for a sixth season with the Jets. Ryan has boasted about his team all spring and summer. Now, he is ready to show the world what he has been talking about. “Everything is just ramped up,” Ryan said of Week 1. “As much as you love training camp and everything else, and it’s true, there is just something special about opening a season.” The Jets and Raiders met just nine months ago, with the Jets winning 37-27. Oakland arrives with a different look this time, starting with rookie quarterback Derek Carr. But they also have added veterans Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley to provide some experience. The Raiders are the oldest team in the NFL. The Raiders are seeking their first victory in the Eastern time zone since 2009, a stretch of 13 losses. They flew to New Jersey on Thursday, hoping the extra time here would snap the skid. For the Jets, this is about as close to a must-win as an opening game could be. After this game, they face a stretch of six strong quarterbacks. Lose to the Raiders and panic will set in among Jets fans. After three years of no playoffs, the Jets are focused on making it back to the postseason. “We’ve got a tough schedule ahead, good quarterbacks, good teams, but I think we’re built for [a playoff berth],” defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said. Marquee Matchup QB Geno Smith vs. CB Charles Woodson The Jets are counting on their second-year quarterback playing a whole lot better in his sophomore campaign. It starts against this Raiders defense that has old man Woodson patrolling the back end. Woodson has 56 career interceptions, the most among active players. If he adds to that number, it could be a long day for Smith. Smith focused on cutting down on the turnovers this offseason after recording a staggering 25 of them (21 interceptions, four fumbles) last year. The Jets have had 100 turnovers in the last three years, the most in the NFL, according to ESPN. The Jets were encouraged by how Smith played in the final four games last season, a stretch that began against the Raiders. Woodson nearly had a pick that day but could not come up with it.

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Daily Clips Cont. “I’m expecting him to pick up where he left off and continue to progress,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. “Look, we’ve got a man that’s in his second year. I would expect him to play at a high level on a consistent basis.” Down on the corner You may have heard that the Jets have a crisis at cornerback. It was the topic of training camp as the Jets’ situation at the position went from bad to worse with some craziness, courtesy of Dimitri Patterson, thrown into the mix. Dee Milliner (ankle) has been ruled out of Sunday’s game, leaving Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls as the team’s starting cornerbacks. Allen moved to the position three weeks ago and has had limited practice time there because of a concussion. Walls, an undrafted free agent in 2011, has four career starts. The Jets say they’re not worried. “We’re good,” defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said. “We have guys we feel are capable of going out and playing and we’re going to play with the guys we have. They understand their techniques, fundamentals and assignments. We’re going to go on that field at 1:00 [on] Sunday and play.” Grand opening The Jets struggled to start fast last year. They had halftime leads in just five games and seemed to always be coming from behind. For the Jets to be successful this season, they need to grab early leads. This team is built to win with the running game and their defense. That won’t work if they are trailing. Ryan’s defense is a different animal when he can turn players loose and blitz the quarterback. When the other team has the lead, they throw less and Ryan’s defense becomes less of a force. Rattle the rookie The Raiders chose rookie Derek Carr to start at quarterback over Matt Schaub last week. Schaub may have been preferable for the Jets, since he is a turnover machine and a known quantity. But Ryan’s defenses always have thrived against rookie quarterbacks. Ryan & Co. are 7-3 versus rookies, counting a loss in 2012 to the Dolphins when Ryan Tannehill exited early. In those games, the rookies have a 50.7 completion percentage, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. It could be a long day for Mr. Carr even facing the Jets’ weak secondary. Two-dreaded monster plus one The Jets have three running backs they feel can play, so that’s what they will do — all play. The question is how the carries will be divided among Chris Johnson, Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell. The Jets have said they will ride the hot hand. “We’ve got that old school mentality. Every game’s different,” Mornhinweg said. “All of them will help us throughout the year with that old school mentality of, ‘We don’t care how we get it done, who scores, who gets the credit,’ all those things. I’ve had some experience with three backs in the past and it has worked beautifully. So we’ll see how that goes.” Costello’s call This one sets up perfectly for the Jets. The Raiders are coming East, starting a rookie quarterback, trying to integrate new pieces. Geno Smith will be fine and the shaky cornerbacks won’t get tested … until next week. 16 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. Jets 30, Raiders 17 Back_to_Top Serby’s Sunday Q&A with Geno Smith (Steve Serby) New York Post September 6, 2014 http://nypost.com/2014/09/06/serbys-sunday-qa-with-geno-smith/ Jets quarterback Geno Smith took a timeout during his preparation for the Jets season opener Sunday vs. the Raiders for some kickoff Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: You’re so even-keeled. Are we missing the fire that burns inside you? A: I hope not. I know that my teammates know it. I know that the people around this organization and in this building know it, because they see the time that I put in and the way that I study and my work ethic. But … you may not never see it on the outside, because I don’t like to wear my emotions on my sleeve, whether good or bad. But it’s definitely there. It’s burning. Q: Why don’t you like to wear your emotions on your sleeve? A: I think it’s all about a form of leadership. If you look at those great leaders, they always have that same type of demeanor. They remain the same whether good or bad, because you want to give that off to your teammates, the people around you — that no matter what happens, your emotions won’t change, You may get excited for a minute or two, but that comes back to reality. You always focus on moving forward and getting better: What’s the next step? And those are the things that, when I think about myself in a leadership position, those are the things that I need to do to get my teammates better, to get myself better, and to help ourselves get better as a team. Q: Do you study leaders? A: Of course. You can go back to the “Art of War” [by Sun Tzu]. … He talked about leadership in that book, something that I read when I was a kid. My mother, the way that she handled being a single parent and having three kids, and having to work and put us in position to succeed, all the people around me, I think, pitch in on that — coaches, Rex Ryan, coaches that I’ve had in the past. I think leadership is the way that you handle yourself, and the way that you can get people to be inspired, and leadership is what you do when no one’s looking. Q: Why do you still have a chip on your shoulder? A: I’ve always played like that. I’ve always looked at myself as the underdog, and I’m always gonna play like that. It’s the reason why I want to be great, it’s the reason why I work so hard. People would like to say the draft is why you have the chip on your shoulder, but I’ve had that edge before I even left college. I had that edge in high school, because it’s always been my goal to be a professional quarterback and to succeed Q: Why have you seen yourself as an underdog? A: I came out of high school, I wasn’t the top-rated quarterback, came out of college, I wasn’t drafted first. Q: Opening day last year, what were your emotions? A: Oh man, so many emotions, man. I was … angry. I was angry. I wanted to go out and prove a bunch of things. Looking back on it, that was the wrong way to play, man, ’cause I don’t play like that, and I never should. I don’t have to worry about naysayers or what other people think, I just gotta go play the game 17 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. and do it the right way. But coming out of that tunnel I was angry, and I wanted to show the world per se, and it’s just not what I needed to focus on. Q: You were angry because you slipped to the second round in the draft? A: That was a reason for it, yeah. A bunch of reasons. People will say anything to try and bring you down, and I didn’t let it affect me in a negative way, but I used it as fuel, and that was the reason that I came out pretty angry out of that tunnel. Q: What did you learn playing last year against Darrelle Revis? A: The thing that I learned last year is that you got great players in this league who you better attention to because they can change the game, they can make plays. I didn’t put too many balls in his area so I didn’t have to worry about him taking it from me, but he’s a guy that you gotta be aware of at all times. Q: How do you feel about him being on the Patriots now? A: Yeah, I mean I don’t like it. We don’t like the Patriots and they don’t like us, but … and I know Darrelle personally, I think he’s a great dude, but he’s a rival, so it is what it is. Q: What was the biggest thing you learned about yourself last year? A: I don’t think I learned anything new. We had ups and downs, but I never wavered. … I made a ton of mistakes, but the thing I proved to myself is that I could be a tough leader, a fierce leader in this league, and I could do it with guys that are a lot older than me, and earn the respect of guys that had already done some of the things that I can only envision doing. Q: How much more comfortable do you feel being a leader this year? A: The more you talk to a guy, and you get to know a guy, and you pull a guy to the side and express to him how you feel about certain things, I think the better you get at being a leader and the more you can get out of guys. Q: Will you be more vocal in the huddle than you have been? A: No, I don’t want to change anything that I do. I’ve always tried to pride myself on being the guy who leads by example. Now if I need to be vocal, I will be, I’ll do whatever it takes for us to win. But I’m not the guy who’s gonna yell at you. Every guy’s a man in this locker room, and everyone knows their responsibility. … I think it’s to a point now where I don’t have to yell at anyone because guys are taking it upon themselves to be mindful of working on their craft and getting better every day. I don’t think they’d be here if they didn’t. If we need a spark or something like that, I’m not afraid to be vocal and speak up. Q: The biggest lesson you learned about what it takes to be successful in the NFL as a quarterback. A: I think the biggest lesson I learned was with the turnovers. I had 20-something-odd turnovers last year, and it’s never been me to have that many, but for whatever reason, I was having turnovers. I wanted to get that thing straightened out as badly as anyone. I think the biggest thing that I learned about that is in this league, the more you take care of the ball, the better of a chance you have to win the game. And it’s not always about going out there and making plays to win the game, but sometimes you have to make the plays not to lose the game, and having that understanding what it takes to win games and having a good defense behind you and not forcing the ball or putting us in tough situations. Playing situation football is something I think I’ve learned the most. … The defense looks at a turnover like a score. You give the defense the ball, not only does it get them more excited and make them want to play harder, but it gives their offense, it gives their offense more momentum. Sometimes turnovers are inevitable. It happens, it’s part of the game. You want to have that short memory, you want to move on from it, but you don’t want it to become a problem. And that’s something that I think that happened last year, I had 18 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. a problem with turnovers. I had games where I was turning it over more than we were scoring points, and that can never happen. Q: Why do you think that happened? A: There’s no way to pinpoint it. Maybe some bad reads, some ill-advised passes, and trying to force the ball in situations late in games, maybe if we’re down, trying to score some points. It could be a number of reasons for it, but the main thing is that it just can’t happen. I wouldn’t say that I didn’t know this prior to, but I just learned how to take care of the ball a lot better. Q: You had 21 interceptions and 12 TD passes. Can you flip those numbers? A: That’s my goal. I want to definitely have way more touchdowns and way more productive plays than I do have negative plays. And that’s what it’s all about, is making that positive play on every down. Staying focused, staying locked in every single play, and making a winning play for your team. Q: Is that realistic as a goal? A: I hate talking about numbers when you say goals, but yeah, it’s definitely very realistic. I think about it as more of a ratio. You can never know exactly how many touchdowns you’ll throw or how many turnovers you’ll have, but if that ratio is 2:1 or 3:1, you’re doing pretty good. Q: You hate your turnovers because you feel in large part because you let your teammates down. A: Especially at the quarterback position, it’s a big letdown, because everyone looks at the quarterback as “the guy.” He’s the one who’s responsible for putting up points. When the team scores, no matter if you ran the ball 10 times on that drive, somehow they’ll praise the quarterback. And then, if we have a turnover, no matter what happens, the quarterback is responsible for it. And, I fully accept that challenge. I embrace that. I enjoy that part of playing quarterback because it puts a lot of pressure on you, but I’m a guy who … I really like pressure, I thrive under pressure, and I enjoy those situations. Q: Fourth quarter, ball on your 20 down two points, what’s going through your gut? A: It’s time to score. It’s time to go win. I’m confident now, but in those situations, I’m even more confident. You can’t doubt yourself, you gotta be 100 percent all-in and ready to go do whatever it takes to win. Q: Are you excited about how much better you expect to be this year? A: Very excited. I’m very excited. I try to not show that excitement because I’m so caught up in the rigors of working hard and trying to help my teammates get better and preparing for this season, but I see a lot of great things happening with this team. Q: What’s it like carrying the hopes and dreams of a franchise that’s been chasing a Super Bowl for 45 years? A: I can’t really tell you the answer to that because I’ve only been here about a year-and-a-half now, and I’ve been so caught up in trying, selfishly, preparing myself to be that guy, and it takes preparation. You can’t just say “We want to bring a Super Bowl here” without the hard work, and without battling every day and without the competition, and that’s what our mantra is: We want to compete, we want competition at every spot, and the only way to get it done is to go out on the field and prove it. Q: What’s it like being a New York quarterback? A: Man, it’s fun. It’s fun. It’s everything you could imagine with playing the position of quarter back — the bright lights, the big city, the high accolades when you win, and the not-so-good talk when you lose. All of 19 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. those things are exactly what I envisioned professional sports to be. It’s why I love it, it’s why I love my job, and it’s ultimately why I’m here. Q: You still don’t like Broadway Geno? A: First of all, in respect to Joe Namath, that’s his thing. With me, I just don’t like the name “Broadway,” I’m not a flashy person, I’m a very laidback dude so, if you can find a more laid-back name for me … Q: Florham Park Geno? A: Florham Park Geno, that’s where I’m at. Q: Is that a good one? A: That’s a great one (laugh). Q: Is there a lot of stress in your position? A: I think it can be as stressful or as stress-less as you take it. It’s gotta be a fine line between, how do you stress yourself to get results, and how do you not put pressure on yourself to allow yourself to play freely and to live a normal life? Q: You’ve put on 5-10 pounds of muscle. A: I’m still skinny, but last year I was really skinny. Q: Did you change the way you eat? A: Yes. I can’t eat as many sweets, I don’t eat as much fast food as I used to. Coming out of college, that’s all you eat is candy and fast foods, but now I got nutritionists and I’ve got people who are looking out for my best interests, and I think it paid off a bunch. Q: You have two dogs. A: I have a little pit bull [Blue] and I have a Pomeranian [Jasmine]. Q: What life lessons has Michael Vick taught you? A: That’s something that he didn’t have to say. When I saw the thing that happened to him when he was in Atlanta, you can just see how you can never take anything for granted. And he’ll tell you this — every single day we get a chance to play this sport professionally is a privilege. It’s not our right to do this. There’s guys fighting to be in your spot every single day. Those are the people around the word who wish they can be an NFL quarterback. Q: And of course you’re prepared for the people calling for Michael Vick if you don’t do well. A: I don’t worry about that. I’m not worried about that at all. I can only focus on and take care of what I can take care of. Q: You met Peyton and Eli Manning at the Manning Passing Academy. A: We all had a sitdown, and it was kind of a Q&A thing, and being able to ask a few questions. It’s so crazy that even during the season, I called Peyton, and I didn’t expect for him to answer, but he answered and he gave me some tips. Q: Tips about playing the position? A: Yeah, I was going through my [senior] season [West Virginia], and doing pretty good, and I think we had lost our first game, and I wanted to know, “How do you get your guys going after a loss?” He gave me some words of wisdom. 20 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. Q: How does he get his guys going after a loss? A: Can’t tell you that. Q: Thoughts on Derek Jeter? A: I haven’t met him. Hopefully I’ll meet him some day. He’s had an amazing career. A true American. Someone that you can say to your kids, “You can be like this guy,” because I think he handled his professional career on and off the field tremendously. I can’t say one bad thing about the guy, and obviously, what he’s done for the Yankees and the city of New York is just phenomenal. Q: What’s it like being one of New York’s most eligible bachelors? A: Think that (smile)? I’m a study junkie, I’m always in here just working. Obviously I meet girls, we talk and hang out, but … I always ask my coaches and ask guys who are married, I’m like, “Man, should I get married?’ Or, “Is there something wrong with me? I’m not married right now.” They’re like, “No. You got plenty of time. Take your time.” As a young guy, those are the questions I ask guys, because that’s stuff that I want to know: “How do you know when you find the right girl? Being married, what do want from a wife? What do you expect from her as an NFL player?” Q: What traits would you be looking for? A: You gotta have somebody who’s respectful first of all, of your job, of who you are as a person. You can’t have a person who’s tarnishing your image and doing things that are negative. You gotta have a person who’s caring, who can take care of you after a bad day, or if you’re hurting, someone who can nurture you. … I would say, it’s gotta be a person that you would want your mom to like and to be like. Q: What is the biggest difference in your game that Jets fans will see? A: Just more comfortable back there. I have a better feel for … just everything. I always talk about quarterback, it’s not a talent, it’s a skill. You gotta develop a skill. There are plenty of quarterbacks with talent, but could never make it. It’s truly a skill that you have to develop, and just having a better feel for my surroundings and knowing the offense better is gonna help out a bunch. Q: What do you want Jets fans to say about Geno Smith when they’re heading into the parking lot? A: “I love that guy. We love Geno Smith.” That’s what I want ’em to say. I want ’em to say that we have a great team in the New York Jets and we’re winning and everything’s going well. Back_to_Top Grown-up Geno Smith ready to lead Jets to greatness (Steve Serby) New York Post September 6, 2014 http://nypost.com/2014/09/07/grown-up-geno-smith-ready-to-lead-jets-to-greatness/ The referendum on this season — which begins Sunday against a Silver & Black enemy, with white-hot passion and anticipation, both bravado and eternal hope and prayer — rests for now on the shoulders of Geno Smith, who so badly yearns to stoke the flames of a long-lasting love affair with a long-suffering fan base that has waited forever for a franchise quarterback to love back. “I love ’em, man,” Smith told The Post. “I know that last year wasn’t exactly as we planned it, and we think we could’ve done a lot better in a bunch of areas, but through it all, they supported us, and they’re some of the best fans in the league.”

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Daily Clips Cont. The referendum on general manager John Idzik and coach Rex Ryan rests more on the drafting of Smith than anyone else — more than the drafting of Dee Milliner and the ill-fated signing of Dimitri Patterson, more than the free agent additions of Eric Decker and Chris Johnson. Smith is Idzik’s first quarterback and Ryan’s second. Ryan thought he and Mark Sanchez would be joined at the hip for 10 years, and thought wrong. The Jets cannot ascend toward a better and brighter today and tomorrow unless Smith flies them, and makes Idzik look like a genius for drafting him in the second round. Smith has the arm, he has the legs, he has the head. And even though he has the prospect of Michael Vick standing impatiently in the shadows behind him salivating over the prospect of reminding the NFL that he remains capable of leading someone’s team, Smith has proven he has the stomach for a fight even when he is knocked flat on his back, which he was in his roller-coaster rookie season. “It was the first time I had ever been benched in my life,” Smith recalled. “I took it well. I didn’t pout about it, I didn’t moan or cry it anything. I really had to bow up. I had to look myself in the eye and be a man and own up to my mistakes and get better from it.” He got better from it, stopped being a turnover machine, and he burns to keep getting better until he reaches greatness. “I think … when you look at [a] person, you say he’s great because he’s won,” Smith said. “He’s a winner. He’s the guy that you want on your team from a leadership standpoint, from an athletic ability standpoint, from things that he can do on the field or on the court, wherever they’re at, and then, when the times are hard, when the going gets tough, he’s the guy that you see stepping up in that moment and helping his team win the game.” Smith is 8-8 as the quarterback of the Jets — a long, long way from greatness. “That’s something that you gotta work on for your entire career,” Smith said. “I mean, there’s great players who are playing in this league right now, but their careers aren’t set yet, ’cause they’re still playing. So it’s something that you can never tell until you’re done playing.” Jets Nation knows only too well of the sobering list of young guns who never fulfilled great expectations: from Richard Todd to Matt Robinson to Ken O’Brien to Browning Nagle to Chad Pennington to Kellen Clemens to Sanchez. Raiders Nation, which has its fingers crossed that rookie Derek Carr can be the savior, has endured a similar nightmare, with JaMarcus Russell serving as its poster boy. Even though his supporting cast pales by comparison to Russell Wilson’s, it is not lost on Smith that it was a second-year quarterback who led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl XLVIII championship. “Motivation,” Smith said. “He’s a young player, but I think he plays the game at a very advanced level. Russell is a pocket passer, but he has the ability to run and extend plays, and those are the things that I want to do as well. “You talk about Aaron Rodgers and his ability, Cam Newton, his ability, Colin Kaepernick — those are all guys who can pass within the pocket, they have strong arms and very accurate, can read a defense. But if it breaks down, they have that ability to move outside of the pocket. Even Tom [Brady] does a great job of that. He’s very subtle with it in his movement, Peyton [Manning] as well, very subtle with it. They don’t dance around the pocket as much, but they get the ball out quick, they know what they’re doing, if they have to sidestep a guy, or do something to buy themselves some extra time, you see ’em doing it all the time.” Smith has three new and improved weapons who will give him a chance. Like Decker. 22 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. “He’s a great receiver, smart player, very crisp route-runner,” Smith said of his new receiver. And Johnson. “Speed, speed and more speed,” Smith of said of the new running back. “He’s actually very tough, he’s a tough running back to be known as a speed back.” Like rookie tight end Jace Amaro. “Big body, he’s got a great feel for the passing game,” Smith said. “He’s a very instinctive player, and he’s got some very rare physical traits.” Smith has great respect for Vick, who has been a wonderful mentor. “Explosive player,” Smith said of his new backup. “He’s got that strong arm, can run, can pass, pretty much paved the way for us young quarterbacks who like to scramble. He’s definitely a legend.” He is fortunate to have Marty Mornhinweg back as his offensive coordinator. “I can’t even say how great of a playcaller he is,” Smith said. The pregame meal will be pasta and salad. Then Geno Smith will run out of the tunnel into a future that is now. “I can’t wait to run out, see all the Jets fans, get a chance to play four quarters of football. … It’s gonna be fun for me,” Smith said. “I’m very excited about this team, and what we have ahead of us.” Back_to_Top

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS The Playbook - Oakland Raiders vs. NY Jets: Gang Green opens against the perfect opponent (Hank Gola) New York Daily News September 6, 2014 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/playbook-oakland-raiders-ny-jets-article-1.1930401 RAIDERS AT JETS at METLIFE STADIUM WHEN: 1 P.M. LINE: JETS BY 5 TV: Ch. 2 ( Jim Nantz , Phil Simms ) RADIO: WEPN 98.7 FM ( Bob Wischusen , Marty Lyons ), in Spanish on WEPN 1050 AM ( Clemson Smith Muniz , Oscar Benitez ). FORECAST: Cloudy, high of 82, 9 mph winds. INJURY REPORT The Jets will be without CB Dee Milliner who’s been sidelined since Aug. 10 with a high ankle sprain. DB Josh Bush (quad) and LB Ik Enemkpali (foot) are out. Raiders LB Nick Roach is expected to play but will still have to be cleared from his concussion. DB Chimdi Chekwa is out. T.J. Carrie replaces him and will return punts. KEY MATCHUP 23 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. QB Geno Smith vs. FS Charles Woodson The arrow should be pointing up for Smith this year after the see-saw of 2013 when the Raiders game was one of the bright spots. In fact, Woodson summed up the Raiders’ secondary that day by saying, “wee peed down our leg.” With some veteran reinforcements like Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley , Woodson is the key to holding things together in the back. He may not have the wheels he once flashed at CB but with 17 years of experience, he’s ready to gobble up any of Smith’s mistakes. SCOUT SAYS "Rex Ryan (7-3 against rookie QBs) has to love this, a rookie quarterback in his first game who’s never seen what the Jets are going to throw at him. This is an excellent Jets front to begin with. Donald Penn will have his hands full with Muhammad Wilkerson . Stefen Wisniewski is a pretty sharp center but (Derek) Carr’s head will be spinning with few chances to work over that secondary. I’m also expecting good things from Geno Smith this week. That inconsistency should turn into potential.” INTANGIBLES If the Jets could have requested any opponent for their season opener, it would have been the Raiders. They’ve lost 13 straight games in the Eastern time zone (including last year vs. Jets), a streak they’re somehow trying to beat by getting to New Jersey two days early. And while Oakland re-stocked with lots of veterans, going back to the late Al Davis’ playbook, they’ll be starting a rookie quarterback. Not much is expected from the Jets from the national outlets, mostly because of their secondary. But the Jets are using that as motivation. As it turns out, the Raiders are ranked worse going into the season — dead last in a lot of power rankings. Ex-Giant Justin Tuck and ex-Jet Austin Howard make homecomings. PREDICTION JETS, 27-13: Unless bad Geno somehow appears, they can’t lose. Unless they give it away. Back_to_Top Ready ... Set ... Geno Smith heads into season opener primed to take off, says NY Jets coach Rex Ryan (Seth Walder) New York Daily News September 6, 2014 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/ready-set-geno-smith-heads-season-opener-primedarticle-1.1930410 The Jets believe in Geno Smith’s potential so much that this summer they elected to violate the 11th commandment: Thou shalt have training camp competition. The team knows that any marginal upgrade in playing Michael Vick doesn’t outweigh the long-term benefit of the possibility that Smith could turn into a franchise QB, and so they gave Smith the majority of first-team reps and basically handed him the starting job. The Jets hope the second-year quarterback, who will start Sunday’s season opener against the Raiders at MetLife Stadium, will be the first offensive star drafted by the team during Rex Ryan’s tenure. The Jets have their elite players on offense — Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Eric Decker, Chris Johnson — but none of them was drafted by Gang Green in the last five years. While Ryan believes the team has developed players on that side of the ball, he admits that no top-tier talent has emerged from drafts while he’s been head coach of the team. He also thinks Smith can buck that trend. “It hasn’t been the superstar, so to speak,” Ryan told The News. “I think Geno Smith’s going to be a guy that I think is going to turn some heads.” 24 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. Ryan has an unflappable belief in his own players; it’s part of the reason why they love him in return. Last season, when cornerback Dee Milliner was getting picked on by every quarterback and receiver he faced, Ryan pounded the table in the rookie’s defense. The coach said that by the end of the year Milliner would be the best cornerback in the draft class. So does he hold the same conviction for Smith? “Well, in his class that he came out in? Absolutely I’d say so,” Ryan said. Granted, there’s a lot less competition for Smith. He’s essentially in a head-to-head battle with EJ Manuel for the (perhaps lowly) title of best quarterback in the draft class of 2013. But beyond just being better than Manuel, Ryan thinks Smith can be a star. “I think so. I do. And again, I don’t want to put undo pressure on the young man,” Ryan said. “He’s got a phenomenal work ethic, and that’s going to give him a chance to be special.” Smith is coming off a rough first season in the NFL. The surprise starter at the beginning of the year following Mark Sanchez’s shoulder injury, Smith started all 16 games for the Jets compiling a 66.5 QB rating. He had a particularly brutal stretch in the middle of the season when he simply looked lost, but he also showed flashes of high-level play, like in the team’s late win in Atlanta. By the end of the year Smith looked better, and led the Jets to three wins in their final four games. Despite the uptick in performance at the end of the year, an ESPN poll of NFL insiders this summer ranked Smith as the worst starting quarterback in the league. When Ryan was asked what kind of quarterback Smith would become if he fulfilled his potential, the coach said, “A pretty darn good quarterback. One who’s not going to be ranked 32nd but, by the way, he won’t be ranked 32nd at the end of this year either.” Smith looked good, though not fantastic, this preseason, but many of his snaps came against backups. The real first test for the second-year quarterback will come on Sunday against the Raiders, when the Jets will be expected to handily swat away one of the worst teams in the league heading east for a 1 p.m. game. Considering the Raiders are throwing out rookie QB Derek Carr, it’s about as ideal a matchup as the Jets could have asked for. But it also, like virtually all of the Jets games, will hinge on Smith limiting mistakes. Perhaps more than anything, given the strengths the team has elsewhere, the Jets want to reduce the turnovers from their QB. He threw 21 interceptions last season, and Ryan expects that number to go down. “I think that’ll be the most noticeable thing when you look at it,” Ryan said. “And I think the wins. That’s what we want. We want less turnovers and more wins.” It starts now. Back_to_Top With NY Jets' holes, GM John Idzik and Rex Ryan should be in this marriage till the end (Manish Mehta) New York Daily News September 6, 2014 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-jets-holes-gm-rex-ryan-marriage-article1.1930419 Black Monday is almost four months away, but Rex Ryan has little to worry about given his general manager’s lack of urgency or reluctance to hop on Woody Johnson’s patience-is-no-longer-an-option train. Sustainable success, after all, takes time, and we’re all in this together, right? 25 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. John Idzik’s methodical and stubborn approach that caused him to whiff on the Jets’ most pressing defensive need this offseason has contributed to a mountain of loot in the bank account. Six months after Johnson appealed to his starving fan base and made it clear that he has purged “patience” from his vocabulary, Idzik is curiously sitting on a football field-sized surplus. How many teams in “win-now” mode have $24.5 million in salary cap space? (Insert picture of man scratching scalp here.) Idzik and Ryan claim to have a true partnership, so why would the head coach be in jeopardy of losing his job in a few months? Ryan has proven to be a master motivator able to maximize the play of less-than-stellar talent. He’s been open to change, which has helped his growth as a coach. Along the way, he has made Johnson’s franchise relevant again. Idzik has proven that he’s willing to help out Ryan as long as it fits within his oddly rigid budget, a flawed approach for a team knocking on the playoff door with plenty of money at its disposal. There’s no need to spend all of Johnson’s cash, but leaving $24.5 million on the table for a team that went 8-8 last season is ridiculous by any objective measure. By all accounts, Ryan and Idzik have had a solid working relationship for 20 months. Ryan is flexible and eager to get along with everyone, the ultimate team player in a testosterone-filled business filled with power struggles. Idzik is IBM, Ryan is Roofers Union, but they have steered the team in the right direction. “I get the feeling that we’re in it together, that we’re lined up 100%,” Ryan told the Daily News. “But at the end of the day, I also know the business of football is you need to win. If you’re a head coach, you got to win.” Ryan, who is 46-40 with two AFC Championship Game appearances in five seasons, is an easy scapegoat if the Jets miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, but Johnson, who arranged this shotgun marriage, must consider the biggest mistake of all this offseason before deciding his coach’s fate: Why wasn’t Idzik able to land one of the handful of established cornerbacks in free agency (not named Darrelle Revis) in a pass-happy league for a coach who puts a premium on the position? Strip away the nonsense and here’s what’s left: Idzik missed on Vontae Davis, strung along Alterraun Verner without making a real commitment and never gave Antonio Cromartie a firm offer at a reduced rate after cutting him. He laughably low-balled Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie before the Giants swooped in and grabbed him. Idzik had to settle for journeyman-turned-crazy man Dimitri Patterson, who pocketed $1 million from Johnson thanks to the GM’s gaffe. Idzik’s cornerback plan entering training camp was to start Dee Milliner and Patterson. Let that sink in for a moment. “Patterson was always trash,” one NFL talent evaluator said. “He’s a fifth corner at best.” So should Ryan take the fall if a suspect secondary, created, in part, by negligence in free agency, prevents the Jets from making the playoffs? “I would bring Rex back (after 2014) because the players believe in him,” one NFC front office executive said. “The real key is getting the right talent in there.” Idzik has had his fair share of blunders (see: Patterson, Mike Goodson and David Garrard), but he made a few solid moves to upgrade the offense by signing Eric Decker, Chris Johnson and Mike Vick. Don’t get it twisted: Solid, not spectacular. 26 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. The GM’s massive swing and miss at cornerback can’t be overstated. His unwillingness to stretch his budget (in spite of all the financial wiggle room) for the most pivotal defensive position will likely plague Ryan’s team all season. “If it’s black and white,” Ryan said of a playoffs-or-bust scenario for him, “I’m okay with that. Bring it on. Let’s go. It doesn’t matter. This is what you sign up for in this league. It doesn’t mean that it has to happen.” Ryan, who signed a de facto one-year extension with playoff incentives, told his team late last season that he heard through the grapevine that the organization was reaching out to potential replacements. Idzik never quashed those rumors after the season, making it painfully obvious that he had explored the possibility of making a coaching change. “You’re letting him build a team… in theory,” defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson said of giving Ryan adequate time to mold a winner. Nobody knows that better than former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, who endured an identical 22-26 three-year playoff drought as Ryan midway through his 15-year run in Pittsburgh before his ownership’s patience paid off. Cowher ultimately teamed with a GM who didn’t hire him to win the Super Bowl. “I see a man who’s willing to change,” Cowher, now an NFL analyst on CBS, said of Ryan. “I see a man who the players still play hard for. This is a team that has a little bit of stability right now and is headed in the right direction. It takes some time to tweak your roster, to tweak your coaching staff. You’re always trying to find the right combination of chemistry and systems that fit your team.” Ryan is the last head coach standing from the 11-man Class of 2009, but he knows that Johnson didn’t give him a lifetime appointment. “I want to show that Woody was right in his belief in me,” Ryan said. “I feel a responsibility to deliver. He’s always made me feel that I’m his coach with no hesitation. At the end of the day, I’ve got to get this team back into the playoffs.” Stability is the common thread that binds all successful franchises. If Ryan and Idzik really are in this together, Johnson won’t have anything to say on Black Monday. Back_to_Top NY Jets' Antonio Allen was always safety plan at cornerback (Seth Walder) New York Daily News September 6, 2014 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-antonio-allen-safety-plan-cb-article-1.1930713 The first time Jets defensive backs coach Tim McDonald was struck with the idea that Antonio Allen could move from safety to cornerback came last season. “It happened a year ago in OTAs when I saw that long body stretch out and make a play on the sideline,” said the first-year defensive backs coach. “The way he plays the ball, with all that athleticism, I knew at that time: this kid can play anywhere back there.” In training camp this year, when Dexter McDougle (torn ACL) and Dee Milliner (high ankle sprain) were injured on the same day, the team decided to trot Allen out at cornerback for the first time. That, Allen later admitted, was the first time he ever thought he would be an NFL cornerback. But McDonald said it had long been an insurance plan.

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Daily Clips Cont. “He was always there in case a move needed to be made,” McDonald said. “I think it was a matter of getting our best football players on the field. He’s definitely one of our best football players.” That insurance plan will be tested for the first time in a regular-season game Sunday against the Raiders. The Jets, decimated at cornerback with Milliner still out, McDougle lost for the year and Dimitri Patterson having been released following his strange 48-hour disappearance, are throwing out Allen and Darrin Walls as their starting cornerbacks in the season opener. Walls has started four games at cornerback in his career, while Allen has started none. The good news for Gang Green is that the corners almost have a warm-up match in Week 1. The Raiders don’t have an elite receiving threat — James Jones is their top wideout — and are debuting rookie quarterback Derek Carr. “He’s a rookie, you never know what’s going to happen when a true Sunday comes up and it’s for real now,” linebacker Calvin Pace said. “I know they’re probably going to lean on the running game a little bit, so we just have to stop that and make (Carr) beat us. We’ll see if he can do that. I would bet on us every time.” McDonald expects the Raiders to try and beat the Jets with vertical passes — something the secondary struggled with a season ago — and feels that would play to Allen’s strengths. “He’s out there covering some of the fastest guys in the world. He understands that, but he’s such a good athlete,” McDonald said of Allen. “He’s a long body. It’s tough to get the ball over him.” Pace said it’s up to the front seven to stop the run and force the Raiders to use Carr, but really this game will come down to the play of a very unproven secondary. Rex Ryan, at least, is putting on a brave face with his two new starters. “I think Darrin Walls is a much better player now than he was last year. I don’t think it’s even close,” Ryan said. “(Allen) can flat go up and catch it. So if you’re going to plan on (throwing) jump balls all day long, I like our chances." Back_to_Top Sad state of New York sports makes you want to root for Rex Ryan and NY Jets (Mike Lupica) New York Daily News September 6, 2014 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/lupica-jets-team-give-new-york-playoff-run-article1.1930844 So this is the state of New York sports as another pro football season begins on Sunday at 1 at MetLife Stadium: There is a chance, for the first time in 40 years, that we go two straight years without the Yankees and Mets and Giants and Jets making the playoffs. You’d say that we've turned into Cleveland, except Cleveland has LeBron back. You look back on the raging mediocrity we’ve witnessed over the past couple of years and that’s why the run that King Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers made into the month of June seems even bigger and more exciting than it was at the time. I saw Lundqvist at a charity doubles match he played with John McEnroe and Novak Djokovic and the actor Edward Norton right before the start of the U.S. Open (and so you know, Lundqvist is really good at tennis, too), and asked him how long it took him to decompress after the way the Stanley Cup Final ended against the L.A. Kings. “It took a while,” he said. “You're never prepared for a season to end quite like that. It was hard.” 28 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. Imagine how the rest of us felt. The Knicks didn’t make the playoffs, even in an Eastern Conference of the NBA that felt like the second division of English soccer. The Nets did, even got a game off LeBron in the second round of the playoffs, but a team built to win right now was able to win only a series against the Raptors. Who knows, maybe the Yankees, despite all odds, and despite being a dreary .500 team for the past 100 games, can still fall into a wild-card spot like a drunk falling off a bar stool. The Mets? Without a miracle run of their own, they won’t get to .500 again. So it is likely left to the Giants and Jets — one of them, or both of them — to save the year in sports, if either one of them has it in them. The Jets get a rookie quarterback and the Raiders at home on Sunday, a dream opponent for them, especially at a time when Jets fans are trying to figure out how the new general manager, John Idzik, could be $20 million under the salary cap and not have any good cornerbacks, in a Rex Ryan defense where cover corners are always such a necessary app. The Giants are understandably trying to figure out a new offensive scheme as they assimilate an awful lot of new players, as they try to get back in the playoffs, and at least win a playoff game, something they have somehow failed to do with Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning in every other season except their two Super Bowl-winning seasons. It is why this continues to be the most remarkable era in all of Giants history. In that way, because of all the new players general manager Jerry Reese brought in and because of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s system, the 2014-15 Giants are as much a mystery as any team they have had in a long time. They started off 0-6 last year, a stunning fall, but then righted themselves enough to get to 7-9 and even play a big NFC East game against the Cowboys before they were through. We begin to see, starting Monday night against the Lions in Detroit, if Coughlin and Eli can surprise us again. Listen, if you’re a Giants fan, you have to believe in this coach and in this quarterback, because if you don’t, you start to worry that they might be closer to last place in the East when the season is over than first place. You root for Coughlin and Eli, because they have earned that, because they gave you two championships as great as any New York sports team has ever produced. But, man oh man, you have to root for Rex Ryan, this season, maybe harder than ever. Come on. If the Jets are good enough to make a playoff run, if they are better than 8-8, if Geno can play and Rex can figure it out in the defensive backfield, you know how much life and fun they’ll bring to sports around here. But then no football coach on the planet brings more life and fun to the whole thing than Rex does. Show me another coach who remembers something an ESPN guy such as Mark Schlereth said about a former Ravens player eight years ago. Of course Rex did this week, after Schlereth ripped into new Jets wideout Eric Decker for being an overrated crybaby, Rex recalling — or total recalling — something Schlereth had said about Haloti Ngata of the Ravens back in 2006. We know how much the owner of the Jets, Woody Johnson, likes Rex Ryan. And by now it has become quite clear how much Jets players like their coach, and like playing for him. But understand something else: Nobody likes Rex better than most Jets fans do. In so many ways, he’s become their Namath, just without the Super Bowl. He is their star, and that means even when he had Darrelle Revis still playing cornerback for him, back when the Jets still had cornerbacks. Right now in New York sports, in this time when the Yankees try not to miss the playoffs again and the Jets and Giants try to do the same, Rex seems more important than ever, and more popular then ever. At a time when we have no real championship contenders and a hockey goalie such as Henrik Lundqvist

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Daily Clips Cont. became the biggest guy in town — at least the one not on a farewell tour — last spring, Rex feels bigger than ever, even now that he shows the world his bad, skinny self. But does he have a team? Let’s face it. We could use one around here. Rooting for Serena or Woz, the price of farewell & ode to Joan -- It would be a fine thing for American tennis if Serena Williams wins her 18th major on Sunday afternoon, which would tie her with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. So there’s no reason to pull against her, especially not at a time when she’s pretty much all we have in American tennis. But how do you pull against Caroline Wozniacki, who doesn’t just try to win her first major on Sunday, but also come all the way back from some of the dumbest, male-oriented coverage you could possibly get in the modern media? Surely you remember all those who bought into the dumb-jock narrative that somehow it was Wozniacki, Rory McIlroy’s former fiancée, who was holding poor Rory back when he’d stopped winning tournaments and stopped winning majors. It was like imagining what sports coverage would have been like in the 15th Century. Old Gary Player, sounding like he was whacked out on wheat germ or something, was one of those leading the charge, and actually getting people to go along with him. Through it all, Wozniacki was a figure of quiet, smiling grace. I don’t know if she can stay with Serena at Arthur Ashe Stadium, if she has enough game to hold up the trophy early Sunday night. After the year she’s had, I’m just happy to watch her try. Seymour Siwoff, a tough old World War II vet who loves sports as much as anybody I’ve ever met, continues to be a treasure of sports at the Elias Sports Bureau, which knows everything! -- If the source saying that Brian Cashman is safe with the Yankees and practically has a job for life isn’t Hal Steinbrenner, I sure would like to know who that source is. Do you start to get the idea that if the Yankees could figure out a way to sell space on the back of Derek Jeter’s uniform, they’d do it? What’s next, making the YES announcers start wearing commemorative patches? -- Maybe one of these days the USTA will figure out a way to name one of their fancy stadium courts after Jimmy Connors, who did more to make tennis in this country a big deal — and make the Open at the National Tennis Center a big deal — than anybody else. You can say it again: Connors was to tennis, all the way until he made that run to the semis at the age of 39 in 1991, as Arnold Palmer once was to golf. Sometimes you listen to the bullhorn media and think that what they really want is for Barack Obama to be more like, well, Putin. -- I thought the Seahawks looked, you know, pretty solid there against the Packers on Thursday night.

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Daily Clips Cont. Bill Polian, one of the great executives in NFL history, thinks that in the age of the quarterback in the NFL, the Seahawks might be reimagining the running game the way they’re using the whole field when they hand the ball off to Percy Harvin. All the players who think Roger Goodell went soft on Jim Irsay with a six-game suspension — did they really think Goodell was going to give Irsay a year for a first offense? Were they unaware that $500,000 was all Irsay could be fined under the league’s by-laws? And, oh, by the way? Where were these outraged players when one of their own — Ray Rice — got off as easily as he did after dragging the woman —now his wife — out of that elevator in Atlantic City? -- Joan Rivers, who was always one of the funniest people on the planet, was an old-fashioned show business trouper to the end. She had performed the night before she went into that clinic for what was supposed to be a simple procedure, and she was scheduled to perform the night after that. In all the important ways, she left everybody laughing, even with the instructions she left for her funeral. When everybody stops fighting against the gun goons from the NRA, Mike Bloomberg keeps fighting. You keep coming back to the same question about the Yankees: Now that there are no more farewell tours, just which player on the team makes you want to watch them next season? Once the Yankees, even after they stopped winning the World Series, still felt like the greatest show on earth, and could draw 50,000 a game to the old Stadium. Now they’re grinding away for the second wild card in the American League, which makes you believe, more than ever, that a $200 million payroll officially doesn’t buy you nearly what it used to in baseball. It just seems so unfair. Back_to_Top

NEW YORK TIMES Rex Ryan’s Words Stay Bold, but a Little Less Brash With the Jets (Ben Shpigel) New York Times September 6, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/sports/football/jets-remain-consistently-inconsistent-and-fall-tothe-steelers.html?_r=0 FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A recent conversation with Rex Ryan veered into unexpected territory: adjectives. Specifically, those often used to describe him. Bold, he likes. It connotes confidence and conviction, neither of which Ryan lacks. Brash, he does not. It connotes recklessness and arrogance, disrespect and disregard. Ryan does think before he speaks, he would like you to know. And when Ryan speaks, what comes out is the truth — or rather, what he believes to be the truth. The gospel according to Ryan is that he feels “incredible” about the 2014 Jets, who are “a zillion miles ahead” of last year’s edition, and that is because “my defenses work, period” and the team has “the best 31 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. quarterback situation I’ve ever had in my life.” The Jets, Ryan said, are poised for some “darn good things.” He added, “I’m so confident that I don’t care who knows it.” His words evoke proclamations of years past — almost every year, really, since he charged into New York in January 2009, taunting the Patriots and promising Super Bowls and vowing that no way would these be the same old Jets. MATCHUP TO WATCH Derek Carr vs. Jets cornerbacks: : It is a matchup of novices. Carr, making his first N.F.L. start, is facing one cornerback, Antonio Allen, who played the position for the first time three weeks ago, and another, Darrin Walls, with four starts in his career. Rookie quarterbacks rarely fare well against a Rex Ryan-led defense; they are 1-7 in their first meetings. But the Raiders like to stretch the field with their fast receivers, and Carr is likely to test the Jets’ inexperienced unit. At this point, any test is a stiff test. NUMBER TO WATCH 3: The Raiders running backs Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcel Reece have each rushed for more than 100 yards in a game against the Jets during Rex Ryan’s five seasons as coach. “Bring ’em on,” Ryan said. “We’ll see what happens.” QUOTATION OF THE WEEK ‘Come on, running game.’: Jets Coach REX RYAN, when asked what he was thinking heading into last year’s season o But Ryan is not the same man he was then; he is so skinny, having lost more than 100 pounds, that Mike Devlin, the offensive line coach, lamented that they no longer ate pizza together. Nor is Ryan the same coach. Not long ago, this fact was mentioned to Ryan: Of the 11 head coaches hired for the 2009 season, he is the only one who still has a job. He has outlasted a franchise quarterback (though the tattoo of that passer, Mark Sanchez, remains), a general manager and, in consecutive off-seasons, overhauls of his coaching staff. He endures, despite a 22-26 record with no playoff appearances since a loss in the A.F.C. title game at Pittsburgh in the 2010 season, because he has adapted and evolved. He has delegated less and delegated more, called defensive plays and stepped back, tinkered with different approaches while grappling with how his personality and style mesh with the ideal of what a head coach should be, should do. “I’ve tried to back away from certain responsibilities and all that,” Ryan said in his office one morning last month, “but it just never worked well for me.” Or for the team. “That wasn’t him,” said Dennis Thurman, the defensive coordinator. Over time, Ryan said, he has improved at prioritizing those responsibilities. He has found it helpful to divide them into four quadrants. The top left, he said, was devoted to duties he considered both important and critical. The bottom right contained tasks that were neither. The other two boxes housed things that were either important or critical, and Ryan said he had learned to distinguish between them. It is critical, for instance, that he spends more time teaching on the field, more time instructing in the classroom, more time trying to cultivate team unity. He is as likely to be found running defensive meetings as he is running downfield in kickoff coverage, a 51-year-old member of the scout team. He darts between

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Daily Clips Cont. position groups at practice, players say, going from working with the offensive linemen to reviewing technique with the outside linebackers. Coach Rex Ryan and the Jets have found continuity together, and the team is in perhaps the best overall position of his tenure as it enters the season, looking to end a three-year playoff drought. “We have no excuses,” Ryan said.Credit Ben Solomon for The New York Times “The Rex that I know goes out there on the lines and shoots his bullets,” said the defensive assistant Jeff Weeks, a longtime friend who went to college with Ryan. “He’s right up there in the front. He’s not in the back saying, ‘Charge!’ ” For a defensive mastermind like Ryan, it felt natural devoting more time to that side of the ball, but he struggled with how to best manage the offense. He tried taking a proactive role, dropping by meetings as he did in his first season (and in 2012, the year of the Sanchez-Tim Tebow fiasco), but found it took him away from what he knew, and did, best. Before he could focus again on defensive preparations, Ryan had to acknowledge his miscalculations and missteps on offense. After the 2012 season, for example, he had the revelation that in four years he had not established to his satisfaction an identity. In hiring his third coordinator in three years, Marty Mornhinweg, whom he called “the head coach of the offense,” Ryan felt he had found someone who shared his vision. Sometimes at practice, Ryan will stand by Mornhinweg and say that he does not like what he is doing — he loves it. “When I first came in here, I felt like I had to be the guy,” Ryan said. “You’re driving the boat, you’re steering it, you’re navigating. You’re doing all that stuff because you’re trying to show the way. “Now, Ryan added, “everybody knows what I want — what we want. I may still be the sheriff, but I’ve got a lot of deputies.” Many of those deputies enforce a code of accountability in the locker room, which in the last few seasons has undergone a noticeable shift in personality. Linebacker Calvin Pace, who came to the team before Ryan, said it felt as if Ryan had coached two different teams. A veteran-laden group headed by players like Damien Woody, Shaun Ellis and Jerricho Cotchery gave way, after a regrettable transition period in which Ryan, in a tearful mea culpa, acknowledged that he lost the pulse of the team, to a bunch populated more and more by younger players. Among the players on Jets’ 53-man roster, 25 have two years or less of N.F.L. experience. And so early in the off-season, some of the Jets’ elder statesmen decided to form what they called a veterans steering committee. It is a 14-player governing body that represents every position group, its members voted on by the team, to serve as a conduit between the players and the coaching staff. Equal parts tribal council, police force and mentoring agency, the committee holds new arrivals to standards of professionalism and discusses issues that may or may not merit Ryan’s attention. “It’s a credit to Rex,” Pace said. “He wants the input. A lot of coaches don’t care what we think.” One subtle change can be heard, not seen. Ryan, calling it a “pride thing,” thinks it reflects a greater understanding of what he expects, what the team is trying to become. Instead of blaring from iPhones or sound systems in individual lockers, music is now piped in from a centralized system in the adjacent equipment room. On a recent afternoon, it churned out Bob Marley, Sublime and Frank Sinatra through Bose speakers recently installed in the ceiling. The playlist abides by one rule: no curse words.

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Daily Clips Cont. With Ryan there is no such filter, until there is. He stopped making predictions when he discovered that he was placing an undue burden on his players. His confidence, though, filters throughout the organization: The passcode to the Jets’ playbook on their iPads was 1-9-6-9, the year the team won its only Super Bowl. “I was the only one who publicly said that he actually believed in himself, like, oh, God forbid,” Ryan said. “But then it was like, I’m putting pressure on them instead of me, when I wanted the opposite.” He also made the conscious decision to tone down his bluster last year, after John Idzik took over as general manager, because he felt it was unfair to tout a team with 14 new starters and three new coordinators. There is continuity now, though. Aside from instability at cornerback, the Jets are in perhaps the best overall position of Ryan’s tenure as they enter the season. Ryan has a coaching staff he trusts, a relentless defensive front, an array of offensive playmakers and a quarterback, Geno Smith, who Ryan said is primed for an outstanding year. It has taken to the start of his sixth season for Ryan to reach this point, to amass the wisdom to coach a team built to his specifications. But if the Jets sputter and miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year — which would be the longest drought since Woody Johnson became the owner in 2000 — Ryan might not return for a seventh season. “We have no excuses,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “None whatsoever.” Asked if that statement qualified as bold or brash, Ryan laughed. “We’ll see,” he said. “I’ll promise you this, though. I can’t wait to find out. Bring it on.” Back_to_Top

ESPN NEW YORK What Jets need from Geno (Field Yates) ESPN New York September 6, 2014 http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11471380/new-york-jets-reach-postseason-averageperformance-smith-nfl?refresh=true Vertical ascension in the NFL can be rapid -- just look at the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers in 2013. In the case of Kansas City, the most notable addition to the core of the roster that was not present during a two-win 2012 season was quarterback Alex Smith. Smith, who recently inked a mega-extension that will keep him in Kansas City through 2018, didn't have the prolific statistical marks of quarterbacks we tag as "elite": He was 17th in the NFL in passing yards, tied for 15th in passing touchdowns and 20th among qualifying quarterbacks in terms of completion percentage. Those numbers aren't meant to offer an assessment of where Smith ranks on the quarterback totem pole -- that's a subjective debate, though I believe Smith is very much worth the new contract he just signed - but rather to illustrate that a team's rise from poor to competitive doesn't hinge on the presence of an elite statistical season from a quarterback. The Chiefs finished last in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2012 and threw the second-most interceptions that season. A nine-win increase in 2013 didn't require elite production from the quarterback; rising from poor to average -- coupled with a pressure-inducing defense, top-flight running game (which was also very good in 2012) and terrific special teams -- was enough. 34 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. Using win-loss record as a metric, the New York Jets were perfectly average in 2013, finishing at 8-8. This offseason, they added talent to their skill-position group on offense (wide receiver Eric Decker, running back Chris Johnson and tight end Jace Amaro among those players) and they return the core of perhaps the NFL's best front seven. The secondary is a major question mark -- marred by injuries and a lack of action in free agency -- but the position that most seem to believe limits the Jets in 2014 is quarterback, where Geno Smith enters his second year as the starter. However, using the Chiefs' blueprint from last season, even just average QB play from Smith can get the Jets to the postseason -- and I'm calling for them to do it. Smith was far from average as a rookie in 2013, finishing 35th among qualified quarterbacks in total QBR, a metric that aims to evaluate a comprehensive list of quarterback traits. There are clearly areas he needs to improve. "He looks his wide receivers down," said one AFC defensive coach. "He needs to make better decisions with the ball and improve his ball security. That play versus Tennessee last year was ridiculous." (During the play, Smith appeared to try and tuck the football behind him as he was under duress, leading to a strip sack and fumble recovery for a touchdown by the Titans.) Following a horrific stretch from Weeks 10-13 last season (during which Smith completed 39.2 percent of his passes, failed to throw a touchdown and threw six interceptions), the second-round choice out of West Virginia settled down during the season's final quarter, accounting for seven total touchdowns and throwing just two interceptions (the Jets won three of those four games). The development was apparent then. It's persisted. "Geno has certainly improved," one personnel evaluator who studied him this preseason said. "[He's] more comfortable, [and making] better decisions." The Jets have expressed confidence in Smith throughout the preseason; he completed 23 of 33 throws in exhibition play and threw one touchdown matched by one interception. Smith appears decidedly more comfortable and better equipped to lead this offense. But even if his progress is incremental, the Jets are primed to do what not many forecast for them: make the playoffs. Of our 64 voters, five ESPN NFL contributors picked the Jets to make the playoffs (all as a wild-card team in the AFC). I was one of those five, and at the heart of my thinking was this: The Jets managed eight wins with substandard quarterback play in 2013, and even though there was legitimate doubt from some coaches and scouts I talked to about Smith's ability to become a franchise quarterback (example assessment from a personnel man: "He still doesn't see the field well. He'll make some plays because he's confident and he's not afraid to let it go, but I don't think he's the long-term solution there."), he just needs to be closer to average for the Jets to improve by two games in the win column. Since 1978 (when the NFL expanded to 16 games), just 21 teams have won 10 or more games and missed the playoffs -- double-digit wins is nearly a rubber-stamped invitation to the postseason. And for those who say the secondary is of equal concern, let's add some context: This group was bad last season, highlighted by struggles from top cornerbacks Antonio Cromartie and Dee Milliner. While the group is a patchwork one right now (though rookie safety Calvin Pryor profiles as an immediate-impact starter), it's not as if the Jets had a mass exodus of secondary talent. The front seven, which I'd contend is led by one of the three best defensive lines in football, will overwhelm offensive lines and manufacture pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The secondary doesn't have the horses to sustain man coverage

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Daily Clips Cont. against good passing offenses, but there will be few offensive lines capable of keeping this front seven off of their quarterback. The secondary personnel woes can be overcome. Smith will improve with a better supporting cast around him in 2014. And the improvement doesn't have to be a pole vault into "elite" status -- he just needs to be average. If he is, which I expect him to be, the Jets will challenge for 10 wins and a wild card in the AFC. Notes • Scouting term: Catch Radius: The window that a player can consistently make catches in. This incorporates length, strength of hands, leaping ability, flexibility to bend and toughness to contest for footballs in traffic. A player with a large catch radius can aid a quarterback with accuracy issues. Cardinals veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has one of the best catch radii in football. • Wilfork's unique contract: New England Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork reworked his contract with the Patriots this offseason, which included two additional years tacked onto his modified deal. Part of the contract calls for a $500,000 roster bonus paid out to Wilfork for the first game that he is on the Patriots' 53-man roster, with an additional $87,500 for each game that he is on the 46-man game day roster. That means that Wilfork, who was recently named a team captain once again, will earn $664,000 this week, factoring in his game check that amounts to 1/17 of his $1.3 million base salary for this season. In total, Wilfork can earn up to $8 million in 2014. He also will become the first defensive player to play more than 10 seasons for Bill Belichick during his tenure as the Patriots' head coach. Back_to_Top W4: Raiders vs. Jets (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York September 6, 2014 http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/42512/w2w4-raiders-vs-jets FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- If you stopped paying attention to the New York Jets last Dec. 29, when they finished 8-8 and celebrated Rex Ryan's return by dousing him with Gatorade, we'll get you up to speed in one paragraph. They dumped big salaries (Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie) and brought in big names -- Chris Johnson, Eric Decker and Michael Vick. They gave Ryan a contract extension, drafted a small army, gave Darrelle Revis the cold shoulder, tossed two bad apples (Mike Goodson and Dimitri Patterson), committed to Geno Smith (we think) and witnessed a lot of drops in training camp -- mainly, cornerbacks and passes to Stephen Hill. And they talked a lot of trash. Of course. It's all history now, because a new season is upon us. The Jets open against the Oakland Raiders Sunday at MetLife Stadium, and the vibe around the team is dramatically different than a year ago. To paraphrase the late Raiders patriarch Al Davis, it's win-now, baby. "We have higher goals and higher aspirations than 8-8," Willie Colon said. "We just have to prove it and stop talking about it." Sounds like a plan. A look at Sunday's top storylines: 1. Carr vs. truck: Sheldon Richardson said rookie quarterback Derek Carr should expect "pure dominance" from the Jets' front seven. Yes, the Jets are confident in their ability to confuse Carr with their multiple fronts, simulated pressures and disguised coverages. This should be a "kitchen sink" game for Ryan, who will throw everything at the former Fresno State star. Carr impressed in the preseason, but he didn't play 36 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. a whole lot -- only 79 snaps, third most among the Raiders' quarterbacks. In college, he had a rep for happy feet. You can expect a lot of screens and quick throws to offset the Jets' pass rush. The Jets also expect a lot of shifts and motions and, yes, even some Wildcat from old friend Tony Sparano, a Raiders assistant. 2. Calling all corners: Never in the Ryan era have the Jets begun a season with so much uncertainty at one position. Because of injuries and the Patterson debacle, they will start Darrin Walls (four career starts) and former safety Antonio Allen, whose experience at cornerback consists of 48 preseason snaps. Oh, baby, this will be quite a show. Kyle Wilson will be in his familiar slot position, but if they go to four corners -- or if there is an injury -- Ryan will have to play Phillip Adams or Leon McFadden, both of whom were plucked off the scrap heap. The Raiders' personnel doesn't scare anyone, but they have a savvy vet in James Jones, the former Green Bay Packer. He'll resemble Cliff Branch if the Jets don't find a way to disrupt Carr. 3. Geno's time: There are no excuses for Smith. He has had a year in Marty Mornhinweg's system and his supporting cast is better than a year ago. He looks and sounds like he's ready to take a big step forward. He should have a comfort level against the Raiders -- his late-season turnaround began against them -but he will face a grizzled defense that knows how to get inside the head of a young quarterback. Middle linebacker Nick Roach (concussion) is iffy; that would be a key loss for the Raiders. 4. Three-headed monster: Mornhinweg came to New York with a reputation for being a pass-happy playcaller, but he showed last season that he is not averse to Ground & Pound. The strength of the offense is the Johnson-Chris Ivory-Bilal Powell troika, and a good coach always plays to his strength. It will be interesting to see how they divide the carries. Johnson received the bulk of the work in the preseason, but Ivory and Powell were slowed by injuries. Look for Johnson to start; he could do some damage against the Raiders' perimeter. Ivory and Powell will see time as well, with Ivory probably handling short-yardage and goal line. 5. Here come the neophytes: The Jets will roll out two brand new kick returners, rookie Jalen Saunders (punts) and Saalim Hakim (kickoffs). The special teams lost their spark in recent years, and they hope to re-discover it under new coordinator Thomas McGaughey. You will see a lot of new names out there, including rookie linebacker Trevor Reilly -- a "hammerhead," according to McGaughey. Ellis Lankster, an outstanding gunner and last season's leading tackler, was released. As of Thursday, they still were auditioning candidates to join Hakin as the gunners on punt coverage. Back_to_Top

METRO NEW YORK Jets vs. Raiders: 3 things to watch (Mark Osborne) Metro New York September 6, 2014 http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/nfl/2014/09/05/jets-vs-raiders-3-things-watch/ It is, as the team’s slogan once said, “Go time” for the New York Jets. The Jets are suddenly being talked about again as a playoff team. After a season in which they went 8-8 and defied the conventional wisdom, this young (and now deep) roster looks ready to take another step forward. But before fans get too excited about the postseason possibilities, there’s this little thing called the regular season that might just trip them up. With that being said, there is a reason to be excited this year about the Jets. 37 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. “Everything is just ramped up. As much as you love training camp and everything else, and it’s true, there is just something special about opening a season. I know the fans, I feel it from the fans, their anticipation, I feel it from our players, and I for one, without question, can’t wait to get this thing started,” head coach Rex Ryan said.

“We feel good about where we’re at as a football team, but the great thing is we get to prove it. We think we are going to have an outstanding season, but we get to prove it. It starts on Sunday against a veteran group. This team probably has more experience than any team in the National Football League. So there are some guys who have played a lot of football, and a lot of good football that we are up against. So we know it presents a big challenge.” On tap this weekend are the Raiders, a team that didn’t have a great offseason and on paper is in the lower echelon in terms of pure talent, and football IQ, and front office acumen, and pure ability on the field. And … well, the point has been made. This is certainly a winnable game for the Jets and one they must take care of with a tough schedule ahead. There are four playoff teams from last season in their next six games, making this almost a must-win game for the Jets. We give you three things to watch for as the Jets take on the Raiders (1 p.m., CBS). 1. Getting to the Carr Local fans will remember Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr for leading Fresno State to a 52-51 win over Rutgers last season. It was a game where the gunslinger threw for over 450 yards and had five touchdowns and an interception. Carr is accurate and can certainly throw the ball, but he will never have faced a pass rush quite like this one. The Jets’ front-seven is arguably the best in the league and they will mix things up against a rookie in his first NFL start. “I think no matter who your quarterback is when you face a Rex Ryan defense he’s going to cause some problems because he does a lot of different things and brings some exotic pressures and understands how to get the fronts in line to give you problems in the run game,” Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said. “But we feel good about Derek Carr, [and] where he’s at. He’s really mature beyond his age as far as a young quarterback in this league.” 2. Cornerback issue Dee Milliner isn’t going to play in this game, making a cornerback corps that is already weak all the more paper thin. The good news is that the Raiders passing offense won’t be very good, meaning that the secondary may not be tested too much. Antonio Allen will likely get the nod on one side opposite Darrin Walls on the either side. Walls has had a pretty good preseason but has lacked consistency throughout his career. Now would be a good time to find that consistency. 3. Tuck rule While the Raiders didn’t have a great offseason, they did bolster their offensive line with former Jets right tackle Austin Howard, who they puzzlingly moved to guard. But on the other side of the ball, their defensive line got a nice boost with defensive end Justin Tuck. The 31-year old Tuck still has it, as evidenced by his 11 sacks last season. “I think a lot of people really understand who Justin Tuck is and what he brings from a leadership standpoint to a football team,” Allen said. “He has been outstanding as far as that’s concerned. I think the biggest thing that kind of gets overlooked a little bit is that Justin Tuck can still play at a high level and he did that throughout the preseason and we expect him to be able to continue to do that throughout the year. The Raiders pass defense was No. 28 in the league last year and there’s no better way to correct that then with a good pass rush. Tuck can address that issue while bringing leadership to a young locker room. Back_to_Top 38 | P a g e

Daily Clips Cont. Jets season preview: Who struggles, who surprises, what’s their record? (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York September 6, 2014 http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/nfl/2014/09/06/jets-season-preview-struggles-surprises-whatsrecord/ Very few people expected the Jets to be respectable last year. But there are high expectations this year after an 8-8 finish in 2013. There’s legitimate playoff talk about this group, especially with some smart offseason moves and more young depth than at any point in the past six years. But it may not be enough. There are issues at cornerback with Antonio Cromartie gone, the troubled Dimitri Patterson waived and third-round pick Dexter McDougle out for the year. The Jets’ pass defense will rest on their pass rush with the hope that they can get to the opposition quarterback before he can do damage. Offensively, this should be a more balanced attack that can get the play-action going if the ground game produces as expected. It was a very good offseason for quarterback Geno Smith, who has taken steps forward in his ability to read defenses and go through his progressions. If he can be an average quarterback this year — meaning he has more touchdowns than interceptions — the Jets can be a playoff team. Player who will surprise: He wasn’t a big-name free agent signing and fans were disappointed to see Austin Howard go, but Breno Giacomini will be a very solid right tackle for the Jets. He’s technically sound and he’s a proven winner, having a Super Bowl ring from last year’s Seahawks team. Player who will disappoint: While Giacomini will provide good, solid play on the right side, it is clear left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson’s star is fading on the left side. He struggles against the speed rush and has become a revolving door whenever a defensive end gets a good step to the outside. It’s time for the Jets to begin to consider drafting his replacement. The Jets will make the playoffs if: Dee Milliner can start (and finish) at least 14 games this season and Darrin Walls can be solid on the opposite end. Milliner not only has to be a solid, lock-down corner but he has to stay healthy. Walls has talent but he’s a bit stiff in coverage and while he has good length, he needs to use it better. This front-seven can be good but if the secondary isn’t solid, it could be a rough season. The Jets will miss the playoffs if: They get hit with the injury bug. The aforementioned Milliner suffered an ankle injury and wide receiver Eric Decker’s quad injuries during training camp are troublesome. Last year, the Jets had the fewest games missed due to injury and while their depth has improved, it still can’t sustain a rash of injuries. What to watch for: It could be a good year for the Jets if the backfield is in the top three in the NFL, which likely means they will need to generate at least 2,300 rushing yards. Chris Johnson will likely get the majority of the carries, but by no means the bulk of them. Chris Ivory will be featured early and often to soften the opposing defense and expect a good sprinkling of Bilal Powell as well. If the Jets can do this, then defenses will have to stack the box, creating space for Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley to stretch the defense. Predicted Record: 8 -8 While they will have the same record as a season ago, the Jets will be a better team. They won’t have as many dud games as last year and will be more consistent offensively. But the secondary needs some help and the schedule is tough with six playoff teams from a year ago. The Jets aren’t an elite team at this point in their rebuilding process, but they are building in the right direction.

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Daily Clips Cont. Back_to_Top Michael Vick appearance with Mike Francesa may be one-time deal (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York September 5, 2014 http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/nfl/2014/09/05/michael-vick-appearance-mike-francesa-mayone-time-deal/ Michael Vick will call in to Mike Francesa’s radio show on WFAN this upcoming Tuesday, but anything else beyond his first appearance remains to be seen. A team source tells Metro New York that Vick will be on the airwaves with Francesa, the popular afternoon host on WFAN. Earlier this week, Francesa announced Vick would be doing a weekly radio spot every Tuesday throughout the NFL season. Metro can confirm that Vick will appear on the show this upcoming Tuesday but that a regular spot is still up in the air. Most NFL contracts now include a clause managing player appearances and interviews. Since WFAN is not the flagship broadcast partner for the Jets, team management must weigh whether the player can do the weekly spot. In a meeting with the Jets this week, team management had a discussion with Vick and said the organization has no issue with players scheduling interviews with the media. But the issue at hand is about having a weekly radio spot in season that might be a conflict in terms of time and scheduling. Vick is looking forward to the interview on Tuesday with Francesa, the source said and he hopes it will be a great show. The interview will take place on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Back_to_Top

SATURDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS Associated Press September 6, 2014 http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Saturday-s-Sports-Transactions-5738762.php BASEBALL American League NEW YORK YANKEES — Recalled C Austin Romine from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL). National League LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Selected the contract of OF Roger Bernadina from Albuquerque (PCL). Transferred RHP Josh Beckett to the 60-day DL. WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Recalled OF Michael A. Taylor and RHP Ryan Mattheus from Syracuse (IL). FOOTBALL National Football League ARIZONA CARDINALS — Released LB Desmond Bishop. MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Signed G Brandon Fusco to a contract extension.

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Daily Clips Cont. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS — Signed DL Kelcy Quarles to the practice squad. Released TE Allen Reisner from the practice squad. COLLEGE NEW JERSEY CITY — Named Thomas Rayfield athletic communications graduate assistant. Back_to_Top

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