09/27 – For the first time in 27 years, the New York Jets will begin an NFL weekend with the league’s No. 1 defense. And after yielding no offensive touchdowns during the franchise’s ninth 2-0 start, the Jets have a great opportunity to improve to 3-0 if their “D” keeps Titans RB Chris Johnson in check this "Throwback" afternoon at the Meadowlands. “The speed is what makes him special,” said S Kerry Rhodes of the 5’11”, 204-pound Johnson. “He’s not a guy who’s going to kill you running the ball up the middle like a traditional running back. He can beat you out of the backfield, he can run the edge on you, he can line up at receiver, he can hurt you with kickoff and punt returns. He’s a very versatile guy — I think that’s his biggest asset.” Week 3: Jets-Titans Release Johnson has been a bright spot in the Titans’ disappointing 0-2 start. In last week’s 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans, he rushed 16 times for 197 yards with scoring runs of 57 and 90 yards. And he hauled in eight balls for 97 yards, taking one into the end zone from 69 yards out. “You just have to be aware where he’s at and the type of runs that he has,” said DE Shaun Ellis. “We have to be patient in our run fits and don’t overcommit because he can reverse the whole field on you. You have to set the edge on him and make him run inside.” Entering Week 3, the explosive Johnson is the AFC’s leading rusher with 254 yards and he’s averaging a ridiculous 8.2 yards per clip. The defending Super Bowl champion Steelers were able to slow him down in Week 1, holding him to 57 yards on 15 rushes. But the second-year player is a dynamic game-changer on an offense who still likes to pound the rock. “Chris is just a football player with track speed," said Titans head coach Jeff Fisher. "He’s got speed and quickness, and he’s shown over a short period of time that if you get the ball in his hands in the right place, he can go the distance. That’s unfortunate for us and him that his performance last week has kind of gone by the wayside, kind of disappeared. Certainly, I doubt it disappeared in the Jets' defensive meeting room, but I think nationally our loss and the Texans win kind of overshadowed his achievements in that ballgame.” The Jets’ defense has rightfully entered the national spotlight because they allowed nine combined points to the Texans (zero) and the Patriots. Head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine have assembled excellent game plans and the Jets have stuffed the run and brought the pressure on the quarterback. And they’ve also displayed perceived pressure and exotic overloads while receiving contributions from everyone. “They make it creative and it’s unconventional,” Rhodes said of the attack. “Every week you know they’re going have some kind of overload blitz with the DBs. You’re excited to get the game plan every week and see what’s in store. It makes it exciting. Everyone has a place in this defense and everyone has a package, so it’s good.” “You don’t know what we’re doing,” added Ellis. “That’s why it’s so great. You don’t know if the guys are really coming or they’re dropping.” And the unit hasn’t lost a step when players have been out. OLB Calvin Pace, serving a suspension, will make his regular-season debut in Week 5 at Miami. Vernon Gholston started in his place against the Texans and performed adequately. When the Jets played a lot of nickel and dime packages against the Pats, Gholston’s snaps dramatically decreased but the defensive backs had a fantastic day. Darrelle Revis shut down Randy Moss and corners Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman stepped up when Lito Sheppard (quad) and Donald Strickland (ankle) went down. “That’s the thing — so far no team has really gotten downfield on us,” Rhodes said. “If we just stay consistent on the back end, make plays and communicate, it’s going to be hard for teams to pass on us anyway. But I think teams will try to run the ball more and be more conservative.” Tennessee bolstered its receiving corps for Kerry Collins in the off-season with the drafting of WR Kenny Britt, a Rutgers product, and TE Jared Cook along with the free agent signing of Nate Washington. But the Titans are a running football team and they’d like to get Johnson going. “It’s going to be a between-the-lines game,” Ellis said. “They pride themselves on having a physical run game and we have to match that. We have to be geared up for the run this week.” The 36-year-old Collins, never known for his mobility, can still make all the throws. But if the Jets contain Johnson and get a lead, they’ll have a stationary target to attack and that smells like organized chaos unleashed. “They’re going to try to get the ball out of his hands quickly," Rhodes said. "He’s definitely not the most mobile guy in the world, so they’ll try to run the ball, get the ball out quick, some screens, just stuff to try to catch us off guard." To this point, the Jets have kept their opponents discombobulated. We’ll see if Chris Johnson, seemingly faster than the speed of light, and the Titans have any answers. Week 3: Jets-Titans Release

Jets-Titans Could Be a Rush to Judgment

09/25 – Mark Sanchez is 2-for-2. The Jets rookie quarterback was voted the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for the second time in this two-week-old season, the league announced this afternoon. Sanchez bounced back from a first half in which the Jets had minus-2 net passing yards to complete 14 of 22 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown in the Jets' 16-9 win over their AFC East rivals, the New England Patriots. Sanchez was selected from among five finalists through fan votes on NFL.com/rookies. The Jets rookie becomes the favorite out of the gate in the running for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. After the regular season, five players will be nominated for that award. Fans can vote for the winner on throughout January and the winner will be announced at a news conference at Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida. Talking Football One of the topics at Rex Ryan's news conference after today's final practice of the week before Sunday's Tennessee game involved some quotes from the Volunteer State from FB Ahmard Hall and LB Keith Bulluck about the Jets. Rex said no problem. On Hall's comments about not liking Bart Scott, Ryan said: "Hey, bring it on. Nobody likes Bart. That's the beauty of it. Only his teammates like Bart. Trust me, Bart will be more than happy to accommodate him in return." Also no sweat about Bulluck, the Titans' talented 'backer, talking about coming after Sanchez: "We're going to see it. Both those teams we played first wanted to do the same thing. He was up to the task then and I think he’ll be up to the task this week as well." And for any who worry that each week there will be war of words before the contest on the field, Ryan replied that it's no big deal. "We are who we are," he said. "We’re going to play like Jets and we’re a physical football team. I don’t think our guys really instigate anything, but we’re going to be out there one way or another so if somebody wants to fight us, we’ll line up and fight them. We don’t care. Whatever they want to do we're more than happy to accommodate." Tighten Up Ryan's message to his team Thursday was that they needed to cut down on mistakes made after that practice. Today's report: Mission accomplished. "We had a few too many mental mistakes yesterday, so we had everything tightened up today. We had no mistakes out there today," Ryan said. "The attitude was great. It was professional. They prepared at night. You have to do those things. You can’t just go out there and be happy with what you’ve done so far. You’ve got to take care of your job. This team we’re playing is outstanding team, a physical team, one of the premier teams in the league. If you give them anything but your best preparation-wise or with the type of emotion you play with or anything, you’re going to get beat. I have a feeling we’re going to be up for the task." The I-Reports Ryan said his injury report had no changes. "Sanchez is still going to play," he said, referring to his report on "a little tendinitis" in his QB's knee that prompted the Jets to list him as a full participant in practice. It still looks as though CB Donald Strickland will miss the game and CB Lito Sheppard might sit out. Both have been designated as "out" after not practicing all week. But the designation isn't binding and Rex reserves the right to make a game-time decision, especially on Sheppard. Said the coach: "If a guy can go, he shows up and on Sunday we think he's ready to roll, then we're going with him." The Titans' injury report is slimmer than the Jets' 14-player list, but possibly more problematic to them. Punter Craig Hentrich is already out with a calf injury (former Jet Reggie Hodges was signed this week to kick against the Jets) and today kicker Rob Bironas was added with a right ankle injury. Bironas did not practice today and is listed as questionable for the game. Additionally, backup QB Vince Young was added to the Tennessee list as questionable with an illness, and TE Bo Scaife (knee) was limited for a second day today and is also questionable. Change of Flight Plan "Jets Flight Plan," the Green & White's weekly show on WCBS-TV, will move from its usual Sunday morning home for this week only. You can see the show Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on CBS-2 HD after the late local news. The show continues its all-access look at the 2009 Jets from inside the doors of the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Host Sam Ryan sits down one-on-one with head coach Rex Ryan, you'll get an exclusive view of this year's wide receivers from WRs coach Henry Ellard, and we'll also look back at the career of legendary Jets linebacker Larry Grantham. Cheers to the Flight Crew CNNSI.com has posted its Week 2 NFL Cheerleaders photo slideshow. We're proud to report that the first 16 photos are of the Jets Flight Crew, and some of the shots are simply awesome. Check out the cheerleaders here. Check out the Flight Crew's Week 2 photos here.

Rookie of the Week? Sanchez Is Two Much

09/26 – “Reading the ball off of the foot is just like reading the ball off of the bat.” That’s how Jim Leonhard views punt returning. “I give a lot of credit to growing up playing baseball,” Leonhard said from the Jets locker room on Friday. “You develop that hand/eye coordination and you get comfortable catching the ball on the run during baseball. That’s helped my returning skills.” Leonhard's return skills as well as his safety skills were on display against New England. Unlike in the opener at Houston when he and Leon Washington dropped back in double safety three times, Leonhard was back alone on all six punts by Chris Hanson. His 16-yard return to the Jets 45 with 6:39 to play was his best of the day. It resulted in a 23-yard net punt. Even after a three-and-out by the Jets offense and Steve Weatherford's touchback punt, the Jets picked up some important hidden yardage as they held on to their 16-9 lead. “The biggest emphasis is picking up those extra yards that nobody sees,” Leonhard said. “The normal fans don’t really understand how big special teams is and how much you can affect the offense and defense by changing field position.” For the season, Leonard has three returns for 43 yards, a 14.3-yard average, plus four fair catches. On the nine punts he's been back alone for, the opposing punters netted 31.8 yards. As for the double safety sets at Houston, that’s something that ST coordinator Mike Westhoff is going to continue to call in an effort to get No. 29 on the field as much as possible. “There are multiple reason’s we do it. It might be a matchup thing,” said Leonhard. “Especially when it gets windy in the Meadowlands, it’ll help out. We use it a lot. We just feel like with the both of us on the field it gives us an opportunity to hit a home run. But Westhoff said that they will only be on the field if there is a lot of open field for Washington to maneuver. "Jim Leonhard will be in all the time — always," the coach said. "If they have good field position trying to punt us in the hole, Jim will be back all the time. Now, when they’re coming out of their own end zone, then you’ll probably be more likely to see two. We want to have Leon out there when we have more field to operate on that we can utilize two guys. "Now sometimes that will depend on the wind or it will depend on what we’re going to do. We have a bunch of things we do and we try something different every time. You draw us up, you’ll be there a while." One reason for Leonhard's role as a punt returner is his hands. Head coach Rex Ryan said he could field punts in a hurricane. "He’s very sure-handed," Westhoff agreed. "He can catch it. He’s got very good hands. I haven’t seen him in a hurricane yet, but I wouldn’t doubt it. Jimmy has very good hands. He's just a good guy to have." *Special Teams Saturday.

STS*: The Importance of Leonhard's Returns