DAILY CLIPS – September 22, 2013

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Table of Contents

Associated Press Rookie QBs, Rex vs. pupil spice up Bills-Jets (Waszak) Bills-Jets Capsule

Newsday C.J. Spiller, Stevie Johnson present tough matchups for Jets against Buffalo (Martin) Bills, Jets square off with rookie quarterbacks EJ Manuel and Geno Smith (Martin) Rex Ryan's rebuilt Jets defense a hit (Glauber)

The Record Rex Ryan will face off against longtime pal when Jets play Bills on Sunday (Pelzman) NFL: Insight on the Jets-Bills matchup (Pelzman)

New York Post Serby’s special Q&A with Jets’ Damon Harrison (Serby) Jets plan to keep running over Bills (Costello) Bronx native Marrone takes winding path to Bills sideline (Cannizzaro) Rookie QBs Geno, EJ should prepare to be rattled (Serby) Rookie QBs will be key to Jets’ showdown with Bills (Costello) Jets lineman is hungry for NFL success (Buiso)

Star-Ledger Jets Four Downs with Demario Davis: 'This is a must-win game' (Fensom) For Geno Smith, EJ Manuel, an intertwined path leads to NFL (Fensom)

New York Daily News Bills at NY Jets: In a battle of rookie QBs, Buffalo has more weapons (Gola) NY Jets QB Geno Smith sits with Daily News to discuss what he's learned on and off field (Mehta) Dennis Thurman is NY Jets coach Rex Ryan's partner in crime on defense (Armstrong) With rookie QB Geno Smith and Rex Ryan's defense, NY Jets fun to watch (Lupica)

New York Times Honor for Jets Rookies, if Only They Knew It (Shpigel) Week 3 Matchup: Bills (1-1) at Jets (1-1) (Shpigel)

Metro New York Jets wide receivers renew focus on preventing drops (Dyer) Jets vs. Bills: 3 things to watch (Dyer)

Rookie QBs, Rex vs. pupil spice up Bills-Jets By DENNIS WASZAK Associated Press September 20, 2013

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=JDweUhUo

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Things will appear awfully familiar when Rex Ryan looks across the field at the Buffalo Bills' defense Sunday.

Sure, Mike Pettine has put his own tweaks on that unit as Buffalo's coordinator under new coach Doug Marrone. But he learned a lot from being the New York Jets coach's right-hand man for years.

"I think it makes for a good story," said Pettine, who worked with Ryan in Baltimore for seven years before spending the last four together in New York. "It's like going against your brother, as I've referred to it before. Brothers who fight a lot."

Pettine and Ryan are as competitive as they come, and they'd love to walk out of MetLife Stadium on Sunday with bragging rights.

To do that, each will have to stop a rookie quarterback, the first two taken in April's draft. Buffalo's EJ Manuel went 16th overall, while New York's Geno Smith slid into the second round at 39th overall. Facing a rookie quarterback has both Ryan and Pettine licking their chops.

"Maybe a little bit," Ryan said with a sly smile. "We've still got to go out and execute and things, but, yeah, I'd much rather face a rookie quarterback than Tom Brady."

The Bills (1-1) and Jets (1-1) have both called this a critical game; the loser falls to 0-2 in the AFC East.

"It's definitely a game we need to win," Manuel said. "We both lost to the Patriots and, early on, you don't want to get behind in the season. It just adds even more urgency to this game."

Here are five things to watch in Bills-Jets:

TEACHER VS. PUPIL: There's certainly plenty of familiarity between Ryan and Pettine; the two even vacationed together with their families over the years. But some wondered how much of the play calling was Pettine's and what was Ryan's during their time with the Jets. Now, Pettine is out of Ryan's shadow. Buffalo's defense has quickly adapted to Pettine's attacking scheme, something Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is preparing for. But, does the fact they know each other so well cancel out any advantages?

"Probably," Ryan said before laughing. "But I'll probably cheap-shot him before the game or something."

MANUEL MAGIC: Manuel is off to a solid start with three touchdowns and one interception and a 95.9 passer rating. He also showed he can come through in the clutch, connecting with Stevie Johnson on a 2-yard touchdown pass with 2 seconds left to beat Carolina 24-23. He became the fifth NFL quarterback since 1960 with a fourth-quarter comeback in either the first or second game of his career, so he won't be easily rattled. Manuel also looks fairly comfortable running the no-huddle, up-tempo offense.

"We can huddle, we can slow it down," Marrone said. "There's a lot of different ways we can do it. Right now, we're just trying to do it the best we can to score points."

GENO'S BOUNCEBACK: After pulling off a fourth-quarter comeback of his own in the season opener, Smith tried to do a little too much on his own at New England. He threw three fourth-quarter interceptions in a 13-10 loss. Smith, still dealing with improving his footwork and mechanics, must put that poor performance behind him.

He also insists Buffalo choosing Manuel over him won't provide any extra motivation. "That's definitely not going to be on my mind this week or in the game," he said, "because I feel that's a distraction and it can only be hurtful."

STOPPING MARIO: The Jets' offensive line has a tall task trying to keep Mario Williams out of the backfield and from slamming Smith to the turf. Williams, showing flashes of his "Super Mario" days in

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Houston, had a single-game team- and career-best 4 1-2 sacks against Carolina. He had 3 1-2 on third down, and four came in Bills territory.

DROPSIES: Smith's numbers in the loss to the Patriots were a bit skewed because the Jets had - unofficially - six dropped passes, including three by Clyde Gates and one each by Stephen Hill, Bilal Powell and Ryan Spadola. The outcome could have been a lot different for Smith and the Jets if a few of those catches were made - especially on a touchdown to Gates reversed by replay. Santonio Holmes had a simple solution: "Yeah, catch the ball," he said. "I don't see any other way to correct it."

Bills-Jets Capsule Associated Press September 19, 2013

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=T12nvheg

BUFFALO (1-1) at NEW YORK JETS (1-1)

4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS

OPENING LINE - Jets by 2

RECORD VS. SPREAD - Buffalo 2-0, New York 2-0

SERIES RECORD - Bills lead 55-50

LAST MEETING - Bills beat Jets 28-9, Dec. 30, 2012

LAST WEEK - Bills beat Panthers 24-23; Jets lost to Patriots 13-10

AP PRO32 RANKING - Bills No. 22; Jets No. 26

BILLS OFFENSE - OVERALL (15T), RUSH (4), PASS (23)

BILLS DEFENSE - OVERALL (18T), RUSH (30), PASS (13)

JETS OFFENSE - OVERALL (25), RUSH (12), PASS (25)

JETS DEFENSE - OVERALL (2), RUSH (4T), PASS (6)

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Matchup of first two QBs selected in NFL draft in April, Bills' EJ Manuel going No. 16 overall, and Jets' Geno Smith selected in second round with 39th pick. ... Game marks first time in series each team will start rookie QB. Last time Jets played game with two rookie starting QBs was players' strike season of 1987, when New York started David Norrie and Dallas had Kevin Sweeney - replacement players. ... Doug Marrone, in first season with Bills, trying to join Kay Stephenson (1983) as only coaches in team history to win two of first three games with franchise. ... Marrone, while coach at Syracuse, was 3-0 against Smith and West Virginia. ... Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was long-time assistant under Rex Ryan, including last four with Jets. ... Manuel threw 2-yard TD pass to Stevie Johnson with 2 seconds left to lead Buffalo past Carolina. He joined Seattle's Russell Wilson (2012) as only NFL players to throw winning TD pass inside 2-minute warning in September of rookie season since 1960. Joined Smith, Archie Manning, Jim Druckenmiller and Ryan Leaf as only QBs since 1960 to make fourth-quarter comeback in first or second game of rookie season. ... RB C.J. Spiller averaging 162.5 yards from scrimmage in last two games vs. Jets. ... DE Mario Williams had career-best 4 1-2 sacks last week, and is fourth in NFL since 2007 with 63 1-2 sacks. ... LB Kiko Alonso leads NFL rookies with 19 tackles. ... Ryan 7-2 at home in September games with Jets. ... Jets defense allowing lowest completion percentage (48.6) in NFL. ... Smith, trying to go 2-0 at home, coming off poor fourth quarter at New England in which he threw three INTs. Smith's 55.2 passer rating is 32nd in league - second-to-last among QBs with at least 35 passing attempts. His four INTs tied with Minnesota's Christian Ponder for

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second most in NFL. ... WR Jeremy Kerley, Jets' leading receiver last year, expected to play after missing last game with concussion. ... TE Kellen Winslow needs 57 yards receiving to reach 5,000 for career.

C.J. Spiller, Stevie Johnson present tough matchups for Jets against Buffalo By KIMBERLEY MARTIN Newsday September 21, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/c-j-spiller-stevie-johnson-present-tough-matchups-for-jets-against-buffalo-1.6116093

Each question centered on C.J. Spiller was met with the same response.

The key to stopping the Bills' leading rusher isn't too complex or too involved, the Jets said. Just a straightforward strategy rooted in simple fundamentals.

"We've got to tackle,'' cornerback Antonio Cromartie said.

Despite the hype surrounding rookie quarterbacks Geno Smith and EJ Manuel facing off on Sunday, the key to a Jets victory likely will fall on the shoulders of their defense again.

Smith, the 39th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, is "way ahead of the game in many ways,'' Marty Mornhinweg said. But the Jets' offensive coordinator again stressed "the other fellows have to just jack their game up.''

The Jets' defensive line has done just that, thanks to the aggressive play of Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson. And the good news for Rex Ryan is that their first-round pick in 2012, Quinton Coples, is expected to play for the first time during this season after undergoing ankle surgery.

The Jets, who have the third-best defense in the NFL, say they've done a poor job of containing Spiller and wide receiver Stevie Johnson in the past.

"We had Spiller and all those guys running all over us [last year],'' Wilkerson said in a radio interview this past week.

In their 48-28 Week 1 romp over the Bills last season, the Jets allowed Spiller to rush for 169 yards (including a 59-yard gain) and a touchdown. In their Week 17 loss in Buffalo, the Jets not only failed to contain Spiller -- who rushed for 59 yards and caught two passes for 72 yards and a touchdown -- but couldn't deal with Johnson, who had six catches for 111 yards.

"He can take the football and put it in the end zone from anywhere on the field,'' Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said of Spiller, who has 304 rushing yards, 116 receiving yards and two touchdowns in six games against the Jets. "He is dynamic, he's fast, he's explosive and you have to pay attention to him.''

Stopping Johnson hasn't been easy, either.

"There are guys that are faster than him, but he gets open,'' Ryan said. "He gets separation. And I think it starts with the way he is at the line of scrimmage. He's a little different but he's excellent at getting off press coverage in particular.''

Johnson is one of the few receivers to have continued success against former Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis -- evidenced by his 18 catches for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the five games he played against Revis and the Jets.

And now Revis Island no longer is here.

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Cromartie said he spent the past few weeks practically "playing on one hip'' because of a nagging injury but now is feeling the best he has since the first day of training camp.

But when asked this past week in Buffalo about the effect Revis' departure will have on the Jets, Johnson said, "Other guys got to step up.''

He added, "Either the pressure's going to create diamonds or you ain't going to be able to last . . . Cromartie's been to Pro Bowls before, but now it's going to be on the other guys to step up. We'll see what they can do. At the end of the day, I like our guys over theirs.''

Bills, Jets square off with rookie quarterbacks EJ Manuel and Geno Smith By KIMBERLEY MARTIN Newsday September 21, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/bills-jets-square-off-with-rookie-quarterbacks-ej-manuel-and-geno-smith-1.6116344

The franchises rest on the shoulders of two 20-somethings.

Change has come to both Florham Park, N.J., and Orchard Park, N.Y., where rookies Geno Smith and EJ Manuel have, at least for now, been entrusted with the future of their organizations. And the spotlight will shine brightly on the pair Sunday at MetLife Stadium as they try to lead their teams to victory and 2-1 records in the AFC East.

Smith -- a former star at West Virginia -- was touted as the top quarterback in the 2013 class as the draft approached in April. But the Bills' decision to trade down to claim Manuel at No. 16, while Smith slid into the second round before eventually being selected 39th overall by the Jets, raised some eyebrows. And it also has linked the trajectory of their careers.

Whether warranted or not, the comparisons between Manuel and Smith -- the only two quarterbacks selected in the first two rounds -- inevitably will be drawn, starting Sunday.

Just a few months ago, the likelihood of these two rookies squaring off in Week 3 seemed slim to some. Both the Jets and Bills opened minicamp with viable veteran options, but a series of unexpected injuries to Kevin Kolb and Mark Sanchez -- as well as the surprising announcement of David Garrard's retirement -- opened the door for Smith and Manuel to prove they're ready for the NFL stage.

During the past two weeks, the two rookies -- both of whom had preseason injuries -- have led their teams on late game-winning drives and also lost to the Patriots by three or fewer points. And on Sunday, they will put their friendship aside in favor of a "W."

But while the Bills have expressed a long-term commitment to Manuel, the Jets publicly are taking a week-to-week approach with Smith. To make the job long-term, he'll have to show steady improvement, especially when it comes to getting rid of the ball quicker.

"He either has to make his first or second read and take off and run and make something happen, or go somewhere with the football and not take the sacks that he's taking," Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon said of Smith, who has completed 53.4 percent of his passes and has one touchdown pass and four interceptions. He has been sacked nine times.

The Bills have made it clear that they're trying to build something special between their first-year coach, Doug Marrone, and their first-time NFL quarterback. That's why former Syracuse coach Marrone, who defeated Smith and the Mountaineers in last year's Pinstripe Bowl, believed it was imperative to name a starter before Week 1 of the regular season.

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"My philosophy has always been that the players know I was looking at one of the quarterbacks to separate themselves where the players can rally around and say he's our quarterback. . . . And I think he earned that job. That's why he's our starting quarterback," he said of Manuel, who has completed 68.2 percent of his passes and has thrown for three touchdowns. He's been intercepted once and sacked once.

The Jets, meanwhile, promoted Smith as their week-to-week starter after Sanchez suffered a shoulder injury in Week 3 of the preseason. Sanchez, who recently told NFL Network he had won the starting gig -- although Rex Ryan didn't necessarily buy into that -- was placed on short-term injured reserve last week. But while Smith hasn't been tabbed the starter for the entire season, Ryan's stance on the inexperienced Matt Simms ("We see Geno as our starting quarterback now") and Brady Quinn's consistent inactive status on game day proves the organization has no other option at quarterback right now other than Smith.

In time, the Jets might decide to shorten the leash on the rookie. But until then, Smith has a chance to prove he should have been the first-rounder that experts had predicted he would be. Even if that isn't his main focus.

"I'm not going out there worrying about what happened at the draft because that's come and gone and those feelings are far behind me," Smith said. "I'm just focusing on leading this offense, leading this team and then going out there on Sunday and playing well."

Though Moon said he'd like to see Manuel throw the ball downfield more, he added: "I really love his decision-making. They're giving him a lot of responsibility early.

"They're running a hurry-up offense. Most young quarterbacks, you don't see them being able to run that type of offense. But he definitely has the maturity and the intelligence to do it," he said of the former Florida State star. "He's big and strong and he can use his legs as well. I really like the start he's off to."

Rex Ryan's rebuilt Jets defense a hit By BOB GLAUBER Newsday September 21, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/bob-glauber/rex-ryan-s-rebuilt-jets-defense-a-hit-1.6116668

Take away the bombast and the bulletin board quotes, remove the swagger and the in-your-face demeanor, and here's what's left with Rex Ryan.

"I just love to teach," the Jets coach said. "I love the classroom. I just like getting in front and installing defenses."

Ryan is a lot of things to a lot of people -- not all of them good -- but at his core, he's a football junkie and a guy who loves all there is with coaching: designing a game plan, breaking down film, teaching technique in practice, concocting all sorts of schemes to deal with the upcoming opponent.

So if Ryan is going to save his job in what is by all measures a make-or-break season, it could very well come down to how well he does at what he knows best: Run the defense. And if Ryan builds that defense into a unit that turns out to be as good as it's looked the first two weeks of the season, then he will have given himself a realistic chance of coaching into next season.

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That's still a long way off, and there are plenty of the usual twists and turns that every NFL team goes through every season. And we're not minimizing the reality that the Jets' offense needs to show plenty of progress in its own right. But with Ryan now calling the shots on defense after parting ways with his longtime lieutenant, Mike Pettine, after last season, the coach now will have a much more direct influence on what happens to him going forward.

Ryan will match wits with Pettine on Sunday, when the Bills visit the Jets in a key early-season matchup at MetLife Stadium. The two men face similar circumstances on the field, as each goes up against a rookie quarterback and each is coming off a promising start to the season with their respective defenses. They both earned a home win over an NFC South opponent -- the Jets over Tampa Bay in Week 1 and the Bills over Carolina last week -- and both gave Patriots quarterback Tom Brady fits before suffering narrow losses.

Ryan boasted before the season that he thought the Jets would be a top five defense, although he tempered those remarks after realizing he might be putting too much pressure on his players. But through the early going, the Jets are in the NFL's upper echelon of defenses. The numbers, please:

They're second overall in yards allowed, averaging just 241 per game.

Their 3.9 yards per play is the best in the NFL through two games.

They've allowed just 29 percent of third-down conversions, the fourth-best mark in the league.

And their 15 points allowed per game is second to Seattle, which has allowed just five points per game so far.

Again, it's early. But Ryan clearly has retained his touch as a defensive play-caller, and he's making a young defense look terrific at the outset. Oh, and he's doing it without All Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was traded in the offseason for the 13th overall pick.

The player the Jets got in that deal -- Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson -- has been excellent so far, especially against the run. And Mo Wilkerson has developed into one of the better defensive linemen, while second-year linebacker DeMario Davis has developed into a reliable complement to David Harris.

It's a good group that believes in the man calling the shots.

"We're a young team, and we come with it, simple as that," Richardson said. "We all believe in Rex. He's a great coach, a great leader."

Ryan can make himself indispensable with more great work on his side of the ball, although his fate ultimately will rest in how well the team does overall. And that means managing a tricky quarterback situation that became even more troublesome with the injury to Mark Sanchez -- an injury that Ryan unwittingly contributed to by putting the quarterback out there with second- and third-stringers against the Giants during the preseason.

But if Ryan's defense remains stout, and if the running game can develop to the point where all Geno Smith has to do is be a solid game manager and not turn the ball over -- yes, a big "if," especially considering his four interceptions so far -- then at least the Jets will have a chance to compete.

And maybe, just maybe he'll have a chance to save his own skin when the decision comes about his future. So far, the coach who calls himself a teacher at heart still has the confidence of his students.

"Rex is a great guy, a great leader," Wilkerson said. "I'm glad to be here with him. I hope he's here for a long time."

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Rex Ryan will face off against longtime pal when Jets play Bills on Sunday By J.P. PELZMAN The Record September 21, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Rex_Ryan_will_face_off_against_longtime_pal_when_Jets_play_Bills_on_Sunday.html?page=all

When they used to vacation together, Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine used to play washer pitching, an accuracy-toss game similar to horseshoes.

Presumably, they didn’t send blitzers at each other when they were shooting.

It will be much different today at MetLife Stadium when the two friends renew acquaintances. Ryan and Pettine certainly won’t be responsible for throwing, and expect them to send plenty of extra pressure at the guys who will, quarterbacks Geno Smith (Jets) and EJ Manuel (Buffalo).

Pettine is in his first year as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator after serving in that capacity for the previous four years with the Jets under Ryan. Pettine’s sudden departure in January raised eyebrows, but he and Ryan made it clear in recent days that the split was more than amicable.

Still, that friendship will be put on hold for about three hours when the Jets host Buffalo in an AFC East matchup of 1-1 teams with rookie starting quarterbacks. And although the two defensive gurus won’t be matching wits with each other, each certainly wants to be better than his friend.

“Coaches in the NFL were born with a competitive gene,” Pettine told reporters in Orchard Park, N.Y., “a hypercompetitive gene and you want to win at everything. When I went on vacation with Rex and we were throwing washers on the beach, I wanted to beat him just as bad as I want to beat him on Sunday. … I have a job to do to put my players in the best position to be successful, and that’s what we’re going to do. I think it makes for a good story and it’s like going against your brother, as I’ve referred to it before. Brothers who fight a lot.”

Ryan indicated in a conference call with Buffalo media that he understood Pettine wanted to have a job where he could be in charge of his defense, and not be in Ryan’s shadow. He got that with the Bills and new coach Doug Marrone, whose expertise is offense.

“Mike can stand on his own,” Ryan said. “He’s a tremendous football coach and it won’t be long [that] he’ll get his own opportunity to be a head coach.”

In the meantime, beyond the human drama of the Ryan-Pettine relationship, it means Smith and Manuel will be seeing defenses very similar to the ones they face daily in practice. Pettine has taken Ryan’s 3-4 to upstate New York and added some tweaks and wrinkles, but it has enough similarities that Manuel believes the experience will help him today.

“I think it’s a huge benefit,” he said, “seeing a lot of those multiple looks and guys lining up and walking around before the snap, whether it was in OTAs or training camps, I think it’s really going to help me out personally.”

But Pettine said it can help only so much, saying the strength of Ryan’s system is “its flexibility.’’

“Rex has 10 years worth of material,” Pettine said, “to draw from and tighten that down to a 30- or 40-call game plan. You’re just chasing ghosts when you go, ‘You might see this or you might see this.’ To me it comes down to execution.”

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Smith was 0-3 for West Virginia against Syracuse when Marrone coached the Orange, but isn’t worried about that. In fact, he said he hadn’t watched any tape of those college games, only tape of the current Buffalo defense.

“I’m not focused on what happened then,” said Smith, who was sacked 12 times in those three games, including twice for safeties in last year’s Pinstripe Bowl. “I haven’t gone back and watched any tape. I don’t think it’s necessary. The key thing is just to continue to study this team he has now and the way they do things, which is a lot different from what they did then.”

NFL: Insight on the Jets-Bills matchup By J.P. PELZMAN The Record September 22, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/224748602_NFL__Insight_on_the_Jets-Bills_matchup.html?page=all

At MetLife Stadium

Today, 4:25 p.m.

TV: CBS Radio: ESPN-FM 98.7

Line: Jets by 2

What’s at stake

Jets: A loss would drop the Jets, who lost to New England 10 days ago, to 0-2 in the AFC East and 1-2 overall with back-to-back road games coming up against improving Tennessee and high-powered Atlanta. A win would continue their recent dominance over the Bills, who are 2-8 in their last 10 meetings with the Jets.

Bills: Buffalo also is looking to avoid dropping to 0-2 in the division, as the Bills have lost to New England, too. The Bills are trying to build off the momentum from their last-second victory over Carolina last week. It will be a homecoming for coach Doug Marrone, who coached the Jets’ offensive line from 2002-05, and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. Pettine served under Rex Ryan as a coordinator for the Jets for the previous four seasons.

Key matchup

Jets RT Austin Howard vs. Bills DE Mario Williams: Williams lined up opposite Howard for the majority of the time during the two 2012 meetings, and Howard, with some help, held Williams without a sack. Williams had a career-high and Buffalo-record 4 1/2 sacks in the win over the Panthers last week. He looks more comfortable in Pettine’s defense than he did last season, his first year with the Bills. Jets QB Geno Smith also needs to help out his O-line by making quicker decisions and not holding the ball as long.

How they’ll win

Jets: Smith needs to learn from the mistakes he made in the fourth quarter at New England, when he tossed three fourth-quarter interceptions. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg must do a better job of sticking with the running game if it’s working, something he didn’t do against the Patriots. Expect the Jets to send plenty of extra pressure at Buffalo rookie QB EJ Manuel. They also will have to contain RB C.J. Spiller, who had 169 yards rushing on only 14 carries in an opening-day loss to the Jets last season, and took a short pass 66 yards for a score against them in the season finale.

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Bills: Spiller and teammate Fred Jackson somehow find running room against a Jets defense allowing only 2.4 yards per carry through the first two games. That keeps the blitzing Jets honest and gives Manuel some time to find WR Stevie Johnson, who likely will be matched up against the Jets’ No. 1 CB, Antonio Cromartie. On defense, Williams provides a pass rush that helps prevent Smith from picking on an injury-ravaged Buffalo secondary that is without CB Stephon Gilmore (wrist), and could be missing S Jairus Byrd, who is questionable with a chronic foot problem.

Serby’s special Q&A with Jets’ Damon Harrison By STEVE SERBY New York Post September 21, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/21/serbys-special-qa-with-jets-damon-harrison/

Jets defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison gobbled up some Q&A from Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: Who gave you the nickname “Snacks?”

A: [Defensive line coach Karl] Dunbar (chuckle). I came here, I was a bit overweight, so they were encouraging me to lose weight. He actually gave a lot of the undrafted guys nicknames, and “Snacks” was the only one that stuck around. He had a guy he called Lunch Box (chuckle).

Q: How do you feel about your nickname?

A: I hated it at first. Just being a big guy, you’re pretty sensitive about your weight already, so just to be called “ Snacks,” I took it personally at first. After hearing it so much from everybody, it grew on me, and now I love the nickname.

Q: What was the heaviest you’ve ever been?

A: 375, close to 380.

Q: When you signed with the Jets?

A: I was 365 at my heaviest here.

Q: And now what do you weigh?

A: 333.

Q: Do you avoid certain foods now?

A: No. … I started getting heavier because the surgeries I was having on my knee. You’ll sit around for months without being able to move, already being a big guy, and the weight just piled on. I still eat the same things, I just … portion control now.

Q: How many surgeries did you have on your knee?

A: Four, two on each.

Q: Favorite snacks?

A: Butterfingers. I’m a chocolate-peanut butter-type of guy. … If I can’t get the Butterfingers, then I would have to go Snickers.

Q: You would eat a whole bunch of them?

A: Yeah.

Q: How many?

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A: I don’t know, I haven’t really tried to eat a lot of ’em, so I can’t tell you how many I can, but if I were hungry, I believe I could run through quite a bit.

Q: What’s a typical dinner for you now?

A: Anything that they’re serving here [Atlantic Health Jets Training Center]. I try to stay away from foods at home, besides the fruits and the vegetables. Being from Louisiana, we love rice, so anytime I can eat rice, rice and chicken, and throw a few vegetables in there.

Q: How much would you eat in one sitting?

A: The thing was, I didn’t eat as much, but when I did eat, I ate a lot. … I know my favorite thing to eat back then were the hot sausages that you get in a pack. You’ll get eight in a pack, and I would eat all eight.

Q: Where would you get them?

A: From Walmart.

Q: They were big sausages?

A: Yeah, pretty big. I would eat all of ’em with a slice of bread and cheese (chuckle).

Q: But that would be just a snack.

A: No. … If you eat all of ’em with a slice of bread, it fills you up … eight slices of bread and eight sausages.

Q: You don’t do that anymore?

A: No. … I can’t even do it now.

Q: What do you mean?

A: I just can’t eat as much ’cause now, I’m eating breakfast, I’m eating lunch and I’m eating dinner, so I’m not so much as hungry at the end of the day like I used to be because I wasn’t eating breakfast or lunch.

Q: Who’s the biggest eater on the Jets now?

A: [Antonio] Cromartie can put away some food.

Q: Your pregame meal?

A: I stick with breakfast — an omelet and some hashed browns.

Q: One omelet?

A: It’s a pretty big omelet.

Q: Favorite restaurant?

A: Ruth’s Chris.

Q: What are you like on the field?

A: I do a lot of talking, you know. I like to have myself felt, and I like to be heard, especially when I’m doing good. I’m not the type of guy that’ll just run off at the mouth. In college I was, ’cause I was the biggest guy on the field — teams literally feared me. I tried to get in everybody’s head, but coming to the NFL, it’s a lot different. You’re no longer the biggest guy on the field. Everybody’s tough, so I had to

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calm down some. But now I’m getting back into being myself, ’cause at first I wasn’t being myself. I felt like that was holding me back. So now, I’m letting loose a little more.

Q: Are you a good trash talker?

A: Yeah.

Q: Give me an example.

A: I would tell you, “It’s gonna be a long day.” Or, if you can’t block me, I’ll tell you, “Your coach is gonna pull you out pretty soon,” or “It’s not your fault, not too many people can block me.” I have to be in the moment. You have up be down there to hear me. It’s very random.

Q : You got guys from the Bucs and Patriots upset? What did they say to you?

A: “Who are you? Be quiet.”

Q: What did you tell them?

A: After they tell me like, “Who are you?” [I’m] like, “Don’t worry about it, you’ll find out in a minute.”

Q: Who’s the best trash talker?

A: Last year it was Bart Scott, but this year I would probably have to say it’s a tie between Demario [Davis] and Sheldon Richardson.

Q : Somebody told me that Quinton Coples was a good trash talker.

A: Yeah, yeah. On and off the field (chuckle).

Q: So how would you rank them?

A: With Coples being back, I think he’ll probably take the crown as No. 1. Sheldon 2 and Demario 3.

Q: Describe your on-field mentality.

A: I try to play angry. I play a whole lot better when I’m angry. I try to do anything just to [tick] myself off.

Q: What do you do?

A: Just tell myself I’m being lazy, or I’m not doing this good enough. It’s the same thing that I’ve been telling myself since I’ve been here — if you don’t get it going, might not be here in the morning. Just any little thing that I could use.

Q: What drives you?

A: My family. I’ve gotten over trying to prove to other people that I’m good enough. As long as I prove it to myself, ’cause I had a hard time doing that last year. That was my No. 1 problem, just the confidence, believing in myself that I could do it, and not being scared to mess up.

Q: Why did you sign with the Jets?

A: My agent, Mark Littlebridge, told me this was the best opportunity for me. I just took his word for it. Shortly after getting here and I saw guys like … they drafted Quinton in the first round, they had Mo [Muhammad Wilkerson], Sione [Pouha], [Mike] DeVito, Kenrick [Ellis]. … I called my agent like, “What the hell are you thinking about?” He told me, no, he really thought this was the best opportunity for me with Coach Dunbar being, he thought was the best defensive line coach in the NFL, I would have a good chance to develop here. So, took his word for it. I worked my butt off, and it paid off.

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Q: Does being a free agent give you extra motivation?

A: I told the guys at the time who were following me on Twitter, when I signed with the Jets, I planned on being one of the best free agents in NFL history. And not being drafted kinda ticked me off. It motivated me, gave me a little extra push. I hold a grudge against everybody. … Well not a grudge, just to prove to everybody that they made a mistake by not selecting me. Even the Jets, they passed on me too, so … just proving to myself I belong.

Q: How would you sum up Rex?

A: Great guy, great defensive mind, and he’s a guy that I personally would go to hell and back for, and a lot of guys on the team would. I love the guy, plain and simple.

Q: How did Hurricane Katrina affect your original hometown, New Iberia, La.?

A: We evacuated. It was mandatory, but we didn’t get a lot of the water, but we got the heavy rains and the heavy winds, but it was Hurricane Rita [2005] that affected us.

Q: In what way?

A: Everything that it did to New Orleans, Rita did the same thing to my hometown [Lake Charles], so we were out of place for about three to four months.

Q: Where did you go?

A: First we evacuated to Bunky High School in Bunky, La., for maybe two weeks, and the Coast Guard came and told us we had to go further north. So I got separated from my family then — they went to Shreveport, La., or Alexandria, I can’t remember, and I ended up in Lafayette, La., with my grandfather.

Q: For how long?

A: Over a month.

Q: What was that like?

A: It was hard, but being with my grandfather, it made the transition a little easier. But not knowing how your family’s doing, that was pretty tough.

Q: No cell phone service?

A: I didn’t have a cell phone at the time. I didn’t get a cell phone until my sophomore year at William Penn.

Q: How come?

A: Just couldn’t afford it.

Q: Do you get into New York City at all?

A: No, I hate it, man. It’s too many people, too much stuff going on, entirely too much traffic. Around here, it just seems like everybody has something to do all day, and I just don’t like to be in a rush, man. Just like to take everything slow and take my time (chuckle).

Q: You have three children living with their mother in Iowa.

A: The oldest [Elijah] is not my biological son, but I’ve been raising him ever since he was born. He’s 5. And my biological daughter, her name is Destiny, she just turned 4. And I have another daughter who’s 10 months. Her name is Brielle.

Q: How has fatherhood impacted you or changed you?

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A: Elijah came around when I was about 19, so at the time I was fresh out of high school and really didn’t understand it, so it forced me to grow up quicker.

Q: You returned home after Northwest Mississippi Community College.

A: I started working overnight stocking at Walmart.

Q: What did you get paid?

A: I think it was between $11 and $14 an hour, but it was through a temp program so they got a percentage of it.

Q: You did that for how long?

A: I want to say two months. And at the time when I got the call from [CC coach] Steve Miller about the scholarship to William Penn, the same day I got the call from management at Walmart, they wanted to offer me the permanent position. And I was gonna take the permanent position ’cause at the time I was done with football. I got cut from the Middle School team twice, which pushed me away from football for years. Once I finally did do it in high school, thought I had an opportunity, and I was told once again I wasn’t good enough, so at that time it just took all the drive out of me.

Q: How much of a culture shock was Iowa?

A: Man, it was like night and day. Growing up in New Iberia and Lake Charles, I always went to all-black schools. We just didn’t have interaction with people of other races. So when I went to Iowa … man (laugh). I mean, they didn’t have any rap radio stations so I didn’t hear any of the new music. It was something to get used to, I’ll tell you that much, and I had never seen snow before until I got there. For the first two or three days, I wanted to go home. I just hated it.

Q: You were the first in your family to get a high school diploma?

A: I would have been the first ever to graduate from college, I’m three classes shy.

Q: You thought you’d be an NBA player. Who did you admire?

A: Michael Jordan, of course, and my favorite player’s Kobe Bryant.

Q: What position did you play in high school?

A: Shooting guard.

Q: Favorite movies?

A: “The Five Heartbeats” and “The Temptations.”

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Bernie Mack.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Sanaa Lathan

Q: Favorite entertainer?

A: Zero.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Jambalaya.

Jets plan to keep running over Bills

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By BRIAN COSTELLO New York Post September 21, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/21/jets-plan-to-keep-running-over-bills/

The Jets ran for 129 yards last week, getting a ground game going to help out rookie quarterback Geno Smith. Now, can they keep it going?

The Bills defense appears to be susceptible to the run. Through two games they are 30th in the league, allowing an average of 141.5 yards per game.

Chris Ivory ran for 52 yards on 12 carries against the Patriots last week and appears to be over the hamstring injury that cost him a lot of time in training camp.

“Chris is getting better every week,” running backs coach Anthony Lynn said. “He had a slow start to the season because he missed so much time in training camp, but he’s starting to get more and more comfortable with the offense. What we saw on tape we’re starting to see on the field now — his physical running style, yards after contact. His role is going to continue to increase.”

***

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg drew some criticism for going to Ivory just once in the fourth quarter, but that was caused by Ivory’s deficiencies in the passing game. He is not a good receiver out of the backfield, and the Jets were in passing formations for much of the fourth.

That left Ivory on the sidelines, and Bilal Powell carrying the ball.

“I play guys on how the game is going,” Lynn said. “If I see the game is becoming more of a passing/receiving game I put the right personnel in for that. That’s why Bilal was in there more in the fourth quarter. We were in our sub package more. That fits his skill set right now more than Chris’.”

The Jets ran the ball six times in the fourth quarter, half as many times as they passed. That is not an unreasonable number, especially since they had to throw as time wound down and they were trailing. Powell carried the ball four times with Ivory and Tommy Bohanon each getting one carry.

One area Smith desperately needs to improve is getting rid of the ball quickly. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith is taking an average of 3.45 seconds to throw the ball, the worst in the league. He is taking 2.6 seconds or more 74 percent of the time, also a league worst. That has led to him getting sacked nine times.

“He’s working on that now,” Mornhinweg said. “He’s working on it diligently. That is one thing. I want him to go through his progression, go through his reads, make good quick decisions and throw the ball strong with confidence, drill it and emphasize it. He’s getting more comfortable with that.”

***

The Jets have never opened a season 1-2 under Rex Ryan. They were 3-0 in his first year and 2-1 the past three seasons.

Bronx native Marrone takes winding path to Bills sideline (Cannizzaro) By MARK CANNIZZARO New York Post September 21, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/21/bronx-native-marrone-takes-winding-path-to-bill-sideline/

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — I trekked to Western New York during the week to spend time with Bills head coach Doug Marrone with a plan to discuss his early experiences as a first-year NFL head coach, playing against his former team Sunday when Buffalo plays the Jets at MetLife Stadium, his rookie quarterback EJ Manuel and their thrilling first NFL victory together last week.

But during an hour-long chat inside the Bills’ indoor practice facility, the Bronx native, former Jets offensive line coach and (most recently) the Syracuse head coach steered the conversation far from football.

I have known Marrone since his days with the Jets, but had no idea until this visit how little I knew about him.

****

INSTEAD of recounting details of the Bills’ last-second 24-23 comeback win over the Panthers last Sunday, Marrone waxed poetic about one of his most influential high school teachers, Phyllis Preston, who recruited him to star in school plays.

“I’m a thespian at heart,’’ Marrone said, with a straight face.

Preston, an English and drama teacher at Lehman High in The Bronx, asked Marrone to take part as a way to break the stereotype that jocks don’t have a softer side.

“She said to me, ‘It would be great to get some athletes in here,’ ” Marrone recalled. “I said, ‘What’s in it for me?’ She hinted that I’d get a better grade, and I’m like, ‘OK.’ ”

Next thing Marrone knew he was playing the lead role of Joe Hardy in “Damn Yankees’’ in front audiences of 1,200, doing two shows a night.

****

INSTEAD of talking about playing against the Jets, for whom he worked from 2002-05, Marrone revealed that if he was not a football coach he would be a state trooper.

He told the story of an incident in The Bronx that influenced him when he was a 7-year-old. Some state troopers set up a road block near his Harding Avenue home.

“The trooper, who looked like he was 6-8, had the leather hat on, the puffy pants, high boots, mirror sunglasses and carried 45 magnum, comes over to us and walks us across the street to a hot dog stand and said, ‘Stand behind here,’ ” Marrone recalled. “We said, ‘What’s going on?’ They told us some people robbed a jewelry store in Scarsdale and they were setting up a blockade. It was just like the old wild, wild West. The car came down, they’re shooting, bullets flew right through the hot dog stand. The car crashes, they get out, two men and a woman. The troopers handcuff them.

“The trooper walks over and says, ‘You boys want to see some real criminals?’ So he takes us back to the field. I never forget seeing the woman. She had these sunglasses on and she looked right at us. I was terrified. I had nightmares for days. After that, I always wanted to be a state trooper.”

****

INSTEAD of describing what it felt like to win his first game as a NFL head coach, Marrone preferred to tell the story about how he met his wife, Helen.

He was coaching offensive line at Northeastern and was the only single guy on the staff.

“Everyone was trying to fix me up with their cousin or niece, and that never works out,” he said.

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While out at a local pub with Northeastern colleagues, Marrone wrote on a paper napkin what he was looking for in a girlfriend and it got passed around the table. When the napkin got to a woman named Colleen, she said, “Oh my Gosh, I’ve got the perfect girl for you. She was my roommate at [Boston College] and is in law school now in Memphis. You’ve got to meet her.”

“At the end of the season I had an interview with George O’Leary at Georgia Tech, and on my drive down there I stopped in Tennessee and we went on our first date. When I drove back from the interview we went on our second date. And when I drove down after I took the job we went on our third date.”

-

Marrone and Helen, whose father

James “Boots’’ Donnelly was a legendary football coach at Middle Tennessee State, dated for six years before they got married.

“I don’t think she wanted to marry a football coach — nor did her mom want her to marry a football coach,’’ Marrone said. “It’s not an easy life.’’

****

THE point to all of this is that Marrone does not need any of this.

He never was — and still is not — obsessed or impressed with being an NFL head coach, although he feels blessed to be one. Marrone simply wants to coach football. It’s been in his blood since he was a kid growing up in Throgs Neck.

He left The Bronx all those years ago to chase his football dreams and find a better life, but The Bronx has never left Marrone.

“Not many guys from around where I grew up went on to play football,’’ Marrone said. “So there were always people who would say, ‘You’ll never make it, you’re never going to be able to play in college.’ I learned a long time ago it’s not that people don’t want to see you succeed, it’s that they don’t want to lose you.’’

The irony to Marrone’s ascent to becoming an NFL head coach is that he never wanted to lose the feeling he had as an assistant coach.

“His ideal job still is being an O-line coach,” Bills defensive backs coach Donnie Henderson said. “When it’s all said and done, he would give up that [head coach] hat any day to go back and be an O-line coach.”

“Here’s what I struggle with,’’ Marrone said. “The things I love most about the profession is having your own group of guys that you see every day, work with and develop them into not only better players but better men, better husbands, better fathers. You can have that type of influence watching them grow and their families grow and have success, and that is an unbelievable feeling to have.

“When you become the head coach, you don’t have that room that you’re with constantly, that you’re coaching and teaching, where when you walk into that room the players look at you and say, ‘Coach, are you all right?’ because they know you better than anyone. Those are the things that I miss the most.’’

That is what Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, the 33-year-old son of former NFL and college coach Paul Hackett and Marrone’s offensive coordinator at Syracuse the last three years, called “most refreshing’’ about him.

“He’s so darned honest,’’ Hackett said. “This is my fourth year with him, and through all the ups and downs at Syracuse, he hasn’t changed. He is what you’re going to get. He’s very passionate, he’s very

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fired up, he wants to win, he know what he knows and admits the things he doesn’t know. He doesn’t get upset to be a little vulnerable. It’s all very sincere and honest.’’

Rookie QBs Geno, EJ should prepare to be rattled By STEVE SERBY New York Post September 21, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/21/rookie-qbs-geno-ej-should-prepare-to-be-rattled/

Geno Smith and EJ Manuel get thrown to the wolves now, because the Jets and Bills and their respective fan bases are desperately seeking their own RG3 and Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson.

It has been a perfect storm of circumstances that brings us Smith versus Manuel today: the smashing success of the 2012 rookie QBs in a quarterback-driven league; the failure of Ryan Kirkpatrick, who wasn’t Jim Kelly in Buffalo, and of Mark Sanchez, who wasn’t even Mark Sanchez the past two seasons, much less Joe Namath.

It’s a beautiful thing to watch when a precocious quarterback acts and plays like he’s been there before even though he hasn’t.

Today is the flip side of that.

Today is the Diaper Bowl.

Smith isn’t ready for a motivated Mike Pettine, and Manuel isn’t ready for a motivated Rex Ryan.

Smith and Manuel serve as proxies for the football war between teacher (Ryan, the Jets coach) and student (Pettine, the Bills defensive coordinator).

If Pettine has gone to school, then count on Smith’s head spinning every bit as much as Manuel’s is certain to be.

Neither rookie quarterback has been rattled, but Smith hasn’t met Mario Williams yet, and Manuel hasn’t met Mo Wilkerson.

Smith’s task and development is a pedestrian backfield and a receiving corps that is more Moan Time than Tone Time.

Complicating Manuel’s task is a hostile MetLife Stadium as his first road-eo.

Manuel, however, has a pair of weapons in RB C.J. Spiller and WR Stevie Johnson who can bail him out at any time, and he has a better understanding so far that ball security is the end-all and be-all for a rookie NFL quarterback cutting his teeth.

Smith needs to bounce back from his three-interception fourth quarter against the Patriots, an example of the kind of growing pains many NFL experts expected from him out of West Virginia.

“I didn’t think either one was ready to play right away,” the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah, a former NFL scout for the Eagles, Browns and Ravens, rated Smith his top quarterback in the draft, and Manuel second.

“I thought EJ was very raw,” Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah said Smith would have benefited from watching from the sidelines at the start of the season.

“You’re always in the shotgun in that West Virginia offense.” Jeremiah said, “and you never saw him get too deep in his progressions in college. His deep-ball accuracy was still a little bit of a work in progress.”

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Asked what he has seen of Smith against the blitz, Jeremiah said: “I don’t think he’s seeing everything clearly.”

Jets general manager John Idzik passed on both quarterbacks in the first round, and Smith inherited an offense stripped of Dustin Keller and Shonn Green and impaired by Santonio Holmes’ delicate return from his Lisfranc fracture.

“The tough part about it is, I don’t know that the pieces are in place right now for him to really, really play well,” Jeremiah said.

For now, it will be enough for Jets fans if Smith plays better than Manuel, and finds a way to win a game that can give them a measure of hope that maybe they have the better young quarterback, and maybe they will have a better team than anyone thinks. Even if they have to endure a Diaper Bowl first.

Rookie QBs will be key to Jets’ showdown with Bills By BRIAN COSTELLO New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/rookie-qbs-will-be-key-to-jets-showdown-with-bills/

Geno Smith and EJ Manuel sat together in the green room at Radio City Music Hall five months ago at the NFL Draft. Now they meet again on the field at MetLife Stadium.

The first two quarterbacks taken in the 2013 draft are starting Sunday for the Jets and Bills, respectively. Manuel was the only quarterback selected in the first round, with Buffalo taking him with the 16th overall pick. Smith only could sit and watch that night in New York as Manuel was taken and he was left waiting. The Jets ended Smith’s wait the following day when they took him in the second round, 39th overall.

So who got the better quarterback? Both teams hope that question is debated for years to come as the two do battle in the AFC East. This is the first round.

“I stood up, I congratulated him and that was it. Like I said, I was happy for him,” Smith said this week about draft night. “I was happy for every single guy that got drafted. I’m past that now. I hate to talk about it because I’m focusing on what we have here, which is a great opportunity, [a] good team, and we’ve got a tough matchup coming up on Sunday. We’ve been preparing for it, and we’ll be ready.”

Manuel and Smith both are 1-1 as starters with Manuel leading a comeback win against the Panthers last week while Smith came off a win in his first game with a three-interception letdown against the Patriots.

Both defenses are salivating at the thought of facing a rookie QB. The Bills defense is led by former Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who will blitz Smith all day long. Rex Ryan is 5-1 against rookie quarterbacks as a head coach, and he let his defense know this week they are going after Manuel.

“He’s a rookie. We just have to get after him. That’s pretty much it,” defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson said. “We have to stop the running game and make a rookie quarterback beat us, make them one-dimensional.”

A look inside the game:

MARQUEE MATCHUP

JETS RT AUSTIN HOWARD VS. BILLS DE MARIO WILLIAMS

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Williams is coming off a monster game when he registered a career-high 4 ½ sacks against the Panthers. Now, Howard draws the primary responsibility of stopping him. Howard played well against Williams last season and frustrated him to the point Williams complained about the officiating after the first game.

Williams’ numbers last week are impressive, but if you watched the game you would see three of the sacks were brought on by Cam Newton holding the ball too long. It will be imperative for Smith to get the ball out quick to neutralize Williams.

“I think that might have been our team high last year for the season,” Rex Ryan said of Williams’ 4 ½ sacks. “The fact that God touched this guy, like gave him unbelievable gifts — he’s got the height, the size, the length, the arms, the speed — that’s kind of what jumps out. And he plays hard, he’s smart.”

LIVE ON THE EDGE

The Jets defense was embarrassed last year by Bills RB C.J. Spiller when he ran for 169 yards against them in the first game of the season. It is the second-most rushing yards against Ryan’s defense with the Jets.

So far this season, the Jets defense has been stout against the run. They are fourth in the NFL allowing an average of 59.5 yards per game on the ground. They must stop Spiller and Fred Jackson to force Manuel to make plays. Spiller did his damage on the outside last year, leaving it up to the Jets outside defenders to set the edge.

“You’ve got to tackle,” cornerback Antonio Cromartie said. “I think last year when he had 150 some yards on us in the first game of the year, we didn’t do a great job of tackling. That’s one thing we have to do — make sure we do a great job of tackling their running backs because C.J. and Fred Jackson give us some problems.”

GET SOME STICKUM

The Jets wide receivers had a brutal game last week against the Patriots with six drops. The group should get a boost this week with the return of Jeremy Kerley from a concussion, but Clyde Gates (four drops) and Stephen Hill (one drop, one fumble) must be more sure-handed.

“The biggest thing,” wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal said, “is that mentality of, ‘As soon as I step on the field, whether it be practice or a game or in my yard with my kids, I’m a professional wide receiver, and when that ball is in the air nothing else exists other than catching it and securing it.’ That must be the mentality, 24/7. That’s the thing we’ve really talked about this week. No changes in drills, because like I said, we do everything. But that mentality of there is nothing else but the ball.”

TURN THEM OVER

The Jets defense has been nearly flawless through two games, but one area they need to improve is forcing turnovers. The Jets have forced just two so far, both against the Buccaneers.

On the other side, the Jets have turned the ball over six times, giving them a minus-four turnover ratio, tied with the Steelers for the second-worst in the NFL. The defense needs to help out the sputtering offense by forcing Manuel into mistakes and maybe even scoring some points themselves.

DON’T FORGET KELLEN

Tight end Kellen Winslow and Smith seemed to have a nice thing going in Week 1 against the Buccaneers when he had seven catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Then, he vanished last week. The Patriots certainly had something to do with it, but Winslow just caught three passes and was a non-factor for much of the game.

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Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg must make Winslow a big part of the game plan this week. Panthers tight end Greg Olsen was Carolina’s leading receiver against the Bills last week.

COSTELLO’S CALL

These teams look like mirror images. Rookie quarterbacks, good defenses, strong offensive lines. But the Bills have an edge at playmaker. Stevie Johnson, C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson help out EJ Manuel and get the Bills the ugly win.

BILLS 17, JETS 3

Jets lineman is hungry for NFL success By GARY BUISO New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/jets-lineman-is-eating-up-his-nfl-opportunities/

He’s got an appetite for destruction.

Damon Harrison, a mammoth defensive lineman for the Jets, is making a name for himself on the football field, but it’s his nickname — “Snacks” — that’s making Gang Green nation hungry for more.

“I hated it at first. Just being a bigger guy, you’re kind of sensitive about your weight,” Harrison told The Post. “So having the nickname Snacks and having everybody calling me Snacks, I didn’t like it at first.

“But it’s growing on me now.”

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Harrison already has six solo tackles this season.Al Pereira/New York Jets/Getty Images

Defensive-line coach Karl Dunbar first dubbed Harrison “Big Snacks” — a bit of reverse psychology to get the big man to lose weight.

To help drive his point home, Dunbar would leave Rice Krispies treats on Harrison’s desk every meeting as a reminder to trim down.

But “Big Snack” had already been claimed as a nickname by ex-Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton, so head coach Rex Ryan has taken to calling Harrison simply Snacks.

Either way, it’s working. Harrison’s gone from 365 pounds to 333 since arriving last year as an undrafted free agent.

“I always thought if you eat less, that will help you out more. But no, it’s actually the opposite — the more you eat of smaller portions, it’ll help you lose weight,” he said.

Of course, temptations abound for the 24-year-old, who recalled being a big-boned youngster in Louisiana.

“I was always husky as a kid; that’s what all my pant sizes said,” he said.

Some of his favorite snacks include jambalaya, gumbo and chicken.

“I’m a fried-chicken guy, so any time I can sneak some fried chicken in there, I take total advantage of it,” he admitted. “But part of being a professional is being able to control what you eat and just being able to be in charge of your own body.”

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Harrison came to the Jets by way of Iowa’s William Penn University, where his feasts would make Henry VIII envious.

“At William Penn, it was just like a buffet — three meals a day and you can just eat however much you want — and I took full advantage of that,” he said

He entered William Penn at 250 pounds and gained about 100 more.

Last year, he played in five games and recorded no tackles. But in just two games this year, the soft-spoken mountain man has already tallied six solo tackles, and is eyeing more Sunday afternoon when the Jets host the Bills at MetLife Stadium.

Jets Four Downs with Demario Davis: 'This is a must-win game' By MICHAEL FENSOM Star-Ledger September 22, 2013

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2013/09/jets_four_downs_with_demario_davis_this_is_a_must-win_game.html

Jets middle linebacker Demario Davis has been part of a defense that has excelled in the early part of the season. In fact, the Jets are ranked second in the NFL in total defense -- yielding just 241 yards per game through the first two weeks.

This past week, The Star-Ledger caught up with Davis as he and his teammates prepared to face the Bills:

Does your defensive philosophy change when facing a rookie quarterback, like today's opponent EJ Manuel?

Nothing different. You can't afford to do something different. You've gotta play the same gameplan every time you step out on the field.

What about playing such a big player at quarterback? Manuel is 6 foot 4 and 240 pounds. Are you conscious of gang-tackling a player his size, almost like a tight end?

You approach the game the same way every week, no matter who the opponent is, no matter what they do. It's all about what you do. When you play an attacking defense it's not about the opponent, it's about you.

What are you going to say to Mike Pettine, your former defensive coordinator, when you see him on the field Sunday?

Pregame, I'm not even really looking at the other team. If anything, I'll probably speak to him after the game. I'm so in-tuned before the game I'll probably miss him. But I'll see him and wish him the best. Friendships are mostly reserved for after the season. In season, some friends are opponents.

How important is today's game considering it is your second divisional game already and last week the Jets had a close loss in the first one?

This is a must-win game for us. It is a must-win game. We have to come out and approach it that way.

For Geno Smith, EJ Manuel, an intertwined path leads to NFL By MICHAEL FENSOM Star-Ledger September 22, 2013

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http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2013/09/for_geno_smith_ej_manuel_an_intertwined_path_leads_to_nfl.html

After the Jets and Buffalo Bills have faced off for four quarters today at MetLife Stadium, Geno Smith and EJ Manuel can resume their friendship.

The bond between these two quarterbacks extends to high school, the start of a journey to the NFL that has been eerily intertwined. Then, the “skinny young kid” from Miramar, Fla., as one coach referred to Smith, was known not by his nickname but on webpages ranking high school players as “Eugene.” Manuel was spending Sundays with his family in the pews of the Calvary Baptist Church on Thomas St., in Norfolk, Va.

With each wind of their electric right arms, they had each begun to spin a reputation, even then, that pushed beyond the barber shops and diner counters within the city limits of Miramar and Virginia Beach, their respective hometowns. Smith and Manuel were elite targets, the quarry of top-level college programs and obsessive fans. They shuttled to camps where they would showcase their talent for mesmerized coaches -- “I saw EJ at Nike camp at Penn State,” recalls the Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, “and I watched him make every throw that day.” -- and that is how they met, a connection forged under a shared understanding of rarefied athletic status.

Now, Smith and Manuel are even more exalted, having been the top two players selected at the position in April’s NFL Draft. A high draft slot is never illustrative of a prosperous career in professional football. But those who knew them before the NFL feel the duo’s personal qualities -- not just the arm strength -- will result in success there, too.

There are certain attributes that college recruiters or scouts eye in a quarterback. The general term is “intangibles,” purposely obtuse because these qualities present in all successful quarterbacks cannot be measured in yards. Many quarterbacks have great arms, seasoned college coaches will say, but being able to throw a deep out route simply won’t cut it. For every Smith or Manuel there are many Dayne Crists and Russell Shepards, can’t-miss high school quarterbacks who failed to progress beyond campus.

“A lot of guys can make the throws, but don’t have the intangibles that it takes to run a football team,” said Doc Holliday, the coach who recruited Smith to West Virginia. “Like leadership, having certain standards and making sure everyone else is up to the standards around you. When guys have confidence in you in the huddle, you find a way to get it done.”

Coaches, learning from successes and failures, can recognize these values immediately. When noticed, they swoon because a quarterback “is going to be a reflection of your whole organization,” Fisher said.

Fisher, who also recruited Smith, remembers the first time he met Manuel. As a teenager, the kid stood 6 foot 5, but that didn’t impress Fisher -- “I see a lot of big guys,’ he said. Rather, Manuel shook Fisher’s hand firmly. He looked Fisher in the eye. He responded thoughtfully to questions, and carried himself confidently but without arrogance. From Fisher’s description, you get the sense Manuel could either join the next generation of great quarterbacks or congressional representatives.

“You felt a drive to be great, a passion to be great,” Fisher said. “You felt it didn’t matter what he had to do as far as work. He was willing to change, do all kinds of things, whatever he had to do.”

Doug Marrone, the Bills head coach, gave a nearly identical response this week when describing why the team selected Manuel No. 16 last April, the first quarterback selected in the NFL Draft.

Chris Beatty, a wide receivers coach at Wisconsin, has known Manuel since the ninth grade. He watched from afar as Manuel reconstructed his throwing motion under Fisher’s guidance and led Florida State to

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four bowl wins -- including the 2010 Gator Bowl over Smith and West Virginia in Bobby Bowden’s final game as a coach.

“Not a whole lot has really changed with him,” Beatty said of Manuel’s character. “He hasn’t really had to mature because he’s always been mature.”

Beatty, as well as any coach, has the perspective to compare Manuel to Smith. He watched Manuel attend church services with his mother Jackie and father Erik, whom Manuel tearfully hugged last Sunday in Buffalo after his first NFL victory. Beatty was an assistant coach with West Virginia as Smith began his tenure there.

Like Manuel, Smith lifted a high school team to powerhouse status. And once Smith reached campus, Beatty said, “Football was his class.”

Smith began his tenure as the backup to senior Jarrett Brown, but impressed coaches and edged his way onto the field.

“He stepped in the huddle as a true freshman like it was his huddle,” Beatty said. “Most people would wait their turn, but Geno has no problem stepping up and taking that leadership role.”

Beatty recalls an October afternoon in 2009. Brown left injured against Marshall after West Virginia’s first offensive series. Rain soaked the field, similar to the Jets’ Week 2 game in New England last week. The West Virginia coaching staff agonized, losing a senior and injecting a true freshman into the lineup. After Smith led three second-half touchdown drives to overturn a 7-3 halftime deficit, the coaches exhaled.

Beatty recognized that game as key in the development of Smith, who became a starter for the next three seasons. It marked the moment Smith proved himself to his coaches and teammates, a requisite landmark in the development of any quarterback. After such a game, a team “feels this guy will take us where we have to go.”

In contrast to his visibly confident style on the field, both Fisher and Beatty said off the field at least, Smith tends to keep to himself. By comparison to Manuel, Smith can be quiet, and is often blunt -- “Geno is not afraid to tell you what he thinks,” Beatty said. At West Virginia, he did not refrain from demanding that older players, such as the team’s star running back Noel Devine, raise their level of play. Beatty feels Smith’s entitlement as a leader stems from his devotion to making himself a better football player.

Beatty said he could understand why some could view Smith as distant, perhaps one reason reports emerged prior to the NFL Draft that Smith did not connect well with some NFL executives. That would be a misinterpretation, Beatty said, an exaggeration of honesty and confidence in a person who “doesn’t mind leading and being out front.”

The Jets hosted both Manuel and Smith prior to the draft, talking with them over dinner and touring the team’s Florham Park headquarters. In meetings before the draft, Jets decision makers were pleased.

“Both guys we liked a lot,” said Joe Bommarito, a college scout who spent 12 years with the Jets before leaving the team in May. “We felt they both could have come in here and fit what we’re trying to do.”

The Jets passed on Manuel twice, though, and selected Smith No. 39 overall. Both players, despite picking up minor injuries, emerged as starters after training camp, lost tight games to the New England Patriots -- the beast of the AFC East division -- and led a last-gasp, game-winning drive so far in their professional careers, setting the stage for today’s game.

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Brady Quinn, the second quarterback drafted in 2007, said quarterbacks who enter the NFL with a sense of maturity are more equipped to earn the respect and attention of veteran teammates. But, he said, rookie quarterbacks face a unique dilemma: Being a leader when you “haven’t done anything yet.”

“You have to find a way of being yourself and understanding what the team objective is,” Quinn said. “If you can win, it cures everything else.”

Bills at NY Jets: In a battle of rookie QBs, Buffalo has more weapons By HANK GOLA New York Daily News September 21, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/playbook-bills-1-1-jets-1-1-article-1.1463417

BILLS AT JETS at METLIFE STADIUM

WHEN: 1 p.m.

LINE: JETS by 2 1/2

TV: Ch. 2 ( Marv Albert, Rich Gannon )

RADIO: WEPN 98.7 FM ( Bob Wischusen, Marty Lyons ), in Spanish on WEPN 1050 AM ( Clemson Smith Muniz, Oscar Benitez ).

FORECAST: Partly sunny, in the low 70s, with 14 mph winds.

KEY MATCHUP

WR Stevie Johnson vs. CB Antonio Cromartie

It’s always fun when the chatty Johnson goes up against the Jets. Though rookie receiver Robert Woods is showing signs, Johnson is EJ Manuel’s No. 1 option, and if Cromartie can take him away, the Jets might be able to bait the rookie QB into throwing into some of the trap coverage schemes they love to use. With Darrelle Revis hurt last year, Johnson went up against Cromartie and had six catches for 111 yards in the season finale. Cromartie says he’s finally feeling up to speed after a training camp hip injury.

INJURY REPORT

LB Quinton Coples is expected to play for the Jets after making a fast recovery from a fractured ankle. That could add versatility to the defense. WR Santonio Holmes (foot) was limited in practice but will play while WR Jeremy Kerley (concussion) returns. The Bills have been playing without their top two DBs but ball-hawking S Jairus Byrd (plantar fasciitis) has been inching toward a return.

SCOUT SAYS

“The Bills are in a bit of a quandary because while Doug Marrone wants to go no-huddle and get off as many plays as he can, the play-calling has been conservative to keep things simple for EJ Manuel, and they have struggled to pick up first downs at times. They are still a running team at heart. They try to spread you out and open up lanes for C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. I think that all plays to the strength of the Jets defense, which has been playing at a very high level. (Jets offensive coordinator) Marty (Mornhinweg) needs some run/pass balance here. They’ve got to take some of the load off Geno Smith’s shoulders. (Defensive coordinator Mike) Pettine has brought an aggressive defensive approach to the Bills and they can force turnovers.”

INTANGIBLES

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The Jets have had 10 days since their loss in New England to work out the kinks and heal the wounds. The game within the game has Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine going up against his old team, eager to show his stuff against Rex Ryan, whose “large shadow” Pettine admittedly sought to escape when he moved to a division rival. Pettine has no doubt schooled the Bills offense on some of the Jets’ intricacies. One thing the Bills have to do is limit their penalties. That problem seems to have followed Doug Marrone from Syracuse.

PREDICTION

BILLS, 20-13: You can say it about most every Jets opponent: They have more weapons.

NY Jets QB Geno Smith sits with Daily News to discuss what he's learned on and off field By MANISH MEHTA New York Daily News September 21, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-geno-sits-news-discuss-learned-article-1.1463409

Geno Smith has become immune to the all the noise around him.

He has differentiated fact from fiction, lies from bigger lies — some more comical than others — fully aware that loyalty in the NFL goes as far as your last touchdown pass.

“No one is needed in this business,” Smith told the Daily News about the cut-throat nature of the league. “Everyone is expendable.”

The latest whispers center on the Jets’ new love affair with another quarterback in the building.

Although Rex Ryan admitted that there are “a lot of guys” in the organization that like backup Matt Simms, there are no immediate plans to ditch Smith, who has received nothing more than a week-to-week public commitment from the team.

Sources in the organization told The News that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and quarterbacks coach David Lee have become increasingly intrigued by Simms’ recent growth, but Smith’s starting job is not in jeopardy. So, don’t expect the Jets to make a quarterback change if Smith struggles in the next several weeks.

“I’m pretty sure people love Matt Simms around here,” Smith said in a quiet moment this week. “I love Matt Simms. I don’t think that’s a bad statement (that Simms has growing support in the organization). I think it can be twisted and turned to make it seem like whatever.”

Ryan and general manager John Idzik may be clinging to their talking points about competition, but make no mistake: Smith will get a fair opportunity this season to prove whether he can be the quarterback of the future.

Mark Sanchez’s shoulder injury that recently sent him to short-term injured reserve seemingly cleared the path for Smith for at least the next two months, but the rookie isn’t naïve to the business of the NFL. He’s aware, but not overly concerned, by suggestions that Sanchez or Simms could supplant him at some point this season if he continues to struggle.

“We’re all behind Geno,” Simms told The News. “He’s going to keep getting better every week.”

Smith has had some good moments in the first two games, but he’s also suffered more than his fair share of growing pains. Only one quarterback has a lower passer rating than Smith’s 55.2. Only three signal callers have a lower completion rate than Smith’s 53.4%.

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Mornhinweg believes “more good things will start happening” for Smith with more game experience. The rookie, not surprisingly, is his harshest critic, admittedly “pissed” and “disappointed” after he makes a mistake.

“But once I get off the field and see what happened, I put it behind me,” said Smith, who has five turnovers in the first two games. “I just move on from it. Store it in my memory bank and try not to let it happen again.”

“At times, I, myself, tend to forget that I’m a rookie,” Smith added. “I try to put so much pressure on myself. At times, it’s unwarranted. It’s part of being a rookie.”

Smith didn’t earn the starting job coming out of preseason, but the Jets should have a fostered a better environment for him once it became apparent that Sanchez would miss extended time. The notion that Smith would somehow be coddled if Ryan & Co. named him the starter for the foreseeable future is flawed and laughable.

The Jets drafted Smith supposedly because they didn’t buy into the pre-draft criticisms about his character and work ethic. Four years ago, the organization went overboard with Sanchez, who was unofficially anointed King of the Universe. (Sanchez’s decline in the past two seasons, by the way, had more to do with an erosion of offensive talent around him than any perceived sense of job security.)

Idzik isn’t foolish enough to pull the plug on his second-round pick midway through the season. He needs to a make a thorough evaluation before determining whether or not to target a quarterback in next year’s draft.

There was a middle-ground approach that needed to be taken with Smith. It makes no sense to invite speculation each week that the rookie could be pulled if he plays poorly.

Therefore, the Jets shouldn’t have been surprised when rumors surfaced last week that Simms was gaining traction in the building. It’s been a surreal few months for the undrafted Simms, who was brought in last offseason to be nothing more than a “camp arm” by Ryan’s own admission.

“The odds were definitely against me, for sure,” Simms said. “I knew that going into it. But as I got more reps and as I did good things with those reps, my confidence grew. That allowed me to play a little bit looser. When you’re out there having fun and not really thinking, for some reason bad things don’t seem to happen as much. I wasn’t stressing as much either. I was enjoying myself.”

Simms attributed much of his newfound confidence to Mornhinweg, who has drawn rave reviews from both of his young quarterbacks.

“He’s been the first coach I’ve had since high school that really just allowed me to play my style of football,” Simms said. “Aggressive and free (and) not worrying about the repercussions of making a mistake.”

Mornhinweg has helped Smith in myriad ways too as he navigates through the first few games of his career. The rookie sees promise in the future. This is only the beginning.

“That’s the exciting part about it … even with my mistakes,” Smith said. “When I do something good, it’s like, ‘Yeah, okay. You’re supposed to do that.’ But when I make a mistake, I got to correct it now.

“When those (bad) things happen, I try to put it in perspective,” Smith added. “It’s my second start. I’m still a rookie. I’m still learning. Every guy who’s ever come into this league has made those mistakes. That’s the way I look at it. But I don’t want it to happen.”

He’s on the right path.

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Dennis Thurman is NY Jets coach Rex Ryan's partner in crime on defense By KEVIN ARMSTRONG New York Daily News September 21, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/zone-thurman-rex-partner-crime-defense-article-1.1463557

A sheriff’s deputy approached the front door of Dennis Thurman’s Dallas home one morning in February 1988 around 8:30 and rang the bell. Long known as the ringleader of “Thurman’s Thieves,” a group of defensive backs for the Dallas Cowboys, Thurman looked out the window first. He had retired from the game as a St. Louis Cardinal more than a year earlier and maintained the active nightlife of a well-off athlete. He questioned whether the lifestyle he enjoyed in the Lone Star State had caught up to him.

“I was like, ‘Holy s---! What did I do wrong?” Thurman says. “I could have done something.”

The deputy was cordial. He introduced himself as a friend of Gene Stallings, Thurman’s old position coach with the Cowboys and head coach with the Cardinals. Stallings, the deputy explained, had been trying to contact Thurman about a coaching position. Stallings wanted Thurman, then 32 and restless, to join his Cardinals staff.

“He had the gift of gab and was likeable,” Stallings says of Thurman. “He was a settling force.”

Thurman’s always been comfortable walking a thin line. Once a Pro Bowl safety moonlighting as social director for coach Tom Landry’s secondary in Dallas, Thurman has combined an affable demeanor with an effective record in developing defensive backs into his new role as the Jets’ defensive coordinator. Tapped to replace Mike Pettine after Pettine made a lateral move to Buffalo last winter, Thurman, an avid watcher of “The Young and the Restless” since his junior year of high school, maintained that he offers a complementary presence to coach Rex Ryan’s play-calling for the soap-opera Jets. His charges will be tested Sunday when Pettine and the Bills visit MetLife Stadium.

“He used to smile at us when he would come on the field as the fifth defensive back for third down and ask, ‘You guys having fun yet?’ ” says former Cowboys cornerback Everson Walls. “You wanted to kick his butt if he wasn’t so frickin’ adorable.”

Thurman comes equipped with a number of quirks and an expressive nature. His pupils remember slogans like “Keep Yo Eyes on Yo Work,” a bottomless supply of barbecue-flavor sunflower seeds at his desk and critiques that ranged from simple nods to an extended pronunciation of “Tuuuurible.” Typically content to perform his tasks in the background, his lone turn in the spotlight on the Jets staff came when Mexican television reporter Ines Sainz visited practice in September 2010. During a routine drill that required Thurman to throw balls in the air for his defensive backs to track and catch, several were overthrown in her direction. An NFL investigation noted that “there seems little doubt that passes were thrown in Sainz’s direction.” No contact was ever made with Sainz.

“We didn’t feel like we did anything wrong,” Thurman says.

“That was a ridiculous thing,” Rex Ryan says. “That’s not even close to being him. That doesn’t define Dennis Thurman.”

The Jets’ coach has watched Thurman ascend alongside him from Baltimore to New Jersey, standing by him on the sideline from national anthem to game’s end. Competitive channels are closed to Thurman on the field, but around the facility he is known as a regular solitaire player on his computer and on call for Ryan, an innovative blitz designer, to cobble together coverage schemes that provide back-end support for rushes.

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“We never wanted to be a traditional secondary,” Thurman says. “We wanted to be dictating to the offense.”

Twenty-five years after the sheriff’s deputy approached Thurman, Ryan came looking for Thurman on Jan. 7. Ryan walked from his glass-encased office to Thurman’s space and entered through the open door. Ryan informed Thurman of his promotion.

“You need to move your stuff down here,” Ryan said. “And move it now.”

* * *

Born the third of Ulysses and Pearline Thurman’s six children in Santa Monica, Calif., Dennis grew up in a two-bedroom apartment on 16th St. His father, an aircraft company worker, died after suffering an aneurysm when Dennis was 8. Dennis doubled as brother and father for Ulysses Jr., born two weeks after their father’s death, and drew attention as a prospect in football, basketball and baseball. As a senior in high school, he was honored at Dodgers Stadium. He met broadcaster Vin Scully and manager Tommy Lasorda, then introduced himself to UCLA’s John Wooden in the elevator.

“I know who you are,” Wooden said.

Few were unaware of the city’s top athlete. The family’s landline phone pulsed with requests. College recruiters were only outnumbered by female voices on the phone.

“It was always ringing, and girls asked for Dennis Thurman,” his mother says. “I’d come home from work and have to chase the girls out. He was too popular.”

His brother, Junior, served as his personal receptionist. Dennis paid him $5 per week to take girls’ messages, names and numbers to return calls.

“Every hour, on the hour,” Junior says. “New names all the time. I was like, ‘Can you spell that for me?’ ”

V-E-R-M-E-I-L, as in Dick Vermeil, then the head football coach of UCLA, was a frequent caller. He pursued Thurman for the Bruins and put him up in the Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills for his official visit. They ate at fancy restaurants in Westwood, and Vermeil promised Thurman he could play as a freshman. USC coach John McKay, meanwhile, had Thurman stay in the dorms, eat in the cafeteria and prepare himself for competition for playing time. Thurman believed McKay’s approach was more realistic.

“I wanted him to play baseball and go to UCLA but John McKay outtalked me,” his mother says.

Thurman’s determination traced back to Santa Monica. By the time he was a senior in high school, he had Junior joining him for workouts. One day, the brothers walked across the street to Santa Monica College, the junior college across Pico Blvd. from their apartment. Dennis informed Junior that they would embark on a two-mile run. Dennis wore his helmet to get used to the view of the world through a facemask.

“Dude, I’m the only 11-year-old in America running stadium steps," Junior said.

Thurman excelled at USC. He won a national championship in 1974 and was a two-time All-American. Still, he limped into the NFL draft after injuring a knee in an all-star game. The Cowboys selected him in the 11th round, and he opened eyes with a hit on Harold Carmichael, a 6-foot-8 wideout for the Eagles in 1980. Carmichael held the NFL record for consecutive games with a reception (127 straight) when he was running down the left sideline against the Cowboys. As Carmichael looked back and reached out for the ball, Thurman leveled him, placing his forearms and helmet into Carmichael’s chest.

“Might have gotten fined today,” Thurman said.

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It was a group of undrafted free agents who followed Thurman’s lead in 1981. Thurman and Everson Walls combined for 20 interceptions that season, and the Dallas secondary was an aggressive group. Then, on Sept. 9, 1985, on Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann’s birthday, the Cowboys were assigned the nickname “the thieves” after intercepting five Theismann passes. They added a sixth pick off reserve quarterback Jay Schroeder. Before a Monday night game in St. Louis, they bought fedoras and wore sharp pinstriped suits. They posed for a photograph with cash in their coat pockets and Thurman was at the center with a ball in his right hand.

“That was our way of stepping out,” Walls says. “He was the lioness, the mother bear who took care of us.”

Thurman introduced his teammates around Los Angeles. In those years, the Cowboys hosted training camp at Cal Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Thurman, the local product, knew where all the parties were, and curfew was no deterrent. Players parked cars across the field from the dorms and sneaked out the back.

“It was like watching Wile E. Coyote run across an open field,” Walls says. “Guys would sprint between trees and try to hide before moving forward.”

They knew their limits once inside the parties.

“We thought we were hot stuff as Cowboys and then Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar)and Magic (Johnson) would walk in,” Walls says. “Our chests deflated a little.”

Focus was never an issue on the field. Coach Tom Landry liked Thurman’s thoroughness in the preparation process, and believed his communication skills could transition well into coaching. After Thurman’s seventh season, Landry allowed him to report to training camp early to help instruct rookies. At 32, Thurman took on his first coaching job with the Cardinals under Stallings. Closer in age to the players than the coaches, he fraternized with safety Tim McDonald and wideout Roy Green.

“They didn’t want players to get close to coaches,” Thurman says. “I believed that if you handled yourself correctly, you could get close and still keep respect.”

Thurman’s career took him unexpected places. He spent two years out of coaching, then served as the defensive coordinator for the Ohio Glory of the World League, and eventually returned to USC, helping recruit Troy Polamalu, among others. Then he hopped onto the Ravens coaching staff, where he met Ryan and coached the likes of Deion Sanders and Ed Reed. When Ryan took the Jets’ job, he brought Thurman and Pettine to New Jersey, smoking cigars with them at The Side Bar in Morristown the first two seasons. In his four years as a Jets coach, cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie and safety LaRon Landry played in the Pro Bowl.

“He’s like me,” Vermeil says. “I never considered myself a great coach; I was a fortunate coach.”

Ryan maintains that Thurman is connected with players in uncommon ways.

“It takes a special teacher,” Ryan says. “Not everyone can coach a great player.”

Thurman, divorced and the father of two daughters, lives in Dallas in the offseason. He remains linked back to Los Angeles through his family. As a player, he helped his mother buy a house. As a coach, he’s bankrolled an effort to feed the hungry with Junior’s church. In Valley Glen, Calif., Junior, who played at USC and in Canada for seven years, has two sons, Jairus and Jonas, 11 and 7 years old, respectively. He hears onlookers compare them with his brother. Junior’s wife, Tamara, won’t let Jairus play tackle football, only flag. Jairus trains in all conditions like his uncle once did.

“My wife always says something’s wrong with Uncle Dennis,” Junior says. “We all have screws loose.”

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* * *

It’s 1:30 p.m. on May 29, an offseason Wednesday inside the coaching offices at the Jets’ facility in Florham Park. Minicamp sessions will commence in two weeks, but Thurman, in his new office, has the pull-down projector screen showing an episode of “The Young and the Restless.” Characters argue over babies and bank accounts.

“I like that they try to stir things up,” Thurman says.

At 57, Thurman is now the second-oldest coach on Ryan’s staff, more of a settling force in his new role. Thurman and Ryan are melding a defense around a youthful core devoid of much drama. The defense meets in the secondary room because it is the largest space, and the schemes are much the same. Linebacker David Harris still hears Thurman relay the play calls inside his helmet, but the personnel has changed. Revis is gone, as is LaRon Landry. Rookies Dee Milliner and Sheldon Richardson are adjusting to their responsibilities. Thurman introduced the coaching staff’s demands in April.

“Hey men, if you don’t get this cleaned up, this NFL job’s gonna be like Six Flags, just a fun summer job that won’t be here in the fall,” he said.

Milliner, the team’s first-round pick, was benched in a Week 2 loss to the Patriots, in part to protect him from being exposed by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Quinton Coples, last year’s first-round pick, has been hobbled by an ankle injury, but is expected to play Sunday. Through two games, the Jets are ranked second in the league in defense, yielding 241 net yards per game.

“Rex’s the mad scientist and I’m the guy that says, ‘Dude, we can’t do that, okay,’ ” Thurman says. “Have to reel him back in.”

Thurman keeps a framed photograph of his thieves on the wall above his desk. He called the collection of players “as blue collar as blue collar can be,” relating stories of that unit’s journey to the current group of Jets. His favorite line from Tom Landry was, “By the time you figure out how to play this game, you will be too old to play.”

“He was dead on,” Thurman says. “I can’t redo anything. It’s the cerebral part you want guys to understand.”

The defense has tuned in this season, receiving the game plan from Ryan and reviewing film with Thurman. Second-year safety Josh Bush took note of the picture on the wall one day in Thurman’s office. He looked into his background, counted up the 36 interceptions that the former 11th-round pick collected in his career.

“That’s a bad man,” Bush said.

With rookie QB Geno Smith and Rex Ryan's defense, NY Jets fun to watch By MIKE LUPICA New York Daily News September 21, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/lupica-geno-rex-defense-jets-fun-watch-article-1.1463673

You have to be at least a little bit interested in the Idzik Bowl Sunday whether you’re a Jets fan or not, Jets vs. Bills, Geno vs. EJ Manuel, the quarterback the Jets did draft against the one they passed on, twice.

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But the Jets have made you want to watch them from Week 1 against the Bucs, that crazy ending, Geno trying to give them a chance when there seemed to be no chance, finally getting thrown a life preserver because of that dumb out-of-bounds penalty.

It doesn’t mean the Jets are even respectable yet. It doesn’t mean they will still be a team to watch in a month. They are going to need to win some games, starting with Sunday’s, to keep you interested in them across the whole long season, everybody knows that.

Still:

They make you want to watch them again, and not because they are the Hard Knocks Jets, not because they’re making dumb headlines in the newspapers day after day and making dumb trades just to get more headlines and throwing away all the yards they gained and the status they gained by going to two straight AFC Championship Games.

Doesn’t mean they’re even a .500 team. They still might end up 6-10 again. Or worse. John Idzik, the new general manager, might already know who he wants his next head coach to be.

With all that, it has still been fun watching the kid at quarterback try to figure it out, been fun watching Rex Ryan’s defense get after it again, even without the sainted Revis, Rex's defense really being one blown coverage away — against the Patriots, cheap touchdown for Brady, out of nowhere, like all the defenders had gone home — from being 2-0, against all odds.

The receivers don’t catch the ball so far, the offensive coordinator ran away from his running game against the Patriots for no good reason, Geno threw those fourth-quarter picks in Foxborough, the first of the three the killer when the game was right there for him.

But after last season became so unwatchable, when you watched the deconstruction of Sanchez and nearly saw Rex Ryan fire himself, the Jets really are interesting again, and not just for being clowns.

They don’t have Eli, they don’t have Coughlin, they will only feel like the big game around here — what the Giants are, the Giants are a big game by a lot — unless they win a Lombardi Trophy one of these days for the first time since J.W. Namath. Nothing else will get them away from their own inferiority complex about the Giants.

Of course they are in the same stadium with a team that not only won two Super Bowls out of the last six, but did it in such dramatic fashion that those victories stand with anything any New York team has ever accomplished, in anything. Not only that, the Jets are up against one of the model organizations — Giants — in all of professional sports.

EJ Manuel may turn out to be way better than Geno Sunday, the receivers might once again handle footballs like they're hand grenades, Rex’s defense might not be able to keep the score to what it needs to be this season, which means a size you can fit in the palm of your hand, they may go to 1-2 with hard games coming instead of 2-1.

Imagine, though, what we would be hearing and reading if they had started 0-2 and given up all the points the Giants have given up across Week 1 and Week 2. Rex would be fired already and the stadium would be chanting Matt Simms’ name and this season would feel like last season.

You want to know something else? In the immortal words of the Jets' coach, things could still get “sideways,” and fast.

The Jets have proven nothing yet, it is way too early, neither has their new general manager, neither has the coach, who still may have little chance to keep his job under Idzik past this season, but you really do wonder if Idzik’s mind is already made up, whatever he is saying.

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For now, the Jets have a young quarterback about whom their fans are more than somewhat curious. There is a game worth watching Sunday against the Bills at MetLife, a little after 4 o’clock. Rex is a different kind of show now, no question, but still a show, as he fights to keep his job. It isn’t a lot, but if you are a Jets fans, it is enough for now.

Honor for Jets Rookies, if Only They Knew It By BEN SHPIGEL New York Times September 21, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/sports/football/honor-for-jets-rookies-if-only-they-knew-it.html?ref=football&_r=1&

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Against the back wall of the Jets’ equipment room hangs a green No. 82 jersey. It rests on a green hanger and dangles from a silver hook, and it does not belong to Mickey Shuler or Rob Carpenter, who wore that number with pride, or, for that matter, anyone on the current roster.

This can be the source of much confusion.

A year ago, when Konrad Reuland joined the Jets, he wondered why a No. 45 jersey was draped in the same spot. Three weeks passed before he asked.

“I thought maybe something happened,” Reuland said. “Did someone pass away? Were they honoring somebody? Is it a memorial? Then I found out, and I said, Oh, that makes sense.”

The answers to Reuland’s questions can be found on a small plaque affixed to the wall above the jersey. It celebrates the recipients of the Bill Hampton Award, presented to the rookie “who best exemplifies a ‘Pro’ in the locker room”— like Josh Baker (No. 45) and Hayden Smith (No. 82), who, to Reuland’s relief, remain very much alive.

The winner’s jersey hangs for a year, and in plain view of players milling about their lockers. But the award, named after Hampton, a beloved former equipment director who retired after the 2000 season, has retained an air of mystery. The five members of the equipment staff, who determine the winner by secret ballot, do not mention it to rookies unless they are asked. So far, only one, defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, has.

“You get rewarded for acting like a professional?” said Richardson, recalling his reaction. “Shouldn’t you just do that?”

In the eyes of the equipment director Gus Granneman and his staff, yes. Ideally, every rookie should comport himself like Brad Smith (No. 16, 2006), who after practice would pick up his teammates’ discarded sports drink bottles and deposit them in the trash. And ideally, every rookie would have the awareness to pack the shoes best suited to that week’s playing surface, instead of relying on Granneman or his assistants to do it for him. But that is not what happens.

As soon as rookie minicamp begins in May, the staff starts observing the contenders. They notice if someone arrives in a suit or bookends his requests with please and thank you. They also notice if a player turns his helmet into a storage receptacle or treats his locker like a junkyard. It was not immediately known how they felt about those players shooting wadded-up balls of athletic tape into trash cans from across the room on Friday.

Midway through the season, the staff decides on the finalists. Voting takes place in mid-December, which is also when the politicking tends to begin. With a laugh, Granneman said that Damon Harrison, last year’s runner-up, would call attention to his bag-packing prowess.

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For much of the year, though, the players are not even aware that they are competing against one another. Like many of his fellow rookies, Ryan Spadola, an undrafted receiver from Lehigh, had not even noticed Smith’s jersey hanging in the equipment room, let alone known the significance behind it. When told, Spadola said it helped him appreciate the high standards to which he said he held himself as an N.F.L. player.

“Everything was our responsibility at Lehigh, so you really had to take it upon yourself to hold yourself accountable,” Spadola said. “That’s how we were taught. For myself, coming here, this is a great honor to have these guys helping us out, but I still need to take care of my area, like it’s my little home or bedroom.”

Cleanliness is only one of the criteria that Granneman said he considered. Attention to detail is important. So is politeness. A few rookies, who were otherwise unaware of the Hampton award, offered their interpretation of what the equipment staff valued.

“Being accountable to your teammates,” Richardson said.

“Treating people and your equipment with dignity and respect,” offensive tackle Oday Aboushi said.

“A high maturity level, because we all just came from college,” guard Will Campbell said.

Other equipment staffs around the league no doubt expect their players to act professionally, but the Jets appear to be the only one that honors them for it. Of the 26 teams that responded to an inquiry, only one bestowed a similar award: the Philadelphia Eagles, under Andy Reid, honored the player — not the rookie — who exemplified professionalism. An Eagles spokesman said in an e-mail that he did not know whether the new coach, Chip Kelly, would continue the practice.

When the Jets relocated here from Hempstead, N.Y., in 2008, Granneman said that one of his first thoughts was where to put the jersey. The tradition, informally, dates to 2002, when the equipment staff decided to reward a player who had shown marked improvement over the course of the season. As a joke, they gave him a sweatshirt.

But it occurred to Granneman to introduce a more formal award, and he did so in 2004 (Erik Coleman, No. 26). The nine previous winners range from the sublime (Darrelle Revis, 2007) to the shifty (Danny Woodhead, 2008) to the sturdy (Matt Slauson, 2009), with the victory by Slauson, a guard, bucking precedent and conventional wisdom.

“If a lineman wins it, you know he’s really going good,” Granneman said. “Those guys, by nature, aren’t the neatest.”

Not many seem to have much staying power. It is the Jets’ micro version of the Madden video game curse or the Sports Illustrated cover jinx, because the last three recipients — John Conner, Baker and Smith — are all out of the N.F.L.

“We haven’t had good luck predicting long-term success with the Jets,” Granneman said.

Naturally, that will not stop him from granting the award for a 10th consecutive season. Granneman declined to handicap an early favorite but said there were plenty of appealing candidates.

“We’ve been watching,” he said.

Week 3 Matchup: Bills (1-1) at Jets (1-1) By BEN SHPIGEL New York Times September 21, 2013

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/sports/football/week-3-matchup-bills-1-1-at-jets-1-1.html

4:25 p.m. Eastern, CBS

Matchup to Watch

Antonio Cromartie vs. Stevie Johnson

The rare receiver capable of bothering Darrelle Revis, Johnson draws Cromartie, who has been slowed by a hip injury. Johnson excels at getting off the line in man-to-man coverage, but Cromartie is vastly improved at using his hands and long arms to disrupt a receiver’s timing.

Number to Watch

68.2

E J Manuel’s completion percentage, fourth highest in the N.F.L. and better than the rate of, among others, Peyton Manning (67.1 percent), Drew Brees (64.2) and Tom Brady (52.7). “He’s not holding the ball long,” Jets Coach Rex Ryan said. “If somebody’s open, he’s getting the ball out of his hand.”

Quotation of the Week

‘It’s like going against your brother, as I’ve referred to it before — brothers who fight a lot.’

The Bills’ defensive coordinator, MIKE PETTINE, who worked with Ryan for 11 seasons, with Baltimore and the Jets, before joining Buffalo in January.

Jets wide receivers renew focus on preventing drops By KRISTIAN DYER Metro New York September 21, 2013

http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/2013/09/21/jets-wide-receivers-renew-focus-on-preventing-drops/

Before New York Jets wide receiver Ben Obomanu goes to bed at night, he turns off all the lights in his bedroom except for his television set. Obomanu then lies flat on his back on his bed, and tosses a football up into the air.

The simple exercise might seem like a scene from a teenage movie, but for a Jets team that has struggled to catch the ball this season, every bit of focus is needed to turn drops into receptions.

“It helps you concentrate, to see the ball and really focus on it — not make ‘blind catches’ where your head is already turned as if you made the catch — really focus and follow the ball from touch to tuck,” Obomanu told Metro New York. “I’ve been doing that for a while now. It helps that the television light fluctuates and sometimes for commercial, it goes black for a moment. That helps because you do lose the ball in the lights sometime.”

Moving the ball and scoring points was always going to be a struggle for the Jets this year, with a revamped offensive line and two new running backs added to the rotation. But the fact that the Jets keep dropping passes has just added to the misery.

In last Thursday’s 13-10 loss at the Patriots, the wide receivers had six drops, three of which came from Clyde Gates.

“You can’t afford to drop the ball that many times, there’s no way,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “You’re leaving a lot of plays out there. If we would had caught half the balls we dropped, the outcome might

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have been a lot different. Clearly you’re an NFL receiver, you’re paid to catch the football and we need to do it. Not saying that drops won’t happen, [but] we have to reduce that number.”

Wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal has placed an emphasis on the team’s focus this week. Players will call out other players for turning away and heading down field before a catch is made. In film sessions, they do the same thing. They don’t worry about hurt feelings, just making catches and maintaining focus.

The point of emphasis is driven home by their post-practice routine. The Jugs machine fires out balls at all angles, with the receivers told to imitate a reception based on a certain route or a catch made at a specific part of the field. They do sledgehammer walks and carry 25-pound bricks around to strengthen their hands.

In the post-practice workouts in the gym, bands are used to help their grip. It is their usual regimen — nothing has changed this week despite the increase in drops — but the point is clear.

“We know it is a matter of focus and that we need to go out there and make plays,” rookie wide receiver Ryan Spadola told Metro New York. “Nothing has changed this week, we’re just focused in on it and wanting to make improvements.”

Jets vs. Bills: 3 things to watch By KRISTIAN DYER Metro New York September 21, 2013

http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/nfl/2013/09/21/jets-vs-bills-3-things-to-watch-2/

The supposed worst team in football has a legitimate shot at going 2-1 this week, when the Jets host the Bills on Sunday afternoon. If the Jets are going to avoid being a bottom-feeder, they need to win games like this one.

The Jets are getting healthy this week, with defensive end/linebacker Quinton Coples and defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson both practicing and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley back from his concussion. They face a Bills team coming off their own high, with rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel having orchestrated a late-game touchdown drive against the Panthers last week in a 24-23 win.

This is also a pivotal week for both teams, who each enter the game 0-1 in the division. Both the Bills and Jets will be looking to avoid the basement of the AFC East.

Three things to watch for …

1. Super Mario

Bills defensive end Mario Williams set a franchise record with 4 1/2 sacks last week against the Panthers, a dominant performance for one of the game’s best edge rushers when he’s on. The Panthers had no answers for Williams, who was constantly in the backfield and wrapping his arms around the hips of Cam Newton.

“The fact that God touched this guy, like gave him unbelievable gifts – he’s got the height, the size, the length, the arms, the speed – that’s kind of what jumps out,” Jets head coach Rex Ryan. “And he plays hard, he’s smart. He’s also got Kyle Williams inside. I think Kyle Williams is one of the most underrated guys in the league [and] has been for a long time. He creates a lot of stuff and creates some one-on-one opportunities for Mario as well.”

There is good news as Williams had zero sacks and just four tackles in two games against the Jets last year.

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2. Geno’s bounce back

It has been an uneven first two games of Geno Smith’s NFL career as the quarterback. Last Thursday at the Patriots, Smith showed more of the downside, with three interceptions in the fourth quarter – all decisions that could have been avoided and cost the Jets a chance at a statement win.

“When I look at him now, I see a player that is developing,” Bills head coach Doug Marrone said.

Marrone is familiar with Smith from his time at Syracuse when Smith was the quarterback at West Virginia and both programs were in the now-defunct Big East. The two faced each other last December in the Pinstripe Bowl, a game where Smith struggled as he went 16-of-24 passes for 187 yards with two touchdowns. The Syracuse defense frustrated and limited Smith after a record-setting senior season.

3. The Jets’ rush

The sample size is small, but through two games the Jets already have mustered nine sacks, tied for third in the league. But they go up against a Bills offensive line that has been very stout, allowing just one sack and owning the fourth-best rushing offense. The Jets will be bolstered by the additions of Coples and Wilkerson, who had a second half injury at the Patriots.

“You always take pride in it and as an O-line that’s about all you can judge yourself on as opposed to just your personal and coach’s evaluation of you individual play,” Bills center Eric Wood said. “But as a unit, we’ve done some things well.”

Saturday’s Sports Transactions Associated Press September 21, 2013

http://www.chron.com/default/article/Saturday-s-Sports-Transactions-4832974.php

BASEBALL American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Recalled LHPs Mike Belfiore and LHP Zach Britton from Norfolk (IL). TAMPA BAY RAYS — Recalled RHP Jake Odorizzi and LHP Jeff Beliveau from Durham (IL). Traded LHP Frank De Los Santos to the Chicago White Sox for for cash or a player to be named. National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Reinstated OF Jason Heyward from the 15-day DL. NEW YORK METS — Recalled SS Wilfredo Tovar from Binghamton (EL). PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Reinstated RHP Michael Stutes from the 60-day DL. FOOTBALL National Football League CINCINNATI BENGALS — Signed CB Chris Lewis-Harris from the practice squad. Released S Jeromy Miles. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Signed WR Jeremy Ebert from the practice squad. Released G Jacques McClendon. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — Signed FB Toben Opurum to the practice squad. Released DL Jordan Miller. HOCKEY National Hockey League CAROLINA HURRICANES — Reassigned G Mike Murphy to Charlotte (AHL). DALLAS STARS — Assigned D Ryan Button and Hubert Labrie, LW Curtis McKenzie and C Taylor Peters to Texas (AHL). Returned C Radek Faksa to Kitchener (OHL). Released C Justin Dowling and LW Mike Hedden from professional tryouts and D Etienne Boutet, RW Brock Montgomery and LW Brendan Ranford from amateur tryouts and sent them to Texas' training camp.

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FLORIDA PANTHERS — Loaned Fs Garrett Wilson, Jonathan Hazen, Logan Shaw, Anthony Luciani, Mattias Lindstrom John McFarland, and Philippe Lefebvre and D Josh McFadden, Alex Petrovic and Jonathan Racine to San Antonio (AHL). Assigned Fs Jack Combs, Philippe Cornet, Jed Ortmeyer, Wade Megan and Jared Gomes; Gs Dov Grumet-Morris and Rob Madore; and D Zach Miskovic, John Lee, Tony Turgeon and Dennis Urban to San Antonio. Released D Brett Clark. LOS ANGELES KINGS — Loaned Ds Colin Miller, Alex Roach and Nicolas Deslauriers; Gs Martin Jones and J.F. Berube; Cs Andy Andreoff, Jordan Weal and Robert Czarnik; RW Brian O'Neill; and LW Maxim Kitsyn to Manchester (AHL). Returned RW Valentin Zykov to Baie-Comeau (QMJHL). Assigned G Mathias Niederberger, RWs Cameron Maclise and Scott Sabourin; and D Vincent LoVerde to training camp. NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Assigned D Harry Young to Albany (AHL). PHOENIX COYOTES — Assigned D Mathieu Brodeur and James Melindy to Portland (AHL). Released F Guillaume Latendresse from an NHL tryout agreement. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Assigned Cs Brady Brassart, Max Langelier-Parent and Tanner Richard; RWs Eric Neilson, Carl Nielsen and Evan Rankin; LW Danick Gauthier; D Charles Landry, Dan Milan, Joey Mormina, Nikita Nesterov, Drew Olson, Artem Sergeev and Luke Witkowski; and Gs Cedrick Desjardins and Riku Helenius to Syracuse (AHL). Returned LW Henri Ikonen to Kingston (OHL) and D Slater Koekkoek to Windsor (OHL). COLLEGE NORTH CAROLINA — Suspended TE Jack Tabb two games.