NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

December 2, 2014

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Table of Contents

ASSOCIATED PRESS ................................................................................................................................................ 2

Dolphins rally to beat run-happy Jets 16-13 (Dennis Waszak) .................................................................................. 2

Jets run all over Dolphins, but fall 16-13 (Dennis Waszak) ....................................................................................... 4

Dolphins rally, beat Jets 16-13 on late field goal (Barry Wilner) ............................................................................... 6

Chrebet, Hess inducted into Jets' Ring of Honor ....................................................................................................... 7

Jets release Barnes, promote Pantale ....................................................................................................................... 7

NEWSDAY .............................................................................................................................................................. 8

Chris Johnson has his most fun as Jet,rushing for 105 yards (Greg Logan) ............................................................... 8

Jets will look at younger players (Kimberley Martin) ................................................................................................ 9

Geno Smith hands off, and then hands off some more in Jets' loss to Dolphins (Bob Glauber) ............................. 10

Jets control everything but final score; Rex Ryan: 'I feel sick' (Kimberley Martin) ................................................. 11

Jets vs. Dolphins: The rivalry ................................................................................................................................... 13

Eric Decker's wife on the losses piling up: 'He's been depressed' (Kimberley Martin) ........................................... 14

Jets release Antwan Barnes (Kimberley Martin) ..................................................................................................... 14

THE RECORD ........................................................................................................................................................ 15

Former Wayne Valley star Chris Pantale promoted to Jets' active roster (J.P. Pelzman) ....................................... 15

Garfield's Wayne Chrebet joins the Jets' Ring of Honor (Jeff Roberts) ................................................................... 15

Jets fall to Dolphins, 16-13 (J.P. Pelzman) ............................................................................................................... 16

Offensive line helps Jets gain 277 rushing yards (Jeff Roberts)............................................................................... 18

NJ ADVANCE MEDIA ............................................................................................................................................ 19

Rex Ryan, if fired by Jets, could easily get TV analyst job next year, per report (Darryl Slater) .............................. 19

Jets release linebacker Antwan Barnes, sign Wayne native Chris Pantale off practice squad (Dom Cosentino) .... 21

Jets-Miami Dolphins greetings from the press box. How will Geno Smith's return go? (Darryl Slater) .................. 21

Miami Dolphins 16, Jets 13: The good, the bad and the ugly as Jets and their special teams wilt at the end (Darryl Slater) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Jets don't let Geno Smith throw the ball, still lose to Miami Dolphins | Instant analysis (Dom Cosentino) ........... 24

Jets prove they can lose without a quarterback, too, in silly Monday night performance | Politi (Steve Politi) .... 25

Rex Ryan despondent after latest Jets loss: 'Man, I can't believe we're 2-10. Joke.' (Dom Cosentino) .................. 26

Eric Decker after Jets ditch passing game vs. Miami Dolphins: 'I'd like to get some more touches' (Darryl Slater) ................................................................................................................................................................................. 27

Geno Smith explains why he wasn't introduced with Jets' starting offense (Dom Cosentino) ............................... 29

5 reasons the Jets should draft Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston despite the risk | Politi Bits (Steve Politi) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 29

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NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................. 30

Jets won’t even give Geno a chance in another pitiful loss (Brian Costello) ........................................................... 30

The one way Jets can win: Losing and drafting Mariota (Mike Vaccaro) ................................................................ 32

Jets report card: The ‘F’ that cost them the game (Brian Costello)......................................................................... 33

Just like with Sanchez, Jets’ kids gloves have ruined Geno (Steve Serby) ............................................................... 34

Jets finally come to their senses — and still blow it (Mark Cannizzaro) ................................................................. 36

The downfall of Nick Folk: ‘Don’t think words can describe it’ (Mark Cannizzaro) ................................................. 37

The many reasons it’s crazy for Jets to gamble on Harbaugh (Mike Vaccaro) ........................................................ 38

‘That was horrible': Jet blasts ref for devastating penalty (Brian Costello) ............................................................. 39

For one night, Chris Johnson turns back the clock (Mark Cannizzaro) .................................................................... 40

The case for Jim Harbaugh, the man who’ll find the Jets a QB (Steve Serby) ......................................................... 40

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 42

NY Jets must stop running away from the ground game (Manish Mehta) ............................................................. 42

NY Giants and NY Jets could battle for 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh (Gary Myers) ................................................... 43

Jessie James Decker says Eric Decker is 'depressed' over NY Jets losses (Justin Tasch).......................................... 45

NY Jets kicker Nick Folk misses two field goals in 16-13 loss to Dolphins (Justin Tasch) ........................................ 46

Rex Ryan calls NY Jets 2-10 record 'a joke' after loss to Dolphins, starting QB Geno Smith omitted from introductions (Seth Walder) .................................................................................................................................... 47

NY Jets show they can no longer trust Geno Smith as ball taken out of QB's hands Monday (Manish Mehta) ..... 48

NEW YORK TIMES ................................................................................................................................................ 50

Jets’ All-Running Plan Works for a While, but Not When It Matters (Ben Shpigel) ................................................ 50

ESPN NEW YORK .................................................................................................................................................. 52

Rapid Reaction: New York Jets (Rich Cimini) ........................................................................................................... 52

Eric Decker admits it's been a tough season (Jane McManus) ............................................................................... 53

Chris Johnson surpasses 100 yards for first time with Jets (Jane McManus) .......................................................... 54

Run-crazy Jets take ball out of Geno Smith's hands (Rich Cimini) ........................................................................... 54

METRO NEW YORK .............................................................................................................................................. 56

Jets fans' frustration boils over as they unleash banners on Monday Night Football (Kristian Dyer) .................... 56

Jets fall apart, Dolphins grab 16-13 victory (Kristian Dyer) ..................................................................................... 57

MONDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS .................................................................................................................... 58

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dolphins rally to beat run-happy Jets 16-13 (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press December 1, 2014

http://pro32.ap.org/article/dolphins-rally-beat-run-happy-jets-16-13

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins were tired of the New York Jets running all over them.

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Whether it was Chris Johnson, Chris Ivory or even wide receiver Greg Salas, the Dolphins couldn't stop them on the ground. So, Miami waited for New York to make mistakes — and then took advantage.

"We had to draw a line in the dirt. No more," Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake said after Miami's 16-13 win Monday night. "We came out in the second half scheme-wise the same, but guys played the way they're supposed to play."

So, despite the Jets rushing for 277 yards — 210 in the first half — Miami made the plays it needed in the second half to rally for a comeback victory that kept the Dolphins (7-5) right in the middle of the AFC playoff race.

"Scratch, claw, bite, kick," Wake said. "Whatever you have to do to make a play and win."

Caleb Sturgis hit a 26-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining to put the Dolphins ahead, and Reshad Jones' interception of Geno Smith's pass to Jeff Cumberland sealed the victory.

"It's December," Dolphins rookie receiver Jarvis Landry said. "The only thing that matters is winning, no matter how you get it done."

Smith threw only 13 times, fewest in the NFL this season. The usually reliable Nick Folk missed two field goals for the Jets (2-10).

"I feel sick," coach Rex Ryan said. "Our guys just played great, for the most part, in a lot of areas. Dang. We can't buy a win."

After trailing most of the way, Miami tied it on Lamar Miller's touchdown run with 10:24 remaining. New York got into field-goal range after Miami made it 13-all, but Koa Misi's sack pushed the Jets back to the Miami 27 and Folk missed wide left for the second time. Folk had made 18 of 20 entering the game.

That's the way the Jets' season has gone, of course.

"I can't believe we're 2-10," Ryan said, shaking his head and pausing. "It's a joke."

Here are a few other things to know from the Dolphins' comeback win over the Jets:

RUN, JETS, RUN: The Jets, who ran for 218 yards at New England on Oct. 16, went into the game wanting to control the time of possession and keep Ryan Tannehill and Miami's offense off the field.

Johnson had his best performance with the Jets, running for 105 yards. Salas put the Jets on the scoreboard first with a 20-yard end-around for his first NFL touchdown — and then left the game with a hamstring injury.

"It's easy to sit back and say we didn't throw the ball this much now, but we wanted to run the football against them," Ryan said. "That gave us the best opportunity to win the game, both on offense and defense."

EFFICIENCY UNDER CENTER: Tannehill finished 25 of 35 for 235 yards, marking the fifth straight game he has completed at least 70 percent of his passes.

On the winning drive that led to Sturgis' 26-yarder, Tannehill converted on third-and-7 with a 17-yard pass to backup tight end Dion Sims. He has thrown for 2,817 yards with 20 touchdowns and just nine interceptions, with a 92.0 quarterback rating.

"The one thing about this team is no matter what the situation is at halftime," Tannehill said, "we feel like we can come out and play well to finish the game."

NOT-SO-SPECIAL TEAMS: The Jets had two missed field goals by Folk, including a 45-yarder with 5:42 left that would have put New York ahead. He wasn't alone, though.

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The Jets had four penalties on special teams, including a holding call against Saalim Hakim that set up the Dolphins at the New York 39 on the tying drive. Ryan Quigley also had a punt blocked for the second straight game.

"I don't get it," Ryan said. "We got outplayed on special teams."

STRUGGLING SMITH: After starting Michael Vick the previous three games, the Jets turned back to Smith — but he had just seven completions as New York focused on running the ball.

"It has zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterback," Ryan insisted.

New York introduced the offense before the game — but didn't announce Smith's name. The second-year quarterback said it was his decision not to come out with the rest of the starters, not because he was worried about a rude reception from the fans.

"I just wanted to run out with the team," Smith said. "I wanted to run out with the guys."

WHERE IS EVERYBODY? The paid attendance was 78,160, but MetLife Stadium was about half-empty at kickoff as rain pelted the area.

There were several thousand Dolphins fans in the stands early on, and many good seats remained available on some ticket sites about an hour before the game. The combination of the lousy weather and the team's lousy record clearly kept many away — even though the Jets inducted fan favorite Wayne Chrebet and late owner Leon Hess into their Ring of Honor at halftime.

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Jets run all over Dolphins, but fall 16-13 (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press December 1, 2014

http://pro32.ap.org/article/jets-run-all-over-dolphins-fall-16-13

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Rex Ryan is simply out of answers.

Going back to the ground-and-pound approach on offense that was so successful in Ryan's first few years as coach, the New York Jets kept running the ball and gaining yards in chunks against the Miami Dolphins.

It still wasn't enough in a 16-13 loss on Monday night.

"I feel sick," Ryan said. "Our guys just played great, for the most part, in a lot of areas. Dang. We can't buy a win."

Caleb Sturgis' third field goal, from 26 yards with 1:57 remaining, gave Miami (7-5) a comeback victory — even after New York (2-10) rushed for 277 yards on 49 carries.

"This one," center Nick Mangold said, "stings for multiple reasons."

It was key errors in the second half, primarily on special teams, that sent the Jets to yet another loss in a brutal season that could prove to be Ryan's last as coach in New York.

"I can't believe we're 2-10," a sighing Ryan said. "It's a joke."

The Dolphins remained a factor in the AFC wild-card race thanks to rookie Jarvis Landry's eight receptions, Lamar Miller's 4-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter and plenty of defense when the Jets needed Geno Smith to pass. Smith threw only 13 times, fewest in the NFL this season. The usually reliable Nick Folk missed two field goals.

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"It's easy to sit back and say we didn't throw the ball this much now, but we wanted to run the football against them," Ryan said. "That gave us the best opportunity to win the game, both on offense and defense. We needed to keep that team off the field a little bit."

Smith threw for 65 yards on his seven completions, but also was sacked twice for minus-16 yards.

"It has zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterback," Ryan said.

Smith's final throw of the night was an interception that went off Jeff Cumberland's hands as Reshad Jones picked it off to seal the win for the Dolphins with 34 seconds left.

"I've got to make those plays," Smith said. "I can't tell you how hard it is for us to fall short after all we sacrifice every single week. You know, the effort and time spent by every man in that locker room and to fall short every single week, it's gutwrenching, man.

"I can't tell you how heartbroken I am," he said.

The Jets turned back to Smith as their starting quarterback after Michael Vick was under center the last three games. Smith, who came in with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, was picked off on three straight possessions in his last start, against the Bills on Oct. 26, before being replaced by Vick.

New York introduced the offense before the game — but didn't announce Smith's name. Smith said it was his decision not to come out with the rest of the starters, not because he was worried about a rude reception from the fans.

"I just wanted to run out with the team," Smith said. "I wanted to run out with the guys."

The Jets' problems with penalties on special teams hurt them all night — and a holding call against Saalim Hakim set up the Dolphins at New York's 39 on the tying drive. On the winning possession, backup tight end Dion Sims had catches of 18 and 17 yards. Ryan Quigley had a punt blocked for the second straight game.

"Scratch, claw, bite, kick, whatever you have to do make a play and win," Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake said.

All of that offset a season high on the ground as Chris Johnson had his best performance for the Jets with 105 yards.

After trailing most of the way, Miami tied it on Miller's run with 10:24 remaining. That brought the loudest cheers of the night; thousands of Dolphins fans at MetLife Stadium braved the wet, windy conditions.

Jets wide receiver Greg Salas got the home fans excited early by scoring on a 20-yard end-around reverse for his first career touchdown.

As New York kept grinding away on the ground — it had 210 yards rushing in the opening half — it also ate up the clock. But Folk missed from 48 yards and Miami took advantage on Sturgis' 43-yard field goal to end the half.

Sturgis added his 44-yarder to start the second half, and Folk followed with a 45-yarder that bounced off the crossbar and through, making it 13-6.

"Everybody in there's hurting," Ryan said. "They're hurting for each other, hurting for our fans. We'd do anything for a win."

NOTES: Ryan Tannehill was 25 of 35 for 235 yards. ... New York's previous rushing high this season was 218 vs. New England. ... Dozens of Jets alums were on hand, including three living Hall of Famers: Joe

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Namath, Curtis Martin and Don Maynard. They celebrated former owner Leon Hess and former receiver Wayne Chrebet's induction into the team's ring of honor.

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Dolphins rally, beat Jets 16-13 on late field goal (Barry Wilner) Associated Press December 1, 2014

http://pro32.ap.org/article/dolphins-rally-beat-jets-16-13-late-field-goal

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — It's all in the mindset.

"Scratch, claw, bite, kick, whatever you have to do make a play and win," Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake explained after Monday night's dull but effective slugfest with the New York Jets ended in a 16-13 Miami victory.

"It's December," added rookie receiver Jarvis Landry. "The only thing that matters is winning, no matter how you get it done."

The Dolphins found the right formula to stay in the AFC playoff race: Simply let the Jets run the ball all night, and wait for New York to make mistakes — something the Jets have done quite well all season.

Caleb Sturgis' third field goal, from 26 yards with 1:57 remaining, gave Miami (7-5) the comeback victory over its archrival.

New York (2-10) rushed for 277 yards on 49 carries, but made enough key errors in the second half to lose.

"Can't believe we're 2-10," Jets coach Rex Ryan said, shaking his head and pausing. "It's a joke."

The Dolphins remained a factor in the wild-card race thanks to special teams; Landry's eight receptions; Lamar Miller's 4-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter; and plenty of defense when the Jets needed to pass.

New York's Geno Smith threw only 13 times, fewest in the NFL this season, and gained 49 yards. The usually reliable Nick Folk missed two field goals.

All of that offset a season high on the ground as Chris Johnson had his best performance for the Jets with 105 yards.

"We had to draw a line in the dirt. No more," Wake said of his team's stinginess after halftime. "We came out in the second half scheme-wise the same, but guys played the way they're supposed to play."

Sturgis also made field goals of 43 and 44 yards.

After trailing most of the way, Miami tied it on Miller's run with 10:24 remaining. That brought the loudest cheers of the night; thousands of Dolphins fans at MetLife Stadium braved the wet, windy conditions.

Jets problems with penalties on special teams hurt them all night, and a holding call against Saalim Hakim set up the Dolphins at New York's 39 on the tying drive. On the winning possession, backup tight end Dion Sims had catches of 18 and 17 yards.

The Jets kept pounding the ball effectively. They even got into field goal position after Miami made it 13-13. But Koa Misi's sack pushed New York back to the Miami 27 and Folk missed wide left for the second time. Folk had made 18 of 20 entering the game.

That's the way the Jets' season has gone, of course.

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"I feel sick," Ryan said. "We can't buy a win."

Early on, Greg Salas, with his fourth team in four pro seasons, scored his first career touchdown. But the receiver didn't get it through the air, instead scoring on a well-conceived reverse on which the Dolphins had no one close to him until he reached the 2. He dived into the end zone to cap an 85-yard drive, but that ended his night; Salas hurt a hamstring.

Sturgis missed a 43-yard field goal on the next possession for Miami, further boosting New York's confidence. The Jets took the ball into Dolphins territory for the third successive series, and got more points on Folk's 40-yard field goal.

As New York kept grinding away on the ground — it had 210 yards rushing in the opening half — it also ate up the clock. But Folk missed from 48 yards and Miami took advantage on Sturgis' 43-yard field goal to end the half.

Sturgis added his 44-yarder to start the second half, and Folk followed with a 45-yarder that bounced off the crossbar and through, making it 13-6.

Then came two huge plays that led to, well, nothing.

Dion Jordan partially blocked Ryan Quigley's punt, resulting in a 6-yard kick to the New York 41. It was the second straight week an opponent got a piece of a Quigley punt.

On the next play, though, Miller bobbled Ryan Tannehill's short pass and the ball squirted into cornerback Darrin Walls' hands. Walls slipped, got up and returned the interception 25 yards to the Dolphins 30. But Wake got a sack — he leads Miami with 9 1-2 — and that forced a punt.

NOTES: Tannehill was 25 of 35 for 235 yards. Smith threw for 65 yards on his seven completions, but also was sacked twice for minus-16 yards ... New York's previous rushing high this season was 218 vs. New England. ... Dozens of Jets alums were on hand, including three living Hall of Famers: Joe Namath, Curtis Martin and Don Maynard. They celebrated former owner Leon Hess and former receiver Wayne Chrebet's induction into the team's ring of honor. ... Dolphins WR Brian Hartline left with a knee injury.

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Chrebet, Hess inducted into Jets' Ring of Honor Associated Press December 1, 2014

http://pro32.ap.org/article/chrebet-hess-inducted-jets-ring-honor

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets inducted former wide receiver Wayne Chrebet and late owner Leon Hess into the team's Ring of Honor at halftime against the Miami Dolphins.

Chrebet played his entire NFL career with the Jets from 1995-2005 after being undrafted out of Hofstra University. He ranks second in Jets history with 580 receptions, and third with 7,365 yards receiving and 41 touchdown catches.

With fellow inductees such as Joe Namath, Don Maynard, Joe Klecko and Curtis Martin in attendance, Chrebet was honored at midfield Monday night at MetLife Stadium.

"To see all the No. 80 jerseys," a choked-up Chrebet said, "I can't tell you what it means to me."

Hess, the team's sole owner from 1984-99, was represented by his son John B. Hess.

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Jets release Barnes, promote Pantale

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Associated Press December 1, 2014

http://pro32.ap.org/article/jets-release-barnes-promote-pantale

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets have released linebacker Antwan Barnes and signed tight end Chris Pantale, who will be eligible to play against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.

The Jets needed another tight end on the active roster because rookie Jace Amaro has been ruled out for the game with a concussion. Pantale was promoted from the practice squad last season for the final five games, but was inactive for each.

Barnes missed the first six games this season while on the physically unable to perform list after suffering a knee injury early last season. He had two tackles and two quarterback hurries in five games since returning. Coach Rex Ryan recently said he wanted to give rookies Ikemefuna Enemkpali and Trevor Reilly extended looks at outside linebacker.

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NEWSDAY

Chris Johnson has his most fun as Jet,rushing for 105 yards (Greg Logan) Newsday December 1, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ground-and-pound-offense-gives-jets-defense-a-lift-1.9671188

It was the best game of Chris Johnson's first season with the Jets -- 105 yards rushing on 17 carries as part of a running game that totaled a whopping 277 yards. But when the Jets had to have points at the end of the game to overcome Miami's 16-13 lead Monday night at MetLife Stadium, Johnson wasn't on the field with quarterback Geno Smith suddenly finding himself in desperation mode.

As much as the Jets would like to believe the ground-and-pound approach they took against the Dolphins worked superbly, it underlined an NFL axiom that says teams have to run to win but they have to pass to score points. When that was repeated to wide receiver Eric Decker, who caught two of Smith's seven completions, he nodded and said, "One hundred percent. The way we were running the ball, we've got to get play-action off it. [The Dolphins' defenders] were all committing to the run. I thought we could have taken a chance. I'm not the offensive coordinator, but you still have to have a good passing game."

Coming into a game in which Smith was starting for the first time since his three-interception debacle against Buffalo on Oct. 26, the Jets knew they were going to run. They were effective from the start, mixing in several wide receiver reverses with the running of Johnson, who broke a 47-yard run that set up a 20-yard touchdown by Greg Salas on a reverse for a 7-0 lead, and Chris Ivory, who had 62 yards on 16 carries.

"The offensive line was pushing those guys around," Johnson said. "They were giving all the running backs, not just myself, lanes to run. But the main thing is that we didn't get the victory."

Earlier this season, Johnson chafed at not getting enough carries after signing as a free agent after what many consider a Hall of Fame career with Tennessee. So, the chance to carry the load for the offense was welcome indeed. "That's the most fun I've had all year," Johnson said. "But it puts a damper on it at the end of the day because we didn't get the victory . . . We feel we could have been doing this all year, but we still didn't make enough plays. We've got to turn three points into six points."

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That might have been a reference to the Jets' second-quarter field goal for a 10-0 lead. They had third-and-3 at the Miami 22, and running back Bilal Powell lost a yard. That's the kind of place where Smith easily might have been expected to pass aggressively for the first down, but offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg chose the conservative route. "You can say, 'What if,' and analyze everything," Decker said. "We haven't done enough to win. Today, we played well but got beat."

It was a tough loss for everyone on the offensive side of the ball to swallow, considering they controlled the ball 32:35. "We established dominance," guard Willie Colon said. "I believe we could have done that all year. Give us the keys to the Cadillac, and that's the result."

Colon wasn't about to second-guess Mornhinweg's decision to contain Smith to 13 pass attempts versus 49 handoffs. "Marty called a great game," Colon said. "Everything we wanted to do, we did. We just didn't put enough points up."

That was the problem in a nutshell. Even when they run well, the Jets don't score enough to win.

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Jets will look at younger players (Kimberley Martin) Newsday December 1, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-should-look-at-younger-players-1.9670960

Monday night's game against the Dolphins wasn't just a fresh start for the enigmatic Geno Smith.

Sure, all eyes were on the second-year quarterback during prime time, but the rest of the schedule serves as an opportunity for other Jets, too.

For several young players on Rex Ryan's team, there is more than just pride on the line. It's a chance to prove to the coaching staff that they deserve their roster spots and far more playing time.

With his team missing the playoffs for a fourth straight season, Ryan conceded that now is the time to see some less experienced players in action.

"That's a possibility," Ryan said last week. "Getting some of the younger guys in. You always try to do that. So I think when we look at it, you may see more of the younger guys get an opportunity.

"Not saying that we're not trying to win a game, because it's the exact opposite. We're trying to do whatever we can to win the game, but we may give some young guys some opportunities."

When peppered by questions two days later about the organization's decision to return to Smith despite decent play by Michael Vick, Ryan reiterated his commitment to winning.

"Do we want to win? We 100 percent want to win," Ryan said. "There is no doubt. But I also said I want to take a look at some young players."

The offseason is sure to bring plenty of change at One Jets Drive. Everyone from general manager John Idzik to Ryan and the rest of the coaching staff is under a microscope -- and it's unclear whether owner Woody Johnson plans to clean house at season's end.

Ryan's back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances after the 2009 and 2010 seasons are distant memories now. His larger-than-life personality and trademark bluster disintegrated as the losing seasons mounted, and he finds himself hanging precipitously close to the edge of his head-coaching tenure in Florham Park.

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Much of the Jets' difficulty during the past four years has to do with their erratic quarterback play. Ryan acknowledged that coaching young quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Smith has made things challenging at times.

"It's probably not the easiest thing," he said, "but that's what ends up happening. In an ideal world, you have a guy that's a Pro Bowl player that has played for years and you can come in.

"Peyton Manning would be nice," Ryan joked. "That would have been nice. But that's not what happens. So most of these cases, most quarterbacks take a few years to develop, then you put them in. That's probably the best way to do it in an ideal world, but the two situations we have had have not been ideal."

Unless he had a disastrous performance against the Dolphins, Smith is expected to start the rest of the way, which is not at all surprising. Ryan likely won't be the coach Jan. 1, but the Jets need to know what they have in Smith. The same is true for the rest of the roster.

With Monday's release of pass rusher Antwan Barnes, expect linebackers IK Enemkpali and Trevor Reilly to see more playing time.

"Yeah, that would be a guy that we'd really like to see," Ryan said of Enemkpali, a sixth-round pick of Idzik's.

To the surprise of many, Idzik used all 12 of his draft picks last spring. On Day 3, the Jets had nine picks at their disposal -- their most since 1998, Bill Parcells' second draft. But of those 12 players, four no longer are with the team (fourth-round pick Jalen Saunders, Jeremiah George, Brandon Dixon, Tajh Boyd) and two are on injured reserve (Dexter McDougle, Shaq Evans). First-round safety Calvin Pryor has been underwhelming, according to Ryan.

But at the conclusion of the draft, Idzik touted his scouting department for finding 12 players who would fit seamlessly into the Jets' way of life.

"There's pretty much a common thread with these fellas," Idzik said at the time. "They fit our profile. They're aggressive, they have a passion for our game, they're great teammates. They fit the Jet profile."

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Geno Smith hands off, and then hands off some more in Jets' loss to Dolphins (Bob Glauber) Newsday December 1, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/bob-glauber/geno-smith-hands-off-and-then-hands-off-some-more-in-jets-loss-to-dolphins-1.9671101

It has been a season of second-guessing, so maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that there was more fodder presented by the Jets in Monday night's game against the Dolphins. But even by their own standards for questioning why they do things, this one was a stunner.

On a night when Geno Smith was reinserted into the lineup after a three-game hiatus, it turns out that Rex Ryan did his best to try and win a football game without a quarterback. Or at least without a quarterback who did anything other than turn around and hand the ball off.

Ryan returned to his "Ground & Pound" style with feeling, as he tried to play keep-away from the Dolphins and use his quarterback mostly as a facilitator for the running game. The formula worked for a while, as the Jets churned out a whopping 210 rushing yards and built a 10-3 halftime lead.

But once the Dolphins made the proper adjustments in the second half by putting an extra linebacker -- and sometimes two extras -- in the tackle box to load up against the run, the Jets continued to play

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smashmouth and keep Smith from putting the ball in the air. Not until the Jets had fallen behind for the first time all night did Ryan and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg open up the offense. And it was merely out of necessity in hopes of either sending the game into overtime or else winning at the end of regulation.

By then, the outcome was entirely predictable. Having thrown just eight passes before the Jets' final drive, Smith was intercepted when he threw a seam route to tight end Jeff Cumberland over the middle.

Afterward, Ryan insisted his game plan was not a shot at Smith.

"It has nothing to do with us not having faith in our quarterback," Ryan said. "It had everything to do with us trying to win the game. We thought that was our best shot to win. We stayed the course and we stayed on plan. It had nothing to do with lack of faith in our quarterback. We had faith in our quarterbacks. It's unfortunate."

Once upon a time, running backs ruled the NFL and often decided the outcome of games. But that time has long since passed, and you need to put the ball in the air to have any chance in this league. It was ridiculous that the Jets didn't adapt once the Dolphins decided to dare them to throw by stacking the box. When you're running the ball well, you open up the play-action passing game by having the quarterback act as if he's handing off and then drop back to pass.

The fake handoff freezes the linebackers and defensive backs and opens up the passing game. It's Football 101, and every team does it. Just not the Jets on this night. For some reason, they kept trying to pound the ball on the ground, but mostly to no avail. After racking up 210 in the first half, they were limited to just 67 rushing yards in the second half.

The game plan screamed out for the play-action pass, but Ryan and Mornhinweg refused to go there. And in the end, it cost them and it cost their young quarterback. Smith couldn't get into a rhythm, and when he finally had to throw, the ball wound up in the other team's hands.

It was an easy second-guess, although Smith wanted no part of it.

"The game plan was working and we had to stick to it," he said. "The goal of the team is to win and execute the game plan. When the situation came for us to pass the ball and win the game, we fell short."

Smith was beside himself with frustration. "I can't tell you how hard it is to fall short," he said. "After all we sacrifice every single week, the effort and time spent by every man in that locker room, and to fall short every week is gut-wrenching. I can't tell you how heartbroken I am right now."

There will be some good to come of it, he said.

"As tough as it is, you've got to man up," he said. "You got to stand up in the face of adversity. I'll be at the forefront of that."

Right there next to the coaches whose ill-fated game plan was at the heart of the latest chapter of their 2-10 nightmare season.

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Jets control everything but final score; Rex Ryan: 'I feel sick' (Kimberley Martin) Newsday December 1, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/dolphins-late-fg-drops-jets-to-2-10-1.9671336

This is how you lose a football game: You miss two field- goal attempts, you allow a punt to be partially blocked and you handle your quarterback with kid gloves.

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Despite a sterling effort by running back Chris Johnson, the Jets couldn't muster enough offense or make enough field goals to keep the Dolphins at bay in a 16-13 loss Monday night at MetLife Stadium.

Caleb Sturgis' 26-yard field goal with 1:57 to play broke a 13-13 tie and gave Miami its first lead of the game. "I feel sick,'' Rex Ryan said after the Jets fell to 2-10. "We can't buy a win.''

The Dolphins (7-5) tied it at 13 on a 4-yard run by Lamar Miller with 10:24 left in the fourth quarter. A holding penalty on special-teamer Saalim Hakim on a punt started the drive at the Jets' 39.

On the ensuing possession, to the delight of the raucous Dolphins fans who invaded MetLife Stadium, Nick Folk hooked a field-goal try for the second time in the game. The man affectionately nicknamed "Folk Hero'' by Ryan was wide left from 45 yards.

It was just another example of a wasted opportunity by the Jets, who entered with only pride left to play for. On a night when a flash mob of fans held up "Fire John Idzik'' banners in the upper deck, the Jets struggled in the second half and lost for the 10th time in their last 11 games.

With a steady dose of ground-and-pound early on, the Jets built a 10-0 lead. In Geno Smith's first start since Oct. 26, they did everything in their power to ensure he wouldn't lose the game for them.

The funny thing is, the Jets were in control in the first half, when they ran for 210 yards. Overall, they rushed 49 times for 277 yards while making Smith the epitome of a game manager. He handed off and stood idly by as other players flashed their athleticism and skill.

In an attempt to (finally) take advantage of their true skill set -- or, perhaps, to limit any potential damage that Smith could do with his arm -- the Jets rushed 22 times in 23 plays at one point.

Smith completed 3 of 6 passes for 22 yards in the first half. "We thought what gave us the best chance to win the game was to run the football,'' Ryan said.

Smith wound up throwing only 13 passes, the fewest by any NFL team in a game this season. He completed seven for 65 yards and had a lowly quarterback rating of 35.7.

The Jets said all week that this was the right time to start Smith, who entered with 10 interceptions and two lost fumbles. Yet when the game was on the line, he could do little to help his wayward team. His interception on an underthrown pass intended for Jeff Cumberland with 39 seconds left signaled the end of the game and a sad effort by Smith.

Thanks to a little shake-and-bake by Johnson, who ran for 105 yards on 17 carries, the Jets took an early lead. Johnson electrified the sparse crowd with a 47-yard run to Miami's 20, which set up a beautifully executed end-around touchdown by Greg Salas on the next play.

It took the Jets just six plays and 2:58 to go 85 yards. But Salas appeared to injure himself on the play and later was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Folk made it 10-0 in the second quarter when he nailed a 40-yard field goal. Thanks to some much-needed stops by Ryan's defense, the Dolphins were forced to settle for a field goal in the second and third quarters. Folk made it 13-6 with 7:17 left in the third with a 45-yard field goal that hit off the crossbar and went through.

But special-teams gaffes reared their ugly head again. Folk missed a field goal from 48 yards and the Dolphins' Dion Jordan partially blocked a punt by Ryan Quigley. And yet the Jets still were in the lead. Not by much, though.

Soon that lead was gone. After Sturgis' field goal, Smith's interception finished the Jets. Said Ryan, "I can't believe we're 2-10.''

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Chrebet honored. Wide receiver Wayne Chrebet was inducted into the Jets' Ring of Honor at halftime along with the Jets' former owner, the late Leon Hess. During his 11-year career with the Jets, Chrebet caught 580 passes for 7,365 yards and 41 touchdowns.

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Jets vs. Dolphins: The rivalry Newsday December 1, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-vs-dolphins-the-rivalry-1.9670239

A.J. Duhe and the Mud Bowl

Jan. 23, 1983: The Jets traveled to Miami for the AFC Championship Game, a chance at reaching the franchise’s second Super Bowl at stake. What happened? Jets quarterback Richard Todd threw five interceptions — three by linebacker A.J. Duhe, who returned one for a touchdown in a 14-0 win for the Dolphins in “The Mud Bowl.”

1983 NFL Draft

April 26, 1983: The 1983 NFL Draft became the gold standard for quarterback drafts, producing John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino in the first round, plus Todd Blackledge, Ken O’Brien and Tony Eason. Here’s the thing: With the Jets picking at No. 24, they went with O’Brien while Marino was still available. Marino threw 420 TDs in his Hall of Fame career. O’Brien was sacked 353 times in 10 seasons.

Passers' delight: O’Brien vs. Marino

Sept. 21, 1986: In the highest-scoring game in Meadowlands history, the Jets outlasted the Dolphins, 51-45, as O’Brien and Marino engaged in an epic duel between two Class of ’83 quarterbacks. O’Brien and Marino combined to throw an NFL single-game record 927 yards.

Win or go home

Dec. 22, 1991: With the final wild-card berth at stake in the last regular-season game of the season, the Dolphins took a 20-17 lead with 44 seconds left. Ken O’Brien drove the Jets downfield and Raul Allegre hit the game-tying fied goal from 44 yards. In overtime, Allegre nailed a 30-yarder to put the Jets in the playoffs and end their rival’s season. It was Allegre's first game with the Jets. Brad Baxter (pictured) ran for two touchdowns for the Jets.

The Fake Spike

Nov. 27, 1994: With 22 seconds left, Dan Marino and the Dolphins lined up at the Jets’ 8-yard-line, trailing by three points with no timeouts left. Conventional football wisdom says Marino should spike the ball to stop the clock. Instead, he faked the spike and threw to a wide-open Mark Ingram with the touchdown and a 28-24 win over the Jets.

Monday Night Miracle

Oct. 23, 2000: In a Monday night game sandwiched between games of the Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees, the Jets fell behind the Dolphins 30-7 entering the fourth quarter. But the Jets staged a comeback behind Vinny Testaverde, who sent the game into overtime with a tackle-eligible touchdown pass to Jumbo Elliott. John Hall’s 40-yard field goal in overtime finished off the “Monday Night Miracle.”

Pennington’s revenge

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Dec. 28, 2008: Chad Pennington was released by the Jets earlier that season when the team traded for Brett Favre. In the final game of the regular season, with the playoffs on the line for both teams, Pennington went 22-for-30 for 200 yards with two TDs and no interceptions (a 113.2 rating) to give the Dolphins a 24-17 win and the AFC East title.

War of words: Rex vs. Crowder

June 2009: Jets head coach Rex Ryan and Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder exchange comments with one another through the media for several days during this summer’s OTAs, including this retort from Ryan: “The only thing I can say is, and let's see if he can top this one, I've walked over tougher guys going to a fight than Channing Crowder."

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Eric Decker's wife on the losses piling up: 'He's been depressed' (Kimberley Martin) Newsday December 1, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/eric-decker-s-wife-on-the-losses-piling-up-he-s-been-depressed-1.9671447

Losing has taken its toll on Eric Decker.

His wife, Jessie James Decker, admitted as much during a radio interview with "The Todd Show" on New York station WPLJ (95.5).

"It's been a really hard season," she said. "He's been -- I don't want to say depressed, but he's been depressed."

Though the Jets wide receiver downplayed the level of his despair, he made it clear that losing 10 of the past 11 games hasn't been easy to accept.

"That's obviously dramatized," Decker said of his wife's comments shortly after the Jets dropped to 2-10 with a 16-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night at MetLife Stadium. "But it's hard.

"I will say that going home's a little tougher and I've got to do a better job of balancing those things. But I'm a competitor and I want to win and I came here to win, and for me, I've got to be better at what I do. That's all I can control. I'm going to try to be the best teammate I can be and be the best receiver I can be.

"And losing [stinks], period. No one wants to lose. And if you're OK with losing, if you're going home and fine with losing, there's something wrong inside of you.

"This game, you only get so many years to play, and I would enjoy getting another shot of making a run and having that success. Not saying we're far off at all. We just need to execute better."

Signing Decker was general manager John Idzik's top priority during free agency, and the Jets gave the former Bronco big money to sign with them. Decker, who inked a five-year, $36.25-million deal in March, said he doesn't regret it.

"I don't second-guess my choice at all," Decker said. "The New York Jets wanted me to come here and Denver didn't. So I was excited about coming here and I wouldn't have done anything differently."

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Jets release Antwan Barnes (Kimberley Martin) Newsday December 1, 2014

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-release-antwan-barnes-1.9669556

The Jets released outside linebacker Antwan Barnes and signed tight end Chris Pantale from the practice squad, the team announced Monday.

The roster move isn't all that surprising, considering Barnes wasn't the same player following ACL surgery last season. And with rookie tight end Jace Amaro still going through the league's concussion protocol, the Jets (2-9) felt compelled to bring up Pantale prior to Monday night's home game against the Dolphins (6-5).

Barnes signed a three-year, $4-million free-agent deal in March 2013. He had two sacks and led the team with 12 quarterback hits prior to the knee injury he suffered last October vs. the Falcons.

The Jets activated Barnes from the physically unable to perform list on Oct. 15, but the pass-rush specialist hasn't had an impact. Barnes had five tackles and no sacks in five games this season.

Pantale, 24, has yet to play in a regular-season game.

The Jets do have two other tight ends on the active roster -- Jeff Cumberland and Zach Sudfeld.

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THE RECORD

Former Wayne Valley star Chris Pantale promoted to Jets' active roster (J.P. Pelzman) The Record December 1, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/former-wayne-valley-star-chris-pantale-promoted-to-jets-active-roster-1.1144374

Tight end Chris Pantale, a former standout at Boston College and Wayne Valley High School, was signed to the Jets’ active roster today. Pantale, who had been on the team's practice squad, was promoted because rookie tight end Jace Amaro is out with a concussion.

To make room, the Jets waived veteran pass-rushing outside linebacker Antwan Barnes. Barnes, who had major reconstructive knee surgery after a severe injury last October against Atlanta, couldn’t regain the burst off the line of scrimmage he had prior to the injury. He had no sacks and two hurries in limited playing time.

Pantale, who had 98 receptions in his career at Boston College, was signed by the Jets last year as an undrafted free agent. He was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster in late November, but was inactive for the final five games. He was waived at the end of the preseason this year, but then re-signed to the practice squad after clearing waivers.

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Garfield's Wayne Chrebet joins the Jets' Ring of Honor (Jeff Roberts) The Record December 1, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/garfield-s-wayne-chrebet-joins-the-jets-ring-of-honor-1.1144518

EAST RUTHERFORD — The father carried his youngest son in his arms, sharing the moment together as they took their time walking off the field.

This is what Wayne Chrebet most looked forward to Monday night.

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He and his three boys had MetLife Stadium all to themselves for as long as it took them to stroll the 60 yards off the field before the second half of the Jets’ 16-13 loss to Miami.

And the Garfield native took in every single step under the lights after he was inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor.

“The best part, one of the best feelings ever, is when you make your speech, the stress is over and for 60 yards through the end zone you get to walk as slow as you want or as fast and they cheer you and you take it all in,” Chrebet said. “That’s what you hold on to.”

Surrounded by former teammates and Jet royalty that included Joe Namath, Don Maynard and Curtis Martin, Chrebet and late owner Leon Hess became the 14th and 15th inductees of the franchise’s ring of honor. It was the culmination of an unlikely success story for the undersized, underrated receiver from a Division I-AA college.

Chrebet, 41, also was surrounded by previous inductees Joe Klecko, Mark Gastineau, Wesley Walker, Freeman McNeil and Marty Lyons.

“Nine years ago, I never thought I’d be on the field again,” said Chrebet, a Barclays assistant vice president. “To come here tonight and see all the [No.] 80 jerseys, I can’t tell you what it means to me.”

He paused, too choked up to continue. Cheers then rose from the sparse crowd, encouraging him on.

Chrebet, clad in a green blazer and green tie, laughed at himself and found his place.

“Nineteen years ago, when I came to camp, all I wanted to do was wear Jet green,” he said. “That’s all I wanted to do. I just wanted a chance to show what I could do.”

Chrebet soon walked off holding 3-year-old Griffin, accompanied by wife, Amy, and sons Luke, 12, Cade, 10.

He made the Jets roster despite starting 11th on the depth chart in 1995 following a record-breaking career at Hofstra. He finished his 11-year NFL career second in Jets history with 580 receptions, third with 7,365 receiving yards and third with 41 receiving touchdowns.

Chrebet was the lone light on a lot of bad teams in the mid-1990s. He also was a key performer on the 1998 team that lost in the AFC title game to Denver.

Chrebet was fearless. He had maybe the best hands in the NFL. And he always found a way to get open, especially on critical third downs.

That became his trademark.

Not bad for a Garfield kid who had to forge his father’s signature to play football. Not bad for a 5-foot-10, 188-pound guy whom the Jets signed after his agent bluffed them with a phantom competing offer.

Chrebet elevated the slot receiver role in the NFL to what it is now, filled by Wes Welker, Victor Cruz, Julian Edelman, etc.

Only a sixth and final documented concussion — he suffered at least twice as many — suffered in a November 2005 game could pull him off the field.

“Dec. 1 is the culmination from the time when I was as young as I can remember, just throwing the ball against the wall of my grammar school,” Chrebet said.

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Jets fall to Dolphins, 16-13 (J.P. Pelzman)

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The Record December 1, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/jets-fall-to-dolphins-16-13-1.1144512

EAST RUTHERFORD – A sports drink was on the lectern in front of him, but Geno Smith didn’t touch it while he spoke to the media in the post-game.

Of course he didn’t. It’s not as if he had been exerted at all, after a Jets’ offensive game plan that Knute Rockne would have found primitive.

The Jets allowed Smith to throw the ball only 13 times Monday night as he handed off again and again and again. They rushed for 277 yards and led by seven points in the fourth quarter.

But it wasn’t enough as Miami scored 10 points on two fourth-quarter drives and topped the Jets, 16-13 at MetLife Stadium.

“Can’t believe we’re 2-10,” coach Rex Ryan said at one point during his post-game news conference, muttering almost to himself. “It’s a joke.”

Caleb Sturgis’ 26-yard field goal with 1:57 left capped a 53-yard drive and gave the Dolphins (7-5) a 16-13 lead.

Smith, making his first start at quarterback since Oct. 26, was given an ultra-conservative game plan. He attempted only eight passes until the Jets’ final desperate drive at the end of the game.

And maybe the Jets knew what they were doing. Smith was intercepted by Reshad[cq] Jones with 34 seconds left, sealing yet another loss for the woeful Jets (2-10).

“It had zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterback,” coach Rex Ryan claimed when asked about the offensive game plan, which coordinator Marty Mornhinweg seemed to have copied off a cave wall.

“It had everything to do with trying to win the game,” Ryan said.

Smith finished 7-for-13 for 65 yards with one interception. His passer rating was 35.7. The 13 attempts were an NFL-low this season.

“No, I don’t feel that way,” Smith said when asked if the coaches had shown a lack of faith in him by rushing the ball 49 times.

“When we’re having that much success” with the run, wide receiver Eric Decker said, “you want to keep doing what they’re giving [you] and what’s working that day. … You’ve got to still have a good passing game to be successful and to win.”

Smith was 4-for-8 entering the Jets’ final drive, which began at their 20. He actually managed three completions, which moved the Jets to their 44-yard-line.

He then looked for tight end Jeff Cumberland over the middle, but the ball was slightly underthrown and tipped by a defender into the nearby hands of safety Reshad Jones, who corralled it for a game-clinching interception. Cumberland was bracketed by two Dolphins.

“I think it was the right read and I think the throw was pretty good,” Smith said.

Miami tied the score at 13 on Lamar Miller’s 4-yard run with 10:24 to go. The score capped a six-play, 39-yard drive that was set up when Saalim Hakim was called for holding on a punt, giving Miami 10 crucial yards of field position.

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That wasn’t the only special-teams mistake the Jets made. The usually reliable Nick Folk made two field goals for the Jets, but missed two other attempts, including a 45-yarder that he pushed wide left before Miami’s eventual winning drive.

“Usually one of the strengths of our team is special teams,” Ryan said, “but they outplayed us.”

Smith wasn’t introduced before the game, although the rest of the offensive starters were. He said it was his choice not to be introduced.

“I wanted to run out with my guys,” Smith said. “It was my own decision.”

Smith’s night ended with his 11th interception of the season, ending Folk’s hopes for redemption.

“I don’t think words can describe it,” Folk said of his dismay. “I wanted another chance to get this team back to winning ways.”

PANTALE DEBUTS: Former Wayne Valley standout Chris Pantale made his NFL debut after being signed to the 53-man roster earlier in the day. Pantale had a 24-yard kickoff return to the Jets’ 39 in the fourth quarter when Miami kicked the ball short to avoid speedy returner Percy Harvin.

“I didn’t get the result I wanted,” Pantale said, but he admitted “it was unbelievable. … I’ve been waiting 24 years for this.”

About his kickoff return, he said, “I just put my head down and started running.” That drive ended in a Folk miss from 45 yards.

To make room for Pantale, the Jets waived OLB Antwan Barnes. The eighth-year veteran had no sacks and two quarterback hurries in limited action in five games this season. … WR Greg Salas injured his hamstring on his 20-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He didn’t return.

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Offensive line helps Jets gain 277 rushing yards (Jeff Roberts) The Record December 1, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/offensive-line-helps-jets-gain-277-rushing-yards-1.1144619

EAST RUTHERFORD — The crimson blotches stained Nick Mangold’s white uniform pants.

The dried blood began at his thigh pad and spread down to his knee.

It was a stark metaphor for the Jets’ hard-earned, 277 rushing yards, their highest total since 2009. It spoke of their dominance, which included a sterling 5.7 yards per carry.

But still it was not enough.

And Mangold and everyone else on offense was at a loss Monday night to explain how that Jets’ dominance on the ground did not result in a victory. Instead it ended in a 16-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.

“This one stings for multiple reasons,” Mangold said as midnight approached in the somber locker room. “We were ahead for a long while. That we rushed the ball as well as we did. That we played pretty much mistake-free football and in our division [against] the Miami Dolphins.”

The Dolphins were so overwhelmed by the Jets’ resurgent ground-and-pound attack, they employed a five-man defensive front for much of the second half. The Jets churned out 210 rushing yards in the first half, their highest total in an opening half since 2009, when they earned 212 against Buffalo.

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Yet the offensive linemen and running backs stood in front of their lockers trying to explain a defeat. Somehow all the dominance resulted in only one touchdown.

Of course it doesn’t help when your quarterback, Geno Smith, throws for only 65 yards, and your final drive ends on an interception.

“I think we were able to establish our dominance,” right guard Willie Colon said. “Go out out there and get after it. We just didn’t put enough points on the board. That’s what killed us.”

Chris Johnson ran for 105 yards on 17 carries, including a 47-yard, first-quarter burst that set up the Jets’ lone touchdown. It was his best day since joining the team in the off-season.

Receiver Jeremy Kerley took two jet sweeps and gained 38 yards. Receiver Greg Salas scored the Jets’ lone touchdown — and the first of his career — on a 20-yard end around.

In all, eight different Jets ran the ball for a total of 49 carries.

“The offensive line got up on those guys and were pushing those guys around and giving not just me, but all the running backs lanes to run,” Johnson said.

One theme that developed in the locker room was the belief that the Jets (2-10) could have done this all season.

After all, ground-and-pound was their self-professed identity.

They supposedly were built to run the ball and play defense, winning close games despite its unreliable stable of quarterbacks.

“I believe in us,” Colon said. “We could have did that all year. I know we have the ability. …

“We’re all qualified to run the ball. When you guys give us the keys to the Cadillac, those are the results. I know that we can make.”

He later added: “They put it on us. We got the backs that can get it done. We have the O line that can get it done up front.”

Johnson agreed.

“Yeah, we feel like we could have been doing that all year,” he said. “But we still we didn’t make enough plays.”

The Jets owned the line of scrimmage, the time of possession and the ground game. They led for virtually the first three quarters. They did not trail until 1:57 remained in the game.

But still, it was not enough.

“I think everything we wanted to do, we were able to do,” Colon said. “We just didn’t put points up.”

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NJ ADVANCE MEDIA

Rex Ryan, if fired by Jets, could easily get TV analyst job next year, per report (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/rex_ryan_if_fired_by_jets_would_easily_be_able_to_get_tv_job_in_2015_per_report.html

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On Sunday, an ESPN report popped up stating that the Jets were monitoring the situation with coach Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers.

If the 49ers and Harbaugh decide to part ways after this season, he could be acquired via trade. The report noted that the Jets and Raiders were "expected to inquire" about a Harbaugh trade.

You don't need an expert knowledge of the Jets to know that they likely will fire coach Rex Ryan after this season, which is now spiraling with a 2-9 record entering Monday night's home game against Miami.

But what about Ryan? His services are expected to be available Dec. 29, the day after the Jets finish their season in Miami. Will Ryan get another head coaching job next season? Or is a coordinator gig more likely?

Another option for Ryan: Go take a well-paying, cushier position as a television analyst.

Sports Illustrated's media columnist, Richard Deitsch, reported Sunday that there is a lot of interest in Ryan from sports TV executives.

If Jets owner Woody Johnson no longer has eyes for Rex Ryan, the coach will have plenty of suitors waiting for him among football-airing networks. Interviews last week with sports television executives confirmed the obvious: Ryan has a golden ticket for an NFL analyst job next year if he is not retained by the Jets, unable to find another coaching job or simply wants a year away from the All-22 life.

"He pretty much has everything TV networks would look for. He has personality, he's not shy about his opinions, and he's a colorful character," said ESPN senior coordinating producer Seth Markman, the executive in charge of hiring ESPN's NFL studio talent. "I think he would be successful whether it is in studio or doing games. When I close my eyes and listen to him I hear a little bit of John Madden in him. There is going to be a lot of interest in Rex if that is what he wants to do."

As Deitsch notes, Ryan has the outgoing personality that could make him an ideal fit for TV. Here's Deitsch again:

You can distill it to four simple words: he makes good television.

Networks will reach out very quickly if Ryan gets fired and some have likely passed along word through emissaries to his business representatives. ESPN would be among the favorites to land him given how many platforms and NFL-related shows it airs. It doesn't take a leap to see Ryan slotting into Mike Ditka's current role. CBS has long ties to Ryan given the network airs the AFC package and the coach has been in a ton of CBS NFL production meetings over the years. The network declined comment on Ryan this week.

Fox Sports Media Group executive producer John Entz previously told Sports Illustrated that Ryan was high on his list. The NFL Network certainly has the programming to fit in Ryan and asked about interest in Ryan, an NFL Network spokesperson said, "Our policy is we don't comment on NFL personnel who are currently under contract to a team or the league." NBC is the one over-the-air network unlikely to switch any of its major talent but it is located close to Ryan's New Jersey home.

"Rex will command a big role on a big show and there are only so many of those chairs," Markman said.

That big role is not going to be cheap. Industry sources put Ryan's price at $3 [million] to $5 million per year as a broadcaster, and it may only be a one-year rental in the end. People in Markman's position have a very tricky proposition. While Ryan could be an entertaining and valuable hire, he's unlikely to stay in television for long given he's just 51 years old and says he wants to coach again.

Anybody who has followed the Jets even a little bit since Ryan took over in 2009 knows that he is not shy about showing his true, goofy colors in public.

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Just this year alone, Ryan switched places with reporters during a training camp press conference, and then did it again later in camp. During the season, Ryan hopped into a conference call with Jets writers and Bills receiver Sammy Watkins, to say hello to Watkins and joke with him a little bit.

Ryan also delivered several bold Super Bowl guarantees during his tenure with the Jets -- as well as preseason predictions that the Jets' defense would finish in the top five in the NFL.

If he can be this colorful and candid on TV, he will be fun to watch, even if it is only for one season.

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Jets release linebacker Antwan Barnes, sign Wayne native Chris Pantale off practice squad (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/jets_release_linebacker_antwan_barnes_sign_wayne_native_chris_pantale_off_practice_squad.html

Jets head coach Rex Ryan said last week that rookie outside linebacker I.K. Enemkpali would get more reps as the final few weeks of this forgettable season play themselves out. The path has now been cleared for that to happen.

The Jets on Monday morning announced that backup outside linebacker Antwan Barnes had been released, and that his spot on the 53-man roster would be taken by tight end Chris Pantale, a Wayne native who had spent the entire season on the practice squad.

Barnes missed this season's first six games while still recovering from a knee injury sustained in October 2013. He didn't seem to be the same player, and he only played a total of 50 snaps--including just one last week against the Bills--in the five games since he came off the physically unable to perform list.

Enemkpali, a sixth-round draft pick, has been inactive for most of the season, though he did play six snaps against the Chargers back in October. Ryan last week said several young players would see more playing time in the final five weeks, and he specifically mentioned Enemkpali as one such player.

Pantale, a 2013 undrafted free agent, had been on the Jets' active roster toward the end of his rookie season. He will replace rookie Jace Amaro, who will miss Monday night's game against the Dolphins because of a concussion.

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Jets-Miami Dolphins greetings from the press box. How will Geno Smith's return go? (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/jets-miami_dolphins_greetings_from_the_press_box_how_will_geno_smiths_return_go.html

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The last time the Jets' home crowd saw Geno Smith, he was throwing three first-quarter interceptions in a 43-23 loss to the Bills on Oct. 26.

Smith was yanked in favor of Michael Vick, who played all of the next two games, and then started a third straight game, last Monday against the Bills in Detroit.

But Vick struggled that night and Smith replaced him. Two days later, the Jets decided to reinsert Smith as the starter, to the surprise of their players.

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Monday night against the Dolphins, Smith gets another chance at playing in front of MetLife Stadium's fans, for what it is worth. The Jets' season is done. They are 2-9. They can't make the playoffs. Coach Rex Ryan is almost certainly going to get fired Dec. 29, the day after the season ends with a game in Miami.

Before then, the Jets have five games for Smith to take one last, desperate shot at showing he deserves to remain with the organization (and in contention for the starting quarterback job) past this season.

Smith did not turn the ball over against the Bills in Detroit. It was the first time he came off the bench in his career. In the first 24 starts of his career, concluding with the first Bills game, Smith committed 37 turnovers. In just five of those starts did Smith commit zero turnovers.

So his first turnover Monday against Miami, if it indeed happens, will be met with plenty of groans and boos from a crowd that thought it might never again see him in a Jets uniform.

What we're seeing: Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (toe) and rookie tight end Jace Amaro (concussion) are both sidelined for this game. Wilkerson, the Jets' best player, had never missed a game in his career, which began in 2011.

With Wilkerson sidelined, the Jets will move rush outside linebacker Quinton Coples to Wilkerson's spot. That means more playing time for backup rush linebacker Jason Babin, a situational pass rusher who might have to play more against the run Monday.

Amaro being out could mean more action for Zach Sudfeld, who has just one catch (on three targets) for 15 yards this season.

At halftime of Monday night's game, wide receiver Wayne Chrebet and late owner Leon Hess will be inducted into the Jets' Ring of Honor.

A bunch of other former Jets players will be in the house Monday night for the Ring of Honor ceremony.

Weather: Temperatures are forecast to be in the low 40s, and there is a 25 percent chance of rain. About two hours before kickoff, it is raining at MetLife Stadium.

What you need to know:

• Robert Griffin III and the Jets: Could it happen next year?

• 10 Jets players involved in charities or community outreach

• Former Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet on concussions: 'The damage is done'

• Rex Ryan can't bring himself to say Geno Smith gives Jets best chance to win

• Michael Vick supportive of Jets' decision to bench him for Geno Smith

• Jets players surprised the team benched quarterback Michael Vick for Geno Smith

• Former receiver Wayne Chrebet says some Jets might 'go through the motions' late in lost season

• Rex Ryan announces Jets will start Geno Smith at quarterback over Michael Vick vs. Miami Dolphins

• This Rex Ryan quote shows he knows his time is running out with the Jets

What's to come: Dolphins at Jets, 8:30 p.m. (EST). Like all Monday Night Football games, this one will air on ESPN, with the usual suspects working the broadcast: Mike Tirico on play-by-play, Jon Gruden on color analysis and Lisa Salters reporting from the sidelines. This is the Jets' second ESPN Monday Night Football game of the season. In Week 3, they lost at home to the Bears. They also played a rescheduled Monday night game last week against the Bills in Detroit, because of the Buffalo snowstorm.

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Miami Dolphins 16, Jets 13: The good, the bad and the ugly as Jets and their special teams wilt at the end (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/jets_x_miami_dolphins_x_the_good_the_bad_and_the_ugly.html

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The Jets and Dolphins didn't exactly put together a football masterpiece Monday night. But in a strange way, this mess actually ended up having a bit of drama at the end.

The Jets tried and tried all night to win the game despite letting quarterback Geno Smith do pretty much nothing. And they almost did win.

But after the Jets' usually reliable kicker, Nick Folk, missed his second field goal attempt of the evening, with 5:42 left, the Dolphins drove down the field and got a successful 26-yard chip shot from Caleb Sturgis.

Dolphins 16, Jets 13.

That was the final, after Smith threw an interception to finish the game.

The Jets scored exactly three points after the 12:01 mark of the second quarter. That pretty well sums up this miserable season for the Jets' offense.

The Jets are now 2-10. At some point, you'd think, they will try to get an actual read on Smith in these final four games. Or maybe they've seen enough of him already.

Either way, here's a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the opening game of a December in which the Jets are playing out (running out?) the string, and playing (presumably) to assess for the future:

THE GOOD

The Jets ran all over the Dolphins in the first half, as the Jets took Smith's arm out of the game. (They are trying to determine his capabilities as an NFL quarterback in these final weeks, aren't they?) In the first half, the Jets ran 29 times for 210 yards. Smith was 3-of-6 passing for 22 yards. Miami hadn't allowed more than 201 rushing yards in any game this season. The Dolphins entered Monday 10th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, and 13th in yards per carry allowed. At one point, the Jets ran the ball 22 times in the span of 23 plays. Running back Chris Johnson looked especially sharp, carrying 11 times for 85 yards, with a nifty, juking gain of 47 yards. Here were the eye-popping final totals: The Jets ran 49 times for 277 yards (5.7 per carry), while Smith completed 7 of 13 passes for 65 yards, no touchdowns and the pick at the end. Smith was sacked twice. Johnson carried 17 times for 105 yards -- the Jets' leading rusher on a night when they leaned heavily on running.

THE BAD

The Jets had a chance to go into halftime up 10-0, or maybe 13-0. Even after Nick Folk missed a 48-yard field goal on the Jets' final possession of the half, the Jets had the Dolphins right where they wanted them. It was second-and-5 from the Jets' 45-yard line. Ryan Tannehill threw a short pass to his left, for wide receiver Mike Wallace. The ball hit strong-side linebacker Calvin Pace in the hands with 1:10 remaining in the half. And then it fell to the turf. Pace's botched easy interception -- something the Jets have seen several times from a range of players this season -- allowed Miami to sustain this drive, which ended in a 43-yard field goal. It was Jets 10, Dolphins 3 at the half.

THE UGLY

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The Jets' special teams were a complete mess. With 5:42 remaining in the game and the score tied at 13, Folk was wide left from 45 yards. He connected earlier from 40 and 45. Entering Monday, Folk was 18 of 20 this season. Two misses in the first 11 games. Then two misses on Monday night, in a tight game. The Jets also had a punt blocked Monday for the second straight week. It led to no points, though. In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins tied the game at 13 on a 39-yard touchdown drive. They got good field position because Saalim Hakim was called for holding on the 45-yard punt that began this Miami drive.

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Jets don't let Geno Smith throw the ball, still lose to Miami Dolphins | Instant analysis (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/jets_dont_let_geno_smith_throw_the_ball_still_lose_to_miami_dolphins_instant_analysis.html

EAST RUTHERFORD — The Jets lost to the Dolphins, 16-13, on Monday night, But they may have finally solved Geno Smith's turnover problem. By having him hand the ball off as much as possible.

With Smith back under center to start a game for the first time in more than a month, the Jets decided to run the ball. And run the ball and run the ball and run the ball. At one point in the first half, the Jets pounded the ball on 22 of 23 plays. As late as the two minute warning in the fourth quarter, Smith had thrown eight passes total, completing four. For 42 yards. The Jets' run-pass ratio at that point was six to one—six to one!—which I don't think has happened since the leather-helmet era. It was so odd the Jets even had Smith hand off on third-and-10 from their own 5-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Strange way to try to evaluate Smith in these final five weeks of the season. But that's what you get with a quarterback who had turned the ball over in 19 of his previous 24 NFL starts. And it almost worked!

The Jets rushed for 277 yards on 49 carries, with Chris Johnson piling up 105 yards on 17 carries and Chris Ivory getting 62 yards on 16 carries. But 210 of those rushing yards came in the first half. At some point, though, they needed a quarterback to make a play. Which meant Smith had to sometimes throw the ball. That's the part didn't work.

• What else did Smith do? Well, he overthrew a wide open Percy Harvin on a would-be touchdown in the first half, missed Harvin on a third-down screen pass in the third quarter, took one sack that knocked them out of field goal range, and another for an eight-yard loss just after the Jets had driven to the Dolphins' 18. And of course the field goal that followed that second sack was no good. Smith finished 7 of 13 for 65 yards, plus those two sacks. He did have a botched handoff that the Jets recovered. And he finally threw a pick with 34 seconds left in the game. It had to end that way, didn't it?

• The defense was pretty good. Well, right up until they weren't anyway. The Jets held the Dolphins to just 125 total yards in the first half, and they kept them out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. But a bad punt (see below) led to the game-tying touchdown, and a missed field goal was followed by a 57-yard Dolphins drive that resulted in Caleb Sturgis's 26-yard game-winner with exactly two minutes left.

• A turnover! No, really. The Jets' defense came up with one! After cornerback Darrin Walls and linebacker Calvin Pace dropped potential interceptions in the first half, Walls came up with a pick late in the third quarter after a pass bounced off running back Lamar Miller's fingertips. It was just the eighth takeaway this season—and fourth interception—for the Jets. They're now even with the Raiders and Chiefs, respectively, for last in the league in turnovers and picks forced this year. You really had to see it to believe it. This being the Jets, they took over on the Dolphins' 30 and promptly failed to score after Smith took a sack on third down to knock them out of field-goal range.

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• Safety rotation. The Jets announced before the game that rookie Calvin Pryor would start in place of Dawan Landry. Guess they were kidding. Landry and Jaiquwan Jarrett started the game, but the two of them rotated with Pryor throughout the game. The one safety who didn't appear to get into the game was Antonio Allen, who has spent the season seasawing back and forth between safety and corner, an experiment that mercifully has been put to rest.

• Not so special teams. Excuse the cliche. But the special teams units did not have a good night. They were whistled for four penalties—two on Saalim Hakim, one on I.K. Enemkpali, one on Nick Bellore—they had a punt partially blocked—after having one blocked for a touchdown last week—and kicker Nick Folk missed field goals from 48 and 45 yards out, just his third and fourth misses of the season in 24 attempts. And early in the fourth quarter, punter Ryan Quigley bounced a 45-yard punt out of bounds from his own end zone, setting the Dolphins up with great field position. Plus, the Dolphins got to start at the Jets' 39 because of the second of Hakim's penalties. They were in the end zone six plays later to tie the game.

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Jets prove they can lose without a quarterback, too, in silly Monday night performance | Politi (Steve Politi) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/geno_smith_jets_column_dolphins.html

EAST RUTHERFORD — Maybe it was a stroke of brilliance. The Jets are in this mess, playing out the string in another lost season, because they don't have a decent quarterback. So what did they do on Monday night?

They played like they didn't have one at all!

Some teams prefer the no-huddle offense. The Jets unveiled the no-QB offense to a national TV audience. It started when they didn't introduce Geno Smith to the MetLife Stadium crowd during pregame introductions and continued during the game when they employed a strategy that suggested they hadn't introduced him to his wide receivers, either.

He handed the ball off to his left. He handed the ball off to his right. He faked an inside handoff — oooh the trickery! — and then handed off on the reverse. He handed off to eight different players, and that doesn't include the time he handed off to no one and fumbled, just to show he was in midseason form.

The Jets ran the ball on 22 of 23 plays during one remarkable first-half stretch in this 16-13 loss to the Dolphins, all but slipping on leather helmets and switching to the Wing T in the process. Then, on that fateful 24th play, they reminded you why: Smith had a wide-open Percy Harvin for what should have been a 30-yard touchdown pass ... and overthrew him by three yards.

So they ran and ran and ran some more, and with some fine defense against the Miami Dolphins, it was almost good enough. Alas, the Dolphins — the innovative bunch that they are — actually completed a forward pass on a fourth-quarter scoring drive to give them the victory in the kind of game that might compel ESPN to drop the NFL altogether and bring back the strongest man competition.

Because you really did have to wonder: What is the point of giving Smith this five-game audition to end the season if you're not going to let him actually, you know, throw the football?

Then again, what more do the 2-10 Jets really need to see? They can't draw any conclusions based on these final five games that would lead them to discard his results over his first 25 in his career, in which he completed just 56.4 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and 31 interceptions.

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Ryan went with Smith because he's a better option for next season than Michael Vick, who — despite fan and media outrage — was no better this season and is 10 years older. But the long-term solution for this team is not on the roster, and until the Jets don't have a franchise quarterback, they don't have a chance.

They need to draft one. If they can move up in the draft and steal Oregon star Marcus Mariota, it's a no brainer. If they have to stay put — and they'd be drafting fifth overall in the first round if the season ended today — and Jameis Winston is available, they should roll the dice and take him.

Yes, Winston has character concerns. He's also 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, and has put together one of the best college careers for a quarterback in a generation at Florida State. He's worth the risk.

We know this: The Jets aren't willing to risk a crossing pattern with Smith any more, much less another season. Smith was 4 of 8 for 42 yards with two minutes to go, dropping back to throw 10 times and still managed to get sacked twice — both times likely costing the Jets a field goal.

"It has zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterbacks," head coach Rex Ryan said. "We did what we thought gave us the best chance to win the football game."

Of course, if a coach thinks throwing 13 passes for 65 yards gives you the best chance to win, he doesn't have to say much more about the quarterback — especially in an era when a 4,000 passing yards in a season has become ordinary. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady combined to throw 73 passes in their marquee matchup this weekend, and that was still 20 fewer than Matt Stafford and Jay Cutler threw in their game.

The Jets didn't even try a play-action pass late in the game when the Dolphins were stacking everyone but Don Shula in the box to stop the run, because, Ryan said, "I thought we had the game under control."

Then, of course, it wasn't. The Dolphins went ahead with a field goal, and a rusty Smith — "You'd love to get into a rhythm," he admitted — had no choice but to throw. Predictably, he promptly threw an off-target throw that hit a defender before becoming a game-ending interception.

Maybe the Jets were onto something with this no-quarterback thing after all.

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Rex Ryan despondent after latest Jets loss: 'Man, I can't believe we're 2-10. Joke.' (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/rex_ryan_despondent_after_latest_jets_loss_man_i_cant_believe_were_2-10_joke.html

EAST RUTHERFORD — Rex Ryan has shown all sorts of frustrated emotions after Jets defeats in this most awful of seasons, but until Monday night, he hadn't been as beaten down as he looked after their 16-13 loss to the Dolphins.

"I feel sick," Ryan, the Jets' head coach said, his head bowed. "We played great for the most part in a lot of areas. Man, I don't know. But we can't buy a win."

The Jets have tried everything to get a win this season. Monday night, they attempted to set the sport back 70 years by repeatedly running the football: 49 times for 277 yards. But 210 of those yards came before halftime; the Jets even continued with the strategy after the Dolphins put everyone but their mascot along the line of scrimmage in the second half. It still didn't matter.

The Jets led 10-0 until the very end of the first half. They were up 13-6 with less than 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Their defense held the Dolphins to fewer than 300 total yards. But the special teams

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screw-ups—four penalties, a Ryan Quigley punt out of bounds from out of their own end zone, a blocked punt for the second straight week, two missed field goals by the usually sure-footed Nick Folk—added up to more of the same.

"That's usually one of the strengths of our team," Ryan said.

Because of injuries, the Dolphins were forced to start a third-string cornerback in R.J. Stanford. Yet the Jets never really tested him. Geno Smith, their starting quarterback, had attempted just eight passes until the game's final two minutes, when he threw five more, including an interception.

Ryan insisted that having Smith hand the ball to someone nearly 50 times wasn't indicative of a lack of trust. The run-only game plan did work for much of the game. But it was difficult to buy what Ryan was selling.

"We thought we had the game in control," said Ryan, who likely will be out of a job once this disaster of a season ends in another four weeks. "That team really rushes the passer well."

Ryan then took a question about how well running backs Chris Johnson (17 carries, 105 yards) and Chris Ivory (16 carries, 62 yards) played. He stopped himself before finishing with his answer.

"Man," Ryan said. "I can't believe we're 2-10. Joke."

He was asked what he tried to tell the team after this one, as though it might have been anything different than what he said after any of the nine other ones. He needed a moment to think about his answer.

"Everybody in there is hurting," Ryan said. "They're hurting for each other, they're hurting for our fans. We'd do anything for a win, and I've said it before. Just wasn't meant to be, I guess."

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Eric Decker after Jets ditch passing game vs. Miami Dolphins: 'I'd like to get some more touches' (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/eric_decker_after_jets_ditch_passing_game_vs_miami_dolphins_selfishly_yes_obviously_id_like_to_get_s.html

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The wide receiver who got $15 million guaranteed from the Jets in the offseason stood at his locker late Monday night, pondering the mess he now finds himself in, as an underused target on a terrible team.

Eric Decker caught two passes for 18 yards in the Jets' 16-13 loss Monday to the Dolphins. His quarterback, Geno Smith, threw just 13 times. Smith completed seven passes for 65 yards. Two other times, he tried to pass and was sacked.

The Jets (2-10) ran the ball 49 times -- more than 12 times as often as they targeted Decker, their best receiver. Smith threw to him four total times. One incomplete pass to Decker went off his hands on the game's first drive -- a clear drop. On the next play, another ball sailed high, glancing off his hands, but obviously an errant throw.

In the second half, when the Dolphins stacked the box to stop the Jets' running game -- following 29 first-half rushes by the Jets -- Decker was a total non-factor in the passing game. Smith targeted him once, and completed the pass for 11 yards. That was it.

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"Would we like to pass the ball more as receivers?" Decker said. "Selfishly, yes, obviously I'd like to get some more touches. Every receiver would like to get more touches. But our job is to do what the play is called and just be ready.

"In those situations (when opponents stack the box), you salivate as receivers to get those one-on-one opportunities, to go downfield and make a play and make them back off a little bit so you can continue the running game. You've got to have that complementary passing game with the way we're running. As receivers, you selfishly want those chances. We didn't get as many as maybe we thought we wanted. That's the coordinator seeing the game and trying to call the best game he can."

The Jets clearly lack that complementary passing game. They have very little chance of establishing a thorough offensive identity until they get a new quarterback (and coaching staff) in the offseason. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg took the ball out of Smith's hands Monday. While the Jets almost won, this is not a recipe for consistent success in today's NFL. At some point, you need to throw effectively to score points.

"One hundred percent, I agree," Decker said. "The way we run the ball, you've got to get some play-action stuff off it, especially (when) they're all committing to the run. We've got to hit more of those plays, maybe get more of those chances. I'm not the coordinator. I'm not the guy in charge. He's going to call the way he sees the game. But you'd think the way we run the football, yes, we've got to still have a good passing game to be successful and to win."

It's no wonder that, with the Jets' passing game terrible yet again this season, Decker's wife, the country pop singer Jessie James Decker, told a New York City radio station that Decker has seemed "depressed" when he comes home this season.

"That's obviously dramatized," Decker said of the "depressed" description. "But it's hard. I will say that going home is a little tougher. I've got to do a better job of balancing those things. I'm a competitor and I want to win and I came here to win. Losing sucks, period. No one wants to lose. And if you're OK with losing, if you go home and you're fine with losing, then there's something wrong inside of you. This game, you only get so many years to play. I would enjoy getting another shot at making a run, and having that success. I'm not saying we're far off at all."

They're not?

With Smith starting again Monday, Decker found himself waiting and waiting to contribute in the passing game, even though he knew entering the game that the Jets planned to commit to the run.

Jets fans, too, are waiting and waiting for the Decker they wanted to materialize. After thriving for the past two seasons with quarterback Peyton Manning in Denver, and playing in the Super Bowl last year, Decker faded this year.

He has a nine-catch game, and a seven-catch game, but those are his high-water marks. He began Monday 49th in the NFL in catches and 65th in receiving yards. In the past three games combined, he has nine catches. It doesn't help that the Jets lack a franchise quarterback, and frequently struggle with pass protection.

"It's an ongoing adjustment," Decker said when asked if he's been utilized enough this year. "Marty's been trying to do the best job that he can to find an identity. That's really in the running game, and trying to complement with passing plays. The bottom line is, for me, I got some early shots (Monday) and should've made more plays early and maybe we would've had a better rhythm throughout the game."

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Decker understood when he signed a five-year, $36.25 million contract with the Jets that this was more of a run-oriented team than the Broncos -- and that Smith had yet to prove himself as a capable NFL quarterback.

"The philosophy offensively is different, and I knew that coming in," Decker said. "That was an adjustment I was OK making. Whether we don't throw the ball as much or we run different routes or we do different things, my job as a professional is to become the best at what we do here, and not think, 'OK, what did I do well last year?' I feel like I'm a good route runner and it's something that I want to be able to do. I get my opportunities here. You've just got to make some more plays.

"I don't second-guess my choices at all. The New York Jets wanted me to come here, and Denver didn't. I was excited about coming here, and I wouldn't do anything differently."

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Geno Smith explains why he wasn't introduced with Jets' starting offense (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/geno_smith_explains_why_he_wasnt_introduced_with_rest_of_jets_starting_offense_before_miami_dolphins.html

EAST RUTHERFORD — Before Monday night's 16-13 loss to the Dolphins, as the Jets made their way onto the field, they introduced the starting offense to the sparse, late-arriving crowd at MetLife Stadium.

Only Geno Smith, back as the starting quarterback after three games on the bench behind Michael Vick, wasn't among those to have his name called as he exited the locker room. Smith instead ran onto the field with the rest of his teammates.

It was ... peculiar, to say the least, especially because that Smith had gone 1-7 as the starter and turned it over 12 times in those eight games, all but extinguishing whatever hope he might have had to establish himself as a franchise quarterback.

"I just wanted to run out with the team; I wanted to run out with the guys," Smith said. "That was my own decision."

Perhaps not coincidentally, the Jets then had Smith throw the ball just 13 times (against 49 team rushes), a disparity head coach Rex Ryan insisted had nothing to do with a lack of faith in Smith's ability.

Was Smith worried at all about the crowd reaction? Like, say, that he'd get booed?

"No, not at all," he said. "I wanted to run out with my guys. I wanted to watch my offensive line come out, and watch the rest of the guys come out, shake their hands, and be a part of the team. There was no direct reasoning for it. Just my decision."

OK, then.

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5 reasons the Jets should draft Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston despite the risk | Politi Bits (Steve Politi) NJ Advance Media December 1, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/5_reasons_the_jets_should_draft_jameis_winston_politi_bits.html

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EAST RUTHERFORD &;mdash About halfway through my column on the Jets' vain attempt to win an NFL game without anything resembling an NFL quarterback on Monday night, I wrote that they should draft Jameis Winston.

And, based on the immediate and passionate response on Twitter, I did what's known in our business as "burying the lead." A sample:

Some of the skepticism is understandable, given Winston's off-the-field troubles. But if they're not in a position to draft Oregon star Marcus Mariota — and they'd be fifth in the draft order if the season ended today — they should seriously consider the talented Florida State for several reasons.

1. He's really, really good. And even that's understating it. He is one of the best college quarterbacks in recent history, given Florida State's 23-game winning streak and his overall excellence during that span. One scout summed it to NFL.com this way: "From his outstanding arm strength, touch and accuracy to his impressive pocket awareness and anticipation, Winston possesses all of the traits to thrive in a pro-style offense. Additionally, he has enough athleticism to make plays on the run when the pocket collapses."

2. The Jets do not have a viable option on their roster. Do I even need to write this? Rex Ryan insisted the best strategy for the Jets against the Dolphins was running the ball like the 1980s Oklahoma Sooners, but it was impossible to spin it as anything as a lack of faith in Geno Smith. And who can blame him, given Smith's inaccuracy and propensity for turnovers in his first 26 games? Michael Vick, fading fast at 34, is not the answer, either.

3. The available veterans options are poor. Do the Jets really want to start over &mdash and that's what they're doing &mdash with a quarterback that failed someplace else? Like Brian Hoyer, who has lost his starting job in Cleveland? Or Jake Locker, who failed in Tennessee? Or even Robert Griffin III, who appeared to be a future star but now might be on his way out in Washington? Who else is there?

4. The Jets are boooooring. Don't think that doesn't matter to Woody Johnson, who had to have seen all those Dolphins fans and empty seats despite $11 tickets available on the secondary market. Winston would give long-suffering fans a reason to re-up their season tickets. And, unlike stunts like Tim Tebow, there's a chance it might actually work.

5. He's worth the risk. I'm not trying to dismiss the character issues the way some Florida State fans are quick to do. They're real, and they're a concern. But players overcome their college issues — look at Cam Newton, who was kicked out of Florida for stealing a laptop and was the central figure in a booster scandal at Auburn. The draft is all about measuring the good versus the bad, and it's hard to find anyone who thinks Winston's talent won't translate into a 10-year franchise quarterback. That's what the Jets need, more than a new head coach or general manager.

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NEW YORK POST

Jets won’t even give Geno a chance in another pitiful loss (Brian Costello) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/jets-wont-even-give-geno-a-chance-in-another-pitiful-loss/

The Jets introduced the offense to the small MetLife Stadium crowd before Monday night’s game with the Dolphins. They called 12 players’ names, but not Geno Smith’s.

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It seemed strange until the game started, and you realized the Jets decided to play without a quarterback. The Jets went run-crazy, barely letting Smith throw the ball in a 16-13 loss to the Dolphins that drops them to 2-10, their worst record since 2005.

Smith started this game after three on the bench, replacing Michael Vick as the starter. But instead of letting Smith throw the ball, the Jets offense resembled something from the Big 8 in the 1970s. They ran the ball 48 times and threw it just eight times before the final drive of the game, when they had to throw and finished the night with a 49-13 split.

They ran for a season-high 277 yards, and for three quarters it looked like it might actually work until Caleb Sturgis kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:57 left in the game to make it 16-13, Miami’s first lead of the game.

The loss was their second straight after a promising win against Pittsburgh last month. All that is left now is to figure out who will be fired at the end of the season and what draft pick the Jets will have in the spring.

“Football is a humbling game,” linebacker Calvin Pace said. “We keep clawing and clawing and it seems like the hole gets bigger and bigger.’’

The Dolphins entered the game as the No. 1 defense against the pass. Jets coach Rex Ryan saw that and decided he was not going to test them. Instead, the Jets returned to their Ground and Pound roots, with eight different people getting handoffs from Smith. Ryan refused to say the Jets went run-heavy because they have no confidence in Smith.

“It had zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterback,” Ryan said. “It had everything to do with us trying to win the game.”

Smith completed 4-of-8 for 42 yards before the final drive of the game when the Jets were trailing and had to throw. In that drive, he completed 3-of-4 for 25 yards before throwing an interception to Reshad Jones to end the game.

“I can’t tell you how hard it is for us to fall short after all we sacrifice every single week,” Smith said. “To fall short every week is gut wrenching, man. I can’t tell you how heartbroken I am right now.”

At one point the Jets ran 14 straight times and on 22 of 23 plays in the first half. Chris Johnson had a season-high 105 yards on 17 carries.

The win keeps the Dolphins in the middle of the playoff race at 7-5. Miami tied the game at 13-13 with 10:24 left in the fourth, when Lamar Miller scored on a 4-yard touchdown.

The Jets had a chance to take the lead, but the usually reliable Nick Folk missed a 45-yard field goal, his second miss of the night, with 5:46 to go. That gave the Dolphins the ball and they went 57 yards on nine plays, ending with the Sturgis field goal to take their first lead.

It did not take long to see what the Jets game plan was. They ran the ball 29 times for 210 yards in the first half, just eight shy of their season high for an entire game. Smith went 3-for-6 for 22 yards.

The Jets will look back on this game like most this season and see mistakes that cost them the game.

They had seven penalties, had a punt blocked, two missed field goals, a dropped interception by linebacker Calvin Pace and Smith missed a huge throw to Percy Harvin that could have been a touchdown. Smith was also sacked twice on third down that pushed them either out of field-goal range or made Folk’s attempt tougher.

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“I feel sick,” Ryan said. “Our guys … we played great for the most part in a lot of areas. Dang, we can’t buy a win.”

The three-point loss was a little easier to stomach for the Jets than last week’s 35-point blowout to the Bills, but at 2-10, no one is smiling.

“Damn, I can’t believe we’re 2-10,” Ryan said. “That’s a joke.”

The Jets are desperate for a win, but they have just four more chances at it.

“Everybody in there is hurting,” Ryan said of his locker room. “They’re hurting for each other. They’re hurting for our fans. We’d do anything for a win. It just wasn’t meant to be I guess.”

As for Smith not getting introduced before the game, it may have been a decision from a Jets executive to keep Smith from getting booed by the small crowd at MetLife Stadium. Smith said it was his call.

“I just wanted to run out with the team,” he said. “I wanted to run out with the guys. That was my own decision.”

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The one way Jets can win: Losing and drafting Mariota (Mike Vaccaro) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/the-one-way-jets-can-win-losing-and-drafting-mariota/

Well, then. THAT was close.

You could see thousands of Dolphins fans muttering that to themselves as they scaled the stands at MetLife Stadium in the moments after Miami came back on the Jets, winning 16-13 after losing for so much of the night. You never know so haggard a wretch as the fan who follows a borderline playoff team.

Especially in December.

Especially when they’re life-and-death with a lousy team.

But it wasn’t the Dolphins who survived the most intimidating gauntlet Monday night. Look, let’s be honest: if they make the playoffs, that’ll be a fine step forward for a team that has been spinning in place even longer than the Jets have.

And it will mean — what, exactly? A one-and-done on the road? An inevitable dismissal by the Patriots after a feel-good win or two? The Dolphins aren’t winning the Super Bowl this year. Even the most fervent Fish Fanatic already knows that.

But the Jets … the Jets are now, officially, the team with a real possibility here. By rights, there should be but one more winnable game on the schedule — Tennessee in two weeks. There should be a passing lane to 3-13 — or 2-14; that Titans game is on the road, after all.

So the vast minority of fans at Met Life who were rooting for the home team had a most uncomfortable three hours last night. They watched the Jets carry the ball in the first half like they were the ’72 Dolphins, like Csonka and Kiick, Butch and Sundance, were young and free and running roughshod.

They leapt ahead 10-0 and 13-6.

They were ruining EVERYTHING.

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“I feel sick for our guys, they played great for the most part in a lot of areas,” coach Rex Ryan said when it was over, and that was intended to shed some splendid aura on his team when in truth it nearly derailed what has to be the lone goal left in this HAZMAT zone of a season.

“I thought our game plan was good,” Ryan said. “We did what we wanted to have a chance to win the game.”

And to a man and woman, scattered throughout the stadium, planted in front of their television sets at home, Jets fans — to a man, to a woman — shrieked: “Why?”

This isn’t why we come to sports, of course. We come for the thrill of the games and we stay because we are addicted to winning — be it a fantasy-league team, a teaser ticket or the most basic pull of all, the old home team. Tanking is supposed to be anathema. What the Philadelphia 76ers are doing in the NBA is appalling in every way, a naked desire to lose as much as possible.

That’s different, though. The Sixers knew they were lousy, maybe historically so, at season’s start. The Jets actually believed they were a playoff team in August. They have actually TRIED to win every single game, including this game, which is equal parts admirable and pathetic, when you get right down to it. So they tried to beat the 2014 Dolphins the way the ’72 Dolphins would have. Student-body left. Student-body right. Inside. Outside. It looked like a game played on a fast-forward button.

“We’d do anything for a win,” Ryan lamented.

But what is well-established now is this: Try as they might, the Jets aren’t very good. And so there is an opportunity here. The Raiders are probably a lock for the No. 1 overall, and the Jets win — actually, lose — the tiebreaker with them thanks to Week 1. The Jaguars, Titans and Buccaneers are right there with two wins apiece, but the Jags and Titans have young, intriguing quarterbacks.

The Jets (like the Bucs) have no quarterbacks. In case we had missed that point, they gave Geno Smith a game plan in which he could have played left-handed. And there is one quarterback in college, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, who sure seems to be good enough to make all the losing worthwhile.

And he already looks good in green.

“I cant believe we’re 2-10,” Ryan said. “It’s a joke.”

Actually, it stopped being a joke weeks ago. They have already leapt into the abyss. They have to keep trying. They have to keep caring. Integrity really does matter. But that doesn’t mean their fans can’t dream. They want what’s best for their team, after all. And 2-14, at this point, is what’s best for their team.

“We can’t buy a win,” Ryan said.

And Jets fans sigh as one, to a man, to a woman: Here’s to no upcoming tag sales.

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Jets report card: The ‘F’ that cost them the game (Brian Costello) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/jets-report-card-the-f-that-cost-them-the-game/

Offense

The Jets went back to the ’70s with a run-heavy offense that rushed for 277 yards but passed for just 49. The plan looked like it might work for about three quarters, but the Jets’ lack of passing caught up to

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them. QB Geno Smith (7-of-13, 65 yards, 1 INT, 35.7 rating) had just eight pass attempts before the final drive when the Jets were trailing. RB Chris Johnson (17 rushes, 105 yards) had his best game as a Jet and led the way. The offensive line had a huge game opening up holes.

Grade: C

Defense

The Jets shut down a Dolphins offense for most of the night that had entered the game moving the ball. Miami struggled to get going for the first half, but had more success in the second and was able to march down the field when it mattered. QB Ryan Tannehill (25-of-35, 235 yards, 1 INT, 77.7 rating) did not have his best game. TE Dion Sims (4 catches, 58 yards) killed the Jets at the end of the game. CB Darrin Walls had a big interception that the Jets failed to turn into points.

Grade: B

Special teams

What has happened to this group? The usually reliable Nick Folk missed two field goals, including one late in the game that would have given the Jets the lead. Ryan Quigley had a punt blocked for the second straight week and the Jets had some huge penalties on punts.

Grade: F

Coaching

It was an interesting offensive game plan and it almost worked. Rex Ryan and Marty Mornhinweg get points for coming up with something different by attacking the Dolphins with the run. But at some point they had to mix some passing in to keep Miami honest and they never did. Ryan had the Jets ready to play after the embarrassing loss to the Bills last week and he deserves some credit for that.

Grade: C

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Just like with Sanchez, Jets’ kids gloves have ruined Geno (Steve Serby) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/just-like-with-sanchez-jets-kids-gloves-have-ruined-geno/

They may as well call him Ge-No Throw today, because in a league where the big boys drive Lamborghinis, Rex Ryan strapped Geno Smith into a horse and buggy and instructed him to arrive at the intersection of Ground and Pound.

This was a classic case of Ryan being more scared of his quarterback than the Dolphins were.

The Jets are ruining another young quarterback.

What was the point of all this?

Getting to 3-9 at all costs and blowing a higher draft pick in the process, and all the while learning nothing about the former Quarterback of the Future?

Ryan trotted out a game plan out of the ’60s, as if he were Vince Lombardi daring the Dolphins to stop the power sweep, or during the early years of Mark Sanchez, when he asked his young Sanchize to ride a Neanderthal running game and intimidating defense and try not to lose the game.

And here’s what it means:

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In Geno They Do Not Trust.

“We did what we thought gave us the best chance to win,” Ryan said.

Yeah, put Ge-No Throw in handcuffs.

It was a game plan you would have expected for Matt Simms. Hell, Tim Tebow could have executed it. Bubby Brister, too.

Try winning a game in this NFL when your quarterback is 7-for-13 for 65 yards.

Sure, the Jets had rushed for 210 of their 277 yards by halftime, and they would have kept running even if the Dolphins had decided to construct a Great Wall of China.

The Dolphins, even with a patchwork secondary, dared Smith to throw, and he wouldn’t.

“The game plan was working and we got to stick to it,” Smith said.

And so this is what we learned about Smith in his much-ballyhooed second chance as starter to prove that you can learn a lot by observing Michael Vick and grow into someone’s quarterback:

He has mastered the art of the handoff.

He is a good soldier when what the franchise needs is a good quarterback.

They had let him throw eight passes all night, and with the game on the line, they asked Smith, down a field goal, starting at his 20-yard line, 1:57 on the clock and two timeouts left, to go win the game.

Yeah, right.

Smith looked down the middle for Jeff Cumberland, watched Reshad Jones intercept off the arm of Jelani Jenkins — Dolphins 16, Jets 13.

“When the situation came for us to pass the ball and win the game, we fell short,” Smith said.

Well what the hell should anyone have expected?

“All quarterbacks do better when you’re in a good rhythm,” Smith said. “I stayed loose on the sideline because I knew at some point in time it was gonna take us passing the ball to win the game.”

Remember those color codes Ryan had for Sanchez? He had one for Smith — red. As in, “Throw the ball only in an emergency.”

The strategy had been working in part because Chris Johnson showed up with legs spry enough to uncork a 47-yard run in the first quarter, followed by a 14-yard burst up the middle, in part because the Dolphins defense seemed in shock that in this quarterback-driven NFL, Smith was being driven around MetLife Stadium.

Broadway Joe never had this problem, of course, but there was so much rust forming on Smith’s right arm that it should have come as no surprise that when he was finally forced to throw third-and-5 at the Miami 30, he overthrew an open Percy Harvin deep down the left sideline.

“Just missed that one by maybe an inch or so,” Smith said.

You began worrying about a rigor-mortis right arm for Smith when, on another third-and-5, he lofted a pretty touch pass to a wide-open Harvin in the left flat … but over his head.

Then it was third-and-10 at the Miami 30 following a Darrin Walls interception and yes, Smith dropped back to pass … and was sacked out of field-goal range.

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Which happened to him again third-and-7 from the Miami 19, and Nick Folk missed the 45-yard field goal that would have broken a 13-13 tie with 5:42 remaining.

“I think we took enough shots,” Ge-No Throw said.

The latest Monday Night Miracle from the Geno Smith Jets: the forward pass.

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Jets finally come to their senses — and still blow it (Mark Cannizzaro) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/jets-finally-come-to-their-senses-and-still-blow-it/

Rex Ryan might as well have stood atop the Empire State Building last week and broadcast the Jets game plan for Monday night’s game against the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.

“For our team to have success, we need to run the football,” the Jets coach said before the game. “Maybe other teams can throw it 50 times a game. That is not the blueprint for us. We want to run the ball. One thing we know we can do, we can run it against anybody.”

The Jets were going to run the ball and run it some more — damn the game circumstances, and damn offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg’s pass-happy game plans.

And so they did, rushing for 277 yards on 49 carries … but it all came in a heartbreaking 16-13 loss to the Dolphins.

“I believe we could have done that all season,’’ right guard Willie Colon said. “Give us the keys to the Cadillac and these are the results I know we can make. They [the coaches] put it on us. We’ve got the backs to do this and the offensive line to do this.

“We got after it. We just didn’t put enough points on the board and that’s what killed us.’’

By halftime, the Jets had rushed for 210 yards on 29 carries, a 7.2-yard average, while quarterback Geno Smith passed just six times and completed three for 22 yards.

Chris Johnson finished with 105 yards on 17 carries — both highs as a Jet. Chris Ivory finished with 62 yards on 16 carries.

Johnson, who has quietly called for more opportunities all season, called the game “the most fun I’ve had all year.’’

“I felt in a zone throughout the game,’’ Johnson said. “But at the end of the day it put a big damper on it because we didn’t win the game. We feel like we could have been doing this all year. But we’ve got to turn some of those three points [field goals] into six points [touchdowns].’’

The Jets did not score on their opening drive, but they set a tone, rushing for 131 yards in the first quarter.

On their second offensive possession, Johnson weaved his way 47 yards on his longest rushing attempt as a Jet and, moments later, little-used receiver Greg Salas gave the Jets a 7-0 lead on a 20-yard end-around run.

It was as if Ryan woke up last week and realized what the strength of his team’s moribund offense is running the ball. It was if he finally did the math:

•The Jets entered the game ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing offense with 136.5 yards per game and third in yards-per-carry average at 4.7 yards.

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•They have one of the worst quarterbacking tandems in the league with the combination of Smith and Michael Vick engineering the 32nd-ranked passing offense that averages 16 points per game.

• And yet, the Jets entered Monday night having passed the ball more often (374 times) than they’ve run it (321 times), which makes for a 54-to-46 pass-run ratio.

Not coincidentally, in both of the Jets wins this season entering Monday, they ran the ball more than they passed it. Monday night, the Jets ran it 48 times and passed it just 13.

Because they are the Jets and because this is the way this season has gone, Monday night turned out to be an agonizing exception.

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The downfall of Nick Folk: ‘Don’t think words can describe it’ (Mark Cannizzaro) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/the-downfall-of-nick-folk-dont-think-words-can-describe-it/

In a dark season marred with a myriad of poor plays and dubious moments for the Jets, their kicker, Nick Folk, had been one of the few bright spots for the star-crossed team.

Until Monday night.

Coach Rex Ryan has often referred to his kicker, who has been one of the most consistent and dependable in the league, and particularly clutch, as “Folk hero.’’

To Jets fans starved for a win, Monday night he became “Folk zero.’’

Folk missed two field goals in the Jets 16-13 loss to Miami, the second a 45-yarder that drifted wide left with 5:42 remaining in a 13-13 game. Earlier, with the Jets leading 10-0 and dominating the Dolphins, Folk was wide left on a 48-yarder in the second quarter.

Folk, who entered the game having been successful on 18-of-20 attempts this season, with one of the misses a blocked 58-yard desperation attempt in New England, was gutted afterward, saying he felt “terrible’’ and called the night “a rough one.’’

“Just one of those nights,’’ he said.

When the Jets got the ball back after Miami took the 16-13 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Miami kicker Caleb Sturgis with 1:57 remaining, Folk stood on the Jets sideline aching for another chance, a chance to redeem himself.

“I don’t think words can describe it,’’ Folk said. “I wanted another chance to get this team back to winning ways … give us a chance in overtime.’’

There, of course, would be no overtime as the Jets tumbled to 2-10, the second-worst record in the NFL.

Folk said on his first miss: “I just over-hit it. I just missed it. Second one … same thing. I have to go back and look at the film. I just didn’t hit them well.’’

His missed field goals only lowlighted what was a dismal performance by the Jets special teams, which lost the game. There were four special teams penalties and punter Ryan Quigley had a punt partially blocked that ended up going only 6 yards. It was the second game in a row the Jets have had a punt blocked.

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The many reasons it’s crazy for Jets to gamble on Harbaugh (Mike Vaccaro) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/the-many-reasons-its-crazy-for-jets-to-gamble-on-harbaugh/

This isn’t Bill Parcells, OK?

This isn’t Parcells, out of North Jersey, winner of two Super Bowl rings for the North Jersey Giants, making it known that he’d come back to coach the North Jersey Jets the last time the Jets hit rock bottom.

This is Jim Harbaugh, who has won some games for the San Francisco 49ers, who has gotten that storied franchise back to the brink of glory (though only to the brink), who has also taken part in a season-long soap opera in which it is clear he can no longer work for his bosses, who will likely be looking for a soft landing spot next year.

More power to him. If he can escape Silicon Valley and make a few bucks doing it, good for Harbaugh. But the Jets would be foolish to offer him the sun, the moon, and full control. They’d be nuts to offer up a draft pick in return, at a time when the Jets need all the picks they can muster to become relevant again as more than a late-night punch line.

This isn’t Parcells, with a résumé as long as the Hudson River, with ties to the area, whose Hall of Fame credentials were already in place when Leon Hess started wooing him. Heck, this isn’t even John Harbaugh, who is the member of the family who actually has a Super Bowl victory to his credit.

Jim Harbaugh? He’s a terrific coach. He has brought the 49ers to three straight NFC title games, and probably should have won all three (though he didn’t), who probably should’ve won that Super Bowl against his brother (though he didn’t), who will come neither cheap nor willing to work for anybody other than the famous guy in the glass that Parcells used to rhapsodize about.

And here’s a question for you:

We know two things about Harbaugh, based on his professional résumé: One, he is terrific coach, who has made the 49ers a proud team again, who is especially proficient at coaching the offensive side of the ball. And, two: He believes every one of the press clippings that have been written in the same vein as this paragraph. He is clearly not above chafing at authority.

Which would be more agreeable if he had a few Lombardi trophies to his credit — as Parcells did in 1997.

Here’s one thing we also absolutely do not know about Harbaugh: Whether he would have the first idea about being a personnel man, about being a GM, about running a draft and acquiring the kind of players necessary to make his genius X’s, O’s and squiggly lines take shape and form. Could he be good enough to be one of the few people who’ve ever been able to successfully do both?

Maybe. Maybe he is a burgeoning Belichick.

But it’s always useful to remember what Parcells looked like by the end of his time with the Jets, just how exhausted he was, how the jobs aged him. This was actually a guy who had every tool to make the “total control” gig work, and it nearly killed him.

Really, the ideal spot for Harbaugh is probably college — specifically at Michigan, his alma mater, where he would be coach, GM, emperor, cardinal — whatever he’d want to be. There’s no shame in that; ask Nick Saban. Maybe it’ll be enough to go to Oakland, try to stick it to his old team from across the Bay. He’ll have possibilities.

The Jets just shouldn’t be one of them.

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‘That was horrible': Jet blasts ref for devastating penalty (Brian Costello) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/that-was-horrible-jet-blasts-ref-for-devastating-penalty/

The Jets were hit with a huge penalty early in the fourth quarter Monday night that helped set up the Dolphins’ game-tying touchdown.

Saalim Hakim was flagged for holding on a Jets punt. Instead of getting the ball at midfield, the Dolphins got it at the Jets’ 39. Six plays later, Lamar Miller scored a 4-yard touchdown to tie the game 13-13.

It was an odd call because Hakim was the gunner on the play, the outside man that releases when the ball is snapped and is charged with getting to the punt returner. Why would a gunner hold?

“That was horrible,” Hakim said. “I don’t understand that.”

Hakim said he did not get an explanation from the officials.

“The dude tried to grab me and I just threw him,” Hakim said. “I’m the gunner. I have the right to get someone off me. I’ve never heard of holding on the gunner. The refs looked confused when they were out there trying to figure out what was going on.”

The play was just one of several costly special-teams blunders by the Jets, who had a punt blocked, missed two field goals and had four penalties on special teams — two on Hakim.

“They outplayed us on special teams and that was probably a big difference in the game,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said.

While the present is tough to stomach for Jets fans, the team gave a nod to its past Monday night, inducting former wide receiver Wayne Chrebet and former owner Leon Hess into the Ring of Honor.

In addition, the Jets brought out a number of alumni before the game, including Joe Namath, Curtis Martin and Don Maynard.

The Jets continued to rotate players at safety. Dawan Landry and Jaiquawn Jarrett started, but rookie Calvin Pryor played a nearly equal amount, rotating in for both players.

Ryan said he wanted to get a look at some of the younger players, so Pryor was removed from the doghouse.

Rookie linebackers IK Enemkpali and Trevor Reilly also saw more time than they had in previous games.

NT Kenrick Ellis recorded the first sack of his career. He was a third-round pick in 2011…

WR Greg Salas left the game with a hamstring injury after scoring a 20-yard touchdown in the first quarter…

The Jets cut LB Antwan Barnes on Monday afternoon and signed TE Chris Pantale off the practice squad. The Jets needed another tight end, as rookie Jace Amaro was inactive with a concussion…

Quinton Coples started at DE in place of Muhammad Wilkerson, who missed the game with a toe injury. Jason Babin started at OLB, where Coples usually plays…

CB Darrin Walls recorded his first interception as a Jet in the third quarter. It was the second of his career.

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For one night, Chris Johnson turns back the clock (Mark Cannizzaro) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/for-one-night-chris-johnson-turns-back-the-clock/

Hero

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sharp all game and led Miami to the game-winning field goal late in the fourth quarter. He finished 25-of-35 for 235 yards and threw an INT, though that was deflected by his own player trying to make a catch and tipping it to CB Darrin Walls. When it counted most, though, Tannehill was at his best, driving the Dolphins 57 yards on nine plays for the winning field goal.

Unsung hero

Jets running back Chris Johnson, in a losing cause, rushed for 105 yards on 17 carries — both season highs. His last 100-yard game came in the season finale last season, when he played for the Titans. Johnson’s highlight play was his season-best 47-yard run in the first quarter that led to the Jets only TD of the game.

Zero

Nick Folk missed two critical field goal attempts that cost the Jets the game. The first was a 48-yarder that missed just wide left in the second quarter with the Jets leading 10-0. The second and most damaging was a 45-yarder he missed wide left with the game tied 13-13 and 5:42 remaining in regulation. The 45-yarder Folk made that gave the Jets a 13-6 lead in the third quarter grazed off the crossbar and bounced over.

Key stat

203: Yard advantage on the ground for the Jets, who still managed to lose. The Jets rushed for the 277 yards on 49 carries and Miami had 74 yards on 18 carries.

Quote of the night

“Football is a humbling game. We keep clawing and clawing and it seems like the hole gets bigger and bigger.’’ — LB Calvin Pace

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The case for Jim Harbaugh, the man who’ll find the Jets a QB (Steve Serby) New York Post December 1, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/02/the-case-for-jim-harbaugh-the-man-wholl-find-the-jets-a-qb/

Once upon a time in Jets soap opera history, Leon Hess woke up, looked himself in the mirror and declared: “I’m 80 years old. I want results now.” And landed the biggest coaching fish in the waters off Long Island, The Tuna, Bill Parcells, to coach his Jets.

Now it is time for Woody Johnson, who began the 2014 season 67 years old and probably feels 80 at this point, to wake up, look himself in the mirror, and go get Jim Harbaugh after he thanks Rex Ryan for his six years and John Idzik for his two.

When this Jets season mercifully ends, Johnson will find his franchise bankrupt at the two most important positions in football: head coach and quarterback.

He kills two birds with one Harbaugh.

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He needs to make Harbaugh an offer he can’t refuse, so he can tell the Raiders: “Just Win, Baby” — with someone else.

Harbaugh would give the Jets what Ryan gave them when he first blew into town as Hurricane Rex — a forceful, fearless face of the franchise who offers hope.

Who would find the Jets a quarterback, and develop him.

It is risky business giving one man the keys to the kingdom — which would include Harbaugh hiring a front-office ally — but desperate times call for desperate measures, and in case you haven’t noticed the “Fire John Idzik” banners flying overhead, these are desperate times.

While I do have reservations about how Harbaugh’s legendary intensity might play in this market, I am now on board with the notion the reward outweighs the risk here.

Funny how wherever Harbaugh shows up, a good football team always shows up with him.

Spoiler alert: The Jets haven’t won a championship in almost 45 years, for crying out loud.

The press conferences would occasionally be awkward, given Harbaugh’s quirky personality, but he would approach every day with “an enthusiasm unknown to mankind,” and get his Jets playing that way immediately.

Harbaugh showing up in Bill Belichick’s backyard would absolutely get the Patriots coach’s attention, and even though Harbaugh would be unlikely to declare that he has no intentions of kissing Belichick’s rings, the postgame handshake would likely be a must-see event again. And it wouldn’t hurt to mention that Tom Brady will be 38 next season.

Ryan’s major failing these last four years was not getting the quarterback position right:

Ryan falls head over heels for Mark Sanchez … Ryan immediately gets to back-to-back AFC Championship games and is seduced into thinking that Sanchez, his dream quarterback for the next 10 years, was ready to carry the Jets on his shoulders … Ryan coddles Sanchez … gets Sanchez tattoo … gets him captain Santonio Holmes … Tony Sparano … Tim Tebow … Butt-fumble … Snoopy Bowl … and finally, Geno Smith.

The most urgent order of business is getting the quarterback position right and Harbaugh, a former quarterback, will get it right, the way he got it right with Colin Kaepernick. It took chutzpah to switch from Alex Smith to the young Kaepernick in the middle of a playoff race, but Harbaugh had the courage of his convictions and never wavered.

The dream scenario: Harbaugh and Marcus Mariota.

Jameis Winston? More background checks are needed. But if anyone can scare the kid straight, my money would be on Harbaugh.

Harbaugh would be inheriting young talent on defense, and oh by the way, if he wants a quality cornerback or two or three, he wouldn’t have to concern himself with a general manager whose plan includes sitting on more than $20 million in cap dollars.

To hook The Tuna in 1997, the Jets gave the Patriots their No. 1 pick in 1999 and a No. 2 in 1998 and a No. 3 and No. 4 in 1997, plus $300,000 to the Patriots’ charitable foundation. The Jets’ 2015 No. 1 draft choice is, of course, non-negotiable.

There’s your guideline, Woody. Now go get Harbaugh.

Harbaugh is likely to wear out his welcome, but by now I imagine that Joe Namath would sell his soul to the devil for at least three years of winning football.

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And I can also imagine what Jets fans might have been saying to themselves while watching Smith quarterback their team again Monday night against the Dolphins:

“Who’s got it better than us? EVERY-BODY!”

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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

NY Jets must stop running away from the ground game (Manish Mehta) New York Daily News December 1, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-jets-stop-running-ground-game-article-1.2028327

No single change would have magically turned the moth-ridden Jets into playoff contenders, but a firm offensive identity catered to their personnel sure would have helped avoid the season-long freefall.

The core principles of winning football will never change no matter how many defensive rules are relaxed to satiate the fantasy football heads populating the landscape these days. Quarterbacks, wide receivers and hybrid tight end/wide receivers might be all the rage, but a championship formula must include a consistent running mind-set that has been missing in Marty Mornhinweg’s offense this season.

Mornhinweg’s philosophy of generating points through the air early and achieving balance later in games to grind out the clock works with the proper personnel. The Jets’ personnel strength, however, called for some good ol’ fashioned physical football.

Mornhinweg’s shaky quarterback play coupled with a dearth of game-breakers at receiver and tight end has made it nearly impossible to execute his plan.

“For our team to have success, we need to run the football,” said Rex Ryan, whose 2-9 team will host the Dolphins (6-5) on Monday night. “Maybe other teams can throw it 50 times a game. That is not the blueprint for us.”

The Jets executed a run-first blueprint in a Week 7 loss in New England. A dominant performance by the offensive line helped Ryan’s team rush for a season-high 218 yards and control the clock for nearly 41 minutes. Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson each had season-highs in carries to set the tone and nearly pull off the upset. The formula took pressure off a defense with a suspect secondary. It seemed so simple.

The Jets have the fifth-ranked rushing attack and are tied for third in yards per carry, but they haven’t fully invested in the run-based approach this season. The Jets had more pass attempts than rushes in three of the four games following the 27-25 loss in Foxborough. The Jets only win during that stretch, predictably, came they had a 2-to-1 run-pass ratio against the Steelers in Week 10.

Ivory and Johnson totaled 34 carries in Week 7 against the Patriots. The tandem has averaged half that (17.5) in the past four games.

“I’m all about running the ball,” right guard Willie Colon said. “As an (offensive) line, it allows us to set the tempo, set the tone. If you stick with it and you’re consistent with it, it opens up the pass.”

The Jets have a 54-46 pass-run split this season. They’ve won two of the three games that included more runs than passes.

Ivory, a man of few words, summed it up best: “It’s important to do both.”

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Although quarterbacks are putting up record-setting passing numbers — 13 are on pace for at least 4,000 yards — the harsh November and December weather makes it impossible to ignore the run game. Even the high-flying Broncos realized that, rushing for 201 yards to beat the Dolphins in Week 12.

Simply put, the league’s best teams have balance.

Jets OC Marty Mornhinweg (l.) doesn't have the talent around him to implement his air-heavy offense.

Chip Kelly’s high-octane offense in Philly gashed the Cowboys for 256 rushing yards on Thanksgiving.

Dallas’ offensive line has rushing leader DeMarco Murray on a record-setting pace. Three AFC North teams jockeying for playoff spots (Bengals, Ravens, Steelers) are run-centric offenses. The Chiefs are built around Jamaal Charles. The Patriots have turned a no-name (Jonas Gray) and castoff (LeGarrette Blount) into integral pieces.

The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks have found their way again thanks to running everything through Marshawn Lynch.

The Jets haven’t been able to find their niche. Are they a running or a passing team?

“It changes from week to week…” Eric Decker said. “There’s no concrete identity. You got to do what the defense is giving you.”

That makes sense as long as you have the personnel to pull off the Belichickean routine from week to week. The Jets simply don’t have the players to be chameleons.

The Bills practically dared Ryan’s team to run the ball last Monday night by playing more Cover-2 than in the past. The light box should have led to a heavy dose of Ivory and Johnson, but the Jets had a 64-36 pass-run split in the first half.

“Looking back, sure we should run the ball,” Ryan said. “We want to run the ball. One thing we know we can do, we can run it against anybody.”

Geno Smith’s horrid play early on should have prompted an adjustment to better suit the personnel. Balance would have relieved some of the pressure off the erratic young quarterback.

The Jets just don’t have enough talent in key areas to consistently air it out.

They’ve never found an offensive identity during this lost season.

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NY Giants and NY Jets could battle for 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh (Gary Myers) New York Daily News December 1, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/myers-giants-jets-battle-jim-harbaugh-article-1.2029791\

The Giants are agonizing over what to do about Tom Coughlin while it appears the Jets can’t wait to tell Rex Ryan — and maybe John Idzik — thanks for the memories and hand in your playbook.

As this dreadful New York football season mercifully reaches December and approaches the finish line, the Giants and Jets could actually come to the same conclusion: Go get Jim Harbaugh.

And won’t that be fun?

Khaki pants go just fine with blue or green.

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This could be the first time since 1997 the Giants and Jets will be in the coaching market together. Back then, the Giants seriously flirted with the idea of bringing back Bill Parcells once it became clear he was leaving the Patriots in a nasty divorce from Robert Kraft. There was a split in the organization — the George Young faction won out and kept Parcells out — and the Jets got him without any competition but with lots of compensation. The Giants hired Jim Fassel after Nick Saban turned them down.

The Jets are keeping a close watch on the Harbaugh developments, and are expected to want in on the Harbaugh Sweepstakes. One other hot bit of speculation regardless of what happens with Harbaugh: Woody Johnson is giving serious consideration to blowing the whole thing up and starting over, which means Idzik goes, too.

Harbaugh is a cutting edge offensive coach who has created friction in the 49ers front office with his intensity and personality. Earlier this season, there were reports he lost the locker room. The 49ers nearly traded Harbaugh to the Browns last offseason, but the deal fell apart.

Now the 49ers could again attempt to trade Harbaugh rather than firing him and being on the hook for all or part of the $5 million he is owed in the last year of his five-year $25 million contract.

If the 49ers find a team willing to deal for Harbaugh, he would also have to sign off on it, and if that team agrees to give up a draft choice, they obviously are going to want to sign him to a long-term contract. Raiders owner Mark Davis’ first preference is talking former Oakland coach Jon Gruden back to the sidelines, but if he fails, he is expected to pursue Harbaugh. But would the 49ers trade him to their Bay Area rival? There’s indications Harbaugh wants to stay in California, which puts Oakland in the unusual position of being the favorites.

Harbaugh can make the cleanest break by returning to Ann Arbor to coach Michigan, his alma mater, where he is beloved. He is a former Wolverines QB and can get the storied program turned around. Michigan is expected to fire Brady Hoke after a 5-7 season filled with turmoil.

Jets owner Woody Johnson loves to make a splash and will likely be in on the Harbaugh Sweepstakes.

After battling with 49ers general manager Trent Baalke — a Parcells protégé who worked for him with the Jets from 1998-2000 — Harbaugh likely will want total control if stays in the NFL. He could bring in Tom Gamble, a former 49ers executive who now works for the Eagles, to run the personnel side for him. Gamble was among the candidates who interviewed for the Jets GM job after the 2012 season.

How would Harbaugh play in New York?

“He’s got a strong personality and is very difficult to get along with day-to-day,” one personnel director said Monday. “He’s got a temper, has outbursts. He’s just abrasive.”

He sounds perfect for New York.

Harbaugh might only have a short shelf life wherever he coaches, but he wins. The 49ers made it to three NFC title games, and one Super Bowl, in his first three seasons.

They are struggling at 7-5 now and fighting to make the playoffs.

Whether Johnson fires Ryan or dumps Ryan and Idzik, he’s not expected to use an executive search firm again as he did with Idzik. He’s not the first owner to use a search firm, but it shows he needs to develop better contacts in the league to uncover front office and coaching talent. If Johnson goes after Harbaugh, it means he’s given up on Idzik after just two seasons.

I’m hearing Johnson is likely to bring aboard a consultant during the hiring process. There are three obvious candidates: Parcells, former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi and former Bills, Panthers and Colts GM Bill Polian.

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The Jets are familiar with Harbaugh. Former GM Mike Tannenbaum interviewed him in 2009 before he hired Ryan.

Giants owner John Mara must make a tough decision on what to do with Tom Coughlin before he decides if he wants to get into the bidding for Harbaugh.

If the Giants want Harbaugh, he must be flexible on his organizational structure model, because John Mara will never give a coach total control. The personalities of the Giants organization and Harbaugh’s might not be a match, but he is such a good coach, he’s worth pursuing.

As far as the 49ers getting a draft choice for Harbaugh?

Good luck.

It’s no secret they want him out, which doesn’t leave them with a lot of leverage unless they can create a bidding war. “I ain’t giving up a pick for a coach,” the personnel director said. “They want him gone. So you are in the driver’s seat. I don’t think you will find many teams willing to give up a draft choice. I would play it hard.”

I don’t see the Giants ever giving up a draft pick for Harbaugh. The Jets, of course, are run differently. In order to make a splash and to guarantee getting him, I could see Johnson giving up anywhere from a second- to fourth-round pick. But that only happens, of course, if Harbaugh wants to take over the Jets mess.

The Jets surrendered picks in the first four rounds, spread over three years, to get Parcells out of New England. The Bucs gave up two No. 1s, two No. 2s and $8 million in 2002 to the Raiders for Gruden, who won the Super Bowl in his first year. The Jets traded Herm Edwards to the Chiefs in 2006 for a fourth-round pick.

Harbaugh was the hottest coaching candidate of all time in 2011. The 49ers, Broncos, Dolphins and Raiders wanted him. Stanford wanted him to stay. Michigan wanted him to come home.

He chose the 49ers.

He may have as many choices this time, too, and it may include buying green or blue long sleeve shirts to go with those khakis.

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Jessie James Decker says Eric Decker is 'depressed' over NY Jets losses (Justin Tasch) New York Daily News December 1, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/eric-decker-depressed-losses-wife-article-1.2029817

Jessie James Decker is going to have to keep a close eye on her husband after yet another Jets loss.

The country music star said in a radio interview with 95.5 WPLJ that Jets wide receiver Eric Decker has taken all of the Jets losses so hard that he comes home “depressed.”

“It’s been a really hard season,” James Decker told the station, via TMZ. “He’s been, I don’t want to say depressed, but he’s been depressed. He has been. It’s been really hard and my heart breaks for him.”

After losses, she says Eric comes home looking to be alone and tells her: “Don’t talk to me.”

“He’s so talented and so good at what he does, and I think he’s not able to really show his ability right now and he’s getting a lot of doubters, and that hurts him,” she said. “He loves football more than

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anything. He is, I can say obsessed. He is obsessed with football. This is his life and he loves it so much. And so it is hard for him.”

After the Jets’ 16-13 loss Monday night, which brought them to 2-10, the wideout said his wife’s story may have been “dramatized,” but he did say it’s been difficult going home after each mounting defeat.

“Losing sucks, period,” Decker said. “Nobody wants to lose, and if you’re OK with losing, if you’re going home and you’re fine with losing, there’s something wrong inside of you. This game, you only get so many years to play and I would enjoy getting another shot of making a run and having that success.”

Decker had just two catches on a team-high four targets for 18 yards as the Jets went run-heavy all night until the final drive. He’s caught 49 passes for 531 yards and four touchdowns in his first season with the Jets after leaving the Denver Broncos to sign a five-year, $36.25 million deal in the offseason.

Meanwhile, Decker’s former team is thriving at 9-3, tied for the best record in the NFL. He maintains that he hasn’t thought about what things would be like if he had stuck around with Denver instead of joining what has been a horrid Jets team this season, and that he came to New York to win.

“I don’t second-guess my choices at all,” he said. “The New York Jets wanted me to come here and Denver didn’t. I was excited about coming here and I wouldn’t do anything differently.”

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NY Jets kicker Nick Folk misses two field goals in 16-13 loss to Dolphins (Justin Tasch) New York Daily News December 1, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-insider-folk-kicker-misses-field-goals-article-1.2029833

On Monday night, he wasn’t such a Folk hero.

Jets kicker Nick Folk uncharacteristically went 2-for-4 on field-goal attempts, missing a crucial 45-yarder wide left with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter with the score tied. The Jets went on to lose 16-13.

“Just one of those nights,” said Folk, who added he felt “terrible.”

He also missed a 48-yarder in the second quarter which would’ve put the Jets up 13-0. Folk entered the game 18-for-20 on the season. Folk was hoping for one more chance as the Jets tried to mount a scoring drive at the end of the game.

“I don’t think words can describe it,” Folk said. “I want another chance to get this team back to winning ways.”

RING THE THING FOR CHREBET

The current Jets don’t give their fans much to cheer about, so one of the highlights of Monday night was the return of one of the stars of Gang Green past.

Wide receiver Wayne Chrebet was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor during halftime against the Dolphins. He thanked the fans – the few that actually showed up – and reveled in seeing No. 80 jerseys in the crowd.

“Nine years ago, I never thought I’d be on this field again,” Chrebet said during the ceremony.

Chrebet, who was an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra in 1995, ended his career with the second most receptions in franchise history with 580. He had 7,365 yards receiving and 41 touchdowns over 152 career games.

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“All I wanted to do was wear Jet green,” Chrebet said.

Former Jets owner Leon Hess was also inducted into the Ring of Honor.

CHEAP SEATS EVERYWHERE

A rainy Monday night home game for what was a 2-9 team entering Monday meant dirt-cheap tickets – by NFL standards – on the second-hand market.

There were plenty of deals to be had on StubHub leading up to kickoff. The cheapest ticket on the site 90 minutes before kickoff was listed at $16.65. There were 34 listings for tickets that cost less than $30, five of which were for tickets less than $20.

SALAS HURT

Wide receiver Greg Salas injured his hamstring on the same play he opened the scoring for the Jets, a 20-yard rushing touchdown in the middle of the first quarter. He was ruled out for the rest of the game during the second quarter.

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Rex Ryan calls NY Jets 2-10 record 'a joke' after loss to Dolphins, starting QB Geno Smith omitted from introductions (Seth Walder) New York Daily News December 1, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-fall-dolphins-geno-qb-don-throw-article-1.2029730

DOLPHINS 16, JETS 13

Rex Ryan was trying to hold back tears. He stood at the podium, dejected and lost, as he reflected on what will surely be his last season as a Jet, one that has long been in ruins. It looked like he was at his own funeral.

“I can’t believe we’re 2-10,” he said. “A joke.”

The Jets were in the game this time, but lost again, 16-13, to the Dolphins at MetLife on Monday night.

A victory wouldn’t have saved Ryan’s job. But it was a game, a game the Jets could have won. It could have been a brief respite from the pain the team has endured all season long. Instead, defeat. Again.

“It’s gut-wrenching,” said Geno Smith, who returned to the starting QB role but spent most of the night handing off the ball. “I can’t tell you how heartbroken I am.”

Smith was so irrelevant that he actually was omitted from the pregame introductions — when 12 offensive players were announced but not the team’s quarterback. At the time it seemed like an attempt to avoid boos from a hostile home crowd — though there ended up being about as many Dolphins fans as Jets fans in the sparsely attended ballgame. Smith said afterwards he decided he wanted to run out with the rest of the team.

The loss will help the Jets get a better draft pick, but hurt the chances of the beleaguered GM from using it, as John Idzik could be heading out the door with the coach. Some fans in the upper deck held signs calling for Idzik to be fired. This team is in a dark place.

Ryan has tried everything for a win, and on Monday he took his old formula — ground-and-pound — and inserted it to the extreme. Smith threw eight passes before the team’s final drive. He ended with a

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whopping 13 attempts, completing seven for 65 yards, while eight different rushers carried the ball a total of 49 times.

It actually worked. Until it didn’t.

Chris Johnson looked like his old self from Tennessee, totaling 105 yards in the midst of the team’s 277 rushing yards. The Jets bowled over the Dolphins in the first half but didn’t adjust when Miami did and the Dolphins scored the only 10 points of the fourth quarter.

When Smith finally was allowed to pass, he threw an interception after it deflected off a defender to end the game.

It was interesting timing for such a one-sided game plan. The News had reported earlier this week that both Marty Mornhinweg and QB coach David Lee preferred to stick with Mike Vick instead of switching back to Smith. It showed on Monday, when the latter was reduced to a non-entity.

“It had zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterback,” Ryan said.

He can try and frame it that way, but particularly with Miami (7-5) struggling with injuries at cornerback that’s hard to buy. When the Dolphins started stacking the box, the Jets continued trying to run it.

Down by a field goal inside two minutes, the Jets finally had to let Smith use his arm, but it ended up finishing them off. He navigated the ball to the Jets’ 44 before throwing a pass intended for Jeff Cumberland that was broken up by Jelani Jenkins and picked off by Reshad Jones, ending the game.

“I feel sick,” Ryan said afterwards.

Though Miami eventually caught on to the Jets’ high school-esque game plan, it was actually special teams that let Gang Green down. Nick Folk uncharacteristically missed two field goals, Ryan Quigley had a punt blocked and Saalim Hakim was flagged for a critical holding penalty that gave the Dolphins great field position on what turned out to be their only touchdown drive.

“I don’t get it,” Ryan said. “We got outplayed on special teams.”

Ultimately the loss only confirmed what Ryan said — the Jets are a joke after falling short of even the lowest of expectations. Yet again, there is only agony in Gang Green Nation.

“Everybody in there is hurting. Hurting for each other, for our fans,” Ryan said. “We’d do anything for a win.”

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NY Jets show they can no longer trust Geno Smith as ball taken out of QB's hands Monday (Manish Mehta) New York Daily News December 1, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-geno-smith-runaround-jets-loss-article-1.2029824

Rex Ryan’s desperation during this miserable season reached an unfathomable low in front of a half-house on Monday night: He tried to win a professional football game without a quarterback.

The Jets quarterback play has bounced between brutal and laughable for the better part of three months. From Geno Smith’s repeated follies to Mike Vick’s forgettable performance against the Bills last week, Ryan has been saddled with the unenviable task of trying to mask deficiencies at the most important position in team sports.

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So, he turned the mistake-prone Smith into a human hand-off machine, taking his beloved ground-and-pound approach to ridiculous extremes in a 16-13 loss to the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.

“It had zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterback,” Ryan said of the more than 3-to-1 run-to-pass ratio. “It had everything to do with us trying to win the game.”

Please.

Smith’s mistakes helped bury Ryan’s team in the first two months of the season, so the head coach decided to hide his erratic young quarterback this time. Smith only had eight pass attempts before a last-ditch drive ended with a flurry of heaves that ended with his 11th interception of the season.

Smith, making his first start after a three-game timeout, was nothing more than a prop.

“I think we took enough shots,” said a straight-faced Smith, who went 7-for-13 for 65 yards and a 35.7 quarterback rating.

Typically pass-happy offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg dialed up a conservative plan designed to keep Smith from actually playing the position. It worked to perfection in the first half before the Jets failed to make the necessary adjustments after intermission that proved costly.

The Jets ran the ball on 29 of 35 plays en route to 210 yards on the ground in the first half. Smith was invisible by design. The Dolphins (7-5) stacked the box in the second half, practically daring Smith to beat them with his arm, but the Jets stuck to the run-centric approach.

“We thought we had the game in control,” said Ryan, whose team held a 10-3 lead at halftime before coughing it up.

The Dolphins were down to their third-string cornerback, but the Jets didn’t give Smith the green light to attack the banged-up secondary. Jets receivers finished with four catches for 26 yards.

“In those situations,” said Eric Decker (two catches for 18 yards), “You salivate as receivers to get those one-on-one opportunities to go downfield and make a play and make them back off a little bit so you can continue to run. You got to have that complimentary passing game with the way we were running.”

Smith throws just eight passes before a last-ditch desperation drive... which ends in an interception.

The Jets simply had no balance due to their lack of confidence in Smith. The first-half success on the ground should have opened up plenty of passing opportunities, but the play calling revealed a sobering truth: The people on the Jets sideline didn’t think Smith would deliver even given these optimal circumstances.

Mornhinweg called 14 consecutive runs and 23 during a 24-play stretch spanning the first and second quarters. “We feel like we could have been doing it all year,” said Chris Johnson, who rushed for a season-high 105 yards on 17 carries.

The clearest indication that the coaches didn’t believe in Smith occurred long before kickoff. Mornhinweg and quarterbacks coach David Lee, the two people who know Smith better than anyone in the organization, preferred to start Mike Vick, according the sources.

Ryan commended Mornhinweg on a “fantastic job,” but the head coach should have been more adamant by having a run-centric blueprint months ago when it became painfully obvious that Smith was more of a hindrance than a help.

The Jets had too many holes to be a playoff contender, but a run-first approach would have likely spared them the indignity of an eight-game losing streak this season.

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Ryan’s offense established a physical mindset Monday thanks to a dominating offensive line.

Dolphins safety Reshad Jones picks off a Smith pass that ends the game.

Smith was an afterthought until the Jets fell behind for the first time in the waning moments.

He sprinkled in a few overthrown passes through the first three quarters to remind you that shouldn’t be a part of the future.

The Jets did anything and everything to keep Smith, who has committed a turnover in 20 of 25 career starts, from executing a forward pass.

How little did the Jets coaches trust him?

Mornhinweg called a run play on third-and-10 from the Jets 5-yard line early in the fourth quarter. They didn’t pick up the first down, which helped set up a short field for the Dolphins, who scored a game-tying touchdown less than five minutes into the fourth quarter.

The Jets braintrust wanted to further evaluate the second-year quarterback during the final month, but they learned nothing Monday that they didn’t already know.

Geno Smith isn’t the answer… unless the question is, “Who will never be the Jets franchise quarterback?”

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NEW YORK TIMES

Jets’ All-Running Plan Works for a While, but Not When It Matters (Ben Shpigel) New York Times December 1, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/sports/football/jets-plan-works-for-a-while-but-not-when-it-matters-.html?ref=football&_r=0

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After three weeks away, the Jets returned Monday night to the hospitable environs of MetLife Stadium.

To commemorate the occasion, some fans held banners demanding that the general manager be fired. Others decided to wear aqua and blend in with the legions of Miami Dolphins supporters.

The Jets, having already been eliminated from playoff contention, decided to treat a crowd accustomed to the bizarre to a novel offensive approach: They played with 10 players.

To try to win, the Jets neutered their quarterback, Geno Smith. They asked him to hand off the ball. They did not ask him to throw. The plan worked for three quarters. It collapsed in the fourth, when the Dolphins completed their comeback in a 16-13 victory.

Instead of spoiling Miami’s playoff hopes, as they did in last season’s finale, the Jets preserved them by blowing a 10-point first-half lead, committing critical special-teams gaffes, and allowing 10 points in the final quarter, including a go-ahead, 26-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis with 1 minute 57 seconds remaining.

“I can’t believe we’re 2-10,” Coach Rex Ryan said. “A joke.”

No one was laughing afterward in the Jets’ locker room, where center Nick Mangold listed five reasons — and there were probably more — that this defeat stung. How the Jets outgained Miami (7-5) on the ground, 277 yards to 74. How they led by 13-6 with less than 11 minutes left. How they made, by their standards, few mistakes. How they lost to a division rival, and the Dolphins at that.

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In the first quarter, the Jets had 131 rushing yards, the highest total in an opening period by any team this season, according to ESPN Stats and Information. In the second quarter, they ran for 79 more. By halftime, having run on 29 of their 35 offensive plays, the Jets had already compiled their 10th-best rushing total under Ryan.

“This is the most fun I’ve had all year,” Chris Johnson said.

That it took the Jets three-quarters of the season to infuse the running game with creativity is as much a reflection of their lack of offensive identity as the inconsistency of their offensive line. That group, chastened after giving up seven sacks to Buffalo last week, created running room for Johnson (who finished with 17 carries for 105 yards) and Chris Ivory (16 for 62) until the Dolphins adjusted after halftime by crowding the box with another defender.

In theory, the Jets’ rushing success should have created more play-action opportunities. Dared to pass, they demurred.

“We thought we had the game in control,” Ryan said. “I think that’s the big thing.”

Mangold, asked whether the Jets could have had more chances downfield, said: “I don’t know. I’m not a coordinator.”

The team controlled the game until Saalim Hakim was called for holding on a Ryan Quigley punt, giving Miami the ball at the Jets’ 39. A 4-yard run by Miami’s Lamar Miller tied the score with 10:24 left, and after Jets kicker Nick Folk missed a field-goal attempt for the second time, the Dolphins took possession at their own 35.

Aided by a 17-yard catch by Dion Sims on a third-and-7 from the Jets’ 31, the Dolphins maneuvered into Sturgis’s range for the winning field goal. The Jets had one last chance, but Smith had a pass intercepted, after a deflection, by Reshad Jones at the Miami 30. On that drive, Smith threw five of his 13 passes.

“Well, you love to get in a rhythm,” said Smith, who completed seven throws for 65 yards.

Asked why the Jets did not allow Smith to throw more, Ryan said: “It had zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterback. It had everything to do with us trying to win the game.”

Regardless of what Ryan might say, the Jets recognize Smith’s limitations — throwing the ball accurately, for one — and they deployed a game plan that was as salient as it was simple: Run, and run some more. And when they were finished running, run again.

Dolphins safety Reshad Jones, right, ended the Jets' final drive by intercepting a pass intended for Jeff Cumberland.

Ryan acknowledged that one reason that Smith replaced Michael Vick was that the Jets wanted to evaluate him further before the off-season. On Monday, though, Smith handed off the ball 45 times and had his role diminished.

“We ran the ball very well,” Smith said, “and I think we did the right thing by sticking to that.”

Unlike last week’s impromptu trip to Detroit, in which they were embarrassed in a 35-point loss to Buffalo, this Monday night game was planned months ago, long before the Jets plunged into irrelevance. Had ESPN wanted to reintroduce the Jets to a national audience, it had plenty of scene-setting shots from which to choose: the stands half-empty at kickoff, the recreational vehicle in the parking lot with a “Fire John Idzik” sign, a billboard on Route 3 urging the same.

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Equally topical would have been showing how, before the game, the Jets introduced every member of their starting offense — 12 players, actually — except for Smith, perhaps fearful of his being booed. That might have happened had there actually been fans in the stands.

The crowd had the energy of a downed power line, and when the Jets lined up for their first offensive play, chants of “defense, defense” rang loud and true.

Even in a lost season like this one, there may be few developments as unappealing to fans as restoring as the starter a turnover-prone quarterback who exhausted any slivers of good will he had amassed by throwing three interceptions in 10 minutes in his last home start.

That happened Oct. 26 against Buffalo, resulting in Smith’s three-game benching, which ended when the Jets awarded him what amounts to a five-game audition that began Monday night. When discussing the decision at the time, Ryan strayed from standard protocol — that he was giving the Jets the best chance to win — and instead said that starting Smith was “the best thing for this team right now.”

Segments of the locker room perceived otherwise. Asked Friday why he still believed in Smith, linebacker Calvin Pace told reporters, “One, I really don’t have a choice.”

Pace praised Smith after the game, although, in fairness, there was not much to criticize him for. Of the Jets’ first 22 plays, 18 were designed runs. They included a 47-yarder by Johnson and, on the next play, a 20-yard end-around by Greg Salas, who zipped around the left edge and, zapped by a hamstring injury that knocked him out of the game, limped into the end zone.

When Salas crossed the goal line, Smith turned to the Jets’ sideline and raised his arms, as if to say, See what I can do?

Surely, few can turn 180 degrees and hand off the ball quite like Smith, who on the next drive did it nine times in nine plays to set up a 40-yard field goal.

The Jets led, 10-0, and it was as if Ryan had muzzled his pass-loving offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg, or at least hidden his headset. Not even in the throes of Smith’s worst games last season — or this one — did the Jets minimize his role so completely.

Inject Ryan with truth serum, and he might say that this is how he would love to play every game: reduce the quarterback to an automaton, run the ball for most of the game and complement the effort with a stout defense. The Jets did this, and they still lost, as they have nine other times this season, nine different ways.

“I feel sick,” Ryan said.

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ESPN NEW YORK

Rapid Reaction: New York Jets (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York December 1, 2014

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/46675/rapid-reaction-new-york-jets-22

What it means: It's more misery in a miserable season for the Jets (2-10), who secured their second season of double-digit losses in three years. This time they blew a 10-0 lead to the Dolphins, failing to capitalize on a rushing attack that produced 210 yards the first half. The Jets played scared -- scared of their quarterback, that is. With the turnover-prone Geno Smith back in the lineup after three weeks on the bench, they went to a ridiculously conservative offense. The wide receivers had only two catches for the

Daily Clips Cont.

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first 58 minutes. The questionable game plan left them little margin for error and, of course, they made enough errors to lose.

Stock watch: Smith, DOWN. To say the Jets took the game out of Smith's hands would be an understatement. Starting for the first time in a month, Smith (7-for-13, 65 yards) operated a game plan that was Quarterback 101. Basically, he was Handoff Guy, as the run-pass breakdown was 49-15. Clearly, the coaching staff has lost confidence in Smith. That's understandable, but they kept him on such a tight leash that it allowed the Dolphins to adjust, overplay the run and blitz. When Smith was allowed to drop back, it wasn't pretty. He missed a couple of open receivers, including Percy Harvin on what should've been a 30-yard touchdown. Smith killed their last chance in the final seconds, throwing an interception on a deep seam to Jeff Cumberland. Smith's five-game audition to close the season didn't get off to a good start.

The return of Ground & Pound: The Jets were committed to the running game and rushed for 277 yards. The Dolphins entered the game yielding only 104 yards per game, so go figure. The Jets' strategy shouldn't have been a surprise, as Rex Ryan practically announced his game plan last week by stressing the importance of returning to a ground-based attack. A message to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, perhaps? They got creative for a change, bringing back the read option and using the receivers on end-arounds. They utlized their speed players, Chris Johnson and Harvin, attacking the perimeter. It worked well -- for a half, anyway.

Special teams woes: For the second straight week, the Jets were hurt by killer mistakes by their kicking units. Nick Folk suffered a rare off night, missing field goals from 45 and 48 yards, respectively. There was a partially blocked punt and four -- count 'em, four -- penalties on special teams. The blunders resulted in poor field position. A holding penalty on Saalim Hakim on punt coverage set up the Dolphins' game-tying touchdown in the third quarter.

Game ball: Chris Johnson. Remember him? Johnson rushed for a season-high 105 yards on 17 carries, showing the burst and elusiveness that have been conspicuously absent from his game. He showed a nice change of direction and side-cutting ability.

What's ahead: The Jets have to brace for the cold, as they hit the road to face the Minnesota Vikings (5-7). The Jets are 0-3 against the NFC North.

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Eric Decker admits it's been a tough season (Jane McManus) ESPN New York December 1, 2014

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/46699/decker-admits-its-been-a-tough-season

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Last season, wide receiver Eric Decker was in the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. This season, Decker is a well-compensated Jet who had two catches in a 16-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins as his team fell to 2-10.

The contrast couldn't be starker, and Decker seems to struggle to figure out how the New York Jets can win games.

"It's hard, it's tough," Decker said. "You can say 'what if,' you can analyze every game, but we haven't done enough. We haven't given ourselves enough breaks to win a football game. Like today, we play well but we got beat, period. It's been really hard, the stretch of losing so many games."

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Decker's wife, Jessie James, went on The Todd Show on WPLJ in New York and said this season has been tough on Decker and that he comes home in a funk and wants to be by himself.

"He's been, I don't want to say depressed, but he's been depressed," James said in the interview.

After the game, Decker was told about his wife's characterization of his season and didn't disagree.

"That's obviously dramatized, but yeah, it's hard," Decker said. "I will say that going home is a little tougher and I've got to do a better job balancing those things, but I'm a competitor -- I want to win. I came here to win.

"For me, I've got to get better at what I do. That's all I can control. I'm going to try to be the best teammate that I can be and the best receiver I can be. And if you're OK with losing and you go home and you're fine with losing, there's something wrong inside of you. This game you only get so many years to play and I would enjoy getting another shot of making a run and having that success. I'm not saying we're far off at all; we've just got to execute better."

Still, Decker said he wouldn't change a thing -- even if he's playing for an offense that didn't throw the ball once Miami started stacking the box in the second half. Decker ended with 18 yards on his two receptions.

Decker, who signed a five-year deal with the Jets worth $36.25 million, doesn't have buyer's remorse.

"I don't second-guess my choice at all," Decker said. "The New York Jets wanted me to come here and Denver didn't. So I was excited about coming here and I wouldn't have done anything differently."

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Chris Johnson surpasses 100 yards for first time with Jets (Jane McManus) ESPN New York December 1, 2014

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/46715/johnson-leads-run-in-loss

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Jets running back Chris Johnson had his first 100-yard rushing game for the Jets in a 16-13 loss to Miami. With Johnson as the lead rusher, the Jets ran effectively, but still couldn't win the game.

"We feel like we could be doing it all year but we still didn't make enough plays," Johnson said. "We have to continue to work hard and try to continue to execute and turn some of those three points into six points instead."

Johnson once hoped to get back to a 2,000-yard season, but now is happy to have his first 100-yard game of the season. He ended with 105 yards on 17 carries -- including a pivotal 47-yard burst that set up the Jets only touchdown of the game. His previous best this season was 69 yards in Week 9 against the Chiefs.

"He went for over 100 yards," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "Chris Ivory ran the way he runs and I loved the way (Bilal) Powell moved as well. Chris Johnson did a tremendous job. We wanted to have fresh backs at the end of the year and we got them. I can't believe we're 2-10. It's a joke."

Turns out the fresh backs are more valuable when the games matter. With the Jets 2-10, the team has been out of the playoff hunt for two weeks. The running game was impressive -- the Jets gained 277 yards, but it was balanced against just 65 passing yards.

"Every loss (stings) the same," Johnson said. "We're just fighting hard and sticking together as a family."

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Run-crazy Jets take ball out of Geno Smith's hands (Rich Cimini)

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ESPN New York December 1, 2014

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/46696/jets-give-geno-smith-another-shot-and-forget-about-him

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Out they came, one by one: Chris Johnson ... Chris Ivory ... Eric Decker ... and so on. Every starter on the New York Jets' offense bolted out of the tunnel Monday night for the pregame introductions at MetLife Stadium -- except Geno Smith. He decided to pass on the tradition, opting to run out in a group with the rest of the team.

We didn't know it at the time, but it was actually foreshadowing.

The Jets played without a quarterback all night.

Employing a game plan that was closer to the single wing than anything resembling a 21st-century NFL offense, the Jets welcomed Smith back to the lineup by turning him into a handoff machine. It was Ground & Pound & Pound. They ran all over the Miami Dolphins, limiting Smith to eight pass attempts for the first 58 minutes. When they needed him to win the game in the final two minutes, he failed, throwing an interception with 34 seconds left to seal a crushing 16-13 loss that dropped the Jets to 2-10.

Naturally, coach Rex Ryan defended the ultraconservative game plan, but the unspoken message was clear: The Jets have no faith in Smith, who replaced Michael Vick, who replaced Smith. Monday night confirmed what we already knew: The Jets still don't have a quarterback. This December audition won't go too well if they don't let Smith, you know, throw the football.

Geno Smith had only eight pass attempts in the first 58 minutes against the Dolphins.Ryan said last week he was "excited" to see how Smith would rebound after his three-game benching, expecting the young quarterback to mature from his time on the sideline. The Jets never gave him a chance. Get this: 41 of their first 49 plays were runs. Basically, the Jets employed the Denver Broncos' Tim Tebow game plan from 2011: Play ugly ball for 50-plus minutes and hope to steal a win in the end.

In theory, the Jets' initial plan was sound, considering Smith's turnover-prone ways, but they never adjusted in the second half. They never used play-action. They never attacked the Dolphins' off-the-street cornerback, R.J. Stanford. Indeed, Percy Harvin said he was "licking my chops" at the prospect of facing the third-string Stanford.

The Jets were dared to throw the ball. And they kept running. You had to check the sideline to see if offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, known for his pass-happy style, still was calling the plays. Was he kidnapped? Did he pull a Dimitri Patterson and go AWOL? Nope, he was still there, incredibly.

The Jets rushed for a season-high 277 yards on 49 attempts, but only 67 of those yards came in the second half, as they were smothered by the Dolphins' nine-man fronts and run blitzes. Ryan was on the defensive, insisting the game plan was no reflection of his confidence (or lack thereof) in Smith.

"It had zero to do with us not having faith in our quarterback," Ryan said. "It had everything to do with us trying to win the game."

Exactly -- and that meant taking the ball out of Smith's hands.

Smith (7-for-13, 65 yards) didn't inspire much confidence when given a chance to throw -- he missed an open Harvin on what should've been a 30-yard touchdown -- but there's a difference between coaching around your quarterback and playing Neanderthal football. This style worked in 2009, when the Jets had the top-ranked running game and the top-ranked defense to protect a young Mark Sanchez. But the 2014

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Jets aren't nearly as good as the '09 version. When you have an error-prone team and you play with a small margin for error ... well, you lose.

And the Jets made just enough mistakes, especially on special teams, to lose to an utterly mediocre Miami team.

"It's easy to sit back and question the fact that we didn't throw it as much, now, but at the end of the day, we wanted to run the football," Ryan said. "We felt that gave us the best opportunity to win the game."

Smith had only six attempts at halftime. Ryan scoffed, noting his team's 210-yard rushing total.

"I'll take that any day of the week," he said. "Any coach would, not just me. Tom Brady would take that. Bill Belichick would. If we throw six and we're rushing for 210, we'll sign up for that every week, even if we have Joe Namath at quarterback."

For all that wonderful rushing, the Jets' halftime lead was 10-3.

Smith said he didn't perceive the game plan as an insult toward him. He liked the strategy, just not the outcome

"It's gut-wrenching," he said. "I can't tell you how heartbroken I am right now."

We know one part of his body wasn't hurting: his right arm. It was plenty fresh.

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METRO NEW YORK

Jets fans' frustration boils over as they unleash banners on Monday Night Football (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York December 1, 2014

http://www.metro.us/new-york/jets-fans-frustration-boils-over-as-they-unleash-banners-on-monday-night-football/zsJnla---qnV4e08nHgio/

Well, that escalated quickly.

The people behind FireJohnIdzik.com just upped the ante on Monday night, unveiling banners between the first and second quarter of the Jets nationally televised game against the Dolphins, protesting general manager John Idzik. The group, which spawned in late October, has purchased three digital billboards and a static billboard nearby MetLife Stadium. But Monday night brought things to another level.

As the break between the first and second quarter ended, small pockets of fans behind the Jets bench unfurled banners that they snuck into the stadium.

Ironically enough, At the time of the protest, the Jets were beating their divisional rivals 7-0 and would soon add a field goal to lead by double digits.

“Tonight, our movement sent another clear message to Woody Johnson in an effort to show the entire country that Jets fans are no longer going to accept our front office mess,” FireJohnIdzik.com founder Jason Koeppel told Metro. "Across the entire stadium, Jets fans of all ages volunteered to hold up 10 foot banners demanding that John Idzik's run as the Jets General Manager ends on the final day of this season.

“While this message calls out our general manager by name, do not get it confused. We seek an entire house cleaning in Florham Park specifically including team president Neil Glat and senior personnel executive Terry Bradway.

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“If [owner] Woody Johnson thinks that fans will tolerate another season of this front office, he is kidding himself. Every day that this drags on, our movement gains momentum. We have received countless emails from people already defaulting on their [personal seat licenses] and calling for us to organize a boycott of Jets merchandise, tickets, concessions & sponsors.

“We are no longer talking about billboards and this is not a threat, it is a promise. We are giving the Jets until 'Black Monday' to hear our message and act accordingly before we go that route.

A similar yet unaffiliated group several weeks ago funded a banner that flew over a Wednesday practice at the team's facility with a message that read 'Fire John Idzik.' Then three weeks ago, the very same group also flew two banners before the Jets win over the Steelers, one with the old 'Fire John Idzik' refrain and another that read 'Jets: Rebuilding Since 1969.'

Many Jets fans are angered over Idzik's track record over the last two years that includes two lackluster draft classes as well as some underwhelming free agent signings.

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Jets fall apart, Dolphins grab 16-13 victory (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York December 1, 2014

http://www.metro.us/new-york/jets-fall-apart-dolphins-grab-16-13-victory/zsJnlb---N6Rskq6RbIBk2/

The Jets very nearly had their third win of the season on Monday night. Instead, they did what bad teams often do by self-destructing as they fell, 16-13, to the Dolphins.

After building a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter behind a Greg Salas 20-yard end-around run in the first quarter and a Nick Folk 40-yard field goal in the second quarter, it seemed like the Jets were poised for a big victory. Three weeks ago they shocked many with a victory over a Steelers team with playoff ambitions. That wouldn't happen on Monday night.

Instead of putting their foot on their opponent's necks, the Jets relented as the Dolphins would score 16 of the next 19 points for an emphatic second half. The win carried Miami to a 7-5 record as the Jets fell to 2-10.

It was the first start for quarterback Geno Smith since he was benched in Week 8 and he looked far from settled. He was rattled in the pocket and the Jets clearly lack confidence in him as they ran the ball for 277 of their 326 yards of total offense.

Only two Jets players, running back Bilal Powell and wide receiver Eric Decker, registered multiple catches. Both players had just two catches and neither player had their second reception until the final drive of the fourth quarter.

Nothing special: After a holding call gave the Dolphins the ball at the Jets 39-yard line in the fourth quarter, Ryan Tannehill connected with Jarvis Landry for 25 yards down into the red zone. Five plays later, Lamar Miller dove into the end zone to level the game at 13-13. Special teams penalties killed the Jets as they had four of them as a unit on the night. In a game where the offense struggled for chunks of the game to move the ball, they didn't need to be hurt by dumb penalties. Then there was inadequacies in the punting game, where the Dolphins deflected a punt. Factor that in with two missed field goals and it is easy to see why the Jets lost.

Wasted opportunity: With 4:22 left in the third quarter, the Jets had their chance to take control of the game. Cornerback Darrin Walls intercepted a Ryan Tannehill pass and returned it to the Dolphins' 30-yard

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line. A field goal seemed like a given but the Jets lost eight yards on the drive and were forced to punt. It was another blown chance at points for one of the league's worst scoring offenses.

Geno doesn't win games: The Jets don't trust their young quarterback, it is as simple as that. In a game where the Dolphins were missing two of their top three cornerbacks, Smith had just eight pass attempts in the first three quarters (he completed four passes for 42 yards on those passes). He completed just 7-of-13 passes for 65 yards along with an interception on the Jets final drive of the game. His ball placement was erratic and he took very few chances down the field. The Jets made the decision earlier this week to start Smith over Michael Vick, who had a rough outing last Monday night in a loss to the Bills. Now, the Jets passing offense looked inept without him. On that interception on the final drive, Smith threw into triple coverage. Not good.

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MONDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS

Associated Press December 1, 2014

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Monday-s-Sports-Transactions-5928590.php

BASEBALL

American League

MINNESOTA TWINS — Named Butch Davis first base coach.

National League

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Sent LHP Jarret Martin outright to Oklahoma City (PCL).

PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Acquired INF Sean Rodriguez from Tampa Bay for a player to be named and cash considerations. Designated 1B Gaby Sanchez for assignment. Agreed to terms with OF Gorkys Hernandez, INF Deibinson Romero and C Sebastian Valle on minor league contracts.

SAN DIEGO PADRES — Named Mark Kotsay hitting coach.

Frontier League

ROCKFORD AVIATORS — Signed C Ryan Breen and RHP Kyle Hassna to contract extensions. Released INF Kaliaka Kahoohalahala. Sent RHP Gerardo Sanchez to Sioux City (AA) to complete an earlier trade.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MINERS — Named Patrick O'Sullivan hitting coach.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES — Reassigned F-C Jarnell Stokes to Iowa (NBADL).

FOOTBALL

National Football League

ARIZONA CARDINALS — Released LB Desmond Bishop. Signed OL Anthony Steen from the practice squad. Re-signed OT Kelvin Palmer to the practice squad.

CINCINNATI BENGALS — Placed LB Jayson DiManche on injured reserve.

NEW YORK JETS — Released LB Antwan Barnes. Signed TE Chris Pantale.

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Arena Football League

SPOKANE SHOCK — Announced DL Dominique Duster was assigned to the team.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League

NHL — Fined Minnesota D Marco Scandella $2,755.38 for an illegal check to the head during at Nov. 29 game.

ANAHEIM DUCKS — Recalled G Ryan Faragher from Utah (ECHL) to Norfolk (AHL).

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS — Placed C Artem Anisimov on injured reserve.

FLORIDA PANTHERS — Assigned G Sam Brittain and D Josh McFadden from San Antonio (AHL) to Cincinnati (ECHL).

NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Signed C Scott Gomez. Placed C Travis Zajac on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 28.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS — Reassigned G Kent Simpson from Bridgeport (AHL) to Stockton (ECHL).

American Hockey League

AHL — Suspended Utica LW Darren Archibald three games for an illegal check to the head of an opponent in a Nov. 29 game at Albany.

BINGHAMTON SENATORS — Recalled F Danny Hobbs from Evansville (ECHL).

MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS — Recalled F Patrick Cehlin from Cincinnati (ECHL).

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE — Reassigned G Sam Brittain to Cincinnati (ECHL).

UTICA COMETS — Recalled F Patrick Kennedy from Evansville (ECHL).

ECHL

ECHL — Suspended South Carolina's Andrew Cherniwchan three additional games for his actions in a Nov. 29 game against Gwinnett. Suspended Utah's Danick Paquette one game and fined him an undisclosed amount for his in a Nov. 29 game at Bakersfield.

CINCINNATI CYCLONES — Released G Ian Ansel.

ELMIRA JACKALS — Traded D Patch Alber to Missouri for F Kellan Tochkin.

INDY FUEL — Released D Adam McKenzie.

KALAMAZOO WINGS — Released G Larkin Saalfrank as emergency backup.

ONTARIO REIGN — Loaned F Tyler Spurgeon to Adirondack (AHL). Released G Matt Zenzola as emergency backup.

UTAH GRIZZLIES — Added G Justin Masterman as emergency backup.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer

NEW YORK RED BULLS — Announced F Thierry Henry will not return for the 2015 season.

NEW YORK CITY FC — Named CJ Brown to the coaching staff.

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COLLEGE

SMU — Named Chad Morris football coach.

TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN — Dismissed junior G KaeLynn Boyd from the women's basketball team for violating the department student-athlete code of conduct and team policy as well as for conduct detrimental to the team. Suspended women's junior basketball F Rickell Preston from team activities for two games for violating department and team policy.

THE CITADEL — Announced it will not renew the contract of women's volleyball coach Amir Khaledi.

TROY — Named Neal Brown football coach.

TULSA — Fired football coach Bill Blankenship.

WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER — Announced the resignation of football coach Lance Leipold, effective at the end of the season, to take the same position at Buffalo.

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