NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

September 14, 2014

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Table of Contents

NEWSDAY .............................................................................................................................................................. 1

Jets wide receiver Eric Decker has always proved his critics wrong (Kimberley Martin) .......................................... 1

Unlike Week 1, Jets won't get away with mistakes against Packers (Bob Glauber) .................................................. 4

Wisconsin native Nick Bellore ready to show true colors against Packers (Kimberley Martin) ................................ 5

THE RECORD .......................................................................................................................................................... 6

Jets matchup: Week 2 vs. Packers (J.P. Pelzman) ..................................................................................................... 6

Jets face a noisy road to win (J.P. Pelzman) .............................................................................................................. 7

NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................... 8

Jets must blister Aaron Rodgers to sack powerful Pack (Brian Costello) .................................................................. 8

Serby’s Sunday Q&A with Eric Decker (Steve Serby) ............................................................................................... 10

Why it’s time for Geno Smith to show his growth as a QB (Mike Vaccaro) ............................................................ 15

How Jets’ TE Jace Amaro has ‘done a 180′ (Brian Costello) .................................................................................... 16

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 17

Geno Smith and Eric Decker star in NY Jets' buddy movie (Manish Mehta) ........................................................... 17

NY Jets secondary out to school Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (Seth Walder) ........................................................... 18

Inside the Playbook - NY Jets (1-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-1): Gang Green starts a six-game string vs. Pro Bowl QBs against Aaron Rodgers (Hank Gola) ................................................................................................................. 19

NEW YORK TIMES ................................................................................................................................................ 21

Running or Receiving, Jets’ Johnson Simply Wants to Touch the Ball (Ben Shpigel)............................................... 21

Jets (1-0) at Packers (0-1) (Ben Shpigel) .................................................................................................................. 22

ESPN NEW YORK .................................................................................................................................................. 23

W2W4: Jets vs. Packers (Rich Cimini) ...................................................................................................................... 23

Sunday notes: New role for Chris Johnson (Rich Cimini)......................................................................................... 24

NJ.COM ................................................................................................................................................................ 26

Jets add Muhammad Wilkerson to injury report, list him as probable for Sunday (Dom Cosentino) .................... 26

YAHOO! SPORTS .................................................................................................................................................. 26

Jets safety Calvin Pryor's big-hitting reputation goes back to when he was 10 (Kristian Dyer) .............................. 27

SATURDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS .................................................................................................................. 28

NEWSDAY

Jets wide receiver Eric Decker has always proved his critics wrong (Kimberley Martin) Newsday September 14, 2014

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-wide-receiver-eric-decker-has-always-proved-his-critics-wrong-1.9306473

The homemade signs greeted Eric Decker the moment he stepped on the field.

"D-I?" they read.

The pride of Cold Spring, Minnesota's Rocori High entered enemy territory with a target on his back -- a scholarship to play Division I football. And rival fans made sure Decker knew he didn't deserve it.

"Everyone was just dogging him like, yeah, he's good, but there's no way he's a D-I player," Kirby Hemmesch, Decker's childhood friend and former Rocori teammate, said in a recent phone interview with Newsday. "And you could kind of see the fire in his eyes like, 'Oh, yeah? I'm going to show you.'

"If you doubt him, you're just throwing gas on the fire," Hemmesch said, laughing. "He's going to work his butt off and he's going to try every minute to show you that he belongs and he deserves everything he has."

That intensity was cultivated in Cold Spring, a rural town with three stoplights and about 4,000 people 77 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It's where Decker, 27, learned the value of family and the importance of hard work. That burning desire to succeed followed him all the way to Florham Park, New Jersey, after the former Bronco signed a five-year, $36.25-million deal with the Jets this past offseason.

His competitive spirit drives everything he does -- from snapping at his receivers coach for pulling him out for a play during the Jets' intrasquad scrimmage to being bitter about losing in the final round of a team-only ping pong tournament.

He's not immune to caustic critiques. But the negative comments don't overwhelm him.

They fuel him.

"I've heard all the question marks. There's no way around it because of social media," Decker told Newsday. "I'll take some snapshots of some tweets or some stories that are negative, or even some quotes, and use them as motivation. 'This is what people are saying -- and I'll prove them wrong.' ''

He isn't interested in laying claim to the "No. 1 receiver" role with the Jets ("I'm not looking to be a savior," he said). But don't let that fool you. Decker has high expectations for this team -- and himself.

He's always been that way. Thanks to Cold Spring.

"He was the best at everything growing up," Hemmesch said of Decker, who played Big Ten football for Minnesota before the Broncos drafted him 87th overall in 2010. "And then all of a sudden, he's catching 13 touchdown passes a season from Peyton Manning and he's married to a country music singer -- and it's like, 'Whoa. What happened here?'

"It's pretty tough to wrap your mind around the fact that the little kid from Cold Spring blew up on us."

The simple life

Everything you get, you have to earn.

It's a simple tenet, but it's the basis of who Decker is as a person and player.

Long before he was catching passes from Manning, starring in a reality TV show with his country-pop star wife, Jessie James Decker, and posing for magazine spreads, Decker was just a small-town guy determined to prove doubters wrong.

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He was never the flashy type, nor was he someone who sought the spotlight. Before he was ever featured in a Visa commercial with his wife or named the newest brand ambassador for Starter and one of the new faces of the "Buffalo Pro" marketing campaign, he would get so flustered by reporters that he'd mumble his words.

Even now, Decker checks Twitter and texts Hemmesch, who still lives in Cold Spring, for the latest Rocori football and baseball scores.

Decker's surroundings may have changed, but his appreciation for the simple life hasn't.

The memories came flooding back as Jessie James Decker recalled the early stages of their relationship during the 2011 offseason: The "old" 2009 silver Chevy Tahoe Decker used to drive. His refusal to stay anywhere but the Holiday Inn. And his insistence on going "dutch" by paying separately for everything.

"I even offered him gas money at one point because, I didn't know, I thought he didn't have any money,'' she said with a giggle. "And he was really frugal . . . He was not that [celebrity] guy at all.''

And while his surroundings have changed, Decker's appreciation for the simple life hasn't.

"I think it would be really hard to grow up in a place for 18 years of your life and not still care about it and love it," said his wife, who gave birth in March to the couple's first child, Vivianne Rose Decker. "All I've seen with Eric is just pure love and giving back. He's always going to care about and love his hometown and he always will."

She saw her husband's humble beginnings just seven or eight weeks into their relationship during an impromptu trip to Cold Spring. "It was precious," Jessie James Decker said. "I met his sweet grandmother, who was five seconds up the road. I got to see his school. I got to see everything about him, within, you know, 15 minutes of a moped ride.

" . . . That's the smallest town I've ever seen," said the self-described military girl, who moved 14 times and grew up primarily in the South.

And those small-town roots have served her husband well in the big city.

The competitor

Decker -- who was playfully referred to as "GQ" by his Denver teammates -- appreciates the passion of Jets fans and respects their tell-it-like-it-is honesty.

"I do feel that sense of fitting in here because of that hard-working, you-earn-your-keep mentality," he said.

And Decker is determined to prove he's worth every penny.

"Sometimes someone of that stature thinks they've arrived in every aspect. But he's still willing to get better at everything," Jets receivers coach Sanjay Lal said of Decker. "That's why it's fun coaching him."

Lal witnessed Decker's trademark intensity firsthand this summer after he pulled the receiver for a red-zone play during their Green and White scrimmage. Coaches always try to "save guys' legs" during training camp, Lal said. But Decker wasn't satisfied with the explanation.

"And he comes over with these big, intense eyes and he was like: 'Why did you pull me out? This is red zone. This is my zone.' And that's what you want as a coach," said Lal, who had his eye on Decker since 2010, when he was the Raiders' receivers coach.

Decker couldn't run the 40-yard dash because he was recovering from a foot injury. That "disqualified him" from Oakland's draft board, Lal said, because at the time, the Raiders were interested only in

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receivers who could run a 4.4 or faster. "But when we evaluated him, we realized this guy is going to be a solid pro."

The trash-talker

But Decker doesn't leave that competitive spirit on the field.

He's still ticked off about losing to punter Ryan Quigley in their training camp ping pong tournament. Decker may be quiet, but he's garnered a reputation as one of the Jets' biggest trash-talkers. "He's got a little macho-ness about him,'' Sheldon Richardson said, smiling. "We all crack jokes, and when new guys come in and they say something back, it surprises you. He does talk trash. And it's totally accepted.''

But for Quigley, Decker's loud-mouth ways made victory all the more sweet.

"Everybody in here is really competitive, but Decker, you can tell he takes any kind of competition seriously,'' said Quigley, who received a golden paddle as his tournament prize. "Just the look of defeat on his face . . . Every time I saw him after that, I just kept saying, 'Good game, man. Good game.' And you could tell that was the last thing he wanted to hear.''

The Jets installed a ping pong table at their facility this offseason and, naturally, Decker wanted a rematch. He won this time -- in overtime.

"He thinks he should get the paddle now, but no,'' Quigley said. "You need to do it when the lights are on and people are watching.''

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Unlike Week 1, Jets won't get away with mistakes against Packers (Bob Glauber) Newsday September 13, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/bob-glauber/unlike-week-1-jets-won-t-get-away-with-mistakes-against-packers-1.9307661

The smile was back early in the week. The jokes were running freely and the charismatic personality was on full display. But the Jets shouldn't forget Rex Ryan's scowl in the moments after they got away with one last week in a lackluster season-opening win over the Raiders.

Ryan was uncharacteristically chapped after that one, even though the 19-14 victory counts every bit as much as if the Jets had won by five touchdowns. He knew the Jets had played down to their competition, and knew that if the Raiders had a functional quarterback and not a rookie making his first NFL start, the outcome likely would have been different.

Well, now comes the much better test of whether Ryan's team is as good as he thinks it is. Now comes a game against a Super Bowl-caliber Packers team coming off a stinging opening-game loss on the road to the defending champion Seahawks. And with three extra days to prepare, no less.

Aaron Rodgers in bounce-back mode for Green Bay's home opener? There is no better environment than this to find out how good your team really is. Or how much better your team needs to be if it's going to have the kind of impact Ryan expects.

Iconic Lambeau Field. The best quarterback in the league. One of the most intimidating backdrops for an NFL game. A sellout crowd bathed in green-and-gold that welcomes its players with open arms -- literally -- every time the home team scores a touchdown. Playing at the home of "The Lambeau Leap," Rodgers wants to create as many as he can against the visitors in green and white.

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"When you're on the road," Ryan said, "you have each other and you've got to tighten up your focus and preparation."

If you don't, especially at a place like Lambeau against a quality Packers team, it will get ugly. The kind of ugly Ryan saw last year when his team played on the road. They were 2-6 away from MetLife Stadium in 2013, with blowout losses in Tennessee, Cincinnati and Buffalo.

They were mostly horrendous on the road last season, with Geno Smith's inexperience leading to some humiliating moments. Such as his fourth-quarter meltdown against the Patriots in a Week 2 Thursday night loss. And the 38-13 loss in Tennessee in which Smith tried to put the ball behind his back to avoid pass rusher Karl Krug, only to fumble and see Krug recover it in the end zone for a Titans touchdown. And what about the two pick-6s Smith threw in a 49-9 loss in Cincinnati?

The only two road wins were a Monday night masterpiece in Atlanta, where Smith had his best game as a pro with three touchdown passes and no interceptions, and the season finale in Miami. The Jets won, 20-7, and celebrated afterward when they were told Ryan would be back as coach in 2014.

So yeah, this is a big test in the early part of the season. The Jets face a torturous schedule featuring five 2013 playoff teams in their next eight games. The three other games are against the Lions, who drubbed the Giants in the Monday night opener; the Bills, who upset the Bears on the road in Week 1, and the Steelers, who narrowly missed the playoffs last year after rallying from an 0-4 start.

That schedule is a big reason why Ryan was so ornery after last week's stinkeroo against the Raiders. He knows you get away with those games only every so often and that you can't expect to beat the likes of Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers with anything less than your best.

And the best means paying attention to the details, such as the ones Ryan is stressing this week. You want to deal with Rodgers successfully? Then you'd better play your "plaster technique" perfectly.

That's the technique Ryan teaches his defensive backs to apply when a quarterback buys time scrambling. Rodgers is a master at avoiding the pass rush, which means the defensive backs need to "plaster" themselves to the receivers they're covering and provide coverage longer than usual.

They must deal with running back Eddie Lacy, who is different from most power backs because of his nifty spin moves. Ryan has told his defensive linemen and linebackers two things needed to contain Lacy: "You've got to wrap the guy up , but you've also got to press your hip when he spins."

Smith has to figure out when Clay Matthews is blitzing and go to his "hot read" with a quicker pass.

The Jets didn't take care of enough details against the Raiders, and they nearly paid for it. If it happens again, now that the quality of competition will take a quantum leap, the Packers will make them pay.

And the Jets will know that they're not as good as the coach thinks they should be.

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Wisconsin native Nick Bellore ready to show true colors against Packers (Kimberley Martin) Newsday September 13, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/wisconsin-native-nick-bellore-ready-to-show-true-colors-against-packers-1.9306934

The Bellore brigade will be out in full force , clad specifically in green and white -- not green and yellow.

Jets linebacker and special-teams ace Nick Bellore estimated that about 60 friends and family members will be in attendance at Lambeau Field to watch him and his teammates take on the Packers.

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It'll be the first time since his senior year of high school that Bellore, a native of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, will play in his home state. And to commemorate the occasion, his friends and family rented a bar in Milwaukee and plan to take a party bus to the game.

"People take stuff pretty serious in Wisconsin, so it wasn't hard to get all my high school and college buddies and my family to be there," said Bellore, 25, who grew up less than eight miles north of Milwaukee and about two hours south of Green Bay.

In order for the Jets (1-0) to be successful in enemy territory, they'll need to rely heavily on their running game, featuring the three-headed monster of Chris Ivory, Chris Johnson and Bilal Powell. They'll also need a strong performance from Geno Smith, who fared well in last week's 19-14 win over the Raiders in their season opener. Smith completed 23 of 28 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. But he also threw an interception and fumbled near the Raiders' goal line.

His counterpart will be Aaron Rodgers, a veteran quarterback who not only has a "bazooka for an arm," according to Rex Ryan, but "is one of the best amongst the best" because he's able to extend plays, Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said.

Rodgers had his lowest completion percentage since becoming a starter (44.1) in a 9-0 road win over the Jets in 2010. But Green Bay is 5-1 in home openers with Rodgers at quarterback and he's thrown for more than 300 yards in each of their past three home games.

The Jets are 8-3 all-time against Green Bay but are 0-1 against the Packers under Ryan. And the Packers (0-1) have had 10 days to prepare for the Jets after losing the regular-season opener in Seattle.

Smith hasn't fared well on the road. The Jets won only two games in rival stadiums last season, and the pressure will be on at Lambeau.

A win in enemy territory -- against a perennial playoff team -- will go a long way toward supporting Ryan's assertion that this is a much-improved team. And it'll be particularly special for Bellore -- as long as his cheering section remembers which team to root for.

"I think I've managed to convert a couple, but it's pretty tough," joked Bellore, a Central Michigan product in his fourth season with the Jets.

He was the only player to make the team's 2011 opening-day roster as an undrafted free agent. He led the Jets in special-teams tackles each of the past three seasons.

Said Bellore: "Love for the Packers is pretty well ingrained. So as much as I'd like to change them, we'll see. I told them I'd only help them out with tickets if they wore green.

"Green and white and not green and yellow."

Notes & quotes: Defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson (back) was added to the Jets' injury report. He is probable for the game.

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THE RECORD

Jets matchup: Week 2 vs. Packers (J.P. Pelzman) The Record September 14, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets-matchup-week-2-vs-packers-1.1087711

Jets (1-0) at Packers (0-1)

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At Lambeau Field

Today, 4:25 p.m.

TV: CBS

Radio: ESPN-FM 98.7

Line: Packers by 8

What's at stake

Jets: The Jets are trying to start a season 2-0 for the first time since 2011, when they beat both Dallas and Jacksonville at home to start the season. In 2012 and 2013, they won their opener at home but then lost on the road in Week 2. The Jets also are trying to erase a 2013 blemish: They were 2-6 away from home last year, although they did win at Miami in the season finale.

Packers: Green Bay hasn't started a season 0-2 since 2006, when coach Mike McCarthy was in his first year at the Packers' helm. Brett Favre, traded to the Jets two years later, was the starter at that time. Aaron Rodgers, who endured an injury-plagued 2013 season, became the starter in 2008 after Favre was dealt away.

Key matchup

Jets CB Kyle Wilson vs. Packers WR Randall Cobb: Wilson wasn't tested much by Oakland last week, but was exploited during the preseason by Cincinnati's Mohamed Sanu, formerly of Rutgers, and the Giants' Victor Cruz of Paterson. Cobb had 80 receptions in 2012 before a fractured fibula limited him to six games last season. He had six catches for 58 yards and a TD in the opening-night loss at Seattle.

How they'll win

Jets: Running backs Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory find plenty of room to run against a struggling Green Bay front seven. The Packers were gashed for 207 yards by Seattle. QB Geno Smith avoids costly turnovers and contributes to the running game with some well-timed scrambles. The defense is able to rattle the veteran Rodgers and force him to throw more quickly than he would like, forcing him into a short passing game. Inexperienced Derek Sherrod may have to start at RT for Green Bay if Bryan Bulaga (knee) can't go.

Packers: OLB Clay Matthews and the rest of the Green Bay defense harass Smith, who committed 16 of his 25 turnovers as a rookie away from home. That leads to more scoring opportunities for Rodgers and WRs Cobb and Jordy Nelson. The Green Bay running game also is effective, bolstered by the return of RB Eddie Lacy (concussion).

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Jets face a noisy road to win (J.P. Pelzman) The Record September 14, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets-face-a-noisy-road-to-win-1.1087629

Jets right tackle Breno Giacomini was selected by Green Bay in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. So he doesn't need to be told what the atmosphere at Lambeau Field is like on game day.

"It gets loud there," Giacomini said. "We want to get the crowd out of it because there's a lot of communication going on up front.

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"Anytime you can get the crowd out of it early in the game you're doing something good," he said, before quickly adding, "I don't expect the crowd to be out of it no matter what, because they've got some great fans."

But if the Jets could subdue those Cheeseheads at least a little bit, it would go a long way toward securing what would be an impressive victory when they visit the Packers today.

The Jets were 2-6 away from home in 2013, and that was a major reason why they missed the playoffs. However, they did have a signature road win in the season finale, beating Miami to knock the Dolphins out of playoff contention.

Giacomini, who played for Super Bowl champion Seattle last season, wasn't here for the Jets' road woes of a year ago. But he knows how big a win over Green Bay would be.

"It's a lot to go out and get a 'W' on the road," he said. "That's the most important thing for us. It's not really about anyone else besides the people in this locker room.

"We're just going to try to go out there and show them what we've got," Giacomini added. "We're expecting a tough physical game because that's the kind of players they are."

Coach Rex Ryan is confident, as he always is. But he admitted that facing Green Bay and prolific quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay is much different than getting the Packers on the road, as the Seahawks did when they clobbered Green Bay, 36-16, on opening night.

Ryan said Rodgers is "a veteran quarterback that knows how to use his cadence to his advantage. Shifts, motion, identifying defenses and things like that. He's able to audible. He actually calls his plays, so I think when you see, the coach will signal in the first play, but then he basically is running it. They want to snap the ball quick and they put the game into his hands."

So how can the Jets disrupt that?

"Our hope is to be good on first and second downs," pass-rushing linebacker Calvin Pace said of the Jets' defense. "Keep them to minimal yards, so that way on third down we can kind of pin our ears back and go after them a little bit."

And when the Jets do go after Rodgers, they need to prevent him from buying time with his ability to escape.

Defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman compared Rodgers to Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

"When they do extend plays," Thurman said, "they're not looking to throw the ball underneath. They're looking to throw the ball down the field. … What you try to do [as a defensive back] is play with your eyes and your feet as much as possible, and know that once he is out of the pocket he wants to throw the ball down the field. So we have to be prepared for that."

"It makes it tough for the guys on the back end," Pace said. "You can't cover forever."

Pace added the Jets need to "start fast and don't allow them to have big plays and get the crowd into it. It's a challenge — you're playing against one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL [and a] good receiving corps. But we've just got to go out and play, keep the ball in front of us and stop the run. I think if we do that we'll have a chance."

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NEW YORK POST

Jets must blister Aaron Rodgers to sack powerful Pack (Brian Costello)

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New York Post September 13, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/09/13/jets-must-blister-aaron-rodgers-to-sack-powerful-pack/

GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Everything set up perfectly last week for the Jets in their season opener. They faced the dismal Raiders, who can’t win on the East Coast, with a rookie quarterback playing his first game.

The script is not as favorable for Gang Green this week.

No, this time the Jets get the Packers in their home opener, who are smarting from a smackdown in Seattle 10 days ago, with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers salivating at the chance to slice and dice the Jets’ suspect secondary.

“This week is a great test for us,” Jets linebacker Demario Davis said. “It’s going to show us a lot about who we are. We’ve got to be ready to go out and play well in a hostile environment.”

If the Jets pull off the upset on Sunday, this season could be something special. The Jets looked impressive at times in their 19-14 win over the Raiders, but were not able to put together a total game. They had two turnovers, 11 penalties and could not put away the hapless Raiders until the final minutes.

The Packers are coming off a 36-16 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. They were run over in the game. The Jets expect the proud Packers to be focused this week, trying to avoid an 0-2 start.

“We understand we’re going into hostile territory,” guard Willie Colon said. “They’re coming off a tough loss. We know they’re going to be fired up. They’re at home. It’s going to be important for us to bring our A game.”

Green Bay is one of the best home teams in the NFL. They are 30-5-1 at Lambeau Field since the middle of 2010, second to the Patriots over that span at home. Rodgers is 28-2 there in his past 30 games. The Packers have averaged 30.5 points per game at home since 2009, trailing only the Patriots and Saints.

“You have to be mentally tough and know that when you make a big play the place is going to be silent,” receiver David Nelson said. “There’s not going to be that loud cheer you’re used to.”

The Jets have been dismal on the road in recent years, posting a 2-6 record away from home last year. Another disturbing trend for the Jets in 2013 was their inability to win consecutive games. They went 1-6 after wins last year, failing to win in back-to-back weeks until the final two games of the season.

Marquee Matchup

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. Jets coach Rex Ryan

Ryan fancies himself as a defensive genius. Well, here you go Rex. Figure this one out.

Rodgers has the highest passer rating in NFL history, can make plays with his arm and his legs and is facing a weak Jets secondary. This one looks like a total mismatch.

Ryan has been known to get creative, though, and he must figure out a way to pressure Rodgers. When these two teams met in 2010, Rodgers completed just 44 percent of his passes, the lowest percentage of any of his 88 career starts. Of course, the Jets cornerbacks that day were Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, not Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen.

“He’s a smart player,” Ryan said of Rodgers. “He knows where to go with the football. He is accurate. He’s got a great arm. And then he’s got the mobility and the escapability. So yeah, it’s tough to sleep this week as a coach.”

Defense

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The Jets beleaguered secondary gets a little boost this week with the return of cornerback Dee Milliner, who missed the opener with a high ankle sprain. Milliner won’t start and coach Rex Ryan did not reveal how much of a role Milliner will play Sunday, but anything will help.

It’s not like Milliner is an accomplished corner, but he has a better pedigree than the other players the Jets have at the position, and he showed positive strides early in training camp before he was injured. Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen will start, but Milliner could see significant time.

Ryan repeatedly has expressed his confidence in Milliner, a 2013 first-round pick.

“I think the big thing is it starts with confidence — really knowing his assignments and his teammates’ assignments,” Ryan said. “I think that kind of communication [has improved]. I think when you come into the league, it’s about developing your skillset, fundamentals and technique.”

On the run

The Packers defense struggled last week stopping the run, allowing 207 rushing yards to the Seahawks. Don’t think the Jets didn’t notice. The only team to rush for more yards than Seattle last week was the Jets, who piled up 212 against the Raiders. The combination of Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory is primed for another big game against Green Bay, which missed 18 tackles in the opener.

The only problem for the Jets is if they fall behind early, it will be tough to stick with the run.

Slow down

The Jets better be ready for a track meet. The Packers run a fast-break offense that won’t allow the Jets much time to adjust on defense. Their stated goal is to get 75 plays per game. It did not work last week for them in Seattle, but at home it should function a lot smoother.

The burden falls on inside linebacker David Harris and safety Dawan Landry to get everyone set up quickly. To simulate the Packers speedy offense in practice this week, Ryan would not signal in the defense until the scout team offense already was setting up at the line of scrimmage.

Tricks of the trade

Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg showed his love for gadget plays last week with his goal-line end-around pass with Michael Vick. What will he pull out this week?

The Seahawks exposed some flaws in the Packers defense that Mornhinweg could exploit. Seattle used Percy Harvin on a jet sweep repeatedly that gained big yards. The Jets don’t have Harvin, but Mornhinweg could have a package of plays for, Chris Johnson where he lines up outside and gets the ball around the end or speedster Saalim Hakim.

Seattle had success using the zone-read option, too. Watch for that from Geno Smith and Co.

Costello’s call

These ain’t the Raiders. The Jets will be able to move the ball on the ground, but have no answer for QB Aaron Rodgers, who will expose their shoddy secondary before a raucous crowd at Lambeau.

PACKERS 35, JETS 24

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Serby’s Sunday Q&A with Eric Decker (Steve Serby) New York Post September 13, 2014

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http://nypost.com/2014/09/13/serbys-sunday-qa-with-eric-decker/

Post columnist Steve Serby caught up with new Jets receiver Eric Decker for some Q&A:

Q: Who’s more of a sex symbol, you or your wife, Jessie James?

A: My wife. 100 percent.

Q: Why would you say that?

A: I think she has more sex appeal just because of how she carries herself. I’m kind of an athlete, Midwestern boy, and she’s kinda this confident, sexy southerner.

Q: So she’s got swag?

A: Yeah.

Q: And you don’t?

A: I got swag, but it’s in a different way, for sure (smile). Kind of the guy-next-door Minnesota boy, you know?

Q: She seems to be more blunt and outgoing than you are.

A: That’s pretty accurate. Yeah for sure. I think that’s what attracted me, ’cause I think opposites attract, and I’m kinda the more laid back, quiet, always kind of weighing things, and he just wears her emotions on her sleeves. She’s got so much personality, and she’s got a great heart. What attracted me was that I knew where she stood — almost like Coach [Rex] Ryan — how she feels is what she’s gonna tell you. She’s not gonna beat around the bush, she’s not gonna beat around the bush, she’s not gonna hide her emotions or her feelings, and you know where you stand. It’s attractive because it shows a sense of confidence.

Q: Describe the first time you met her.

A: We met over the phone and we talked for a month, and I think that was the best thing for us ’cause we got to know each other so well, and we finally met up in Nashville where she was living at the time. I flew in, I met her at a nice little Mediterranean restaurant. It sounds cheesy, but I got butterflies seeing her in person. It was the whole deal, the whole package. It was awkward (chuckle) for a while. … I was definitely kind of a weirdo for sure. I wasn’t real smooth in college with women. She always made fun of me for how awkward the first weekend was that we hung out, but after that, it got so much easier, and we just really clicked.

Q: I understand she’ll sing the national anthem at the Lions game, Sept. 28.

A: I’m excited because I really think she’s got such a great voice and a great talent. I told her she could sing the anthem, but no halftime shows because in the past she did a couple of halftime shows in Denver and the games didn’t go well for me.

Q: Does your infant daughter Vivianne look like you or your wife?

A: She’s a mix. When she has her mouth shut or puckers her lips, she looks a lot like me, but when she smiles, she’s got mama’s smile.

Q: Describe how fatherhood has impacted or changed you?

A: It’s the greatest thing, and you don’t know until you actually experience it yourself. The whole pregnancy and birth was just … it’s like a miracle. It definitely changed my perspective being a father now. How I kind of balance things or how I perceive things … football, I always used to stress myself out so

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much … the little things, and making mistakes. … Now it’s easier to come to work. This is what I do, not really who I am. I see myself more as a father in the long run than a football player.

Q: What criticism about you bothers you the most?

A: Obviously I’ve been getting the “product of a system,” or, I guess, not really self-made in a way. Sometimes that kinda discredits the hard work you put in, the ability that you do have. That’s something that over time will tell itself.

Q: Do you regard yourself as a No. 1 receiver?

A: It’s hard for me to like actually call people a 1,2,3, just because it takes everyone to win football games. If you’d say, “Well he’s the No. 1 guard,” or “He’s the No. 1 tackle,” I understand left tackles are most important, but I don’t put a number on anyone. I feel that yes, I can make plays. Do I have the same skill set as the guys on this team or other guys around the league? No, we’re all unique, we’re all different, and I know what my strengths are, I know what my weaknesses are. I just want to be able to be versatile as well and just be an all-around good receiver.

Q: Personal goals?

A: I don’t like to reveal ’em. I like to set a lot of goals. Goals personally for football, goals personally for life. I’m obviously not gonna share what those goals are, but I think setting goals helps you see-it-to-achieve-it type thing.

Q: What were those rides to games like with Broncos teammates Peyton Manning and Jacob Tamme?

A: They’re fun. It was just kind of a lighthearted, enjoyable ride that kinda kept your nerves calm. We would play a little music, Tamme was deejaying. We’d talk about anything, it wasn’t just football, football. It was kinda “Let’s just relax before we get into the mindset.”

Q: How good of a practical joker is Peyton?

A: Very good.

Q: What’s the best one you’ve seen him pull off?

A: The best personal one I’ve seen him pull off was on me in Duke. We went out there just for a workout for a weekend, and at the end of the workout, we all went out to dinner. It was Eli and the Giants, us from the Broncos, the coaching staff from Duke. We’re having a good time, all of a sudden these letters are handed out, and assume they’re “Thanks for coming, it was a pleasure having you on campus,” whatever. And it was an invoice of getting your laundry done, getting picked up from the airports, the coaching fees that they charged to you. On everyone else’s bill it said, “Decker’s getting pranked, play along.” And on mine it was like $3,500. I still have it. It was my wife’s birthday that week and I was gonna take her to Napa. First year with Peyton, I figured I needed to kinda do what he asked. Once I saw that bill, I was like, “You gotta be kidding me,” and he played it for a good five minutes, and they finally told me it was a joke. And at that time — I still am — pretty frugal, so I was like, “Ohh, you gotta be kidding,” like I wouldn’t even ask the coach to help coach me if it was gonna be this much.”

Q: How would you describe Peyton?

A: He’s The General, that’s kinda I think the nickname he gets, but he really is the general as far as once you walk into the building, everything that he does, everything that we do, is for a reason, it has a purpose behind it. I’ve never seen a guy that’s do focused for such a long period of time — this is a game that you can get mentally fatigued, you can get physically fatigued, it gets hard at times. The little things every single day, he’s on you about it, he’s on himself about it. It’s impressive. What he remembers, too — you can talk about a play from 1998, and he’ll tell you what exactly happened. It’s amazing.

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Q: People always talk about going from Peyton Manning to a second-year Jets quarterback Geno Smith.

A: People are gonna say that because Peyton Manning right now … is gonna go down as one of the best quarterbacks to play this game, you know? You can’t really compare one to the other. Geno has an incredible skill set. He’s young, he’s learning, but being around him for these five, six months, I’ve been so impressed with the way he carries himself as well as the knowledge of the system, of how he throws the football, and the decision-making that he does make. It really is impressive for a guy his age. And I think if he progressing like he is, if he keeps working hard at it, I really do think he’s gonna have a great career as well.

Q: What was it like walking off the field after losing the Super Bowl to the Seahawks.

A: I can’t put one word on how I felt, but the way the game ended, the score that it was [43-8], the chance to be at the pinnacle of your sport and not perform … is kinda numbing, I guess.

Q: What drives you?

A: I’m pretty self-motivated. It’s at the end of the day how I want people to remember me, as far as athletically. Family definitely drives me, being able to provide, be able to be a leader for my wife and child.

Q: Are you recognized?

A: The [reality] TV really changed the landscape, because there’s a lot of sports fans, but you go into the other genre of, people obviously watch TV, but the reality side of it. I swear I got about 70 percent women followers on my social media, and the women were always the ones that notice — even the guys out here, I can tell that their women are making them watch the show with them, so I definitely get recognized at certain times.

Q: What are your thoughts of the Ray Rice situation?

A: Domestic violence, there’s no tolerance for it in our society.

Q: If you were the NFL commissioner, what would be your domestic violence policy?

A: I would suspend him indefinitely, whoever committed domestic violence, make him go through a protocol of counseling, of whatever it is, and then revisit that issue with the people that are gonna make decisions.

Q: Make him earn the right to get a second chance?

A: Exactly, yeah.

Q: Boyhood idol?

A: Kirby Puckett and Jerry Rice. I literally, I think, wore [Puckett’s] jersey for maybe a month-and-half, two months straight. I had the whole get-up, the pants, the jersey, everything. I always wanted to be Kirby Puckett because baseball was my first love when I was real young growing up.

Q: Jerry Rice?

A: I think what really struck me was how he worked off the field. The guy was really unlike anyone, just his preparation and determination.

Q: Where were you on 9/11?

A: I was in ninth grade in my civics class [at Rocori High School in Cold Spring, Minn.]. All of a sudden our teacher just kinda fell to the ground. He was a military guy, he was someone that obviously was very

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heavily into, I guess, our history and current events and what’s going on with our military. I remember we sat there for 40 minutes just staring at the TV screen.

Q: You’ve been to Ground Zero?

A: I’ve been a couple of times. Probably six years ago was the first time, seven years ago. And then, I went back a couple of years ago.

Q: What do you remember about your first visit there?

A: Just kinda the eerie feeling that I guess I got of trying to think of what it was like to see this big building, to imagine the smoke and just the chaos that was going on.

Q: What is it like being a New York Jet playing in this market?

A: I’ve really enjoyed it. I haven’t been here too long, but as far as the transition from Denver, I think being here in Jersey, you kinda get the best of both worlds.

Q: Favorite NYC restaurants so far?

A: We went to Quality Meats just a week ago. … Nobu … there’s another sushi spot, I forgot what it was, a smaller spot.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Kirby Puckett.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: Good old “Step Brothers” (smile).

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Denzel [Washington].

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Penelope Cruz.

Q: Favorite entertainer/singer?

A: My wife.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Steak and potatoes.

Q: You played once at Lambeau Field?

A: It was awesome. You always talk about Lambeau Field, and the history behind it. Definitely a great stadium to play in, diehard fans in Green Bay. We did win the game, I had two touchdowns that game. I got family in Wisconsin — Green Bay, Eau Claire — and have them there at the game. I’m excited to go back and kinda almost be home in a sense where I’ll have some family there.

Q: What do you like best about this Jets team?

A: I like the quiet confidence, and the brotherhood. I always thought it’d be really difficult to change teams, especially when you’re somewhere for four years. But once I got here, it was fast how I felt one of the guys in the locker room, and that was very important to me to feel comfortable, ’cause change is tough, transition’s always tough, and you want to be able to have guys rally around you, and that was

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something that I noticed big-time here. I feel like a lot of people kinda underestimate this team. That’s why I’m excited to go to work with them every day.

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Why it’s time for Geno Smith to show his growth as a QB (Mike Vaccaro) New York Post September 13, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/09/13/why-its-time-for-geno-smith-to-show-his-growth-as-a-qb/

GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Gone are the days when quarterbacks could be works in progress. There is no such thing, not in a league that demands immediacy, in an era when patience is passé.

You’re young? Tough. Grow up.

You’re still learning? Tough. Learn faster.

You’re doing the best you can?

Tough.

Do better.

“I look forward to all challenges,” Jets quarterback Geno Smith said earlier this week. “And this week will be a challenge, for me and for all of us.”

There never has been a way to camouflage the growing pains of a young quarterback, of course. QBs can’t hide; they’re the ones barking out the signals. They’re the ones running, often for their lives, out of the pocket. The camera can lose sight of a kid tackle or an inexperienced guard.

Quarterbacks? Not so lucky. Still, there was a time when there really was a learning curve in this game. Phil Simms took close to five full seasons to understand the position, knocked around the whole time, but he ultimately got it. Joe Namath threw a lot more passes to players wearing wrong-colored jerseys when he was fresh out of Tuscaloosa, but that was to be expected.

Now? Well, the reigning Super Bowl quarterback, Seattle’s Russell Wilson, is exactly one game into his third season in the league. Andrew Luck is treated like some kind of sage veteran, but that’s exactly as long as he’s been in Indianapolis, too. The NFL has become a treadmill forever spinning at 10.0; you get dropped on and you’d better be able to keep up. Immediately.

Geno Smith is a better quarterback today than he was a year ago, that’s about as close to a consensus opinion as you’re ever going to get. The tools always were there, but he is clearly a more confident quarterback than the one who, in Week 2 last year, probably was the difference between the Jets stunning the Patriots and instead instituting the win-one-lose-one pattern that never allowed the season to get off the ground.

“There’s been a steady improvement, and I think that has to be encouraging to everyone on our football team,” coach Rex Ryan said.

Better is good. But better isn’t enough. Maybe that all started to change when Dan Marino walked into the Dolphins’ lineup 30 years ago and started slinging spirals like a 15-year pro. It probably crested in 2001, when the 199th pick in the draft two years earlier, Tom Brady, calmly walked out of obscurity and immediately began a mad dash toward Canton.

So that is the standard Geno Smith faces now. It is precisely the same one that faced Mark Sanchez not long ago. Like Smith, Sanchez started as a rookie, he showed some splendid talent and some staggering

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lapses of judgment. Many games, you would just shaken your head at a difficult throw executed perfectly then have to reverse yourself at a lousy decision done comically wrong. Sanchez could flummox you.

And — and this is almost hard to remember — this was while he was leading the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games. The Jets never had put together consecutive seasons like that, ever. And it still wasn’t enough to buy Sanchez time, because he simply never caught up. And now he is an Eagle.

So this would be as good a time as any for Smith to make a quantifiable leap forward, in Green Bay, at Lambeau Field, against a Packers team nobody much expects him to frighten. If it ever is going to happen for Geno, then why not now? Why not against a Packers team that certainly looked human in their opener (albeit against the Seahawks, against whom just about anyone might look human).

“Every single game is different and there’ll be critical moments in every game and you’ve got to be able to manage it and it’s all about how you do in those moment,” Smith said. “For us, just managing the situation. We try [to] be masters of situational football, and that’s exactly what it is. We have to be mindful of the situation at all times.”

This is something else to be mindful of: There is a ticking clock. Whether anyone else believes them, the Jets consider themselves a now team. Now teams should be able to compete against teams like the Packers. And should be able to rely on their quarterback to make that happen. It’s as good a time as any.

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How Jets’ TE Jace Amaro has ‘done a 180′ (Brian Costello) New York Post September 13, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/09/13/how-jets-te-jace-amaro-has-done-a-180/

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jace Amaro thinks about where he was a month ago and shakes his head.

“I definitely have done a 180[-degree] turnaround,” the Jets rookie tight end said this week. “At some points, to myself, I even felt a little bit lost. I know a lot of other people took note of that. I wasn’t playing the way I usually play. I was expecting that. I think everyone is going to go through those times when it’s a little bit bumpy, and you just have to get through it. I’m glad I got through it pretty quick, just a few weeks.”

Amaro was a mess early in training camp, dropping passes and struggling with his route running. But the second-round pick has made drastic improvement since then. He played just 21 of the Jets’ 70 offensive snaps last week. He was targeted four times and made two catches for 7 yards. It was a quiet start for him, but he was encouraged.

“I felt like it went really well,” Amaro said. “I graded out really well,” with the coaches giving him a 90 out of 100, he said. “I did the things they asked me to do and ran great routes. I got open on most of the occasions. I felt like I did pretty good. [Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg] said he has big plans for me. I’m looking forward to see where those go.”

Coach Rex Ryan said he expects Amaro’s role to increase.

“He’s going to be a major factor for our football team, and probably very soon,” he said.

Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson was added to the injury list with a back issue. He is listed as probable for Sunday’s game at Green Baby.

The Jets are 3-1 all-time at Lambeau Field. They are 4-2 all-time away against the Packers, with two games in Milwaukee. The Jets last played at Lambeau in 2006, when they won 38-10.

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Jets C Nick Mangold and Packers LB A.J. Hawk grew up less than five miles from each other in Centerville, Ohio, and began playing football together in the sixth grade. They were roommates at Ohio State and groomsmen in each other’s weddings. Sunday, they will face each other on the field.

Speaking of Packers connections, Jets QB Geno Smith needs 206 yards passing to move past Brett Favre into 12th on the Jets’ all-time passing yards list.

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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Geno Smith and Eric Decker star in NY Jets' buddy movie (Manish Mehta) New York Daily News September 13, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-geno-smith-eric-decker-star-jets-buddy-movie-article-1.1938507

Geno Smith is an equal opportunity quarterback, but he admits that his buddies sometimes get preferential treatment. Eric Decker is smart enough to recognize that cozying up to the man with the ball in his hands every play has its privileges.

They’re an unlikely pair, the 23-year-old bachelor signal caller from South Florida and the 27-year-old receiver from Minnesota with a country music singer wife and a newborn, but their burgeoning friendship will be pivotal for a re-tooled Jets offense looking to help Rex Ryan return to the playoffs.

“My high school quarterback was my best friend,” Decker told the Daily News. “My college quarterback became my best friend. I think that friendship just kind of adds to what you do on the field. You still got to get open. It comes down to the trust factor. You want your quarterback to trust that you have the right attitude: You want to be a winner. You want to be the best. You want to get open for him.”

Smith is no longer hesitant about telling his receivers what he expects, an important hurdle to clear for a young quarterback growing each day. For all the positive energy swirling around the second-year QB entering a road test against the Packers on Sunday, perhaps Smith’s greatest improvement has been raising everyone’s level of accountability on offense. His calm public persona is a rouse in many ways. He’s as demanding as anyone.

“I try to stay on those guys without calling anyone out or being a d-bag about it,” Smith told The News. “I try to make sure guys are doing the right thing … and make sure I’m doing it the right way, too. So you have to build that relationship.”

Quarterbacks and their No. 1 receivers don’t have to be best buddies, but “it definitely couldn’t hurt,” wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal admits. Smith had been pals with wideout Stedman Bailey since junior high school before the duo flourished at West Virginia.

Smith insists that he’s not going to force the issue to Decker, who had team highs in targets (6), catches (5) and yards (74) in the season opener, but it’s human nature to look for someone you trust and respect to do their job in critical moments. There’s value in investing time to better understand the person.

Decker carpooled with Peyton Manning (and Broncos teammate Jacob Tamme) to home games last season, listening to SiriusXM’s The Coffee House, a station dedicated to acoustic singers and song writers. Decker and Manning spent time together on off days, too, strengthening a bond that flourished on Sundays.

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“A guy that’s your good friend, I think you want to get him the ball more,” Smith said. “If you got a choice between this guy and that guy — and you obviously want to take the open guy — you’re probably going to take the guy you’re closer with, who you have the most trust in in those clutch situations.”

Smith and Decker are still building a friendship that extends beyond the practice field and meeting rooms. They want to spend more time together outside of the practice facility to get a better sense of what makes each other tick. “I look forward to getting to know more about him through those little ‘dinner dates’,” Decker said.

It will be time well spent for Smith, whose open-door policy with all of his receivers has allowed him the freedom to be brutally honest.

“When you have a relationship with the wideouts, you’re able to get on them when they don’t do the right thing without them looking at you in a negative manner,” Smith said. “You can smooth things over and talk things over later. It’s a fine line between yelling at a guy and telling them what to do, because we’re all grown here. But when you have that friendship, it’s a little bit easier to get on him.”

Decker, of course, has to consistently be where he’s supposed to be, and fight off tough coverages to get open for the relationship to work, no matter how much quality time he spends with Smith. He’ll also have to be patient with his young quarterback. After all, there are few better than his previous one.

Decker isn’t married to The Coffee House, either, if he decides to carpool with Smith.

“We can go Jay-Z,” Decker said. “I’m sure he can go classic. I’m sure he can go a little rock. He’s pretty diverse.”

Smith agreed: “I’m versatile with the music.”

Decker is no dummy.

He’ll let his quarterback choose the station.

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NY Jets secondary out to school Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (Seth Walder) New York Daily News September 13, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-secondary-school-packers-qb-aaron-rodgers-article-1.1938502

Long game-planning nights during weeks like this will be when Rex Ryan can earn his keep as he sets out to stop the Packers with just a patchwork secondary at his disposal.

Ryan, one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, has to come up with a plan to defeat Aaron Rodgers when his best cornerback is an unproven second-year player who won’t even start. That’s Dee Milliner and again, that’s his best.

“It’s tough to sleep this week as a coach,” Ryan said.

He ought to get used to the sleep deprivation, because Rodgers is simply a world-class leadoff hitter in a lineup of six quarterbacks who can light up even the best defenses. Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady await in the coming weeks.

The Jets (1-0) will start Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls at cornerback Sunday at Lambeau field, a duo that, even after playing in last week’s 19-14 win over the Raiders, has just six NFL starts at cornerback between them. Allen, who made the conversion from safety to cornerback in training camp after injuries struck

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Milliner, Dexter McDougle and Dimitri Patterson (who was later released after going AWOL) but has fared relatively well in a very small sample.

Milliner is expected to play after sitting out a month of practice following a high ankle sprain, though the extent of his availability is unknown due to both health and rust.

Walls, 26, who went undrafted out of Notre Dame in 2011, has more experience at the position than Allen but hasn’t looked sharp in limited exposure. Last week the Raiders barely threw downfield, but when Derek Carr threw deep to James Jones in the end zone at the end of the game, Walls found himself behind Jones, who made an excellent grab for a touchdown.

That was against Carr and Jones. Meet Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, players on a different stratosphere.

“He’s a big guy that can run,” Ryan said of Nelson. “The guy’s got great body control on the sidelines. He’s able to get his feet in bounds.”

The receivers aren’t the only problem — it’s Rodgers himself. Even though one weakness for the Packers (0-1) might be their offensive line, especially if RT Bryan Bulaga can’t play, Rodgers is so elusive in the pocket that it’s hard to bring him down. “You don’t want him to extend plays, but that’s hard to do because to do that, you’ve probably got to send a lot of pressure and that leaves you a little more exposed in the back end,” Ryan said. “If you go four-man rushes, you can only take four lanes. It’s a tough task, but again, it’s one that we’ve worked hard (on).”

If Rodgers does manage to get out of the pocket, Ryan thinks it means the defensive backs have to be extra vigilant with the receivers.

“We call it a plaster technique where you’ve got to plaster your receiver, which means you’ve got to cover him,” Ryan said. “You can’t take your eyes off him. If you do, especially Nelson, he’ll lose you. He’s got a great feel for it.”

The one piece of good news for the Jets is that Ryan had success the last time he faced Rodgers and the Packers. Back in 2010, Rodgers was held to just 170 yards and a QB rating of 59.7. Green Bay won the game 9-0, but Ryan couldn’t blame his defense.

The problem with using that game as a point of reference?

That performance came with Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie at cornerback, and now they have to stop the very same guy with Walls and Allen.

“He was pretty good back then too, so he seems like the same guy because he’s got a bazooka for an arm and he’s accurate and he can move,” Ryan said.

Asked what was Rodgers’ biggest threat is, Ryan said the Green Bay quarterback simply has too many attributes to contend with.

“I wish there was just one thing because we might be able to target it,” Ryan said. “We’ve faced some really good quarterbacks in the past, including him, but it’s certainly going to be a challenge.”

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Inside the Playbook - NY Jets (1-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-1): Gang Green starts a six-game string vs. Pro Bowl QBs against Aaron Rodgers (Hank Gola) New York Daily News September 13, 2014

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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/playbook-ny-jets-0-1-green-bay-packers-0-1-article-1.1938501

NY JETS AT PACKERS, LAMBEAU FIELD, 4:25 P.M.

LINE: Packers by 8

TV: Ch. 2 ( Greg Gumbel , Trent Green )

RADIO: WEPN 98.7 FM (Bob Wischusen, Marty Lyons), in Spanish on WEPN 1050 AM (Clemson Smith Muniz , Oscar Benitez), Nationwide on Sports USA (Adam Amin, Jake Plummer)

FORECAST: Mid 60s, mostly sunny, with 12 mph winds.

INJURY REPORT

Packers RT Bryan Bulaga , who tore an MCL in his left knee in Seattle, is on track to start, wearing a heavier brace (he already wears one from a previous ACL tear). RB Eddie Lacy has been cleared to play after a concussion. The Packers should also welcome back down-the-field TE Brandon Bostick from a three-week absence due to a minor tibia fracture. LB Brad Jones (thigh) is out. The Jets should have CB Dee Milliner (high ankle sprain) available to face the expected onslaught from Aaron Rodgers although Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen will still start. OG Willie Colon (calf) was limited during the week.

KEY MATCHUP

C Nick Mangold vs. NTs Letroy Guion and Mike Pennel

The Packers really missed having the injured B.J. Raji (on injured reserve with a torn biceps) to clog the middle in Seattle, where Marshawn Lynch ran for 110 yards. Pennel, who made the roster as an undrafted free agent, had been getting a lot of practice reps as a bulkier alternative to Guion when the Pack lines up in a 3-4. Mangold is the epitome of the Jets’ physical approach up front. With Gang Green’s tandem of Chris Johnson , Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell running downhill, Mangold can really set the tenor of the game.

SCOUT SAYS

“There are a lot of mismatches on both sides. There is no doubt Aaron Rodgers is going to go after those corners in the no-huddle. He’s not going to be shy like last week when he didn’t try to test Richard Sherman . But if you’re the Jets, you’re thinking you can shorten this game by playing to your strengths and pounding it. Green Bay’s inside backers really had problems staying in their gaps and the option read gave them lots of problems. The Jets don’t have a Percy Harvin coming around the end but we’ll probably see some of Michael Vick in the Wildcat. If Bulaga can’t go, the Jets will target and take advantage of Derek Sherrod , who really struggles with his footwork. That’s where Rodgers’ mobility in keeping plays alive will be a factor.”

INTANGIBLES

Blown out by the Super Bowl champs in noisy Seattle, the Packers get a welcome visit to Lambeau Field where the game can be played more on their terms. They’ll have had 11 days to get ready for this one and correct a lot of scheme problems and mental errors. With Rodgers beginning a six-game string of Pro Bowl QBs the Jets will face, this is a litmus test for a team that dominated last week, yet still beat the hapless Raiders by just five. If they can somehow pull an upset at Lambeau, where they are being served up as homecoming fodder, they will have the upper hand on the Patriots in the division. No one will be underestimating them anymore.

PREDICTION

Packers, 30-20: Rodgers’ bounce-back history is pretty good.

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NEW YORK TIMES

Running or Receiving, Jets’ Johnson Simply Wants to Touch the Ball (Ben Shpigel) New York Times September 13, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/sports/football/running-or-receiving-jets-johnson-simply-wants-to-touch-the-ball.html?ref=football

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Upon meeting Chris Johnson at the 2008 N.F.L. scouting combine, Anthony Lynn did what he always does when setting his eyes on a running back for the first time: he looked at Johnson’s legs. Those legs were spindly and thin, not unlike the rest of him, and Lynn questioned whether Johnson’s body could hold up for a full season.

“Boy, was I wrong,” said Lynn, though in fact he was only partly wrong — or right.

In the report he filed to the Cleveland Browns, who employed him at the time, Lynn wrote what could be viewed as a prescient observation. He posited that Johnson, because of his build and his speed and his hands, might have a future as a slot receiver.

The Titans drafted Johnson in the first round, and when he was not burnishing his reputation as one of the league’s elite (and more durable) runners, they would line him up in the slot. Or split him out wide. Or deploy him out of the backfield, to catch screen passes and run swing routes and lead the team in receptions, as he did in two of his first three seasons in Tennessee. In 2009, when Johnson ran for 2,006 yards, he also caught 50 passes for 503 yards.

Johnson considers himself, above all, a running back — so much so that he would wonder, after catching a bubble screen, whether the yardage would count toward his rushing or receiving totals. But, he added, he would tell Earnest Byner, his first position coach in the N.F.L., that he wanted to be remembered as a complete player, as good a receiver as he was a runner. When the Titans inserted LenDale White for goal-line or short-yardage situations, Johnson smoldered.

“He was like, ‘Hey man, I could do that,’ ” Byner said. “It’s the same thing. He wants to have the ball in his hands as much as he can.”

In the Jets’ victory last week against Oakland, that meant 18 times — 13 rushes and 5 receptions, reflecting the hybrid role the staff envisions for him. Marty Mornhinweg, the Jets’ offensive coordinator, compared Johnson’s versatility to that of a player he coached in Philadelphia, LeSean McCoy, who is one of only four running backs to have caught more passes than Johnson (277) since 2008, according to pro-football-reference.com. The others? Ray Rice, Darren Sproles and Matt Forte.

“In this offense, it’s not about rushing attempts, it’s about touches,” said Lynn, the Jets’ running backs coach. “And so any way he can get his hands on the ball, we’re trying to do that.”

Johnson said that growing up, his hands were awful. They did not need to be great, or even good. The quarterback shoved the ball in his stomach, and he ran. In high school, though, Johnson spent afternoons catching balls at different heights and angles, practicing where to position his thumbs.

East Carolina went 1-11 Johnson’s freshman year, and the next season, a new coach, Skip Holtz, took over. The Pirates’ primary offensive formation, Holtz said, featured an empty backfield with Johnson at receiver. They sent him on screens and swings and stops, sent him over the middle on slants.

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His position coach at East Carolina, Junior Smith, remembers Johnson’s routine. Before practice, after warming up by hitting the blocking sleds, he would catch 10 passes. During practice, he would work on leverage, option routes, one-on-one drills against linebackers. After practice, he would linger on the field, snagging extra passes from quarterbacks, coaches, JUGS machines.

Johnson had what Smith called a natural instinct for the screen pass, finding creases in the defense by exhibiting patience, pretending to engage in pass protection before releasing.

“I coached receivers for a lot of years,” said Holtz, now the coach at Louisiana Tech, “and I’d say Chris had good hands for a receiver but great hands as a running back.”

Midway through his junior season, Johnson was asked to change positions. Wanting to remain at running back, he did so grudgingly. He ran routes with receivers, caught passes with them, studied defenses with them. “I was forced to do it,” Johnson said, “but it actually helped me out.”

Becoming more of a well-rounded running back is harder than it once was, Lynn said, because of the position’s increased role in pass protection. With so much of practice devoted to that area, there is not as much time to develop receiving skills — unless the player is willing to do so on his own.

Johnson stayed after practice Wednesday to work on his routes with Michael Vick and Geno Smith, and throughout the off-season he performed what Lynn calls distraction drills. He would catch passes while hugging the goal post. He would catch passes with defenders draped on either side of him. He would catch passes after the ball had been thrown at his back, turning around to track it before it hit him in the face.

Like Johnson, LaDainian Tomlinson focused on evolving as a receiver. Even though Tomlinson caught 100 passes in his third season, it was not for another few years, he said in a telephone interview, that he felt he truly blossomed.

He forged a friendship with Marshall Faulk, who also lived in the San Diego area, and over rounds of golf Tomlinson would pepper him for tips on watching film, reading coverages, setting up defenders. As the Chargers diversified their offense, Tomlinson, now an analyst for NFL Network, incorporated Faulk’s advice.

Off-seasons were spent studying defenses of San Diego’s opponents, analyzing coverages so he would sense before the snap who would be guarding him. He learned, and refined, downfield routes like posts, seams and wheels.

To enhance his hand-eye coordination, Tomlinson would stand two or three yards away from a blowing fan and have his trainer put a playing card, one at a time, into the airstream. He had to catch the card with one hand, grabbing 10 in a row before he would permit himself to stop.

Johnson, for his part, does not employ a similar method to improve his concentration. He prefers a rudimentary approach. It involves putting on his uniform, strapping on his helmet and walking onto the field. A ball he might drop in practice, he knows he will not drop during a game.

“Till this day, I don’t think I’m a polished receiver,” Johnson said. “I just think that I can get the job done.”

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Jets (1-0) at Packers (0-1) (Ben Shpigel) New York Times September 13, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/sports/football/jets-1-0-at-packers-0-1.html?ref=football

4:25 p.m. Eastern, CBS

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MATCHUP TO WATCH

Jets’ defensive tackles vs. Packers’ Eddie Lacy

Lacy sustained a concussion in Green Bay’s season opener, but he was cleared Thursday to play against the Jets. He is a powerful runner who, unlike other bruising backs, spins to break tackles and is dangerous if given time to accelerate. The Jets will not load the box to defend Lacy, so the challenge of containing him rests largely with Damon Harrison and Sheldon Richardson, two of the N.F.L.’s best run-stuffing defensive linemen.

NUMBER TO WATCH

18

The tackles Green Bay missed in its Week 1 loss at Seattle, more than any other team but New Orleans (23), according to the statistical website Pro Football Focus. The primary culprits were the rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and linebacker Brad Jones, who each had three. Look for the Jets to try to exploit them by devising ways to get elusive runners like Chris Johnson, Geno Smith and Jeremy Kerley, and even Michael Vick, in space.

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK

‘If that’s what they thought, then hey, that’s up to them and I’m going to show them.’

HA HA CLINTON-DIX, when told that Coach Rex Ryan said that the Jets had drafted another safety, Calvin Pryor, because he “will knock your face in.”

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ESPN NEW YORK

W2W4: Jets vs. Packers (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York September 13, 2014

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/42938/page/w2w4/w2w4-jets-vs-packers

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- That Rex Ryan, he's crazy like a fox.

Instead of his usual bravado, Ryan took a gallows-humor approach this week as the New York Jets (1-0) prepared to face the heavily favored Green Bay Packers (0-1). He said he'd rather play Delbarton (New Jersey) High School and how the best game plan for Aaron Rodgers is to "hope he gets sick." It was Ryan's way of feeding/mocking the public perception that the Jets have no chance Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Behind closed doors, it was a different Ryan, of course. It was vintage Ryan, hammering home the belief the Jets are a tougher team than the Packers and will out-physical them in the trenches. He's right -- they are and they will -- but will that be enough to overcome the brilliance of Rodgers? Probably not, but this is a house-money game for the Jets: No pressure. Maybe they can use that to their advantage.

Kickoff is 4:25 p.m. ET. The top storylines:

1. On the road again (uh-oh): Coaches don't like to look back -- we get it -- but it's unavoidable in this case. The Jets were brutal on the road last season, and this is their first chance to start a new trend. They were 2-6, with the worst point differential (minus-102) and the worst turnover margin (minus-12) in the league. In most games, they started poorly, got rattled and stayed down. A lot of it can be pinned on Geno Smith, who was exceptional in the two wins (Atlanta and Miami) but awful in the other games. All told, he had

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five touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. The Jets never will be considered a legitimate contender until they start winning on the road.

2. Expect the full Rodgers: The Packers didn't look like the Packers in their Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Their offense was bland and tentative. Concerned with the legendary Seattle crowd noise and its impact on their no-huddle, the Packers stayed in a basic three-receiver set for much of the game, using no motion at all. They didn't throw at All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, basically eliminating one-third of the field. Now, in the friendly confines of Lambeau, the Packers are expected to use the full playbook and the full field. Their goal this season is to run 75 plays a game, so look for Rodgers to keep his foot on the gas pedal. Pre-snap communication will be important for the Jets, whose depth also will be tested by the up-tempo attack.

3. Help for secondary: Cornerback Dee Milliner is expected to play after missing four weeks with a high-ankle sprain, but his presence doesn't fix the secondary problems. Basically, Milliner is re-starting training camp. He'll need a few weeks to get into football shape and he's the type of player who needs reps to be at the top of his game. Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen will remain the starters, with Milliner rotating with Walls. The Rodgers-Jordy Nelson tandem poses a huge challenge. They've developed great chemistry over the years, especially on sideline routes -- the back-shoulder fade, in particular. Nelson, targeted 14 times last week, could run circles around Allen, who's still learning the position. Let's be real: They all could have problems covering Nelson.

4. Ground & Pound (and keep pounding): You'd like to believe the Jets won't overthink their offensive game plan. They ran for 212 yards last week and the Packers allowed 207, so the approach seems rather obvious: Just run, baby. The Packers' run defense was a hot mess in the opener. Their tackling was poor (17 misses) and their run fits were sloppy. The Seahawks spread them and ran wild against the Packers' nickel personnel. Jets right tackle Breno Giacomini acknowledged that "we might take a few things here and there" from the Seattle game plan. They should be able to gash the Packers with the inside-outside talents of Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson, respectively. The idea is to play ball control and keep Rodgers on the sideline.

5. Memo to offense: Finish drives: Last week's performance in the red zone (one touchdown, four trips) was flat-out unacceptable. The Jets ran 11 plays inside the 21-yard line, producing a net of minus-39 yards. Chalk it up to sacks, penalties, missed blocks and questionable play calling (see: Michael Vick package). The focus has to be sharper, and it starts with Smith, who needs to do a better job of managing the game. As coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said, "We have to become situational experts."

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Sunday notes: New role for Chris Johnson (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York September 14, 2014

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/43025/sunday-notes-new-role-for-chris-johnson

A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:

1. CJ2K x .5: Chris Johnson experienced a rarity last week. He played less than 50 percent of the offensive snaps, which happened only twice in his first six seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. To be exact, he played in 33 of 70 snaps in the Jets' win over the Oakland Raiders, a radical role change for a running back whose career is defined by the word "workhorse."

Johnson made headlines last year when he said he's "never been a big fan of the two-back system," his reaction to the Tennessee Titans signing former Jet Shonn Greene. Well, now he's part of a three-back

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system, along with Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell, so there will be more watered-down work days this season. So far, he's buying in.

"We rushed for more than 200 yards, so there's nothing I can complain about," he said.

The Jets told Johnson before he signed that he would be in a rotation. "At the same time, I told the guys that if they get into a rhythm and they're rolling, I'll go with the hot hand," said running backs coach Anthony Lynn, who tallies the snap counts after each quarter.

The upside is that Johnson, who turns 29 on Sept. 23, should be fresh for later in the season. The same goes for the other backs. The downside is that it takes Johnson out of his comfort zone, perhaps hurting his ability to develop a rhythm in the game. Lynn likes the committee approach because it creates a competitive environment. I like it, too. The question is whether Johnson will continue to like it if he keeps spending half the game on the sideline.

2. Training-camp update: In August, we reported the Jets were considering SUNY-Farmingdale on Long Island as their training-camp site for 2015. I'm now told it's a "90 percent" possibility they will train in Farmingdale, according to a person familiar with the situation. Publicly, the Jets say they are mulling all options, including a return to Cortland. In the end, I think the chance to re-connect with their Long Island fan base will prove too tempting to ignore, not to mention the marketing possibilities associated with the metropolitan area.

3. Return of 'Ellis Island': Rex Ryan was thrilled to re-sign cornerback/special teamer Ellis Lankster, who replaced cornerback Leon McFadden on the roster. From what I understand, Ryan had been looking for a way to get the popular Lankster back on the roster. McFadden had some hiccups in practice, so that provided the opening.

4. Calvin vs. Ha Ha: Ryan made it abundantly clear why he preferred Calvin Pryor over Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the draft, saying he wanted a safety who would "kick you in the face." The inference was that Clinton-Dix isn't a physical player. That is interesting because Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson, who drafted Clinton-Dix three spots later, adheres to a different philosophy.

"I'm not a big fan anymore of those blow-up guys, because they're just going to hurt themselves or get penalties," Thompson said at the time of the draft. "I think (Clinton-Dix) plays the game very bright and very smart."

In case you're wondering, yes, the Packers rated Clinton-Dix over Pryor, so they were happy when the Jets took the Louisville slugger. This is why football scouting is such an inexact and compelling science: Different strokes for different folks.

5. Chip off the 'ol Ted: The Pryor/Clinton-Dix disagreement notwithstanding, Jets GM John Idzik and Thompson are philosophically aligned in terms of team-building. How many times have we heard Idzik say the draft is the team's "lifeline"? Thompson is the same way, rarely dipping his toes into the free-agent waters. He prefers to spend on his own players (see: big contracts for wide receiver Jordy Nelson and cornerback Sam Shields). The folks in Wisconsin were stunned when he signed free-agent pass-rusher Julius Peppers to a three-year, $27 million contract. It was so un-Ted-like.

Idzik splurged for wide receiver Eric Decker, but he often moves at a glacial pace in free agency, frustrating the fan base with his frugal ways. Right now, the Jets are sitting on $24.5 million in cap space. The Idzik-Thompson connection is Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider, a former Packers exec/Thompson protege who was Idzik's boss from 2010 to 2012 in Seattle.

6. Willie the flag man: This was a rough week for right guard Willie Colon, who was hard on himself after committing three penalties in the opener. In fact, Colon and Gabe Carimi (Atlanta Falcons) are tied for the

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league lead in penalties among offensive linemen. The only player with more than three is cornerback Ike Taylor (Pittsburgh Steelers), who was called four times (three declined).

"I know I'd better cut it out," said Colon, who recorded a team-high 12 penalties last season. "I was embarrassed by it. You never want to be the guy to hurt your offense. It was disheartening for me."

7. Standing tall: The number-crunchers at the NFL office did a study on opening-day rosters, analyzing everything from height, weight, age and experience. The Jets are fairly close to the average in most of the categories, although it's worth noting they are tied for the AFC lead in average height -- 6.19 feet. These three players, all listed at 6-foot-7, bumped up the average -- Breno Giacomini, Zach Sudfeld and T.J. Barnes.

8. Found in Detroit: Former Jets cornerback Dimitri (AWOL) Patterson worked out for the Detroit Lions on Wednesday. The Lions are hurting in the secondary (not if you ask Eli Manning), but they still took a pass on Patterson, who remains unemployed. The Jets were in the minority in their belief that he could be a starting cornerback. Believe me, teams would look past the circumstances surrounding his divorce from the Jets if they felt he could play cornerback at a reasonably high level.

9. D-ROY vs. O-ROY: Sunday's game features the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (Sheldon Richardson) and Offensive Rookie of the Year (Eddie Lacy) from 2013. They faced off in 2012, with Richardson's Missouri team getting crushed by Lacy's Alabama squad, 42-10. Richardson was quick to note he had 14 tackles and a sack. Said Richardson: "I smashed him once and he shook me up in the hole once." Richardson said he likes to tease Lacy, telling him he looks like he's 260 pounds -- 30 more than his actual weight.

10. World is upside down: The New England Patriots are in sole possession of last place for the first time in the Tom Brady era, according to Elias. How's that sound, Jets fans?

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NJ.COM

Jets add Muhammad Wilkerson to injury report, list him as probable for Sunday (Dom Cosentino) NJ.com September 13, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/09/jets_add_muhammad_wilkerson_to_injury_report_list_him_as_probable_for_sunday.html

The Jets on Saturday afternoon updated their injury report to include a surprise name: defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, who is now listed as probable for Sunday's game at the Packers with a back injury.

The linchpin of the defensive line, Wilkerson is arguably the Jets' best player. There had been no indication during the week that he was hurt.

The Jets were slated to travel to Green Bay on Saturday. The extent of Wilkerson's injury is not known, though it's not believed to be serious: By listing him as probable, the Jets believe Wilkerson will be able to play.

The rest of the Jets' and Packers' respective injury reports are unchanged from Friday. You can read those reports here.

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YAHOO! SPORTS

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Jets safety Calvin Pryor's big-hitting reputation goes back to when he was 10 (Kristian Dyer) YAHOO! Sports September 13, 2014

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/jets-safety-calvin-pryor-s-big-hitting-reputation-goes-back-to-when-he-was-10-190545095.html?soc_src=mediacontentsharebuttons

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – He may be just a rookie but New York Jets safety Calvin Pryor has already earned a reputation as a fearsome, physical hitter. That reputation was actually born 12 years ago when as a 10-year old, Pryor knocked an opponent out of a game.

It was a “clean hit, just like I do now” Pryor recalls of that play, now from his vantage in the NFL. Pryor is seated in the Jets locker room, a rookie first-round pick who has been hyped by head coach Rex Ryan for his hard-hitting style. He’s got a quick smile and fires off great quotes with ease, throwing back his head and dreads in a laugh nearly every minute. He’s a bit of a clown with his teammates, mocking linebacker Demario Davis about a recent kickball game they recently played in together before turning his attention towards talking about his ferocious, hostile style on the field.

He describes it like it happened yesterday even though he was a member of the Port St. Joe’s Pop Warner team and in middle school at the time. It was the championship game and the opponent was the Blountstown Tigers and midway through the game, a receiver was coming down the seam trying to make a reception. He was a safety even back then and the receiver didn’t see Pryor coming at him.

Pryor laid a “smack on him.”

“He didn’t get up. He didn’t get up. He was laying there. They called an ambulance out on the field and everything. That’s where I got a name. Back then, I was known more as an offensive guy, playing quarterback and running back,” Pryor told Yahoo! Sports.

“I felt kind of bad. I never wanted to see anyone in that position. But at the same time, it’s a physical game.

It’s my mentality. It is who I am. I’m not afraid of anybody; not afraid of anything. I’m willing to lay my body on the line for the team. That’s the way I am.”

They won the game and afterwards, he remembers that he celebrated the victory over Blountstown with his teammates at McDonald's ("Still not a bad way to go" he adds).

He is part of a revamped Jets secondary that has jettisoned Pro Bowl cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie the past two years. Pryor is far more comfortable playing close to the line of scrimmage and must improve on how he plays in space, but he’s tremendous in run support. He’s also an enforcer, already earning a reputation as a hard hitter even though he’s only played one regular season game and a slate of preseason dates.

The Jets had that type of player two years ago in LaRon Landry, a safety who leveled the boom and made wide receivers think twice about going over the middle. Even with the loss of Revis early that season, the Jets secondary still finished second in the league in pass defense. The hope is that Pryor can bring that same level of fear and intimidation.

“It’s about making plays," Pryor said. "Any time I get a chance to hit a guy and it’s legal, I’m going to do it. I love the contact, I love the hitting. I love the contact. I’m not an angry guy. Most of the time I’m laughing and smiling. But when I get on that field, I turn into a different person."

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His debut last week in a 19-14 win over the Oakland Raiders was solid and devoid of any glaring errors. He registered four tackles and two passes defended against rookie quarterback Derek Carr and earned solid marks from the Jets coaching staff.

It’s just one game, but the Jets pass defense is atop the league.

“He played pretty well. The biggest thing that I took from it was that it wasn’t too big for him, and that is rare for a rookie,” Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said. “He was out there, he was comfortable, he showed awareness, he showed his natural ability to play football, and those are the things that impressed us before we took him in the draft.”

He’s hard hitting, yes, but he is quick to point out that he isn’t a dirty player.

Pryor bristles at the idea that he hits with the crown of the helmet, one of the knocks against him when he came out of college. He said he doesn’t hit that way and never has.

He has, however, picked up on the differences on how to hit in the NFL. In college, there is leeway about hitting in the upper body, something he says is different now on Sundays.

No one told him he had to change his hitting style or that he needed to; instead he did his homework and knew he’d have to make subtle adjustments to avoid penalties.

“In college you can hit them really high in the chest. In the NFL, you can’t do that. You have to hit your targets lower; that’s something I’m working on,” Pryor said.

“It’s not something you train or practice. You shoot for the legs, shoot for the lower body. It’s engrained me now. When I got here, that’s probably the one thing that I changed. It’s the one thing I worked on in camp.”

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SATURDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS

Associated Press September 13, 2014

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/13/saturdays-sports-transactions/

BASEBALL American League TAMPA BAY RAYS — Recalled RHP Nate Karns from Durham (IL). TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Assigned 1B Matt Hague and OF Darin Mastroianni outright to Buffalo (IL). National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Recalled LHP Joe Paterson and OF Brett Jackson from Reno (PCL). FOOTBALL National Football League OAKLAND RAIDERS — Signed LB Bojay Filimoeatu from the practice squad. ST. LOUIS RAMS — Signed DE Robert Quinn to a four-year contract extension.

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