NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

September 23, 2013

1 | P a g e

Table of Contents

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

Jets overcome 20 penalties, beat Bills 27-20 (Dennis Waszak) ................................................................................. 2

Bills lose 27-20 despite Jets' 20 penalties (Dennis Waszak) ...................................................................................... 4

5 things to know from Jets' 27-20 win over Bills (Dennis Waszak) ........................................................................... 5

NEWSDAY .............................................................................................................................................................. 7

Jets defeat Bills, 27-20 (Kimberley A. Martin) ........................................................................................................... 7

20 penalties? Rex Ryan will have Jets doing plenty of push-ups at practice this week (Bob Glauber) ..................... 8

Bilal Powell keys ground attack that unlocks offense (Bob Glauber) ...................................................................... 10

Jets Q&A: Twenty penalties? (Kimberley A. Martin) ............................................................................................... 11

Jets' receivers make big catches for Geno Smith (Al Iannazzone)........................................................................... 12

Jets' grades: Solid performance by every department (Staff) ................................................................................. 13

THE RECORD ........................................................................................................................................................ 13

Penalty flag on Gang Green (Jeff Roberts) .............................................................................................................. 13

Jets replay vs. Bills (Jeff Roberts) ............................................................................................................................. 15

Jets notes: Challenging day for Rex Ryan (J.P. Pelzman) ......................................................................................... 15

Sullivan: Santonio Holmes shows his winning form for Jets (Tara Sullivan) ............................................................ 16

Jets hold off Bills, 27-20, to improve to 2-1 (J.P. Pelzman) ..................................................................................... 18

STAR-LEDGER ....................................................................................................................................................... 19

Jets down Bills, 27-20, in an ugly, penalty-filled outing (Darryl Slater) ................................................................... 19

Geno Smith aided by Jets supporting cast in offense's outburst against Bills (Michael Fensom) ........................... 21

Kyle Wilson is chief culprit as Jets commit franchise-record 20 penalties (Michael Fensom) ................................ 22

Politi: Career-best game for Santonio Holmes is a thing of beauty for the Jets (Steve Politi) ................................ 23

Jets rookie Sheldon Richardson owns mental mistake that marred defensive gem (Darryl Slater) ....................... 24

WALL STREET JOURNAL ....................................................................................................................................... 25

Jets Outlast Bills, Conquer New York (Mike Sielski) ................................................................................................ 25

NEW YORK TIMES ................................................................................................................................................ 26

Jets Overcome Their Mistakes With One Long Pass (Ben Shpigel).......................................................................... 26

NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................. 28

Geno comes through for Jets when it’s needed most (Steve Serby) ...................................................................... 28

RB Powell has career day for Jets (Brian Costello) .................................................................................................. 29

Jets CB Wilson has fourth-quarter meltdown (Brian Lewis).................................................................................... 30

Jets report card (Brian Costello) .............................................................................................................................. 31

Daily Clips Cont.

2 | P a g e

Jets Blitz (Brian Lewis) ............................................................................................................................................. 32

Jets defense the difference against Bills (Mark Cannizzaro) ................................................................................... 33

Geno keeps his cool as Jets turn back Bills (Brian Costello) .................................................................................... 34

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 36

Geno Smith hits Santonio Holmes for 69-yard touchdown to beat Buffalo Bills 27-20 (Seth Walder) ................... 36

Rex Ryan benches Kyle Wilson after committing three consecutive penalties (Kevin Armstrong) ........................ 37

Bilal Powell's 149 rushing yards help NY Jets grab win over Bills (Stephen Lorenzo) ............................................. 38

Geno Smith and Santonio Holmes can become dynamic duo for NY Jets (Manish Mehta) .................................... 39

ESPN NEW YORK .................................................................................................................................................. 40

Holmes alone stabilizes undisciplined Jets (Rich Cimini) ......................................................................................... 40

Geno Smith is one fearless rookie (Ian O’Connor) .................................................................................................. 42

METRO NEW YORK .............................................................................................................................................. 44

Jets rookie Geno Smith showing glimpses of potential (Kristian Dyer) ................................................................... 44

Jets beat Bills despite host of penalties, late errors (Kristian Dyer) ........................................................................ 45

Jets, Geno Smith get better of fellow rookie QB E.J. Manuel (Kristian Dyer).......................................................... 46

USA TODAY .......................................................................................................................................................... 47

Smith, Jets hold off Manuel, Bills in matchup of rookie QBs (Kristian Dyer) ........................................................... 47

SUNDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS ...................................................................................................................... 48

Sunday’s Sports Transactions .................................................................................................................................. 48

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jets overcome 20 penalties, beat Bills 27-20 (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press September 22, 2013

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=hLU2zD2n

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Rex Ryan might see yellow penalty flags in his sleep.

Luckily for him and his New York Jets, an ugly afternoon still ended with an improbable victory.

Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 69-yarder to Santonio Holmes in the fourth quarter, and the Jets overcame a team-record 20 penalties to hang on and beat the Buffalo Bills 27-20 Sunday.

"I love the fact that our team found a way to win," Ryan said. "We persevered and we won. That's really encouraging to me. That tells you about the fight and spirit of this football team, and that's what I'm most proud of."

Smith, who also ran for a score, slightly outplayed EJ Manuel in a matchup of the first two quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft.

But this one was tough to watch with the barrage of penalties. The Jets (2-1) rolled up 168 yards in penalty yardage, and nearly gave it away against the Bills (1-2).

Daily Clips Cont.

3 | P a g e

New York became the first team to get called for that many penalties and win since the Browns beat the Bears in 1951 despite 21 penalties.

"I know this team is going to get better," Ryan said. "There's no way we can't. Twenty penalties? That's on my shoulders. No question about it, but I know we can get better."

Capping a drive kept alive by four straight penalties on the Jets, Manuel connected with Scott Chandler for a 33-yard touchdown, then hit Stevie Johnson with a pass for 2-point conversion that tied it at 20 with 10:39 left in the game.

"We had a huge momentum swing there and couldn't capitalize on it," Johnson said. "We made our mistakes, but they made 20 penalties and we didn't win. We have to find a way to get it done with that kind of help."

Smith got the Jets right back onto the scoreboard with his big heave to Holmes, who broke away from Justin Rogers as he caught the ball and zipped into the end zone.

"We knew that we had to score," Smith said.

Ryan lost two challenges in a span of three plays in the third quarter and it ended up hurting the Jets.

Manuel scrambled for 21 yards early in the fourth quarter, but lost the ball when he was hit by Dawan Landry and Jaiquawn Jarrett recovered. But officials ruled Manuel was down - and Ryan had no more challenges, with replays showing Manuel appeared to fumble.

New York then had a horrendous sequence of four straight penalties, three on Kyle Wilson, who was benched briefly after the last of the calls.

That kept Buffalo's offense on the field. It appeared Fred Jackson also had a fumble during the drive that the Jets recovered, but penalties also negated that and put the Bills in a position to tie.

"We were able to get the game to 20-20," Bills coach Doug Marrone said, "but then we were not able to make the plays to get us over the hump."

Smith, the second quarterback drafted at No. 39, finished 16 of 29 for 331 yards and also had two interceptions.

Bilal Powell ran for a career-high 149 yards on 27 carries, and Holmes had a career-best 154 yards receiving. Stephen Hill also caught a touchdown pass from Smith.

Manuel, who went No. 16 overall as the first quarterback drafted, was 19 of 42 for 243 yards and the score.

It was a costly defeat for Buffalo, which lost cornerback Leodis McKelvin to a hamstring injury, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to an ankle injury and defensive end Alex Carrington was carted off late in the game with an apparent left knee injury.

Running back C.J. Spiller also left with a knee injury and finished with just 9 yards rushing.

Smith was sharp on the Jets' first possession, marching New York 80 yards and converting three third downs before punching it in himself from 8 yards on a quarterback draw to make it 7-0. Dan Carpenter's 37-yard field goal made it 7-3 in the second quarter.

Buffalo got the ball right back when Smith lofted a pass for Holmes into double coverage and was picked off by former Jets safety Jim Leonhard, and Carpenter made a 23-yarder moments later to cut it to 7-6.

The Jets took a 14-6 lead on a pretty pass from Smith, who hit Hill in stride for a 51-yard touchdown. Nick Folk kicked a 47-yard field goal into the wind to make it 17-6 as time expired in the opening half.

Daily Clips Cont.

4 | P a g e

"How many games are we going to win with two turnovers and 20 penalties? Not many," Ryan said. "We will get it corrected. I will get it corrected."

NOTES: After Buffalo allowed just one sack in its first two games, New York had eight, including two by Muhammad Wilkerson. ... Jets DB Ellis Lankster saved Ryan Quigley's 40-yard punt from going into the end zone, and Isaiah Trufant downed it at the 1 with 21 seconds left in the game. ... Jets WR Clyde Gates had his right leg wrapped and he limped as he left the stadium. RB Chris Ivory left the game with a hamstring injury.

Back_to_Top

Bills lose 27-20 despite Jets' 20 penalties (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press September 22, 2013

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=2aDMGvPM

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - This one got away from the Buffalo Bills.

Even after it appeared the New York Jets were doing everything they could to hand them a victory.

After chipping away and tying the game in the fourth quarter, the Bills gave up a go-ahead 69-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Santonio Holmes as the Jets overcame a team-record 20 penalties to hang on and win 27-20 Sunday.

"We had a huge momentum swing there and couldn't capitalize on it," Bills receiver Stevie Johnson said. "They ended up making more plays in the end. We competed for all four quarters. We just didn't get it."

Smith, who also ran for a score, slightly outplayed EJ Manuel in a matchup of the first two quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft. But this one was tough to watch with the barrage of penalties. The Jets (2-1) rolled up 168 yards in penalties, and nearly gave it away against the Bills (1-2).

New York became the first team to get called for that many penalties and win since the Browns beat the Bears in 1951 despite 21 penalties.

"We made our mistakes, but they made 20 penalties and we didn't win," Johnson said. "We have to find a way to get it done with that kind of help."

Capping a drive kept alive by four straight penalties on the Jets, Manuel connected with Scott Chandler for a 33-yard touchdown, then hit Johnson with a pass for a 2-point conversion that tied it at 20 with 10:39 left in the game.

"We were able to get the game to 20-20," Bills coach Doug Marrone said, "but then we were not able to make the plays to get us over the hump."

Smith got the Jets right back onto the scoreboard with his big heave to Holmes, who broke away from Justin Rogers as he caught the ball and zipped into the end zone.

"We knew that we had to score," Smith said.

Added Rogers: "I just have to turn my head around and make a play on the ball."

Manuel, who went No. 16 overall as the first quarterback drafted, was 19 of 42 for 243 yards and the score. But he couldn't make the plays down the stretch as he did last week in a comeback victory over Carolina.

He was also sacked eight times after going down just once in the first two games.

Daily Clips Cont.

5 | P a g e

"I have to get the ball out of there, unless I want to get hit," Manuel said. "I needed to be able to get it out there so the receivers could make plays. I have to do a better job. I didn't execute well enough.

"I just have to get better."

And, so do the Jets.

Ryan lost two challenges in a span of three plays in the third quarter and it ended up hurting New York. Manuel scrambled for 21 yards but lost the ball when he was hit by Dawan Landry, and Jaiquawn Jarrett recovered. But officials ruled Manuel was down - and Ryan had no more challenges, with replays showing Manuel appeared to fumble.

New York then had a horrendous sequence of four straight penalties, three on Kyle Wilson, who was benched briefly after the last of the calls. That kept Buffalo's offense on the field. It appeared Fred Jackson also had a fumble during the drive that the Jets recovered, but penalties also negated that and put the Bills in position to tie.

Smith, the second quarterback drafted at No. 39, finished 16 of 29 for 331 yards and had two interceptions. Bilal Powell ran for a career-high 149 yards on 27 carries, and Holmes had a career-best 154 yards receiving.

"I love the fact that our team found a way to win," Ryan said. "We persevered and we won. That's really encouraging to me. That tells you about the fight and spirit of this football team, and that's what I'm most proud of."

It was a costly defeat for Buffalo, which lost cornerback Leodis McKelvin to a hamstring injury, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to an ankle injury, and defensive end Alex Carrington was carted off late in the game with an apparent left knee injury.

C.J. Spiller also left with a knee injury and finished with just 9 yards rushing. Mario Williams - who had 4 1-2 sacks last week - played sparingly late in the game, although the Bills had no immediate word on if he was injured.

"In all three games, we've given ourselves the ability to be in a position to tie or win a game," Marrone said. "And we've just got to keep working to get over that hump despite what anybody else may say or think."

NOTES: Jets DB Ellis Lankster saved Ryan Quigley's 40-yard punt from going into the end zone, and Isaiah Trufant downed it at the 1 with 21 seconds left. ... It was Marrone's first loss to Smith after his Syracuse team beat West Virginia three times with Smith as the starting QB.

Back_to_Top

5 things to know from Jets' 27-20 win over Bills (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press September 23, 2013

http://pro32.ap.org/article/5-things-know-jets-27-20-win-over-bills

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ugly. Sloppy. And, Rex Ryan will take it.

The New York Jets overcame a team-record 20 penalties and hung on to beat the Buffalo Bills 27-20 on Sunday as Geno Smith outplayed EJ Manuel in a matchup of the first two quarterbacks drafted in April.

"I love the fact that our team found a way to win," Ryan said. "We persevered and we won. That's really encouraging to me. That tells you about the fight and spirit of this football team.

Daily Clips Cont.

6 | P a g e

"And that's what I'm most proud of."

Even if it was far from the prettiest of victories for the Jets (2-1), who became the first team to get called for that many penalties and win since the Browns beat the Bears in 1951 despite being penalized 21 times. They did it with Smith's 69-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in the fourth quarter that stood as the winning score.

"We were able to get the game to 20-20," Bills coach Doug Marrone said, "but then we were not able to make the plays to get us over the hump."

Here are five things to know from the Jets' victory over the Bills (1-2):

1. PLETHORA OF PENALTIES: Buffalo couldn't take full advantage of New York's barrage of penalties, which accounted for 168 yards and nearly sent the Jets to a loss.

Capping a drive kept alive by four straight penalties on the Jets, including three on Kyle Wilson, Manuel connected with Scott Chandler for a 33-yard touchdown and then hit Stevie Johnson with a pass for a 2-point conversion that tied it at 20 with 10:39 left in the game.

"We made our mistakes, but they made 20 penalties and we didn't win," Johnson said. "We have to find a way to get it done with that kind of help."

Buffalo had seven penalties for 87 yards, a minuscule number compared to the Jets.

2. GENO OUTDOES EJ: Smith insisted he wasn't out to prove anything to Buffalo after the Bills passed on drafting him and instead took Manuel at No. 16 overall. But he came through with one of the biggest plays of the game, connecting with Holmes on the go-ahead score.

Smith, the second quarterback drafted at No. 39, finished 16 of 29 for 331 yards and touchdown passes to Holmes and Stephen Hill, and also had two interceptions. It was Smith's first 300-yard passing game of his young career.

"I don't want to make it seem like it's nothing," Smith said, "but my mind is focused on turnovers."

Manuel, who led the Bills to a comeback win last weekend against Carolina, couldn't do the same against the Jets. He was 19 of 42 for 243 yards and the score, but was sacked eight times.

"I have to get the ball out of there, unless I want to get hit," Manuel said. "I needed to be able to get it out there so the receivers could make plays."

3. MARTY MAGIC: Under new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, the Jets racked up 513 yards of total offense — the most during Ryan's tenure. It was also the first time New York had 500 or more yards of total offense since 2000.

"Well, don't give me credit," Ryan joked.

Mornhinweg has clearly made a difference with a mostly unheralded unit and he did it in this game against Mike Pettine, the Bills' defensive coordinator who spent 11 years as Ryan's right-hand man.

It was the first time the Jets had a 300-yard passer (Smith), a 100-yard rusher (Bilal Powell, 149) and a 100-yard receiver (Holmes, 154, and Hill, 108) since 1985. They also had four pass plays of 40 yards or more, one shy of last year's total.

4. SACKS IN BUNCHES: Buffalo came in having allowed just one sack in its first two games. New York nearly looked like the old "Sack Exchange" on Sunday, taking Manuel down eight times, including two sacks by Muhammad Wilkerson.

Daily Clips Cont.

7 | P a g e

It was the most sacks the Jets had in a game since they sacked the Giants' Phil Simms eight times in 1988.

Meanwhile, New York's offensive line did a terrific job of protecting Smith, allowing no sacks. Mario Williams, who had 4½ last week, was held to two tackles for Buffalo.

5. BANGED-UP BILLS: It was a costly defeat for Buffalo, which lost cornerback Leodis McKelvin to a hamstring injury and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to an ankle injury. Defensive end Alex Carrington was carted off late in the game with an apparent left knee injury.

Running back C.J. Spiller also left with a knee injury and finished with just 9 yards rushing.

Williams also might be ailing a bit. He got very little action late in the game, and Marrone would only say that he saw the defensive end "getting work."

The loss of McKelvin could be huge for a secondary that is already without safety Jairus Byrd and cornerback Stephon Gilmore because of injuries.

"Everybody's going after our secondary," Marrone said, "and we just have to do a good job."

Back_to_Top

NEWSDAY

Jets defeat Bills, 27-20 (Kimberley A. Martin) Newsday September 23, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-defeat-bills-27-20-1.6119234

Geno Smith 1, EJ Manuel 0.

Even with two interceptions, Smith outplayed his rookie counterpart Sunday, passing for 331 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 27-20 win over the Bills at MetLife Stadium.

The day's biggest play came courtesy of some veteran savvy. Smith connected with his No. 1 receiver, Santonio Holmes, on a 69-yard touchdown pass with 9:23 to play that broke a 20-20 tie.

Holmes relishes big-game moments and the spotlight. And after the Bills' offense came alive in the final quarter, it suddenly became Tone Time.

"Our job is to go out and make plays, and Geno gave me an opportunity to make the play,'' said Holmes, who was targeted 10 times, caught five passes and finished with a career-high 154 receiving yards. His 69-yard score was the longest touchdown by the Jets in the fourth quarter or overtime since 1996, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

"I love the fact that he threw it to Holmes,'' coach Rex Ryan said of Smith, whom the Jets drafted 39th overall in April. " . . . 154 yards receiving is pretty impressive. The kid hung in there. We get the protection and he makes the big throws.''

Stephen Hill also had a big day, making three catches for 108 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown that put the Jets up 14-6 in the second quarter.

"He did a great job,'' Hill said of Smith, who gave the Jets a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with an 8-yard quarterback draw. "I felt like he took over the game when it was time to and he made plays. That's what we [were] looking for.''

Daily Clips Cont.

8 | P a g e

Smith said of wanting the ball in his hands in the big moments, "Always. With the game on the line, the ball in your hands, that's the moment you live for. That's the moment you dream of as a kid.''

In the absence of running back Chris Ivory, who was injured in the first quarter, Bilal Powell rushed for a career-high 149 yards on 27 carries. The Jets finished with 513 total yards, the most ever under Ryan.

"Well, don't give me credit,'' he said. " . . . That's clearly our offensive staff.''

But give all the credit to Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman for making Manuel -- the first quarterback taken in the April draft (16th overall) -- look every bit the rookie. Manuel, who was sacked eight times, struggled against Ryan's play-calling and his stout defensive front for much of the game.

"When they're bringing eight people at you, it is definitely tough,'' said Manuel (19-for-42, 243 yards and a touchdown). "But you still have to relax.''

He did just that and eventually found the end zone in the fourth quarter -- thanks to the self-destruction of Kyle Wilson. The fourth-year cornerback, who started in place of struggling rookie Dee Milliner, was flagged four times on one series for holding, illegal contact and unsportsmanlike conduct (twice).

For the second straight week, Ryan benched one of his cornerbacks. Darrin Walls replaced Wilson, whose one-man sideshow earned the Bills (1-2) multiple first downs and quickly resulted in a momentum swing.

On third-and-6, Manuel found a wide-open Scott Chandler for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 10:39 left. That made it 20-18, and the Bills easily added the tying two-point conversion as Manuel connected with Stevie Johnson.

But the score was tied only momentarily. After a pass-interference call on the Bills, Smith launched his 69-yard touchdown pass to Holmes and Nick Folk's PAT made it 27-20.

Wilson's meltdown -- and subsequent benching -- was the most egregious, but the Jets (2-1) racked up a franchise-record 20 penalties that cost them 168 yards. They became the first team to win with that many infractions since the 1951 Browns (22 against the Bears), according to Elias Sports Bureau.

But in the end, Smith won the battle of the rookie quarterbacks in a game that pitted Ryan -- the defensive guru -- against his former defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine, who joined the Bills after the 2012 season.

Said Jets defensive end Leger Douzable, "We want people to keep doubting us. We're just going to keep proving them wrong. I can't speak for offense, but on defense, nobody gave us a chance. Nobody thought we could be a top five defense, and we're going to prove people wrong."

Back_to_Top

20 penalties? Rex Ryan will have Jets doing plenty of push-ups at practice this week (Bob Glauber) Newsday September 23, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/bob-glauber/20-penalties-rex-ryan-will-have-jets-doing-plenty-of-push-ups-at-practice-this-week-1.6120948

David Harris knows what's coming next.

After all those penalties in the Jets' 27-20 grind-it-out, got-away-with-one win over the Bills Sunday, the push-ups are sure to follow.

Guaranteed.

Daily Clips Cont.

9 | P a g e

Commit a penalty in practice and Rex Ryan will make you stop what you're doing and give him 10 right then and there. And it's not just the players. It's whoever is standing on the practice field whose paycheck has Woody Johnson's signature on it. Even Johnson himself.

"Every time we have a penalty in practice, the whole team has to do push-ups," Harris said after the win. "Players, trainers, front-office people, everybody."

After what he saw Sunday, when the Jets committed a staggering 20 penalties -- the most in a game since Ryan took over as coach in 2009 -- rest assured that he will be demanding push-ups at every turn.

And if the practices look anything like the Jets did against the Bills, the push-ups will seem never-ending. In fact, Ryan may want to have his players atone for all those penalties with a few pre-practice push-ups as well.

Credit the Jets for managing to win despite all the self-inflicted mistakes they made against the Bills, because it's not easy to win when you commit that many penalties. But Ryan knows he got away with one here, and that it can't happen with any regularity if this team expects to be any good. After a surprising 2-1 start that almost no one around the league anticipated, it will be a high priority for the coach to straighten it out ASAP.

Ryan's postgame mood was reflective of the problem. He began his news conference with an exaggerated smile after saying, "Obviously, we get a win. It's big, a divisional one, so really happy about that." Then he got to the penalties, and he looked as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Twenty penalties? That's on my shoulder, no question about it," he said. "But I know we can get better. Just think how good we can be if we can eliminate the penalties and the turnovers. We overcame 20 penalties and overcame two turnovers to win a game."

Ryan should feel good about the fact that the Jets managed to beat a team that entered the game off a win over the Panthers last week -- yes, the same Panthers team that embarrassed the Giants, 38-0, on Sunday. He should feel good that after three weeks, he's only a game out of the division lead.

And he should feel especially good that he has a defense that is strong enough to overcome a mind-numbing number of penalties, many of them committed by that very same defense.

Cornerback Kyle Wilson, for instance, committed four penalties on three plays early in the fourth quarter, a sequence that prompted Ryan to briefly bench him to get him to chill out.

"Rex wanted me to cool off," Wilson said, declining to comment on the officiating. "That's all that was."

It was symptomatic of a team that looked way too undisciplined, and the problem stood out even more because Ryan's teams usually are among the least penalized in the league. But when the defense wasn't committing penalties, it was mostly dominating the Bills and rookie quarterback EJ Manuel.

The Jets limited Manuel's offense to 4-for-18 on third downs, gave up 120 net yards rushing to a team that boasts tailbacks C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, and sacked Manuel eight times. In his previous two games, Manuel was sacked only once.

Someone asked rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who had one sack, if Manuel was rattled. "I'll let you answer that one," Richardson said. When asked what he thought, he said, "How many times did he get sacked? Eight? Write it down."

Translation: You bet he was rattled. He was rattled by a defense that looks so promising that even its own mistakes couldn't ruin its good work through most of the game.

Daily Clips Cont.

10 | P a g e

How good? "Defense wins championships," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "Hopefully it holds true for us, but we're just taking this one week at a time."

The coach knows things can't keep going like this, though.

"We have to get better," Ryan said. "We have to work at it. We have to get rid of these self-inflicted things. Yeah, I'm upset because of the 20 penalties and all that. I know we can get this fixed. We'll get it corrected.".

Back_to_Top

Bilal Powell keys ground attack that unlocks offense (Bob Glauber) Newsday September 22, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/bilal-powell-keys-ground-attack-that-unlocks-offense-1.6120929

Jets third-year running back Bilal Powell rushed for a career-high 149 yards in Sunday's 27-20 win over the Bills, nearly doubling his previous high in helping the offense churn out a whopping 513 yards, the most in the Rex Ryan era.

Surprised? Not Ryan.

"We've seen this from him," the Jets' coach said afterward. "It's not like we're surprised by it. He's durable, dependable, and just a much better player I think than he's been given credit for."

He certainly showed it on Sunday. Powell ran with great power between the tackles, and even got to the outside to take advantage of a Buffalo defense that grew progressively more weary as the game progressed.

"We were just playing up-tempo, just get more plays, wear the defense down," said Powell, whose previous high was 78 rushing yards last Dec. 9 against the Jaguars. "The running game got going. You never know how a game goes until you get into it. I think we did a good job of running the ball."

But as well as Powell did, he'll look back with some regret on his effort.

"When you go back and look at film, you feel like you left yards out there," he said. "You come in [Monday] and correct some things and look forward to moving on."

Ryan has constantly stressed the "Ground & Pound" style of offense, using the run as a staple to not only grind on opposing defenses, but to help the passing game by opening up the play-action and at least taking some of the pressure off the quarterback. It worked just as he'd hoped.

Powell's efforts were especially important after the Jets lost Chris Ivory to a nagging hamstring pull that had previously bothered him through much of training camp. But Powell didn't seem to mind shouldering the extra carries. And his offensive linemen were heartened by the performance, even if they said it could have been better.

"We hope to continue to build on [the running game]," center Nick Mangold said. "We did some good things and obviously there are things we need to clean up. There's still plenty of work to do, but hopefully we can continue with the good things we've done."

Powell's efforts also helped Geno Smith gain the split second of time by keeping the defense back on its heels.

Daily Clips Cont.

11 | P a g e

Smith responded by throwing for 331 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His second score went to Santonio Holmes on a 69-yard touchdown with 9:23 to play in the fourth quarter.

"The kid hung in there," Ryan said of Smith. "Our team just found a way to win."

Back_to_Top

Jets Q&A: Twenty penalties? (Kimberley A. Martin) Newsday September 22, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-q-a-twenty-penalties-1.6120808

What was the deal with all those penalties on the Jets?

Rex Ryan smiled as he took his post behind the lectern.

"I know this team will get better," he said, stressing his frustration with his team's penalties. "We overcame 20 penalties and two turnovers to win a game. I love that we found a way to win."

Somehow, some way, the Jets managed not to squander an opportunity to beat the Bills. But Ryan again found himself stressing the importance of eliminating those self-inflicted wounds that seem to have a way of biting his team.

Offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse and cornerback Kyle Wilson were the prime offenders, flagged four times each in the Jets' 27-20 win Sunday.

Ryan took responsibility for the mistakes of his players, saying, "That's on my shoulder." Though frustrated, he seemed genuinely optimistic that those breakdowns will be corrected.

"I'm excited 'cause I know we'll get better," Ryan said. "How many games are we going to win with two turnovers and 20 penalties? Not many . . . We will get it corrected. I will get it corrected."

Told the number of the Jets' penalties, outside linebacker Calvin Pace said: "I knew it was up there. We need to do better. I'll leave it at that."

What did Rex have to say about wasting challenges?

Hindsight, of course, is 20-20, especially when it comes to challenging the spot rulings on the field. In the span of three plays, Ryan managed to burn two timeouts after losing two challenges. And as a result, he was unable to challenge what appeared to be a recovery by the Jets on EJ Manuel's fumble early in the fourth quarter. Later in the drive, Manuel found Scott Chandler for a 33-yard touchdown, then connected with Stevie Johnson on the two-point conversion.

Is Chris Ivory OK?

Ivory started in place of Bilal Powell at running back but finished with only four carries for five yards because of a left hamstring injury in the first quarter. After his final carry, Ivory was seen grabbing the hamstring and immediately was tended to on the bench. He did not return.

Ivory, who had the hamstring tightly wrapped in the locker room, told Newsday that his injury was "similar" to the hamstring injury he suffered right before training camp. "It grabbed on me," said Ivory, who missed most of training camp because of hamstring tightness.

Ivory also said he'll know more about the extent of the injury Monday. "It could be a three-day thing or a week," he said. "We'll see."

Did Dee Milliner start?

Daily Clips Cont.

12 | P a g e

As expected, Wilson started at cornerback opposite Antonio Cromartie. Milliner, the Jets' ninth overall pick in April, did make a third-down appearance against Johnson.

How did Quinton Coples fare in his regular-season debut?

The outside linebacker was in on three tackles (including one for a loss) and had two quarterback hits in his first regular-season game of 2013. The former first-round pick also brought the pressure on Pace's third-quarter sack. With Coples back in the starting lineup, Ricky Sapp was inactive.

Back_to_Top

Jets' receivers make big catches for Geno Smith (Al Iannazzone) Newsday September 22, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-receivers-make-big-catches-for-geno-smith-1.6120907

The Jets' maligned receivers made it known from the first series Sunday that dropping the ball wouldn't be an issue against the Bills.

Stephen Hill and Jeremy Kerley made huge plays on an impressive opening drive that ended with a Geno Smith rushing touchdown, and Santonio Holmes had the best receiving game of his career to help the Jets to a 27-20 win.

Holmes caught five passes for 154 yards and the deciding touchdown. Hill, who has had a problem holding onto the football, had three catches for 108 yards and a TD. It was the second-year receiver's first 100-yard game. Kerley, back after missing a game with a concussion, made two third-down catches for first downs.

"We've come far," Hill said. "We've come far mentally. We're starting to understand each other. Understanding what Marty Mornhinweg wants and also understanding what [receivers] coach Sanjay Lal wants. We got to go out and make plays.''

All three were playmakers, leading to the rookie Smith's first 300-yard passing game. He completed 16 of 31 for 331 yards.

After the Bills erased a 20-9 deficit and tied it at 20 with 10:47 left, a Smith-to-Holmes connection gave the Jets the lead for good. Holmes easily got past corner Justin Rogers, and Smith found him on the right sideline and he raced to the end zone for a 69-yard score.

"Our job is to go out and make plays,'' Holmes said. "Geno gave me the opportunity to make a play. The DB was unaware that he was even throwing me the ball at that time. The ball went in a perfect place for me to catch it.''

Holmes, who also had a 40-yard catch, is still working his way back from a fractured foot he suffered last Sept. 30. He said he's still only about 75- percent healthy.

"He may not be at 100 percent, but he's pretty darn good,'' Rex Ryan said. "He's a great receiver. He had no work through training camp and minicamp, so now he's just getting it.''

Holmes said, "It's been a year since I've played. Today was a good opportunity to showcase how well I can play from this point forward.''

Hill had his best performance since catching two touchdowns in the opener last year against Buffalo. He had only 16 catches and one TD the rest of the way.

Daily Clips Cont.

13 | P a g e

But Hill had a 45-yard catch on the opening series yesterday and a 51-yard touchdown reception, making everyone forget about his drops last season.

"It ain't about pride and drops,'' Hill said. "The drops is not a problem. It's just it happens. People drop the ball. We just have to make sure we get paid for what we do and that's catching the ball. Just go out there and catch it and that's it.''

Back_to_Top

Jets' grades: Solid performance by every department (Staff) Newsday September 22, 2013

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-grades-solid-performance-by-every-department-1.6120773

OFFENSE

B In typical rookie fashion, Geno Smith looked both confident and confused depending on the quarter. He single-handedly gave the Jets a 7-0 lead on a quarterback draw and threw the game-winning touchdown with 9:23 to go in the fourth. He also was intercepted twice. But the performances of Santonio Holmes, Stephen Hill and Bilal Powell -- and their 411 yards gained -- helped offset the rookie's struggles. It also helped to overshadow the four penalties (for 35 yards) on offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse.

DEFENSE

B Without the play of the defense, the final score could have been much different. The Jets' front seven sacked EJ Manuel eight times and limited the Bills to four field goals until the fourth quarter when a breakdown by cornerback Kyle Wilson aided Buffalo's only touchdown -- a wide-open, 33-yard scoring pass from Manuel to Scott Chandler. The unit also gave up a 59-yard run by Fred Jackson. Asked about the missed tackles on the Jackson run, outside linebacker Calvin Pace said: "I asked him if he had Vaseline on him."

SPECIAL TEAMS

B+ Nick Folk connected on both field goal attempts (47 and 34 yards) and punter Ryan Quigley netted 41.4 yards on the day. Quigley, who was re-signed to replace Robert Malone earlier this week, pinned two of his seven punts inside the 20. On the Bills' final drive, Quigley punted the ball 40 yards and Ellis Lankster helped down the ball at the 1-yard line by tossing into the arms of Isaiah Trufant before it rolled into the end zone.

COACHING

C Holmes, Hill and Powell had breakout days thanks to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's play calling. But Rex Ryan's decision-making could have cost the Jets dearly. The coach lost two challenges in a matter of minutes late in the third quarter. As a result, he couldn't challenge what should have been a fumble by Manuel and a recovery by the Jets. Ryan also took the blame for his team's 20 penalties -- as he should.

Back_to_Top

THE RECORD

Penalty flag on Gang Green (Jeff Roberts) The Record

Daily Clips Cont.

14 | P a g e

September 23, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/224820042_Penalty_flag_on_Gang_Green.html

EAST RUTHERFORD — When it was all over, the main offender stood stone-faced in front of his locker.

Kyle Wilson was composed. Calm. Disciplined.

The cornerback was everything that he wasn’t on the field Sunday in the Jets’ 27-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Wilson committed four of the Jets’ team record 20 penalties — totaling 168 yards, also a team record.

Wilson was whistled for five penalties overall and four on consecutive plays to fuel the Bills’ fourth-quarter touchdown drive that tied the game at 20. However one was offset by a Bills penalty and did not count.

"I’m not going to comment on officiating," said Wilson, who was slapped with pass-interference, holding, illegal contact and two personal-foul penalties. Much of it stemmed from his sparring with Buffalo receiver Stevie Johnson. Wilson — starting for rookie Dee Milliner — pushed center Eric Wood for one personal foul and pushed Johnson when he already was on the ground for the other.

But Wilson hardly was alone in self-destructing.

Left guard Vlad Ducasse also committed four penalties (two false starts). Mo Wilkerson, Santonio Holmes and Quinton Coples each committed two.

The Jets were flagged for 15 of their penalties in the second half, including nine in the fourth quarter. The NFL record for most penalties in a game is 22, most recently committed by San Francisco against Chicago in 1998.

Coach Rex Ryan temporarily benched Wilson, replacing him with Darrin Walls. He blamed Wilson’s penalties on the "heat of battle."

"Twenty penalties? That’s on my shoulders, no question about it," Ryan said.

He added: "We needed to get [Wilson] out of there, sit back, think about it, calm down, and that’s exactly what we did. ...

"You can’t put your personal situation in front of the team’s, and that’s what I think we had to remind him of."

Wilson agreed.

"Rex wanted to cool me off," said Wilson, who had been taken aside by a member of the Jets media-relations staff before he spoke with reporters. "Everyone was just telling me that I needed to have a short memory. I play physical out there, but Rex just wanted to cool me off."

The Jets were flagged for 22 penalties overall. But there was the offsetting Buffalo penalty on one of Wilson’s and a penalty on Sheldon Richardson that was declined.

Johnson called Wilson’s penalties "just guys playing football."

"He’s a Jets player. I’m a Bills player," Johnson said. "It’s that bad blood. They walk around like they are bigger than us, and we are not going to have that.

"We were just playing football. It was nothing personal."

But it was to some frustrated Jets.

Daily Clips Cont.

15 | P a g e

The infractions ranged from offsides and false starts to holding to pass-interference to personal fouls.

"We got to get a lot more disciplined," said right guard Willie Colon, who was flagged for holding. "We had some penalties that were kind of boneheaded."

"We need to do better," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "I’ll leave it at that."

Back_to_Top

Jets replay vs. Bills (Jeff Roberts) The Record September 23, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/224820062_Jets_replay_vs__Bills.html

Turning point

Santonio Holmes pulled in an acrobatic 69-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith with 9:23 remaining to break a 20-20 tie. Holmes was able to haul it in despite tight coverage by CB Justin Rogers, who was forced to play significant minutes due to a hamstring injury suffered by Bills starter Leodis McKelvin in the first quarter.

Star of the game

Bilal Powell shattered his previous career high in rushing yards, churning out 149 on 27 carries (5.5 avg.). His previous best had been 78 earned in December against Jacksonville.

Costly mistakes

Bills RB Fred Jackson appeared stuffed on a third-and-1 from Buffalo’s 20. Then he escaped the grasp of Calvin Pace and sprinted outside for a 59-yard run to end the first quarter. It led to a Dan Carpenter field goal. DL Sheldon Richardson was celebrating the apparent stop as Jackson broke free. Antonio Cromartie had to chase him down. ... Smith’s second interception was thrown right at Bills LB Kiko Alonso in the third quarter. It led to another Carpenter field goal. ... Rex Ryan foolishly burned both of his two replay challenges — including one questioning a spot — leaving him unable to challenge a clear fumble by EJ Manuel in the fourth quarter that was recovered by the Jets. Buffalo later tied the game, 20-20, on that drive.

Eye-catching

Smith finished off the first drive of the game with an 8-yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw. ... Former Jet S Jim Leonhard intercepted Smith in the second quarter at midfield when the rookie threw into double coverage. The miscue resulted in a Carpenter field goal. Leonhard also returned punts for the Bills. ... However, Smith bounced back from that interception by hitting Stephen Hill in stride for a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the ensuing drive. ... LB Demario Davis sacked Manuel on a fourth-and-2 at the Jets’ 33 to end the Bills’ next possession.

Looking ahead

The Jets (2-1) will visit St. Joseph product Jason McCourty and Tennessee (2-1) on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. The Titans beat the Jets, 14-10, in December, thanks to four Mark Sanchez interceptions.

Back_to_Top

Jets notes: Challenging day for Rex Ryan (J.P. Pelzman) The Record September 23, 2013

Daily Clips Cont.

16 | P a g e

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/224820082_Jets_notes__Challenging_day_for_Rex_Ryan.html?page=all

Challenging day for Rex

Not only did Rex Ryan have to watch his team commit a franchise-record 20 penalties Sunday, he twice witnessed his replay challenges come up empty. One was on the spot of a third-and-1 play that came up short, and the other was him asserting that Buffalo wideout Stevie Johnson had failed to get both feet inbounds on a reception.

Those two failures on consecutive series late in the third quarter left Ryan with no challenges in his pocket when Buffalo's EJ Manuel apparently lost a fumble early in the fourth quarter.

When asked if he regretted the failed challenges, Ryan replied, "Of course I did then, but you don't know how the game is going to go. All of those were my responsibility. I need to do a better job of making those challenges."

Career day for Powell

Third-year pro Bilal Powell had his best day in the NFL with 149 yards rushing on 27 carries. He got a bigger workload than usual because running back Chris Ivory left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and didn't return. Ryan called it a "pull" after the game before backtracking and claiming he wasn't sure of the extent of the injury.

"It's always good to run the ball in this league," Powell said.

"We've seen this from him," Ryan said of Powell. "It's not like we're surprised."

Ivory missed time at the beginning of training camp because of a hamstring strain.

Briefs

With Ivory out, Alex Green saw his first action on offense as a Jet. Green, claimed off waivers from Green Bay on Sept. 1, had five carries for 14 yards. "It was nice to be out there again," he said. … WR Clyde Gates, who was targeted only once and had no receptions, left the stadium with his right leg heavily wrapped. … Former Jet Jim Leonhard made the first of Buffalo's two interceptions off Geno Smith, returning it 27 yards to set up a field goal. … Until Sunday, the Jets' record for penalties was 17 in a 37-31 overtime win over Miami on Oct. 18, 1987. That game was played during the NFL strike and featured mostly replacement players with a smattering of veterans who had crossed the picket line. … The 513 yards of total offense was a high for the Jets during the Ryan era, and it came against former defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who now holds the same position for the Bills.

Back_to_Top

Sullivan: Santonio Holmes shows his winning form for Jets (Tara Sullivan) The Record September 22, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/columnists/Sullivan_Santonio_Holmes_shows_his_winning_form_for_Jets.html?page=all#sthash.4F7Kyd6u.dpuf

EAST RUTHERFORD – Santonio Holmes was about 20 yards downfield when he sensed the football was going to come his way. Matched in a straight-up race with his defender, he wasn’t about to give his knowledge away, however. Instead, like the crafty veteran receiver he is, Holmes waited till the final possible second to extend his arms, certain his rookie quarterback would hit his target.

“The ball landed in the perfect place,” is how Holmes described Geno Smith’s throw.

Daily Clips Cont.

17 | P a g e

Perfect place, perfect time, perfect moment in an otherwise imperfect game. The Jets did all they could to lose this game to Buffalo on Sunday afternoon, committing 20 penalties along with two turnovers, but with this one beautifully executed pass between brand new quarterback and battered old receiver instead walked out of MetLife Stadium with a 27-20 win and a 2-1 record.

Their 69-yard touchdown connection represented the game-winning score, the capper to the decisive two-play drive that erased the utter chaos the Jets’ dominant but undisciplined defense had just unleashed on the game. In a game when they sacked Buffalo rookie quarterback EJ Manuel eight times, on a day when they rendered a two-headed running game completely ineffective, the Jets nearly undid it all when they committed five penalties during Buffalo’s touchdown drive and two-point conversion that tied the game at 20.

Instead, the poise of Smith and the hands of Holmes undid the damage. Yes, the same Holmes hands it seemed might never take the field this season.

Since he suffered a debilitating Lisfranc injury to his foot nearly a year ago to the day (in a Week 4 game against the 49ers), Holmes’ slow road through rehab had left a lingering cloud of doubt about when he would play again, amplified every time Holmes wouldn’t commit to a return.

Yet for a man who talks like he never wants to play again, he plays like he never wants to leave the field.

Holmes spends hours a day getting treatment on his foot just to be able to take the field Sunday. And once he puts the uniform on, he goes all out, barely leaving the field for an offensive series. When he drags his aching body through the detritus of a postgame locker room, when he slowly bends over just to unlace his shoe, when every step he takes comes with a caution flag, he says more about his desire to play than anything that comes out of his mouth.

When he admits out loud that this game was a thrill “because I hadn’t played here in a year,” he opens a small window on his competitive soul.

“It felt good just to have an opportunity to catch a big pass,” he would say shortly after Sunday’s game ended, his gingerly steps lifting his uniformed body up to the postgame microphone. “I wasn’t thinking about it being a game-winning catch.”

But that it was, the final piece to a day that should remind the football world of just what a dynamic weapon Holmes can be. The former Super Bowl MVP totaled a career-high 154 yards, repeatedly helping Smith navigate the rookie roller coaster he is destined to ride all season. When Holmes went down last year, the Jets hadn’t yet dissolved into the disaster that would result in the firing of their general manager and the drafting of their new quarterback. But if Holmes once pledged his devotion to former QB Mark Sanchez, he is quickly switching his allegiance to Smith, the man he said “can be as great as he wants to be.”

With receivers such as Holmes, that job gets easier, and not simply because of his deft hands, but because of the craftiness that keeps defenders like Justin Rogers at bay. The Bills’ backup cornerback quickly became Smith’s favorite target when he was forced to replace the injured Leodis McKelvin, and Rogers could do nothing to stop Holmes from cradling the most important throw of the day, despite the fact that he was nearly draped on Holmes as the ball flew overhead.

“Tone is very good at looking up at the last second and plucking that thing out of the sky,” Smith said.

“That’s the thing he does that is amazing — he doesn’t lay his hands out until the last second,” Jets’ coach Rex Ryan said. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen at being late hands to the football, and no matter how tight the coverage is you can’t make a play on it until you see his hands go or his eyes go. Holmes is just incredible at that, and I’ve seen him do it over and over again. Countless times against me.”

Daily Clips Cont.

18 | P a g e

For so much of the Jets’ embattled training camp, it seemed Holmes might never be ready to do it again for him. Grumblings started spreading through the team’s offices, whispers of whether Holmes was milking his injury and avoiding the field, questions about his commitment to his teammates. Every time Holmes talked about his lingering pain or admitted to his continuing doubts, his seemingly outlandish suggestion he might not make it back this season actually seemed possible.

None of it turned out to be true, of course, because this is what we were reminded Sunday about Holmes: He talks like he never wants to play again, but plays like he never wants to leave the field.

Back_to_Top

Jets hold off Bills, 27-20, to improve to 2-1 (J.P. Pelzman) The Record September 22, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Jets_hold_off_Bills_27-20_to_improve_to_2-1.html?page=all

EAST RUTHERFORD – Thirty seconds remained Sunday when the Jets were called for delay of game, their 20th penalty of the day.

The only difference from the previous 19 was they drew this flag on purpose to milk as much time as possible before punting the ball back to Buffalo.

And on the Bills’ final three fruitless offensive plays, the Jets managed not to get called for any penalties. Imagine that.

The Jets overcame themselves as much as they did Buffalo in notching a 27-20 victory at MetLife Stadium. Geno Smith connected with Santonio Holmes for a 69-yard touchdown pass with 9:23 left, breaking a tie at 20, and the Jets’ defense made the lead stand up.

Yes, there were plenty of performances, team and individual, to savor. There was Smith’s 331 passing yards, Holmes’ career-high 154 receiving yards and third-year pro Bilal Powell’s career-high 149 rushing yards, not to mention eight sacks of Buffalo rookie quarterback EJ Manuel, who had been dropped only once in the Bills’ first two games.

But the team-record 20 penalties for 168 yards had fifth-year coach Rex Ryan looking as flustered as he ever has been after a victory.

“How many games are you going to win when you turn the ball over twice and commit 20 penalties?” Ryan asked rhetorically. “I’m excited because I know we can play better.”

Ryan indicated the blame is on him and added, “We will get it corrected. I will get it corrected.”

The second of Smith’s two interceptions, plus a barrage of second-half penalties, helped the Jets (2-1) blow a 20-6 third-quarter lead. Smith was intercepted by linebacker Kiko Alonso, who returned it 32 yards to the Jets’ 13, evading an attempted tackle by Smith en route. But as was the case for most of the game, Buffalo (1-2) couldn’t punch it in, and Dan Carpenter’s fourth field goal, a 26-yarder, cut the Bills’ deficit to 20-12 with 5:35 left in the third quarter.

The Bills tied it at 20 on their first possession of the fourth on an 80-yard drive that included four penalties against cornerback Kyle Wilson, although one was offset and didn’t count. Wilson totaled four penalties in the game, but the offense wasn’t much better, with left guard Vlad Ducasse getting flagged for four penalties in the contest.

Daily Clips Cont.

19 | P a g e

But all of this could be forgiven because of Smith’s throw to Holmes, who beat backup cornerback Justin Rogers on a long pass to the right. Rogers, playing in place of starter Leodis McKelvin, who left with a hamstring injury in the first quarter, also allowed a 51-yard score to Stephen Hill in the second period.

Smith accounted for three touchdowns and rushed for an 8-yard score on the Jets’ first drive, but he was upset about his two turnovers. He has thrown six interceptions in his first three NFL games, and also has lost a fumble.

The rookie was happy with the win, but said, “My mind is focused on the turnovers.”

Smith admitted he needs to “try not to force the ball at times. I think I can make every single throw and that’s what gets me in trouble sometimes.”

Still, thanks to the eight sacks and the big plays on offense, the Jets avoided going 0-2 in AFC East games.

“It was super-important,” linebacker Calvin Pace said. “We needed that. You can’t go down 0-2 in the division and expect to play in the postseason.”

“I think it shows the resiliency of this team,” said kicker Nick Folk, who connected on field goals of 47 and 34 yards and is 6-for-6 on the season.

He added that the Jets also pulled out their opening-day, last-second victory over Tampa Bay “against all odds.”

And the odds of winning a game while committing 20 penalties also would be pretty low. But the Jets are in the enviable position of being able to make improvements after a win, rather than after a disheartening defeat.

“We need to do better,” Pace said of the penalties. “I’ll leave it at that.”

Back_to_Top

STAR-LEDGER

Jets down Bills, 27-20, in an ugly, penalty-filled outing (Darryl Slater) Star-Ledger September 22, 2013

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2013/09/jets_down_bills_27-20_in_a_ugly_penalty-filled_outing.html

The Jets’ defense, so stingy all day, finally bent, in a manner fitting of all the absurdities rookie Geno Smith has witnessed in his first three games as their starting quarterback.

First came the late-hit penalty on him by a Tampa Bay linebacker, which gifted the Jets a win in Smith’s wild debut. Then, the downpour in New England: Smith’s three interceptions in the fourth quarter, punches flying in the final moments and Smith’s head hung low with frustration in the locker room.

On Sunday, Smith saw penalty flags flutter at the Jets with almost comical frequency, the most in their history by the time this game against Buffalo concluded, with the Jets 27-20 winners — and somehow, despite all their warts and Smith’s predictable imperfections, owners of a 2-1 record heading into back-to-back road games.

But yesterday’s game wasn’t over, not by a long stretch, when Smith walked onto the field with 10:39 remaining. The Bills had just tied the game at 20, with a touchdown and two-point conversion on a drive aided by penalties against cornerback Kyle Wilson on four straight plays. If Smith’s first three games

Daily Clips Cont.

20 | P a g e

have shown him any cosmic truth about starting as a rookie in the NFL, it is this: The present matters above all else.

Never mind that the Jets could have easily been 0-2 entering yesterday. Never mind that when Smith trotted out for his response drive, he had already accumulated seven turnovers in three games — a fumble and six interceptions, including two yesterday.

What mattered, on the drive’s fourth snap, is that the Bills had man-to-man coverage, which the Jets expected them to play frequently, and backup cornerback Justin Rogers was defending Santonio Holmes. For much of the game, Smith hadn’t been able to use his eyes to move the Bills’ deep safety, veteran Jim Leonhard. But on this play, from the Jets’ 31-yard line, Smith turned his head and Leonhard moved, ever so slightly, away from Holmes, who had a half-step on Rogers.

Maybe Leodis McKelvin could have guarded Holmes better. Maybe not. McKelvin exited in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, and now Rogers was running with Holmes, almost keeping up. Holmes knew that Smith’s deep, arcing pass was sailing toward him, but didn’t tip off Rogers. For years, Holmes has played slyly like this, waiting until the last instant to extend his arms. Smith’s pass, which he had plenty of time to release, was probably the truest he’s thrown as a professional. The 69-yard touchdown that it produced was surely his grandest moment.

"I just wanted to give him a good chance, give him a good ball," Smith said.

Yesterday, for all its wackiness, showed how these Jets, expected to be a laughingstock, might just have a chance.

They kept Smith clean. He wasn’t sacked while completing 16 of 29 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns, to de-emphasize his two picks. They cannot bank every game on gaining 513 yards, their most since 2000. They shouldn’t expect Holmes to have 154 yards, his career high, though his return from a foot fracture is promising. Nor are they likely to again commit a franchise-record 20 penalties for 168 yards.

But if they can rely on a defense that held the Bills to 328 total yards and 120 rushing — 59 of which came on one run — then maybe they could be respectable after all. How good was the Jets defense yesterday? Good enough that sacking EJ Manuel eight times wasn’t its finest accomplishment. That would be the Jets’ stand after Smith’s second pick gave Buffalo the ball at the Jets’ 13. The Bills gained 5 yards on three plays and settled for a field goal that cut the Jets’ lead to 20-12 with 5:35 left in the third quarter.

"It doesn’t matter where we’re at," defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said of short-field escapes. "All we need is a place to stand. If there’s a yard left between us and the goal line, it’s more than enough that we need. Ain’t no time to fuss about the offense if it was a turnover."

Issues remain, clearly, even as Jets hung a once-a-decade number on their former defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who now runs the Bills’ defense. Jets coach Rex Ryan did not sound joyful about beating his protégé. He did not sound joyful at all, as he bemoaned the penalties. Nor could Smith ignore his two interceptions.

"I hate to use a rookie title as an excuse," he said. "I’ve got to find a way not to turn the ball over. I know I’ll improve."

This is the hope these Jets cling to now, one win above water, with a trip to Tennessee coming, and the strangeness they’ve already experienced probably not over, not by a long stretch.

"The thing that makes me most happy," Ryan said, "is I know this team’s going to get better."

Daily Clips Cont.

21 | P a g e

Back_to_Top

Geno Smith aided by Jets supporting cast in offense's outburst against Bills (Michael Fensom) Star-Ledger September 22, 2013

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

The Jets’ offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Thursday that it is the responsibility of Geno Smith’s teammates, the other 10 players on the field when the Jets’ offense is at work, to raise their level of play in support of their rookie quarterback.

The unit responded today at MetLife Stadium, where the Jets beat the Buffalo Bills, 27-20, and the offense functioned as smoothly as it has all season, gaining 513 yards from scrimmage. The Jets have not rolled up a sum that high since the 2000 season, when Vinny Testaverde was directing Dan Henning’s offense.

“Just as a unit we're starting to feel each other out at knowing what our strengths and weaknesses are,” the tight end Kellen Winslow said, indicating a feeling the offense can still expand. “It's only our third game. We're 2-1. There are smiles today.”

Offensive success today sprung from sources lined up all over the field. Bilal Powell notched a career high with 149 yards rushing. In the second half, alone, Powell had 109 yards on 17 carries, easily topping his previous career mark of 78 yards set last season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Powell’s workload -- 27 carries -- increased when Chris Ivory left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return. After a week in which the Jets’ approach on offense was questioned -- why did the run game not play a heavier role during the fourth quarter in New England? -- Mornhinweg called 41 run plays and 29 passes.

“The test was for us to run the ball,” Willie Colon, the Jets’ right guard, said.

Smith’s wide receivers were criticized for dropping six passes against the Patriots in Week 2. They became open targets for Smith today. Santonio Holmes and Stephen Hill each topped 100 yards receiving and caught a long touchdown pass.

“We’re starting to understand each other,” Hill said., “understanding what Marty wants and what Sanjay Lal wants.”

With the Bills already missing top cornerback Stephon Gilmore to injury, a depleted secondary wore thinner when Leodis McKelvin hurt his hamstring on the opening series of the game. The Bills slid the safety Aaron Williams to cornerback but the Jets targeted Justin Rogers with greater results.

Hill caught a 51-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, simply striding past Rogers to catch a lob. On the Jets’ game-winning drive, Smith again heaved a ball deep down the sideline. Rogers lost his bearing. Holmes snatched the ball and sprinted into the end zone to complete a 69-yard play.

The first step in connecting on a deep throw is for an offensive line to provide enough time for the play to develop. The Jets’ line did not allow a sack, just one week after the Bills’ defensive end Mario Williams collected 4 ½ sacks against the Carolina Panthers. Smith had the time necessary to scan the field as receivers broke open and completed 16 of his pass attempts for 331 yards, the most of his career so far.

Back_to_Top

Daily Clips Cont.

22 | P a g e

Kyle Wilson is chief culprit as Jets commit franchise-record 20 penalties (Michael Fensom) Star-Ledger September 22, 2013

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2013/09/kyle_wilson_is_chief_culprit_as_jets_commit_franchise-record_20_penalties.html

If the voice of the referee Scott Green is ringing through the heads of Jets players as they sleep tonight, it is understandable why.

Green became a central figure in the Jets’ 27-20 victory today over the Buffalo Bills, as he and members of his crew heaved yellow flags at Jets players for pass interference, offsides, false starts, delaying the game -- and just about any contact with the opponent deemed punishable by the NFL rulebook.

In all, the Jets committed 22 penalties -- a mark that would have tied an NFL record set three times had one of those infractions not been declined and another offset by a violation by the Bills receiver Stevie Johnson. As a consolation, the Jets set a new franchise mark with the 20 penalties officially collected. The 168 yards that resulted -- more yardage than the crosstown Giants accumulated on offense today -- also set a franchise record.

The Jets coach Rex Ryan said he was infuriated by the miscues by a team that during his tenure has been among the more disciplined teams in the NFL. Ryan cited the “self-inflicted things” as a focus as the Jets prepare for next week’s opponent, the Tennessee Titans.

“How many games are you going to win when you turn the ball over twice and commit 20 penalties?” Ryan said.

The answer: Nearly none. The last time a team committed as many penalties as the Jets and won was in 1951, when the Cleveland Browns had 22 but still beat the Chicago Bears.

“We need to do better,” the Jets linebacker Calvin Pace said. “I’ll leave it at that.”

Though the left guard Willie Colon had four penalties, the chief offender was Kyle Wilson. The cornerback was flagged five times.

During a particularly bizarre sequence in the fourth quarter, Wilson committed a violation on four consecutive plays -- a defensive holding, illegal contact with a receiver (which negated a defensive stop on third down), a personal foul (which in part negated a fumble recovered by the Jets) and another personal foul. The Bills concluded the drive with a touchdown that tied the game at 20 and Wilson was benched for the next series.

“Rex wanted to cool me off,” Wilson said. “Everyone was just telling me that I needed to have a short memory. I play physical out there.”

Kellen Winslow, flagged for offensive pass interference, had another eyed another conspirator: Green.

“Come on, you've just got to let us play a little bit,” the Jets tight end said. “A couple of those were no calls. My kid could see that.”

Ultimately, though, the Jets survived. The Bills only committed seven penalties, but other imperfections evened out those of the Jets.

“They made their mistakes, we made ours,” the Bills receiver Stevie Johnson said. “It was a tough way to lose.”

Back_to_Top

Daily Clips Cont.

23 | P a g e

Politi: Career-best game for Santonio Holmes is a thing of beauty for the Jets (Steve Politi) Star-Ledger September 22, 2013

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2013/09/politi_career-best_game_for_santonio_holmes_is_a_thing_of_beauty_for_the_jets.html

He produced the one flower in a garden of weeds, the six seconds of beauty in a football game that felt like it lasted six hours.

Santonio Holmes could not erase the 20 – 20! – Jets penalties, two shy of the NFL record. He could not make up for the two bonehead challenges from his head coach that nearly cost his team the game. He could not stop his quarterback from making two more costly turnovers.

He could only control that moment, with 9:34 left in the game, when he was isolated one-on-one against an overmatched Buffalo cornerback named Justin Rogers. The ball was coming his way, just two plays after the Bills had tied it, and Rogers was the only one in the stadium without a clue.

“Tone is very good at looking up at the last second,” his quarterback Geno Smith said, “and plucking that thing out of the sky.”

Holmes reached up with his arms just in time to collect the pass, and 69 yards later, “the rest was history.” The Jets had won a game they tried and tried to give away, 27-20, to improve to 2-1.

The best part might have been that the offense finally had a productive running back in Bilal Powell, who had 149 yards on 27 carries. It might have been that Rex Ryan, the coach responsible for cleaning up the 168 yards worth of penalty yardage, was not the least bit happy.

As the nation was waiting for Breaking Bad, the Jets were busy Breaking Vlad – as in Ducasse, the false-start machine at guard who was somehow hit with a face-mask penalty.

Then, of course, there was the one constant: A defense that sacked E.J. Manuel eight times, continuing the theme from the first two games. The Jets have their warts, but it is clear from the first three weeks that this defense is going to keep them in most games.

But it was Holmes who rescued this team from a 1-2 start. One week after the Jets receivers dropped everything in sight, he looked the part of Super Bowl MVP again, with five catches for a 154 yards.

“Unbelievable,” Ryan said of Holmes’ career-best yardage total. “I figured he did that against me four or five times” when Holmes was in Pittsburgh and Ryan with Baltimore.

I feel very good. Today was a good opportunity to showcase how well I can play from this point forward.'' -- Santonio Holmes

Ryan was back to his old self-deprecating ways. Told the offense had 513 yards, the most in his five years as Jets head coach, he cracked, “Well don’t give me credit.” Hey, at least he hired a competent offensive coordinator this time in Marty Mornhinweg who could find holes in a defense.

Rogers was the easy target after cornerback Leodis McKelvin left the game with a hamstring injury. That he was left alone to defend Holmes spoke to how the once-explosive receiver had fallen in the eyes of opposing defensive coordinators the past two seasons.

Maybe that’ll change now. Certainly, at the very least, Holmes has proven that he is capable of stretching defenses, something the Jets could not do last season – and maybe Holmes’ absence was the reason.

Daily Clips Cont.

24 | P a g e

He was lost in Week 4 last season to a Lisfranc injury in his left foot, and the way he struggled to get onto the field during training camp, it wasn’t hard to wonder if he’d ever be a No. 1 receiver again.

Maybe part of that was Holmes being Holmes. There is always going to be some drama with Santonio, who quit on his team in the final two minutes of a loss in Miami two seasons ago.

It is hard to imagine that that player could be anything more than a headache for a Jets team with a rookie quarterback. Still, Holmes has something to prove now, too, that he can be a productive player again, that his massive contract wasn’t one of the worst deals in team history.

“I feel very good,” Holmes said. “Today was a good opportunity to showcase how well I can play from this point forward.”

The Jets will need him. They move up in weight class the next two weeks, with road games at Tennessee and Atlanta. Smith is still every bit a work in progress, with flashes of brilliance mixed with back-breaking mistakes.

Still, unlike the team that shares MetLife Stadium, at least there is hope that something positive can come out of this season. For all the mistakes, the Jets are a very good defensive team that opponents would be foolish to take lightly.

And, for the time being, they have a playmaker at wide receiver again. The Jets are winning ugly, except for those few seconds a game when Santonio Holmes does something beautiful.

Back_to_Top

Jets rookie Sheldon Richardson owns mental mistake that marred defensive gem (Darryl Slater) Star-Ledger September 22, 2013

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

Besides a 59-yard run by Buffalo running back Fred Jackson, the Jets on Sunday allowed just 269 yards on 74 plays – 3.6 per play. It was a yeoman effort from a Jets defense that entered the 27-20 win having allowed just 3.9 yards per play in its first two games.

But that one long run on the first quarter’s final play did throw off the Jets’ stats, and will probably result in rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson getting an earful during film review this week.

Outside linebacker Calvin Pace appeared to have Jackson stopped behind the line, but Pace didn’t wrap up Jackson. As far as Richardson knew, Pace did. Richardson thought Pace had made the tackle, so Richardson started celebrating. Jackson ran away, and cornerback Antonio Cromartie had to chase him down to save a touchdown.

The run, on a third-and-1 play, moved the Bills to the Jets’ 21-yard line. But the Jets held the Bills for a total of two yards on their next three plays, and Buffalo settled for a field goal that cut the Jets’ lead to 7-3 with 13:45 left in the second quarter.

Still, Richardson took responsibility for his mistake afterward.

“I thought he was down,” Richardson said. “I thought Calvin Pace had him. I didn’t hear the whistle. That was all my bad. It won’t happen again. (The coaches) didn’t see it. I hope they didn’t. I’m going to hear about it in meetings.”

Daily Clips Cont.

25 | P a g e

The Bills allowed just one sack combined in their first two games. The Jets sacked EJ Manuel eight times, in addition to holding dangerous running back C.J. Spiller to 9 yards on 10 carries, before Spiller left with a knee injury.

“We had to get on (Manuel),” Richardson said. “When we started getting to him, his feet started getting happy a little bit more.”

Back_to_Top

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Jets Outlast Bills, Conquer New York (Mike Sielski) Wall Street Journal September 22, 2013

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303759604579091632975541614.html?mod=WSJ_NY_Sports_LEFTTopStories

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—An NFL season is a long and unpredictable thing. The Jets have gone 44 years without winning a Super Bowl, so their seasons tend to be longer and more predictable than most. But after fending off the Buffalo Bills 27-20 on Sunday here at MetLife Stadium, after another preseason in which they served as a ready-made punch line, they can take solace in one undeniable truth: At the moment, they are the best football team in New York*.

(*We're talking about pro football here. Fordham, after all, is 4-0. Fordham!)

Six hundred fifty miles south of here, the Giants—winners of two Super Bowls in the last six years, the staid and stable and ever-consistent Giants—spent the afternoon tripping over their own feet in a blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers, falling to 0-3. In comparison, so far the Jets, at 2-1, appear a model of sound, efficient football.

Truth be told, they were far from such a model on Sunday. Amid two bungled replay challenges by coach Rex Ryan, 20 total penalties (including three inexcusable fouls by cornerback Kyle Wilson) and a few breakdowns in pass coverage, they tossed away a 14-point second-half lead only to take control of the game again with a single stunning sequence: Rookie quarterback Geno Smith lofted a 69-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes with nine minutes, 23 seconds left in regulation.

The touchdown was the highlight of a brilliant game for Holmes, who missed the final 12 games last season because of a displaced bone in his left foot. He had five catches for 154 yards Sunday, demonstrating that he has recovered from the injury that once seemed to threaten his career with the Jets—though Holmes had said last week that he was still not at 100%.

"This is the NFL," he had said. "There should be no excuses to be made for anybody."

If nothing is easy for the Jets, the first 45 minutes of Sunday's game were as trouble-free as anyone could hope. Smith, in his third career game, led a 12-play, 84-yard touchdown march on their first possession, dashing up the middle for an eight-yard sneak to finish it off. After the Bills trimmed the lead to 7-6, Smith stuck to a daring (reckless?) game plan by offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and continued to throw deep.

Seven minutes before halftime, he took a hellacious hit from Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams but held his ground long enough to find Stephen Hill for a 51-yard touchdown. Nick Folk then drilled a 47-yard field goal on the final play of the half. The Jets led 17-6 at the break.

Daily Clips Cont.

26 | P a g e

When Folk added another field goal, this one from 34 yards out, the Jets had a two-touchdown lead that felt like a 20-touchdown lead, given how their defense was playing. Ahead of Sunday, Bills rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel had posted a gaudy 68.2 completion percentage and led Buffalo to a comeback victory over the Panthers in Week 2. Yet Jets coach Rex Ryan and his defense confused and manhandled Manuel for most of the game, limiting him to 18 completions in 39 attempts Sunday and sacking him eight times.

The Jets' excellent defensive performance was essential. They lost Chris Ivory, their No. 1 running back, in the first quarter to a left hamstring injury, and Smith continued to balance his flashes of promise with a flurry of mistakes.

Tailback Bilal Powell helped mitigate Ivory's absence, rushing for a career-high 149 yards on 27 carries, but Smith was spectacular and exasperating in equal measure. He passed for 331 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions that allowed the Bills to start drives deep in Jets territory. He was fortunate that the Jets held Buffalo to a field goal each time.

That succession of defensive stands stopped early in the fourth quarter, though. Trailing 20-12 and aided by Wilson's three penalties, two of which were 15-yard personal fouls, the Bills zipped 80 yards in less than three minutes, as Manuel connected with tight end Scott Chandler on a 33-yard touchdown with 10:39 to go.

Manuel then completed a pass to wide receiver Stevie Johnson in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversation, tying the game at 20. A nervous energy buzzed throughout MetLife Stadium, but only for so long. Four plays later, Smith looked downfield and saw Holmes, and he did not hesitate.

Back_to_Top

NEW YORK TIMES

Jets Overcome Their Mistakes With One Long Pass (Ben Shpigel) New York Times September 22, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/sports/football/jets-overcome-their-mistakes-with-one-long-pass.html?ref=football&_r=0

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — On game days, Santonio Holmes wears orange-tinted contact lenses. “I can stand here and look right into this light,” Holmes said, “and I don’t have to worry about breaking my eyes.”

As he spoke, Holmes pointed to an overhead panel in an interview room. A smile creased a face streaked with eye black. In the room, the glare was not so harsh. But about 45 minutes earlier, Holmes had to contend with the bank of lights that rim the top of MetLife Stadium.

He sprinted down the right sideline. After 20 yards, he turned his head and looked up. From that brightness came a football, which left quarterback Geno Smith’s right hand as if shot by an arrow. It landed on Holmes’s fingertips like a bird returning to its nest, and he cradled it as he scampered into the end zone.

So much of what happened during the Jets’ 27-20 victory Sunday against the Buffalo Bills strained the bounds of plausibility. The Jets committed a team-record 20 penalties, for 163 yards. They allowed 14 unanswered points to an offense that into the third quarter was as potent as a waterlogged matchbook. They amassed 513 yards, the most in the 73-game tenure of Coach Rex Ryan — and against a defense

Daily Clips Cont.

27 | P a g e

operated by the Jets’ former coordinator Mike Pettine — and yet barely escaped MetLife Stadium with more wins than losses this season.

Despite it all, as the score remained tied and time ticked away, one thing seemed apparent, if not downright obvious: Smith would throw the ball in Holmes’s direction. And Holmes would catch it.

“Santonio’s been ballin’ since me and him got drafted together,” said right guard Willie Colon, who played with Holmes in Pittsburgh. “That’s the only Santonio I know. He’s a lot of things, but he’s a gamer. And I love him to death.”

Holmes is, as Colon said, a lot of things. Mercurial. Petulant. Cunning. Also talented. Remarkably talented, almost unfairly so. He injured his foot 51 weeks ago, and in the interim he has kept teammates and the news media guessing as to the true state of his health. He can sound grim and buoyant, often in the same sentence. On Sunday, he caught five passes for 154 yards, a career high, including that winning touchdown.

“Today was a good opportunity to showcase how well I can be from this point forward,” Holmes said.

For the next week, the Jets will revel in being 2-1 heading into challenging games at Tennessee and Atlanta — they are a game behind unbeaten New England and Miami in the A.F.C. East — because there are plenty of reasons, dating to that bizarre season-opening victory against Tampa Bay, that their record could be 1-2, or worse.

“I know this team’s going to get better,” Ryan said. “There’s no way we can’t.”

They will revel in a defense that pummeled Buffalo quarterback E. J. Manuel (eight sacks) and in a revived running game (182 yards, including 149 by Bilal Powell), but also — and especially — in that throw by Smith and that catch by Holmes.

It went for 69 yards, and it came with 9 minutes 23 seconds remaining, two plays after Buffalo, which trailed by 20-6 almost midway through the third quarter, had evened the score at 20-20. The Bills took advantage of the Jets’ offensive struggles, kicking one field goal and then another, before cornerback Kyle Wilson’s self-destruction — penalties on three consecutive plays, and a 12-yard catch allowed to Stevie Johnson — put them in position for the tying score, a 33-yard catch by Scott Chandler.

Three games into this season, a theme has emerged for the Jets. As capable as Smith is of committing a mindless turnover — he threw two more ugly interceptions Sunday, running his season total to six — he is just as likely to do something, anything, that sends jolts of excitement and anticipation rippling through the crowd and the Jets’ sideline.

Smith completed 16 of 29 passes for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns, benefiting from a receiving corps that, after dropping six passes against New England, followed through on its pledge to hold onto the ball. No one did it better than Holmes, who made diving catches and leaping grabs and over-the-shoulder snares before; as afternoon gave way to evening, he hauled in the prettiest pass Smith threw all game.

Holmes was matched up in single coverage against the reserve cornerback Justin Rogers, who replaced the injured Leodis McKelvin and was victimized earlier on Stephen Hill’s 51-yard touchdown. Rogers so blanketed Holmes that a legal pad could not slide between their bodies, but Holmes sensed that Rogers was unaware that the ball was even arcing their way.

All week in practice, Holmes worked on over-the-shoulder catches. He abides by a general rule on deep passes: never turn around until 20 yards into the route. “They read your eyes and your hands,” Holmes

Daily Clips Cont.

28 | P a g e

said of defensive backs. “And if I never give them an opportunity to see my eyes getting bigger before the catch or my hands coming for the ball, you’d never know that the ball will get there.”

He added, “It’s something that we work on: don’t look back.”

The skill of Holmes that entrances Ryan most is his knack for extending his hands at the last possible moment.

“No matter how tight the coverage, you can’t make the play on it until you see his hands go where his eyes go,” Ryan said. “And Holmes is just incredible at that.”

The ball arrived, an inch or two past Rogers’s fingers and right onto Holmes’s.

“Just wanted to give him a good chance,” Smith said. “Give him a good ball.”

Holmes caught the pass at the Buffalo 40. Rogers fell, and Holmes zipped the remaining distance toward a froth of jubilant fans. He extended his arms, as if flying, He celebrated with Hill, bumping chests. And then he looked up.

EXTRA POINTS

Running back Chris Ivory, who has had hamstring problems throughout his career, injured his hamstring on the Jets’ second series and did not return.

Back_to_Top

NEW YORK POST

Geno comes through for Jets when it’s needed most (Steve Serby) New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/geno-comes-through-for-jets-when-its-needed-most/

On a day the Jets played flag football, more undisciplined than any team Rich Kotite fielded, on a day Rex Ryan managed the coach’s challenge as well as he handled Mark Sanchez in the fourth quarter of the Snoopy Bowl, they asked Geno Smith to be Mariano Rivera, and the kid saved them.

On a day the Jets committed a franchise-high 20 penalties, worth 168 unconscionable yards, on a day Ryan left himself without an invaluable challenge in the fourth quarter, on a day one of those Same Old Jets chokes was in progress, Geno Smith overcame everyone, himself included.

If the Jets give him time, in the pocket and in the cocoon, Geno Smith (16-for-29, 331 yards, two TDs, two INTs, one TD rushing) has a chance to be a deodorant who erases whatever stench surrounds the team.

A big arm like his can turn Santonio Holmes (five receptions, 154 yards, one TD) into a big-play receiver again, can turn Stephen Hill (three receptions, 108 yards, one TD) into the deep threat he was drafted to be, can offer enough of a threat to allow Bilal Powell to rumble for 149 yards behind a remorseless offensive line.

A big arm like his can make a mockery of man-to-man coverage and turn a 20-20 game into Jets 27, Bills 20 in the blink of an eye.

A big arm like his can bring Joy in Jetville, for however fleeting it may be, and leave the Jets as the New York NFL team not in crisis.

Daily Clips Cont.

29 | P a g e

“With the game on the line, the ball in your hands — that’s the moment you live for,” Smith said. “That’s the moment you dream of as a kid. You can’t get caught up in the moment. You can’t see it as that. You got to go out there and stick to your fundamentals and do all the things that got you here. But you always want to be in that moment and you want to be successful, and it was good to do that today.”

The moment: early fourth quarter, Smith at his 31, a reserve cornerback named Justin Rogers, playing because Leodis McKelvin had been lost to a hamstring injury early in the first quarter, on Holmes. Apparently Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine wasn’t convinced Tone Time could be more than a shell of his former self. The Jets have a quarterback who can put the ball in the air and let the receiver make a play. And Holmes can still make a play.

“It was tight coverage, so I didn’t want to hang it too much and give the DB a chance to look back and find it, so I tried to drive it on him,” Smith said. “And Tone is very good at looking up at the last second and plucking that thing out of the sky.”

Holmes plucked it out of the sky and he was gone, and so were the Bills. Smith ran down jubilantly to congratulate him, as somehow Austin Howard wound up with the ball and an imperfect spike in the end zone.

“I think I ran about 60, 70 yards, maybe 80 yards, to go down there and just kind of give Tone a high-five and celebrate with him,” Howard said, “and he handed me the ball.”

Smith had outplayed his pal EJ Manuel, the quarterback drafted ahead of him.

“Other than the fact that we got a win, it doesn’t mean anything,” Smith said. “We’ll be battling for a number of years.”

His worst rookie mistake was a pick by fellow rookie linebacker Kiko Alsonso.

“I tried to give him a look him off and get back to the slant, and he was athletic enough and able enough to get under it,” Smith said. “At times I think I can make every single throw, and I think that’s what gets me in trouble at times.”

His 51-yard touchdown to Hill against Rogers came with Kyle Williams barreling down on him. He stood in there fearlessly. Never saw the result.

“He got a good shot on me, but it wasn’t too bad,” Smith said. “I was just more worried about placing the ball in the right spot.”

That play led Willie Colon to say: “He has all the tools to be a big-time quarterback.”

Smith (six interceptions) knows he has a defense that will keep the Jets in most games.

“My mind is focused on turnovers. … It seems like every week I’m up here saying how I need to do a better job in that area,” Smith said. “I hate to use the rookie title as an excuse.”

Imagine when he grows up.

Back_to_Top

RB Powell has career day for Jets (Brian Costello) New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/rb-powell-has-career-day-for-jets/

The Jets went to great lengths to improve their rushing game this offseason. They signed free-agent Mike Goodson and made a draft day trade for Chris Ivory.

Daily Clips Cont.

30 | P a g e

It turns out their best option already may have been in the building.

Third-year back Bilal Powell had a huge day against the Bills on Sunday, rushing for a career-high 149 yards on 27 carries and giving the Jets a spark in the running game they’ve lacked.

“What a day. What a day,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “He’s fighting for every yard. We’ve seen this from him, though. It’s not like we’re surprised by it. It’s just, wow. He’s durable, dependable and just a much better player I think that has been given credit to him.”

Powell got a large workload after Ivory went down with a hamstring injury in the first half. Ryan said Ivory pulled his hamstring, but was not certain about the severity. Ivory missed much of training camp with the same injury.

Goodson is suspended through next Sunday, so it appears Powell will be the workhorse back for the time being.

***

Ryan needs a class in challenges. He challenged two plays in the third quarter and lost both, meaning he did not have one when he needed it.

Ryan first challenged a spot after a third down and lost that call. He then challenged and lost on a sideline catch by Stevie Johnson, using up his allotment of challenges and losing two timeouts in the process.

Moments later, Bills quarterback EJ Manuel appeared to fumble, but the officials ruled him down. Ryan, with no challenges, could not fight the call. The Bills scored on the drive to tie the game 20-20.

“Well, yeah of course, then,” Ryan said when asked if he regretted using the challenges. “Absolutely. They’re my responsibility. I’ve got to do a better job of making those challenges.”

***

Kyle Wilson was not the only Jet who had penalty problems. Guard Vlad Ducasse was flagged four times for a variety of infractions. He had two false starts, a face mask and a hold. … OLB Quinton Coples made his first start of the season, returning from a broken ankle he suffered in the preseason. “It felt good to be out there fighting with my brothers,” Coples said. “Ankle held up, but I was limited. I was going back and forth. They had a certain amount of plays they were going to give me. There were no issues at all [with the ankle].”

***

Stephen Hill’s touchdown in the second quarter was the first by a Jets wide receiver since Week 11 last season when Chaz Schilens hauled in a touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez.

Back_to_Top

Jets CB Wilson has fourth-quarter meltdown (Brian Lewis) New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/jets-cb-wilson-flagged-four-straight-times/

The Jets managed to beat Buffalo 27-20 despite a team-record 20 penalties for 168 yards, and there was no bigger meltdown or guiltier culprit than Kyle Wilson.

The volatile cornerback had a meltdown of epic proportions, with penalties on four straight fourth-quarter snaps to get benched and hand the Bills a game-tying score.

Daily Clips Cont.

31 | P a g e

“In the heat of battle, some things happen. We needed to get him out of there, sit back, think about it, calm down — and that’s exactly what we did,’’ said coach Rex Ryan. “You can’t put your personal situation in front of the team’s. I think that’s what we had to remind him of. Kyle came back and responded, played well after that.’’

It’s a lesson that nearly cost the Jets, who somehow overcame Wilson collecting more flags than the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.

“Rex wanted to cool me off. But that’s officiating, and I’m not going to comment on that,’’ said Wilson, who sat the rest of that drive and the next before returning for the Billls’ last three possessions. “Rex wanted to take me out and just cool me off. I played physical out there and that’s all that was.’’

With the Jets leading 20-6 in the third quarter and threatening to blow the game open, Wilson was called for a 24-yard pass interference on T.J. Graham, setting up a 43-yard field goal. But Wilson was just getting warmed up. With Gang Green up 20-12 in the fourth, Wilson was flagged on four consecutive snaps, the latter two rushes of temper and personal fouls.

On third-and-6 from the Buffalo 24, he got called for defensive holding, but a Buffalo taunting penalty offset the flag and negated the play. When they finally ran the play, EJ Manuel threw incomplete to Stevie Johnson but Wilson got flagged for illegal contact that negated that play and handed the Bills a first down.

On the next play, David Harris forced a Fred Jackson fumble that Sheldon Richardson recovered at the Buffalo 32, but Wilson got caught pushing a Bills player for another flag that negated the turnover. The MetLife crowd had barely finished booing by the time Wilson gave up a 14-yard catch to Johnson, then followed with a 15-yard personal foul.

Wilson sat out the rest of that drive — which Manuel capped with a 33-yard touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion — and the next, as the staff let him mull the error of his ways. But he returned as the Jets held Buffalo scoreless in the last three possessions.

“We had to keep our composure because there was a lot of foolishness going on that drive. It came back to bite us in the butt, because we gave up a touchdown in that drive. But it will get fixed. It will get fixed,’’ Harris said forcibly.

“It’s football: Everybody’s competitive. Every now and then you lose your head, but the coaches on the sideline calmed him down, told him he means more to the defense than a few penalties and he came back and played well for us. We’re all professionals at the end of the day. He knew what he had to do to get back on the field and he did it, and he helped us out a lot.’’

Back_to_Top

Jets report card (Brian Costello) New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/jets-report-card-20/

OFFENSE

Marty Mornhinweg’s crew put up some big numbers. The 513 yards are the most a Jets team has had since Rex Ryan became head coach in 2009. Rookie quarterback Geno Smith (16-of-29, 331 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) kept his poise when the Bills tied the game and made some huge throws in the game. The turnovers could have been killers, though, deep in Jets territory. Bilal Powell (27 rushes, 149 yards) had a

Daily Clips Cont.

32 | P a g e

monster game and WRs Santonio Holmes (5 catches 154 yards, 1 TD) and Stephen Hill (3 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD) both set career highs in yardage.

Grade: B

DEFENSE

The penalties are the only thing knocking this group down. The defense was outstanding for most of the day, but Kyle Wilson led the way with four penalties and they kept the Bills in the game. The pass rush was fierce, getting to EJ Manuel eight times, led by Muhammad Wilkerson (two sacks). They stopped the Bills rushing attack except for one letdown against Fred Jackson. But the Bills had only 120 rushing yards.

Grade: A-

SPECIAL TEAMS

Clyde Gates looked like he had a few shots at kick returns and could not get them outside the 20. Jeremy Kerley managed just 18 yards on three punt returns. New punter Ryan Quigley placed two of his seven punts inside the 20 and averaged 42 yards a punt. Nick Folk added another two field goals.

Grade: C

COACHING

Rex Ryan botched his challenges in the second half, losing both and being left with none when he really could have used one on what looked like a fumble from Manuel. You can’t criticize his game plan, though. He had Manuel flustered and shut down the Bills’ running game. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called a great game. He is not afraid to throw it down the field, a refreshing thing for Jets fans.

Grade: B

Back_to_Top

Jets Blitz (Brian Lewis) New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/jets-blitz/

HERO

Muhammad Wilkerson and Calvin Pace sparked a front seven that stuffed the NFL’s fourth-ranked ground game and dominated an offensive line that had allowed only one sack previously. The Jets had eight sacks and 14 tackles for losses, with Wilkerson (six tackles, two sacks, two TFL, five QB hits) and Pace (eight tackles, sack, two QB hits) leading the charge.

UNSUNG HERO

Running back Bilal Powell had 27 carries for 149 yards, keeping the chains moving, the third downs manageable and rookie quarterback Geno Smith out of trouble.

ZERO

It was a tough day for Bills cornerback Justin Rogers, who got pushed off by Stephen Hill and beaten badly for a 51-yard second-quarter touchdown, then never turned his head to make a play on the ball and got torched by Santonio Holmes for the 69-yard fourth-quarter game-winner. A 22-yard pass interference in the third was just insult to injury.

Daily Clips Cont.

33 | P a g e

KEY STAT

9

That’s how many yards the Jets held CJ Spiller to, after he had gashed them for 169 yards and a TD on just 14 carries in last year’s opener. On Sunday they plugged every gap and punished Spiller on his 10 carries until he left in the third quarter with a knee injury.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Everyone thought we were [bleep], let’s be honest about it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look at stuff like that. But hey, keep on talking it, because we’re proving people wrong and trying to make some noise in this league.’’

— Jets linebacker Calvin Pace

Back_to_Top

Jets defense the difference against Bills (Mark Cannizzaro) New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/jets-defense-the-difference-against-bills/

Sure , it was sloppy down the stretch, with more undisciplined penalties than you’d see in a prison-yard game. And yeah, the Jets, playing the part of the bumbling Buccaneers on opening day, did everything they could to give the game away.

But the Jets won the game, beat the Bills, 27-20, Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

You know why they won?

Defense. Rex Ryan’s defense.

“Go get that guy.’’

According to several Jets players, that’s what Ryan told the defense in the Saturday night team meeting at the hotel, referring to Bills rookie quarterback EJ Manuel.

So, Ryan’s defense sacked Manuel eight times after he had been sacked only once in the first two games of the season.

The Bills were 4-of-18 on third-down conversions, a 22 percent success rate. Bills running back C.J. Spiller, who gashed the Jets defense for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries in two games last season, ran for nine yards on 10 carries before leaving with a knee injury.

This kind of stout defensive effort came on a day when Ryan’s former apprentice, Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, came to his old place of work determined to show his mentor a little something. Pettine left knowing his mentor remains the master.

Pettine spent the last decade working with and for Ryan. As much as anything, his curious departure to Buffalo after last season to make a lateral career move was about Pettine extricating himself from Ryan’s shadow to run his own shop with hopes of a head coaching job down the road.

Because of Ryan’s formidable and deserved reputation as a defensive guru, Pettine was always overshadowed and overlooked by him. Whenever the defense played well, regardless of whatever Pettine’s input was, it always perceived as Ryan’s defense.

So yesterday represented the first time Pettine had the chance to beat his mentor.

Daily Clips Cont.

34 | P a g e

In the end, it was Ryan’s defense that was the difference in the game. In a spot of irony, the 513 total yards on offense the Jets stamped on Pettine’s Buffalo defense was the most the Jets have produced in Ryan’s four-plus years with the team.

“This is Rex’s defense, man,’’ linebacker Calvin Pace said. “That is not to say anything bad about Mike, because he did some good things here, but it was time to move on. I don’t blame him for wanting to go out on his own.’’

Pace’s message was clear. It has always been Ryan’s defense, even when Pettine was the coordinator.

“This is a No. 1 caliber defense,’’ Pace said. “If we handle our business and don’t give up plays that we don’t have to give up, I don’t really see a lot of people moving the ball against us. Whenever we get to the point where we start truly playing team ball and we take care of the ball (the offense turned the ball over twice) and we don’t give up stuff that we don’t have to give up (a franchise-record 20 penalties for 168 yards), we’re going to be really a dangerous team.’’

The Jets’ defense was put in several precarious situations in the game and it responded, forcing the Bills to kick field goals.

After a 59-yard Fred Jackson run gave the Bills a first down on the Jets 21, the defense held the Bills to a field goal. After Geno Smith’s first interception, to former Jet Jim Leonhard, gave the Bills the ball at the Jets 21-yard line, the defense forced another field goal. After Smith’s second interception, by Buffalo linebacker Kiko Alonso with 6:50 remaining in the third quarter, gave the Bills the ball at the Jets 13-yard line, the defense held again, forcing another field goal.

Pace steered the credit directly at Ryan.

“He’s a Hall of Fame coach,’’ Pace said. “So many people talk bad about him like he doesn’t know what he’s doing, but think about the names that’s he’s coached — Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and the list goes on and on. And it’s his defense. I wouldn’t want to play for anybody else. Every week it’s interesting. He’s trying to bring a championship to New York.

“Everyone thought we were [bleep], let’s be honest about it,’’ Pace went on. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look at stuff like that. But hey, keep on talking it, because we’re proving people wrong and trying to make some noise in this league.’’

If and when they do make that noise, the loudest sounds will be coming from Ryan’s defense.

Back_to_Top

Geno keeps his cool as Jets turn back Bills (Brian Costello) New York Post September 22, 2013

http://nypost.com/2013/09/22/geno-keeps-his-cool-as-jets-turn-back-bills/

Welcome to the Jets’ version of Flag Day.

Somehow, some way, Gang Green beat the Bills 27-20 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday despite a franchise-record 20 penalties, two turnovers and a momentum shift that went Buffalo’s way at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The Jets became the first team to win a game with that many penalties since 1951 — when the Browns had 22 penalties and beat the Bears — according to the Elias Sports Bureau. All the penalties took the luster off a hard-fought win that featured some outstanding moments from both the Jets’ offense and defense.

Daily Clips Cont.

35 | P a g e

It all left Jets coach Rex Ryan looking forward to when his team improves.

“I know this team’s going to get better,” Ryan said. “There’s no way we can’t. Twenty penalties? That’s on my shoulders, no question about it, but I know we can get better. Just think about how good we can be if we can eliminate the penalties and the turnovers. We overcame 20 penalties and overcame two turnovers to win a game. I’m excited because I know we can get better.”

The Jets improved to 2-1 and got their first division win of the season.

The Jets pulled the game out when rookie quarterback Geno Smith made a huge 69-yard touchdown throw to Santonio Holmes with 9:23 left to play, moments after the Bills had tied the game. Holmes caught the ball against Bills backup cornerback Justin Rogers and raced to the end zone.

“Geno gave me an opportunity to make a play,” said Holmes, who had a career-high 154 yards receiving, almost a year after suffering a major foot injury. “I don’t think the DB was even aware that he was throwing me the ball at that time and the ball landed in the perfect place for me to catch it, and the rest is in the history books.”

Smith’s throw capped off a mixed bag of a day for him. He finished 16-of-29 for 331 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He got the best of fellow rookie EJ Manuel, who looked rattled against a Jets defense that sacked him eight times. Manuel went 19-for-42 for 243 yards with one touchdown.

The Jets offense finished with 513 yards, the most they’ve had in a game since Ryan became head coach in 2009. They had huge performances from Holmes, Stephen Hill (career-high 108 yards) and running back Bilal Powell (27 rushes for a career-high 149 yards).

The offensive line opened up holes in the running game and kept Smith off his back.

“We left a lot of football out there today, but we’re getting better,” tight end Kellen Winslow said. “We’re getting there.’’

The defense was nearly flawless for three quarters. Outside of a fluky 59-yard run from Fred Jackson, the Jets shut the Bills down. Through three games, the Jets defense looks as if it could be one of the NFL’s best.

“You guys have seen just the tip of the iceberg,” outside linebacker Calvin Pace said.

The Jets controlled the game for three quarters but never opened up a huge lead. Their defense dominated and the offense scored on several big pass plays to make it look like as if they would win in a laugher. They led 20-6 early in the third quarter and appeared to be on their way.

Then that laugher nearly turned to tears.

At the end of the third quarter, Ryan called for two ill-advised challenges he lost, costing him two timeouts and leaving him with no challenges. The Jets could have used one a few moments later when it appeared Manuel fumbled the ball, but the refs ruled him down.

That Bills’ drive also featured five Jets penalties — four on consecutive plays to cornerback Kyle Wilson, who single-handedly kept the Buffalo offense moving. Buffalo tied the game 20-20 with 10:39 remaining, and it looked as if the Jets were heading to a devastating defeat. Manuel hit tight end Scott Chandler for a 33-yard touchdown, then hit Stevie Johnson for the game-tying two-point conversion.

But Smith found Holmes on the next series and gave the Jets the improbable win. Holmes’ catch was the Jets’ fourth passing play of 40 yards or more on Sunday. They had five all of last season.

For all the good takeaways on both sides of the ball, though, the penalties left a blemish.

Daily Clips Cont.

36 | P a g e

“How many games are you going to win when you turn it over twice and you have 20 penalties? Very few,” Ryan said. “We have to get rid of the self-inflicted things. Yeah, I’m upset because of the 20 penalties, but I know we’ve been one of the least penalized teams in the league, so I know we can get this fixed.”

The Jets players were less than thrilled with the officiating, though. They were careful not to say anything that will get them fined, but it was clear they felt the officials threw some of those flags unnecessarily.

“What can I say about that?” Winslow said. “That one drive, man, come on. It was beyond ridiculous, and the league needs to take a look at that because that just cannot happen. Let us play. … Let us play and man, every play was like a call. Come on. Let us play a little bit. A couple of those were no-calls. My kid can see that. I’ll leave it at that.’’

Back_to_Top

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Geno Smith hits Santonio Holmes for 69-yard touchdown to beat Buffalo Bills 27-20 (Seth Walder) New York Daily News September 23, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-air-deep-beat-bills-27-20-behind-geno-defense-article-1.1464185#ixzz2fi6oKDQQ

For most of Sunday, the Jets defense bailed out Geno Smith when he made mistakes, but when Rex Ryan’s defense finally faltered, it was the rookie quarterback who did the rescuing.

Smith outplayed fellow rookie EJ Manuel, Ryan outdueled his old defensive coordinator Mike Pettine (who now holds the same position with Buffalo) and the Jets beat the Bills, 27-20, at MetLife Stadium.

The Jets’ young quarterback showed something Gang Green fans have long been missing: a vertical passing game. In the fourth quarter after the Bills had tied it, he threw a 69-yard touchdown to Santonio Holmes — Smith’s second long TD pass of the game — for what proved to be the winning score.

It wasn’t pretty — the Jets set a record for penalties (20 for 168 yards) — but they improved to 2-1. Despite the victory, Ryan was annoyed with the infractions and turnovers.

“Yeah I’m upset, because of this. This day, the 20 penalties and all that. We’ve been one of the least-penalized teams in the league. So I know we can get this fixed,” the coach said. “And that’s kind of what excites me. How good can this team be when we eliminate those?”

Said Smith: “Big picture — it’s always good to get a win. It’s always good to put a ‘W’ in that column. But it’s definitely something that we need to correct, and we emphasize it in practice. We’re doing pushups after a penalty.”

Linebacker David Harris said the team had done “too many” penalty pushups in practice this past week.

For most of the game, the Jets’ defense was unforgiving. The defensive line was disruptive (eight sacks) and the entire front didn’t budge against C.J. Spiller. When Smith threw two interceptions, the defense stopped the Bills each time with field goals.

But when Kyle Wilson lost his cool and committed three penalties on a drive in the fourth quarter, the Bills were able to turn an eight-point gap into a tie ballgame. With 9:23 left, however Smith fired the strike for the deep touchdown to Holmes.

Daily Clips Cont.

37 | P a g e

“The kid hung in there,” Ryan said of Smith. “We get the protection, he makes the big throws, and that was really encouraging.”

Smith finished 16-for-29 for 331 yards, with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a rushing TD. He dwelled on the two picks. “We try not to have any turnovers, practice or in games,” he said. “It seems like I’ve been saying this for the past three weeks, and I’ve got to find a way of not doing it. Just gotta tuck the ball sometimes.”

Nonetheless, 10 days after the Jets could only muster 10 points against the Patriots, they compiled 513 yards of offense, a team high under Ryan.

Holmes was covered on the game-winning play, but somehow managed to bring the ball in and stay on his feet to jog into the end zone.

“He doesn’t lay his hands out until the last second,” Ryan said. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen at being late hands to the football and no matter how tight the coverage is, you can’t make a play on it until you see where his hands go, where his eyes go.”

Holmes caught five balls for 154 yards and the score.

The deep passes might not have been there if it weren’t for the running of Bilal Powell, who rushed for 149 yards on 27 attempts, an effort even more crucial after Chris Ivory left the game with a hamstring injury.

“What a day,” said Ryan. “What a day. He’s fighting for every yard.”

Five months after the Bills made Manuel the first quarterback taken in the 2013 draft, Smith took advantage of his first opportunity to prove them wrong for passing on him. Manuel was 19-for-42 for 243 yards and a touchdown.

Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson was asked if Manuel was rattled by the pass rush.

“I’m gonna let you answer that one,” he said. “How many times did he get sacked?”

Despite his performance and the victory, Smith wasn’t looking to rub it in afterward, saying it didn’t mean anything more to beat Manuel.

“No. Other than the fact that we got a win, it doesn’t mean anything,” said Smith. “We’ll be battling for a number of years.”

Back_to_Top

Rex Ryan benches Kyle Wilson after committing three consecutive penalties (Kevin Armstrong) New York Daily News September 23, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/rex-pulls-wilson-flag-day-article-1.1464508#ixzz2fi8VIUUj

Everywhere Jets cornerback Kyle Wilson turned early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Buffalo Bills, whistles blew and yellow flags followed.

Finally, after being called for his third consecutive penalty, Wilson was ordered off the field by defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman. Wilson was called for holding, illegal contact and a personal foul. He couldn’t contain wideout Stevie Johnson (six catches, 86 yards) within the rules of the game, so Rex Ryan benched the third-year veteran. The penalties opened the door for the Bills to tie the game at 20-all with 10 minutes left.

Daily Clips Cont.

38 | P a g e

“Rex wanted me to cool off,” Wilson said. “Everyone was just telling me I need to have a short memory.”

Wilson’s implosion was a microcosm of the flag-filled victory.

The Jets (2-1) gave up 168 yards on a team-record 20 penalties, giving the Bills (1-2) chances to stay in the game late. It was also another week of concern about a defensive back as Wilson followed rookie Dee Milliner as the second member of the defensive backfield to be benched in back-to-back games. For his punishment, Wilson, a former first-round pick, sat out a series. He stood on the sideline without a helmet and was replaced by cornerback Darrin Walls. Wilson returned the next time out.

“Foolishness going on that drive,” linebacker David Harris said. “It came back to bite us in the butt because they scored a touchdown that drive, but it will get fixed. It will get fixed. It’s football; everybody’s is a competitor and sometimes you lose your head. But the coaches on the sideline calmed (Wilson) down and told him he means much more to your defense than stupid penalties. He came back and played well for us.”

Wilson, who had four tackles, including one quick wrapup of Johnson at the end of the second quarter, declined to comment on the penalties, but insisted that he moved past the flags and the time out of the game. “Corners gotta have short memories,” he said. “I played physical out there.”

Back_to_Top

Bilal Powell's 149 rushing yards help NY Jets grab win over Bills (Stephen Lorenzo) New York Daily News September 23, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-insider-powell-jets-running-article-1.1464504#ixzz2fi88wRWQ

Geno Smith had his ups and downs on Sunday, but Bilal Powell fueled the Jets.

The running back had a game-high and career-high 149 yards on 27 carries, helping the Jets grab a 27-20 win over the division rival Bills. An early injury to Chris Ivory upped the workload for Powell, who coupled tough runs after contact with bursts of speed, including an impressive 27-yard gain midway through the third quarter. “The offensive line did a great job tonight pushing a lot of guys off of me,” Powell said. “There were some tough runs in there. Coach (Marty) Mornhinweg did a great job of play-calling and keeping the defense on their toes.”

It was the first 100-yard rushing game by a Jet since Shonn Greene topped the century mark against the Cardinals last Dec. 2. The threat of Powell’s rushing attack helped Smith have some breathing room in the passing game, as evidenced by his two touchdown passes, both of which went beyond 50 yards.

“It’s always good to run the ball in this league; you don’t want too many guys down in the box,” Powell said. “If you run the ball and throw the ball and have a good, balanced offense, you keep the pressure off of both attacks — the pass and the run game.”

KERLEY SHUFFLE

After missing Week 2 against the Patriots with a concussion, Jeremy Kerley returned to action on Sunday and made his presence felt immediately.

Kerley was targeted three times on the opening drive and made two third-down receptions — an 18-yard catch on third-and-17, and then a 7-yard grab on third-and-3 — en route to Smith’s 8-yard rushing TD. The two receptions would prove to be Kerley’s only catches of the game, but both were significant.

Daily Clips Cont.

39 | P a g e

“It was very important,” Stephen Hill said of Kerley’s return. “Even the third-down one where he ran that slant, that was a big third down. I don’t know how the game would have went if we didn’t get that third down.”

TENACIOUS DEE

After getting benched in the second half of the Jets’ Week 2 loss, rookie cornerback Dee Milliner was back Sunday, but did not start. The first-round pick did provide several key plays in coverage, particularly on a third down in the second quarter when he refused to let Robert Woods get open in the end zone.

This time it was cornerback Kyle Wilson who was benched for one series in the fourth quarter, after committing three ill-advised penalties on the Bills’ game-tying drive. But Darrin Walls, not Milliner, filled in when Wilson was benched.

HAPPY RETURN

Quinton Coples made his season debut on Sunday and recorded two tackles — one for a loss — and one assist. The linebacker missed the first two games after having ankle surgery last month. ... Jets left guard Vladimir Ducasse was responsible for four penalties for a total of 45 yards. ... Chris Ivory injured his hamstring in the first quarter and did not return. ... The Jets did not allow a sack.

Back_to_Top

Geno Smith and Santonio Holmes can become dynamic duo for NY Jets (Manish Mehta) New York Daily News September 23, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-smith-holmes-article-1.1464490#ixzz2fi7HBoqa

Geno Smith made you laugh, curse, scream and shout before he finally found his new BFF in what the Jets hope will be a season-long relationship to help the rookie flourish.

Santonio Holmes will be as integral to Smith’s development as anyone else in the organization.

Exhibit A: Holmes, mercurial and magical when he wants to be, hauled in a decisive 69-yard touchdown pass from Smith to help Rex Ryan’s team pull off a wacky and decidedly ugly 27-20 win over the Bills on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

When it was over, there were plenty of compliments to go around. Smith praised Holmes. Holmes praised Smith. Ryan praised both of them for making the Play of the Day.

“The ball landed in a perfect place,” Holmes said in the wake of his five-catch, career-high 154-yard performance. “He gave me a chance to catch it. The rest is in the history books.”

You don’t have to look too far in the NFL rearview mirror to understand what Holmes, a former Super Bowl MVP with plenty of big catches in his eight-year career, can mean for his rookie quarterback. Last season, the Colts’ Andrew Luck leaned heavily on veteran wideout Reggie Wayne to help him navigate through his rookie campaign.

Although Smith and Holmes may not be at the same skill level as the Colts duo, Ryan’s players can have a similar, mutually beneficial relationship. Smith targeted Holmes a team-high 10 times, a third of his drop-backs. They hooked up for the decisive score after the Bills rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the second half to tie it at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter.

Holmes, who is coming back from a devastating foot injury that kept him out of much of last season and all of training camp and the preseason, came alive to help the Jets improve to 2-1.

Daily Clips Cont.

40 | P a g e

“He might not be 100%, but he’s pretty darn good,” Ryan said. “He’s a great receiver. We all know — every Jet fan knows — what kind of player he is when he’s healthy. We’re starting to see that. Obviously (he had) a huge day today . . . and it might have been the difference in the game.”

Holmes had been targeted only nine times in the first two games before Smith looked for him over and over against the Bills. The rest of the Jets receivers were targeted 12 times.

Credit Marty Mornhinweg for calling plays designed to pick on cornerback Justin Rogers, who came in after starter Leodis McKelvin exited the game for good due to injury. Credit Smith for shaking off a third-quarter interception that gave the Bills plenty of momentum in the third quarter.

Smith capped off a white-hot opening drive with an 8-yard TD run. After Jim Leonhard picked off Smith in the second quarter, the rookie showed poise on a 51-yard touchdown strike to Stephen Hill as he was drilled by defensive lineman Kyle Williams.

“With Geno’s poise,” Holmes said, “he can be as great as he wants to be.”

Smith dragged Ryan & Co. through the spectrum of emotions. His third-quarter pass intended for Clyde Gates was easily intercepted by linebacker Kiko Alonso.

“It seems like every week I’m up here saying that I need to do a better job in that area,” said Smith, who went 16-for-29 for 331 yards, three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and two interceptions. “I hate to use the rookie title as an excuse. I have to find a way not to turn the ball over…. At times I think I can make every single throw. That’s what gets me into trouble.”

Smith won the battle of rookie quarterbacks against EJ Manuel, thanks, in part, to Holmes, who looked every bit like his pre-injury self.

Ryan credited Holmes’ savvy “late hands” on his touchdown that prevented Rogers from being tipped off as to when the ball was in the air down the right sideline. Smith gave a quick look at the single high safety and hurled the ball.

“I didn’t want to hang it too much and give the DB a chance to look back and find it,” Smith said. “Tone is very good at looking up at the last second and plucking that thing out of the sky.”

The veteran receiver said he couldn’t remember the last time he felt as happy after a game.

“I’m happy to be here,” Holmes said. “That’s probably the most important thing. I’m ready to play this year.”

Nobody’s happier about that than his young quarterback.

Back_to_Top

ESPN NEW YORK

Holmes alone stabilizes undisciplined Jets (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York September 23, 2013

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/27717/holmes-alone-stabilizes-undisciplined-jets?ex_cid=espnapi_public

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Instead of looking through rose-colored glasses, which many players do after an ugly win, New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes wore orange-tinted contact lenses to his postgame news conference. Really, he did. It gave him a devil-eyes look, but he said the lenses eliminate the glare from TV lights.

Daily Clips Cont.

41 | P a g e

The man knows how to deal with distractions. He was even better on the field, blocking out the ineptitude around him and rising up Sunday to score the game-winning touchdown in the Jets' 27-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium.

On a day in which the Jets demonstrated a total lack of discipline, committing a franchise-record 20 penalties for 168 yards, Holmes, once regarded as the poster boy for bad behavior, was the epitome of fourth-quarter cool. How's that for irony? His 69-yard scoring reception with 9:23 remaining in the game culminated a five-catch game for a career-high 154 yards.

"He might have been the difference in the game," said Jets coach Rex Ryan, who contributed to the near-meltdown with a couple of questionable decisions.

This was an historically ugly win. The last time a team won a game with 20 penalties was the autumn of Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca. Yep, it was 1951, when the Cleveland Browns beat the Chicago Bears with a blackjack day -- 21 penalties.

The Jets almost busted with 20, blowing a 20-6 lead that seemed safe with a tenacious defense that gave rookie quarterback EJ Manuel a serious case of the yips. But they lost their minds with 15 penalties in the second half, including four on one drive by cornerback Kyle Wilson -- an embarrassing loss of poise that set up a game-tying touchdown for the Bills.

It was getting away from the Jets, just like it got away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 on this same field. It was only a matter of time before someone became the Jets' version of Lavonte David, he of the last-minute bonehead penalty. Before that could happen, Holmes made it Tone Time.

Geno Smith dropped back and launched a rocket. It came down like a feather, right on Holmes' left shoulder. He beat a fill-in cornerback named Justin Rogers, made the catch at the 35-yard line and ran in for the Jets' longest fourth-quarter (or overtime) touchdown pass since Neil O'Donnell hooked up with Jeff Graham for 78 yards in 1996.

Ah, yes, memories from a 1-15 season.

"The ball landed in the perfect place for me to get a chance to catch it," Holmes said. "The rest is in the history books."

It was significant for Holmes because it came one week shy of the one-year anniversary of his season-ending foot injury. It was a severe LisFranc injury, and it required two surgeries and several months of intense rehab. There was a lot of doubt as to whether he'd be ready for the opener.

Holmes made it back, but he was ordinary in the first two games, lacking his usual burst. After the Jets' six-drop debacle in Foxborough last week, the team needed a Holmes-ian performance to lift the maligned receiving corps.

"Kudos to him. He stood up for us in a big way," guard Willie Colon said of his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate. "That's the Santonio I know. That's the only Santonio I know. He's a lot of things, but he's a gamer."

Holmes can be a diva, and he can be a malcontent, as he was in 2011. That year, he caused so many problems in the locker room -- as a captain, no less -- that Ryan abolished the practice of naming permanent captains.

He lost his "C," but the man still is an "A" performer in the fourth quarter.

"We all know -- every Jets fan knows -- what kind of player he is when he's healthy," Ryan said. "We're starting to see that now. He had a huge day."

Daily Clips Cont.

42 | P a g e

Ryan should send Holmes a thank-you gift. If the Jets had lost, Ryan would be getting hammered for presiding over an undisciplined team. This was a carryover from the final seconds in New England, where they threw punches and bumped an official in a melee with the Patriots. This was like a bunch of unruly fourth-graders on the playground.

"We lost our composure," linebacker David Harris said. "You never want to have that many stupid mistakes. … It was ridiculous."

Ryan took the blame, saying, "It's on my shoulders." It was inexcusable. You expect growing pains from a rookie quarterback, but you don't expect the entire roster to behave like rookies. It will be hard enough to endure Smith's ups and downs, but they have no chance to win more than a few games if everybody else plays dumb football.

They should be thankful to be 2-1.

In the end, they avoided humiliation with a quick strike for the ages, the third-longest go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter in team history. Joe Namath hit Eddie Bell for 83 yards in 1972, and Matt Robinson found Wesley Walker for 75 yards in '78.

Now there's Smith to Holmes, 69 yards.

Afterward, the often sulky Holmes actually smiled a few times. He was asked to recall the last time he was this happy.

"I really don't know how to answer that question," he said. "I'm happy to be here. That's probably the most important thing, that I'm able to play this year."

Back_to_Top

Geno Smith is one fearless rookie (Ian O’Connor) ESPN New York September 23, 2013

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/9711066/new-york-jets-geno-smith-showed-one-fearless-rookie?ex_cid=espnapi_public

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Deep down, Geno Smith knew he would have been absolved of this defeat. On account of being a rookie, the passer knew he would have been given a pass.

Why? The New York Jets have a rich tradition of losing games like these, that's why. With the team coming unglued, with penalty flags flying this way and that and with Rex Ryan ordering up absurd challenges and leaving himself without one when he needed it most, you could've filled a Greyhound bus with former Jets who would've surrendered to the inevitable.

Starting with Mark Sanchez, of course, the quarterback Smith replaced.

The Buffalo Bills rallied from a 20-6 deficit, although rallied might be stretching it. They kept sending in their poor field goal kicker, Dan Carpenter, to try to boot their way to a comeback in an endless, barely watchable game, at least until EJ Manuel finally made a play in the fourth quarter, hitting his tight end for a 33-yard touchdown and then making good on the tying two-point conversion.

The Jets were an absolute mess on that drive, low-lighted by not one, but two, personal fouls from Kyle Wilson and two Bills fumbles nullified by the home team's foolishness. The clear Manuel fumble ruled otherwise by the refs couldn't be challenged by ol' Rex, who had inexplicably red-flagged a third-and-1 spot in a desperate grab for three inches he had no chance of winning.

"I've got to do a better job of making those challenges," Ryan said.

Daily Clips Cont.

43 | P a g e

Yes, he does. Especially when his reckless use of them granted Manuel the break he needed and put the quarterback drafted 23 slots behind Buffalo's in a perilous place.

"We knew we had to score," Smith said.

If he had the hot hand in leading the Jets to a 17-6 lead in the first half -- throwing for 187 yards and a touchdown -- Smith had cooled down considerably. The Jets had lost their minds (they would commit a franchise record 20 penalties for 168 yards), their fans were fretting out loud and there wasn't much reason to believe Smith would save his team from a 1-2 start.

For 10 days, he'd sat on his three-interception fourth quarter in Foxborough, inspiring some to actually wonder if Matt Simms should start warming up in the bullpen. Never mind that Buffalo's Doug Marrone, the former Syracuse coach, had been something of a Geno stopper in college, beating his West Virginia teams three times; these were the big leagues, and Smith was only the ace of the rotation because his coach, Ryan, got Sanchez clobbered in a preseason appearance the four-year starter had no business making.

So from his own 15 with 10 minutes and change left inside MetLife Stadium, Smith wasn't inspiring visions of greatness. On a day when the Giants and Yankees likely lost their seasons, when even Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera couldn't pitch their way to victory, Smith looked like just another New Yorker booked for an unhappy ending.

But just when you expected a 22-year-old quarterback to look at the Buffalo defense and see the Greek alphabet, Smith saw clarity and opportunity and, well, Santonio Holmes lined up against an overwhelmed backup corner named Justin Rogers.

More than anything, Smith saw a backyard fantasy come to life.

"With the game on the line," he said, "the ball in your hands, that's the moment you live for. That's the moment you dream of as a kid."

It only took two plays for the rookie to suddenly make a Peyton Manning, Tom Brady play. Smith dropped back, quickly looked off the safety, Jim Leonhard, and fired a sideline strike toward Holmes and Rogers, sprinting together step for step. Rogers had his back to the ball, and Holmes had been around long enough to play the role of decoy, to act as if the pass was being delivered somewhere else.

Holmes didn't light up his eyes and throw up his hands until the spiral was on top of him, and by that time, it was too late for Rogers to disrupt the play. Out of nowhere, a receiver who has caused more trouble than he's been worth as a Jet was running free for a 69-yard score, looking more like Big Ben's Super Bowl MVP.

"I just wanted to give him a good chance, give him a good ball," Smith said.

The quarterback gave Holmes both.

"He can be as great as he wants to be," said Holmes, whose 154 receiving yards were a career high.

Smith completed 16 of 29 passes for 331 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, including one on the ground, though he smudged his own artwork with a pair of interceptions that had rookie mistakes written all over them. In his postgame news conference, Smith said he hates to use the rookie thing as an excuse, an encouraging admission from a kid who appears to have the requisite toughness to make it in this market.

When Smith carried it across the goal line in the first quarter, he absorbed two hard hits on the 8-yard run. When he threw his first touchdown pass, a 51-yarder to Stephen Hill (at Rogers' expense), Smith stood firm in the pocket as he took a direct hit from the charging 303-pound tackle Kyle Williams.

Daily Clips Cont.

44 | P a g e

"He got a good shot on me," Smith said, "but it wasn't too bad. I was more worried about placing the ball in the right spot." Good stuff. As was Smith's decision to keep picking on Rogers, throwing over the top rather than settling for a conservative small-ball approach. Smith still has work to do on his deep throws, but it's already clear he's much more than a college quarterback who threw quick outs to Tavon Austin and watched him race 60 yards.

"The kid hung in there," Ryan said.

He hung in there long enough to overcome Rex's coaching, and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, to become the first quarterback to win a game despite that staggering sum of penalties since Cleveland's Otto Graham pulled it off in 1951.

Smith, the second-round pick, maintained he took no satisfaction in going 1-0 against the first-rounder, Manuel, and nobody on the winning side cared if it wasn't a convincing claim.

The Jets were merely happy to own a 2-1 record Sunday night and to leave their building with a rookie quarterback unafraid to win a game he would've been allowed to lose.

Back_to_Top

METRO NEW YORK

Jets rookie Geno Smith showing glimpses of potential (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York September 22, 2013

http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/nfl/2013/09/22/jets-rookie-geno-smith-showing-glimpses-of-potential/#sthash.dAaX5rqn.dpuf

A devastating performance a week ago could have shot rookie quarterback Geno Smith’s confidence. Instead, he stepped forward to show glimpses of his full potential in a 27-20 win over the Bills on Saturday afternoon.

In what was clearly the best start of his young NFL career, Smith was 16-of-29 for 331 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith also had an 8-yard touchdown run on a designed quarterback draw.

But what he showed most importantly was character and strength in the face of adversity.

The performance underscored his potential but also justified the Jets’ faith in their second-round selection. Across the field was Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel, who was taken with the No. 16 pick in this past April’s NFL Draft, 23 spots before Smith. Smith was the consensus top quarterback in most mock drafts, leading many to question whether the Bills had reached to draft Manuel.

Of course, Smith said the victory over Manuel didn’t matter on a personal level. Manuel finished 19-of-42 for 243 yards and one touchdown.

“Other than the fact that we got a win, it doesn’t mean anything,” Smith said. “E.J.’s a good guy. I think he played a great game and we’ll be battling for a number of years. It’s just good to come out here and get a victory. That’s all that matters.”

Smith’s teammates, however, sang his praises.

“Geno’s poise – he can be as great as he wants to be,” wide receiver Santonio Holmes said. “His opportunity is definitely something that we’re going to look forward to for a long time.”

Daily Clips Cont.

45 | P a g e

Holmes and Smith linked up in the fourth quarter on a 69-yard touchdown route in tight coverage down the sideline. Smith, who has struggled with ball placement down the field, put the ball right where it was supposed to be and allowed Holmes to run into the end zone for a 27-20 lead.

Most impressive was the Jets’ ability to stretch the ball down the field, something a bit uncharacteristic of the West Coast offense. Smith had passes greater than 40 yards four times against the Bills.

“We worked the heck out of it all week,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “We knew if we got that protection to hold up, we’d get some opportunities down the field. That certainly happened today.”

There were struggles. Both interceptions could have been avoided by more patience in the pocket and a better reading of the defense. But unlike last week, when he threw three interceptions and was dejected after each one, Smith picked himself up.

“It’s fantastic to see. He puts in his work during the week,” center Nick Mangold said. “His receivers were really working today. He made the throws that he needed to.”

Back_to_Top

Jets beat Bills despite host of penalties, late errors (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York September 22, 2013

http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/nfl/2013/09/22/jets-beat-bills-despite-host-of-penalties-late-errors/#sthash.hxzc8W62.dpu

The Jets beat the Bills in spite of themselves yesterday afternoon.

A franchise-record 20 penalties for 168 yards gave the Bills a chance to win the game. Sprinkle in two turnovers — both interceptions thrown by rookie quarterback Geno Smith — and head coach Rex Ryan had every right to be angry at his post-game press conference.

But instead, Ryan was smiling even as he said the Jets’ sloppiness was unacceptable. He rationalized that if the Jets could win despite their sloppy play, they can only go forward from here.

“The thing that makes me most happy is that I know this team is going to get better,” Ryan said. “There’s no way we can’t. Twenty penalties? That’s on my shoulders, no question about it. I know we can get better. Just think how good we can be if we can eliminate the penalties and the turnovers. Twenty penalties and two turnovers and we won the game. I guess I’m excited because I know we can get better. I know we can. It’s on coaching. I know we’ll get it correct, there’s no doubt. I’ll be the first one to step up but I love the fact that our team found a way to win.

“Take away all the other stuff. We found a way, we persevered and we won. That’s really encouraging to me. That tells you about the fight and the spirit of this football team.”

The sloppiness reached an apex in the fourth quarter when concentration needed to be at its finest. Instead, the Jets committed mental error after mental error and nearly gave away the game.

On the Bills first possession of the fourth quarter, cornerback Kyle Wilson committed three straight penalties on three straight plays, including two personal fouls. Wilson was benched after the third penalty although he eventually return.

The Bills went on to score via a pass over the middle from E.J. Manuel to Scott Chandler. They would convert the ensuing two-point conversion to even the game at 20-20.

Wilson nearly cost the Jets the game.

Daily Clips Cont.

46 | P a g e

“In the heat of battle, some things happen. We needed to get him out of there, sit back, think about it and calm it,” Ryan said. “He came back and entered the game. Some things happen. You can’t put your personal situation in front of the team.”

Back_to_Top

Jets, Geno Smith get better of fellow rookie QB E.J. Manuel (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York September 22, 2013

http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/nfl/2013/09/22/jets-geno-smith-get-better-of-fellow-rookie-qb-e-j-manuel/#sthash.F0cmSkx4.dpuf

In the first meeting between Jets quarterback Geno Smith and Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel, it was Smith who came out on top in a 27-20 win over the Bills.

The Jets improved to 2-1.

After losing to the Patriots last week, the Jets desperately needed this win to stave off an 0-2 start in the division. What they got was a relatively solid showing from Smith, who struggled in Week 2 with three interceptions in the fourth quarter.

But Smith played relatively smart football and was helped by a receiving corps that limited drops. The young quarterback had both a rushing and passing touchdown but his interceptions will continue to cast doubt on his ability to read defenses.

The signature moment of the game came midway through the fourth quarter when Smith found wide receiver Santonio Holmes on a go-route for a 69-yard touchdown pass and a 27-20 Jets lead.

It was also a “bend don’t break” outing from the Jets defense, including a second-quarter sack by Quinton Coples. The Jets had six sacks on the afternoon, an impressive number considering Manuel was sacked just once entering the game.

The Bills generated only 319 yards of total offense as the Jets’ pass rush kept Manuel constantly guessing.

Three things we learned …

1. Manuel vs. Smith

It was billed all week long as a battle of the Top-2 quarterbacks taken in this past NFL Draft. Manuel, a surprise selection as the No. 16 pick, had impressed during the season’s first two games with a significantly higher completion percentage, more passing yards and a much higher passer rating than Smith. On the Jets’ first drive, Smith made three third-down conversion attempts and it was his 8-yard designed quarterback draw that gave the Jets a 7-0 lead. Clinging to a 7-6 lead midway through the second quarter, Smith perfectly placed a ball to Stephen Hill for a 51-yard touchdown pass in the face of stiff pressure from the Bills. All told, Smith had pass plays of 45 yards, 51 yards, 40 yards and then 69 yards as he showed off his big arm for the first time.

2. Ground and pound it

With Smith’s struggles last week, the ground game had to get going for the Jets to have any semblance of an offense. The running back tandem of Bilal Powell and Chris Ivory got rolling against the Patriots, but it was a slow start for the Jets Sunday. They had just 27 rushing yards on 11 carries in the first quarter and lost Ivory to a left hamstring injury in the second quarter. Eventually, the Jets got the

Daily Clips Cont.

47 | P a g e

ground game rolling behind some steady gains from Powell, including a powerful 27-yard run early in the third quarter. Powell finished the game with 24 carries for a career-high 149 yards.

3. Penalties kill the Jets

Cornerback Kyle Wilson gave the Bills a lifeline in the fourth quarter as he committed four straight penalties to extend a Buffalo drive that looked likely to peter out. Instead, the Wilson penalties set up Manuel for a 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end Scott Chandler over the middle. A successful two-point conversion attempt leveled the game at 20-20. The Jets would regain the lead, but Wilson showed that he was a liability on the field. It was a sloppy day overall for the Jets, with Vlad Ducasse, Muhammad Wilkerson and Santonio Holmes all flagged for multiple penalties along with Wilson. The Jets had an absurdly high 19 penalties for 163 yards.

Back_to_Top

USA TODAY

Smith, Jets hold off Manuel, Bills in matchup of rookie QBs (Kristian Dyer) USA Today September 22, 2013

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/09/22/geno-smith-jets-hold-off-ej-manuel-bills-first-matchup-rookie-qbs/2851225/

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A career day by New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes helped mask sloppy play and some question marks on defense in a 27-20 home win over the Buffalo Bills.

Holmes had a career high 154 receiving yards on six receptions, including a 69-yard game-winning touchdown reception from rookie quarterback Geno Smith in the fourth quarter.

What made the play so incredible was that Holmes made the catch over his shoulder without turning his head until the last moment with Bills cornerback Justin Rogers draped on him. At the last possible instant, Holmes raised his hands to make the catch and then with his left arm gave Rogers a push to the ground. He ran effortlessly into the end zone for a 27-20 Jets lead.

Holmes said he was aware that Smith had released the ball 20 yards into his route.

"The thing that he does that is amazing, he doesn't lay his hands out until the last second. He's the best I've ever seen at being late hands to the football," Jets head coach Rex Ryan said. "No matter how tight the coverage is, you can't make a play on it until you see his hands go or his eyes go. And Holmes is just incredible at that. I've seen him do it over and over again, countless times."

The breakout performance by Holmes and the Jets offense came on a day when the Jets were whistled for 20 penalties for a franchise-record 168 yards. Repeatedly, the defense in particular shot itself in the foot when it could have forced the Bills off the field.

On the first Bills drive of the fourth quarter, the Jets had four defensive penalties that paved the way for Bills quarterback EJ Manuel to throw a 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end Scott Chandler to make it a 20-20 game. But then on the very next drive, Smith connected with Holmes down the sideline, and the Jets were on their way to a surprising 2-1 start.

The effort against the Bills marked a coming-out party for Holmes, who suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 4 last year and was questionable to make a return in time for the season opener. While he still won't put a percentage on how he's feeling, Holmes looked like the player who earned the nickname "Tone Time" in 2010 for his late-game heroics.

Daily Clips Cont.

48 | P a g e

Ryan said that "while he may not be 100%, he's still pretty darn good." In fact, all the wide receivers stepped up against the Bills after struggling the last game.

Back_to_Top

SUNDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS

Sunday’s Sports Transactions Associated Press September 22, 2013

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Sunday-s-Sports-Transactions-4834612.php

BASEBALL American League LOS ANGELES ANGELS_Sent RHP Daniel Strange outright to Salt Lake (PCL) and RHP David Carpenter outright to Arkansas (Texas). TAMPA BAY RAYS_Recalled LHP Enny Romero from Durham (IL). National League PHILADEPLHIA PHILLIES_Signed manager Ryne Sandberg to a three-year contract. HOCKEY National Hockey League COLORADO AVALANCHE_Claimed F Marc-Andre Cliche off waivers from Los Angeles. DETROIT RED WINGS_Assigned LW Tomas Jurco, RW Martin Frk, RW Andrej Nestrasil, LW Trevor Parkes, RW Mitch Callahan, LW Marek Tvrdon, C Calle Jarnkrok, C David McIntyre, LW Jeff Hoggan, D Gleason Fournier, D Ryan Sproul, D Brennan Evans, D Max Nicastro, D Xavier Ouellet, D Richard Nedomlel, G Tom McCollum and G Cam Lanigan to Grand Rapids (AHL). FLORIDA PANTHERS_Loaned F Jon Matsumoto, F Greg Rallo, F Scott Timmins, D Mike Caruso and G Michael Houser to San Antonio (AHL). LOS ANGELES KINGS_Loaned RW Brandon Kozun and D Andrew Campbell to Manchester (AHL). MONTREAL CANADIENS_Assigned G Dustin Tokarski to Hamilton (AHL).