Compared to the disaster last week against the Ravens, the Jets looked decent this week against the Patriots. The running game showed signs of life. The offense did not turn the ball over. Sanchez threw two touchdowns. Unfortunately, decent just isn’t good enough to beat the New England, who kept pace with the Bills at 4-1 with the victory. The Jets drop to 2-3 with the loss, and easily could be 1-4 if Tony Romo did not gift wrap the game week one. Here are some key points from the game:

For a minute there, it seemed like fate

The Jets showed signs of life late in the first half when Shonn Greene plowed into the end zone and narrowed the Patriots lead to 10-7. It started to seem like fate when Antonio Cromartie picked off a pass from Tom Brady in the end zone on the last play before the half.

It was the first time Brady has ever thrown an interception in the red zone while playing a home game. To Brady’s credit, it should have been a touchdown, but the ball bounced off the hands of his usually sure-handed tight end Aaron Hernandez.

Regardless, the Jets were playing good football and they seemed to have the momentum going into the locker room at half time.

Even fate can’t save the Jets from Eric Smith

The good feelings were short lived. On the very first play of the second half, Darrelle Revis made his only mistake of the game: trusting Eric Smith.

Smith was the deep safety in zone-look. He got fooled just enough on a play-action pass to let Wes Welker get behind him for a 73-yard gain. If it wasn’t for Revis chasing him down from behind, Welker would have had a touchdown. Revis’ speed only delayed the inevitable as the Pat were able to punch the ball in a few plays later giving them a 17-7 lead.

Revis had an otherwise flawless game. He basically shut down Welker, who came into the game leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards by a wide margins. At one point Brady made a perfect floating pass to Welker for a 3-yard completion when Revis was covering him and the announcers reacted like it was the best play of the game.

Poor run defense

Led by the law firm of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the Pats rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Last year, the Jets defense was near the top of the league in rushing yardage allowed at around 90 yards per game. This year they are allowing over 130 yards per game. Meanwhile, Gang Green’s pass defense is near the top of the league. If they want to regain their status as an elite defense, they’re going to need to find a way to plug up the running lanes.

Close calls

Not that the Jets were good enough that they should have won this game, but it could have been closer if not for two controversially overturned calls.

After the Welker 73-yard catch at the beginning of the second half, Brady completed a 4-yard pass to Deion Branch. Branch made a sliding catch at the 2-yard line. He went to stand up and simultaneously he was touched and he had the ball punched out as he was getting up. The ruling on the field was a fumble, which was recovered by the Jets. Belichick challenged the call and the officials decided that Branch was down by contact. It was a call that easily could have gone either way.

At the end of the third quarter, the Jets had the ball third-and-10 from their own 8-yard line. Sanchez lobbed a twenty yard pass down the left sideline that Plaxico Burress caught. The ruling on the field was he was inbounds. Again Belichick challenged, and the call was overturned. While it did seem like one of Burress’ feet came down on the sideline, there was no camera angle that indistinguishably showed that it did. The Jets were forced to punt from their own end zone and after a 25-yard return by Welker, the Pats started deep Jets’ territory and ended up with a field goal that made the score 27-14.

Good signs?

Even though the numbers were better, it is tough to say if this game was actually a step in the right direction. When it comes down to it, the Jets offense still only put up about 250 yards against a defense that came into the game as the worst in the league in yardage allowed at almost 500 yards per game.

If a Jet fan really wants to look on the bright side, Joe McKnight could be the jack of all trades type of player to replace Brad Smith. McKnight has looked good on kick returns. He has had a returns of 88-yards this week against the Pats and 107-yards (for a touchdown) last week against the Ravens. He can play running back and wide receiver. He has blocked a punt and pressured the quarterback on a blitz this year. Rex Ryan said that he believes McKnight will one day be a starting corner back. This is the same guy who looked lost beyond finding as a rookie at training camp last season. Go figure.

Also, Jamaal Westerman had two sacks replacing Bryan Thomas, who suffered a season ending injury last week. If Westerman can use his speed to get consistent pressure on quarterbacks, Jets fans might not miss the solid, yet unspectacular Thomas.

Righting the ship

After a three game road trip, the Jets have a chance to get on track next week at home Monday night against the Dolphins. The Dolphins are 0-4 and their starting quarterback Chad Henne is out for the season.

The Jets defense and special teams outscored the Ravens offense. Joe Flacco didn’t complete a single pass in the second or third quarters.  Yet the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) still doubled up the New York Jets (2-2) by a final score of 34-to-17. Here are some of the key points and stats to take away from the game:

O-line woes

 Ed Reed had a free run at Mark Sanchez on the Jets first offensive play. Reed strip-sacked Sanchez and it was recovered for the first of the Ravens’ three defensive touchdowns.

All the Jets problems started with the offensive line. They could not protect Sanchez, nor could they create running lanes. The Jets averaged 2 yards-per-rush.

Colin Baxter started at center for Nick Mangold who still could not return from his high ankle sprain. Baxter was eventually removed from the game, but he was later reinserted when the Jets coaches realized that all their backup linemen are awful.

Dominant defense

The defenses completely dominated this game. The two quarterbacks were 21-for-66 combine. There were seven turnovers and four defensive touchdowns. The Ravens defense scored 21 points, and the Jets scored 7 points. The two offensives combined only scored 16 points.

Another key injury

Bryan Thomas left the game with an ankle injury in the first half. He did not return.

Historic?

There were five return touchdowns in this game, a new NFL record.  The five men that made this painfully sloppy game historic were as follows:

-Jameel McLain (6-yard fumble recovery return)

-Joe McKnight (107-yard kickoff return)

-Jarret Johnson (26-yard fumble recovery return)

-David Harris (35-yard interception return)

-Lardarius Webb (73-yard interception return)

Jets head West for a tricky game with the Raiders

Wave goodbye to the Jets. This week Gang Green embarks on a three game road trip, in which the latter two are real doozies (@Baltimore, @New England). This next one is one of those games. The type that makes you nervous if you’re a fan.

The Raiders (1-1) certainly aren’t a team that is going to dazzle you with the names on their depth chart. At the same time, they are no longer the laughing stock they had become ever since getting smashed in the 2002 Super Bowl. Basically, they are a decent team that can steal a game from a better team if said better team does not play up to their capabilities.

Three reasons why the Jets might not play up to their capabilities this week:

1-Nick Mangold is probably not going to play (or even make the trip with the team). Mangold is the glue that holds the offensive line together. When he left the game last week, Sanchez was running for his life almost every play. Both Sanchez and Shonn Greene took huge hits due to mistaken snaps and poor protection. The Raiders sacked Kyle Orton five times in week one, but did not record a sack last week against Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills. Clearly they’re a team that can get to the quarterback if the protection is not tight.

2-Any trip across the country can prove challenging for a NFL team.  It has to be tough flying first class, or probably on a private plane, and then staying in a nice hotel. Not sure about this one, but it’s a reality. The last time the Jets went to Oakland in 2009, they won 38-to-0. This Raider’s team is one much more acclimated with winning games than the JaMarcus Russell led ’09 team.

3-If ever there was a trap game in the NFL, this is it. The following two weeks, the Jets are on the road facing the elite of the AFC. The following two weeks could make or break the Jets chances to win the division. The Jets need to remember that losing this week could break their season too so they need to focus on the task at hand.

Based purely on talent, the Jets should win this one by double digits. It’s probably not going to be a laugher like the Luke McCown joke last week, but look for Rex to have the troops motivated and for the Jets to win this one going away. Imagine two straight weeks without the cardiac Jets showing up. Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The Jets proved their dominance offensively on their first possession, and defensively on the Jaguars first possession. They were up 9-0 within five minutes, and the only reason the Jaguars scored at all is because their kicker has a big leg and because the Jets got careless in the battle for field position. Here are some of the key points of the game:

Jetting out to a fast start-

After going 16 games without a first quarter TD, the Jets showed a commitment to getting off to a better start offensively. Usually Rex likes to put his defense on the field first, but after winning the coin toss the Jets choose to receive.

Antonio Cromartie brought the return out to the 35-yardline from 5-yards deep. Sanchez completed four passes on the drive including one to Santonio Holmes that ended the first quarter touchdown drought. Sanchez squeezed it beautifully between two defenders and Holmes leaped and caught the ball with his arms fully extended into the air to give the Jets a 7-0 lead.

Lucky 13-

The Jets held the Jaguars offense to just 13 yard of total offense in the first quarter. Rookie Muhammad Wilkerson sacked Josh McCown for a safety on 3^rd down during the Jags first offensive possession.

The Jaguars only score came on a bomb 55-yard field goal by Josh Scobee after they got great field position because the Jets punt coverage team committed a penalty.

Mangold gone?-

All-pro center Nick Mangold had two defenders fall on his knee from behind during the first half. The injury looked serious at first, but Mangold got up and hobbled off the field without any assistance. He did not return in the second half, but appeared to be okay standing on the sideline.

A half-dozen ints-

Each quarterback threw two interceptions in the first half.  McCown added two more in the 3^rd quarter before he was pulled from the game. Some responsibility for the picks has to go to the blockers on both sides. The two quarterbacks saw a great deal of pressure.

After losing Mangold, the Jets had a lot of trouble protecting Sanchez. Right tackle Wayne Hunter looked particularly sluggish. Matt Roth beat Turner badly early in the 4^th quarter. Roth put a big hit on Sanchez as he was letting the ball go. Sanchez was slow to get up from the shot.

With the game out of reach, the Jets pulled Sanchez on the next drive and backup Mark Brunell, who turned 41 years old yesterday, finished out the game.

Overhyped?-

Darrelle Revis is so overhyped that the Jaguars only threw in his direction once the entire game. Even that was one time too much. Revis had the receiver completely blanketed on the play.

On the other side of the field Cromartie picked off two passes. Cromartie is incredibly athletic and with teams afraid to throw at Revis, Cromartie has the opportunity to make a lot of big plays.

The Jaguars really missed their talented tight end Marcedes Lewis who sat out the game with an injury. Not only is the Jets defense is vulnerable against pass catching tight ends, but the Jags receivers were incredibly overmatched by the Jets cornerbacks.

Killer Keller-

Tight end Dustin Keller led the Jets receivers with 6 receptions, 101 yards and a touchdown. He showed some skill with the ball as he made two nice spin moves to get himself some yards after contact. The touchdown was Keller’s second in as many games this season. It’s no secret that Sanchez loves to throw to Keller, who is very fast and athletic for someone who is 6’2 and 250 lbs.  Look for Keller to have a big year.

Blaine gets in the game-

The Jags rookie first round quarterback Blaine Gabbert saw his first game action after coach Jack Del Rio pulled McCown. Gabbert mostly handed the ball off and made short passes. He aired it out once, but overthrew his receiver. Early reports confirm that Gabbert is, in fact, very tall.

As if things weren’t bad enough for the Jaguars, they had to open their mouths and make it worse.

Here’s why it’s bad for them: The Jaguars (1-0)  come to the Meadowlands (MetLife Stadium) with Luke McCown as their starting quarterback to face the Jets (1-0). McCown is in his eighth season in the league and he has under 200 competitions for his career (171). If the Jets defense can give Tom Brady, who completes about 200 passes per game, a headache, imagine what they are going to do to a journeyman like McCown.

Here’s why it’s now worse: A Jags receiver no one has ever heard of, hang on I’ll go look up his name…Jason Hill, said that Darrelle Revis is “overhyped.” If Hill should even play (he is listed as doubtful on the team’s injury report) it would probably be a safe bet that the incensed Revis will catch more passes from McCown than Hill does.

Had it not been for his comments, it is unlikely anyone would have noticed Hill’s name on the Jags’ injury report, but two players that also appear on the report that should be noted are Aaron Kampman and Marcedes Lewis. Kampman has been ruled out of the game, Lewis is listed as doubtful. If Lewis can’t play, it would be a huge hit for the Jaguars because as Jason Witten reproved last week, if the Jets defense has one big hole, it is that they can’t stop a good pass catching tight end. The 6-5 Lewis led the Jags in touchdown receptions last season hauling in 10 on the year.

If the Jaguars do win this game it will be because the Jets do not pay enough attention to Maurice Drew. That, however, is not likely to happen. Although Rex Ryan portrays himself as a blowhard, his defenses are always good not only because he knows how to fire up his players, but also because he is a cunning strategist. He knows how to take away the strengths of an opposing offense, and since Drew is the Jaguars’ only strength, look for the Jets to have plenty of eyes on the diminutive, yet dynamic running back.

In week one against the Cowboys, the Jets showed that they still have the ability to pull a rabbit out of their hat if need be, as they did often in 2010. This week, however, it is unlikely the will need to do any magic to win the game. As long as they come out focused their superior talent should carry them to a comfortable victory.

It’s a brand new season and the Jets open it up in style, on Sunday night football with a home game against the Cowboys. Insert all the obligatory new season clichés here: hope springs eternal; everyone is tied for first…blah, blah. Now, everyone think about all the things Rex Ryan has said about the game: biggest football game in the history of mankind, Super Bowl or bust…blah, blah. Alright, now we’re ready to talk about football!

The number one matchup to watch in this game is without a doubt the Jets shut down cornerback duo of Revis and Cromartie against the talent Dallas receiving corps which features the inhuman athleticism of Dez Bryant and the very illusive Miles Austin. This will be a great test for Gang Green’s secondary right out of the gate. If they can shut down these two talented receivers, there is no duo in the league that should give them trouble.

What could happen though is, if Revis and Cromartie lock up the two receivers, Romo will just feed Jason Witten the ball because none of the Jets linebackers or safeties can stop him. Witten is the most consistent receiving tight end in the league. He has averaged 91 receptions per year over the past four seasons. For reference, Antonio Gates has averaged 66 receptions per year in that same time span, and Gates has never had a season with 90 or more receptions. The thought of Eric Smith trying to cover Witten should be enough to make any Jets fan retch.

Of course the Jets won’t have to worry about any of that if their pass rushers can take advantage of the tattered Dallas offensive line and put a few big hits on Romo. The one thing about Romo though is he is one of those quarterbacks who is almost more dangerous when he is flushed out of the pocket. Pressure up the middle and outside containment could be the right combination to slow these Cowboys down.

One x-factor for the Dallas offense is Felix Jones. The alpha-Felix has averaged over five yards per carry over his career. He also caught nearly 50 passes last year which means he has to be accounted for on every single play.

When the Jets have the ball, the one thing everyone will be watching is the development of Mark Sanchez. If the Jets want to win the Super Bowl, Sanchez needs to take his game to the next level. In the season opener against the Ravens last season Sanchez was only allowed 21 passing attempts. That is an embarrassingly low amount for a quarterback coming off a tough loss in the AFC Championship.

Rex and Schottenheimer are going to have to take the reins off and let Sanchez seize ownership of this offense. It’s his third year in the league and he has already won four road playoff games (tied for most in NFL history), it’s time seriously for Mark to put on his big boy pants.

Watch him closely this year. When he’s on his biggest strength is his incredible accuracy. He’s not Aaron Rogers accurate, but he has great touch and his low career completion percentage is definitely not a function of his physical ability to throw the ball. His biggest challenge is to make smart decisions and avoid trying to do more than he is capable of doing.

Quick passes, particularly slants will be the bread and butter of the Jets offense. We should see plenty of slants to “Slantonio” Holmes (sorry I’m a sucker for nicknames) and the venerable Derrick Mason, which will allow Dustin Keller room to work up the seams. Also, if he’s anything like his old self, Plaxico Burress will be a force in the red-zone and anytime he is left in one-on-one coverage. He is the type of target a quarterback loves to have.

Even having lost Braylon Edwards, the Jets will be a tough team to cover this season, and the Cowboys are coming into this game with a banged up secondary. Terrence Newman is out of the game with a groin injury and Mike Jenkins is listed as questionable.

Dallas will definitely be better this year now that they do not have to suffer Wade Phillips, who was the most incompetent head coach in the league. Jason Garrett looks like he has a knack for motivating his players. After a pathetic 1-7 start, the Cowboys went 5-3 after Garrett took over last season. He also made a smart decision hiring Rob Ryan as his defensive coordinator.

All-in-all this is the Jets game to lose. Despite the Cowboys’ talent and improved coaching staff, if both teams play their best football, the Jets should win. They have been to two AFC title games in a row, they have a burgeoning young quarterback and they have brought back all their key players. It’s time to start considering the Jets a powerhouse on par with the Pats, Indy and the Steelers.

The last time we watched the Jets play a football game they were one win away from the Super Bowl, but they came out inexplicably flat and never made it back. Now winding up preseason week one, the Jets square off against the Texans. Everyone knows what the preseason is in the NFL. Basically teams play their starters just long enough for them to shake off the offseason rust, praying all the while that no key players get hurt. Then the second and third stringers take over for most of the game fighting for the last few roster spots. Taking everything with an obligatory preseason grain of salt, here are a few rapid reaction observations about the game.

Not crying over Nnamdi: Throughout the lockout, it seemed as if the Texans were the favorite to land the All Pro free agent. Then, once free agency started it seemed like the uber aggressive Mike Tannenbaum was going to somehow have the two best corners on the league on the same team. As it turned out, the Eagles flew under the radar and nabbed Nnamdi.

The Texans, who have been awful in the secondary basically forever, turned around and signed the second best free agent CB,  Jonathan Joseph, and safety Danieal Manning. The Jets opted to resign Antonio Cromartie.

While it remains to be seen how the Texans new additions will work out, the Jets will ultimately be happy they brought back Cromartie. After a year of getting used to the Jets culture and schemes, Cromartie is going to be the best number two corner in the league. Especially being paired with Revis, Cromartie should feed off his professionalism and intensity. He gambles a lot, but he also makes plays.

As if there weren’t already enough commercials, there were three commercial breaks due to injuries in the first quarter alone. Bart Scott and Robert Turner went down for the Jets and former Jet and Giant Derrick Ward went down for the Texans. Scott’s injury did not look serious at all, no word yet on Ward and Turner. Injuries are going to be a bigger factor than ever this preseason because the length of training camp was truncated due to the lockout.

No Plax, No ‘Dre: Not that it is any surprise that nicked up star receivers are sitting out the first preseason game, but it is worth noting that these two towering pass catchers were both absent. Jets fans are chomping at the bit to see what they’re going to have in Burress after being away from football for two years, but they’ll have to wait another week or two. The Texans know what they have in Andre Johnson; when he’s on the field he is one of the three best receivers in the game.

A giant work in progress: Along with the return of a gargantuan who was on IR through 2010, the Jets retooled their defensive line this year in the draft. In the first round they took Muhammad Wilkerson (6’4, 315 lbs) out of Temple who was productive playing DE in a 3-4 front all through college. In the second round they took Kenrick Ellis out of Hampton. At 6’5 and 330 lbs, Ellis looks like he might have accidentally eaten Casey Hampton.  Lastly, the Jets are hoping for production out of Ropati Pitoitua, the third year DE out of Washington State. Jets fans might remember seeing the 6’8, 315 lb Pitoitua on Hard Knocks last year. He showed some promise early in camp, but ultimately suffered a season ending injury in the preseason. These three are probably going to see serious playing time this season, and there will likely be some growing pains (believe it or not, these giants might still be able to grow!). Hopefully, Rex and Co. can whip them into shape in a hurry. At the very least it is always compelling to watch such huge physical specimens play the game.

Heir apparent: Okay so maybe Brad Smith wasn’t a king, but it appears rookie WR Jeremy Kerley will get the first chance at being his replacement in the return game. Kerley averaged 27.7 yards on kickoff returns last year at TCU. He can do a little bit of everything Iike Smith, and he will likely fill the role of “Swiss Army Knife.” Smith often looked like the best player on the field last year, his will be big shoes to fill.

When opportunity knocks: After Bart Scott got injured on the first play of the game, Josh Mauga came in to replace him and promptly recorded a tackle for a loss and a sack to end the Texans first drive. He was unblocked on the sack. Mauga found himself in the right place at the right time again in the second half when Kenrick Ellis tipped a pass that floated right into Mauga’s hands for an interception. Though these were not exactly extrodinary individual efforts by Mauga, there is something to be said for a defensive player who continually is in the right place at the right time. Which brings me to…

Eric Smith: This guy doesn’t even get a clever title for his section. Smith took about two seconds to show what type of player he is. First, he put a big hit on Derrick Ward which sent Ward to the locker room. A few plays later, Smith got totally beat by Owen Daniels who ultimately did not catch the pass. Smith is definitely an enforcer on the field, but with Revis and Cromartie playing lockdown coverage on the outside, Smith is far too prone to getting burned.  He is the biggest liability on the Jets defense. Whenever there is a big play by the opposing offense, you’ll usually find Smith coming up just short of defending the pass. Like Cromartie, he gambles often, but he does not have the speed or jumping ability to make up for his mistakes like Cromartie does. Smith needs to be much better in coverage this season or he could be the Achilles Heel on an otherwise great defense.

This is turning into a novel. I could keep writing until the regular season starts, but I’ll save some for next week. One closing thought: The Jets receivers definitely know how to run slants.

If you want to know who won the game, look somewhere else because it really doesn’t matter to me. Please leave me comments with your thoughts about the game, I’d love to discuss it further!

After months of pondering what the Jets might do once the lockout ended, their plan is rapidly coming into focus. Priority number one: Re-sign Santonio Holmes. The deal is reported to be five years, $50 million with $24 million guaranteed.

It has been said that the Jets do not have the cap room to bring back both Holmes and Braylon Edwards, and if that is true, it makes sense to target Holmes over Edwards. Holmes is a more unique player than Edwards. He is more consistent and reliable.

There are several other options that the Jets could look at who have similar skill sets to Edwards such as Vincent Jackson, Sidney Rice, Malcom Floyd, Steve Breaston, Mike Sims-Walker or even Plaxico Burress and Randy Moss. There is no one else like Holmes on the market. In addition to being called “un-guardable” (which is a slight overstatement), Holmes is singularly clutch. His big catches are well documented.

With Brad Smith likely to go, this leaves the Jets with Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery and a bunch of nobodies at receiver. Dustin Keller is definitely ready to take on more of a role in the passing game, but even so the Jets really need to add one or two guys at WR to fill out their depth chart.

The other hole on the roster is at corner back. If Antonio Cromartie decides to pack up his litter and leave, the Jets have only Kyle Wilson and Dwight Lowery in the fold to fill his spot. Wilson was disappointing last year, but there is still a chance he can develop into a starter. After losing in the AFC title game two years in a row, however, the Jets would prefer not to leave anything to chance.

They put a phone call out to Nnamdi Asomugha, but they already have the highest paid (and best) corner in the league, and it doesn’t seem likely that they are going to be able to invest that much money in one position. Take a minute to imagine what it would be like if they could though. The opposing quarterback looks right-Revis, he looks left-Asomugha, then he looks up at the sky as Calvin Pace and Muhammad Wilkerson put him on his back.

Okay, back to reality. If Cromartie goes and they can’t land Asomugha, a great option that has not been discussed would Washington’s Carlos Rogers who is an unrestricted free agent. Rogers is strong, athletic and disciplined. Though he’ll drop interceptions, he’ll stay with his man long enough for the blitz to get there. And we know how the Jets love to blitz.

Some other free agent corners the Jets could consider are Ike Taylor, Jonathan Joseph and Richard Marshall who would all be significant upgrades over what is currently on the depth chart.

Some riskier options include DeAngelo Hall and Eric Wright. Hall’s missed tackles and asinine gambles will have Jets fans screaming, but he’d probably snag at least five interceptions and including a couple of defensive TDs. Wright was awful last year for the Browns, but he has at times shown the ability to be good. Perhaps playing for a defensive whiz like Rex Ryan would help Wright increase his football IQ and concentration.

As T.O. would say “getcha popcorn ready”, the NFL is back! The next few days should be especially exciting since teams have had all summer to consider what free agents they want to sign, it will be interesting to see everyone’s plans unfolding at once.

There’s an unexpected name creeping up behind Peyton Hillis on the Cleveland Browns’ depth chart.  Any guesses?  How about Alex Mack!  The Browns’ young Center, who was a late addition to the AFC Pro Bowl roster, made highlights when he rumbled into the end zone for a touchdown as time expired in yesterday’s game in Hawaii.

The comedy of the play was a microcosm of Pro Bowls in general, which may be the most meaningless event in professional sports.  With sixteen seconds to go, and the game out of reach Mack snapped the ball to Matt Cassel.  At that point, the pass rushers and offensive linemen both stood up and started chatting with one another.  Cassel then found a familiar target in his teammate Dwayne Bowe with a 20-yard pass.  As the rest of the offensive linemen continued to yuck it up with their opponents, Mack took off down field making himself a target for a lateral from Bowe.  Instead, Bowe flipped the ball to Montell Owens…who the hell is that anyway?  As I type this it’s getting increasingly ridiculous in my mind.  What I’d like to say now is that Mack then counted his losses, stopped running and accepted that his 2010-11 NFL season was over.  I’m afraid not my friends.  Mack continued to follow the play, and after being wrapped up by a defender Owens basically handed the ball to Mack (who still almost dropped it).  Mack took the ball 40-yards, breaking a tackle from Roman Harper along the way.  Harper, who now knows what it’s like to have a rhino charging at him, looked like there were roughly ten to twelve things he would have preferred to been doing that day rather than being in the Pro Bowl.  To cap it all off, Mack took a dive, gracefully belly flopping into the end zone. 

Not that anyone cares, but the AFC ended up losing the game 55-41 after failing on the two point conversion attempt that followed Mack’s heroics.  At one point in the first half, the NFC led the game 42-0.

I’d now like to take the opportunity to tell you that is has been very difficult for me to get this far into this story without making a reference to the show “The Secret World of Alex Mack”.  I have refrained from doing so out of respect to you, the readers.

Okay so maybe Hillis’ spot on the Browns is safe (as long as he stops fumbling), but you still have to admire Mack’s exuberance.  He and his Pro Bowl team mate Joe Thomas, who are twenty-five and twenty-six respectively, should be anchors on the Browns offensive line for years to come.

Not many people were surprised when the Browns fired Eric Mangini after another disappointing 5-11 season.  It was almost surprising Browns President Mike Holmgren didn’t fire Mangini after the 2009-10 season, as most front offices like to have their own choice of head coach in place.  As things stand, despite showing improvement and promise in 2010-11, the Browns cut ties with Mangini.  Today they named his replacement.  Former Rams Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmurwill be the Browns fifth head coach since returning to the league in 1999. 

Prior to working in St. Louis the past two seasons, Shurmur spent nearly ten years coaching under Andy Reid in Philadelphia, the last seven years serving as the quarterbacks coach.  My guess is that Holmgren is thinking that Shumurs experience with a quick pass, “West Coast”, style offense will suit new quarterback Colt McCoy.  The many ties between Holmgren and Shurmur were the lynch pin in the deal.  Shurmur served under Reid, who was quarterbacks coach for the Packers when Holmgren was the coach.  In addition, Shurmur is nephew to Fritz Shurmur who served as Holmgren’s defensive coordinator from 1994-1999 in Green Bay.

Some knocks on Shurmur are that he has no head coaching experience at any level.  In addition, to the aforementioned NFL experience in Philadelphia and St. Louis, Shurmur’s only other experience is at the collegiate level where he served a combined nine years as tight ends coach for Michigan St. (1990-1997) and offensive line coach at Stanford (1998).  In addition, his two years as offensive coordinator with the Rams were not particularly successful.  His offense finished 29th in 2009-10, and 26thin the league this past season.  To his credit, he was able to help make rookie QB Sam Bradford’s transition to the NFL smooth.  Under Schurmur’s tutelage, Bradford was almost able to the lead the Rams to the playoffs in his rookie season, albeit in a very weak NFC West Division.

Personally, I believe firing Mangini was a mistake.  He showed more than capable leadership ability, and he was able to field a competitive team weak after weak, despite being out classed in the talent department.  The schedule the Browns faced this past season was unbelievably difficult, and Mangini was a few breaks away from a .500 season despite having an awful Jake Delhomme and an under-prepared rookie in Colt McCoy at the most important position on the field.

 As a Jets fan, I did not particularly like Mangini after watching him coach in New York, but as coach of the Browns he displayed a few qualities that won me over big time.  First of all, he never made excuses.  He easily could have led the Jets to the playoffs in two out of three seasons had it not been for Brett Favre’s insistence on playing with a serious injury which derailed the Jets late in the 2008-09 season.  He was put between a rock and a hard place being forced to coach a player with a ego’s such as Favre, and never once did Mangini complain about his situation.  In addition, after being fired as the Browns suffered a string of hard fought, but heart breaking losses this past season, Mangini never made any excuses.  In addition, Mangini showed the ability to evolve.  He realized his demeanor was causing a rift between himself and his players in New York, so he became more of a players coach in Cleveland.  If you poll the Cleveland players today, I bet the vast majority would say they respected Mangini and enjoyed playing for him.

Now, when they could have had some much needed continuity, the Browns franchise must start with a neophyte head coach who will probably take a few years to figure out his style and what type of leader he is going to be.  It is one thing if the Browns were able to acquire someone like Jim Harbaugh or Jon Gruden.  Both of those men have experience as a head coach and a proven track record of success.  Harbaugh turned the Browns down because he preferred to stay in California, so he chose to accept the 49ers job.  Gruden apparently was not ready to give up his job as the Monday Night Football Analyst for ESPN.  As it stands, I believe this was a bad decision on the part of Mike Holmgren.  Cleveland fans had better hope he keeps making good decisions come draft time in April, like he did with Joe Haden, TJ Ward and Colt McCoy last year, or else there will be many more years of losing to come.