Blog

New Timeline Tonight; MNF Miracle Players in House

Sorry for the pregame blog delay and change in plans. Similar to the opening night against the Ravens, the start of tonight’s Jets-Minnesota game has been delayed by the weather. The thunderstorms that hit the Meadowlands area let up for a while but have just started again and the Jets and Vikings were warming up but have left the field.

The new timeline for tonight, just announced in the pressbox:

8:55-9 p.m. — Players return to field.

9:10 — Coin toss.

9:12 — National Anthem.

9:15 — Opening kickoff.

But also in the building are the Monday Night Miracle Jets. I took some time out to meet and greet the guys as they went from one VIP room at New Meadowlands Stadium to another and then hit the elevator for their suite before coming out at halftime for a big celebration of the 2000 win over the Dolphins.

It was great to see them all here again, in the vicinity of that 23-point comeback at the old Meadowlands stadium. Vinny Testaverde is in the building, taking the measure of the new place. I didn’t see him in the VIP room but many of the others were there looking none the worse for wear 10 years later.

The guys who blocked for Testaverde, Curtis Martin and the offense were there in force — Jason Fabini, Randy Thomas and Kerry Jenkins, with Jumbo Elliott said to be en route to the stadium and probably in the building now.

Ray Lucas, Testaverde’s backup QB who’s coming off of successful neck surgery and back at his broadcasting duties, is still looking great. The tight ends were also represented well in Anthony Becht and Fred Baxter. Fullback Jerald Sowell and wide receiver Dedric Ward, now a coach at his alma mater of Northern Iowa, made the trip.

The defense was well-represented also. CB Marcus Coleman, he of the three-interception game against the Dolphins, still looks as if he could play and is working and doing a sports talk radio gig back home in Houston. Marvin Jones came up from Florida for this weather. DBs Victor Green, Ray Mickens and Chris Hayes are on the scene.

It’ll be interesting to see how all the events tonight fit in. Hopefully the rain delay, the game and the celebration won’t take us to 1:20 a.m., but if it results in another memorable Monday night triumph for the Green & White, we’ll work with it.

The Inactive Lists

The inactives were announced back at 7 p.m. but here they are again. Jets who have been deactivated are RB Joe McKnight, LBs Kenwin Cummings and Jamaal Westerman, OL Vlad Ducasse, TE Jeff Cumberland and D-linemen Marcus Dixon and Matt Kroul. Kellen Clemens is again the third QB.

Noticeably missing from the list are CB Darrelle Revis and LB Calvin Pace, who are ready to play tonight.

For the Vikings, inactives are WR Hank Baskett, S Tyrell Johnson, nickel CB Chris Cook, RB Albert Young, starting C John Sullivan, DT Fred Evans and DE Everson Griffen. The third QB is Joe Webb.

Jets Uniforms

The Jets are wearing their green jerseys and white pants for tonight’s game. They wore their green-and-whites for all four preseason games this summer but the last time they wore that combination in a regular- or postseason game was for their last one to be played in the old Meadowlands, the 37-0 “Win And We’re Win” rout of Cincinnati on Jan. 3.

Referee

Pete Morelli is the referee tonight. Morelli has been an NFL ref since early in the decade but this is only his sixth Jets game since 2003 and his first since working the San Diego loss and Kansas City win in 2008. He also presided over the Jets’ ’06 regular-season victory at New England.

Monday Night Record

This game, when it’s played, will be the Jets’ 42nd Monday night game since the series began with the Jets-Browns in 1970. Interestingly, the Jets lost in their first seven appearances on Monday night before splitting their last 34 games, 17-17.

And the team that got the Jets off the MN schneid? The Minnesota Vikings. The Jets prevailed, 14-7, that night in a game that was also the franchise’s first Monday night home game.

An omen for tonight? Perhaps.