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Tony’s O: ‘I’m Excited About the Possibilities’

It had been a while since reporters had heard from Tony Sparano, and so today the Jets’ new offensive coordinator checked in with “the beats” on a conference call. To give you an idea of how hard he’s pushing it already at the start of May, his call was scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. ET, but he wasn’t able to break out of his offensive meetings until after 2:50.

And when Sparano talks, people listen. It’s not because of what he says about his players because like Rex Ryan he generally speaks positively about the players he’s working with, and what he says behind those meeting room doors will stay there.

As he said when a writer said that the players have described his style as “no-nonsense” and how would he describe his approach to those players, he replied, “Non-nonsense, honestly.”

Expanding on that terse retort, Sparano said, “My approach has been to spend very little time talking about things that happened in the past and worry about what’s ahead for us. We know we have to improve, every one of us. I have to be a better coach. From the players’ standpoint, we all have to do the job there. My deal with the players now is that we have a handshake deal — I’m going to give you my best effort every single day, you can bet on that, and I expect the same from the players on this side of the football.”

As for particulars, Tony had plenty. Eric Allen, my partner, will have a news story about the favorite topic of the day, which was Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, even a dash of Greg McElroy, the Wildcat, improvement behind center, and managing the QB situation. I’ll give you a few of the other topics that Sparano handled with his typical informational tone provided with his Connecticut/Massachusetts lilt that, somehow sounded to me as if it had a little Chicago thrown in, although to my knowledge Tony S has never worked in the Windy City.

Offensive weapons in general — “Honestly, I’m very excited about it. One of the things I felt coming in here were just some of the outstanding parts here, I think Coach Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum have done a great job that way, in putting together some of the pieces here. Our tight ends, even some of the young players at the position, we’re anxious to see how they develop. The wide receivers, we’re anxious to see how Jeremy Kerley will come along, Tone and his ability out there, then you add a player like Stephen Hill to that group. I was part of drafting Pat Turner in Miami, so to see how he’s developed, a lot of these players have developed really well along the way. … I’m excited about the possibilities we have.”

Santonio Holmes’ skill set — “I think he has special ability. There’s an interesting take when you’ve been on the other sideline, in the other room preparing for the players the Jets have here right now, having to figure out how you’re going to handle Dustin Keller, Santonio Holmes, or the running game with Shonn Greene and that offensive line. I think this guy has really special ability. He can catch it and run with it. He makes the hard catches, the acrobatic catches. He works really hard at it. The guy wants the football. The thing I’ve noticed about Tone in my time being around this guy is that he’s a competitive guy. I like that. With the skill players, I just love that fact that those guys love to compete.”

Shonn Greene and the backfield — “I’ve been really, really impressed with Shonn. First of all from the mental standpoint, this guy’s excellent. He sees the field really well, he’s got a good understanding of what’s going on at that position. … Those guys have so many things to think about in terms of protections, the different run keys and so on. He’s working hard this offseason and I’m excited about what’s going on. We have a good group of young players. Joe McKnight I’m excited about, Bilal Powell, and John Conner, having a fullback go in and block you. This is an exciting group of players to work with.”

Wayne Hunter and the right tackle spot — “We obviously have a long time to go here before we get to opening day. Rex might’ve mentioned this before as well, but when I was in Miami, Wayne was coming up prior to the Jets re-signing him. We thought an awful lot about him and we wanted to bring him down there at that time. I had some history with him, I know his college line coach really well, I know what he’s thought of Wayne. Wayne has been tremendous here right now with us. So I’m excited about it, all those guys up front. It’s a good group with some good players up there and some good young players coming through as well.”

Sparano was also asked what he’s thought so far of working with Rex in the same complex rather than working against him on opposite sidelines.

“Honestly, it’s been tremendous,” he said. “I can’t thank Rex and Mike and Mr. Johnson for giving me this opportunity here. But getting a chance to work with him every day now, being around him every day — it’s contagious. … The way he coaches, Rex Coaches with a passion. He cares about his players, he wants to win so bad. You just want to be around people like that. For me, I wanted to be on a team where winning is the priority and there’s lot of passion and enthusiasm. That’s what I have here right now. So I love it. Rex has been great for me and I just want to be able to return the favor.”

There’s not a lot of controversy here, but there’s a sense that “No-Nonsense” Sparano has rolled up his sleeves and has gotten to work. He’s not going to tell you everything that’s going on, but we know he’s focused on the future, not the past. And his work will soon be on display, at the rookie and full-squad minicamps and for all to see in Cortland beginning in less than three months.

Rex on Sanchez, Tebow, ‘Building a Better Team’

Rex Ryan is aware of the proper care and feeding of his quarterback depth chart now that Mark Sanchez has gotten a new backup by the name of Tim Tebow. But the Jets head coach is also pumped at the new dynamic he hopes to unveil in the Jets’ 2012 offense.

“We see Mark as our quarterback of the present and future and we’ve got him for five years,” Ryan told newyorkjets.com before leaving for the NFL owners’ annual meeting over the weekend. “We’re excited to see him in the future and how much better he’s going to get.”

“And now Tim Tebow’s on our team,” the coach said. “All we want to do is build a better team. We feel Tim is going to be a major contributor for us.”

Fans can get a flavor of Tebow as a Jet on newyorkjets.com today. Tebow’s first media availability since Wednesday night — when he talked with the team’s reporters on a late-night conference call following the trade with the Broncos — occurs today at noon ET at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. We’ll stream that availability live on our site, then it will be archived for replay later. We’ll also have a story and photos.

And needless to say it will be a while — the Jets’ veterans minicamp in June and their training camp in Cortland, N.Y., in late July-August — before we see how the offense of new coordinator Tony Sparano is taking shape.

But Ryan is enthusiastic about what this will mean for the Jets offense and the team as a whole when the games count in September.

“I know how hard it is to defend the type of things he does,” said Ryan, whose Jets “D” defended Tebow extremely well, all except for that 95-yard game-winning touchdown drive in their November game in the Mile High City. “As a defensive coach, from a preparation standpoint, it’s difficult to stop.

“We had Brad Smith my first two years. We averaged about 8 yards a play in that Wildcat package. You look at it, Tim is bigger and stronger than Brad and throws the ball better. Tony Sparano’s the guy who brought the Wildcat to the NFL. He’s going to do a lot of good things for us.”

By my unofficial count, the Jets and then-OC Brian Schottenheimer turned to the Wildcat/Mizzou/Seminole formation featuring Smith from Game 13 of Sanchez’s rookie season of 2009 through the end of 2010. The effect: 53 plays for 405 yards, 7.6 yards per play, 19 first downs, three touchdowns and a 9-for-13 third-down conversion rate (69.2 percent).

The Green & White used the WC package very little in Sanchez’s first 12 games in ’09 and they didn’t go to it at all in any six of their playoff games in ’09-10. Then came 12 snaps all of last season, with rookie Jeremy Kerley, featured tailback Shonn Greene and Hall of Famer-to-be LaDainian Tomlinson taking the snaps. That totaled 75 yards (6.3 per play), three first downs and one TD.

Now with Tebow working behind Sanchez, Rex says the ‘Cat will be back. “We may run it two snaps or 25 snaps. You have to be prepared as a coach. It takes a lot of preparation time,” Ryan said, adding, “The things we’re going to do with it, people can’t even imagine. We have creative people here — obviously, Tony is very creative. It’s going to be a lot of fun and it’s going to be difficult for defenses. Rest assured, we’re getting ready.”

Schilens, Stanton Bring Their Skills to the Offense

Updated, 7:48 p.m. ET

The phrase often used at this time of the year is “Don’t let that man out of the building.” Chaz Schilens turned that around by saying he didn’t want to be let out of this particular building today until he had signed a contract.

“Man, this is kind of surreal,” Schilens, the unrestricted free agent wideout, said as he sat with me right outside Woody Johnson’s suite at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center after signing on the dotted line to join the Jets for 2012. “I had just really a positive day. It was just too good a place to leave.”

But leave he had to. Schilens, previously a West Coast kind of guy, flew in Thursday after visits with the 49ers and Cardinals. Then the Jets wowed him, he climbed aboard, and then headed for a real jet at Newark Liberty Airport to catch a flight home to Arizona.

The sudden wining and dining of the fifth-year wideout caused him to have to cancel a family vacation. Destination: Maui, Hawaii.

“It was hard getting over here, but once I got here it was easy,” he said of all of the scheduling and canceling of long flights. “But it was worth it.”

The announcement of Schilens’ signing followed closely on the heels of the official word that QB Drew Stanton had also agreed in principle to a contract, which he later signed here in Florham Park, as the Jets signed their first two outside UFAs of the free agency signing period.

Stanton was just as amped to be joining the Green & Whtie as Schilens.

“I’m extremely excited to get the opportunity to come to an organization like this,” he said in the same seat just ahead of his new WR teammate. “Everything in general is first-class. Since I arrived yesterday, everybody I’ve met, everything I’ve seen has made me feel comfortable. I’m really looking forward to working with Mark, Matt Cavanaugh and Tony Sparano.”

That would be Mark Sanchez, the Jets’ QBs coach and their new O-coordinator. Stanton, from the Detroit area, and Schilens, the Arizona/California dude, will be playing pitch and catch at the May OTAs and June minicamp and August training camp in Cortland. And once the regular season begins, it would appear that Schilens will become a key member of the wideout rotation while Stanton, the Lions’ second- and third-stringer for five seasons, will help reform the depth chart behind Sanchez.

“I think the biggest thing I can bring to the table is just having the experience I’ve had in this league for five years,” Stanton said, “understanding what’s going on, how to prepare as a backup and help the starter in every way, shape and form.”

But it’s worth mentioning that Stanton is a .500 NFL quarterback with two wins in his four starts for Detroit. And before that he started three years at Michigan State and had one fabled start in particular.

“I think I still hold the record for the largest comeback in college football history, in  ’06,” he recalled when I asked him to brag on himself. “Northwestern was ahead, 38-3, and we came back to win, 41-38. It comes up every now and then on the Big Ten Network and if anybody ever gets close to that large a comeback and you see the replays again.”

Stanton went 27-for-37 for 294 yards on that day, doing his best work with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter. He threw a touchdown pass (to former Jets FB Jehuu Caulcrick) to get it started, left for a drive from being shaken up on a late hit, then returned to run for one TD, throw for another, then directing a short drive to the game-winning, record-setting field goal.

Schilens played more for the Raiders than Stanton did for the Lions, producing 72 catches for 902 yards and seven TDs over four seasons and 44 games.

“I’ve got a little bit of size and speed,” Schilens said modestly of his 6’4″, 225-pound frame and his quicks, which were measured at 4.38 in the 40 before the ’08 draft. “I play the game as physically as I can. I’m a trustworthy guy for my quarterback. I’ll be in the right position, and when I’ve had a chance with the ball coming my way, I’ve caught it.”

One of his claims to fame is a little more local than Stanton’s big comeback. The longest reception of Schilens’ career was a 60-yard grab from JaMarcus Russell in a 29-10 loss to the Ravens in Baltimore on Oct. 26, 2008. The tackler on that play was none other than safety Jim Leonhard. And the D-coordinator on the Ravens sideline upset with the completion was, of course, Rex Ryan.

“I talked to Rex today. I think he remembered me from Baltimore,” Schilens said. “He didn’t mention that play, but he did say that when the Raiders played the Jets a couple of years ago [in '09], I had a foot fracture and didn’t get to play in that game, and he said he was thinking about me playing that day.

“I just always liked playing the Jets,” he continued. “It always felt like a big-time game. I like the type of players they have on their team. And I like Rex’s mentality.”

Now Schilens and Stanton will get Rex 24/7, but only after they spend the next month or so contemplating the wearing of the green that’s ahead.

“It’s something I’m looking forward to,” Stanton said of his imminent life change. “It’s going to be a fine ride. I’m looking forward to being around.”

Comeback Kids

It’s only a coincidence but interesting nonetheless. The Jets now have had two of the greatest comeback QBs in the history of the game on their rosters over the years. The other was Frank Reich, who was the QB for Maryland, which set the Division I-AA record with a 31-point comeback for a 42-40 win over Miami in 1984, ultimately to be surpassed by Stanton and Michigan State. And then Reich was on the Jets’ roster in 1996, four years after leading Buffalo’s 32-point comeback for its 41-38 overtime victory over Houston in the 1992 playoffs for what is still the largest comeback win in NFL history.

Chaz’s Connection to Jets History

If Schilens works out, it will be a remarkable example of how a “Dawg” can keep woofing almost six years later. On the eve of Eric Mangini’s debut as HC on Sept. 2, 2006, the Jets made a trade with the Raiders to bring back DE Bobby Hamilton. All the Jets gave up for “Dawg” was the 2008 seventh-round pick they got from the Vikings two days earlier in the trade of Brooks Bollinger.

Hamilton played one game for Cleveland in ’07, then retired. Meanwhile, the Raiders held onto that selection for the next 1½ years, then spent it on Schilens.

Rex, Jets Call for All to ‘Green It’ for Saturday’s Game

Updated 4:40 p.m. ET 

The Jets need us to go green in a big way once again.

Head coach Rex Ryan said he wasn’t challenging Jets fans but rather asking them politely to “Green It” when they select their gamewear for Saturday afternoon’s Jets-Giants collision at MetLife Stadium.

“I remember when we played Cincinnati in a similar situation where we had to win to get into the playoffs,” Ryan said at his daily news conference of the “Win And We’re In” 2009 regular-season finale. “Feeling the presence of our fans, I never thought anybody could beat us that day. I really felt that way and our team went out and played that way.

“And I think if we get that kind of energy out of our fans, it’s going to go a long way to helping us achieve what we want to do and that’s have a huge win on Saturday and keep our playoff hopes alive.”

That night of the 37-0 domination of the equally playoff-bound Bengals was a site and sound to behold, one of the most memorable home games in Jets fandom history.

There have been a few others before and after, of course. First-year NFL linebacker Garrett McIntyre remembered this year’s opening night game, the Sept. 11 anniversary game against the Cowboys.

“I go back to that game,” McIntyre said. “It was the first game of the season so everybody was hyped up for that and the fact it was 9/11. But for us to battle back and the fans were loud and passionate at the end, that was probably the best … but it was my first NFL game, too, so that might have something to do with that.”

Fullback John Conner seconded Mac’s nomination but added another favorite, the Monday night 24-6 win over the Dolphins on Oct. 17.

“I thought the fans did a great job that night. It was a big win for us on national TV,” Conner said. “We had a lot of fun as a team that night. Hopefully we’ll have a lot of people there supporting us and hopefully more fans will be in green than in blue.”

Certainly Giants fans are quite resourceful and will find a way to have representation at this Jets home game for a game that is nearly the same for their own playoff chances. And it is true that the Giants are playing this road game in their home stadium.

As Plaxico Burress, the former Giant and current Jet, noted this afternoon: “I’ve played in one and it’s just a fun game. The New York Jets vs. the New York Giants and it’s a 50-50 kind of crowd and when something good happens, somebody is always cheering. This is an exciting game for the city and definitely for the organization. It’s basically, whoever wins this game wins those bragging rights for the next four years or so. So I’m going to just go out and get this victory in JetLife Stadium.”

But Rex and the Jets are hoping that the first Jets-Giants game at a Green & White home stadium not bearing the name of Big Blue on the outside will help turn this very important trick for their now two-game regular season.

“This is our stadium. I’m sure they feel the same thing,” Rex said. “But the way the stadium is, you’ve got our colors, our fans and everything else. This year we’re 6-1 at home and we’re trying to go 7-1. I think that will tell you that this is our stadium and obviously it’s been a big help for us this year.”

Injury Reports

The Jets had 12 players on their first official injury report of the week, topped by rookie WR Jeremy Kerley, who was sent home for a second day with an unspecified illness and did not practice. Another WR with an illness was Burress, who was limited.

Other limited Jets included DT Mike DeVito (knee), G Brandon Moore (hip), S Eric Smith (knee), RB-KR Joe McKnight (elbow/shoulder) and CB Marquice Cole (knee). Among the full-gos was QB Mark Sanchez (neck).

Kerley and McKnight, of course, are two of the Jets’ primary returners, but Ryan was optimistic about Kerley and hopeful about McKnight.

“We feel great about having Cro [Antonio Cromartie] back there as the kick returner if McKnight can’t go,” Ryan said. “Jeremy, when I talked to the trainers, they feel like he’s going to be fine for the game. Even if he’s sick, let’s go, we’ll worry about that later.”

On McKnight, “That one I think’s going to be a gametime deal. He looked OK out there today. I think he’s getting better. But I’m not ready to say he’s going to play.”

Conspicuous by their absences on the list: C Nick Mangold had spend 12 consecutive game weeks on the I-list with his high ankle sprain suffered in Game 2 vs. the Jaguars, while LB Calvin Pace had been reported for seven straight games with a groin injury.

The “Twelve Days of Christmas” injury news from the Giants is that three tight ends, two running backs and one Umenyiora are among the 11 listed players. Among the TEs, Jake Ballard (knee) did not practice in team drills today while Travis Beckum (chest) and Bear Pascoe (ribs) were limited. The two backs are D.J. Ware (knee, DNP) and Ahmad Bradshaw (foot, limited).

Among the other DNPs were DE Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee), WR Mario Manningham (knee) and LB Mark Herzlich (ankle). Other limited players were C David Baas (neck), S Derrick Martin (back) and WR Devin Thomas (neck).

For Rex, the Moore (Tom and Brandon), the Merrier

Updated 5:55 p.m. ET

Head coach Rex Ryan confirmed at his news conference today that consultant Tom Moore, who was at practices last week and at the Washington game on Sunday, will be with the Jets at least through New Year’s Day in Miami.

“I felt good about it the whole time,” said Rex. “His wife does have that veto right, but she did not exercise it and he will be here the rest of the season.”

Ryan also said the perception among some that Moore’s presence at Florham Park is a shot at O-coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is false.

“I have great confidence in Brian,” he said, adding that having the former Peyton Manning/Colts OC around “can only help. A guy like Tom Moore, how can he not help your team? He’s helped me so I know he’s probably helped Schotty, [Mike] Devlin, Henry [Ellard], a lot of guys, so we’re happy to have him.”

Moore said much the same thing in a sitdown with reporters early this evening.

“I strictly observe. That’s my role. It’s fun being where the action is, if you want to know the truth,” the white-haired 73-year-old. “I just make observations. Brian runs the show. He’s the coordinator. He has done and is doing, in my opinion, a tremendous job. I think the coaching staff here does a tremendous job. I’m extremely impressed with everything about this organization. It’s a privilege for me to hang around here.”

Ryan said now that Moore’s on site, perhaps his title will be mega-consultant. Moore was asked what that “promotion” means.

“I’m from down the South,” he said with a smile. “That must be a big-city term.”

B.Moore’s Sidelined … for Now

One of the guys that Tom Moore likely will be able to keep an eye on this week is Brandon Moore, no relation. B.Moore, who contributed to another solid offensive line performance in the 34-19 win over the Redskins but came out of the game with a hip injury that had him sidelined for today’s practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.

But Ryan said there’s no question in his mind about Brandon’s availability against the Chiefs at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

“We all assume Brandon’s going to play,” he said. “He’s played in how many straight games?”

The answer to that is 117 consecutive regular-season games and starts. The starts streak is first among active NFL guards, the  games streak is second to Jake Scott’s 120 for the Titans.

Similar to last week, when Moore and his linemates contributed to a franchise rarity of no sacks allowed and 6.0 yards per rush against the Bills, on Sunday the OL was at it again. This was only the 13th game in franchise history in which the Jets didn’t allow a sack (that blitz takedown of Mark Sanchez by CB Kevin Barnes was negated by his helmet-to-helmet contact with Sanchez) and rushed for three or more touchdowns.

The last time before Sunday was the 2009 “Win And We’re In” game vs. Cincinnati. And on that list are two games against the Chiefs: at KC in 1975, when John Riggins was the RB and Joe Namath the QB, and in 2001 in the Meadowlands, when the tag team was Curtis Martin and Vinny Testaverde.

Dixon: An Armed Force of One

Not only did the officials almost miss Marcus Dixon’s first career forced fumble Sunday but Dixon nearly did as well.

“I was going down, the gap was huge, so I was trying to close the gap and I saw the running back,” Dixon said of the third-quarter running play by the Redskins’ Roy Helu. “And I threw my arm. I was really trying for the tackle but I hit the ball. Then I kind of got up dazed because I hit my head on the ground. The grass didn’t help that much.

“But when I got to the sideline, I was saying, ‘That was my fumble. Make sure I got my fumble.’ “

He wouldn’t have if Ryan didn’t throw his red challenge flag. Ref John Parry’s crew didn’t see the ball rattle out of Helu’s grip on that hit and ruled that when David Harris and Bart Scott hit him 4 yards later, the ball hit the ground and Eric Smith picked it up, Helu was down by contact.

But Parry reversed the call into a Jets recovery, giving Ryan and his staff their second two-challenge-reversals game in three years. (The first was 2010 Game 2 vs. New England.) The Jets couldn’t convert on Nick Folk’s 40-yard missed FG, but in a way the first of three second-half takeaways for the Green & White got the ball rolling toward their comeback victory.

It also continues Dixon’s improving visibility in the D-line rotation.

“Coach Pettine told me early in the year, the more reps, the better you get. I think I’m getting used to playing. I’m learning a lot from Bo and DeVito and Coach Carrier. I try to take everything in and use it some way. I just do everything within the scheme, I don’t go outside of the scheme, I don’t go wild-card anybody. I just stay to the scheme. We have a great scheme that fits me and allows me to play.”

Injury Picture

The Jets’ injury report swelled from last week’s 10 to 16 today, but still doesn’t look dire, except perhaps for DT Mike DeVito. “I don’t feel near as comfortable about that one,” Ryan said of his D-line strongman, who has sat out three of the last six games with knee issues. “I know he’s doing everything he can. He’s out there in full pads. I don’t want to say no, but quietly we’ll say very, very doubtful.”

Besides Brandon Moore, the only other DNP was ST Ellis Lankster (low back). Limited besides Dixon were Joe McKnight, who wore a bulky brace to protect his hyperextended right elbow, LB David Harris (ankle) and S Eric Smith (knee). Nine players were full-go and all are listed here.

Kansas City’s injury report, by comparison, is the picture of health. Only three players are listed: QB Kyle Orton, who injured a right finger on his only play of the Chiefs’ 10-3 win at Chicago, was limited, as was 16th-year C Casey Wiegmann (a Jet, don’t we all remember, for three games in his rookie season of 1997), also with a finger. LB Demorrio Williams (groin) was full-go.

‘Still Hard to Fathom’ but Jets Must Move Forward

These are the times that try our souls.

There was legitimate optimism that the Jets could go a mile high and come back down the mountain with a healing victory over the Broncos. No question it would be a challenge and that the schedule did the Jets no favors in this one. But there was no loss of faith in the locker room.

The optimism for me continued during the Thursday. After the first quarter the feeling had drained a bit as the Jets again couldn’t score a touchdown in the opening 15 minutes.

After the second quarter and on into the first five minutes of the third, the thought was that this was going to be ugly, perhaps a “Son of Shrek” game, but that the Green & White would escape with Denver with a W.

With six minutes to play, the Jets defense staring into Denver’s end zone 5 yards away and the Broncos staring at the Jets’ EZ 95 yards away in the other direction, it all looked doable.

“Yeah,” guard Matt Slauson admitted afterward, “we thought the game was in hand.”

But Tim Tebow and the Jets’ own mistakes caught up to them in that last drive. If this endgame scenario didn’t involve the Green Team, it would have been something to observe the latest chapter in the Legend of Timmy T.

“It’s still really hard to fathom,” head coach Rex Ryan said today at the top of his morning conference call with the team’s reporters. “It really is.”

The hardest part to comprehend was how well the Jets’ defense played for 54 minutes and yet how relentlessly the Broncos moved the field on it in the next five minutes. Consider that until that final drive, the D had forced seven consecutive punts by the Broncos, including six three-and-outs. Consider that before that drive, the home team was averaging a healthy drive start of its own 38, including five starts in Jets territory, and had three points to show for it.

Consider that from the second play of the first series through the 11th series, the defense had yielded 101 drive yards to Denver, before yielding 95 on its final 12 snaps.

Denver’s final play, that 20-yard Tebow dash for the end zone that virtually sealed the Jets’ fate with 58 seconds left, involved an all-out blitz call that Ryan would like to have back.

“Hindsight behind 20-20, obviously, we would’ve done something, anything but that,” the coach said today. “But at the time, you make several calls in a game. At that time, we had pressured him. We thought they were going to do really what they did. They ran verticals in the passing game, so we wanted to pressure it, and quite honestly, he made a great play. If you had to do it over again, of course you would’ve called something else, knowing the result.”

Offensively, of course, there was Slauson’s 1-yard return of Bilal Powell’s fumble for a touchdown. The guard became one of only three or four offensive linemen to ever score a touchdown of any kind for the franchise. There was guard Randy Rasmussen’s end zone recovery in the 1972 season opener against Miami, and famously tackle Jumbo Elliott’s TD catch in the Monday Night Miracle vs. those same Dolphins in 2000.

Then there was the asterisk for Trevor Matich’s game-winning touchdown grab from Ken O’Brien in a 28-21 win at New England in November 1991. I starred it because while Matich was a backup center-guard-tackle in his two Jets seasons of 1990-91, he was also a backup TE, and in that role, having traded in his lineman’s uniform No. 64 for a tight end’s 46 a month earlier, made his 3-yard catch with 57 seconds left to lift the Jets that day.

Normally an O-lineman scoring six is a good omen — since 2000, NFL teams are 22-4 when they get such a contribution from the trenches. But when your OL scores your team’s only touchdown, that’s not so good. Slauson seemed pleased that he had made a little history, but he said it was a sad because the play meant nothing in the shadows of this loss.

The locker rooms inside Sports Authority Field at Mile High are larger than most in the NFL, accentuating the grim quiet of the Jets’ postgame activities. Some players declined comment, others talked in hushed tones, then sat with serious demeanors, contemplating what had just transpired.

“I feel terrible. I feel like garbage,” DT Sione Pouha said. “But we’ve gotta bounce back, man.”

“We’re never going to stop believing,” said Slauson.

Nor should they. Fans are upset, and rightly so. And they are joined by the players, members of the front office, and humble Web editors. But the Jets can’t and won’t throw in the towel for several reasons. For one, there is still enough talent, minus mistakes, to win games on this team. For another, as NFL Network’s Rich Eisen recently told Dennis Miller on his radio show, “Things can change so very quickly in the NFL.” The Jets of ’02 (2-5 start, 7-2 finish, AFC East title) and ’09 (4-6 start, 5-1 finish, AFC Wild Card) are one of many examples of that, as, at the moment, are the Tebow Broncos.

The road to the playoffs is steeper than ever. Since the current playoff landscape was introduced in 2002, teams that have started 5-5 have reached the postseason 13 times while missing out 29 times (.310). However, teams that got to 5-5 via two or more consecutive losses, as the Jets have, have only reached the playoffs three of 11 times. (Baltimore, with Ryan as D-Line coach, did it in ’03, Washington in ’05 and ’07).

“I’m looking forward to the preparation and everything, because I think we can get better,” Ryan said. ”We have a resilient team. We’re going to be in this thing. We’re going to be shoulder to shoulder, with coaches, players and everybody, and we’re going to try to find a way to get this done.”

But let’s not put the cart before the horse for the Jets. They can talk about the P-word, playoffs, all they want, because as Ryan rightly said, “Our playoffs start right now.” But to dwell on the enormity of the task is counterproductive. Another NFL truism is this: The Jets now have six one-game seasons ahead of them. Play the one in front of you, win it, move on to the next. And in that way they will show to all of us, and to themselves, what kind of season 2011 will be.

WR Riley’s Familiar with Tebow, Mile-High Air

With the availability of Jeremy Kerley (knee) and Patrick Turner (kidney) still unknown, the Jets’ receiving corps could be at less than full strength heading into Thursday night’s game in Denver. If neither is available, the Jets will turn to recent signee and former Broncos WR Eron Riley.

Riley was a member of the Denver practice squad before being signed to the Jets’ active roster on Oct. 19. An undrafted free agent out of Duke in 2009, he has also spent time on Baltimore’s and Carolina’s practice squads. He has yet to play in a regular-season NFL game.

“Whether I play five, 10 or 50 snaps on offense — even if I’m not playing at all — I’m going to do my best, and do what I have to do to help the Jets get a win by any means possible,” said Riley.

Since arriving in the New York area, he has seen limited work with QB Mark Sanchez in practice and has played on the scout team during special teams drills.

At 6’3” and 207 pounds, Riley is a long, rangy receiver, similar in stature to Turner or a young WR Plaxico Burress. He characterizes himself as a deep threat, a stretch-the-field type of receiver.

“If it were up to me, that’s what I would do every time,” he said. “Obviously, I can’t do that. I’m trying to get better at the other things that I’m not so good at doing. I’ve been working after practice on things that need to be polished up to help me become a complete receiver.”

His propensity for “going long” has helped him in the past. He finished his collegiate career as one of Duke’s all-time leading receivers with 144 receptions for 2,413 yards (16.8-yard average) and 22 touchdowns in 40 games. And in three NFL preseasons (two with the Ravens, last year with the Broncos), he had 11 catches for 292 yards (26.5 average) and three TDs.

In a Denver preseason game this summer, Riley caught three passes for 144 yards and a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. Two of those passes originated from the arm of current Broncos starting QB Tim Tebow. While Tebow has found himself squarely underneath the national media microscope for his unorthodox mechanics and nontraditional approach to the position, Riley says everyone needs to just calm down.

“He’s a fighter. He’s going to go down swinging,” said Riley. “Most people say he can’t throw the ball or whatever, but he’s going to make up for it some other way. He was a proven winner since before I met him and now that I’ve seen him.”

Last week, Tebow attempted only eight passes, completing two en route to the 17-10 victory at Kansas City. The Broncos ran the ball an astounding 55 times in the game, which surprised Riley.

“They have become a more run-oriented team,” he said. “They’re running the ball a whole lot more, especially since I was there.”

No matter what is said about the young Broncos signalcaller, Tebow has Riley’s respect.

“He’s a quarterback. He might not throw the perfect ball all the time, but what quarterback does? It’s going to get to you at the end of the day,” he said. “Receivers get paid to catch balls, whether they’re ugly balls or good balls.”

Ahead of Riley’s return trip to the Rockies, he shared his experiences of playing in the mile-high thin air.

“The altitude is a big difference,” he said. “When I first got there, it took me several days to get used to it. But with the adrenaline of the game, the guys will get used to it real quick. They’ll be OK once kickoff gets going.”

Thin air, thick air or no air, Riley won’t even notice, if he suits up for his first NFL game on Thursday night.

Injury Update

Kerley and RB LaDainian Tomlinson have been ruled out for Thursday night’s game, as both will stay home to rest their knees.  TE Shawn Nelson (illness) and S Brodney Pool (knee) round out the group of Jets that did not make the trip.

Turner is listed as probable for Thursday after recovering from his kidney injury.  In addition to Turner, 13 other Jets are listed as probable, including CB Darrelle Revis (knee).  Check out the Injury Report under the Team tab at the top of your page for the fully updated list.

Looking at the injury situation for the Broncos, the running back position has been a focus all week.  RB Knowshon Moreno, a Belford, NJ native, suffered an ACL tear on Sunday and is out for the season.  RB Willis McGahee (hamstring) is questionable for Thursday.  Six other Broncos have been listed as probable, including S Brian Dawkins (ankle), and the team’s leading tackler LB Wesley Woodyard (knee).

How the Players’ Schedules Change This ‘Week’

Updated, 4:40 p.m. ET

So we all get that it’s going to be tough on the body and mind, more so for the traveling Jets than the home-standing Broncos, when the teams meet at Invesco Field at Mile High on Thursday night.

But what specifically will change for the Jets this week as they prepare to do NFL battle four days after they kicked it off against the Patriots on Sunday night? I sampled some opinion around the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center locker room.

DT Ropati Pitoitua said for him, it’s about the cold tub.

“Today when I got done with practice, I went right to the tub,” he said. “I’ll try to get into the tubs as much as I can the next two days. Then right after the game we’ll hop in the tubs in the locker room.”

This, of course, has nothing to do with the kind of luxuries one might find surrounding a hot tub. Cold tubs help with alleviating the soreness and fatigue that NFL players sustain from three hours of heated activity on the field each week. This week the schedule for everything must be condensed.

So must some other weekly routines, said fullback John Conner.

“I’m taking extra hydration and getting extra rest this week,” said Conner. “It starts right now. We’ve got to take care of our bodies this week because we’ve got to go play in another couple of days.”

LB Aaron Maybin similarly has had to rearrange his calendar this week.

“You’ve got to get your massages and your stretching sessions in. And me, I’m a guy that’s big on all those extra little pieces that go into the week’s preparation,” Maybin said. “There’s really no way to get the same amount of sessions in as you do in a regular week, so you try to rest a lot more, eat smarter, just to help you get around that curb. It’s almost like you’re playing catch-up with your body to get into game performance shape by gameday.”

“If anything changes,” said tackle Wayne Hunter, “it’s really cramming everything I do during a regular week into three or four days. So whether it’s the film or date night with the wife, hanging with the kids, you try to cram everything into four days. I still try to keep a balance and not mess up my routine too much.”

As for game night, WR Santonio Holmes said it’s all about having fun in the Mile High City. His agenda for the game goes like this:

“Give it to those guys. Don’t give them any chance to make any plays. Shut them out if we can. Score about 60 points if possible. Keep these guys buried down in the ground as far as possible. I think that would jumpstart our offense and defense from this point on.”

That would make this short week all worth while.

Tebow Impersonator

Mark Brunell drew a crowd of reporters today, due to the fact that Rex Ryan noted that the 41-year-old backup QB this week was impersonating the 24-year-old Tim Tebow for the scout team vs. the Jets’ first defense.

“I don’t know if it’s possible for me to simulate Tebow. I’m doing my best,” Brunell said. “I’m a few years older than him. He’s a great athlete and he has an incredible ability to run with the football.”

Asked about similarities, he replied, “I’m left-handed, he’s left-handed. That’s about it right there.”

Ryan said he and his coaches checked out some highlight video of Brunell back when he was lighting it up for the University of Washington.

“Mark was Tim Tebow, minus 15 pounds, before Tebow was Tebow,” Ryan said. “He’s familiar with the option. He has run it before.”

All Brunell would say about this alleged video was, “It was all on 8-millimeter.”

Injury Report

The Jets’ injury report took shape today. The most severe injury remains S Brodney Pool’s knee — Ryan said it will keep him out of Thursday’s game. “He had to get a cortisone shot in his knee for the swelling and all that stuff,” the coach said.

Not participating: RB LaDainian Tomlinson (knee), WRs Jeremy Kerley (knee) and Patrick Turner (kidney), and TE Shawn Nelson (illness).

“I would say every one of them, if they make the trip, will be a gametime decision,” Ryan said. “LaDainian’s got an MCL, Patrick got hit in the kidneys and so we’ll see how he is, and Kerley’s got a little bit of a knee. If we don’t think a guy’s going to play or have the opportunity to play, we’ll leave him back home. It doesn’t mean they’ll play for sure [if they makes the trip]. We just want to see how they feel when they get there.”

Ryan said he’s not ready to rule out Tomlinson in particular for the Broncos: “I know one thing, he wants to play, he’s doing everything in his power to play. The short week, is it good for a running back? Probably not. I know the kind of competitor LT is. If he thinks he can help the team, he’s going to go. But you’ve also got to protect the player from himself as well so you have to lean on your trainers and medical staff.”

There’s only one player who was listed as limited for today’s light workout at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center: CB Darrelle Revis (knee). But as Rex said, “Don’t worry, he’s playing.”

Then there are 12 players listed as full participants in team drills, such as they were. The Jets’ full injury report is listed here.

For Denver, RB Knowshon Moreno as reported is out with a knee injury. S Brian Dawkins (ankle) and RB Willis McGahee (hamstring) were limited at today’s only practice of the week for the Broncos at their Englewood, Colo., training center. And five players are listed as full participants in team drills: T Ryan Clady (knee), T Chris Clark (knee), TE Julius Thomas (ankle), CB Cassius Vaughn (hamstring) and LB Wesley Woodyard (knee).

Jets Need to Be Quick Studies for Tebow, Broncs

With Tim Tebow at the offensive controls, the Denver Broncos have taken the “Ground & Pound” approach to a whole new level.

“If you look at last week, I think they ran the ball 55 times and only threw eight,” Jets CB Antonio Cromartie said of the Broncos’ 17-10 triumph over the Chiefs. “I think for them, that’s one of their strong points. They lost two of their running backs — one to an ACL tear and we don’t know what’s going on with Willis McGahee.”

With Knowshon Moreno out for the season, the Broncos elevated RB Jeremiah Johnson from their practice squad to fill the vacancy. McGahee, who is their leading rusher with 640 yards and an impressive average of 5.0 yards a carry, hopes to return to the lineup Thursday after departing early in Week 10 action due to a hamstring injury. Lance Ball, a Teaneck, N.J., native in his third pro season, rushed 30 times for 96 yards as the Broncos amassed 244 yards on the ground against the Chiefs.

But everything starts with Tebow. Since taking over as the starter following a Week 6 bye, the Broncos have averaged 41 rushes and 24 passing attempts per game. And they’ve found a way to win games, going on a 3-1 run to put them right in the thick of the muddled AFC West.

“It’s similar to some of the stuff they did at college when he was at the University of Florida,” said Cromartie. “It’s things that helped him to be the player he was in college and he’s helping him right now.”

The Broncos specialize in the read option attack, taking advantage of the former Heisman Trophy winner’s running prowess. The Jets are a disciplined defensive football team and they must play sound assignment football in the high altitude.

“If you’re taking the ball, take the dive,” says DL Marcus Dixon. “Don’t hesitate, don’t think about anything, just take the dive. Trust that your teammates will do their jobs as well. But that’s our defense completely — trust that everyone will do their jobs. We are not worried about what they do.”

One of the few bright spots that came out of Week 10 for the Jets was that the defense held the more conventional New England attack to just 60 yards rushing on 28 attempts. But the Pats won largely due to the fact that Tom Brady was tremendous through the air, and it would be beneficial this week to get Tebow into passing situations.

“Tebow is a guy who can run the ball — a strong runner,” said Cro of the second-year QB who is coach John Fox’s second-leading rusher and is averaging 6.7 yards per carry. “He’s not as much an accurate passer, but the style of offense they’re playing, they’re winning ballgames.”

While Tebow’s TD-to-INT ratio of 7 to 1 is impressive, he is completing just 44.8 percent of his passes and he’s been sacked 14 times.

“When the chance comes of us getting a pass, we just have to take advantage of the opportunity,” Cromartie said. “We just have to play with our eyes and play what we see.”

The film in the defensive line meeting room on Monday featured the Broncos’ run game. The big guys know everything will fall into place if Tebow is taken out of his comfort zone.

“Up front, we watched a lot of run plays. Passing comes second to us up front,” Dixon said. “You stop the run and then you get to the quarterback on the way.”

Tebow has had difficulty recognizing coverages, but he continues to ace his reading examinations on the pro level.

“He looks to read the outside guy. He’s going to read and see if the guy is going to bite on the dive game. If he dives in, then he’s going to keep it,” Dixon said. “If you kind of hesitate, then he might give it to him and let him hit the hole. It’s a quarterback read play.”

The Jets want to close the book on Tebow’s feelgood story in Denver.

Rex on Sunday Mistakes, Thursday Broncos

Updated, 6:10 p.m. ET

Mistakes. Funny how innocent, harmless errors pile up on each other until suddenly there is a system overload and things like Sunday night’s 37-16 loss to the Patriots result.

Less than a full day after the Jets’ difficult loss at MetLife Stadium, Rex Ryan was asked how he would explain those mistakes.

“It could be a lot of things,” the head coach said at his news conference this afternoon at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. “It wasn’t that we were pressing. I know we were excited about this opportunity. … It’s hard to describe. I don’t know if we were pressing or what it was.”

The E’s were many, from Nick Folk’s opening-drive field goal miss to pass protection to confusion during the Patriots’ no-huddle to Mark Sanchez’s two second-half interceptions.

At least there seems to be an explanation for the timeout after the first half’s two-minute warning. File it under “That Darned Helmet Communications System.”

Ryan explained that when he labeled the timeout that Sanchez called with 1:24 left in the half “the worst play in NFL history” for NBC before going into the locker room, he was referring to his part in the call, not his quarterback’s.

“I was basically saying that about myself,” Ryan said. “The emotion I was still feeling, that was obvious. I know how difficult it is. A great team like that, they don’t need any help. They went down and scored a touchdown after that.

“OK, he physically called the timeout. But through my communication, it wasn’t clear enough to Mark. That’s why it was my mistake.”

The process that led to the TO from Sanchez shows the limitations of the helmet system. Ryan said at no time did coordinator Brian Schottenheimer want to call a timeout when they did. But Ryan and Schotty were conferring about calling a timeout to discuss their third-down call after they had drained almost all the time off the game clock and the 40-second play clock.

“My understanding is I went over to Brian, Brian was going to make the call [to Sanchez] and I said, ‘No, let’s take the clock down, use all the clock and call the timeout,’ ” Ryan explained. “Matt asked, ‘What are we going to do? Take a timeout?’ I think that’s what Mark heard. He never heard the whole conversation I had with Brian. I don’t talk to Mark directly through the helmet ever. I don’t think he heard my and Brian’s comments.”

Had Sanchez waited until a second or two was left on the play clock and everything else was equal, following the Sanchez TD keeper behind Brandon Moore’s block of Vince Wilfork and the Jets’ kickoff, the Pats might have started their drive with around 1:03 left in the half rather than the 1:20 they had. Would 17 fewer seconds have prevented the Tom Brady-to-Rob Gronkowski TD pass for a 13-9 Pats lead with 9 seconds left?

Speculation. Maybe, maybe not. Maybe instead of Gronkowski it would have been Gostkowski, Stephen, for his third field goal and a 9-9 draw at the half.

But this error came at a critical point in the game. The Jets were playing at their best, with Jamaal Westerman’s strong pressure forcing Brady, struggling through 3-for-8, 31-yard second-quarter passing, into a safety-inducing intentional grounding in his end zone, followed by the 65-yard drive to that Sanchez TD and the Jets’ only lead of the night.

However, that moment passed, Brady and the Pats lit it up in the second half and the Jets did not. Any corrections from the game were made during today’s late practice and will be implemented in their short-week preparation before they take off Wednesday for their next primetime appearance Thursday night at Denver.

“We know we have to put it behind us. We play in, what, three days or whatever it is,” Ryan said. “We can’t focus on what just happened. We know what happened. We made enough mistakes that, you play against a good team, you’ve got no chance to beat ‘em, you make the mistakes we made.”

Injury View

Ryan, asked about the Thursday availability of RB LaDainian Tomlinson, who left the game late with a lower leg injury, said: “I hope so. We’ll see. That’s not the official word yet. … I have no idea the extent. … We think he’s going to be OK. We’re certainly hoping.”

The official word has just come from the Jets. There was no full practice today, just a walkthrough. The participation report is an estimation due to the Broncos having the day off. If the Jets had practiced, Tomlinson (knee) would not have participated, nor would WR Jeremy Kerley (knee), S Brodney Pool (knee), WR Patrick Turner (kidney) or TE Shawn Nelson (illness). Limited would have been WR Plaxico Burress (low back), DT Marcus Dixon (shoulder), LB David Harris (ankle) and WR Santonio Holmes (foot). Eight others were listed as full participants.

The Broncos’ report will come in shortly and we’ll post a summary here.

Safety Zone

Westerman was a little chagrined to hear that he doesn’t get much of anything officially for forcing the Brady safety. No sack, because Brady unloaded the ball as he was hit. No safety — it’s listed as “Team” because it was caused by Brady’s intentional grounding in the end zone.

And the satisfaction of getting an unofficial “quarterback hit” and causing the play was diluted by the events that followed.

“If you lose the game … ” he said. “We had  a couple of other chances to get him on the ground and we didn’t, so it’s rough. But definitely, whenever I get on the field, I try to do positive things, keep improving my game.”

Westerman’s also a part of a record stretch of safety creation. No matter whether individual or team credit, the play was still a “deuce” for the defense, and that makes five defensive safeties for the Jets since last Thanksgiving night against Cincinnati. So the Jets, who scored only 14 defensive safeties in their first 50½ seasons, now have five in the last 18 games, including the AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh.

What’s more, the Jets are in the midst of one of the most safety-intensive stretches in league history. Some hasty unofficial research shows that only one team, the 1999 Tennessee Titans, who also had five defensive two-pointers in an 18-game span in that Super season (including their last one, of then Jaguars QB Mark Brunell in the AFC Championship Game).

One Other Rex Mistake

Ryan admitted to one other error Sunday night, that he had a profane exchange with a fan in the MetLife stands during halftime.

“It was right after halftime, obviously,” he said. “We made the mistake with the timeout, gave up the touchdown. I was emotional, it was an emotional time coming in, and I obviously made a mistake. I was just full of emotion and just popped off. Obviously, I know I represent the National Football League, I know I represent the Jets and I know it was a mistake. I apologize for it.

“It’s who I am sometimes. I made a mistake. I’m about as big a competitor as there is and at that time I was in no mood to hear anything, but I also understand that I have to handle that better.”

GM Mike Tannenbaum issued a statement early this evening.

“Rex and I have talked about it,” Tannenbaum said. “Obviously he let his emotions get the best of him. He knows that his behavior was not acceptable.”

Because the incident was a game-related matter, any discipline of Ryan would be handled by the NFL.

Rex Cetera

There was some thought that the Jets-Bills game on Nov. 27 could be flexed but the NFL announced today that game will remain at its original 1 p.m. ET kickoff at MetLife Stadium. … The guests on the 10th anniversary show of “Inside the Jets” at Grasshopper Off the Green in Morristown, N.J., from 7-8 p.m. tonight are Tannenbaum and senior personnel adviser Terry Bradway, the Jets’ GM before Mike T.