Football

The New York Jets are hoping to bounce back from a dismal 4-12 campaign that saw Herm Edwards pack up and leave for what he believes are greener pastures in Kansas City. New coach Eric Mangini brings the system he learnt under Bill Belichick in New England to New York with the hopes of revitalizing a sagging franchise.

Mangini was busy from the get-go in changing the face of the Jets. Numerous free agents were brought in, some top stars were let go and for once the New York fans loved what the franchise did in the draft. So maybe there's a ray of light after all?

Offense: This is a unit that has nowhere to go but up. Last season the Jets scored 255 points, only the Cleveland Browns had less. With Chad Pennington getting injured once again and Curtis Martin finally showed signs of age - this offense went nowhere fast.

Pennington returns for another season in Jetsville, but competition has been brought in because Mr. Pennington is as brittle as a dry, dead leaf. The Jets went out and signed Patrick Ramsey from the Washington Redskins. Ramsey's situation is similar to Joey Harrington's. He came out of Tulane with a huge reputation and high ratings from the scouts. Instead of living up to that rep, Ramsey has been a career underachiever. He hopes to change that in New York. Brooks Bollinger, last seasons starter, and rookie Kellen Clemens are also in the mix.

Martin was bothered by injuries in 2005, but one has to think that time is finally catching up to the future hall-of-famer. His string of 10 consecutive thousand-yard seasons was snapped (he finished with 735 yards and five touchdowns) and he didn't seem to have that extra something to shed defenders.

But make no mistake he's still a threat, even at the ripe old football age of 33. Martin comes into 2006 with 14,101 career rushing yards, 484 receptions and 100 career touchdowns. His presence in the locker room alone is enough to help the Jets. Cedric Houston (302 yards) saw his workload increase late in the season and that could carry over. Derrick Blaylock and rookie Leon Washington will see time as well. B.J. Askew returns at fullback.

Longtime New York fan favorite, Wayne Chrebet, called it a career and the Jets need to find some people to stand up. This was one of the weakest receiving groups in the NFL last season. It didn't help much that the quarterback position was in flux either.

Lavernues Coles (73-845-5) is the number one and will be counted on to lead this group once again. Justin McCareins (43-713-2) will be the number-two man with Jericho Cotchery playing in the slot. Free agent pickup, Tim Dwight, will be the fourth receiver. Rookie Brad Smith, former quarterback at Missouri, will get a look at wideout as well. Doug Jolley (29-324-1) and Chris Baker (18-269-1) return at tight end.

There could be major changes on the offensive line, thanks to the draft and free agency. Trey Teague was signed away from Buffalo and will take over at center, allowing Pete Kendall to move back to guard. Rookie Nick Mangold will challenge Teague. Brandon Moore will join Kendall at guard. Rookie stud D'Brickashaw Ferguson should step right in at left tackle and start for the next 10 or so years. Adrian Jones will man the right side, but free agent signee Anthony Clement (49ers) also is there.

Defense: This unit is where the biggest change will take place. Mangini was the defensive coordinator for the Patriots and most likely will switch the Jets from a 4-3 to a 3-4. Another factor will be how this unit regroups after the loss of John Abraham. He might not have been a good locker room guy, but his 10.5 sacks will be missed.

In this new look defense, Shaun Ellis and free agent pick up Kimo Von Oelhoffen (Steelers) will be at the defensive end spots. Dave Ball and rookie Titus Adams should see playing time as well. Dwayne Robertson will hold down the nose tackle spot with Adams possible sliding over too.

Jonathan Vilma returns as the unquestioned superstar of the Jets defense. He followed up his Rookie of the Year season with an even more impressive sophomore one. There were no slump here as Vilma racked up 169 tackles and a trip to the Pro Bowl. Victor Hobson, Eric Barton and rookie Anthony Schlegel should make up the rest of the starting corps.

Ty Law took his 10 interception season and left town, but all is not lost at the cornerback position. David Barrett (five interceptions) returns along with Justin Miller, who had a solid rookie campaign. Also added via free agency were Ray Mickens (Browns) and Andre Dyson (Seahawks). Barrett and Dyson should be the starters.

At safety, Erik Coleman and Kerry Rhodes return after a solid 2005 seasons. Coleman registered 121 tackles and two picks, while Rhodes made 105 stops, good enough for second and third on the team leaderboard. Rashad Washington, Andre Maddox and rookie Eric Smith provide depth.

Special Teams: Kicker Mike Nugent had an impressive rookie season, going 22-28 in field goals and 24-24 in extra points. With more experience, he'll only get better. Ben Graham (43.7) returns as punter. Miller is the kick returner (26.3), while Dwight will most likely replace Cotchery returning punts.

Outlook: Mangini will bring his knowledge and a badly needed winning attitude to the New York franchise. But the unsettled situation at quarterback, an aging Curtis Martin and weak receiving unit, spells trouble with a capital T. The Jets will struggle to score points once again and it may take them some time to absorb the 3-4 scheme on defense.

Prediction: Mangini will make the Jets a better club. They'll play hard and be competitive, but a lack of talent on the offensive side of the ball spells another losing season for the Jets. Look for a 4-12 or 5-11 record from New York.

Brian Carson is a writer and sports fanatic who, along with a select group of coaches has created the ultimate multimedia guide to coaching youth football at http://www.pigskinplaybooks.com To read more football articles go to http://carcorner.blogspot.com/

Promoting Your Website Part 3 Of 4

Leroy's, the chain of more than 60 Nevada race and sports books that has made such a big splash in its first season, listed a Seattle-Pittsburgh Super Bowl XL matchup at 8/1, the longest shot on its exacta board.

The NFC Champion Seahawks will at least have a chance to make it happen Feb. 5 at Detroit's Ford Field.

Four to 4 1/2-point favorite Seattle claimed its first-ever NFL title 34-17 Sunday, ousting Carolina from the playoff picture.

Meanwhile, 3 to 3 1/2-point underdog Pittsburgh secured its first visit to NFL nirvana in a decade, ousting Denver surprisingly easily 34-17. "Seattle is going to have their hands full," Stardust Race and Sports Director Bob Scucci told the Associated Press.

"Seattle was expected to win.

"Pittsburgh went through the one, two and three seeds, and a lot of people think the AFC from top-to-bottom was a lot better conference than the NFC."

Supermen Shaun Alexander and Brad Hasselbeck versus the Men of Steel, co-starring the Bus and Big Ben.

Or, as Fox News said, Heinz Ketchup versus Starbucks Coffee in Motor City USA.

Las Vegas sports books, which once had the AFC favored by 10 points in anticipation of an Indianapolis appearance, opened Pittsburgh as a 3 1/2 to 4-point choice in the NFL's mid-winter extravaganza.

The Steelers will be playing in their sixth Super Bowl (they're 4-1) while the Seahawks will be making their debut as conference winners.

The over/under line was posted between 47 and 49.

Last Labor Day, just prior to the NFL opener, bettors could have bought Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook Steelers futures at 14/1 and Seahawks futures for 30/1; a week later they were 12/1 and 30/1 and a month hence they were selling for 12/1 and 18/1.

Numbers sort of flip-flopped after Thanksgiving and were 30/1 and 10/1 in mid-December.

Just before Christmas, they were 12/1 on Pittsburgh and 4/1 on Seattle, according to online figures.

SuperBook boss Jay Kornegay had the Steelers favored by 4 over Seattle, the same number Kenny White and Las Vegas Sports Consultants sent out.

While some have suggested Super Bowl XL won't set any betting records because of the lack of a marquee team ("A lot of people don't even know where Seattle is," one bookmaker observed.), Mirage Race and Sports Director Robert Walker told AP he considered the game an "interesting matchup."

"It's fun to have a couple of new teams in for a change," Walker said. "Seattle's fun to watch and Pittsburgh was ultra-impressive."

Lynda Collins is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of her articles at http://www.procappers.com/Lynda_Collins.htm

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In the end, after all the driveway sit-ups, after all the ESPN interviews, after all the locker room fights, the Terrell Owens saga ended with just 14 words.

The Philadelphia Eagles today announced they have terminated the contract of WR Terrell Owens.

And with that one-sentence statement released by the Eagles today, one of the most tumultuous relationships between player and team in the history of sports has concluded.

Terrell Owens is no longer the problem of the Philadelphia Eagles organization, a fact I am sure the franchise is happy about. T.O. is now an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team he chooses. Or, perhaps more accurately, with any team that is willing to risk signing him.

But anyone who thinks weve heard the last of Terrell Owens has another thing coming. Unless he signs with a team in the AFC West (which is possible, considering the Broncos and Chiefs are among the teams most rumored to be interested in his services) the Eagles will have face T.O. again on the field at some point.

And you can believe that the hype leading up to an Owens-Eagles match-up will be covered more heavily than the first moon landing.

What would the nightmare scenario be for Birds fans? Ill give you a hint it involves a star, the Presidents home state, and the most vile sports organization in the history of the world. T.O.s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has met with Cowboys coach Bill Parcells about a contract over the last few weeks, and owner Jerry Jones has made no bones about the fact hed love to have a player of Owens caliber on the Boys.

Owens in Dallas. The thought makes me want to scoop out my own eyes with a melon baller. But its a real possibility.

And make no mistake, Owens is going to a have a monster year in 2006. Hell be playing on an incentive-laden contract with a chip on his shoulder and doing his best Im a good boy routine. Whatever team takes a chance on Owens is going to have a motivated, super-talented, team-first player on their hands, a guy who can single-handedly take them to the Super Bowl.

Its going to look a lot like the happy marriage we experienced with His Majesty in 2004.

Unfortunately, to the victors go the spoils. And whatever team does have the cajones to take Owens into the fold is going to have an impossible brat on their hands in season number two, much like the Eagles did last season. T.O. will be coming off a highly productive season on what will probably be a contract that is far below what he would have gotten from the Eagles, and will once again demand a new deal.

How that team chooses to handle the situation is up to them, but Im giving fair warning that its going to happen. So whoever is thinking about bringing him aboard better prepare for that contingency. If its Dallas, then Im rooting for it to happen. Anyone else, God be with you.

Anyone who believes Owens days as a premier wide receiver are over is fooling himself. T.O. is still the most talented wideout in the game, and he will make whoever signs him immediately better next year. Heaven help us if he faces the Birds in 2006. Playing an angry Terrell Owens is not a good thing.

But for today, Owens is no longer the Eagles headache. After one year of unsurpassing glory followed by a year of incredible heartache and agony, Terrell Owens will be somebody elses blessing/curse in 2006 and beyond. Having been through the roller coaster ride that is T.O. on my roster, I wouldnt recommend it to anyone. But someone is going to take a chance on him.

Heres hoping the Birds wont have to face a ticked-off Terrell Owens in 2006. Otherwise hell have us all reaching for that great big bottle of Excedrin one last time.

By John Stolnis Staff Writer
http://www.Phillysportsline.com
March 14, 2006

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