So THAT"S Why They Drafted a Kicker in the 2nd Round

So the Jets had a big game in Miami, in the Orange Bowl, in the rain. Ed of course has visions of AJ Duhe dancing in his head, and he is not happy. Then, I get the added benefit (sarcasm) of the ESPN crew, which make the Fox Baseball tandem of Buck and McArver sound good. Someone please tell me what the fuck Venus and Serena Williams are doing on my TV screen talking to Suzy Kobler during a Jets game? Then I get to hear Don Shula rip on Alabama for firing his son and for daring to want to hire Saban as the new coach. Yeah, that would be a good pick, if Alabama wants to suck for the first 5 games, then play well once the season is all but over. I had not watched any Monday Night Football this season, and I am happy that I only had to be subjected to 1 game.

The comment highlight(?) of the night was after the botched snap on the field goal try as Theissman wonders why coaches do not listen to him and use back up QB's as holders on field goal tries, since they are used to handling snaps. Hey Joe, back-ups don't handle many snaps since they don't play enough. Oh, and by the way, the Jets holder is the punter, Graham, who handles a few snaps of his own each game as the punter for pete's sake. Personally, the wet ball probably had more to do with it. As for Tony Kornheiser, please, no more. If I want to here a "common man" make jokes, I can do that myself, and just as poorly. Dennis Miller was at least funny. And the endless banter about Harrington trying to change the culture in Detriot made me ill. He sucked there, and he sucks in Miami. Loved the hit job that either Young or Theissman put on Culpepper by the way, talking about missing meetings and what not. God, it was painful to listen to.

The game started poorly for the Jets, as Chad was tossing Hanging Chad's all over the place, leading to Coles getting his bell rung, and Washington almost getting killed. The defense was playing well, keeping Harrington in check. Of course, at halftime, Cleo Lemon comes in, and Jets fans are thinking, oh shit, the backup QB. After the Jets went up 3-0 on a Nugent Field Goal, Lemon lead the Mammals to a TD, and a 7-3 lead.

Chad rebounded, leading the Jets on a 80 yard 11 play drive, the capper a nice 32 yards pass to Cotchery, and the Jets led 10-7. A bad play on an ensuing Jets punt gave the Dolphins the ball on the Jet 35, but the defense held, and all Miami could do was tie. So now, the big question, what could Chad do, and would it be up to Nugent to win the game for the Jets?

Chad got the ball with 2:13 left, and threw a nice little screen pass to Leon Washington. Leon wound up going 64 yards, making guys miss all over the field, giving the Jets the ball on the Miami 16. Nothing more from there, leaving the Jets fate on the leg of one Mr. Nugent, the same Nugent who kicked poorly earlier in the year, leaving his future up in the air. Funny thing, but since then, he has kicked great. When he was drafted on the heels of Doug Brien, many thought it was foolhardy to draft a kicker in the 2nd round, but seeing how the Patriots have done with a good kicker winning Super Bowls for them, the Jets braintrust at the time felt it was the right move. And Nugent did them proud, and we fans as well, drilling a 30 yarder with 10 seconds left. Jets Win!

So it all comes down to New Years Eve. Jets win, and they are in. The Raiders stand in the way. Now, I know, and you know that the Raiders suck, but, you have to think they are going to try to make a game of it, they are not going to want to be embarrassed on the last day of the season. Then again, they do want the #1 pick, so you never know.

Mangini needs to pull another boxing tape out of mothballs, find another fighter to speechify (Smokin' Joe Frazier did the honors this weekend). Wrap Chad in bubble wrap this week, same with Coles. Who would've thunk that the Jets would be on the cusp of the playoffs this year. Yeah, it comes against a soft schedule, but they have no dominant running back, a QB with a twice repaired shoulder, two rookies manning the offensive line, and a 3-4 defense that hurts their best linebacker's ability to make big plays. This team has a lot to be proud of. And when they win next week, they could get Peyton in the first round. And we all know what they did to Peyton the last time they faced him in the playoffs, and we all know how well Chad plays in a dome.

Why not the Jets, indeed.