The Jets looked allright in the final tune up for the regular season.  Kellen Clemens started the game and he didn’t look too good completing 3 of 8 passes for only 18 yards.  Brett Ratliff followed Clemens and he was impressive again completing 3 of 4 passes for 48 yards with 1 TD pass (a 11-yarder to WR Paul Raymond).  Erik Ainge finally got to show what he could do in this game and he was 10 of 16 for 131 yards with 1 TD pass.  Jesse Chatman was the Jets’ workhorse in this game as he carried the football 29 times for 93 yards (3.2 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 6 passes for 87 yards (14.5 avg) in this game.  WR Paul Raymond pitched in with 3 grabs for 36 yards (12.0 avg) with a TD.  The Jets finished up with 120 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 28 passes for 166 yards.

The Jets’ defense did not play especially well in this football game.  Linebacker Kenwin Cummings led the way for the Jets with 6 tackles in this game.  CB Ahmad Carroll (5 tackles) and CB Hank Poteat (3 tackles, interception) also played key roles in this football game.  The Eagles finished up with 81 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 46 passes for 281 yards.  The Jets finished up a strong preseason with a 3-1 record.

The New York Jets played a really good defensive game on Saturday Night and they just had barely enough offense to win the game.  Brett Favre looked pretty sharp in this game completing 9 of 12 passes for 96 yards.  Kellen Clemens also had his best game of the preseason as he completed 9 of 12 passes for 83 yards.  But it was the other “Brett” as in Ratliff that pulled out this win with a 24-yard TD pass to WR Paul Richmond in the 4th quarter.  Ratliff completed 2 of 4 passes for 51 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Jesse Chatman led the Jets in rushing in this game with 26 yards on 11 carries (2.4 ypc).  Rookie TE Dustin Keller was the leading receiver in this game for the Jets with 3 grabs for 43 yards (14.3 avg).  The Jets finished up with only 58 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.2 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 28 passes for 214 yards in this game.  The impressive thing about the Jets’ offense is that they had possession of the football for 34:24 of this game.

Rookie CB Dwight Lowery and DE David Bowens led the way for the Jets’ defense with 5 tackles apiece.  The Jets had a amazing 8 sacks against the Giants including 2 by new outside linebacker Calvin Pace.  The Giants finished up with 107 yards rushing on 21 carries (5.1 ypc) in this game and they also completed 15 of 27 passes for 115 yards.

The Jets have lost WR David Clowney possibly for the season with a broken collar bone.  That is a shame as Clowney was the Jets’ best player during the preseason so far.  In the Jets first two preseason games, Clowney caught 8 passes for 222 yards (27.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He was making a huge run at the third WR job for the Jets when he was injured.  2nd year WR Chansi Stuckey or Brad Smith will likely win the #3 WR job with the loser of the competition being the #4 man for the Jets in 2008.  This is a shame as Clowney was really looking good this preseason.

The Jets didn’t look too good on Saturday Night as a team but some players looked good for them individually.  Brett Favre made his Jets’ debut in this game and he looked good completing 5 of 6 passes for 48 yards with a TD pass to rookie TE Dustin Keller.  Kellen Clemens continues to lose ground to Brett Ratliff in the Jets’ pecking order at QB as he only completed 5 of 12 passes for 63 yards.  Brett Ratliff looked sharp again for the Jets on Saturday Night completing 13 of 19 passes for 148 yards.  Jesse Chatman was the Jets’ leading rusher in this game with 45 yards on 11 carries (4.1 ypc).  WR David Clowney was really effective again for the Jets in this game grabbing 4 passes for 59 yards (14.8 avg).  Rookie TE Dustin Keller pitched in with 2 catches for 26 yards (13.0 avg) with a TD reception.  The Jets did not run the ball well against the Redskins only rushing for 69 yards on 25 carries (2.8 ypc).  But they did throw the ball well again completing 23 of 37 passes for 248 yards. 

Despite only allowing 13 points against the Redskins the defense did not play that well.  Linebackers Cody Spencer and Kenwin Cummings each had 6 tackles as well as DT Kareem Brock to lead the way for the Jets.  The Redskins finished up with 181 yards rushing on 22 carries (8.2 ypc).  The Skins also completed 21 of 34 passes for 178 yards.  The Jets still have some things to work on both offensively and defensively but they have some time left before the season starts.

Eric Mangini didn’t look like much of a genius last season as the Jets fell to a 4-12 record after getting the team to the playoffs in his rookie season on the job.  Adding Brett Favre certainly can do nothing but help the Jets’ offense and the team as a whole in the locker room.  Now it’s up to Mangini to prepare his team for battle every week and outcoach the opposition.  We’ll see if he’s up to the task or not.  Mangini has now been the head coach of the Jets for two seasons and he has compiled a 14-18 record (43.8%) during the regular season.  He is also 0-1 in the playoffs and the Jets hope he not only makes it back to the post season but wins a few games when he gets there.

The Jets have claimed 26-year old running back Justin Green on waivers from the Ravens.  Green played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Ravens last season but he didn’t carry the ball even one time.  He did however catch a whopping 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg).  Green has now played in 39 games (7 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 5 times for 4 yards (0.8 ypc).  He has also caught 13 passes for 65 yards (5.0 avg) in his career.  Green will have a hard time making the final roster of the Jets and even if he does he won’t put up big numbers.

UPDATE:  The Jets have cut Justin Green after his first day of practice so they must not have liked what they saw.

The Jets appeared on the way to a loss after the Browns took a 20-10 lead at the start of the 4th quarter but three players wouldn’t let them.  2nd year QB Brett Ratliff was great in this game as he completed 14 of 20 passes for 252 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions.  David Clowney caught 4 passes for 163 yards (40.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The TDs were 71 yards and 70 yards with the 2nd one coming in the 4th quarter.  Rookie CB Dwight Lowery was the other player that refused to lose.  He returned a punt 62-yards for a TD which was the eventual winning score.  He also had 7 tackles and a interception.  The offense made the most of there time with the football as they rolled up 342 total yards despite only having possession of the football for 22:41.  The Jets need to work on the running game as they only rushed for 59 yards on 19 carries (3.1 ypc) in this game.  The Jets completed 18 of 26 passes for 283 yards in Cleveland.

The defense didn’t not play too well with the exception of Lowery.  The Browns rushed for 107 yards on 29 carries (3.7 ypc).  The Browns also completed 25 of 48 passes for 275 yards but the Jets did intercept three passes.  The Jets have a few things to work on and Brett Favre should be ready to go next week.

The Jets have released Chad Pennington.  You knew this was going to happen after the acquistion of Brett Favre so this is not a surprise at all.  Letting Pennington go will take $6 million dollars off the books for the Jets but they still will likely have to get rid of another player to make salary cap space for Favre.  Pennington was a warrior for the Jets and that can’t be disputed.  He played hurt quite often which took a lot of off his fastball which he doesn’t have anymore.  Pennington played in 70 games in his career for the Jets and he completed 1,259 of 1,919 passes (65.6%) for 17,738 yards with 82 TD passes and 55 interceptions (88.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 147 times for 396 yards (2.7 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  Pennington likely won’t be out of work long as the Dolphins have already contacted his agent.  The Bears and Patriots could also have an interest in Pennington. 

The Jets have acquired 38-year old QB Brett Favre from the Packers for a draft pick that will hinge on his performance.  Favre was solid last season for the Packers as he started all 16 games for them.  Favre completed 356 of 535 (66.5%) passes last season for 4,155 yards with 28 TD passes and 15 interceptions (95.7 QB Rating).  Favre also carried the football 29 times for 12 yards (0.4 ypc) last season.  While it’s true that the Jets don’t have the surrounding cast that the Packers did last season Brett Favre is a winner and he will make the Jets a better football team from Day #1 until the end of the season.  Favre’s arrival will likely end Chad Pennington’s time in New York with young Kellen Clemens learning from the Master.

Brett Favre has played in 257 games (253 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 5,377 of 8,758 passes (61.4%) for 61,655 yards with 442 TD passes and 288 interceptions (85.7 QB Rating).  Favre has also carried the football 555 times in his NFL career for 1,786 yards (3.2 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  Favre is the NFL’s all-time leader in completions, passing yards, passing TDs and interceptions.  This was a fantastic move for the Jets as Favre is a leader both on and off the field and he will show the Jets how to win.

NEW PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE QB POSITION IN 2008:  A