NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

December 14, 2014

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Table of Contents

ASSOCIATED PRESS ................................................................................................................................................ 2

Jets' Wilkerson ruled out for game vs. Titans............................................................................................................ 2

NEWSDAY .............................................................................................................................................................. 2

Chris Johnson looks to have a big game against his former team in Tennessee (Kimberley Martin) ....................... 2

Sorry, fans, but Jets say No. 1 priority isn't winning the right to pick first in draft (Kimberley Martin) ................... 3

THE RECORD .......................................................................................................................................................... 4

Jets' Johnson: Forget the Titans (J.P. Pelzman) ......................................................................................................... 4

Jets-Titans matchup (J.P. Pelzman) ........................................................................................................................... 6

NJ ADVANCE MEDIA .............................................................................................................................................. 7

Jets vs. Tennessee Titans has highly unusual point spread (Dom Cosentino) ........................................................... 7

Chris Johnson, Jake Locker highlight 3 Jets-Tennessee Titans matchups to watch (Dom Cosentino) ...................... 7

Muhammad Wilkerson declared out for Jets-Tennessee Titans game (Dom Cosentino) ......................................... 8

Jets-Tennessee Titans predictions: Our staff picks for Sunday's game (Dom Cosentino) ......................................... 8

Q&A with Jets nose tackle Damon Harrison, on playing scared and chatting with Walmart stockers (Darryl Slater) ................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................. 11

We’re all ‘losing’ it amid Apple’s home-team hell (Steve Serby) ............................................................................ 11

Game plan for the Jets: Get annihilated (Mike Vaccaro) ........................................................................................ 12

Jets’ mission in toilet bowl: Prove they’re the least worst (Brian Costello) ............................................................ 13

For Jets’ Davis, visiting Nashville rekindles memories of cousin Steve McNair (Brian Costello) ............................. 15

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 17

It’s been fun, Rex Ryan, but coach's time with NY Jets is coming to a close (Mike Lupica) .................................... 17

Critics and competition wouldn't let TV gig be a cakewalk for NY Jets' Rex Ryan (Bob Raissman) ......................... 20

Sunday Morning Quarterback: Advice for NY Jets owner Woody Johnson ... get Jim Harbaugh! (Gary Myers) .... 23

The John Idzik Paradox: NY Jets would be better off losing to Titans, but GM might need W's to save job (Seth Walder) .................................................................................................................................................................... 25

As major changes are coming to fix the NY Jets, WR Percy Harvin should be a big part of the solution (Manish Mehta) ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Inside the Playbook - NY Jets at Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson ready to run all over his former team (Hank Gola) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 28

NEW YORK TIMES ................................................................................................................................................ 29

A Back Returns to a Place He Never Wanted to Leave (Tom Pedulla) .................................................................... 29

In Some Fantasy Football Leagues, Jets and Giants Excel (Justin Sablich) .............................................................. 30

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ESPN NEW YORK .................................................................................................................................................. 32

Sunday notes: When the Jets lose, they really lose (Rich Cimini) ........................................................................... 32

Muhammad Wilkerson downgraded to out (Rich Cimini) ....................................................................................... 33

W2W4: New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans (Rich Cimini) ...................................................................................... 34

METRO NEW YORK .............................................................................................................................................. 35

Video: Jets' Nick Folk, wife excited for first daughter (Kristian Dyer) ..................................................................... 35

Jets - Titans: 3 storylines to watch for (Kristian Dyer) ............................................................................................. 36

SATURDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS .................................................................................................................. 37

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jets' Wilkerson ruled out for game vs. Titans Associated Press December 13, 2014

http://pro32.ap.org/article/jets-wilkerson-ruled-out-game-vs-titans

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson will not play against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday because of turf toe.

The Jets downgraded Wilkerson from doubtful to out on Saturday, and the team announced the defensive end wouldn't travel to Tennessee.

Wilkerson, who has 4 1/2 sacks this season, has missed the last two games after injuring his left big toe when his foot got stuck in the turf at Detroit's Ford Field in the Jets' 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 24. He returned to practice this week on a limited basis, but is not ready to play. Quinton Coples is expected to start again at Wilkerson's defensive end spot, with Jason Babin filling Coples' usual outside linebacker role.

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NEWSDAY

Chris Johnson looks to have a big game against his former team in Tennessee (Kimberley Martin) Newsday December 13, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/chris-johnson-looks-to-have-a-big-game-against-his-former-team-in-tennessee-1.9710354

Football is a business. But for Chris Johnson, this is personal.

After six seasons, nearly 8,000 rushing yards and 58 total touchdowns, the Tennessee Titans deemed him disposable last offseason. And he'd love nothing more than to show his former team that he's still got it.

"Of course I want to go out there and tear it up and show them what they missed out on, make them regret it," Johnson said as he and the Jets prepared for Sunday's game in Nashville. "But I'm not going to go into the game and try to make it me versus them."

The competitor in Johnson, however, already is gearing up for a return to his old stamping grounds. His tenure in Tennessee was littered with highlight-reel clips and breakout performances. A three-time Pro

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Bowler, Johnson rushed for 2,006 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2009, earning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award and his first and only All-Pro selection.

"I had some of the best seasons of my career down in Tennessee," he said on a conference call this past week. "I'm glad they gave me the opportunity to make my dream come true. But it kind of ended a little ugly."

After the Titans cut him in April, he signed a two-year deal with the Jets. He's scheduled to earn a base salary of $3.5 million next season, but it's unclear if the Jets plan to bring him back in 2015.

"I wasn't given a reason,'' Johnson said of his release from Tennessee. "I feel like I did all the right things. I've never really been a vocal leader, but I always led by example. I played every game no matter how hurt I was. I had a torn meniscus my last year, and I think I only sat out two practices and played the whole season. So I'm not really sure."

The Jets still believed he could be a game-changer. Rex Ryan had watched helplessly from the sideline as Johnson torched his defense for 122 yards on 22 carries in the Titans' 14-10 win on Monday Night Football in 2012. The running back -- who paid tribute to the 26 victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting by writing their names on his cleats that night, only three days after the tragedy -- also broke off a 94-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that night.

Ryan jokingly said, "I thought about tackling him myself, but I couldn't get there."

"Somebody messed up," Calvin Pace said with a smile. "Seriously. Somebody messed up and he went 94. But he's always been a home run threat, a guy who will take a run and make it a touchdown, where a lot of guys will make it a 20-, 30-yard run."

Johnson has had a relatively quiet year for the Jets, aside from his lone 100-yard game of the year -- 105 yards on 17 carries against the Dolphins on Dec. 1. But though Johnson primarily has been used as Chris Ivory's backup, Pace still believes he has big-play ability.

"Yeah, he's still got it in him," he said, adding that the coaching staff likely has devised some specific plays to get Johnson going Sunday. "Hopefully he can have a good day."

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Sorry, fans, but Jets say No. 1 priority isn't winning the right to pick first in draft (Kimberley Martin) Newsday December 13, 2014

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/sorry-fans-but-jets-say-no-1-priority-isn-t-winning-the-right-to-pick-first-in-draft-1.9710349?view=print

Geno Smith can hear the chatter. And he knows it will only continue.

While he and his teammates talk about playing for pride each week, fans have shifted their focus to the future. This season is a lost cause for the Jets, an organization that not too long ago seemed like a franchise on the rise. But after failed promises of "sustainable success" -- and a lack of improvement through the draft -- many fans have turned their attention to offseason changes, namely at quarterback.

The Jets are within striking distance of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. But so are the Tennessee Titans -- and more than just a win will be on the line for these two 2-11 teams Sunday in Nashville.

Both organizations are in the quarterback market, and Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston are the assumed top targets. But to have the best chance of snagging the top pick ahead of the

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Titans, Bucs, Jaguars and Raiders -- all of whom are 2-11 -- the Jets might have to lose out the rest of the way.

And that's exactly what Smith is trying to avoid.

"I hate to talk about the fans or say anything negative about the fans, but I don't think that should be their attitude," he said. "The fans should want to see the team win no matter what."

If recent history is any indication, Jets fans thinking about the future might get what they want Sunday.

The Jets are 0-2 in their past two games in Tennessee, thanks to poor quarterback play. Smith committed four turnovers in their 38-13 loss to the Titans last year, including three in the first half that resulted in 21 points. And in 2012, Mark Sanchez turned the ball over five times in a 14-10 loss at LP Field.

"We got our butt kicked real bad the last two times," said Muhammad Wilkerson, who is out for the game with turf toe. "So hopefully we'll get a win on Sunday."

But if they don't, the Jets presumably will be one step closer to a higher draft pick. And that's a good thing, right?

Not if you ask the players.

"One draft pick isn't going to change things," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "If you end up with a high draft pick, that guy still has to get seasoned and become a pro. Very few times you see guys come in and change a franchise . . . So if that's your thinking, that's your thinking on the outside. But it's a little bit more to it than that."

The draft, of course, is an inexact science.

Besides the Indianapolis Colts, who hit a home run with Peyton Manning in 1998 and with Andrew Luck in 2012, few teams have hit paydirt in recent years with their first-round quarterback selections. And according to ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., there isn't a franchise quarterback in the 2015 crop of quarterbacks either.

Even if Mariota goes No. 1 overall, as expected, "he's not Andrew Luck," Kiper said. "He's not in that elite of elite category. Could he be really good? If you're patient with him, if you wait and let him evolve, and we don't write him off as a bust early on, then you're fine."

The Jets, however, need an immediate solution to their quarterback woes. And Smith knows many fans -- and even members of the organization -- aren't convinced he's the answer.

"I don't have any feelings toward it, really," Smith said of fans who want to see him replaced. "You have guys that support you, you have guys that don't. That's just the way it is . . . The only thing that I can try and do is, those that don't believe in me, try to win them over by playing well."

But in the meantime, fans and the Jets' front office will be keeping an eye on 2015.

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THE RECORD

Jets' Johnson: Forget the Titans (J.P. Pelzman) The Record December 14, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/forgetting-the-titans-1.1153220

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Chris Johnson still keeps in touch with some of his old friends on the Titans, but he said he hasn’t paid too much attention to their season.

That’s understandable. He and the Jets have a dismal campaign of their own to worry about.

"I would have never imagined that," Johnson said when asked if he could have envisioned how the Jets’ season would play out. "Just knowing the type of team we have here, we’re 2-11 and we’re way better than that. We’re not showing it. I feel like we play hard and we’re putting drives together, but the ball is just not falling our way."

Johnson will get a close-up look at his former team today when the Jets visit Tennessee. Both teams are 2-11 and already looking toward 2015. Johnson’s future is uncertain, considering the Jets have a club option on the second season of his two-year deal that must be exercised in February. He is scheduled to make $3.5 million in 2015, but that money isn’t guaranteed.

Johnson said he would like to return to the Jets, but added, "At the end of the day the situation would have to be right. I’m not focused on that right now.

"I’m just [trying to] put it into perspective, trying to make it like a regular week," he said of facing the team that released him in April after six seasons. "I’m worried more about what’s going on over here, getting a victory, rather than trying to make it me versus Tennessee."

Johnson rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his six years with Tennessee, including a 2,006-yard campaign in 2009. He ran for 1,077 yards last season despite suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee in Week 3.

"Of course it’s going to be strange going over there" to the visiting locker room, he said, adding, "I wouldn’t say [I have] something to prove. They know what kind of player I am."

But finally, after multiple questions from reporters, he admitted, "Of course I want to go out there and tear it up, and show them what they missed out on, make them regret it. But I’m not going to go into the game and try to make it me versus them."

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg expects Johnson to be excited to play.

"There are always those types of feelings for players when they go back to their old stomping grounds," Mornhinweg said. "So, I’m sure he’ll be juiced up just a little bit."

Johnson averaged 290 carries per season with Tennessee, where he was the undisputed featured back. But with the Jets he’s had to share carries with veterans Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell. Johnson is averaging 4.5 yards a carry, and has been effective in his somewhat-limited role.

Still, he has only 125 carries for 558 yards, and is on a pace for career-lows in both categories by a wide margin. Johnson had 251 carries in his rookie season of 2008 and rushed for a career-low 1,047 yards in 2011.

"It’s a tough situation, but there’s really nothing I can do about it now but just try to take advantage of the opportunities I do get," Johnson said.

"We have certainly gotten everything out of him from a preparation standpoint and all of that," coach Rex Ryan said. "He has been outstanding for us. He is not carrying it 300 times this year, but I think his body is good. I think he’s feeling good right now. As we’ve talked about, we have two starting running backs [Johnson and Ivory], it just happens that they are splitting carries. I like having Chris Johnson on this football team."

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WILKERSON OUT: Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson will not play against the Titans today because of turf toe.

The Jets downgraded Wilkerson from doubtful to out on Saturday, and the team announced the defensive end wouldn’t travel to Tennessee.

Wilkerson, who has 4 1/2 sacks this season, has missed the last two games after injuring his left big toe when his foot got stuck in the turf at Detroit’s Ford Field.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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Jets-Titans matchup (J.P. Pelzman) The Record December 14, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets-titans-matchup-1.1153183

Jets (2-11) at Titans (2-11)

At LP Field

Today, 4:05 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: ESPN-FM 98.7

Line: Jets by 2 1/2

What’s at stake

Jets: Well, Gang Green could increase its shot at the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft by losing this game, but don’t tell the Jets that. Coach Rex Ryan said his team has no plans to tank, despite the fact the Jets and Titans enter today in a five-way tie for the worst record in the NFL. The Jets are trying to break a three-game losing streak and a six-game road skid.

Titans: Tennessee is trying to snap a seven-game slide, and will try to do it with a QB the organization benched in late October. Jake Locker, who is in his fourth season, likely is auditioning to be some other team’s No. 2 QB next year. Locker will start today because rookie Zach Mettenberger, a sixth-round pick, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a loss to the Giants last week.

Key matchup

Jets CB Darrin Walls vs. Titans WR Nate Washington. Washington has hurt the Jets in each of the last two meetings, both Tennessee victories. He has totaled eight receptions for 167 yards and two TDs, both of which came in a victory last year. Walls has had one interception in each of the last two games and has played better lately after a very shaky start to his season.

How they’ll win

Jets: Former Titan Chris Johnson figures to have plenty of extra motivation, and he and fellow RB Chris Ivory should find running room against a Tennessee defense that allows 4.3 yards per carry. WR-KR Percy Harvin (ankle) is questionable, and if he is unable to play, speedy third-year WR T.J. Graham could have a bigger role on offense. He also is a likely candidate to return kickoffs. The defense must contain Locker and keep him in the pocket.

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Titans: Locker had three TD passes before being injured in a win over the Jets last season, and he picks up where he left off. Tennessee’s injury-ravaged offensive line allowed eight sacks against the Giants last week and must do a better job against the Jets’ stout front seven. Geno Smith threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles against the Titans last year, and Tennessee will try to pressure him into similar mistakes. Former St. Joseph Regional standout Jason McCourty leads the Titans with three interceptions.

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NJ ADVANCE MEDIA

Jets vs. Tennessee Titans has highly unusual point spread (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media December 13, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/jets_vs_tennessee_titans_has_h.html

NASHVILLE — Get this: The Jets are favored to beat the Titans on Sunday. Like, for real.

At first glance, it seems odd. The Jets are 2-11, including 0-6 on the road, and their best player, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, will miss his third straight game because of turf toe. But the Titans are worse! No, really. Such a thing is actually possible!

The Titans are also 2-11, and they're currently two spots ahead of the Jets in the 2015 draft order. And because of injuries, the Titans will be without their starting quarterback, Zach Mettenberger, and both of their starting offensive tackles. The Jets practically look dominant by comparison.

And Vegas agrees: Several sports books have the Jets giving as many as three points on the betting lines. Which, considering the Jets' record, is highly unusual. And Pro Football Talk found out just how unusual: According to data PFT got from Spreadapedia, the Jets are just the fourth two-win team to be favored on the road in December since 1978.

It's not the first time the Jets have had a strange point spread this season. In late October, they were favored to beat the 4-3 Bills at home—the first time in at least 25 years a team with a 1-6 record was favored to beat a team with a winning record. Naturally, the Jets went out and lost by 20.

Sunday's spread puts the Titans in the illustrious company of the 1981 Colts (against the Patriots), the 2008 Rams (Seahawks), and the 2013 Jaguars (Texans) as the only home underdogs against a two-win opponent this late in the season in the last 36 years.

With the Jets scheduled to play the hated Patriots at home next week, I guess that makes this a trap game. The Jets better be careful, lest they somehow get upset.

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Chris Johnson, Jake Locker highlight 3 Jets-Tennessee Titans matchups to watch (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media December 13, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/chris_johnson_jake_locker_high_1.html

NASHVILLE — Either the 2-11 Jets or the 2-11 Titans will get a win on Sunday, unless the two teams tie, which actually would be somewhat fitting considering the sort of year it's been for both franchises.

But what can we expect from a matchup standpoint? Here are three in particular to keep an eye on:

Jets RB Chris Johnson vs. Titans run defense

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Any way one looks at it, the Titans are one of the league's worst teams against the run: Football Outsiders ranks them 24th in adjusted line yards, and they're giving up an average of 141.5 yards per game on the ground, which ranks dead last. Which brings us to Johnson, the ex-Titans running back who hopes to make the team "regret" releasing him during the offseason, which they did instead of paying him $8 million. Johnson may have just 558 rushing yards this season—easily well on his way to a career-low—but he pounded out 105 yards two weeks ago against the Dolphins and could do the same again if the Jets want to give him the ball a lot.

Titans QB Jake Locker vs. Jets pass defense

In two career starts against the Jets in 2012 and '13, Locker has posted passer ratings of 79.5 and 130.0. He also won both of those games. The Jets have given up 13 plays of 40-yards or more, which is second-worst in the league. So there's the potential for Locker to test them deep. But Locker has only appeared in six games this season, and he's only playing because rookie Zach Mettenberger is hurt. And it's not like he has much of a running game to lean on: The Titans rank 27th in the league with just 86.2 rushing yards per game.

Jets defensive line vs. Titans offensive line

Usually, we try to highlight a specific matchup up front that could be pivotal. But injuries to both of the Titans' starting tackles (Taylor Lewan and Michael Oher) pretty much makes Tennessee's entire offensive front a giant question mark, especially with the Jets continuing to get outstanding play from defensive end Sheldon Richardson and nose tackle Damon Harrison even with Muhammad Wilkerson out again with a toe injury.

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Muhammad Wilkerson declared out for Jets-Tennessee Titans game (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media December 13, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/muhammad_wilkerson_declared_ou.html

NASHVILLE — The Jets on Saturday downgraded defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson to out for Sunday's game at the Titans because of a toe injury.

Wilkerson, the Jets' best player, did not even make the trip to Nashville, the team announced.

That Wilkerson was declared out is not much of a surprise; he had been listed as doubtful on Friday's injury report, and head coach Rex Ryan had said he was not optimistic about Wilkerson's chances of playing, just one day after Ryan said Wilkerson had a 50/50 shot at being able to go.

It will be the third consecutive game Wilkerson has missed because of the toe injury, which has been described as turf toe. Outside linebacker Quinton Coples is again expected to start in Wilkerson's place, with Jason Babin manning Coples's linebacker spot.

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Jets-Tennessee Titans predictions: Our staff picks for Sunday's game (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media December 13, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/jets-tennessee_titans_predicti.html

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FLORHAM PARK — Here's how Team NJ Advance Media sees the Who Wants A Better Draft Pick Bowl playing out between the Jets (2-11) and Titans (2-11) on Sunday in Nashville. Per Bovada, the Jets—the Jets!—are actually favored by three points.

Darryl Slater, Jets beat writer (6-6-1 against the spread, 8-5 straight up): Boy, this looks like a gem of a game, no? The Jets and Titans are both 2-11. Does anybody in either team's fan base want his team to win this game? The Titans are currently second in the draft order, the Jets fourth. Both teams figure to be in the hunt for a quarterback next spring. This could be a very costly win for whichever team emerges victorious. As if Jets fans aren't furious enough already at quarterback Geno Smith, he will play very well in Nashville, and lead the Jets to a win that drops them in the draft pecking order. Jets 21, Titans 17

Steve Politi, columnist (4-8-1 against the spread, 6-7 straight up): This is when it happens: All those things you love about Rex Ryan, the fact his teams do not quit and always play hard for him, comes back to haunt Jets fans. All they want the Jets to do is lose, lose, lose and here come the Jets and Rex to spoil the whole thing. Jets 23, Titans 6

Dom Cosentino, Jets beat writer (6-6-1 against the spread, 10-3 straight up): At last, the Jets draw a dreadful opponent. Not only that, but the Titans will be without quarterback Zach Mettenberger (shoulder), and starting offensive tackles Michael Oher (toe) and Taylor Lewan (ankle). Just in time for Jets fans to root for a loss to improve their draft position. Not going to happen. Jets 18, Titans 13

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Q&A with Jets nose tackle Damon Harrison, on playing scared and chatting with Walmart stockers (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media December 13, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/qa_with_jets_nose_tackle_damon.html

FLORHAM PARK -- When the Jets signed nose tackle Damon Harrison as an undrafted free agent in 2012, few people knew who he was. Harrison played at Northwest Mississippi Community College, and then William Penn, an NAIA school in rural Iowa.

Two and a half years later, Harrison is in his second season starting on one of the NFL's best defensive lines. He has started all 29 of the Jets' games dating to the beginning of last year. He has, rather swiftly, turned into a legitimate NFL player.

Last year, Harrison had seven tackles for loss, one sack and seven quarterback hurries. This season, he is drawing more double-team blocks, and his numbers are down a bit: one tackle for loss, no sacks and eight hurries.

But he was a big reason why, last year, the Jets ranked third and first in the NFL in rushing yards per game and per carry allowed. This season, the Jets are fifth and fourth in those categories.

Pro Football Focus last season rated Harrison as the league's fourth-best 3-4 defensive tackle/nose tackle, including first against the run. This season, he is 18th overall and fourth against the run.

"The thing that he does for us in the middle, as far as helping us stop the run and taking up two, sometimes three blockers in the middle, he has done a tremendous job," said Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman. "I just happen to believe that he is one of the better nose guards in the National Football League right now. He does a great job of splitting the double teams and staying on his feet. And also, being able to make plays, which is a tremendous feat for a guy that when he first came into the league, he couldn't read a trap block. He has grown, and he has become a force in the middle for us."

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Though the Jets are 2-11, their prodigious defensive line gives them hope for the future. Harrison, 26, is in his third year. End Muhammad Wilkerson, 25, is in his fourth season. And tackle Sheldon Richardson, 24, is a second-year pro. Wilkerson and Richardson are unquestionably the Jets' two best players.

This is the last year of Harrison's rookie contract. He will be a restricted free agent. He figures to get a raise next season on the $570,000 base salary he is making this year.

Not bad for a guy who stocked shelves overnight at Walmart seven years ago, after leaving community college, and prior to his four seasons at William Penn.

This week, Harrison took some time to discuss his progress on the field, and how often he thinks about those humbling days working at Walmart.

Q: What is it like being well known now?

A: On and off the field, it's been great. I wouldn't say on the field too much, because a lot of people are paying attention to me. I'm seeing more double teams than I've seen in the past. It's all about a respect thing. I'm honored to have that respect.

Q: If you could self-scout yourself, how are you a better player now than last year?

A: I'm more aware of my surroundings. Last year was kind of like just on the fly, learning on the fly. Now I'm able to diagnose certain things and able to process things a whole lot easier. I understand the game a whole lot better. I'm using my hands more. I haven't had the opportunities like I had last year, because I'm not going to say that I'm a major threat, but teams have to account for me now, which opens up things for a lot of other guys.

Q: Do you think the increased double teams you've seen have resulted in your stats dropping?

A: Yeah, I would think so. Which is not a bad thing, because other guys are picking up where I'm not able to, like with getting the tackles for loss like I had last year. (Opponents) didn't know who I was (last year). They didn't know that: We can't block him this way on this type of play, because he'll make the play. But now, I have to be accounted for.

Q: So do you feel comfortable now that you can play in this league for a long time?

A: Hell yeah. I think I've got another 15 years in me. I'll retire when I'm 41.

Q: When did you first feel really comfortable that you belonged in the NFL?

A: I'd say the Giants game in the preseason last year. Before, I was playing like I was scared to make a mistake. I wasn't playing fast or being free, because I was so technical and I didn't want to mess up. Kenrick (Ellis) went down and I got an opportunity to start. I told (defensive line) coach (Karl Dunbar), 'This game, I'm not worrying about messing up. If I mess up, we'll talk about it the next day. But I'm not playing scared today. It's either going to be all good or all bad.' And it ended up being all good.

[Harrison made seven tackles, all solo, in that preseason game against the Giants, cementing his spot as a starter.]

Q: How does the Jets' defensive line compare to others in the NFL?

A: I can't really say, man, because we're not winning. You can say you're the best, but if your record doesn't show it, it's just talk.

Q: When you go into Walmart, do you ever think about how you used to work there?

A: It happened, I want to say, two days ago. I was in Walmart with somebody. And the Walmart in Cedar Knolls, I frequent that one a lot. Everybody in there, they know my story. They read it. They know who I

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am. So when I'm walking through the aisles, it'll be just some of them, the workers that are there, they make sure to come up and say hello. If I need something, they help me find it. We talk about me working in Walmart, which was a humbling experience, man. It's funny. Like two days ago, I was in Walmart talking with somebody about it. They were doing the overnight stocking, and I was in there late and I was walking through. I was showing them: I used to work over here. I started off in cosmetics. Then I moved to pets. Then I went to grocery. But grocery, man, that's like playing quarterback in the NFL. Everybody can't do it. It's a lot. People buy more groceries at the super Walmarts than anything. It's just constant loading. At least when I was in the pets, I could stock up and be done for the night, at maybe 3 in the morning. But grocery, you're working from 10 (p.m.) all the way until 7 (a.m.). It’s tough, man.

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NEW YORK POST

We’re all ‘losing’ it amid Apple’s home-team hell (Steve Serby) New York Post December 14, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/14/were-all-losing-it-amid-apples-home-team-hell/

This is the winter of our discontent, and it isn’t even winter yet.

We pay exorbitant, mostly obscene prices for our sports addiction, to forget about the daily stresses of our lives for two or three hours at a time, and our professional teams only leave us unfulfilled at best, infuriated and outraged and wallowing in misery at worst. No bang for our bucks here.

The NFL is our biggest obsession, and Jets and Giants fans alike can’t wait to punt. The only good news this season was that neither Ray Rice nor Adrian Peterson played here.

Jets fans, still praying for another Broadway Joe Namath, will be rooting for their 2-11 heroes to lose Sunday to the Titans so they have a better shot at drafting Oregon’s Marcus Mariota or even immature Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in May for Rex Ryan’s successor. Spoiler alert for you long-suffering masochists — and you know only too well who you are — it’s 46 years and counting since your boys won their lone Super Bowl championship.

The 4-9 Giants haven’t been the Giants since Super Bowl XLVI, no one is certain whether Tom Coughlin will be back, and dynamic rookie phenom Odell Beckham Jr. of Greatest Catch Ever fame

is the only reason to watch Sunday’s game against the Redskins.

And ripped-off fans of both teams are held hostage in PSL hell.

Not to worry — Phil Jackson, the Zen Master, was summoned by James Dolan to resurrect our Knicks. Except that isn’t the triangle offense they’ve been running, it’s apparently the Bermuda Triangle. For he’s not a jolly good Melo, for he’s not a jolly good Melo. Same Old Knicks, who haven’t won an NBA championship since 1973, and own a 5-20 record thanks to an even-a-blind-squirrel-finds-an-acorn upset Friday night in Boston. And it isn’t very easy to drown your sorrows: the cheapest beer at the Garden goes for $10.50, most expensive in the league.

But hey, it’s New York, New York — if you can drink it here, you can drink it anywhere.

The best thing about the Brooklyn Nets is their beautiful Barclays Center and the fact that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge seem to count themselves as fans.

The Islanders are the best we have, which is terrific if you live on Long Island. The Rangers are capable, but we aren’t a hockey town, and most of us will begin paying attention in May

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and June, when they attempt to break this new 20-year Curse without Mark Messier. The Devils? Marty Brodeur doesn’t even play for them anymore.

It’s much too soon for us to be asking: “How many days until pitchers and catchers?”

But what choice have all these Boys of Bummer left us other than springing ahead to Port St. Lucie, where Comeback Kid Matt Harvey and the Mets begin preparations for their first World Series championship in 29 years, and to Tampa, where we will mourn the retirement of Derek Jeter and welcome the return of the Alex Rodriguez circus?

These godforsaken headlines taunt us: The Rotten Apple; The Big Crapple. New Yuck, New Yuck. Our last champions, of course, were the 2009 Yankees, their 27th, and the 2011 Giants, their fourth Lombardi Trophy.

Oh how we yearn for the good old days of 1969 and 1970, when over a 16-month span, we celebrated championships by the Super Bowl III Jets, the Amazin’ Mets and the Red Holzman Knicks.

And October 1986, when Mookie’s grounder somehow rolled through Buckner’s legs and three months later we marveled at Phil Simms in Pasadena.

That was then, this is now.

Will we ever see another parade through the Canyon of Heroes?

In the immortal words of 1962 Mets manager Casey Stengel: “Can’t anybody here play this game?”

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Game plan for the Jets: Get annihilated (Mike Vaccaro) New York Post December 14, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/14/game-plan-for-the-jets-get-annihilated/

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — These are the Jets, and so what’s best for the future may not be what’s best for today. There is 99.943 percent certitude that there will be a new head coach in place by the time January is in full swing. There seem to be increasingly favorable odds that there also will be a new general manager making the calls.1

And there will be a vast purging of the people who presently populate the roster, too. That’s as good a bet as any.

So there is a vast incongruity to what will take place on the turf at LP Field just past 4 o’clock, when the horrific Jets and the horrendous Titans do battle, their matching 2-11 records sure to bring havoc to television tubes all over New York and Tennessee, should anyone actually bother to tune in. The folks still in place want to win. Everyone else — everyone else — wants to see something else.

What’s best for the Jets? That’s easy. In this bizarro game with bizarro stakes on the line, the answer is this: lose. Get pounded. Get slaughtered. Get crushed. Really, it shouldn’t be so hard, right?

This is the third year in a row the Jets will travel to Music City. Two years ago, they were 6-7 and still harboring hope of sneaking into the playoffs. Then Chris Johnson (a Titan then, a Jet now) rattled off a 94-yard touchdown run, and Mark Sanchez threw four interceptions, and Tim Tebow, granted his only full series as a Jet did usual Jets-QB things (a delay of game penalty, a sack, a gruesome incompletion), and ultimately Sanchez fumbled a snap with the Jets in great field position at the end, clinching a 14-10 loss and igniting a season-ending three-game losing streak.

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Last year? Well, this time the quarterback was Geno Smith, and the Jets were off to a surprising 2-1 start, and it seemed team and QB were eager to surprise people … and then Smith threw two costly picks, had two fumbles — including a strange one where he tried to go behind-the-back with a ball, only to lose the ball in the end zone — and the Jets fell 38-10.

Ah, but those were games the Jets needed to win, games that had actual meaning in the AFC, games that would have actually benefited the Jets had they won them. And remember: these are the bizarro Jets.

Up is down. Down is up. Backwards is forwards and they are officially through the looking glass, people.

Losing — for those who will still care about the Jets after The Great Purge, for those who understand that the higher they pick, the more options will stand before them, including the preferred path of being able to select Oregon’s Marcus Mariota — is what is needed now, is what will benefit the Jets most, is what will help rescue the rubble quickest.

So of course the Jets probably will win this game.

Because in this epic showdown to Suck for the Duck …

Well it’s the typical Jets story, right? Just in reverse: they probably aren’t bad enough. They probably aren’t hurt enough. It’s their luck — in this chase for the Duck — that Johnson will probably have payback on his mind, and with the Titans’ defense a calamitous mess maybe he’ll hit 350 yards rushing.

The Jets’ quarterback situation might be abysmal, but the Titans have two QBs of the Future on their roster and one — Jake Locker, who filleted the Jets last year — is a shell of his former self and the other — Zach Mettenberger — is hurt and didn’t much remind anyone of Sammy Baugh when he was healthy.

They need the Duck just as much.

So there’s that.

And there’s this: did you happen to see what the Giants did last week when they had a crack at the Titans, here? I may be off here but I believe the final score was 754-3, something like that, and it wasn’t nearly as close. And let’s not mince our words here: the Giants may not be as bad as the Jets, but the choice really is a classic one: airline food or hospital food? One might be better. But the choices still …

Well, suck. And of course it’s just the Jets’ luck that they don’t suck, not enough to ensure the Duck, that they are the team with more pluck, and fewer schmucks, and … well, they had just better hope that the old NFL truth still applies, even in a bizarro world: on any given Sunday, any team can lose to any other team.

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Jets’ mission in toilet bowl: Prove they’re the least worst (Brian Costello) New York Post December 13, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/13/jets-mission-in-toilet-bowl-prove-theyre-the-least-worst/

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Welcome to the Tennessee Toilet Bowl.

Sunday’s game between the 2-11 Jets and the 2-11 Titans might be so frightening, football fans will have to avert their eyes. This game has no meaning for 2014, as both of these teams are going nowhere, but everything to do with 2015.

Plenty of fans of both teams will be rooting for a loss instead of a win, hoping their team can land a better draft pick and maybe the top prize — Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

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There is a five-way tie at the bottom of the standings right now, with the Jets and Titans tied with the Buccaneers, Jaguars and Raiders. It is truly a race to the bottom.

But the Jets players and coaches cannot worry about next spring’s NFL Draft. They still are trying to win games.

“I hate to talk about the fans or saying anything negative about the fans, but I don’t think that should be their attitude,” quarterback Geno Smith said of fans hoping they will tank. “The fans should want to see the team win no matter what. Like I said, I can’t really focus on that. I’m only focused on day-by-day getting better in practice and then going out there and performing well on Sundays.”

Veteran linebacker Calvin Pace said those fans should be careful what they are wishing for.

“One draft pick isn’t going to change things,” Pace said. “If you end up with a high draft pick, that guy still has to get seasoned and become a pro. Very few times you see guys come in and change a franchise with one guy. So again, if that’s your thinking, then that’s your thinking on the outside, but there is a little bit more to it then that.”

One thing is certain: these are two bad football teams. The Titans have lost seven straight, including a 29-point loss to the dismal Giants last week. They are ranked 30th in the NFL in both total offense and total defense.

The Jets have lost 11 of their last 12 games and are 0-6 on the road this season. They have been outscored 181-86 in road games this season. The Jets came close to getting a road win last week before losing to the Vikings in overtime. The Jets have lost all their road games just twice in franchise history — in 1964 and 2005.

Marquee matchup

Jets LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson vs. Titans DT Jurrell Casey

It has been a terrible season for the Titans, but Casey is having a great year. The fourth-year player has five sacks and 26 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. He has been a disruptive force up front for the Titans defense, which is 19th in passing defense.

For Ferguson, it’s another week and another challenge. Ferguson had a tough time with Vikings DE Everson Griffen last week, who was in Geno Smith’s face all day. Ferguson turned 31 years old this week and his play has slipped a bit this year. I wouldn’t expect Ferguson to go anywhere in 2015, but the Jets might have to start thinking about replacing him next offseason.

This matchup is pivotal to this game because Smith is a different quarterback when he is under pressure. If Ferguson can keep Casey out of Smith’s face, the quarterback might be able to have some success against a soft Titans defense.

The return of CJ2K

Jets running back Chris Johnson has had a frustrating season. He is on pace for a career-low statistically with just 558 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on 125 carries in his first season as a Jet. But he can make this season a little sweet Sunday when he faces his former team.

Johnson returns to the stadium he called home for six seasons and where he became a star. Johnson tried to downplay the meeting this week, but admitted he wants to “tear it up.” The Titans cut him in April, and he was annoyed they waited so long into the offseason before making the move, hurting his opportunities in free agency.

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“I am just [trying to] put it into perspective, trying to make it like a regular week,” Johnson said. “I am worried about more of what is going on over here, getting a victory over here, rather than me vs. Tennessee.”

OK Flash, let’s see it

Jets quarterback Geno Smith opened this mouth this week and said he has shown “flashes” of Pro Bowl play. That was met by a collective chuckle outside the Jets building and a collective groan inside.

With his comment still fresh in everyone’s brain, there is no better time than Sunday for Smith to show some of that Pro Bowl ability. He has started the past two games with mixed results. Against Miami, he threw just 13 times. Last week, the coaches let him throw a bit more and he played well after a pick-six on the opening play. The Jets are looking for consistency from Smith. The Titans stink. Can he take advantage of them?

Line them up

The Titans offensive line is one of the worst in football. The group has given up 41 sacks this year, tied for 28th worst in the NFL. They may be playing without both starting tackles Sunday as Taylor Lewan (ankle) and Michael Oher (toe) have both missed practice time this week. Lewan only became the starter after Michael Roos was lost for the season.

All of this should translate into a big day for the Jets defensive line, but they will not have Muhammad Wilkerson for the third straight game. Sheldon Richardson had a monster game last week with three sacks and is making a late Pro Bowl push.

Backup blues

The Titans lost starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger to a shoulder injury last week against the Giants and will be starting backup Jake Locker against the Jets. Normally, teams would be thrilled to see a backup quarterback, but the Jets preferred to play Mettenberger, a rookie.

Locker had a good game against the Jets last season before leaving with an injury. He threw three touchdowns in that game and had 149 yards passing with a 130.0 quarterback rating. Locker, a first-round pick in 2011, has no future in Tennessee, but is auditioning for the other 31 teams in these final games of the season.

Costello’s call

The only thing certain is there will be some bad football played. Looking at it, the Jets have played better than the Titans lately, who were non-competitive last week. But funny things happen when the Jets go to Nashville. Titans pull out an ugly one and Jets fans can rejoice over better draft position.

Titans 21, Jets 9

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For Jets’ Davis, visiting Nashville rekindles memories of cousin Steve McNair (Brian Costello) New York Post December 13, 2014

http://nypost.com/2014/12/13/for-jets-davis-visiting-nashville-rekindles-memories-of-cousin-steve-mcnair/

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Demario Davis will approach Sunday’s game with the Titans as if it’s a regular game. He will go through his pregame routine the same way he has through the first 45 games of his career.

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But there will be a moment Sunday afternoon at LP Field when the Jets linebacker pauses and remembers sitting in the stands there, watching his famous cousin run around the field.

Davis was a first cousin of the late Titans legend Steve McNair. Davis, 25, was 16 years younger than McNair, but used to take the trip from his Mississippi home every so often to watch McNair play.

“It’s always a special time going back there,” Davis said this week. “Of course, playing in the same place that he played in it’s going to come to your mind. There aren’t too many days that go by I don’t think about my cousin.”

McNair became a star playing for the Oilers and then the Titans. Davis was just 6 years old when the Oilers drafted McNair with the third pick in 1995. Davis looked up to all of his football-playing cousins, but it was McNair who made him believe he could someday make it to the NFL.

“He was just a real influential guy to family in general. I was just another one of his younger cousins,” Davis said. “He had a lot of other things that were on his mind but any time I had a question about anything he would be right there.

“He wouldn’t tell me to go about my business. He would sit down and talk to me just like I was an adult. I remember having conversations with him when I was 8 or 9 years old. He’d just sit there and wouldn’t sugarcoat it. He would give it to me straight.”

Davis had just turned 11 when McNair and the Titans lost to the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV after a last-second pass from McNair to Kevin Dyson came up 1 yard short of tying the game.

“I asked him what happened on that last play of the game,” Davis said. “He told me just like I was a reporter or a coach or something. I had a lot of respect for him.”

McNair died on July 4, 2009, under suspicious circumstances, shot by Sahel Kazemi, his alleged mistress. The Titans held a two-day memorial for McNair at their stadium. For Davis, it remains tough to think about.

“Anytime somebody dies in your family it’s tough, but to die the way he did with so many questions unanswered,” Davis said. “You just try to go on, you know, and I just try to look at that situation and learn from it. It’s tough. Nobody is perfect.”

Davis’ own football career took off at Arkansas State, and the Jets selected him in the third round of the 2012 draft. He became a starter a year later at inside linebacker and has become one of the Jets’ team leaders.

“I think he’d be extremely proud,” Davis said. “If he was still living, I know we’d be talking on the phone nearly every day just about all kinds of stuff. I know he’d be extremely proud.”

Davis is the Jets’ second-leading tackler this year with 101. Despite being in just his third year, Davis is considered one of the leaders of the team, making this 2-11 season especially difficult.

“It’s tough on me,” Davis said. “Anytime you’re a leader you feel like you could do things differently. I take the brunt of it. I just feel like anytime we’re not playing to a high standard on defense, it’s on me. I have to find a way as a leader to get us to that point.”

For Davis, he will try to honor his cousin with a victory Sunday and hopes the Jets can finish the season strong to have something to build from in the offseason.

“I’m just proud of the way we’re still fighting,” he said. “This is a team that has a lot of fight in it. This is a dark time for the team right now, but I know without a shadow of a doubt there are brighter days ahead. We just have to keep fighting and keep working.”

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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

It’s been fun, Rex Ryan, but coach's time with NY Jets is coming to a close (Mike Lupica) New York Daily News December 14, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/lupica-fun-rex-ryan-article-1.2044719

There is no way of knowing whether Rex Ryan has already come as close to the Lombardi Trophy as he will ever come. And as his time with the Jets comes to a close, like what was once a hit show closing, as he begins to play out the string with what will be a mostly unwatchable game today against the Tennessee Titans — the Marcus Mariota Bowl! — there is no way to add it all up and really know whether he has been anything more than a loud, colorful, glorified defensive coordinator.

Who knows, maybe he will be remembered best as the guy who coached the Jets before Jim Harbaugh did; before Harbaugh became the coach who brought the Jets all the way back the way Bill Parcells brought the Giants back once.

Still: One thing we do know for sure about Rex Ryan is that someone so often treated like a stand-up comic in Florham Park has shown himself to be a stand-up guy to the end. That won’t save him and shouldn’t save him or change his record. It should still count for something.

His resume with the Jets will always be complicated. There will be those who say he did his best work with an awful lot of players he inherited from Eric Mangini, and that he got as lucky with his first run to the AFC Championship Game — even thinking the Jets were out of the playoffs at one point, remember that? — as the Giants did the second time they won the Super Bowl. And Rex’s critics will look at all the players he coached on offense and ask which ones ever really got better on his watch.

But he will have his defenders, too, you know that, including so many of the men who played for him. These people will talk about the Jets going to the championship game with Mark Sanchez as a rookie quarterback and then as a second-year quarterback, and they will talk, and big, about the time Rex and the Jets went into Foxborough and beat the 14-2 Patriots in a playoff game that Tom Brady still says is one of the worst defeats he’s ever had.

But what we will all remember is how much fun it was with Rex in town, especially those first two years, when he really did look like the biggest star we had. Fun didn’t get him to the Super Bowl. Fun never beat Belichick and Brady out of first place in the AFC East and it never made the Jets a bigger deal around here, or in their own stadium, than the Giants have always been in football, both in New York and in Jersey.

It was still big fun, as big as Rex once was. It doesn’t save him from 2-11 now and whatever record the Jets end up with; doesn’t save him from what the Bills did to him twice and what the Chargers did to him in San Diego, and the fact that he was so scared of his own quarterback against the Dolphins that he had the Jets play as if the forward pass had never been invented in pro football. Doesn’t save him from the fact that the Jets were out of the playoffs more than they were in them while he was in town.

Jim Harbaugh hasn’t won a Super Bowl, either, and has made just one more championship game than Rex did. The idea that Woody Johnson shouldn’t go after him, and hard, if Harbaugh is available after this season is dumber than a butt fumble. Or signing Tim Tebow. Or Rex and everybody else in Florham Park worrying about the media as much as they do.

It is still worth remembering how Rex has conducted himself this season. You can say he looked foolish defending the general manager who didn’t want him in the first place, or defending Geno Smith, or even talking about all the pride and fight in his team when there were times this season when we saw neither.

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Maybe it was just another way of auditioning for his next job, a players’ coach wanting the world to see he was a team player himself.

To the end, though, he has been himself, even the other day when he addressed some of the things Woody Johnson had said in the Daily News about how frustrated and disappointed he feels about the ’14 Jets by saying this:

“I feel the same way he does.”

There have been so few managers or coaches ever like him with a New York sports team. There were times when we tried too hard and the media laughed too hard at things that weren’t all that funny. It doesn’t change the fact that he did sometimes feel like a football Casey Stengel, just without the World Series. Finally this season, he turned into Casey coaching some kind of football version of the ’62 Mets.

No one knows if his ego will allow him to officially become a coordinator again. Or if his next move is into television, and becoming some kind of big John Madden 2.0. Maybe he does end up with a head job right away, even if you wonder how that happens if he ends up 2-14.

He never won it all here. Over the past few years he didn’t win nearly enough to keep his job. There was still that time when he made the Jets matter again. He ought to be cheered for that at MetLife Stadium before he goes.

What a hack, why mad for Max, and here's to the Knicks fan ....

-- Hacked Hollywood moguls begging Al Sharpton for forgiveness is so amusing on so many different levels you barely know where to begin.

At least Woody said something the other day, when Gary Myers of The News caught up with him at the NFL owners’ meetings in Dallas.

He didn’t say a lot.

And a lot of what he said was obvious.

But when he said that he expected his team to be good this year, and added “It shows how much I know,” it was one of his better moments as the Jets’ owner.

And one of his most human at the same time.

It doesn’t change the fact that he thought John Idzik was the end of the star search, it doesn’t change that he forced Rex Ryan on Idzik, a marriage that was more doomed than a Kardashian’s.

It doesn’t change the fact that Woody’s Jets are still so far south of the salary cap.

At least he didn’t wait until the end of the season to speak directly to his own fans.

At least he stopped hiding behind Idzik and Ryan for a few minutes.

-- You can see why people think Max Scherzer is irresistible for the Yankees, and also why the Yankee media might die of heartbreak if the guy doesn’t end up in pinstripes.

He is an over-30 starting pitcher.

He is a Scott Boras client.

He wants way too much money and way too many years.

And, to make him not just irresistible but almost perfect . . . the Yankees would be bidding against themselves to sign him!

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By the way, you know one of the reasons the people running the Yankees are being told in the media it’s practically their civic duty to sign Scherzer to be their ace?

Because the over-30 ace they signed five years ago — CC Sabathia — looks the way he does at the back end of the same kind of deal Scherzer is looking for.

So it goes.

Matt Kemp would have looked pretty nifty in the middle of the Mets’ batting order, if you ask me.

And not so terrible holding down one of the outfield spots at Citi Field.

The team from the Jersey Institute of Technology now has as many big basketball wins this season as the Knicks do.

The only thing Phil Jackson has been right about so far is with the coach — Steve Kerr — who didn’t want to come work for him.

One of the single dumbest crusades in the history of politics in this city is Bill de Blasio’s against horse-drawn carriages.

And his vision of replacing them with those idiotic electronic cars.

-- It is still early for Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers, but there are some Rangers fans I know worrying that last June was as close as the King is ever going to get to the Stanley Cup.

Wouldn’t it be something to see the Seahawks have to go to Lambeau for the NFC Championship Game?

You know who Carmelo would probably love to have passing him the ball?

Somebody like Kyle Lowry.

Oh, wait . . .

Who has more mobility off what you’ve seen so far this season, Samuel Dalembert or the statue of George M. Cohan in Times Square?

Woody Allen used to do a joke about having his life flash in front of his eyes and then realizing it was somebody else’s life.

-- And I’m just wondering if when Geno Smith talked about those Pro Bowl flashes he thinks he’s shown if he might have been talking about Russell Wilson’s.

If Colin Kaepernick doesn’t stop going in reverse this way, he’s going to finish this season somewhere near Tijuana.

Has there been a worse agenting job in recent memory than the one Scott Boras has done for Stephen Drew?

Maybe Boras thinks it’s genius for Drew to sit out the first couple of months of this season, too.

The Red Sox seem to be putting together an entire rotation filled with No. 3 starters.

We are discovering with the Brooklyn Nets what happens when a win-now team doesn’t.

All those obsessed with what Bud Selig didn’t do in baseball instead of what he has done over the past 20 years are watching the wrong movie.

Somehow, after all the years and all the games, another season in the AFC will run through Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

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How often do you suppose Brian Cashman daydreams about shooting Alex Rodriguez out of a cannon?

You got the idea watching another stinker of a Thursday night game, this one between the Cardinals and the Rams, that there was more scoring last summer in World Cup games.

And a lot more action.

You can never go wrong picking up anything written by the late, great Donald E. Westlake, whether it’s the Dortmunder books or the Parker novels that he wrote under the pseudonym of Richard Stark.

It continues to be sort of heartwarming that a career draft dodger like Dick Cheney loved torture to the extent that he did.

-- You know who never exercises their no-trade clauses?

The Knicks fans who keep coming to watch their team play, through it all, and who keep caring about it.

The place isn’t a mecca of basketball.

They are.

* * *

“Lupica” can be heard Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. on ESPN 98.7.

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Critics and competition wouldn't let TV gig be a cakewalk for NY Jets' Rex Ryan (Bob Raissman) New York Daily News December 13, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/raissman-reasons-tv-gig-won-cakewalk-rex-ryan-article-1.2044389

If Rex Ryan gets fired and decides to go into television, the bull's-eye on his back will be bigger than the one he has worn during his six seasons coaching the Jets.

More than three years ago, Ryan’s TV bandwagon began picking up a few bodies (we compared him to John Madden) and now is jammed with passengers who believe his personality and verbal stylings make him a sure thing to succeed in an NFL TV studio setting or as a game analyst.

Not so fast.

This all may sound good, but it’s bad news, very bad news, for Ryan. Too much is expected of someone entering the business with this kind of hype. In this world Ryan might choose to enter, great expectations are a terrible thing. Once Ryan is in front of a camera, every word coming out of his mouth will be dissected. Every opinion he issues will be over-analyzed. With the bar set over the moon, Ryan will be under intense scrutiny and major pressure.

Especially from the networks competing with the one that hires him. The competition’s operatives will be out to embarrass him, looking to tear Ryan to shreds.

The TV sports landscape is littered with mouths, once labeled “can’t miss” propositions, who failed, miserably. Guys such as Tiki Barber. Or Pat Riley. Or Joe Montana. The very same suits who stood by their side when they were introduced as the next great thing were nowhere to be found, not around to lend any support, when the voices began flaming out.

The safer route for Ryan would be out in the field analyzing games airing in regional markets. Work in the sticks before coming to Broadway. That was Madden’s road to greatness. Ryan won’t travel the same sane

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path. He doesn’t have the time. The network hiring him will be paying mostly for the buzz his big mouth brings.

Already, before Ryan's coaching future has been decided, there is industry backlash being directed at him.

“Is Rex going to make that (bleeping) much of a difference (to a network)?” An NFL TV source asked. “Rex better watch his mouth because he’s going to get (bleeping) hammered. If he starts being brash Rex and starts taking players and coaches apart, they are going to ask what did he ever win? No one gives a damn that he went to two AFC Championship games and lost them both. As a head coach, Rex Ryan has accomplished nothing.”

Still, the network suit who hires him will be paying Rex to be the same Rex who entered talking trash when he came to the Jets in 2009. That Rex ticked off many of his peers. On national TV, in a studio show setting, the echo effect of his strong, outrageous opinions will be deafening. If Ryan goes into TV with both eyes fixed on his next coaching job, his brand of candor may not sit well with owners, and GMs, who do the hiring.

So, while performing under a microscope Ryan will be boxed in. If he says too much on TV, his path back to coaching could be blocked. If he says too little is he worth the freight? Network sources said Ryan would likely be offered between $2 million and $2.5 million per.

Nice dough, but not nearly enough for someone carrying the burden of such great expectations.

CLICHÉ MAN

Warning: This analyst could be hazardous to your sensibilities.

That’s what Phil Simms told viewers before Cardinals-Rams Thursday on NFLN. He warned the unwashed masses he was about to use a cliché. Oh my God!

“And I hate to be cliched,” Simms said.

Who cares? Simms, who often rips other NFL voices (of course he never names names) for offending his delicate sensibilities, must have too much time on his hands.

HOST WITH THE MOST

Want to be the host of WOR-AM’s Mets pre and postgame shows?

Sorry, Clear Channel, which owns the station, is not holding open auditions for the gig but it is looking. Seth Everett, who hosted the shows last season, is gonzo.

There’s a logical solution: Pete McCarthy, who was in the running for the job last season and was eventually hired to host WOR’s sports talk show, should be moved into the Mets slot. Then the station could dip into the vast supply of radio gasbags, walking around NYC talking to imaginary callers, to fill the talk-show opening.

DOUBLE STANDARD

The following piece of radio gold, manufactured by ESPN-98.7’s (With) Don LaGreca, was hard to follow.

LaGreca was outraged over a young player such as Tim Hardaway Jr. having the audacity to get in Carmelo Anthony’s face and tell the alleged superstar off.

“You can’t go after someone like that when you’re a second-year player,” LaGreca bellowed.

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Oh yeah? Then how does DLG explain all the times the new star of “The Michael Kay Show,” Ryan (Kid) Ruocco (he’s been a member of TMKS team for only a few months), makes electric radio by lashing out at the older (or is that elderly?) gentlemen he works with?

MAGIC ‘MONDAY’

Try as they might, even CBS Sports suits can’t mess up CBSSN’s “Monday QB” show.

Something unusual is happening on that set. Three former QBs (Rich Gannon, Trent Green, Steve Beuerlein), who in their game analyst gigs have displayed all the charisma of a buttered roll, come to the Monday mike with a huge personality and a original sense of humor.

Maybe its the time of the evening of their rendezvous. More likely it’s the chemistry these three former sticks in the mud have developed while working with host Adam Schein. Could it be as simple as they get a kick out of his animated, and often bizarre, presence?

Whatever the reason this show, which often includes Norman Julius Esiason, not only has something cooking but shows the depth of CBS’ analyst and host rosters.

WINTER FOLLIES

An upside to having all those live hours to cover the winter meetings was MLB Network’s ability to produce embarrassing moments.

No, not the many times MLBN’s audio crapped out. The more cringe-inducing stuff included Harold Reynolds staring blankly into a camera before asking Ken Rosenthal a question.

Reynolds stared, and stared. Finally, his brain got in touch with his mouth. “I completely forgot what I was going to ask you,” Reynolds said. Yep, that’s why Reynolds is paid the big bucks.

Then there was MLBN airing an old, cheesy Coin Galleries commercial featuring a smarmy looking Keith Hernandez. This was cruel and unusual punishment for anyone watching, including Ron Darling who was on the MLBN set.

Even he looked embarrassed.

* * *

DUDE OF THE WEEK: SHELDON RICHARDSON

For his hustle and heart. It didn’t matter that the 294-pound defensive end had no chance of catching Jarius Wright, the Vikings’ 181-pound wideout, on his way to an 87-yard OT TD catch-and-run. What counts is Richardson, returning to the game after an injury and playing on a Jets team going nowhere, didn’t give up the chase. In a season full of misery, this was a memorable moment produced by a guy who doesn’t pay lip service to his distaste for losing. He backs his words up with a supreme effort.

DWEEB OF THE WEEK: ESPN

For its hype of last Sunday’s football playoff selection show. It was a given the Bristol Clown Community College faculty would over-sell this exercise in promoting the “official” start of crowning Semi-Pro Football’s champion. But even boosters who continue paying “student athletes” under the table had to be laughing at ESPN’s continuous Sunday morning live shots of a lone security man guarding the door of the room where the committee was supposedly working feverishly to select the final four teams — four teams whose presence in the tourney was already a forgone conclusion. Were those multiple shots of a dude “guarding” a door supposed to lend more importance or credibility to a made-for-TV non-event?

DOUBLE TALK

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What Derek Jeter said: “If you ask me a question and I say, ‘I don’t know,’ how are you going to follow it up?”

What Derek Jeter meant to say: “The rough, tough New York media? I owned them. When it came to me, they acted like fans.”

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Sunday Morning Quarterback: Advice for NY Jets owner Woody Johnson ... get Jim Harbaugh! (Gary Myers) New York Daily News December 13, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/sunday-morning-qb-advice-jets-jim-harbaugh-article-1.2044111

The last time the Jets were this awful back in the glory days of the Rich Kotite era, Leon Hess put together a complicated plan to steal Bill Parcells away from the Patriots.

Kotite went 3-13 and then a franchise-worst 1-15 in his two seasons. Parcells had the Jets in the AFC Championship Game in his second season. The Jets are now at the second-lowest point in their 55-year history. Whether they finish 2-14, 3-13 or 4-12 (they can beat the Titans and Dolphins, forget about the Pats next week), Woody Johnson needs to follow Hess’ blueprint and do something bold and drastic.

He needs to go get Jim Harbaugh.

Johnson and I had a long talk in the hallway of the Four Seasons in Irving, Texas, following this week’s league meetings and although he would not come right out and say he’s about to fire Rex Ryan and John Idzik, I came away believing he’s going to fire them both on Black Monday (Dec. 29).

Jets fans have every reason to be livid about what’s happened this season and have a lot of anxiety about where the franchise is headed. Johnson is usually pretty guarded about his feelings, but I found him more open the other day than at any time in the 15 years he’s owned the team. He used the words depressed, frustrated and painful.

Johnson knows he needs to make big changes and show Jets fans he’s trying to get things moving in the right direction after Ryan made it to the AFC Championship Game his first two years but has now missed the playoffs four years in a row. The Jets are 2-11 with a shot at the first pick in the draft. They had the first pick after each of Kotite’s two seasons (they traded down, however, in 1997).

Harbaugh might not be for everybody, but Parcells used to say the same thing about himself. The Jets need to do something drastic, and getting a superstar coach in the NFL will bring credibility to the Jets and prove to the fans Johnson is serious. Harbaugh has a short shelf life — he stayed three years at San Diego and four years at Stanford as he worked his way to the NFL, but now is basically being pushed out after four years with the 49ers.

But he wins and he knows how to coach quarterbacks.

The Jets don’t know how to win — they’re not good enough to win — and they don’t have a quarterback.

There’s going to be a lot of dissecting of Oregon’s Marcus Mariota’s ability to adapt his game to the NFL and Florida State’s Jameis Winston’s character in the next five months — it’s fun they play against each other in the national semifinal on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl — and if the Jets take either, then Harbaugh is the best tutor. He turned around Alex Smith’s career and had Colin Kaepernick playing at an elite level until he regressed this year.

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The Jets were actually ahead of the curve in 2009 when Mike Tannenbaum interviewed Harbaugh before the Jets hired Ryan.

Two years later, Harbaugh was the hottest coaching candidate of all time: Stanford wanted to keep him, his alma mater Michigan wanted him to come home, and the 49ers, Raiders, Dolphins and Broncos all wanted him. He took the 49ers job, kept the same home he lived in with Pala Alto and Santa Clara being only 15 miles apart, and in his first three years in San Francisco he went to the NFC title game, the Super Bowl and the NFC title game, though the shine is a little off the star with the 49ers taking a big step backwards this year.

Can the Jets get him?

His wife apparently wants to stay in California, which means the Raiders have the geographical advantage. If he goes with his heart, then he goes back to Michigan resurrects his alma mater in Ann Arbor. But if he wants the challenge in the biggest market in the country and a whole bunch of Johnson’s money, then it’s the Jets. If the 49ers want draft picks, that should not be hard to work out. They want him out and they don’t want to pay him $5 million for sitting out.

Harbaugh is intense and has alienated the 49ers front office. There were reports earlier this year that he’d lost the locker room. But he’s a great coach. One of the reasons Johnson fired Eric Mangini is because he was just as secretive with the owner as he was with the media. Johnson is not a meddler, but he likes to know what is going on. Presumably, Harbaugh will improve his people skills in his second NFL job, much like Bill Belichick did, and be inclusive.

Johnson should hire Harbaugh and let him bring in a general manager to run personnel — the Chiefs did that with Andy Reid hiring John Dorsey. It’s not an ideal setup, but considering Harbaugh and 49ers GM Trent Baalke had issues, it would be a way to eliminate a layer between Harbaugh and Johnson.

Harbaugh can fix the Jets. Johnson owes is to the Jets fans to get the best.

MAN-ZEAL

It’s finally time for Johnny Football in Cleveland after Brian Hoyer had no TDs and seven INTs in the last two games. Head coach Mike Pettine is turning to Johnny Manziel with the Browns fading at 7-6 in the wild-card race after two straight losses. This could be the most exciting moment for Browns fans since the franchise came back into the NFL as an expansion team in 1999.

“It’s a dream come true to be where I am now, getting a chance to start my first NFL game,” he said.

Manziel handled Bengals coach Marvin Lewis’ ridiculous “midget” comment in stride.

“I don’t think they are saying that if they play Drew Brees, even though he’s 6-foot,” Manziel said.

Now we get to see if Johnny Football can play in the NFL after lighting it up in college. Is he all hype? Or is there some magic there? He picked up a $12,000 fine in the preseason for flipping the bird to Washington players who were taunting him. His trademark flashing the money sign by rubbing his fingers together may rub defenders the wrong way. Bengals players will surely be trying to get in his head with some well-chosen words.

“I don’t think it affects him because he’s no stranger to it. That’s the price that he has to pay for being who he is and what he brings with him, the reputation that he brings with him to the NFL,” Pettine said. “He already got a taste of it in the preseason. Everybody’s gunning for him. I guarantee everybody that sacks him is going to stand over him and make the money sign. That comes with it. His best thing is not to get caught up in it. He’s got to go out and execute, and when a play’s over it’s over and you have to move onto the next one.”

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ON THE MARK

Mark Sanchez will become an instant Philly hero if he beats the Cowboys on Sunday night for the second time this season. The Boys and Eagles are 9-4 going into what could be the NFC East championship game. The Cowboys also have a tough game next week at home against the Colts, so if they win Sunday night, then lose to the Colts and beat Washington while the Eagles beat Washington and the Giants in their final two games, Philly would win the NFC East based on a better division record.

PLAYOFF PUSH

The NFL is expected to vote to expand the playoffs to 16 teams — it’s been at 14 since 1990 — at the league meetings in March… It’s a three-team race between the Raiders, Chargers and Rams to get to Los Angeles. The Raiders and Chargers play in the two worst stadiums in the NFL with no indication they will ever get new venues built. St. Louis is at least talking about a new facility for the Rams. One or two of those teams is likely to move to Los Angeles in the next two years with an outside chance it can happen in 2015. Games would be played in the L.A. Coliseum or the Rose Bowl until a new stadium is built. Nothing will happen until a stadium deal is done. … Peyton Manning has thrown for less than 200 yards in each of the last two games and that’s supposed to be a national crisis. The Broncos, by the way, won both games. Denver has put an emphasis on running the ball, which will help in the playoffs and also keep Manning fresh for January. ... If the Cardinals have to go with third-string QB Ryan Lindley in the playoffs they should turn down their playoff bid and defer it to next year. The Cards beat the Rams twice this season, but lost Carson Palmer with a torn ACL in the first game on Nov. 9 and then backup Drew Stanton went out with a knee injury in the fourth quarter on Thursday night. Lindley came in and was 4-for-10 and the best thing he did was not throw a pick six. Lindley, if you remember, put on a command performance against the Jets in 2012, completing 10-of-31 passes for 72 yards in a 7-6 loss. Until Thursday night, he had not played in nearly two full seasons. He is 1-3 as a starter and has no TDs and seven INTs in his career.

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The John Idzik Paradox: NY Jets would be better off losing to Titans, but GM might need W's to save job (Seth Walder) New York Daily News December 13, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-better-losing-titans-gm-idzik-paradox-article-1.2044015

Look around Manhattan bars this weekend and you'll find a great deal of fans decked out in green and white, rooting their hearts out for...Jake Locker? Might Titans fans once again cheer for Chris Johnson if he gets into the end zone?

For the first time in weeks, the Jets are playing in a big game. A showdown with real consequences. Because the Jets and Titans, who play in Tennessee on Sunday and are tied for the worst record in the NFL at 2-11, are vying for one of the top picks in the draft, and quite possibly a new starting quarterback.

While the NFL draft is still months away, early indications are that Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston will be the top quarterback targets. With three of the five teams that have 2-11 records (Titans, Jets and Bucs) all definitively in need of a QB, it's clear that at least one of those three teams will miss out on both the Duck and the Seminole.

That's what makes Sunday's game so important: the outcome could decide the fate of the franchise for years to come.

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The nature of the NFL draft order — determined by reverse order of record with ties being broken by the team with the worse strength of schedule — sometimes gives fans incentives to root against their own team, even though coaches and players will always try to win games.

In the Jets’ case, the situation puts the general manager in a strange position, too. Clearly, the best case scenario for the long-term health of the Jets is to lose their final three games and secure as high a draft pick as possible. But GM John Idzik is also trying to preserve his job. While his fate may already be sealed either way, every loss could make it that much easier for Woody Johnson to pull the plug after just two years with Idzik running the team.

Call it the Idzik paradox: he and the Jets are in the best position going forward if the team loses on Sunday, yet by losing he hurts his own chances of being around to capitalize on that advantage.

It's a cruel twist of fate for The Patient One. Because it was mere months ago that, while Rex Ryan desperately needed a winning team to preserve his job, Idzik played it slow. He kept large reserves in the team's proverbial war chest, starting the season with more than $20 million in cap space. And while he spent on free agents like Eric Decker, Mike Vick and Breno Giacomini, he left the team with a gaping hole at cornerback despite the position's massive importance to Ryan's defense. All the cap flexibility earned Idzik was the trade for Percy Harvin, and only after the team's season had turned sour. Harvin could pay dividends down the road, but Idzik may not be around to reap them.

Though Idzik once said he had "no regrets" about not signing a top-flight cornerback — the Jets actually cut Antonio Cromartie and had Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the building during free agency — he can't look upon that decision fondly now. One player probably would not have changed a lot about this team, but it may have meant the situation would not be as dire as it is now.

Despite the tangible benefits of losing, there won't be any visible indications of that fact on the field Sunday. The advantages of losing sound foreign to those inside the locker room, always programmed to fight for the next win.

"I don't go out and play football to lose for anyone," Sheldon Richardson said. "That's just the way I'm built. This just has to be something we disagree on. Agree to disagree, that's how I look at it."

Sure, but it makes more sense to Suck for the Duck!

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As major changes are coming to fix the NY Jets, WR Percy Harvin should be a big part of the solution (Manish Mehta) New York Daily News December 13, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-percy-harvin-part-solution-jets-article-1.2044018

Percy Harvin hasn't body slammed anyone into a hamper, given a shiner to a teammate or whined about his role. He hasn't turned green in a fit of rage, either.

Harvin has been a good worker bee for the better part of two months since arriving from Seattle, positioning himself for his next move.

The Jets will need Harvin much more than he'll need them after the season.

Although the explosive wide receiver/running back/kick returner is scheduled to make a boatload of cash next season, don't expect him to give the Jets a financial break.

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Harvin has four years remaining on a blockbuster $64.25 million extension that includes $10.5M, $9.9M, $9.95M and $11.15M in non-guaranteed base salaries through 2018. He's smart enough to know that he won't make that kind of money on the open market if the Jets cut him, but his leverage comes from the freedom of choice.

If the Jets aren't willing to pony up $10.5 million in 2015 — or restructure to give him more guaranteed money over the next couple years — he'll find a new home with a more suitable system and better quarterback.

Why take a pay cut to play for a bad team with an unsettled quarterback situation? That isn't going to happen.

Harvin has flashed his game-breaking talent in six games with the Jets, but has fallen victim too many times to nightmarish quarterback play. Geno Smith was benched 11 minutes into Harvin's first game.

Changes are on the horizon for the organization. New decision makers must determine Harvin's value for a team that lacks any true game changers. The next Jets general manager will have ample salary cap space to re-shape the roster. Keeping Harvin makes sense.

Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and Randall Cobb headline a quality free-agent wide receiver class, but there's little chance the Cowboys, Broncos and Packers, respectively, will let those guys out of their buildings. (There's even less of a chance that those guys would want any part of the Jets mess).

Philly's Jeremy Maclin is in line for a big payday, but the Jets' current state of affairs probably won't be appealing. Do Michael Crabtree and Torrey Smith move the needle for you?

Harvin is a dynamic presence that should be a priority.

The Jets are on the hook for a 2015 fourth-round pick if Harvin is on the roster at the start of the league year. That's more than reasonable compensation for a player who provides a difference-making dimension that this team desperately needs.

Harvin did damage as a receiver and returner (236 all-purpose yards) against the Vikings last week before suffering an ankle sprain that will likely limit him Sunday in Tennessee.

Harvin has topped 225 all-purpose yards twice in six games with the Jets. His skills are apparent: He's the most explosive offensive weapon on the roster.

Harvin's frustration with the Seahawks stemmed from not being used more often as a conventional receiver. The Jets have moved him around, but he's made strides as the starting flanker. He's getting more opportunities to run the full receiver route tree and threaten opponents vertically to maximize his speed.

"Percy wants one thing: He wants to be a complete receiver," wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal told the Daily News. "He doesn't want to be a gadget guy… I see a happy, intense football player. He seems genuinely connected to the team."

That's the key for Harvin. If he feels engaged, he'll produce in a big way. His ability to absorb Marty Mornhinweg's intricate West Coast offense has "really been eye opening," Lal said.

Harvin and Eric Decker would be a quality pass catching duo for the next coaching staff and quarterback.

The off-field concerns that trailed Harvin haven't resurfaced.

"I feel at home here," he said.

Harvin has fit in even though team officials occasionally have shielded him from reporters (and eavesdropped on one-on-one conversations) in the locker room.

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"The guy has been phenomenal here," Rex Ryan said. "He has been absolutely terrific. How he was managed by other clubs, that is not fair for me (to say), because I don't know."

The Jets are on the verge of tearing it all down. Harvin can be a part of the solution.

He holds all the cards.

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Inside the Playbook - NY Jets at Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson ready to run all over his former team (Hank Gola) New York Daily News December 13, 2014

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/playbook-jets-2-11-titans-2-11-article-1.2044011

NY JETS AT TITANS, LP FIELD, 4 P.M.

LINE: Jets by 2

TV: Ch. 2 (Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein, Steve Tasker)

RADIO: WEPN 98.7 FM (Bob Wischusen, Marty Lyons), in Spanish on WEPN 1050 AM (Clemson Smith Muniz, Oscar Benitez)

FORECAST: Partly sunny, 55 , 2 mph winds.

INJURY REPORT

The Titans lost QB Zach Mettenberger to a shoulder injury against the Giants. Jake Locker is back in under center and his mobility will come in handy with both tackles, Michael Oher (toe) and Taylor Lewan (ankle) expected to miss a third straight game. Even backup Byron Stingily (ankle) is hobbled, meaning either Terren Jones or Jamon Meredith , both signed this week, could end up starting. The Jets will make a game-time decision on returning DE Mo Wilkerson (turf toe) to action after a two-week absence. WR Percy Harvin is questionable play after spraining his ankle in the midst of a big receiving day against his old team in Minnesota. TE Jace Amaro will return from a concussion. S Antonio Allen is out with a broken hand.

KEY MATCHUP

RB Chris Johnson vs. SS Michael Griffin

This is Johnson’s Super Bowl. The man known as CJ2K when he was the Titans’ home run hitter had vowed to tear up his old team. With Griffin up in the box, the former teammates and texting buddies will be seeing a lot of each other. The Titans’ run defense has been dreadful, a combination of poor tackling and undisciplined gap control. They have been giving up a league-worst 140 yards per game with Johnson looking to become the seventh straight 100-yard rusher against them.

SCOUT SAYS

“The Jets still have a lot of components. The Titans don’t. They should be able to take it to the Titans physically on both sides of the ball, get after Locker on D and just pound it with their running game. Locker has some skills (three TD passes vs. Jets in last year’s game). He was benched because he just couldn’t stay healthy. The Titans have the league’s worst third down conversion rate and it’s not going to get any better behind this offensive line. We might see some sprint out passes and screens because the Jets are going to be coming hard. There will be some opportunities for Geno Smith against this defense. He threw it pretty well last week. He’ll have time in the pocket, that’s for sure.”

INTANGIBLES

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A team in worse shape than the Jets? Yep. The Jets and Titans may share the same league-worst 2-11 record but the Titans lead the league in haplessness. They’ve dropped 11 of 12, including eight by at least two TDs and have given up 124 points in their last three losses. Both rosters can expect overhauls in the offseason but the Titans can’t even try to win one for their dear leader. First-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt isn’t getting sacked, even though mutual alum Neil O’Donnell said on his radio show this week that a lot of Titans don’t want to play for Whiz. Rex Ryan is a lame duck, and he knows it. He’s even turning down the blindfold from Woody Johnson telling him to fire when ready. In a way, the loser wins.

PREDICTION

JETS, 27-13: Even they can’t screw this one up, can they?

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NEW YORK TIMES

A Back Returns to a Place He Never Wanted to Leave (Tom Pedulla) New York Times December 13, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/sports/football/chris-johnson-returns-to-tennessee-titans-now-as-a-new-york-jet.html?ref=football&_r=0

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jets running back Chris Johnson is not sure how he will be received when he returns to LP Field on Sunday to face the Tennessee Titans, a team he meant so much to before an abrupt departure last April that he has described as “nasty.” He fears the worst.

“I know a lot of fans don’t understand the business side of the game,” Johnson said Friday. “It was not my decision to leave.”

Tennessee cut Johnson after he became the sixth back in N.F.L. history to gain 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons, including an N.F.L-record 2,509 yards from scrimmage, 2,006 of them on the ground, in 2009. The move was driven, at least in part, by salary-cap considerations. Johnson was celebrated in Tennessee as CJ2K after he was the league’s offensive player of the year in 2009.

Johnson’s production began to diminish after he sat out training camp in 2011. He returned after negotiating a four-year contract worth $53.5 million, with $30 million guaranteed. He dropped to a career low of 1,047 yards, from 1,364 in 2010. He rebounded to run for 1,243 yards in 2012 before declining to 1,077 yards last season, when he averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry.

“He was trying to hit a home run every single carry, and that did not mesh with the offense,” said Frank Wycheck, a former Tennessee tight end who is now an analyst on the team’s radio broadcasts.

Tennessee drafted Johnson in the first round in 2008, taking him 24th over all out of East Carolina, largely because of his game-breaking potential. He ran a 4.24-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, blinding speed that helped him score 50 touchdowns in his first six seasons.

Wycheck believes that, to some degree, Johnson’s breakaway speed started to work against him. He thinks it led him to hit holes too quickly in his desire to uncork a spectacular run instead of keeping to the designed play.

“You have to be patient, set up the blocks, let the guys up front take over, get to the next level and then hit the jets,” Wycheck said.

Ken Whisenhunt, the Titans’ first-year coach, said several factors contributed to Johnson’s departure, but he declined to be specific.

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“I know how much he was liked here, how much he was respected, but it is certainly not uncommon in the N.F.L. now that players end up changing teams,” Whisenhunt said. “I don’t know Chris personally, but everything that I have heard about him has been positive, and I know that the Titans are grateful for his contributions.”

Johnson, 29, signed a two-year contract worth $8 million to join the Jets, who, at 2-11, have the same dismal record as Tennessee. The Jets have kept to their plan of using him as a part-time back. With 125 carries for 558 yards and one touchdown and only three games left, Johnson’s streak of 1,000-yard seasons is surely over. He has taken a back seat to Chris Ivory, who leads the team in rushing attempts (162), rushing yards (714) and rushing touchdowns (five).

The Jets hoped Johnson’s speed would provide a jolt to a passing game that sputtered, whether operated by Geno Smith, their unpolished second-year quarterback, or Michael Vick, their aging veteran. Johnson has only 22 receptions for 151 yards and one score. Nor has he been the playmaker the Jets hoped for in the red zone. They rank last in the league when it comes to converting opportunities inside their opponents’ 20-yard line, generating only 14 touchdowns in 37 tries (37.8 percent).

“It’s not easy,” Johnson said of his reduced workload. “With losing on top of that, it’s tough.”

Johnson ranks third in the history of the Houston/Tennessee franchise with 7,965 yards, trailing only Eddie George (10,009) and Earl Campbell (8,574). Among all N.F.L. backs, only Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings rushed for more yards (8,774) during the previous six years.

Johnson defended his contribution in limited time with the Jets by noting that his average per carry improved to 4.5 yards.

“The only thing I could do was to make sure I took advantage of my opportunities,” he said.

Even Johnson’s harshest critics must commend his willingness to take the ball for Tennessee. He finished with 1,742 rushing attempts in six seasons. He made every start in 2013 despite tearing his meniscus in the third game.

“I was the face of the organization,” Johnson said. “I wanted to be out there. I did all that, and really it didn’t mean anything.”

Perhaps that commitment will be worthy of some applause in Tennessee.

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In Some Fantasy Football Leagues, Jets and Giants Excel (Justin Sablich) New York Times December 13, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/sports/football/in-some-fantasy-football-leagues-jets-and-giants-excel.html?ref=football

A world exists where players on the Jets and Giants have been performing well this season. Of course, this world is a fantasy. Or more precisely, a very upside-down fantasy.

It is a world for people who play in leagues in which players earn points for offensive fumbles and interceptions, while others earn victories by scoring fewer points than their opponent.

In these offbeat forms of the game, some of them known as reverse fantasy football, fantasy teams score points depending on how poorly a player performs — the exact opposite of how most fantasy sports leagues work.

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The challenge presented by reverse fantasy leagues comes from having to use players who get a significant number of snaps in an N.F.L. game. One cannot simply load up a team with bench players to get a lower score.

That would be way too easy. On the other hand, to build a top-notch reverse fantasy team, one need look no further than MetLife Stadium, where the stars of bad football have been on display since Week 1.

QUARTERBACK Not to take anything away from some of Eli Manning’s horrific performances this season, but the most valuable player of any reverse fantasy team has to be Jets quarterback Geno Smith.

No quarterback who has started at least 10 games this season has fewer fantasy points than Smith, who has an average of 10.6 per game. He also has, by far, the lowest quarterback rating of all starting quarterbacks (68.0) entering the weekend.

Scoring negative fantasy points is rare, yet Smith has pulled off that feat twice this season. His most disappointing performance came in Week 8, when he completed two passes for 5 yards and threw three interceptions for a total of minus-6 fantasy points.

All bad, unless you’re playing reverse fantasy football. In which case, it’s all good. Indeed, there is no question that Smith is to reverse fantasy football what Aaron Rodgers is to fantasy football.

RUNNING BACK The Giants have averaged 3.7 yards per carry, tied for 26th in the N.F.L. entering Sunday. Their starting running back, Rashad Jennings, has missed all or part of six games to injury, leaving Andre Williams and his 3.3 yards per carry to shoulder the load. Williams averaged 41 yards per game as a starter before finally cracking 100 in Week 14. In regular fantasy leagues, this wouldn’t cut it. In reverse leagues, Williams is an asset.

The Jets have split carries between Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson, guaranteeing that neither one can be relied upon for consistent fantasy production. But this also makes them solid starters in reverse fantasy football.

WIDE RECEIVER Odell Beckham Jr. may be the only fantasy star in New York, but he’s exactly who you do not want in a reverse-scoring format. However, there are plenty of other New York receivers who reside in the lackluster category. When Victor Cruz was lost for the season with an injury, it left the door wide open for Rueben Randle to become the Giants’ top receiver. Despite being targeted 104 times (20th in the N.F.L.), Randle has only 57 receptions, and his 5.7 fantasy points per game are easily the lowest of the 24 receivers who have been targeted at least 100 times.

The Jets’ Eric Decker has been almost as disappointing as the team’s top pass catcher. His 7.2 fantasy points per game ranks him as the 41st best fantasy receiver. In reverse fantasy, he’s pretty good.

TIGHT END Few starting tight ends have just a quarter of the fantasy points Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (159.7) has accumulated, and one of them is the Jets’ Jace Amaro (41.1).

KICKER Josh Brown of the Giants has one of the best kicking percentages in the N.F.L., but with a team that turns the ball over as much as the Giants, Brown has managed only 17 field-goal attempts, which has led to only 6.9 fantasy points per game (23rd in the N.F.L.) in normal fantasy leagues. Reverse is better for Brown, too.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS Every fantasy team needs a defense, or, in the case of reverse fantasy football, a really bad defense.

The Jets’ defense qualifies with a 4.1 fantasy point average this season. The Jets have allowed the sixth-most points in the N.F.L. (349) and their meager total of five interceptions is tied for 29th in the league.

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So if you’re playing reverse fantasy football this weekend, you’re probably in good shape if you have the Jets’ defenders in your mix.

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ESPN NEW YORK

Sunday notes: When the Jets lose, they really lose (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York December 14, 2014

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/47188/sunday-notes-when-the-jets-lose-they-really-lose?ex_cid=espnapi_public

A look at what's going on around and inside the New York Jets:

1. Typical Jets luck: The Jets can't win for losing. In other words, their timing stinks when they stink.

Their worst years usually coincide with relatively weak drafts at the top or drafts in which there are no elite quarterback prospects -- or the elite prospects are just beyond their reach. Imagine landing the No. 1 overall pick in back-to-back drafts and not having a legitimate quarterback option. It happened to the Jets in 1996 and 1997, and they ended up with Keyshawn Johnson and James Farrior, respectively. They traded down for Farrior after Peyton Manning decided to stay in school. Oh, the pain.

In 2006, they owned the fourth pick. Vince Young already was taken (the Jets had no intention of picking him), so they took the safe choice (D'Brickashaw Ferguson) instead of reaching for Jay Cutler or Matt Leinart. In 2008, the Jets had the sixth pick. They would've picked Matt Ryan, but he was gone, so they settled for Vernon Gholston. Ugh. They landed a quarterback in 2009 -- Mark Sanchez -- but it didn't require a season of losing. That was a huge trade-up deal.

Once again, the Jets could find themselves out of luck. If they continue losing and finish 2-14, there's still a decent chance they won't get the first overall pick, presumably Marcus Mariota. They could get a shot at Jameis Winston, but he's a huge risk because of his off-the-field issues. If they beat the Tennessee Titans, well, it could drop them out of the top 5.

Will the Jets ever get a no-brainer, money-in-the-bank quarterback pick?

2. Ge-no! Unfortunately, Geno Smith's season will be remembered for three non-football moments -- the curse at the fan, the missed meeting and his "Pro Bowl flashes" quote. No, Smith hasn't demonstrated flashes of being a Pro Bowl quarterback. If you take his two best statistical halves of the season and combine them into one game (first half, Oakland Raiders; second half, New England Patriots), the passer rating would be 96.0.

There are eight quarterbacks whose average rating is better than 96.0.

3. When Geno speaks ... : Smith isn't a naturally outspoken person -- he's not the loud, rah-rah type -- so I think people wonder if the bravado is real or whether he forces it in an attempt to show leadership. One player said it was particularly noticeable leading into the season, when Smith spoke up more than usual.

"A lot of times, he'd be saying something and people would be looking at each other like, 'Is this really him or is he just trying to come across as a leader?'" said the player, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "When he tries to be vocal, it's not really him."

4. Calm amid the storm: Rex Ryan has handled the trying season with total professionalism. Instead of pointing fingers, which would be easy to do, he has accepted responsibility. The brash coach that arrived

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six years ago has been humbled. People outside the organization have noticed, and it could help his chances of landing another head-coaching job.

"I'd hire him," a longtime executive said. "He's showing humility, which he didn't have early on. Somebody is going to get a good coach."

5. Invisible man: Rookie Calvin Pryor returned to the starting lineup last week and ended up playing 37 defensive snaps -- but he made no tackles. In fact, he didn't appear in the official game-day stats sheet. That's hard to do. Neverthess, Pryor is confident he will finish the season on an upbeat note, saying he learned a lot during his time in a reserve role. Asked to elaborate, he declined to look back. The Jets hope he can finish the way Dee Milliner did last season.

Pryor said he'd like to carry momentum into the offseason, but shifting into third person, he said, "Every situation is different. The only thing I can focus on his Calvin."

6. Big Snacks eating well: Nose tackles don't get a lot of publicity, especially on 2-11 teams, but Damon Harrison is having a terrific season. He's proving last year's breakout performance wasn't an aberration. He's rated fourth against the run among interior lineman, according to Pro Football Focus. The timing is great for Harrison, who will be a restricted free agent. You have to think he'll receive the max tender, which should be higher than last year's $3.1 million.

Harrison was so raw when he came into the league as an undrafted free agent that he couldn't read a trap block, according to defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman. And now? "He's a force in the middle for us," Thurman said, adding: "He's amongst the top nose guards in the league."

7. A grand accomplishment: David Harris needs only 13 tackles to reach 1,000 for his career, a nice milestone for the steady linebacker -- steady on the ground, that is. It's a different story in the air. In 2008, he almost got air sick during a helicopter flight around Manhattan. Calvin Pace was in town on a free-agent recruiting trip, and it was Harris' job to serve as his escort. He ate a big meal before they boarded the helicopter and got queasy. Pace said he told Harris, "You can't throw up on me." That would've tainted the red-carpet treatment, for sure.

8. What a kick: Ryan said he had no problem with special teams coach Thomas McGaughey publicly campaigning for the head-coaching vacancy at the University of Houston. McGaughey told a Houston TV station he was very interested in the job. It's not often you see a coach talking about a better job when he's on someone else's payroll. McGaughey acknowledged, "The timing was probably bad. Bruce [Speight, the Jets' PR director] slapped me upside the head a little bit."

9. Percy the choir boy: Pardon my skepticism, but ...

I don't doubt for a second that former troublemaker Percy Harvin has been the model player and teammate since arriving from the Seattle Seahawks, but let's not be naive: He's auditioning for a huge pay day. His 2015 base salary is a non-guaranteed $10.5 million, and he's trying to convince the Jets to commit. A word of warning (actual two): Santonio Holmes.

10. Another skeptic: Pace offered his take on fans hoping the Jets lose to improve draft position: "One draft pick isn't going to change things." It might, especially if it's an outside linebacker.

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Muhammad Wilkerson downgraded to out (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York December 13, 2014

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http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/47206/muhammad-wilkerson-downgraded-to-out?ex_cid=espnapi_public

NASHVILLE -- The New York Jets will be without Muhammad Wilkerson for the third straight game.

The team made it official Saturday, announcing that Wilkerson (turf toe) won't play Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. In fact, he didn't even make the trip to Nashville. This, of course, comes as no surprise, considering he was initially listed as doubtful.

Wilkerson practiced on a very limited basis, taking only a handful of team reps. Rex Ryan was hopeful Wilkerson could return -- he called it 50-50 on Wednesday -- which explains the sense of disappointment in his voice Friday, as he seemed resigned to another week without him.

At this point, Wilkerson and the Jets need to weigh the risk-reward of returning this season. There's nothing at stake, and Wilkerson should be concerned about his health. He has one year remaining on his contract, and he's in line for a mega-extension.

"People say I should shut it down, but that's not the competitive spirit in me," Wilkerson said the other day.

True, there's more than competitive spirit. To quote Sheldon Richardson, there's also the almighty dollar.

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W2W4: New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York December 13, 2014

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/47102/w2w4-new-york-jets-vs-tennessee-titans?ex_cid=espnapi_public

NASHVILLE -- Welcome to the JamMarcus Bowl, not to be confused with JaMarcus Russell.

We're talking about Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, the presumptive top quarterbacks in the 2015 draft. The New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, both 2-11, figure to be in the quarterback market, and Sunday's game will have a big impact on the draft order. The loser will remain in contention for the No. 1 overall pick; the winner could drop out of the top 5. It sets up a paradoxical drama. Some fans are rooting for the Jets to lose.

"What, we haven't done enough losing?" an incredulous Breno Giacomini replied.

Kickoff is 4:05 p.m. at LP Field. The top storylines:

1. Flash: Geno Smith didn't help himself by saying he has "shown flashes of being a Pro Bowl quarterback," an out-of-left field comment that didn't go over well with people in the organization. Smith has demonstrated NFL-caliber ability in spurts, but Pro Bowl? Come on, man. His passer rating over the last two seasons (67.1) is the lowest in the league, a whopping 10 points below the next quarterback, Chad Henne. Smith can regain some credibility by playing well in his return to Nashville, where he committed four turnovers last season. The Titans' defense is like a bear without claws. They attack with an array of blitz packages, but they don't do much damage.

2. CJ2K's revenge: This is Chris Johnson's Super Bowl. He circled this game on his calendar soon after he was unceremoniously released last April by the Titans. He was one of the greatest players in Titans history, rushing for close to 8,000 yards in six seasons. Johnson is healthy, in peak form after a sluggish start, so don't be surprised if he slices up the league's worst run defense. He said he's not sure how he will be received by the fans. If they don't give him a standing ovation, they're nuts.

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3. The red-zone comedy: The Jets haven't scored a touchdown in their last eight trips to the red zone, covering three-plus games. The last touchdown came against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it was scored by rookie tight end Jace Amaro, who returns after missing two games with a concussion. Look for offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to shake up his personnel groupings, trying to find a combination that works. Amaro figures to have a key role. The slumping Jeff Cumberland (three drops, 35 targets) could lose some playing time. Mornhinweg said the red-zone problems are "easy to diagnose. Good football teams are typically pretty good in the red zone." The Jets aren't a good team, but they should have better than a 38-percent success rate.

4. Pro Bowl push: Sheldon Richardson (6.5 sacks) is making a late run. Coming off the best game of his career (three sacks), Richardson could have another big day, facing the Titans' porous offensive line. They allowed eight sacks last week to the New York Giants, although most of those came on the outside. A word of warning, though: For some strange reason, the Jets struggle against Jake Locker, whose stats defy explanation -- a 67-percent completion rate, three touchdowns, no interceptions. He's 2-0 against the Jets, 7-13 against the rest of the NFL. Good grief.

5. They couldn't ... could they? Only twice in the Rex Ryan era have the Jets lost to a team with double-digit losses -- and those were 5-10 opponents on the final day of the season, the Miami Dolphins (2011) and Buffalo Bills (2012). Falling to the Titans, losers of seven straight, would be a whole new realm of bad. Then again, the Jets are 0-6 on the road, having been outscored 181-86. Anything is possible.

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METRO NEW YORK

Video: Jets' Nick Folk, wife excited for first daughter (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York December 13, 2014

http://www.metro.us/new-york/video-jets-nick-folk-wife-excited-for-first-daughter/zsJnlm---OCHLvuxGjMJVg/

It was quite a birthday for New York Jets kicker Nick Folk, who turned 30 years old in November but also found out that his wife Julianne is carrying the couple’s first daughter. And it was a delicious surprise for Nick, now in his fifth year with Jets.

Married to the Jets kicker for over two years, Julianne went to the doctor last Wednesday morning to find out if her third child was going to be a boy or a girl. She asked the doctor to not tell her the results and instead put the paperwork into an envelope. She then took the envelope to a friend who baked a cake.

If it was going to be a third son for the couple, the icing would be blue. Pink icing would signal their first daughter.

Nick came home that night after practice and cut into the cake. On the video, Julianne says right before her husband cuts the cake that “I’ve said girl since Day 1 but I’m going to say boy.” Her husband predicted a boy too. They had teased beforehand that they would have a kicker, punter and a holder in that case.

He carefully cut the cake and pulled it back, revealing pink icing.

“The technician said she was 100 percent positive about this but the last time we went through this, one of my sons who wasn’t supposed to be a son grew a little male genitalia. So we’ll see,” Nick said.

“Now she’s saying a kicker, punter and a cheerleader. We're both happy.”

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Originally, Julianne was going to reveal whether the baby was a boy or a girl sometime over the next couple of days during the Jets bye week. But the couple decided to stay local during the bye week and they wanted to expedite the proceedings.

So Julianne came up with the whole cake process and now baby Annabelle is on her way.

“My wife had all the idea, I just had the easy and tasty job of cutting the cake,” Nick said. “I’ve said it all along for both pregnancies that I just want healthy babies. Boys, a girl, it doesn't matter. Just to be healthy and happy.”

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Jets - Titans: 3 storylines to watch for (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York December 13, 2014

http://www.metro.us/new-york/jets-titans-3-storylines-to-watch-for/zsJnlm---z2eGUGfMqRlU/

A battle of two teams, both stuck on 2-11 and with just one win between them since November might have major implications for 2015.

A win by either team might just knock them out from a top five pick in next spring's NFL Draft and a loss to a lowly Titans team still in rebuilding mode could well be the death knell for Jets head coach Rex Ryan. This is a Titans team that can't run the ball, can't stop the run (they are worst in the league) and they aren't that good against the pass. Other than that they're really good.

And to be honest, the Jets are better than their 2-11 record and could easily have three or four more wins but for sporadic quarterback play and a depleted secondary.

The Titans know this rebuilding feeling too.

“It has been difficult. Whenever you go through something like we have gone through, especially with the win/loss column, it is not a lot of fun. Our guys continue to work hard,” Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We have been battling a number of injuries, which has made it tough because we have had so many different guys in there. I respect the way our players continue to work. That is a big part of it.”

If the Jets can't win this game against a team with vastly inferior talent, then it could well signal the final two games of Ryan's Jets career.

'Three Things to Watch When the Jets Take on the Titans':

The Return of Mo – Without Muhammad Wilkerson last week, the Jets defensive front was still relatively solid, in fact they were dominant at some points in the second half against rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. With All-Pro defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson out with a toe injury, the Jets utilized Quinton Coples in a rush end role and supplemented him with Leger Douzable. The two players performed well, which means that the Titans might be in for a long day if Wilkerson returns and takes some snaps in the rotation. Tennessee is tied for fourth most in the league with 41 sacks allowed. Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson must be licking their lips.

The Titans Got No Ground Game – Think the Jets offense has been bad this year? Consider the Titans and how poorly they've been able to move the ball, in particular their running attack. They are No. 27 in the league on the ground, averaging just 86.2 yards per game and in recent weeks, they've seen former Jets running back Shonn Greene go from a solid start to the season to a non-factor entirely. This means that Tennessee will have to beat the Jets in the air, perhaps a good match for the Titans given the rough play of Rex Ryan's secondary this season.

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But Those Jets Got More Ground, More Pound – Two weeks ago, the Jets ran the ball 49 times for 277 yards in a Monday night loss to the Dolphins. Their offense was more balanced this past Sunday but against a Titans team that can't seem to stop the run, the recipe might resemble that from Dolphins game. Chris Ivory, despite a goal line fumble last week, has been solid all year and Chris Johnson is returning to a Titans organization that took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. That will be a highly motivated running back facing the team that cut him just a few months ago.

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SATURDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS

Associated Press December 13, 2014

http://www.chron.com/default/article/Saturday-s-Sports-Transactions-5955287.php

BASEBALL

American League

MINNESOTA TWINS — Agreed to terms with RHP Ervin Santana on a four-year contract.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association

MIAMI HEAT — Assigned G Shabazz Napier and C Hassan Whiteside to Sioux Falls (NBADL).

FOOTBALL

National Football League

CHICAGO BEARS — Placed LB Darryl Sharpton on injured reserve. Signed QB David Fales from the practice squad.

CLEVELAND BROWNS — Released PK Billy Cundiff. Signed PK Garrett Hartley.

GREEN BAY PACKERS — Placed LB Jamari Lattimore on injured reserve. Signed S Chris Banjo from the practice squad.

HOUSTON TEXANS — Placed DE Tim Jamison on injured reserve. Signed DE Keith Browner from the practice squad.

OAKLAND RAIDERS — Placed S Larry Asante on injured reserve. Signed S Ras-I Dowling and LB Bojay Filimoeatu from the practice squad.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS — Released G Bryce Quigley from the practice squad. Signed DB Greg Ducre to the practice squad.

TENNESSEE TITANS — Placed OT Michael Oher on injured reserve. Signed DB Khalid Wooten from the practice squad.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League

NEW YORK ISLANDERS — Loaned F Cory Conacher to Bridgeport (AHL).

VANCOUVER CANUCKS — Assigned D Jeremie Blain from Utica (AHL) to Kalamazoo (ECHL).

American Hockey League

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OKLAHOMA CITY BARONS — Returned F Greger Hanson to Allen (ECHL).

PROVIDENCE BRUINS — Recalled F Andrew Ammon from South Carolina (ECHL).

WORCESTER SHARKS — Recalled D Nick Jones from Indy (ECHL).

ECHL

ECHL — Suspended Utah F Danick Paquette two games.

BAKERSFIELD CONDORS — Signed Fs Sean Menton and Ryan Watson.

BRAMPTON BEAST — Signed F Andy Bathgate.

TULSA OILERS — Released F Ty Bilcke.

COLLEGE

ARKANSAS — Suspended CB Carroll Washington and S Rohan Gaines for the Texas Bowl.

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