Better Know a Jets Draft Pick: Muhammad Wilkerson

Ever since the NFL Draft adopted its current Thursday through Sunday format, I've found it much harder to generate and/or maintain interest in the event (as a television program). With NBA playoff games airing daily this time of year and baseball a weeknight staple, I generally haven't caught the first night of the draft on television over the past few years which, of course, makes it's hard to muster enthusiasm to tune in to separate telecasts during the weekend when the name-brand talent is off the board. Given the current state of the NFL, I assume that the draft is much more profitable in this revamped state. Luckily for the teams, the importance of the draft in terms of roster construction is unchanged whether or not I find the it suitably packaged as television programming.

With several key free agents on both sides of the ball and a recent history of prioritizing quality over quantity in recent drafts, the New York Jets entered the 2011 Draft looking to stock the cupboard. They were especially needy in the defensive front seven and addressed that need with their first two selections. At No. 30 overall, the Jets drafted defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson out of Temple University. The Linden, NJ native stands 6 foot 4 inches and tips the scales around 315.

Rather than just trusting the Hair (Mel Kiper) and the Heir (Todd McShay) to tell me about Wilkerson and the rest of the newest Jets players, who were but a handful of the hundreds that they've studied over the past few months, I decided to contact Brian Dzenis, the Sports Editor of The Temple News, who has watched and covered Wilkerson for a lot longer than any talking head on television who we're likely to hear from this week. Dzenis came through in spades, answering a bunch of questions as he studied for finals and adding in some details that I hadn't come across anywhere else. For example: Against UCONN, Wilkerson caught a 3-yard pass on a fake punt play and didn't look too shabby doing it. Far and away, my favorite detail is that this defensive end wore a single digit number as part of the honor of being designated a "Temple Tough Guy" by a coach.

WWOD?: What was your initial reaction to hearing that the Jets had called for Wilkerson at No. 30?

Brian Dzenis: I'm not a huge mock draft guy, so I don't read into where players might go too much, but I certainly thought he deserved to be drafted in the first round.

WWOD?: Much of the pre-draft coverage of Wilkerson focused on his family and calm demeanor. Does that fit with the perception of Wilkerson on campus?

BD: Wilkerson is a very low-key, down to earth type of guy. In the two seasons I've covered the team, I never heard a peep about his character. He may not be the most exciting guy to talk to, but he works hard and his teammates and coaches respect him. He's a lot like his predecessors on the Temple D-line that have made it to the NFL, Terrance Knighton and Andre Neblett, they were quiet, but they always got the job done on the field.

WWOD?: Can you recall a particular game when it became clear that Mo was a bona fide NFL talent?

BD: The Penn State game this year certainly sticks out. Nine total tackles (four solo, five assisted) against a PSU O-line that gave him double teams multiple times is nothing to laugh at. His impact in a given game sometimes can't be measured on the box score, like when they played UCONN (and won), he didn't have a great game statistically, but the other guys around him on the D-line did because he could just take up so much space and create room for his teammates to make plays. He just always seems to find a way to make himself useful, whether it's the occasional multi-sack game or he'll just eat up double teams so his teammates can get to the quarterback/running back.



WWOD?: How many grains of salt, if any, should his stats and highlights be viewed given the level of MAC competition?

BD: I'm no fan of the MAC, but when he went up against Penn State and UCONN, two BCS schools, he handled himself pretty well. I think when evaluating him as a player, the thing that sticks out about him is that he's a 6-5, 300-plus pound guy who is FAST and is really consistent with his play. I imagine Rex Ryan was more impressed with his size/speed than the fact that he had three sacks in a game against Kent State.

WWOD?: Greatest on-field strength? Weakness?

BD: The guy wins nearly every one-on-one battle with offensive linemen and when he gets loose, he will end plays. I don't know how he'll adjust to being a defensive end in the NFL as opposed to a defensive tackle in college. I imagine there will be times when in NFL games, he'll be left on an island with a offensive tackle and that tackle will just get victimized by his speed. All the physical tools and work ethic is there, it's just a matter of how he'll pan out as a defensive end.

WWOD?: What's the story behind him wearing No. 9?

BD: When Al Golden was coach, he reserved the single-digit numbers for his "Temple Tough Guys," guys who exemplified Al Golden football, team values, etc. As for why he got No. 9 in particular, I have no idea.

WWOD?: On a scale of "It's a dream come true just to be in the NFL" to "We'll talk over Blue Hawaii cocktails before the Pro Bowl," how would estimate Wilkerson feels today?

BD: Definitely "It's a dream come true just to be in the NFL," He'll probably do his thing with the media when they first see him, but he likes to fade into the background and just let his play do the talking.

NFL Conscription Night

With the most accomplished players in the National Football League embroiled in lawsuits with the monied men who sign their paychecks and even the rank and file barred from clocking in at the office, the entrance of a new crop of young players into the NFL seems less a celebratory affair than normal. Nevertheless, the cameras will roll tonight at Radio City Music Hall and lumbering linebackers, serpentine cornerbacks and even a charismatic, regulation-averse franchise quarterback will be awarded new zip codes and oversize No. 1 jerseys of varying shades. Even a red-headed signal caller will be embraced.

As a Jets fan, the annual NFL Draft had become a de facto April Fool's Day until General Manager Mike Trader Tannenbaum landed key contributors Darrelle Revis, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, David Harris, Dustin Keller, Shonn Greene, Matt Slauson and Mark Sanchez in recent seasons. The most notable blemish (much larger than Kyle Wilson) on Trader Mike's draft resume is the ghastly Vernon Gholston pick in 2008. Gholston would fit in nicely on this Gang Green lowlight reel.



Reaching the AFC Championship Game in 2010 has the Jets selecting at No. 30 tonight, seemingly precluding a Gholston-caliber blunder. Sports Illustrated's Don Banks has the Jets tapping Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor as the successor to oft-injured Kris Jenkins. Meanwhile, the readers at Tim Graham's AFC East blog over at the Worldwide Leader have Arizona defensive end Brooks Reed as the Jets' choice. Everyone, including the crack(ed) staff at WWOD? HQ, seems to agree the bolstering depth of the defensive front seven is the team's greatest need. Although Shaun Ellis was a north-south terror in the Divisional Round of the 2010 playoffs against the Patriots, the Jets defenders did struggle to individually generate a pass rush. Everything needed to be schemed to create mismatches and overloads because no one was consistently winning one-on-one matchups.

Given the Jets recent history of eschewing quantity for quality on draft night, it will be interesting to see if they move up over the next few days. I'd assume that they won't because the cupboard is getting rather bare. And we all know how Rex Ryan feels about bare cupboards.

Knicks Worse Than Worst (Yet Have Beaten Best)

Before Week 11 of the NFL season kicked off, there was a graphic depicting the league's parity that appeared on nearly every website not showing exclusively pornography. It was first discovered at Reddit, but was such a hit that there were even bunnies posing with it on Cuteoverload.com. At least, I think that was one of the many animal-related emails that my girlfriend sent me that week in late November.

The chart formed a circle by placing each team to the left of a team it had previously beaten during the first 10 weeks of the season. It worked because every team had beaten a team that had beaten another team which had then beaten two friends and so on and so on.

For some reason, I thought of this chart last night when I heard that the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Clippers in overtime to end their historic 26-game losing streak. I thought of it because the only reason that the Clippers' streak didn't stand at 37 games heading into that game was because they edged the Knicks in overtime on Dec. 18 to halt what was already a 10-game losing skid.

"We've been right there," shoot-first-ask-questions-later Cleveland point guard Mo Williams said after the game. "We showed our grit. We wanted to see some wins to start believing."



Coming off a disheartening, nationally-televised loss to the Miami Heat the night before that mid December visit to Cuyahoga County, the Knicks couldn't solidify various first half leads and allowed the home team to net two unanswered buckets in the final 45 seconds to force overtime. As so often seems to be the case, the team that forced the overtime is the team that won the overtime.

The members of the Cavaliers would not smile those winning smiles for nearly two months after that game because other teams, unlike the Knicks, transmuted their various first half leads into eventual margins of victory. Because other NBA teams greedily grab the low-hanging fruit during the arduous 82-game regular season. Not our 2010-2011 Knickerbockers, though. Their tastes in fruit are harder to unpack. They seem to crave the highest-hanging varieties without quite being able to consistently reach the branches from which they grow. Unless, Amar'e Stoudemire lets his teammates stand on his shoulders to reach.

I thought of that NFL chart last night because unpredictable teams like the New York Knicks are the key to the sort of parity that the NFL cultivates. The inconsistent Knicks would later beat those same South Beach SuperFriends that they lost to before losing to Cleveland. They would even rout the San Antonio Spurs, who came into that matchup with the best record in the NBA.

The Knicks can beat any team on any given night. But they can also lose to the Clippers who will in turn drop their next game to the Cavaliers, who, of course, hadn't tasted victory in the several weeks since they had been fortunate enough to tangle with the Knicks. When looking at such a series of results it's tempting to assume a transitive relationship between the teams: If Team A beat Team B and Team B then beat Team C then Team is also better than Team C.

But if the Knicks have been beaten by the Cavaliers and the Clippers and the Cavaliers then beat the Clippers then I think that would make the Knicks the 1962 Mets. Perhaps if the Carmelo trade doesn't go through the Knicks can use Eddy Curry's roster spot to sign Marvelous Marv Throneberry. He's got to have better hands than Mozgov. Or perhaps we can reanimate Casey Stengel to replace Mike D'Antoni on the sideline.

An Imperfect Circle

"I'm truly sorry for the disappointment and negative attention I brought to my family, my teammates, coaches, the Rooneys and the NFL."
-Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on April 13, 2010

"I don't put a blame on anybody except myself. I feel like I let the city of Pittsburgh down, the fans, my coaches, my teammates. And it's not a good feeling."
-Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on February 6, 2011

Revis Tosses One Hitter

You may have already heard. It could have been me hooting. Or hollering late into the cold, dark night. Or, possibly you heard from No. 87 himself, who was none too pleased. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis held the Indianpolis Colts top wide reciever, Reggie Wayne, to just one catch for a single yard on Saturday night.

Wayne finished with a career-best 111 receptions during the regular season, good for second in the AFC. Last night, Colts head coach quarterback Peyton Manning only threw one ball in his direction. The sure-handed Wayne caught it a few feet beyond the lime of scrimmage and was immediately dropped.

One catch, one yard. When your stat line after a playoff game contains no numerals than it's unlikely that you were very effective.


With Revis' coverage orange-prison-jumpsuit tight, NBC play-by-play man Al Michaels went as far as to say, on national television and in prime time, that Wayne would rather be on Guantanamo than Revis Island. While I do think that Revis' blend of physicality at the line and ability to burn stride-for-stride on just about any deep route makes him the top cover man in the game, I don't know if I would think being rendered irrelevant during a football game would be worse than actually being disappeared by the US military. Regardless, it was the most brazen use of US human rights abuse in a sporting contest since Barkley noted that the Celtics were Abu Graibing the Knicks on TNT* back in 2007.

*This didn't happen, but, admit it, with Barkley you involved you weren't sure.

Monday Mudita

American Football Conference

1. New England Patriots


2. Pittsburgh Steelers


3. Indianapolis Colts


4. Kansas City Chiefs


5. Baltimore Ravens


6. New York Jets


National Football Conference

1. Atlanta Falcons


2. Chicago Bears


3. Philadelphia Eagles
(Entering the playoffs after two losses, we had to look back a ways to find some joy from Mudville Philly, but this is pretty hard to top.)

4. Seattle Seahawks


5. New Orleans Saints


6. Green Bay Packers

Monday Morning Schadenfreude

As a Jets fan, I wonder if the Giants collapse down the stretch again next season will we ever, ever hear the refrain "same ol' Giants" being tossed around. Eli Manning (pictured, mid sulkplosion) has a career 16-18 record in December and has presided over enough consecutive late-season to be fitted for a New York Mets jersey. I'd imagine that his Super Bowl ring will keep him in the good graces of Big Blue fans in perpetuity, but great Testaverde's ghost, this guy turns the ball over a ton, and without the rakish joi de vivre of Brett Favre.

Time Off Ain't On Our Side

The New York Jets have played three of their 12 games during the 2010 season after having more than seven off days. They have been outscored 64-12 in those three games, failing to score a touchdown in any contest and being held scoreless once.

2010 Jets Results and Days Between Games

Week	Opponent	Days Off	Result
1	Baltimore	Entire Offseason	Loss, 9-10
2	New England	5	Win, 28-14
3	@ Miami	6	Win, 31-23
4	@ Buffalo	6	Win, 38-14
5	Minnesota	7	Win, 29-20
6	@ Denver	5	Win, 24-20
8	Green Bay	13 (Bye Week)	Loss, 0-9
9	@ Detroit	6	Win, 23-20 OT
10	@ Cleveland	6	Win, 26-20 OT
11	Houston	6	Win, 30-27
12	Cincinnati	3	Win, 26-10
13	@ New England	10	Loss, 3-45

Both the season-opening loss to the Ravens and the defeat by Green Bay after the bye week left me convinced that Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had out-thought himself. With too much time to script plays, he got carried away with what was possible on paper instead of focusing on what was going to be effective on the field. In both cases, it appeared that the Jets were tentatively trying things rather efficiently executing things that they already had confidence in.

Against the Ravens, the supposedly "Ground and Pound" Jets attempted passes on 6 of the 8 non-kicking (punt and field goal attempt) plays that comprised the offense's first two drives. They then came out after the half and went three and out on their first possession of the third quarter with three pass plays. In both losses, there were reverses run at inopportune times that suggested that they had been scripted in advance. Like maybe on the ninth day of game-planning.

Against Green Bay, the Jets coaching staff called 41 pass plays to just 28 running plays and saw punter Steve Weatherford freelance on a fake punt attempt in a fourth-and-18 situation from his own 20-yard line. That loss to Green Bay was also marred by a missed field goal and a foolish referee challenge by Rex that came back to haunt his team. Which brings us to last night's thorough debaclization of the Jets up at Foxboro where a mis-used challenge and a missed field goal led to this game unraveling early.

Wow.

This 45-3 defeat at the well-manicured hands of Tom Brady was so surgical and unequivocal that it hardly hurt, like being cut with a Hattori Hanzo blade so sharp that you don't feel the pain until you feel the wet warmth of the blood pooling at your feet.

Hard to block when the Jets had the ball and harder to tackle when they had it, the Patriots seemed prepared and aggressive on both sides of the ball. They executed ruthlessly and singlemindedly while the Jets seemed tentative and disjointed (and, yes, I'm talking about LT taking another dump off pass to the helmet). While the Jets players spent all those off days telling reporters and themselves that could win it certainly seemed that the Patriots spent the time making sure that they would win.

Yes, the shanked punt, missed field goal and squandered challenge all figured prominently in the game getting away from the Jets so early, but those things almost seem irrelevant when considered alongside the striking difference in comfort and urgency between the two teams.

For me, last night's humiliating loss hammered home the notion that time off isn't on the side of the New York Jets. Rest makes rust and unfamiliar game plans. I don't know if the blame falls entirely on the meaty shoulders of Rex Ryan whose top-flight motivation skills and innovative defensive philosophies may outstrip his in-game efficiency by more than we were all willing to concede. Or, does more of the blame fall on Shotty? His offense, which despite his high profile have never actually amounted to much over the duration of a season, seems stuck in neutral every time he has more than a few days to tinker under the hood. Of course, even if the blame does lay with the offensive coordinator one could transfer that right back to Rexy for not having a heavier hand in the offensive game planning. At this point, he likes to talk about the running game more than he likes to make sure that his coaches are relying on it.

Although Patriots coach Bill Belichick has thrived on tailoring a game plan to counter his opponent's strengths, these Jets seem to be at their best when they impose their own strengths - the running game and an aggressive defense.

Under Ryan, the Jets have been more successful when drawing on an overarching me-first theme rather than a week-by-week scheme based on the other team. This is why we heard "Ground and Pound" so often last season as the Jets rolled to the AFC Championship Game. With the Patriots in the driver's seat for the AFC East crown after last night, the Jets likely wouldn't have any extra off days before a game unless they reached the Super Bowl. So, in that way last night might have been a lose-win. After all, I can't see this team benefitting from a first-round bye in the playoffs.

One Man's Trash ... Is a Cleveland Coach

Cleaning out my car is not a regular activity. This is partially because I don't use the car to commute. I'm swiping Metrocards to get to and fro my workplace. I really don't do much of anything in the car besides weekend trips to the grocery store, liquor store and Target. Some weeks I only start her up in order to move across the street to avoid tickets. And then back. This sporadic use keeps too many coffee cups or food wrappers from accumulating, but if some piece of trash does find a good nook, say anywhere in the back seat then it might be there for a while, like several NFL seasons.

Feeling automotively inclined this morning, I renewed my drivers license, which had expired in August. I then got an overdue oil change (but turned down the recommended engine flush). After that I didn't go all out and replace my stolen spare tire or the blown fuse that disabled the windshield wipers, but I did clean out random stuff in the trunk and empty out the pockets on the backs of the front seats. And, what a blast from the past was in those two stretched leather time capsules. In one pocket there were assorted gas station maps from states this vehicle has never entered and two ticket stubs from a terrible concert that I went to with a girl that I haven't even spoken to in years. In the other there was a half-used, wind-up disposable camera from an age before digital cameras and a dog-eared copy of Grays Sports Alamanc 1950–2000.

There was also a game day program from the Jets-Pats game played on Sept. 17, 2006. The cover featured an artist's rendering of former Jets head coach Eric Mangini. With Rex Ryan's Jets visiting Mangini in Cleveland tomorrow the timing of this find seemed quite fortuitous. Or coincidental. Or, perhaps, just a sign I need to clean out the whip at least as frequently as every presidential election.


That Jets-Pats game was the home opener in Mangini's maiden campaign as HC of NYJ. His Jets were 1-0 when his mentor Bill Belichick brought the Patriots to the swamps of Jersey. The sun was shining for the 1 o'clock start. Probably too much. It was one of those 80 degree autmumn days that makes you think polar bears need to be stronger swimmers. It would be an understatement to say that my girlfriend, who doesn't handle her pooridge temperatures too hot or too cold was not enjoying herself before the game in the parking lot.

The Jets, running a no-huddle offense, fell behind 7-0 early but were holding the Pats close when they let the visitors get their typical hammer score just before the half. For me, their is nothing more emblematic of the Patriots' run of AFC East dominance (which is hopefully coming to a close) than that score with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter (it feels like it was usually 13-yard pass to a tight end of wide receiver running a crossing pattern across the back of the endzone) change the complexion of a previously close game just before the intermission. On this sweltering afternoon, it was Chad Jackson that caught the score.

The Pats led 17-0 at the half and went up 24-0 in the third quarter. But, to his credit, Mangini got the Jets to roar back into the game. Both Jerricho Cotchery and Lavernius Coles made tough scoring grabs on balls from Chad Pennington to help get Gang Green back into the game. Cotchery's catch in particular was breathtaking, probably the first glimpse that we all got his focus and strength. He caught the ball with a defender draped over him, seemed to be tackled after reeling it in. But somehow, he managed to keep his knees or elbows from touching the ground and then wheeled off and broke for the endzone. All told, the play went 71 yards.

Although the Jets' comeback bid would fall short, Mangini would orchestrate a gritty, muddy win at New England late in the season en route to a Wild Card berth. Not bad for a chubby-cheeked rookie coach. At that point, I wouldn't have been surprised to learn that the the 2010 AFC Championship Game was in the cards, but I'd have been shocked to learn it wouldn't be the Mangenius leading the way.

NFL's Conservation of Advertising Animals

Similar to the way that all mass in a closed system will remain constant over time there is a careful equilibrium to the advertising messages during any broadcast of a National Football League game.

If there are five advertisements featuring Howie Long shilling alpha-male trucks that rattle off towing capacities as if the biological possession of testicles meant duties hauling of steel or lumber as regular as menses then there are also five spots, also featuring Long, for eco-friendly, pocket-sized cars trumpeting miles per gallon and emissions standards in a fashion that might not send Ed Begley Jr. into a tizzy.

This one part yin, one part yang and no parts that didn't already exist in another form. Mass media can neither be created nor destroyed. Just rearranged before and after punts and kickoffs.

So, it must be the case that the downfall polar bears is a boon for some other animal. And, yes, it is. Shrimp. Endless shrimp.



Fear the endless swarms and prepare to welcome your new crustacean overlords. Unless, of course, Red Lobster can fry, grill or saute enough of the decapod conquerers before it's too late.

Braylon Edwards is Rocking the "Full Set"

When folks in ancient Greece saw a fellow with a full beard, like the one sported at pre-season training camp by Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards, they assumed this was a virile, masculine man. Romans felt the same way. In ancient India, a long flowing beard symbolized wisdom. The handling and holding of another man's beard was considered an act of disrespect and an invitation to a duel in the Middle Ages. You shouldn't mess with another man's beard. I wonder if Edwards freed the follicles of his face because he heard that cornerbacks in the NFL abide by similar customs.

Beards have historically been such a signifier of badassery that royalty in ancient Egypt would sometimes wear false metal beards just to impress their minions. And, I don't mean metal beard as in a heavy metal beard like guitarist Kim Thayil from Soundgarden but something actually forged from metal and attached to the chin. It was called a postiche and most sarcophagus depict Pharaohs as rocking them.

And, while Alexander the Great and the Macedonians went clean shaven, which sort of squares with what we've all heard about him all and his pretty boy pals, there has been an association with beards and might straight through the from the knights of the Middle Ages to generals in the American Civil War, like Union skipper Ulysses S. Grant, to Baron Davis of the National Basketball Association.



Alexander wanted a clean shaven military to keep enemies from grabbing onto the beards of his men in combat. He felt that such a beardhold could put his soldiers in jeopardy. Same could go for a wide receiver, I guess. However, that did not mean that fierce facial hair was barred from future military ranks. Aside from the proliferation of flowing face locks in the Civil War, the British Navy, for example, allows beards provided they are part of a "full set," meaning a beard with a mustache. Not just one or the other. Should this ball catching thing not work out for Braylon (and, to be fair, the results have been mixed) perhaps there is a future at sea in her Majesty's Navy.

2nd Annual WWOD? Super Bowl Prop Bet Blowout

After weeks of preseason quasi-football - which was preceded by months of he-said, he-said featuring everyone's favorite denim pitchman - and seventeen weeks of regular season contests - which preceded three rounds of playoff tilts- we are here. It's Super Sunday, which precedes Hungover Monday.

Three parts television spectacle, one part hot sauce bender, three parts fete for Madison Avenue ad men, two parts football game, and one part occassion for drunk driving. Combine in chilled punch bowl. Ad dash of gambling to taste. Whisk. Serve over ice in commemorative plastic cups obtained with four Tostitos proofs purchase and a self-addressed stamped envelope. It's the Super Bowl. Where do I sit?

Excuse me, miss, is there any room in the Falcons helmet?

After knocking of Rex Ryan's ambitious New York Jets in the AFC Championship Game with a ruthlessly efficient second-half performance, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts are deemed the safe bet in this game. Peyton's been garnering GOAT talk all week long, deservedly. And, how do you bet against the best? Indy hasn't lost a game that Peyton played straight through all year long. Perhaps the recency bias of the gambling public explains why the Colts were favored by 6 shortly after they were installed as 3.5-point favorites by the Vegas oddsmakers over the NFC representative. The Indy money came in quick. The line has since regressed as the Saints backers felt that +5 or 6 points was a good value. Just a few hours before kickoff, the Colts are laying 4.5 to the Saints.

Perhaps the reason that the Colts got so much love early in the week was Peyton's T1000-like dominance against the Jets. Or it might have been the New Orleans Saints' struggles against the turnover-prone Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. Despite their own dominant season and an undefeated run of their own, the Saints are firmly entrenched in the underdog role, perhaps in spite of the numbers they put up this season. Perhaps it's also because that status fits the narrative of post-Katrina New Orleans. Perhaps it's just because they're not as good.

Regardless of the movement, I think that the oddsmakers set a good line. It's got me confused. Which is how I judge such things. If I can't figure it out then it must be good. Right?

In the last two years, I have loved the Cardinals and the Giants with the points. This year? I'm not sure. I can't imagine a team stopping Peyton for four quarters. But, I'm not sold that the Colts' defense can keep Drew Brees and company from making this a shootout. I might tease the Colts and the UNDER in case the game goes like former Colts coach and current NBC analyst Tony Dungy thinks it will. I might also put a little bit of cash down on the Saints and the money line. Or tease the Saints +4.5 and the OVER and bet the Colts money line. Or I might just take my money and award it to passersby as I make my way to the Super Bowl party I'm heading to. I'm not sure. All seem equally viable options.

WWOD?'s Prop Bet Picks:

Austin Collie OVER 50.5 yards
I think that this might be my best feel (you could also translate this logic to the OVER on Garcon if you want, too) of the game. Saints corner Jabari Greer is a middle-class man's Darrelle Revis and should be able to take Reggie Wayne away from Manning just like Revis did. I'd go OVER on Collie's receptions as well. That line is set at an easy to top 3.5.

Reggue Wayne for UNDER 79.5 total recieving yards
Betting public, meet Mr. Greer. Mr. Greer, meet the betting public. I'd also take most of the UNDER bets on Wayne with the exception of longest reception. There's always the chance that he'll break one and I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket even though I think he gets shut down over the balance of the game.

Total number of players to have a pass attempt: OVER.
I've had good luck with this bet whenever I've made. And, Iike most streaks. It's got to end somewhere. But I think that the Saints offensive mastermind Sean Payton might see make sure that day isn't today. Does Reggie Bush throw a pass today? I think there's a chance.

The Saints WILL CONVERT A FOURTH DOWN ATTEMPT:
If they're going to be trailing, which seems to be the conventional wisdom then they will go for it on fourth at some point as they try to rally and they will convert.

Carrie Underwood will go OVER 1 minute and 42 seconds while singing the national anthem:
This gal wants to show of those pipes to prove that she's more than a genre act.

Drew Brees' longest completion will be OVER 40.5 yards:
The Saints are going to be looking for big plays and they'll connect on one at some point. I'm actually surprised this 10 yards less than the longest completion of game prop, which is around 50 yards. I mean, the Saints are the home run offense whereas the Colts really want to grind your bones and make their bread with long drives.

Other than these bets, I do really like the OVER on the longest rush props for Pierre Thomas, Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. All the numbers are around 10-11 yards. All someone has to do is run for a first down and you're a winner.

Friends (and Family) in Low Places

Jets' Slim Playoffs Hopes Fattened By Browns' Win

It's still a longshot, the sort that only old-timey archers capable of splitting arrows in twain and desperate gamblers looking to get out of a hole might take. But the New York Jets are still alive in the AFC playoff hunt. And the defending-champion Pittsburgh Steelers are not, dealt a shock defeat by the Cleveland Browns last night on Thursday Night Football.

Heading into the game, the Steelers, favored by double digits on the road, were among the throng in the AFC sporting 6-6 records and camped out in the far-right "In the Hunt" column of each playoff graphic shown during broadcasts of games this past week. Also in the also-ran column are the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. These four clubs are chasing the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5) and the Denver Broncos (8-4), who currently hold the Wild Card spots in the conference. In spite of the myriad tie-breaker scenarios in the NFL, the path to the postseason for the Jets is simple. Win. Win. Win. Win. And hope that these other teams lose. Lose. Lose. Lose.

With former Jets coach Eric Mangini at the helm, the lowly one-win, zero-hope Cleveland Browns upended Little Ben and the Stillers, 13-6, on blustery cold night at creatively named Cleveland Browns Stadium. QB-turned-WR-turned-RB-turned-Incredible-Untackleable-Beast-After-a-Freak-Gamma-Ray-Accident Joshua Cribbs dominated in special teams and on offense. He racked up 200 yards across all phases of the game, setting up the Browns' scores and securing a key first down late in the game. He seemed to be everything that the Jets' slender QB-turned-WR Brad Smith could never be under Mangini. As Deion said after the game, pay the man.

On the other side of the ball, the Browns' defense, coached by Rob Ryan - brother of Jets head coach Rex Ryan - threw a tightly-woven, mouth-breathing, flesh and shoulder pad blanket over the Pittsburgh offense to keep them warm on this wintry night with winds upwards of 15 mph and temperatures dropping below zero with the wind chill. The Browns sacked Roethlisburger 8 times and knocked him down 12. They recorded three passes defensed and made 10 tackles for a loss. They limited Rashard Mendenhal, Willie Parker and Ben to 75 yards on the ground on 22 carries and just 201 in the air on 18 completions. It was a suffocating performance and the NFL Network broadcasters were going out of their way to laud Ryan in the later stages of the game. I couldn't tell how much of this was meant to credit the defensive coordinator or to deflect the spotlight from Mangini.
The Browns' secondary was covering flawlessly as the Steelers made their last two, last-ditch drives to take the lead, and it might have been worth mentioning that Mangini was the secondary coach in New England before his rapid ascension to the head coaching ranks by way of the D-Coordinator gig under Bill Belichick. Some of those 8 sack were most definitely coverage sacks as well. I'm not saying that Mangini deserved all the credit, because he didn't, but I did feel like he was getting short changed slightly by the guys in the booth. Considering that the Browns haven't beaten their division rival in 12 tries there is a chance that this triumph goes a long way towards getting Mangini another shot at coaching this club. For all his personality problems and control issues, I do think the guy still can be a winning football coach. Like when he got that big win at Foxboro in his first year, he does seem to have a knack for rallying the troops against a favored rival. Regardless, the result was surely a nice early Chanukah gift (not as nice as Mark Sanchez but perhaps even nicer than Braylon Edwards) from the former Jets coach and the brother of the current Jets skipper. It sure is nice to have friends and family in low places when you're looking to squeak into the playoffs.

The Four One That Really Got Away
If (err.... when) Rexy's Midday Runners miss out on the Super Bowl playoffs, most fans will tap the twin losses to the Dolphins and the last-second defeat to the Jaguars as the key moments of the season. Those losses at the hands of two of the five clubs in contention for the last Wild Card berth in the AFC cost the Jets in nearly every tiebreaker scenario. For my money, though, the unfathomable overtime home loss to the Buffalo Bills is the game that I'll blame most.

The Jets were caught off guard by the heat and the hunger of the Dolphins in their trip down to Miami. They were outplayed in the trenches that night. They lost. Plain. Simple. There can be no second guessing when you lose that way to a division foe, even if the Jets kept the game close. In the return game with the Dolphins in North Jersey, the Jets were sunk by a superlative effort by return man Ted Ginn. I can't defend special teams coach Mike Westhoff's refusal to kick away from Ginn after the first run back but I also can't get too worked up over a loss in which one player on the other sideline had a career-best day. Again, those things happen. And they cost you games. With such a glaring breakdown in one of the game's three phases it's hard to make a case that the Jets should have won that game no matter how great the defense played. Perhaps the could have but Ginn secured it for Miami. The once-and-then-again draft bust was even named Meast of the Week over at KSK. And, against the Jaguars, the Jets just got beat. The defense couldn't get the big stop it needed down the stretch and the offense couldn't put enough points on the board to put it away when they had a chance. That game was a turnover fest and even Fireman Ed would be hard pressed to say that the Jets deserved that game. They certainly could have won it. But I'm not going to say they should have won it.

But, that loss at home to the Bills? Oh, boy. Now that game was a microcosm of that hoary, overused "same ol Jets" phrase on the tips of the tongues of every talk show host on your AM radio dial. The Jets should have won that game. Thomas Jones rushed for a franchise-best 210 yards. Leon Washington roared for 99 yards of his own. That's more than 900 feet of offense right there. On the other side of the ball, the Jets' defense concussed Bills QB Trent Edwards, knocking him out of the game. Darrelle Revis held Terrell Owens to just three catches for thirteen yards. The Jets mostly kept Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson in check, holding each to less than 65 yards on a ton of carries. But rookie heartbreaker Mark Sanchez tossed five picks in the game. Yet the Jets still were poised to win in overtime when Leon Washington and Thomas Jones plowed their way down to the Buffalo 22 in the opening possession of the fifth quarter. A holding penalty then backed the Jets up ten yards to the 32. Not a bunny but certainly a makeable field goal. Even on a murky, gray day. We never found out, though, as the snap was muffed by the holder who then threw a pick while trying to make amends. Buffalo ball. Several brutal-to-watch exchanges of possession later and the Bills kicked a game-winning field goal of their own. This side of Cleveland, few teams have ever done less than Buffalo that Sunday and managed a victory.

If the Jets don't eventually take advantage of the gifts bestowed upon them by the Browns (beating the Steelers), the Raiders (beating the Steelers last week), the Packers (beating the Ravens) and the Colts (beating the Titans) then I'll be looking back on that Sunday when Sanchez gave away a game to a Ryan Fitzpatrick-quarterbacked and Dick Jauron-coached team. For my money (and it was literally for my money as I dropped $100 on ticket in the 300-level), that's the loss that may ultimately doom this season. Oh, and that was also the game we lost nose tackle Kris Jenkins for the season. So, that certainly hasn't helped us down the stretch, either.

Fire at will, Commander!

At various points deep in the second half of last night's Monday Night Football ambush between the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots, the expressions on faces of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and countless other Pats partisans was reminiscent of the look of impotent dismay on the face of the young Skywalker late in Return of the Jedi when the Emperor informed him that the second Death Star was, in fact, fully operational.

The smug self righteousness that Luke had begun the scene with drained from his face as the Death Star's green laser exploded rebel ship after rebel ship. Such was the dissipation of the Patriots' characteristic overconfidence as Saints quarterback Drew Brees fired laser beams at his receivers. Hitting them in stride as they tore up seams. Hitting them on the back shoulder as they ran preise routes. Hitting them anywhere they could get to and leading defenders anywhere he wanted with a look or a pump fake en route to 371 yards and 5 touchdowns in a dominating 38-17 rout.

Wow. Just, wow. Being a Jets fan, I've been mostly miserable in my life watched these Patriots play a lot and I don't remember them being so thoroughly undressed. All that was missing was Belichick turning wildly to his assistants after Bree's 75-yard strike to Devery Henderson early in the second quarter and yelling "It's a trap!"

77 > 91 + 95 + 93 + 70 + 79 \ 25 ≥ 6

Absence of Jenkins creates HUGE problems, opportunity

Among the thousand points of lowlight that shined this past murky Sunday at the Meadowlands during the Jets' 16-13 OT loss to the Bills perhaps the least illuminating was the injury to nose tackle Kris Jenkins. He left the game and never returned. It was later announced that he is done for the season thanks to a torn ACL in his left knee.

While the hunky QB Mark Sanchez's myriad interceptions may have been first through fifth among the postgame talking points, those turnovers have already done their damage. The injury to Jenkins, on the other hand, will continue to hurt this team in each remaining game. He is a 6-foot-4-inch beast in the middle of the defense. He weighs 360 pounds. He uses his thigh as anvil, could eat a hammer and take a shotgun blast standing. He demands double triple teams! Jenkins used to jog around the block with a fridge on his back! He can control the line of scrimmage as good (and perhaps better) than any player in the game! He wears a live rattlesnake as a condom!

Did I ever tell you about the time he was in a production of The King and I? On opening night, Jenkins chloroformed the entire cast and slowly eats them in front of the audience for two hours! The production got pretty good reviews.

I could go on but I don't think there's a need. You've seen the video. You've heard the stories. He's a defensive football player of Braskyesque proportions. And the Jets are going to use some combination of Sione Pouha (91), Howard Green (95), Marques Douglas (93), Mike DeVito (70) and Ropati Pitoitu (79) to replace No. 77. A four-time Pro Bowler, Jenkins will be missed. Opposing quarterbacks will have slightly more time. Offensive linemen will get to David Harris and Bart Scott a little easier. And running backs won't be engulfed like saplings in a wildfire.

As this helpfully highlighted image from the Jets' Week 4 Game in New Orleans shows, opponents have sent as many as three players to deal with Jenkins. And it generally didn't matter. The Jets' defense held Drew Brees's offense to 10 points. With Jenkins, the Jets defense is very good and occasionally great. Without him? Less so.

All of this means that you should go pick up Raiders running back Justin Fargas off the waiver wire in your fantasy football league. Now. The Jets are visiting Oakland this weekend and Fargas is seemingly the top guy in the Raider backfield. With Darren McFadden out of the picture thanks to a knee injury of his own, Fargas has seen his carries increase each of the last three weeks. Against the Eagles this past Sunday he turned 22 carries into 87 yards and a touchdown. He also threw in one catch for 11 yards.

For those of you not familiar with the work of Mr. Fargas, he's just the guy that has ended being the Raiders No. 1 back in terms of yardage in 2008, 2007 and 2006 no matter who the club drafted or signed to complete that task. The top guy was supposed to be some combination of Lamont Jordan, Michael Bush and McFadden but it was Fargas each time. He's not anyone's idea of an on-purpose starter in the NFL but he does seem to get the job done in a Sammy Morris sort of way when given the chance . On Sunday, he'll face a Jenkins-less Jets' run defense. The Raiders will have every reason (although the only reason they need plays quarterback for them) to want to establish the run. And to actually believe they can. During a week when so many NFL teams are on a bye, Fargas is just the plug-and-play guy to get you decent yardage and hopefully a score.

Ol' Jon Gruden Here

For the longest time while watching and listening to Monday Night Football Last night, I couldn't place it. Gruden has never coached any team of mine so I never spent much time listening to him during press conferences over the years. What was so familiar about Jon Gruden's cadence, phrasing and self-assured-and-satisfied tone? That mix of confidence in what he was saying and wonderment at how right he was? That combination of world-weary sarcasm and homespun know-it-all-ism that perfectly suits the anti-hero?

Finally, one too many "Well, ya sees" or "ya know whats?" connected the pieces for me. Jon Gruden announces games like Jack Burton talks over his CB radio aboard the Pork Chop Express. That's what sounded so familiar.

"Well, ya see, I'm not saying that I've been everywhere and I've done everything, but I do know it's a pretty amazing planet we live on here, and a man would have to be some kind of FOOL to think we're alone in THIS universe."