Connor Orr -THIS WEEK’S GAME REVOLVES AROUND ...
Santonio Holmes
It’s become apparent that when the Jets are rolling, so is Santonio Holmes. Last season during a four-game winning streak from Week 9 to Week 12, the receiver had one of the best stretches of his career. Five catches for 114 yards against the Detroit Lions, five for 76 and a game-winning touchdown against the Cleveland Browns, seven for 126 and two touchdowns (including the game-winner) against Houston and five for 44 and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. This year, he’s caught more than four passes just twice amid a period where the Jets' offense looks like a shell of itself. In order to get back on the right foot, the Jets need to torch the Bills’ banged-up secondary and make a statement heading into the final turn. And nothing will help that more than getting Holmes — who seems to have the power to ignite and infuriate a locker room all the same — in the end zone.
THE SAVVY FAN IS WATCHING ...
Kamar Aiken
With injuries depleting the Bills receiving corps, Chan Gailey said that the speedy, sure-handed rookie out of Central Florida will see some increased time this week.
PAST MEETINGS
10. Dec. 10, 2006. Bills 31, Jets 13.
9. Sept. 30, 2007 at Buffalo. Bills 17, Jets 14.
8. Oct. 28, 2007. Bills 13, Jets 3.
7. Nov. 2, 2008 at Buffalo. Jets 26, Bills 17.
6. Dec. 14, 2008. Jets 31, Bills 27.
5. Oct. 18, 2009. Bills 16, Jets 13, OT.
4. Dec. 3, 2009 at Buffalo. Jets 19, Bills 13.
3. Oct. 3, 2010 at Buffalo. Jets 38, Bills 14.
2. Jan. 2, 2011. Jets 38, Bills 7.
1. Nov. 6, 2011 at Buffalo. Jets 27, Bills 11
Remember when ...
The Jets seemed to reinvigorate their season with an emphatic 27-11 victory over the Bills three weeks ago? Ask some Jets and they define it as the game that laid out the blueprint to defeat the Bills and contain their trio of playmakers (Steve Johnson, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson). It was also a game that signified, for the moment, that they had fully returned from a troublesome three-game slump earlier in the season. Since then, though, Buffalo and the Jets have both fallen on hard times, slipping into a tie for second place in the AFC East with 5-5 records. The winner now keeps thinning playoff hopes alive for another week.
Video: Previewing the Jets against the Bills, Mark Sanchez, and the need for a win Video: Previewing the Jets against the Bills, Mark Sanchez, and the need for a win New York Jets beat writer Jenny Vrentas and Conor Orr preview the Jets game against the Bills on Sunday. The pair talk about Mark Sanchez, Plaxico Burress, and the need for the team to win games. (Video by Ed Murray/The Star-Ledger) Watch video
WHAT THE BILLS DON’T WANT THE JETS TO KNOW
1. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a different man now that he’s signed that hefty contract
Before the Bills signed their quarterback Fitzpatrick to a lofty six-year, $59 million deal worth $24 million in guaranteed money, he was 4-2 with a 66 percent completion rate, a 2-to-1 TD to INT ratio and a 95 QB rating. After, he’s 1-3 with a 59 percent completion rate, a 1-to-2 TD to INT ratio and a QB rating of 65.1. Again facing the Jets secondary that bullied him for four quarters, this is certainly a bad time to be reeling in the confidence department. This is especially true since the Bills could technically cut him before the seventh day of the 2012 league year and pay him nothing but his base salary — a little more than $3 million — according to ProFootballTalk.com.
2. They’re hurting at some key positions
The sting of a 35-8 thumping at the hands of the 3-7 Dolphins was made worse for the Bills when it became apparent that running back Fred Jackson (calf), cornerback Terrence McGee (knee) and No. 2 wide receiver Donald Jones, who reaggravated an ankle injury, all sustained significant, season-threatening injuries. Buffalo was a team that made a few moves to touch up their ailing roster in the offseason, but did not foresee this. Without a strong presence at cornerback, their aggressive defense needs to play a little softer. Without another deep threat, their spread offense loses the confusion it normally causes.
3. They’re more prone to turning the ball over
Maybe it’s that more good teams appear on their schedule. Maybe their confidence has taken a nose dive. Maybe teams have finally figured out the Bills' offense. Whatever the reason, their turnovers have skyrocketed over this three-game losing streak, topping out at nine. That is the same number of turnovers as they had in the first seven games of the season and an enormous reason why the team has run into some hard times. Oh, and the Jets, despite their struggles, have been surprisingly opportunistic this season, tied for ninth in the league with 13 interceptions.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
UCLA: Rick Neuheisl Will Be Fired
UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel is set to be fired even if the team makes the Rose Bowl, the Los Angeles Times reported late Saturday, citing sources.
Bruins athletic director Dan Guerrero will sit down with Neuheisel after their season is over — which could be as soon as next Friday, when UCLA plays Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game as a heavy underdog.
The only reason UCLA, which was thumped 50-0 by USC on Saturday, is the South Division representative in the title game is because the Trojans are banned from postseason play.
Before the Bruins' lopsided loss to their crosstown rivals, a source told the Times that UCLA would have to win the Pac-12 title for Neuheisel to have any chance of his retaining his job.
Neuheisel has a 21-28 record in four seasons at the helm, including 3-25 against teams that finished with a winning record.
Bruins athletic director Dan Guerrero will sit down with Neuheisel after their season is over — which could be as soon as next Friday, when UCLA plays Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game as a heavy underdog.
The only reason UCLA, which was thumped 50-0 by USC on Saturday, is the South Division representative in the title game is because the Trojans are banned from postseason play.
Before the Bruins' lopsided loss to their crosstown rivals, a source told the Times that UCLA would have to win the Pac-12 title for Neuheisel to have any chance of his retaining his job.
Neuheisel has a 21-28 record in four seasons at the helm, including 3-25 against teams that finished with a winning record.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Buffalo Bills Injury List Grows Wilson, Roosvelt out Against Jets
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills starting safety George Wilson will miss Sunday’s game against the New York Jets because of a neck injury.
It’s the second straight game Wilson won’t play after sustaining his injury in Buffalo’s loss at Dallas on Nov. 13. He leads the team with four interceptions/
The Bills (5-5) will also be without receiver Naaman Roosevelt, who has a shoulder injury.
Newly acquired running back Tashard Choice practiced both Thursday and Friday, and could be active Sunday against the Jets (5-5). He was signed on Wednesday after the Bills put running back Fred Jackson on injured reserve with a broken right leg.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
It’s the second straight game Wilson won’t play after sustaining his injury in Buffalo’s loss at Dallas on Nov. 13. He leads the team with four interceptions/
The Bills (5-5) will also be without receiver Naaman Roosevelt, who has a shoulder injury.
Newly acquired running back Tashard Choice practiced both Thursday and Friday, and could be active Sunday against the Jets (5-5). He was signed on Wednesday after the Bills put running back Fred Jackson on injured reserve with a broken right leg.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
C.J. Spiller Time For Buffalo Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- While Buffalo Bills fans have started to write running back C.J. Spiller off as a bust, the team’s coaching staff doesn’t believe that to be the case.
“I think we will really not know totally about C.J. until we get to the end of the season,” coach Chan Gailey said. ”I hope, but I can’t expect him to come out and rush for 140 yards or 120 yards like Fred [Jackson] was doing, but at the same time he’s certainly capable of doing that. We’ll see where this takes us.”
C.J. Spiller is expected to be the feature back in the Bills offense with Fred Jackson out for the season. (AP Photo)
Spiller’s opportunity has indeed arrived with Jackson on injured reserve. That doesn’t mean the offense will change much, though.
“You’ve got 10 other guys that have been doing things. You can’t change everything they’re doing and you don’t want to,” Gailey said. “You want to let C.J. go in and do what he does best and give him an opportunity to make plays.
The Bills will be without strong safety George Wilson for a second straight game because of a neck injury. That’s a big blow for the secondary, as Wilson was responsible for getting everyone in the backfield lined up. Just as important, he was playing at a Pro Bowl level.
With Wilson out last week, rookie fourth-round pick Da’Norris Searcy started. While Searcy did fine against the run, he was involved in a few coverage mix-ups that cost the team big yards through the air.
“I think we will really not know totally about C.J. until we get to the end of the season,” coach Chan Gailey said. ”I hope, but I can’t expect him to come out and rush for 140 yards or 120 yards like Fred [Jackson] was doing, but at the same time he’s certainly capable of doing that. We’ll see where this takes us.”
C.J. Spiller is expected to be the feature back in the Bills offense with Fred Jackson out for the season. (AP Photo)
Spiller’s opportunity has indeed arrived with Jackson on injured reserve. That doesn’t mean the offense will change much, though.
“You’ve got 10 other guys that have been doing things. You can’t change everything they’re doing and you don’t want to,” Gailey said. “You want to let C.J. go in and do what he does best and give him an opportunity to make plays.
The Bills will be without strong safety George Wilson for a second straight game because of a neck injury. That’s a big blow for the secondary, as Wilson was responsible for getting everyone in the backfield lined up. Just as important, he was playing at a Pro Bowl level.
With Wilson out last week, rookie fourth-round pick Da’Norris Searcy started. While Searcy did fine against the run, he was involved in a few coverage mix-ups that cost the team big yards through the air.
NBA Owners, Players Reach A Agreement On New Labor Deal
NEW YORK (AP)
NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement early Saturday to end the
After a secret meeting earlier this week, the sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, working to try to save the season. This handshake deal, however, still must be ratified by both owners and players.
''We've reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations, but we're optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin Dec. 25,'' Commissioner David Stern said.
The league plans a 66-game season and aims to open camps Dec. 9.
''We thought it was in both of our best interests to try to reach a resolution and save the game,'' union executive director Billy Hunter said.
The Christmas Day deadline created a sense of urgency because that schedule is traditionally a showcase for the league. This season's three-game slate was to include Miami at Dallas in an NBA finals rematch, plus MVP Derrick Rose leading Chicago into Los Angeles to face Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
A majority on each side is needed to approve the agreement. The NBA needs votes from 15 of 29 owners. (The league owns the New Orleans Hornets.) Stern said the labor committee plans to discuss the agreement later Saturday and expects them to endorse it and recommend to the full board.
The union needs a simple majority of its 430-plus members. That process is a bit more complicated after the players dissolved the union Nov. 14. Now, they must drop their antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota and reform the union before voting on the deal.
Because the union disbanded, a new collective bargaining agreement can only be completed once the union has reformed. Drug testing and other issues still must be negotiated between the league and the players.
The settlement first was reported by CBSSports.com.
Participating in the talks for the league were Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver, Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the labor relations committee, and attorneys Rick Buchanan and Dan Rube. The players were represented by executive director Billy Hunter, president Derek Fisher, vice president Maurice Evans, attorney Ron Klempner and economist Kevin Murphy.
When last talks broke down, the sides were still divided over the division of revenues and certain changes sought by owners to curb spending by big-market teams that players felt would limit or restrict their options in free agency.
On Nov. 14, players rejected the owners' proposal, which included opening a 72-game schedule on Dec. 15, announcing instead they were disbanding the union, giving them a chance to win several billion dollars in triple damages in an antitrust lawsuit.
Two days later, players filed two separate antitrust lawsuits against the league in two different states. On Monday, a group of named plaintiffs including Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash and Kevin Durant filed an amended federal lawsuit against the league in Minnesota, hoping the courts there will be as favorable to them as they have been to NFL players in the past.
Now, players will dismiss that lawsuit and get back to the business of basketball.
The previous CBA expired at the end of the day June 30. Despite a series of meetings in June, there was never much hope of a deal before that deadline, with owners wanting significant changes after saying they lost $300 million last season and hundreds of millions more in each year of the old agreement, which was ratified in 2005.
Owners wanted to keep more of the league's nearly $4 billion in basketball revenues to themselves after guaranteeing 57 percent to the players under the old deal. And they sought a system where even the smallest-market clubs could compete, believing the current system would always favor the teams who could spend the most.
Initially, the salary cap emerged as the biggest obstacle. Owners first proposed a hard cap, but players fought hard to maintain the current system that allows teams to exceed the cap through the use of various exceptions.
The league was adamant the system needed some adjustment, because the old rules gave too many advantages to teams who could afford to keep adding to their payrolls. So the league's proposals targeted the highest-spending teams, seeking to eliminate the use of the midlevel exception by teams over the luxury tax and prevent them from participating in sign-and-trade deals
NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement early Saturday to end the
After a secret meeting earlier this week, the sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, working to try to save the season. This handshake deal, however, still must be ratified by both owners and players.
''We've reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations, but we're optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin Dec. 25,'' Commissioner David Stern said.
The league plans a 66-game season and aims to open camps Dec. 9.
''We thought it was in both of our best interests to try to reach a resolution and save the game,'' union executive director Billy Hunter said.
The Christmas Day deadline created a sense of urgency because that schedule is traditionally a showcase for the league. This season's three-game slate was to include Miami at Dallas in an NBA finals rematch, plus MVP Derrick Rose leading Chicago into Los Angeles to face Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
A majority on each side is needed to approve the agreement. The NBA needs votes from 15 of 29 owners. (The league owns the New Orleans Hornets.) Stern said the labor committee plans to discuss the agreement later Saturday and expects them to endorse it and recommend to the full board.
The union needs a simple majority of its 430-plus members. That process is a bit more complicated after the players dissolved the union Nov. 14. Now, they must drop their antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota and reform the union before voting on the deal.
Because the union disbanded, a new collective bargaining agreement can only be completed once the union has reformed. Drug testing and other issues still must be negotiated between the league and the players.
The settlement first was reported by CBSSports.com.
Participating in the talks for the league were Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver, Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the labor relations committee, and attorneys Rick Buchanan and Dan Rube. The players were represented by executive director Billy Hunter, president Derek Fisher, vice president Maurice Evans, attorney Ron Klempner and economist Kevin Murphy.
When last talks broke down, the sides were still divided over the division of revenues and certain changes sought by owners to curb spending by big-market teams that players felt would limit or restrict their options in free agency.
On Nov. 14, players rejected the owners' proposal, which included opening a 72-game schedule on Dec. 15, announcing instead they were disbanding the union, giving them a chance to win several billion dollars in triple damages in an antitrust lawsuit.
Two days later, players filed two separate antitrust lawsuits against the league in two different states. On Monday, a group of named plaintiffs including Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash and Kevin Durant filed an amended federal lawsuit against the league in Minnesota, hoping the courts there will be as favorable to them as they have been to NFL players in the past.
Now, players will dismiss that lawsuit and get back to the business of basketball.
The previous CBA expired at the end of the day June 30. Despite a series of meetings in June, there was never much hope of a deal before that deadline, with owners wanting significant changes after saying they lost $300 million last season and hundreds of millions more in each year of the old agreement, which was ratified in 2005.
Owners wanted to keep more of the league's nearly $4 billion in basketball revenues to themselves after guaranteeing 57 percent to the players under the old deal. And they sought a system where even the smallest-market clubs could compete, believing the current system would always favor the teams who could spend the most.
Initially, the salary cap emerged as the biggest obstacle. Owners first proposed a hard cap, but players fought hard to maintain the current system that allows teams to exceed the cap through the use of various exceptions.
The league was adamant the system needed some adjustment, because the old rules gave too many advantages to teams who could afford to keep adding to their payrolls. So the league's proposals targeted the highest-spending teams, seeking to eliminate the use of the midlevel exception by teams over the luxury tax and prevent them from participating in sign-and-trade deals
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