Ageless Vinny comes through for the Jets

By Jonathan Solomon | Tuesday, October 11, 2005 | ( 0 )

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Call any New York Jets fan you know and tell them to come back in from the cliff they're standing on. Their season may not be a catastrophe just yet. The Jets-faithful in attendance on Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands gave Vinny Testaverde a rousing ovation when he stepped onto the field and the man never let them down. They upset the previously unbeaten Tampa Bay Buccaneers and seem to have at least temporarily leveled out the nosedive the Jets were on. It wasn't a pretty game but the Jets got the job done with a 14-12 victory over Tampa.

The biggest change without a doubt for the New York Jets was the aging Testaverde taking snaps from Kevin Mawae. Amazingly, the offensive line was able to give him some protection. The Bucs much vaunted defense was only able to hurry Testaverde about five times. He completed 13 of 19 attempted passes without a touchdown but did throw a single interception. Tight end Doug Jolley finally woke up for his biggest game as a Jet, catching three passes for 46 yards.

The running game was more of the same for Curtis Martin although he was able to punch it into the end zone twice when the team got into the red zone. Martin, who has been playing with sore legs this season, rushed 23 times for 59 yards ending up with a meager 2.6 average with two touchdowns. Back-up Derrick Blaylock broke his foot and is out for the season. This will have a big effect on the Jets who now must lean on rookie, third string running back Cedric Houston, who was taken in the 6th round of this years draft from Tennessee. Whether the Jets feel the need to search free agency for a running back remains to be seen. The NFL trading deadline is up sometime in the next two weeks so don't expect anything there.

Once again, the New York Jets defense played an outstanding game. You could say the Bucs were at a loss due to the fact that their star rookie running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams wasn't playing, and you'd be right. However, the Jets were able to stop a very capable runner in Michael Pittman and receivers such as Joey Galloway and Michael Clayton. Bucs quarterback Brian Griese threw 42 passes, completing 27 of them. He had no touchdowns but did throw one interception.

Pittman was limited to only 46 yards and the Bucs offense as a whole was held to just 285 yards on over 70 offensive plays. Former Jet tight end, Anthony Becht caught just two passes for 6 yards. Jets defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson made his presence felt, with two sacks on the day. Defending NFL defensive rookie of the year, linebacker Jonathan Vilma was active all day with 12 tackles and a forced fumble. Without a doubt, the Donnie Henderson-led Jets defense is their strongest point and will help them win more games then their offense.

One definite cause for alarm is the fact that Jets rookie kicker Mike Nugent missed both of his attempted field goals on Sunday. Also, punt returner Jerricho Cotchery fumbled the ball twice.

Overall, it was a fine and much needed win for the Jets. The next two weeks, Gang Green will embark on the road to play the Buffalo Bills next week and Atlanta Falcons in two weeks on Monday Night Football. Both games are expected to be tough with strong defensive minded teams featured.

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