The Jets will take on the Chiefs in the Meadowlands with kickoff set for 4:15 p.m.

Game: New York Jets (0-0) @ Miami Dolphins (0-0)
Date/Time: Sunday, September 7, 2008, 1:00 p.m. EDT
TV: CBS
Radio: WEPN (1050)

Inactives:

(Jets)
QB Brett Ratliff
QB Erik Ainge
WR Marcus Henry
WR David Clowney
CB Justin Miller
LB Kenwin Cummings
OL Robert Turner
DL Kareem Brown

(Dolphins)
WR Ernest Wilford
QB John Beck
CB Michael Lehan
RB Jalen Parmele
G Shawn Murphy
DE Lionel Dotson
T Nate Garner
DE Rodrique Wright

The Jets recently worked out free agent runningback Vernand Morency earlier this week.

Morency, 28, was a third-round pick by the Texans in the 2005 NFL Draft. He spent a year and change in Houston before heading to Green Bay. His best season came in 2006 recording 434 yards on 96 rushes with two touchdowns. The Jets currently have two runningbacks on the roster.

The Jets also recently placed a call to defensive back Eugene Wilson, but apparently, there doesn’t seem to be anything going on.

Wilson, 28, was cut by the Buccaneers on Sunday. He was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2003 and spent the last five seasons with them. Over his five-year tenure in New England, he recorded 254 tackles, 28 pass deflections and 10 interceptions in 62 games.

Eric Mangini has announced the team captains for the 2008 season. The players voted on the captains and here is how it went down…

Offense: Brett Favre and Alan Faneca
Defense: Kerry Rhodes and Shaun Ellis
Special Teams: David Bowens and Leon Washington

The New York Jets have assigned eight players to their practice Squad. The group consists of 2 WR, 2 OL, 1 RB, 1 DE,1 LB, and 1 DB.

Your 2008 Practice Squad:

WR Larry Brackins
RB Jehuu Caulcrick
OL Stanley Daniels
DB James Ihedigbo
OL Matt McChesney
DE Ropati Pitoitua
WR Paul Raymond
LB Brandon Renkart

A couple of tidbits here.

The Jets have not yet announced who will join their practice squad, but a couple of guys who were rumored to join are no longer available.

Offensive tackle Nate Garner, who was the Jets seventh-round pick from this year’s draft, was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins. The Jets also put a claim in on offensive guard Andy Alleman, who was the Saints third-round pick from 2007, but was waived this preseason. However, the Dolphins were awarded Andy Alleman as they also put in a claim, but were higher on the waiver wire list.

Also, rookie center Kyle DeVan, who was cut by the team yesterday, was told to stay in New York until noon (of today).

Lastly, former Jets tight end Jason Pociask was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots, according to Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News. Pociask had to be a tough cut after a very nice preseason, but the Jets have great depth at the position and can’t afford to carry five tight ends on the roster.

Expect an announcement to come soon regarding the Jets practice squad members.

The Jets have announced their cuts to get down to the required 53-man roster for the upcoming season.

RB Jehuu Caulcrick, TE Jason Pociask, TE A.J. Schable, WR David Ball, WR Larry Brackins, WR Paul Raymond, OL Jacob Bender, OL Stanley Daniels, OL Kyle DeVan, OL Nate Garner, OL Matt McChesney, DL Thomas Johnson, DL Bryan Mattison, DL Ropati Pitoitua, LB Blair Phillips, LB Brandon Renkart, DB Rudy Burgess, DB James Ihedigbo, DB Cameron Worrell, LB Matt Chatham, DB Hank Poteat

The Jets also announced that the NFL has suspended runningback Jesse Chatman without pay for the team’s first four regular-season games of 2008 for violating the NFL Policy on Steroids and Related Substances.

With all of these roster moves, the Jets current roster now looks like this:

(more…)

If the Jets wanted any shot at retaining Erik Ainge for the practice squad, they made a huge mistake in playing him last night.

Ainge, a fifth-round draft pick by the Jets in this year’s draft, now faces the possibility of being cut by the team after Brett Ratliff’s recent surge through the depth chart. Ainge saw action for the first time in the NFL taking over at quarterback with about two minutes left in the second quarter. He finished the game and did a good job, going 10 for 16 in pass attempts for 131 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions.

By playing Ainge in last night’s game, the Jets have now showcased Ainge for other teams if the team does intend to cut him. If the Jets chose not to play Ainge this preseason, there was a chance that the Jets would have been able to cut him and sign him to the practice squad without being claimed by another team.

It is uncommon for teams to carry four quarterbacks in a season, but maybe after all of this, the Jets will decide to carry four quarterbacks after all…

Dave Hutchinson of the Star-Ledger reports that 2008 fourth-round pick Dwight Lowery may replace Justin Miller as the starting cornerback opposite Darrelle Revis in week one against the Miami Dolphins.

In three preseason games, Lowery has a team-high 17 tackles, good for fifth in the NFL, with three passes defended and an interception.

“It’s not daunting. I think your teammates depend on you. Regardless of who is in there, they expect you to contribute as if no one ever went down. I think that’s the biggest thing I place upon myself. I don’t want to let my teammates down.”

Hutchinson also says that tight ends Bubba Franks or Chris Baker could be on their way out. The Jets will have Baker, Franks, Dustin Keller, Jason Pociask and James Dearth all available. Keller and Dearth are perhaps the most safe. The Jets also seem to like Pociask a lot. Franks has already received $800,000 of his $1.6 million base salary. Baker could probably fetch the most in return as far as compensation.

Don Banks of SI.com takes a look at and ranks the backup quarterbacks in the NFL for each team. Coming in at number two may surprise some of you. Jets quarterback Brett Ratliff is on Banks list as the No. 2.

22. New York Jets: Brett Ratliff — The “other” Brett on the Jets’ roster has clearly out-performed Kellen Clemens this preseason, throwing for 451 yards in his three preseason games while getting lots of snaps with the second-team offense. But there’s still some question whether New York head coach Eric Mangini will relegate Clemens, a 2006 second-round pick, to the No. 3 role? It could be that Clemens would get the first call if the Jets just need a game or two of relief in place of Brett Favre. Anything longer and New York would turn to Ratliff.

Interesting to say the least. I find it hard to believe that Mangini would go as far as moving Clemens down to the No. 3 role once again after rising from No. 3 to No. 1 over the past two years. Ratliff currently ranks second in the NFL during preseason in passing yards with 451, tied for second with three passing touchdowns, ranks fifth in completion percentage with a 67.4%, first in yards per game at 150.3.

The New York Jets have announced that they have released RB Musa Smith, S Ron Girault, RB Rodney Kinlaw and OT Thaddeus Coleman today to get the roster down to the mandatory 75-player limit by 4:00 p.m. ET today.

WFAN’s Mike Francesa is at Jets camp today at Hofstra doing his 5 1/2 hour show with plenty of guests lined up. Be sure to tune into 660AM locally, the YES Network locally or WFAN.com if you are out of the area.

Mike sat down with Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum among others earlier this afternoon.

Click one of the following links to listen to the interviews:

Mike Tannenbaum
Brett Favre
Eric Mangini
Darrelle Revis & Kerry Rhodes

The New York Jets have signed a 6-4, 221lbs. free agent wide receiver named Larry Brackins.

Brackins, 25, was a fifth-round draft pick in 2005 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was off and on with the Bucs throughout 2005 and 2006 before signing on with the Philadelphia Soul in the Arena Football League for 2007. Brackins played in 10 regular season game and one postseason game, was named offensive player of the game twice, and recorded 56 catches for 786 yards and 20 touchdowns.

This move comes following the news that David Clowney had a broken collarbone.

- According to Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News, Jets wide receiver David Clowney suffered a broken collarbone in Saturday night’s loss to the Redskins. Cimini goes on to state that it is usually a four-to-six-week injury. Depending on the severity, it could end up being a season-ending injury.

- The Jets drew 49,522 to the Meadowlands for Brett Favre’s home debut this preseason.

- Former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington made his Dolphins debut against the Jaguars on Saturday, completing 5-of-6 passes with no touchdowns or interceptions in three series.

- Check out Jets tight end Dustin Keller on SNY’s The Wheelhouse today at 5:30 p.m. ET.

- Speaking of Dustin Keller, he discussed his thoughts on catching his first career touchdown from Brett Favre. “I didn’t have time to think. You don’t have time to think when the ball’s coming at you 100 miles an hour.”

- Elsewhere in sports, former co-host of the Mike and the Mad Dog radio show, Chris Russo, has signed a deal with SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, hosting a show called The Mad Dog Sports Show, broadcasting on Ch. 123 SIRIUS and Ch. 144 XM every weekday from 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET. The Show will begin on September 15th.

Yesterday ESPN Radio’s Michael Kay spoke with Jets QB Brett Favre. Listen here.

The conversation covered:
• Adjusting to a new playbook and terminology.
• How accepting and wanted by Jets fans he is.
• His relationship with Laveranues Coles and his respect for Chad Pennington.
• Giving the ball, from his first TD pass as a Jet to Dustin Keller. (Keller’s first NFL TD)
• Wants to play more in the next preseason game against the Giants.
• Doesn’t wish for Green Bay to have a bad season but wants the Jets to have a better record.

Kay had to inject some Mike Francesaesque ‘its all about me’ dialogue into the interview. When will these guys realize nobody cares about what they think or how they would handle something? Especially when they have an interesting guest on. Hey Mike, you’re not a NFL QB and if anyone tuned in to ESPN Radio yesterday or listened to this interview here, they are only interested in Favre’s answers to some good questions. So, strive to become a better interviewer and stop kissing up or whatever it was you were trying to do.

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