Tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals did not match the expectations or hype, with Tony Sparano’s offense managing only 2 field goals in a 17 – 6 loss to start the pre-season.

Mark Sanchez went 4 – 6 for 21 yards and was sacked twice. Without starting receiver Santonio Holmes and right tackle Wayne Hunter in the lineup, Sanchez didn’t have many opportunities to make any decent passes, and the offensive line didn’t provide the running game with much either. Shonn Greene ran 5 times for a meager 11 yards.

The Jets opened the game with a dump off pass, a short run and a sack. A drive that fell far short of the expectations of the Jets fan base.

On the defenses first series, the Jets forced the Bengals a three and out with a pass broken-up by free agent safety, Yeremiah Bell. Bell, the former Miami Dolphin, put a big hit on TE Jermaine Gresham to break up the potential first down pass.

The Jets second offensive drive started with a solid 6 yard run by Shonn Greene, then another Greene run for just a yard, and finished with a incomplete short out to rookie Jordan White. A penalty on special teams put the Jets back on the field.

On first down, Sanchez hit wide receiver Patrick Turner with a pass for 5 yards.

Three of the Bengals starters sustained injuries during the game. First, left guard Travelle Wharton went down, then linebacker Rey Maualuga with a knee injury. Defensive End Carlos Dunlap sustained an injury shortly after and was also forced from the game.

On Sanchez’s last drive with the offense, Sanchez dove for the first down, and converted on the third and five. The dive was reminiscent of the same first down dive against Buffalo in November 2010 that forced him to miss the next game with a knee injury. The rest of the drive didn’t bode so well. Sanchez was sacked once and disrupted on the next passing attempt resulting in a punt. The offensive line was out of sync from the get go and the tight ends could not block anything coming their way.

Tim Tebow played exactly the same way he did in Denver; he ran more than he passed. His final numbers were 4 – 8 for 27 yards and 4 runs for 32 yards. After one pre-season game, one thing is certain; it takes more than one defender to get Tebow down.

The battle for the primary backup running back was a clear decision tonight: Joe McKnight ran much swifter than Bilal Powell. McKnight finished with 7 rushes for 32 yards and caught 3 passes for 34 yards. » Continue reading “Jets Lose 6 – 17 To Bengals In Ugly Preseason Opener”

According to a source, the Jets will sign free agent fullback Fui Vakapuna to a one-year deal today. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News has confirmed the source, but the team has yet to announce the signing.

The financial details of the signing are not known at this time, but I will update you with salary and cap details as information becomes available. I don’t expect it to be anything significant, however.

Vakapuna, a BYU grad, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He is best remembered for his appearance on the 2009 season of Hard Knocks where he fought to earn a spot on the Bengals roster in training camp.  Vakapuna was released by the Bengals in camp that year. He then spent some time on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad until the Bengals resigned him to the 53-man roster midway through the 2009 season. Vakapuna played for Indianapolis Colts in 2010.

According to Jenny Vrentas’s Twitter, “He’ll (Vakapuna) back up John Conner. Teams need 2 FBs in camp. Josh Baker is hybrid TE/FB.” I suspect the Jets also plan to create some healthy competition at the fullback position, hoping to get the best out of Connor. Rex Ryan hinted that he may not be perfectly pleased with Connor in a presser following rookie mini-camp earlier this month. Mike Tannenbaum also hinted at a possible shake-up at the position when he told the media that Connor was the team’s starting fullback “for now.” I’m not suggesting Connor will lose his place on the roster to Vakapuna; I am just saying competition is a good thing.

The Jets also released LB Eddie Jones and Safety DeAngelo Smith yesterday. Smith was signed to the roster in April. I would assume the Bell signing made Smith suddenly expendable.

The Meanwhile, poor Eddie Jones has been cut from the team and re-signed about eleventy billion times. (Okay, not really).

Free Agent safety Reggie Nelson, after concluding a nearly two day visit with the Jets, has decided to re-sign with the Cincinnati Bengals. The details of the contract are not available at this time.

The Jets made an offer to Nelson yesterday, per Manish Mehta, and Nelson left town without an agreement. I wasn’t overly optimistic about Nelson signing with the Jets after learning he had left town. When a player leaves without a contract it’s generally pretty telling, thus why the Bills locked in Mario Williams (I don’t know if it was literal; ask John Clayton) and refused to let him leave Buffalo until he agreed to accept a pile of money in exchange for a miserable existence in Buffalo (I’m kidding…relax Bills fans).

As far as what went down with Nelson, we can only speculate at the moment. My best guess is that Nelson’s agent used his visit with the Jets (and a 3rd team) to jack up his asking price and make the the notoriously cheap Bengals pay up. To his agent’s credit, it worked.

With that, I wouldn’t judge the team or Tanny too harshly. The Bengals had the second most cap space in the league, at right around $38 milllion, and up until yesterday morning, they had yet to make a single free agent acquisition. (Furthermore, retaining Nelson was the first of the Bengals free agents to re-sign since the new CBA was finalized..how about that??). The Jets were likely unable to match an offer and at the end of the day, this is a business. Can’t fault a guy for wanting to get paid and frankly, the Bengals were pretty stupid to let him test the market in the first place.

In other news, the Jets hosted former Redskins safety LaRon Landry today and Manish Mehta is now reporting that the Jets are also interested in another former Redskin, safety Oshiomogho Atogwe.  Atogwe would be my preference over Landry, but he has received interest from several other teams and will be making visits this week, so sit tight.

While there is still hope that the team could sign Landry or Atogwe, it’s looking increasingly likely the Jets will be looking for a safety in the draft, preferably a free safety with cover skills. Please.

Rookie Jeff Cumberland in training camp. (Photo from jetsInsider.com)

I have the Bengals as one of my picks for the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes this year. Anyone disagree?  I didn’t think so.

That being said, let’s all gather together and repeat the phrase, “Preseason Games Do Not Matter”.  Anything can happen and in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that teams get a chance to see their new guys, test out packages and plays and get a feel for how these things perform is live game situations. Its not really about getting a win, although it is very nice.

Thank you for entertaining my mini-rant.

Rather than give a complete game preview, I am going to highlight the Jets players you should keep your eye on this Sunday and give you a preview of what to expect:

-Due to injuries, you can once again expect to see a lot of Greg McElroy (Please please be careful with Mark Sanchex, Rex).  I really enjoyed watching McElroy in the game vs. Houston and I am looking forward to seeing what he’s got.

-The running game will primarily be LT, Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight (Shonn Greene is out).  However, McKnight will likely be limited considering he suffered a concussion less than a week ago.  In other words: It’s going to be all about Bilal Powell.  Powell was great on Monday and this will be a chance for him to possibly earn that #3 spot.

-As signs point to Plaxico Burress making his first apperance as a Jet, after sitting out Monday due to an ankle injury. I know just about everyone will be tuning in to watch that.

Elsewhere, Jeremy Kerley (who has likely already solidified his place on the roster) will join Patrick Turner, Dan De Palma, Scotty McKnight, Courtney Smith and Logan Payne as they all try to earn a permanent spot in the receiving core.  (See injury notes below on Derrick Mason, who is questionable).

-Jeff Cumberland was very impressive on Monday and led the team in receiving yards (77).  According to Jenny Vrentras of The Star-Ledger, Cumberland has also been practicing double tight end sets with Keller. Perhaps we will see some of these on Sunday?

-All eyes will be on the Offensive Line, who are struggling with depth issues.  I’ll highlight a few guys to check out my eyes will be on the unit in general.  Seven sacks cannot happen again.

• Matt Kroul is making the switch from defense to offense.  Might want to check him out.  Robby Felix may also play, as he needs experience.
• To the dismay of many, Vlad Ducasse will be starting at RG.  This is his chance to do something. (Other than what he did last week).

-Perhaps we should focus our positive energy on the defensive side of the ball and check out Josh Mauga and Kenrick Ellis, who both showed incredible promise in Monday’s game.  Mauga will be starting in place of Bart Scott and I hope to see him follow up last week’s performance and impress us even further.  Rookie Muhammed Wilkerson has been constantly talked up by Rex Ryan (and he performed well on Monday) but it was Ellis who really impressed.

-Kyle Wilson looked good last week and Im sure he will get some good time, as Ryan will want to continue to look at him.  S Brodney Pool lead the team in tackles last week and has been performing well in camp.

-If you glance down at the injury report below, you might be inclined to side with my most recent theory that the Jets should just sit as many starters as the can afford to sit in an effort to avoid further injuries. There are several positions where we simply cannot afford to lose any more guys.

As for the Bengals, all eyes will be on rookie Quarterback Andy Dalton.  Personally, I am anxious to see how A.J. Green performs against the Jets secondary, as it will be a big test for him.

The Bengals defense was a hot mess last week and I expect them to try and work on their issues.

I don’t anticipate this being much of a fight as I do not think very highly of the Bengals this year.  This will be an excellent opportunity for the Jets to see what they’ve got out of their younger and less experienced players as the match-ups are good on both sides of the ball.  Just remember: It’s only a preseason game.

Jets: Who is In and Out

• RB Shonn Greene will be out for Sunday’s Game due to a low-grade skin infection.  LT will be the starting running back.
• RB Joe McKnight (concussion) will play.
• QB Mark Brunell is still nursing his finger and now has a calf injury as well. He is considered questionable.
• G Tevor Canfield (knee) is out for Sunday (and was not present at the Jets facility Friday) and obviously, OL Robert Turner is out as well (broken leg).
• RG Brandon Moore (hip) is out. Vlad Ducasse will start in his place.
• DT Marcus Dixon (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday.
• LB Bart Scott (left leg) is out and Josh Mauga will start in his place.
• WR Derrick Mason (knee) is considered questionable for Sunday.
• DT Sione Pouha (left knee) will also be out Sunday and either Martin Tevaseu or  Kenrick Ellis will start in his place.

Here’s what happened this weekend in the NFL…

Pacman Jones Arrested: I know. Shocking.

Cincinnati Bengals Cornerback Adam Pacman Jones was arrested early Sunday morning for allegedly being intoxicated and disruptive at a bar and not cooperating when asked to leave.  He was officially arrested for “misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct while intoxicated and resisting arrest.”

Pacman Jones has been arrested 6 other times and associated with several other situations involving police.  He was suspended from football in 2007 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

In an interview with WCPO-TV Cincinnati, he denies that he was intoxicated or resisted arrest.  You can read Pacman’s response in an article from nbc4i.com.

Hines Ward Arrested Under Suspicion of DUI: Pittsburgh Steelers WR Hines Ward was arrested for DUI in Atlanta

A report came out today from Hines’ rep, Andrew Ree, stating (per ESPN):

“On July 9th Hines Ward was stopped by Dekalb Co. [Georgia] police for suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence. He cooperated fully with the police and truthfully answered all of their questions. We are currently in the process of ascertaining all the facts. From our preliminary investigation we can tell you that we are confident that the facts will show that Hines was NOT impaired by alcohol while driving. However, Hines is deeply saddened by this incident and apologizes to his fans and the Steelers organization for this distraction.”