WR Holmes may miss four games with suspension

According to reports, wide receiver Santonio Holmes may not be allowed to play four of the regular-season games in 2010 season as the league is likely to give him a four-game suspension for some kind of policy-violation. However, that did not prevent the New York Jets to make decision of trading him from the Pittsburgh Steelers.


A possible policy that Holmes violated is the NFL’s substance-abuse policy and it remains uncertain if he has tested positive for prohibited substance, so it could be another type of violation. He has history of receiving suspension for having public incidents involving drugs—the receiver was suspended by his then team, the Steelers for one game after being cited for marijuana possession in 2008. He is also currently involved in a case of attaching a woman in an Orlando night club and that could also cause suspension for violating behavior rules.

The former Super Bowl MVP’s off-field issues simply reduced his value on trade market and the Steelers only got a fifth-round draft pick from the trade with the Jets while Holmes was a first-round draft pick in 2006. However, finishing last season with 1248 receiving yards and five touchdowns, Holmes is still expected to play some important role in green and white Jets jersey just as he did while playing in black and gold Steelers jersey.

Jets safety Leonhard had surgery to repair broken thumb

Even the New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan was unsure the nature of the procedure safety Jim Leonhard underwent on Monday night. He was as unsure about whether Leonhard might be sidelined this weekend or longer.


“They said when they go in, they’ll have a much better idea,” Ryan said of the doctors. “They don’t even know if they’re going to put screws in it, what they’re going to do. When I heard it, surgery, that doesn’t sound good to me.”

The safety was injured early in the first quarter of last Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Maurice Jones-Drew’s 33-yard touchdown run. Leaving the field after score without taking off his Jets jersey, Leonhard went into the locker room to have the thumb placed in a cast before coming back into the game on defense. However, he was not able to field punts and had to leave again with Darrelle Revis filling in as replacement.

Jets Coach Ryan still insists Sanchez to be the right starting quarterback

Even after Sunday’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan still sticks with rookie Mark Sanchez as his starting quarterback, just as he has done since Sanchez beat out Kellen Clemens for the starting job in the preseason.


“I just think we’ve got to do a great job at looking at what we’re asking this young man to do,” Ryan said. “Do we need to cut things back? Are there things that we could do to put on somebody else’s plate to take some things off his plate? I have a lot of confidence in Mark.”

Sanchez is tied with Carolina’s Jake Delhomme for the league lead in interceptions with 10, and his 56.7 quarterback rating is higher than only Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell and Derek Anderson in Cleveland Browns jersey. But his performance was miserable on Sunday. He was only 10 of 29 for 119 yards and failed to lead his team to a win even though running back Thomas Jones had a franchise-record 210 yards rushing. However, Ryan is just as confident that the quarterback will bounce back from frustration.

Jets Coach Ryan is confident in secondary players playing against Saints

On Wednesday’s practice, the New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and safety Kerry Rhodes were limited in practice; safety Jim Leonhard with knee injury, cornerbacks Lito Sheppard with injured right quadriceps and Donald Strickland with injured right ankle did not practice. Linebacker Larry Izzo and offensive lineman Wayne Hunter also missed the practice.


However, Coach Rex Ryan still felt that those guys would be ready to play this weekend against the New Orleans Saints, who have a top-ranked offense and leading quarterback Drew Brees. Ryan said that he was fairly confident Revis, Rhodes and Leonhard will be fine Sunday. And the team had been ready to sign someone if Sheppard and Strickland couldn’t play the game.

Sheppard and Strickland were injured in the Week 2 during the victory over the New England Patriots and missed the game against the Tennessee Titans. The Jets brought in cornerbacks Justin Miller and Corey Ivy last week for workouts. Miller has signed with the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday, and it is very likely the Jets will try out other cornerbacks to be reserve.

Eagles lost to Jets by 38-27 on Thursday night

Hours after the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided to fully reinstate Michael Vick in Week 3, the controversial quarterback failed to help the Philadelphia Eagles win over the New York Jets in Thursday night’s preseason finale.


He was 7 for 11 for 26 yards and ran for a 2-yard touchdown, but was sacked four times, lost a fumble and was intercepted, while Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez completed all five of his passes and capped his only series with a touchdown pass. And during the game, Vick was booed each time he ran onto the field.

The disgraced quarterback was released from federal custody July 20 after serving 18 months of a 23-month sentence for his role in operating a dogfighting ring, and he has been allowed by the league to play Sept. 27 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jets waived punter Parrish and LB Mauga, claiming punter Pakulak

On Friday, the New York Jets announced that that they have claimed punter Glenn Pakulak off waivers from New Orleans, and waived punter Ken Parrish and linebacker Josh Mauga, in an attempt to end worries about the team’s punters.


Previously, Parrish was working with Reggie Hodges on the punter, but coach Rex Ryan has said that their performance was not satisfying. Both Parrish and Mauga were signed by the Jets on Aug. 16.

Pakulak was waived the next day by the Saints after he played eight regular-season games for the team. He used to stay with several other NFL teams and play in NFL Europe.

Jets’ training camp closed with starting quarterback not decided

After some silly rookie skits and a vote for the ugliest person on the team Thursday night, Rex Ryan cancelled the originally scheduled practice on Friday morning and told the players to go home, with safety James Ihedigbo winning the King Ugly and starting quarterback not decided between Mark Sanchez and Kellen Clemens.


The team was welcomed by the quaint Cortland with hanging banners along the streets and signs in store and restaurant windows. And Ryan was proved to be right in choosing such a remote location for training camp. Improvement has been reached with the focus on bonding far from the distractions of home.

“I came in with the expectation and the goal of getting just a little bit better with each practice and to continue to improve myself and the offense,” Clemens said. “I think we’ve done that. It’s been a good camp.”

Ending of training camp does not necessarily mean practices ended. The Jets players will wear back their jets jerseys and resume preseason practices Saturday at their $75 million training facility in Florham Park, N.J. Besides, it was guessed that Sanchez is more likely to take the starting job after giving impressive performance in Monday night’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Jets signed Mauga, Parrish and Whittaker, waiving Bullock and Conley

The New York Jets resigned wide receiver Huey Whittaker after waiving him last Tuesday. Whittaker spent the last three seasons in the Arena Football League.


The Jets also signed undrafted free agent linebacker Joshua Mauga and free agent punter Kenneth Parrish. Mauga was a four-year starter at Nevada and had 54 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks as a senior. And Parrish was signed by Philadelphia in May and waived last Sunday.

Bullock just put on jets jersey in May. He was a forward on the Cleveland State basketball team trying to make the team as an undrafted free agent and led the NCAA with a 47.4 punting average at Idaho as a senior.

Jets RB Washington is considering plan of not going for training-camp

As he still has not gotten a contract to his liking, Jets RB Leon Washington told the New York Daily News that he’s considering to skip training-camp as he missed the three weeks of voluntary workouts.

Reports said that Washington is in want of a contract worth $6 million per season, but the team is willing to offer only around $2 million.


“I do not know,” Washington told reporters about if he’ll show up on time. “Honestly, the situation is pretty much the same as it was in minicamp (last month). We’re at a standstill. Not a standstill, but nothing has really changed.” But he still has no plan to put on 49ers jerseys.

The Jets would be thin in their backfield without Washington. They do have Pro Bowler Thomas Jones, but Thomas is also dissatisfied with his current contract. The Jets also drafted Iowa RB Shonn Greene in the third round of the 2009 draft. It is not clear where the team will go this season.