Stock Up

RB/WR Dexter McCluster, Mississippi. McCluster is the versatile speedster that any NFL team could use. He showed he can be used as a slot receiver, as a running back or a quarterback in the Wildcat package. McCluster can also impact the return game with his explosive playmaking ability. Although size is an obvious concern, and he’ll never be an every down running back, McCluster’s explosion and versatility will get him drafted in the Second Round.

RB LeGarrette Blount, Oregon. Blount, has been the subject of one of the larger stories of the 2009 college football season. After being suspended for the season after the first game of the 2009 season, Blount’s draft stock took a huge hit. But he was reinstated late in the season and had a few big carries in the Rose Bowl clinching win over Oregon State. Blount arrived in Mobile at a solid 240 pounds, and rushed for a 14 yard touchdown which showed his good athleticism and power that will make him a Third Round choice in April.

WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati. Gilyard was inconsistent during the week of practice. But he displayed that he is a gamer on Saturday with his Offensive Player of the Game performance. The Bearcat receiver caught five passes for a game high 103 yards and a touchdown. Gilyard got behind the South defense a couple times for receptions, as well as adjusted well to a pass thrown behind him by quarterback Dan LeFevour. With his return ability, Gilyard could have pushed himself into the Second Round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

OL Mike Iupati, Idaho. The 6-6, 325 pound offensive lineman from the University of Idaho was the best o-lineman in Mobile this past week. Although Iupati struggled in the game, especially in pass protection, Iupati showcased power and balance in the run game during the week that should translate to him being off the draft board in the late stages of the First Round.

DE/OLB Brandon Graham, Michigan. Graham was the biggest winner of the Senior Bowl. Graham was already known to be a strong defender against the run, but he displayed the ability to get after the quarterback both during the week of practice and during the game, where he earned Most Valuable Player honors by posting two sacks and a forced fumble. Graham is versatile enough to play either defensive end in a 4-3 scheme or outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He has cemented his status as a First Round draft pick.

DE Alex Carrington, Arkansas State. Carrington arrived in Mobile with something to prove as a player from the Sun Belt Conference. Carrington left Mobile impressing NFL scouts with his strength at the point of attack and also bull rushing opposing offensive tackles. The Second Round could be possibly when Carrington will be drafted in April now after last week’s performance.

OLB Dekoda Watson, Florida State. A Seminole linebacker that is fast and undersized? Yep, Watson is another one who fits that description. Watson made a couple big plays for the South on Saturday that displayed his toughness and instincts, which are essential for defensive players in the NFL. On one of the plays, Watson caught fast Fresno State running back Lonyae Miller from behind. Plays like that could get Watson drafted in the Third or Fourth Round.

Stock Down

QB Tim Tebow, Florida. The rock star of the 2010 Senior Bowl struggled all week. Tebow did nothing to dispel his slow release, poor footwork or inaccuracy in Mobile. Sure, Tebow has incredible intangibles, a winning attitude, and is one of the tougher players in the nation, but he needs a few years of intensive work to become an NFL starting quarterback. He at best a Third Round prospect, but more than likely someone will overdraft him in the late First or Second Round.

QB Sean Canfield, Oregon State. Canfield had a chance to really improve his draft stock with a strong showing in the Senior Bowl. But instead he hurt his stock immensely. Canfield already is not a great athlete or strong-armed, but in Mobile he also telegraphed his throws and made poor decisions. He is now considered to be a late round choice.

NT Terrence Cody, Alabama. The prototypical 3-4 nose tackle, Cody, showed up in Mobile at a giant 370 pounds. He appeared slow for his weight, out of shape, and displayed poor technique. Tennessee defensive tackle, Dan Williams, looked to be the better of the nose tackle draft prospects in Mobile. There is now concern that Cody could be out of the NFL early because of his weight issues. Cody looked to possibly move into the late First Round with a strong performance in the Senior Bowl, but with showing up at a sloppy 370 pounds, he is now a Second or even Third Rounder.

S Taylor Mays, USC. It’s hard to believe that when Mays was considering entering early into the 2009 NFL Draft that he was considered a top 10 pick. Now, Mays is at best a late First Round pick. Some evaluators are even giving him mid-round grade. Mays’ size, strength, and speed combination are off the charts for a safety. But during last week’s practices and during the Senior Bowl, Mays was lacking the instincts and playmaking abilities needed for an NFL safety. His lack of instincts are especially concerning for a defensive player.

Now that the dust has finally settled and we have two left standing nothing could be more appropriate than Drew Brees versus Peyton Manning. The Saints signal caller on the cusp of greatness taking on the great Mr. Manning who continues to write his own legacy. With his fourth NFL MVP award, Manning will try to secure his second NFL title and cement himself as one, if the not the greatest ever.

While his counterpart would appear to have much to play for, Drew Brees is not without his own personal motivation. Brees has become the face of a franchise that not only represents a city, but represents so much more. Following the Katrina disaster the Saints have led a march of great hope and resolve and the face out front of this march has been Drew Brees.

Brees has often been compared to the great names in today’s game; Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Brett Favre, and though he lacks the hardware (Lombardi Trophies and MVP awards) he has the numbers. His first appearance should not legitimize his greatness; he has been great since he arrived to New Orleans. His first appearance in the Big Dance should be the next chapter to his own legacy.

What to Expect

While both teams have two very quick and opportunistic defenses, there is little doubt that this game is going to be all about the two gunslingers calling the signals. The Saints (4th) and Colts (2nd) offenses finished the 2009 season ranked in the top five passing and both clubs were in the top seven in scoring.

While the Saints were second in the league with 39 takeaways, they are going to find it difficult to capitalize on Manning who has just one turnover in 83 passes this post season. Like his counterpart Brees has been steady taking care of the ball with no turnovers in 63 passes.

The Saints led the league in scoring and finished number one in yards per game; they will surely test the Colts defense all game long. And when Manning takes the field with his number two ranked passing offense (9th overall) the Saints defense will face their ultimate test this season.

Don’t expect too many punts or a lot of stops, this one could easily turn into a regular shootout at the O.K. corral with the quarterback with the ball last deciding this classic matchup of a pair of gunslingers.

Injury notes for Sunday…

RB-Pierre Thomas (Saints)…..ribs-probable.

RB-Joseph Addai (Colts)…..shoulder-probable.

WR-Robert Meachum (Saints)….ankle-probable.

TE-Jeremy Shockey (Saints)….knee-questionable

DB-Darren Sharper (Saints)…..knee-probable.

DL-Will Smith (Saints)….groin-probable.

DL-Dwight Freeney (Colts)….ankle-questionable

Quick Notes:

The Saints wide receiver Robert Meachum has resumed full participation in practice and looks to be ready for the big dance. Meachum could be a big key in the Saints passing game on Sunday. He tied with Colston for the team lead with nine touchdowns this season and finished the year with 45 catches for 722 yards receiving (16.0 yards per catch).

The Colts have made their name on the passing of Peyton Manning all season, but it wouldn’t surprise to see Joseph Addai taking on a larger role in the run game this Sunday. In the AFC title game Addai finished with 80 yards averaging five yards a carry against a pretty good Jets run defense; Saints rank 21st against the run.

The last blowout came in January of 2003 when the Bucs manhandled the Raiders, 48-21. So we are unfortunately overdue for a dud.

This game is ripe for just that, too. The Colts are playing fantastic on both sides of the ball and shut down two formidable rushing attacks in the playoffs against the Ravens and Jets. Peyton Manning, who was named the NFL MVP, also has so much experience and won not only a ring but the game MVP in the same Miami venue in Super Bowl XLI.

The Saints did look strong in pasting the Cards, but were outplayed two weeks ago in the NFC Championship Game. The Vikings had a huge day offensively, easily outgaining the home team, 475 to 257 yards. If not for a late interception thrown by Brett Favre, the Saints would not have had the opportunity to win the game in overtime by a field goal.

The Colts are favored by four points in this game, and that seems like a low number, all things considered. If the weather turns wet, both teams play in a dome. But it was a torrential downpour when Indianapolis beat Chicago three years ago and they didn’t miss a beat. Even with a banged-up Dwight Freeney (at best), the Colts still have the horses to run away with it.

At least you can still follow your boxes.

In the AFC Championship Game, the upstart New York Jets were able to contain the 2009 NFL MVP, albeit for one quarter. The league’s number one defense actually sacked Manning on consecutive offensive plays over two series and at one point in the second quarter, the Jets led 17-6. Answering a Jay Feeley field goal, Manning sliced through Gang Green’s secondary to cut into the deficit at the half to four points.

While Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez (17 for 30, 257 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception) played extremely well, the offense could not get going and went scoreless in the second half. At the same time, the Colts controlled the pace and Manning had his way. He threw for 377 yards and three scores to three different receivers in Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark en route to the 30-17 victory.

The Superdome hosted the NFC Championship Game and what was expected to be a close shootout between two offensive juggernauts in the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings did not disappoint. Brett Favre came out slinging as expected, as did Drew Brees. At half time, the score was even at 14 and although they had four turnovers, the Vikes were very much in the game and actually were in position to win the game in the waning seconds. But a penalty for too many men in the huddle set them back five yards, setting up a third down. Instead of calling a conservative run to set up a long field goal attempt, Minnesota elected to throw.

Favre rolled to his right out of the pocket and threw into double coverage across his body. On cue, the ball was picked off and we were headed into the extra stanza. For all the great things that Favre (28 for 46, 310 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) has done in 19 NFL seasons, he has a tendency to make a terrible decision at the worst time. It happened in the playoffs before, against the Giants and Eagles.

The Saints won the coin toss and went on a drive that seemed to go on forever due to three booth reviews. Garrett Hartley nailed a 40-yard field goal and there was happiness in the bayou.

Super Bowl XLIV will be an interesting affair, one that will pit an old dog that has been there/done that in Manning and a bunch of wide-eyed Saints. Expect a lot of offense in this one, so take the over.

On Saturday, the New Orleans Saints rebounded after a lackluster end of the regular season with a convincing 45-14 knockout of the Arizona Cardinals. last season’s NFC representative in the Super Bowl. Reggie Bush scored two touchdowns as the Superdome rocked and rolled. Not much of a surprise there, as the Saints were expected to dispel of a team that may have still been showing the affects of an exhausting overtime win against Green Bay the week before.

That evening, the Baltimore Ravens were ousted by Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, 20-3. They took a two-touchdown lead at half time and coasted the rest of the way. Three turnovers did the Ravens in, setting up Indy to play host next weekend one game away from Super Bowl XLIV. Although they played extremely well in taking out the Patriots in the Wild Card round, Baltimore was clearly outclassed versus a well-rested Colts squad.

On Sunday, Brett Favre turned back the clock and led his new team to the conference championship. The 40-year-old former Packer and Jet threw for four touchdowns (three to Sidney Rice) to lead the Minnesota Vikings to the 34-3 victory over Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones’ boys may have exorcised some December (and early January) demons by winning their division and then dispatching the Eagles, but were never even competitive in the dome.

Saving the best for last, the game of the weekend came in San Diego pitting the Chargers against the upstart New York Jets. Given no chance to move on, the Jets came out and played the 11-win Bolts tooth-and nail. They trailed by a mere seven points heading into the locker room and were clearly the team ‘hanging around’ against a formidable opponent.

Jay Feeley hit a 46-yard field goal to cut into the lead during the third quarter. Then the turning point in the game occurred towards the end of the quarter. The Jets downed a punt deep in the Chargers zone and a few plays later, Philip Rivers was intercepted by Jim Leonhard. A Chargers personal foul moved the ball inside the 10 at the start of the final stanza, which set up Mark Sanchez’s two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller and a 10-7 advantage.

Sanchez is not the only Jet rookie to be making a name for himself in the postseason, as running back Shonn Greene had another 100-yard performance and a long run for a score. He scampered 53 yards to give the Jets a 10-point lead with 7:26 left in the game. San Diego scored with 2:14 left when Rivers dove in from a yard out, but Kerry Rhodes recovered Nate Keading’s onside kick. The game wasn’t decided until Thomas Jones moved the chains on fourth and one with 1:09 left in the contest.

Keading, the AFC’s Pro Bowl representative, had a forgettable day with three missed field goals (36, 57 and 40 yards), which opened the door that the Jets kicked in on their way to Indianapolis for their first appearance in the AFC Championship Game since 1998.

Say what you want about the Jets and their outspoken rookie head coach, but Rex Ryan will have another week in the spotlight to psyche up his charges. The strategy has clearly worked and this team is going into Indy believing in themselves.

When the two teams met up in Week 16, Colts head coach Jim Caldwell pulled Manning in the third quarter with a 15-10 lead. The Jets rallied against back-up quarterback Lance Painter and that began their ascent towards where they are today. Once again, the Jets will be heavy underdogs and that is exactly the way they like it.

Following a 5-0 start which had the Giants pointing toward the playoffs and contending for Super Bowl XLIV, New York (8-8) ended its season with its eighth loss in eleven games on Sunday.

Like most of the previous seven defeats, the final one wasn’t pretty.

New York saved perhaps its worst for last, as the Minnesota Vikings (12-4) tuned up for the playoffs with a 44-7 manhandling of the Giants, who showed almost no fight for the second straight week after dominating Washington 45-12, only two weeks ago.

After leading the Redskins 24-0 at the half, the Giants trailed by the same score at halftime to Carolina last week, en route to a 41-9 home loss which ended Big Blue’s playoff hopes.

Though Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin stressed professional pride with his team reduced to a spoiler role in the regular season’s final week, the first half in Minnesota was even worse than last week.

The Vikings took the opening kickoff, and needed just 2:03 to go 60 yards on five plays, for a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard touchdown pass to former Giant, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, from quarterback Brett Favre, who had numbers that would have been good for a whole game, all in the opening half.

Favre completed 19 of 23 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns, while avoiding a turnover, to lead Minnesota to a 31-0 halftime advantage.

By then, the Vikings, controlling the ball for 18:59 to the Giants’ 11:01, had scored on five of six possessions, had outgained the Giants 343-82 (271-66 through the air, 72-16 on the ground), had 18 first downs to the Giants’ four, and made seven plays of at least 15 yards (New York made just one of those in the first half).

Favre finished with a passer rating of 148.7, going 25 of 31, for 316 yards, with 4 TD’s and no INT’s before being lifted after his fourth touchdown pass, which gave Minnesota a 41-0 lead with 6:13 left in the third quarter.

After kicker Ryan Longwell’s third field goal in as many attempts, the Vikings took a 44-0 lead into the final quarter, having scored on seven straight possessions, and eight of nine.

The season finale was obviously a team effort that was one to forget, as the Giants allowed at least 40 points for the fifth time this season, the most times they’ve done that since 1966. They also missed the postseason for the first time in five years and became the fifth NFL team since 1970 to miss the playoffs after a 5-0 start.

Still, a few Giants reached individual milestones or had some career firsts:

- On his 29th birthday, Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning (17-23, 141 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 1 lost fumble) became the third quarterback in team history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season, finishing 2009 with 4,021 yards (although even that was overshadowed by the Vikings, as Favre received an ovation for becoming the fourth Viking in history to pass for 4,000 yards in a season, finishing the day with 4,202 yards for his sixth 4,000-yard season; Favre, who now has 33 touchdowns and just  7 interceptions this year, also extended his record NFL record for seasons with at least 30 touchdown passes to nine seasons).

- Wide receiver Steve Smith, on the first play of the Giants’ second possession, caught a ball over the middle, making him the first Giant ever to catch 100 passes in a season. He finished with a game-high 10 catches (for 57 yards), giving him 107 receptions for the year.

- The Giants avoided a shutout on, a one-yard run, the first career touchdown, by third-year running back Danny Ware.

- Rookie wide receiver, Ramses Barden, a 6-foot-6 third-round draft pick in April, out of Cal-Poly, who holds an NCAA record with touchdown catches in 32 consecutive college games, played in his third NFL game and began the Giants’ only scoring drive of the day with his first career reception, a 16-yard grab from Manning.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin didn’t believe that another poor performance was from a lack of trying. “I do think we tried,” he said. “Where the effort and the purpose wasn’t there last week, I thought we had that this week. I do [think we had pride]. They all came to the stadium wanting to play. I really don’t think for one minute as we went to the field, that anyone was not giving effort.”

Coughlin felt instead, it was simply mistakes that helped let the game get away. The Giants committed 13 penalties for 95 yards.

“I am disappointed in the penalties in this game,” Coughlin said after noting that the Giants had recently done a better job of cutting down on such miscues.

And, in the first half, Coughlin said, “Two turnovers, two scores” turned the game early.

“You can never ever, ever accept what happened on the field [today],” he added.

Manning commented on the disappointed ending to the season after being eliminated from playoff contention last week. “We wanted to finish the season strong, at least,” he said. “And really, just poor play on our part. [I’m] just frustrated and kind of confused and I don’t know what went wrong [since the win in Washington].”

He’s certainly not the only one, as the Giants head into the offseason trying to figure out who to keep, who to let go, and how to get back to where they were as Super Bowl champions only two seasons ago, as NFC East champions last year, and the team they were through five weeks this season.

Now it’s up to Gang Green to close the deal once and for all and earn the right to most likely face the same Bengal team a week later in Cincy.

The Giants got blown out last week in their farewell to a stadium that has been kind to them in it’s 33 year history. Three Giant Super Bowl teams were borne out of the purported hallowed burial ground of Jimmy Hoffa in this time. For the Jets, the Meadowlands has been home to so many crash landing endings that many Jet fans will be happy to see the team move next door in 2010. A chance at a fresh start with the opportunity to put their own stamp on things, will come shortly.

For now, the Jets hope to give themselves and their die hard fans one great memory in a stadium that has housed at least a few over the years.

The Monday night Miracle in 2000 with Jumbo Elliot’s TD catch capped off the greatest Monday night football comeback in history. Beating the Brett Favre led Packers on the last day of 2002 propelled the upstart Herman Edwards Jets into the playoffs. Their 41-0 dismantling of the Colts in the Wildcard was arguably the loudest Jets fans ever got in the Red and Blue seated stadium.

Of course there were nightmares. Too many to count. The bigger ones that come to mind are the day Dennis Byrd was partially paralyzed against the Chiefs in 1992. Who can forget the Dan Marino fake spike play in 1994 that left the then 6-5 Jets shocked? The wild loss sent them into a “same old Jets” Jet  tailspin, ending Pete Caroll’s tenure as head coach after just one season. This ushered in the Rick Kotite years of 1995 and 1996. Enough said.

Sunday night is about a lifetime of redemption for the franchise that, aside from Super Bowl III, seems to struggle most when the spotlight is the brightest. Although the Jets have fared well in “win or in ” games over the past decade, the stigma associated with monumental collapses contain ghosts that float close to the surface. Apparitions that seem ready to bring bad karma to Gang Green at any time.

This week has had its share of pre-game drama already. Chad Ochocinco and CB Darelle Revis have been going at it in a friendly fun way on twitter. Ochocinco has been boasting that Revis won’t be able to cover him. Don’t bet on it. Revis has covered all of the top receivers this year and has shut them all down. WR Braylon Edwards pulled a “Broadway” Joe guaranteeing the win saying that team is too focused and wants it too badly to lose.

Then there’s the issue of motivation. The Bengals can’t improve their playoff situation with a win. in fact they can only hurt it by adding any top player to the injury list in a game that has no ability to make their path to the Super Bowl any easier. Will coach Marvin Lewis let QB Carson Palmer and the oft injured RB Cedric Benson play for the duration? Backup QB  JT O Sullivan is a former starter with the 49ers, and should fare alot better than Curtis Painter did for the Colts last week, should the Bengals choose to keep Palmer on the sidelines. One or more of the AFC teams on the bubble between Miami, Houston and Pittsburgh will be watching Sunday night praying that the Bengals  go out and be competitive. The jury’s out as to how Lewis will play it.

If the Pats, who publicly claim Tom Brady and co. will be on the field (if you choose to believe Bill Belichick), beat the Texans at 1pm, the Bengals would own the 4th seed. This would be regardless of the outcome against the Jets. A Pats loss and the Bengals would move to No. 3 with a win but beating the Jets could force Cincy into facing division rival Baltimore or Pittsburgh in the opening round.

Many wonder if Cincy will tank just to win the right to take on rookie Mark Sanchez and his 26 interceptions, back to their place instead.

The stage is set. A stadium farewell. A win or else scenario. A national tv audience.

What a dramatic way to end what has been a roller coaster first season for coach Rex Ryan and the rookie Sanchez. 60 minutes away from the playoffs, the question is, can the Jets put it all together? It’s up to Gang Green now. They control their destiny. They are the owners of the chance to give Giants stadium one last glorious ride before it fades into the sunset. Before the Jets 2009 season fades into the sunset as well.

KEYS TO THE BENGALS:

Defense, It’s Time To Peak  For the Jets to keep the season going past Sunday and to make any sort of serious run in January , it’s going to have to be on the defense. The Defense , ranked 1st in the NFL in yards given up, must now grow into a turnover and sack machine. The foundation is there. The pressure has been solid all year. The interceptions have risen in the past five weeks. Now can the Jets D elevate into a unit that creates short fields and scores points. Sunday the Jets will need some help from the D as once again Sanchez will be asked to manage the offense, not carry it.

Shonn Greene: Can Greene develop here on the stretch drive as well? The fumble prone rookie has proven that he can be a big time aid to a run game already churning with RB Thomas Jones as long as he holds onto the rock. If Greene can come into his own, the template may be set for the rest of 2009. Jones, Greene, a few throws mixed in, and a stifling D.

Night Time is the Right Time: The nutty Jet fan base combined with the final game in Giants stadium,and a “Win and in” game” has to prove to be an energy force all its own. Fireman Ed, get your game face on, this one’s big. As big of a game as Gang Green has ever played in a stadium short on memories for the Jets. Alcohol sales have been banned for the game. The Meadowlands knows better than to lend Jet nation more fuel to a fire that may help carry the Jets over the edge and into the postseason.

Ego’s aside, the Vikings need to let Favre lead…

The proof is definitely in the pudding and if you cared to take a taste last night watching Monday night football, you would come to the same conclusion. The Vikings need to cater the offense around what Favre can do. In a methodical run first offensive approach the Vikings mounted no offensive threat; 82 total yards (53 rushing, 36 passing) and four first downs. In the second half the Vikings were a different team with more purpose led by Brett Favre. In the second half he led the team to 30 points, completing 21 of 31 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Another big stat, first half rushing 14 carries for 53 yards, second half rushing 19 carries for 70 yards and two scores.

So much for poor play in December….

The Cowboys entered the month of December being highly criticized for their so-called past failures during the holiday season. And the one player being most scrutinized for these shortcomings was their quarterback Tony Romo. After dropping their first two games in December the critics were relentless, and Romo was caught in the middle, but he could hardly be faulted for poor play. Since the two losses the Cowboys rebounded with impressive wins over the Saints and Redskins. When you look over Romo’s play the past month, seven touchdowns, 300 yards passing per game, and no turnovers, he’s been as good as good gets. He’s been as big a reason for the Cowboys success this season and being in their current position. In their Week 17 season finale they’ll face the Eagles for all the marbles; NFC East Division title and a shot at the second seed in the NFC (a first round bye). So much for Romo’s poor play.

Riding Warner into the post season…..

The Cardinal’s head coach Ken Whisenhunt may be conservative by nature coming from his early coaching roots in Pittsburgh, but he’s no gambler. It appears he likes the sure thing like the rest of us. Against the Rams he let his veteran quarterback Kurt Warner sling the rock early and often to build the early lead. In the first half Warner tossed the pigskin 23 times for 216 yards and connected on two scores to put the Cards ahead 17-0 at the half. With the big lead Warner only needed 15 passes in the second half, conversely the ground game was quiet with 13 runs in the first half and got most of its work in the second half (16 run plays). We’d expect to see more of this formula going into the post season.

More fantasy Notes

“Late Season Heroes”

With the chance to play more, the Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart has the most of his opportunity. With starter DeAngelo Williams (ankle) sidelined, Stewart has started the last two weeks and totaled 315 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns. He’s also added four receptions for another 30 yards and a score. With a meaningless season finale it’s hard to imagine Williams suiting up if his ankle is less than 100 percent, against the Saints (who may rest some starters) Stewart could have another field day.

The Cowboys may have found that missing piece that will help their passing game stay off the ground in the post season. Over the past five weeks Austin has returned to that form that burst onto the scene in weeks 5 & 7. In his last five games the Cowboys big play threat is averaging over seven catches and 110 yards per game with a total of four touchdowns. He’s easily Romo’s favorite downfield threat.

Jerome Harrison has emerged as a late season hero with his big performances over the past two weeks. The Browns running back has rushed for over 430 yards in his last two games as the teams starter and added four touchdowns. While his big numbers have come against poor run defenses, the totals are still staggering and enough to move him (if he’s the starter in Cleveland) up the rankings some for next season.

Continuing his bounce back season the Ravens tight end Todd Heap has really come on the last couple of weeks as a big-time redzoen target. In his last two games Heap has been targeted four times in the red-zone and has scored on all four plays. For the season Heap has 51 receptions, 551 yards receiving, and six touchdowns; all big improvements from last season. Expect to see his number called again on Sunday against the Raiders.

There’s no question that one of this season’s biggest late season hero has been the Chief’s running back Jamaal Charles. For those owners that were lucky to nab him just before the fantasy playoffs, they were able to ride his hot foot right through their league post season. In weeks 14-16 (most fantasy leagues playoffs), Charles averaged 19 fantasy points (399 yards rushing, 76 yards receiving, & two rushing touchdowns). Not a bad late run for a back up running back when the season started.

Recent debacles in the past twenty odd years include 1986, when the Jets went from  from 10-1 to just a 10-6 wildcard entry. Then falling at Cleveland during the divisional playoffs in OT thanks to Mark Gastineau’s idiotic late hit on Bernie Kosar . The 1994 Dan Marino fake spike play, and ensuing tailspin that sent the first place Jets led by  Pete Carroll, to oblivion.USC would soon follow for the guy who during the “milk it, milk it” Bruce Coslet era, motioned to Pete Stoyanovich the choke sign after a miss. The Dolphins star kicker then hit a game winning bomb moments later. The Jets were up 10-0 in Denver in the AFC Championship under Bill Parcells in 1999, only to watch John Elway rally the Broncos to their first world title.

How about 2008? The Jets were 8-3 and alone in first, until Brett Favre started throwing the ball like Pat Ryan. The 9-7 finish ended the bizarre Favre- Eric Mangini marriage. Now this. A chance to control destiny vanishing into the the endless Meadowlands swamp. This after fighting for a month to get back into the AFC playoff hunt. The Jets botching three field goals were the culprit. Three! They held the struggling Atlanta offense to 3 points all day, only to allow a Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez TD with 1:15 left. Mark Sanchez? The rookie made some timely plays in his return from two knee injuries that have him resembling Joe Namath in the knee brace department. However, three more interceptions helped lead to another crushing loss that now leaves the Jets needing a win against the undefeated Colts in order to have life during the final week. Yikes.

It didn’t have to be this way. The 7-6 Jaguars lost on Thursday. The 7-6 Dolphins lost on Sunday. The Jets were right there. Safety Kerry Rhodes symbolized the team’s frustration.” This (bleep) is crazy, man. We (bleeping) got exactly what we wanted and we couldn’t get it done.”

When Sanchez (18-32 226 1TD 1int) hooked up with WR Braylon Edwards for a 65 yard TD pass, the Jets took 7-3 lead.  It stayed that way until the final minute. The Jets vaunted ground game however was bottled up for most of the day as the Jets had trouble adding to the lead,. Thomas Jones managed just 52 yards, as the Jets tried to attack one of the leagues worst pass defenses. The plan backfired. That’s because three FG attempts were wasted. One because of a high snap, the other a Kellen Clemens drop, the third was on Feely.

The inability by the Jets to tack on more, gave life to an Atlanta team that was eliminated from playoff contention Saturday night, thanks to the Dallas win over the then 13-0 Saints. Falcons QB Matt Ryan, back from a toe injury that had kept him out two games, engineered a drive that left the Falcons with a fourth down inside the ten with just over a minute left. The whole stadium knew where the ball was going, to soon to be hall of fame TE Tony Gonzalez. It did, as a zone full of Jets encircled him, too far to disrupt the first TD in 34 possession against the Jets. What a time to let that happen. Sanchez threw an interception shortly after that sealed the Jets fate. 10-7 was the final.

The Jets defense has now had the lead three times going into the game’s final five minutes. The result has been 0 for 3. Losses to Miami on Monday night, Jacksonville and the Jones Drew kneel, and now Atlanta. Two for three would have equalled a first place tie with the now not so unbeatable New England Patriots. One win would mean an 8-6 record and control of their own destiny.

Instead it’s win and get help. The 7-7 record is not all the defense’s fault. Maybe

too much was expected of Sanchez too early. The interceptions have been piling up since September. Signs of a rookie QB’s growing pains that the Jets may have tried to will away by all of the preseason talk about a killer defense and run first approach to the year.

Nonetheless, the recent three game win streak that left the Jets first in rushing and defensive yards allowed, regenerated hope that seemed lost during the mid season swoon that saw the once 3-0 Jets fall to 4-6.. Now hope is fleeting again. If you follow the Jets, you are well accustomed to watching a team that loses the game BEFORE the big game. Yet it’s in the club’s DNA to both tank in an Atlanta type game, yet show up and steal the Indy one. Rex Ryan who said “we’re out of the playoffs after the loss retracted his statement , admitting on Monday that he was “dead wrong.” Ryan’s no math major but who could blame the single minded focus that comes with gearing up to run the table.

Now there’s a new table to run. A two game table. It’s now over. However, because of the tragic loss to Atlanta, the final run will have to start with 14-0 Indy, if the Jets want to still be talking about 2009, not 2010 next Monday. A tall order. As Jet fans fasten their seat belts once again this Sunday, they know that in all likelihood, Peyton Manning and co. will ensure that it will be for the last time in ‘09. Then again, if you follow the Jets, you have been witness countless times to the fact

that nothing EVER goes as planned.

A LOOK BACK AT THE THREE KEYS TO ATLANTA:

JET D FORCING TURNOVERS:  Jet D was hot coming in, but forced the big goose egg. Atlanta picked off Sanchise 3 times.

THROW IT SMART NOT SCARED:  We asked for 50 percent completion , we got it at 18-32. We asked for 200 yards and got that at 232. Smart? Three picks for Sanchez, again. Some timely throws but in all, too many mistakes. The missed FG”s exposed the Int’s.

WATCH WOODHEAD: We felt that the Jets super conservative passing game would be aided by the emerging Wes Welker, Wayne Chrebet type. Rookie slot WR/RB Danny Woodhead DID get more involved but the opportunities missed in the kicking game again nullifies the good what  Woodhead’s increased role could provided.

follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter @ thejetreport