UpdatedAug 24, 2011 12:25 AM Colin Kaepernick Jersey Red ETIt looks like "Ground and Pound" might be scrap-heapbound forthe Jets.Gang Green showed a penchant for passing Sunday night againstthe Bengals, a departure from its personality in coach Rex Ryan'sfirst two years. Ryan has been talking about throwing the ballmore, and it looked as if that's the plan.With the starters in the game, the Jets threw the ball 20 times versusonly 11 runs, operating mainly out of threereceiver sets. Theoffense thrived with new addition Plaxico Burress in his firstgame, raising expectations for what Mark Sanchez and Co. cando."I think this offense can really be special," said Burress, whocaught three passes for 66 yards and a TD in his Jets' debut. "I want this offense togo out and score as many points as we can. We have a great defense.We Custom Eagles Jersey all know that. I'm challenging our offense to go out and score28, 30 points a week. I believe that's something we can do." Lastyear, the Premier Justin Smith Jersey Red Jets averaged 22.9 points per game,13th best in the NFL. The Jets expect more with the additionof Burress, plus another year in the system for receiver SantonioHolmes, another year of maturation for Sanchez and the addition Authentic Colin Kaepernick Jersey Red ofDerrick Mason in the slot.Evaluating Sunday's preseason performance is tough consideringhow poorly the Bengals looked at times, but the Jets have to be encouraged Justin Smith Jersey White with whatthey saw after some early stumbles.Sanchez connected with favorite target Dustin Keller four times,hit Burress with a beautiful back-shoulder throw and connected withboth Burress and Holmes on touchdowns."I think sky's the limit for this group," Sanchez said."I know they'll go as I'll go, and it's a matter of me gettingcompletions and being efficient, getting Premier Justin Smith Jersey White the ball Colin Kaepernick Authentic Jersey on them, and thenevery once in a while when they need to make a play and make thequarterback right, either a Customized Philadelphia Eagles Jersey one-handed grab or a grab in doublecoverage, that's what they'll do. They have that kind ofconfidence, they have that big-game experience to know how to dothat. But it doesn't matter who we have at wideout, thequarterback's got to be good, so that's my goal."The Jets' rushing attack looked awfulSunday. With starter Shonn Greene sidelined, LaDainian Tomlinsonmustered just 16 yards on nine carries. The offensive line bearsmost of the blame for failing to open holes. The Jets still believe they can run theball, but Ryan feels throwing the ball more is the naturalprogression for the offense with Sanchez now in his thirdseason.Sanchez Official Eagles Jersey completed 12-of20 passes for 173 yards and twotouchdowns against the Bengals. He made some really nice throws,especially considering the driving rain the game was played in. The24-year-old knows how much is riding on his shoulders."[The organization is] doing everything they can [to help me],and they've done it each and every 49ers Justin Smith Authentic Jersey year," Sanchez said. "Last year,they brought in some bigtime players in Santonio.And now [Braylon Edwards is] gone, but we've got Plax, we've gotDerrick Mason, and we're ready to play. It's amazing to see what[general manager] Mike Tannenbaum can do in an offseason, whetherit's on offense or defense, and it's good. It's going to work outwell, so it's my job to make it work." Holmes, who had threecatches for 19 yards and a TD, believes the receiving corps andSanchez are already clicking."We're all veterans and we've been playing this Justin Smith Stitched Jersey game for a longtime," Holmes said. "[It's] just trust. Gaining trust right now isa big issue for us, and I Authentic Colin Kaepernick Jersey think it's there.Mark doesn' t have any issues Colin Kaepernick Jersey Replica with trusting myself or Plaxico tobe where we're supposed to be 49ers Colin Kaepernick Replica Jersey or throwing the ball, and I think itbuilds great chemistry from there."
UpdatedAug 24, 2011 12:26 AM ETVernon Gholston might have been an epic bust for the Jets, but he refuses to take all theblame.A seriously delusional Gholston doled out some of the fault Raiders Jersey tocoach Rex Ryan and the Jets, too, saying last night hedidn't get a fair shot in three wholly unproductive seasons withGang Green.Now a backup defensive end trying to hang on with the Bears,Gholston - he of zero sacks in 48 games as a Jet - said after a41-13 preseason loss to the Giants the deck was stacked against himwhen Ryan took over in 2009."I heard how he was perceiving me before the [2008] draft,before he knew me, and I was the same way - I wasn't hoping Customized Oakland Raiders Jersey for himto be [my] first coach of the Jets when I was there, either," saidGholston, a holdover from the Eric Mangini regime.Gholston, the sixth overall pick out of Ohio State, still feelshe didn't get a Authentic Taylor Mays Jersey Red fair shot with Ryan or his staff despite theirsometimes-desperate efforts - Replica Taylor Mays Jersey Red both position switches andpsychological ploys - to get him to produce."Being a first-round pick, you would have hoped for more [of achance]," said Gholston, who added his release by the Jets last winter was "a neededmove."Gholston indicated his displeasure with Ryan wasn't limited justto a lack of snaps.A comment the coach made soon after taking over still seems tosting Gholston, whose quiet, sensitive demeanor and lack ofintensity have been among Authentic Vernon Davis Jersey the biggest knocks on him as a pro."Rex made a comment to me when he first came in that he thoughtI wasn't liked by the guys on Justin Smith Jersey Red the team, then once Vernon Davis Authentic Jersey he got Premier Vernon Davis Jersey Red there hesaw that wasn't the case," Gholston Authentic Oakland Raiders Jersey said. "Those perceptions kindof determine the outcome, and it's sad to say."Gholston also accused Ryan of playing favorites with formerRavens such as Bart Scott that the coach brought with him fromBaltimore."Whenever you have a new coach, you hope everything's fair,"Gholston said. "But obviously, he was in Baltimore for a number ofyears and has a passion for those guys."Though Gholston is struggling Authentic Justin Smith Jersey just as mightily with the Bears ashe did as a Jet, he isn't worried he is running out of chances inthe NFL."Teams are always looking for talent, and to say I don't havetalent is a far stretch," Official Taylor Mays Jersey Gholston said. "It's all about Reebok Vernon Davis Jersey getting afair shot and time in the system. With the Jets, it was constant positionchange 49ers Vernon Davis Jersey and coaching change. There was no stability. I never Authentic Vernon Davis Jersey White reallyhad that with the Jets."
UpdatedAug 24, 2011 12:25 AM ETSpurred by an uprising of violence over the weekend, the SanFrancisco 49ers on Monday sacked future installments of Mike Iupati Jersey Authentic theirannual exhibition game with the Oakland Raiders as officials pledged tocrack down on drunk and unruly fans at Candlestick Park, limittailgating and stop alcohol sales late in games.Jed York, the 49ers' CEO, said Monday that the team would askthe NFL, which schedules preseason exhibitions, to indefinitelypostpone the annual preseason game, known as the "Battle of theBay."Standing alongside York, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhrpromised to install DUI checkpoints outside Mike Iupati Authentic Jersey the 49ers stadium afterevery home game this year.The team will stop selling alcohol in the fourth quarter,possibly earlier if the crowd is getting unruly, said Jim Mercurio,who is charge of stadium operations and security at CandlestickPark.Team officials promised more police in the parking lot andstadium during games and said vehicles will not be allowed in theparking lot or on local streets for tailgating until four hoursbefore kickoff. The team also will ban tailgating during and aftergames, a tactic adopted by other NFL teams.Mayor Ed Lee pledged a "focus on Premier Mike Iupati Jersey Red alcohol management" duringgames and called on season ticket holders to be more responsiblewhen selling individual game tickets online.York said Authentic Mike Iupati Jersey Red the team would even turn away season ticket holders ifsecurity guards think they are ready to start trouble."I want to extend an apology to all of you," Mercurio said."These rules and policies that Personalized Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey have to be put in place will affectyou, but it's important for the security of you and yourfamily."The changes announced at a news conference in San Francisco onMonday come two days after violence marred the 49ers-Raiders preseason game atCandlestick Park.Two men, ages 24 and 20, were shot, and a 26-year-old fan wasbeaten in a stadium bathroom during the game. All three wererecovering Monday in the hospital after being Authentic Michael Crabtree Jersey Red upgraded to faircondition, Suhr said.Although there were fears that the attacks were sparked bycrazed fans one game attendee wearing an anti-Niners shirt was shotby a fan wearing a Raiders jersey authorities havesuggested that at least one Authentic Michael Crabtree Jersey White of the shootings may have been gangrelated.Meanwhile, a source familiar with stadium security said Mondaythat the bathroom beating erupted when a fan punched a man who wasguarding a men's bathroom stall so his sister could use it andavoid the long line for the women's restroom.Although police make one or two arrests during typical games,they made 12 on Saturday and staffed 40percent more officers thanusual, Suhr said. There were 90 calls for medical service comparedwith the usual number of about 40, and there were 10 ambulance runsto the hospital, up from the usual two."This game was like no other that I can remember, and I've beena Niner fan my whole life," Suhr said. "Nobody could have beenprepared for what NFL Michael Crabtree Jersey happened on Saturday night."In Oakland, despite the Raiders' rough reputation, stadiumoperators and law enforcement officials say fan violence hasn'tbeen a huge problem in recent years. However, Authentic Mike Iupati Jersey Mayor Jean Quan saidMonday that the city would beef up police presence during at leastthe next few Raiders home games, perhaps longer,in response to Saturday's attacks.O.co Coliseum is run on game days by a private contractor calledSMG. Personalized Steelers Jersey It hires 170 to 200 Oakland police officers and Alameda Countysheriff's deputies to work overtime at every game, SMG interimgeneral manager Ron Little said.Those forces are bolstered by a presence from the FBI and BARTpolice and Oakland firefighters, Little said. A member of eachsecurity force is present in the security command center, wheresafety officials monitor closed circuit video and text messagesthat fans can send to the number 41513 to report trouble in thestadium or the parking lots."There are certain teams and games that require more presence,but I don't think that's a huge secret. In rivalry games, you'regoing to need more people there," said Sgt. J.D. Nelson, a veteranof working games for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.Born and raised in Oakland and a lifelong Raiders fan, Nelson said the teambrought back "a Los Angeles mentality" when they first returned andthat for five or six years violence in the stands was a significantproblem.That peaked about five years ago when a man was shot in the legin the parking lot Official Mike Iupati Jersey "the most serious thing that ever happened at a Raider game since they came back,"Nelson said."Whenever I travel, tell people I work here and they say, 'Youwork the Raider game? It must be crazy!'It's not," he said. "It's when you look on TV and see peoplepainted up and with spikes coming out of them, they think, thosepeople are crazy. But that's not the problem. Those are seasonticket holders. They're just passionate fans. Our problem is peoplewho come once a year or once every five years, drink too much andcause trouble."Saturday's violence has raised new concerns in Santa Clara,where the 49ers are planning a new $987million stadium. The citysays the team had agreed two years ago to spend $1.7millionannually to maintain public safety during games. Scheduled to openin 2015, the stadium would include jail-like holding cells, Customized Steelers Jersey aninternal police squad and fiber-optic technology."Based on the most recent tragedy, I'm sure they'll be morediscussion on what, if anything, can be done to prevent people frombeing violent," at the stadium, Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthewssaid Monday. He called the plan for the stadium to be "veryfamily-oriented. Violence doesn't fit into that."But not everyone is convinced the plan will work especially ifthe Raiders work out a deal to sharethe stadium."If you add the Raiders to the mix, then we havereal problems," said Bill Bailey of Authentic Patrick Willis Jersey the anti-stadium group, SantaClara Play Fair.City Councilwoman Jamie McLeod said she wants a "full and robustpublic discussion" about security.Game changeProposed changes during Reebok Michael Crabtree Jersey 49ers games:· Future preseason games with the Raiders will be canceled.· San Francisco police will hold DUI checkpointsafter every game.· Fans can only tailgate for four Premier Michael Crabtree Jersey Red hours before thegame.· Vendors will stop selling alcohol in the fourthquarter, possibly earlier if the game is unruly.· Even season ticket holders who look ready to starttrouble will be denied entry.
UpdatedAug 24, 2011 12:26 AM ETThe National Football League has a problem. It has friends inlow places. Some of those friends showed up Saturday night atCandlestick Park. They turned the parking lot and some parts of thestadium into a fight club and combat zone.This was very bad. But don't buy the notion that this wasisolated to a Raiders-49ers matchup. You can endthe annual preseason game between the two teams which will happenat least temporarily, according Patrick Willis Jersey White to a Monday announcement and itstill does not solve the problem.How do I know? Because I have seen too much, in too many otherplaces. Maybe not shootings in parking lots (what kind of peoplebring guns to football games, anyway?). But other bad stuff.I have been to New England where a grown man, obviouslyinebriated, decided to urinate on my rental car tires, just minutesafter I pulled into the parking lot. At a Philadelphia Eagles homegame, I have seen bottle rockets and cherry bombs fly through theair above the stadium as fights broke out in the seats. In 2004, aman was Patrick Willis Jersey Authentic beaten unconscious in the stands at a San Diego Chargershome game.This is why it is wrong to focus solely on last Saturday'sidiocy. Authorities have reacted to it. Measures have beenimplemented. I would wager that there will be far less mayhem atthis weekend's home 49er and Raider exhibition games. But therewill still Customized 49ers Jersey be issues.The most frequent complaint I hear from average fans who attendNFL games, here and elsewhere, is that they end up sitting in asection where loudmouth, Premier Taylor Mays Jersey drunk guys are insulting other fansusually from the opposing team--and often trying to provoke afight."I won't take my kids to a game," these people tell me so oftenthat I hear the words even before they are spoken.There's a story about one Raiders-49ers game at the OaklandColiseum several years ago where the 49er team bus was entering theparking lot and quarterback Steve Young noticed a fan wearing hisred No. 8 jersey."That guy," Young told his seatmate on the bus, "is going to gethit today more than I will."Is the NFL proud of that? It is probably true that Saturdaynight's troublemakers were not season ticket holders and insteadbought seats cheap on the secondary market. It is surely true thatthey were bringing ugly baggage from outside the stadium that ledto the violence, whatever that ugly baggage was. But think aboutthis: Why did they choose Philadelphia Eagles Jersey to bring it to a NFL game instead ofsomewhere else?The bottom line is, if you plan to stage an event where peoplecan drink all afternoon in a parking lot before going inside todrink some more. . . well, then you are operating one of theworld's biggest bars, not merely an athletic contest.That's not against the law. Banning alcohol is an impracticalsolution. Alcohol is part of the economic engine for allprofessional sports. Plus, plenty of folks (including me) enjoyhaving a beer or two at games. But if someone is operating a hugebar, then it needs to be run like a huge bar. If that meansbouncers to keep order, a Taylor Mays Jersey Authentic parking lot patrol to evict misbehavingtailgaters, plus breathalyzer NFL Taylor Mays Jersey tests before fans enter the stadium,so be it.And yes, I'm serious.Monday, the 49ers and San Francisco officials did their best tomove the needle toward a better and safer atmosphere atCandlestick. The cops announced there will be DUI checkpointsoutside Candlestick after every 49er home date. Alcohol sales willbe stopped in the fourth quarter or earlier. Parking lots will notopen until four hours before kickoff. Tailgating will be bannedonce a game begins.It's still not enough.Responsible bars do not serve drunk people. Why not abreathalyzer test at the Candlestick or O.co Coliseum gates? Noteveryone would receive one. It would be similar to an airportsecurity setup.Already, each ticket holder receives a pat-down for weaponsand/or bottles. Why couldn't the pat-down person also do a quickfive-second inventory of whether the ticket holder (A) smells andacts tipsy and (B) Patrick Willis Jersey Red looks like trouble. If 49ers Patrick Willis Authentic Jersey so, the person could besent to a separate line for a separate screening that includes abreathalyzer reading at a stipulated level to be determined. Overthe limit? Your ticket is confiscated.I ran Patrick Willis Jersey Replica my idea by Ted Atlas, a man I respect as much as anyone onthe issues of football spectator Taylor Mays Authentic Jersey safety and crowd control. He'sworked security at 49er and Raider games for the last quartercentury, as well as at 24 Super Bowls. He has also authored ahistory book about Candlestick Park (full disclosure: I wrote theforeword) and knows the place inside and out.Atlas was in the command control center Saturday night. Hedoesn't want to talk yet about what happened in detail.Investigations aren't complete. But he's not sure about institutingbreathalyzer bouncers. He Authentic Taylor Mays Jersey worries it might slow down the crowdentry flow."Things have to be adjusted," Atlas said. "You don't want tooverreact. I think the 49ers have taken many precautions in tryingto make Candlestick a nice experience for people who go to gamesthere. But you can only control people's behavior so much."Atlas agreed with me that something weird has happened in profootball over the past 15 or Patrick Willis Authentic Jersey 20 years. A perception has beencreated that NFL games are just about the greatest places ever togo and drink alcohol before and during games while screaming ateach other not at players, at other fans every weekend. Perhapsit's because of imagery embraced by Custom 49ers Jersey the league, by those "All MyRowdy Friends" song videos before Monday Night telecasts, or bymarketing campaigns that portray fan loyalty as some sort of tribalwarfare, or by beer commercials that show crazy fans doing foolishstuff."When they turn the cameras onto the fans during games," Atlasasked, "why do they show the wildest ones behaving the way they do?Why doesn't the league tell the networks to stop showing that?"Jed York, the 49ers owner, knows what's at stake here. I amconvinced he wants to do the right thing, for both personal andbusiness reasons. But here's my free public relations suggestion:To show people that Candlestick is safe, he and his family shouldleave their private box and sit in the stands for part of Saturdaynight's game or the first regular season game."Or how about this?" Atlas asked. "Maybe people should justbehave themselves."That's what scares me. More and more people think that the waythey behaved Saturday is exactly how they are expected to behave atNFL games. It's what happens in low places. The league is trying tostop that. The league needs to try hard er.Mark Purdy is a San Jose Mercury News columnist.
UpdatedAug 24, 2011 12:26 AM ETFor some reason, Joe McKnight's last name wasn't emblazoned inlights above his locker like the rest of his Jets teammates after Sunday night'sgame.No matter. Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey Shop Online McKnight seems poised to make his name stand out thisseason.The second-year running back scored his first NFL touchdown inthe Jets' 27-7 rout of Cincinnati.Although McKnight was matter-of-fact about the score afterward, itwas emblematic of how much better he's doing this summer than lastsummer.McKnight beat single coverage on his 3-yard touchdown catch fromGreg McElroy in the right flat on the first play of the fourthquarter."It was pretty much a one-on-one play," McKnight said. "I justhad to beat the man to the flat and Greg threw a great pass.""He just outran" the defender, NFL Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey coach Rex Ryan said after thegame. "The kid had good coverage. Frank Gore Jersey Women [McKnight] just outran him.That's what Joe can do. Frank Gore Jersey Red He's a mismatch. I thought he played reallywell."McKnight had two receptions for 7 yards against the Bengals andhad 36 yards rushing on seven carries. In the preseason openeragainst Houston, he had five carries for 24 yards and two catchesfor 4 yards before exiting the game because of a concussion.That injury looked like an ominous sign for McKnight, whovomited in his first minicamp as a rookie Official Anthony Davis Jersey in spring 2010 because hewasn't in proper condition. The fourth-round pick from SouthernCalifornia then had a less-than-impressive training camp, which ledto him spending much of the 2010 regular season on the bench.To make matters worse, the Jets drafted Louisville running backBilal Powell in the fourth round this year. Powell has struggled inthe first Premier Anthony Davis Jersey Red two games with 47 yards rushing on 18 carries, andMcKnight seems Replica Frank Gore Jersey Red to have surged ahead in the competition Michael Crabtree Authentic Jersey to be thethird running back behind Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson.McKnight returned to practice late last week and was cleared toplay."It felt good to Frank Gore Authentic Jersey get back 49ers Michael Crabtree Jersey out there and play some ball," hesaid. "I was so fortunate that my symptoms went away fast."He downplayed the competition between him and Powell."It's not really a competition," he said. "I'm just going outthere and competing and showing Authentic Frank Gore Jersey the coaches I can make plays. I'mnot worried about the [third running back] job Authentic Michael Crabtree Jersey right now. I feltfine. I felt like I left a couple yards on the field, but overallit was a pretty Frank Gore Jersey Authentic good game."When asked about his difficult 2010 campaign, McKnight said,"You've just got to be patient. Last year was my learning Steelers Jersey curve. Ilearned the game. ... My main focus this year is to just practicehard and stay consistent during the week."BRIEFS: Ryan seemed a bit uncertain about the status of40-year-old backup quarterback Mark Brunell, who sat out Sunday'sgame because of a pulled calf muscle suffered in practice Friday."I'm not real sure on how long it will be," he said of Brunell'spotential absence, adding, "I hope he's ready for our first[regular-season] game against Dallas. I'm sure he will be." ... TheJets will have closed practices attheir complex today and Wednesday before an open practice atHofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., on Thursday.E-mail: