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Testaverde awful as Atlanta rolls
BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Overmatched Vinny Testaverde folds under Falcon onslaught, losing three fumbles.
[size=-1][/size]
[size=-1]Michael Vick stays a step ahead of opponents and is trying to do the same to his critics who say he should pass first. [/size]
ATLANTA - It may have been Vinny Testaverde's Y.A. Tittle moment, the sad portrait of a graying gunslinger bowing out in defeat. In Testaverde's case, there was no blood, just a screaming right calf and aging legs that can't get him out of trouble.
With 4:12 remaining in the third quarter of the Jets' 27-14 loss to the Falcons last night at the Georgia Dome, the 41-year-old Testaverde hobbled to the sideline after an interception. He had injured his right Achilles tendon (not the one that was surgically repaired in 1999) and spent the rest of the game on the bench. Who knows if he'll be back?
"It was hurting pretty bad," Testaverde said afterward.
Ditto for the entire team. There's no kind way to say it: The Jets are a bad football team, and now the entire nation knows just how bad.
With a chance for the Jets to make a statement and jump back into contention in the watered-down AFC East, Testaverde played hot potato with the football, fumbling it away three times in the first 18 minutes and spotting the Falcons a 17-0 lead.
"We got our fate handed to us early," said Herm Edwards, whose team dropped its second in a row and sixth straight road game, dating to last season.
Finally, after seven torturous weeks and two major quarterback injuries, there's some relief - a bye week.
Brooks Bollinger (12-for-20, 94 yards) replaced Testaverde and showed some guts in rallying the Jets to a third-quarter touchdown that made it 27-14. Maybe he'll get a chance to start the next game, Nov. 6 against the Chargers. At least he's fast enough to run away from the pass rush.
The quarterback decision, according to Edwards, will be based primarily on Testaverde's health.
"If Vinny's healthy, I anticipate that he'd be the guy," Edwards said. "But we're going to talk about it during the bye week."
Testaverde, who will have tests today, said the injury appears to be the calf muscle, not the Achilles tendon. But when you're nearly 42, every injury is significant.
The harsh spotlight will focus on Testaverde, whose storybook comeback has turned into a Stephen King horror story. But the reality is the Jets broke down in all areas.
Edwards' team was ill-prepared. It committed four turnovers. The pass protection stunk (four sacks). The defense caved at key moments, watching the incomparable Michael Vick rush for two touchdowns, both 1-yarders that were highlight-film worthy.
Testaverde, known for his Monday night theatrics, tied a career-high with three fumbles - a career of 220 games. There was a botched exchange with new center Pete Kendall, who made his first start for the injured Kevin Mawae. The other two fumbles came on sacks in which the Falcons blew through the middle of the Jets' revamped line. Chauncey Davis recovered the third fumble and scored on a 24-yard return, making it 17-0.
This season, the Jets have been outscored in the first quarter, 40-7.
Kendall, starting at center for the first time since 2003, took the blame for the botched exchange and the next two fumbles, saying he blew line calls on the latter two. At the end of the game, he sat alone on the bench.
"I don't blame anyone for not wanting to be near me," he said. "I stunk tonight. I cost us the game. My mistakes were disasters."
Said Edwards: "We might have missed a few calls. That was a problem."
Testaverde (11-for-18, 139) scored on a 1-yard sneak and actually threw with some success, but it wasn't enough to sustain the Jets on such a miserable night. Curtis Martin (14 carries for 28 yards) scored on a 1-yard run, but never got going.
In contrast, the Falcons' Warrick Dunn rushed for 155 yards on 24 carries, including a 65-yard run that set up a field goal. Vick (11-for-26, 116 yards) threw three interceptions and was no factor as a passer, but he ran for 22 yards in the first quarter.
In the last two games, the Jets have allowed 382 yards on the ground. Stopping the run used to be their strength.
The Jets trailed at halftime, 20-7, after self-destructing in almost every phase. Their first quarter included as many first downs as lost fumbles (three), and that pretty much told the story.
The worst sin came on the third fumble. They made an inexcusable mistake, letting defensive tackle Rod Coleman shoot up the middle without being blocked. He went between Kendall and right guard Brandon Moore, getting the red-carpet treatment on his way to stripping the ball from Testaverde. Davis returned the fumble 24 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-0.
Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger said the last two sacks came in maximum-protection schemes, but they still broke down.
"It's disappointing," Testaverde said. "We spotted them 17 points. That's no way to play football."
Originally published on October 25, 2005
BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Overmatched Vinny Testaverde folds under Falcon onslaught, losing three fumbles.
[size=-1][/size]
[size=-1]Michael Vick stays a step ahead of opponents and is trying to do the same to his critics who say he should pass first. [/size]
ATLANTA - It may have been Vinny Testaverde's Y.A. Tittle moment, the sad portrait of a graying gunslinger bowing out in defeat. In Testaverde's case, there was no blood, just a screaming right calf and aging legs that can't get him out of trouble.
With 4:12 remaining in the third quarter of the Jets' 27-14 loss to the Falcons last night at the Georgia Dome, the 41-year-old Testaverde hobbled to the sideline after an interception. He had injured his right Achilles tendon (not the one that was surgically repaired in 1999) and spent the rest of the game on the bench. Who knows if he'll be back?
"It was hurting pretty bad," Testaverde said afterward.
Ditto for the entire team. There's no kind way to say it: The Jets are a bad football team, and now the entire nation knows just how bad.
With a chance for the Jets to make a statement and jump back into contention in the watered-down AFC East, Testaverde played hot potato with the football, fumbling it away three times in the first 18 minutes and spotting the Falcons a 17-0 lead.
"We got our fate handed to us early," said Herm Edwards, whose team dropped its second in a row and sixth straight road game, dating to last season.
Finally, after seven torturous weeks and two major quarterback injuries, there's some relief - a bye week.
Brooks Bollinger (12-for-20, 94 yards) replaced Testaverde and showed some guts in rallying the Jets to a third-quarter touchdown that made it 27-14. Maybe he'll get a chance to start the next game, Nov. 6 against the Chargers. At least he's fast enough to run away from the pass rush.
The quarterback decision, according to Edwards, will be based primarily on Testaverde's health.
"If Vinny's healthy, I anticipate that he'd be the guy," Edwards said. "But we're going to talk about it during the bye week."
Testaverde, who will have tests today, said the injury appears to be the calf muscle, not the Achilles tendon. But when you're nearly 42, every injury is significant.
The harsh spotlight will focus on Testaverde, whose storybook comeback has turned into a Stephen King horror story. But the reality is the Jets broke down in all areas.
Edwards' team was ill-prepared. It committed four turnovers. The pass protection stunk (four sacks). The defense caved at key moments, watching the incomparable Michael Vick rush for two touchdowns, both 1-yarders that were highlight-film worthy.
Testaverde, known for his Monday night theatrics, tied a career-high with three fumbles - a career of 220 games. There was a botched exchange with new center Pete Kendall, who made his first start for the injured Kevin Mawae. The other two fumbles came on sacks in which the Falcons blew through the middle of the Jets' revamped line. Chauncey Davis recovered the third fumble and scored on a 24-yard return, making it 17-0.
This season, the Jets have been outscored in the first quarter, 40-7.
Kendall, starting at center for the first time since 2003, took the blame for the botched exchange and the next two fumbles, saying he blew line calls on the latter two. At the end of the game, he sat alone on the bench.
"I don't blame anyone for not wanting to be near me," he said. "I stunk tonight. I cost us the game. My mistakes were disasters."
Said Edwards: "We might have missed a few calls. That was a problem."
Testaverde (11-for-18, 139) scored on a 1-yard sneak and actually threw with some success, but it wasn't enough to sustain the Jets on such a miserable night. Curtis Martin (14 carries for 28 yards) scored on a 1-yard run, but never got going.
In contrast, the Falcons' Warrick Dunn rushed for 155 yards on 24 carries, including a 65-yard run that set up a field goal. Vick (11-for-26, 116 yards) threw three interceptions and was no factor as a passer, but he ran for 22 yards in the first quarter.
In the last two games, the Jets have allowed 382 yards on the ground. Stopping the run used to be their strength.
The Jets trailed at halftime, 20-7, after self-destructing in almost every phase. Their first quarter included as many first downs as lost fumbles (three), and that pretty much told the story.
The worst sin came on the third fumble. They made an inexcusable mistake, letting defensive tackle Rod Coleman shoot up the middle without being blocked. He went between Kendall and right guard Brandon Moore, getting the red-carpet treatment on his way to stripping the ball from Testaverde. Davis returned the fumble 24 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-0.
Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger said the last two sacks came in maximum-protection schemes, but they still broke down.
"It's disappointing," Testaverde said. "We spotted them 17 points. That's no way to play football."
Originally published on October 25, 2005
