Second Thoughts

Confusion leaves Jets with 1st loss

FILE--The Detroit Lions have hired San Francisco offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, shown in this 1999 file photo,  as head coach and fired coach Gary Moeller, a league source said Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2001. (AP Photo/File)
FILE--The Detroit Lions have hired San Francisco offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, shown in this 1999 file photo, as head coach and fired coach Gary Moeller, a league source said Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2001. (AP Photo/File)

Since Joe Namath guaranteed a 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, luck has not been on the New York Jets' side.

Consider this:

• In 1982, the Jets fired Coach Walt Michaels after losing 14-0 to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game and replaced him with offensive coordinator Joe Walton. The Jets wouldn't make the playoffs for another three seasons and didn't reach another AFC Championship Game until 1998.

• In 1994, Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino faked like he going to spike the ball to stop the clock and threw a touchdown pass to Mark Ingram to beat the Jets 28-24. The Jets, who were 6-5 going into that game, lost their final five games of the season and went 4-28 over the next two seasons.

Sunday marked another crazy chapter in the Jets' star-crossed history.

Trailing 31-24 with five minutes left and facing fourth and 4 from the Green Bay 36, quarterback Geno Smith threw a touchdown pass to Jeremy Kerley, but the play was negated because the Jets had called timeout before the snap. Except they didn't. Or maybe they did.

According to witnesses on the Jets' sideline, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg wanted to change the play and gestured toward Coach Rex Ryan. By rule, only the head coach is allowed to call timeout. However, if the snap is imminent, the side judge can grant a timeout if he hears a request from the sideline.

With about four seconds on the play clock, Mornhinweg decided to stick with the original play. However, defensive end Sheldon Richardson , thinking Mornhinweg still wanted the timeout, decided to speak up. He walked up to the official and called timeout.

The whistle was blown as the ball was snapped. Play dead, no touchdown. The Jets then turned the ball over on downs and the Packers won.

Wrote Rich Cimini of ESPN.com: "In the crucible of a tight fourth quarter, the Jets were undermined by indecision on their sideline and by the big mouth of Sheldon Richardson. Yeah, that's right, a defensive tackle, was responsible for the timeout that nullified what could have been a game-tying 36-yard touchdown catch by Jeremy Kerley with five minutes to play."

Said Ryan sarcastically, "Of course, that would be our fashion. We'd score the touchdown and there would be a timeout."

Can't make this up

One of the beautiful things about sports is it provides unscripted drama.

Consider Saturday's college football action:

• UCLA backup quarterback Jerry Neuheisel came off the bench to relieve an injured Brett Hundley in a 20-17 victory over Texas.

• Southern Cal had 20 yards rushing in a 37-31 loss at Boston College.

• Georgia didn't give the ball to its best player Todd Gurley when it had first and goal from the 4, missed a field goal and lost 38-35 at South Carolina.

• Florida had to go three overtimes to beat Kentucky 36-30.

Wrote Los Angeles Times columnist Chris DuFresne: "Unscripted drama is one of the few surprises in a world of fomulaic, packaged product fed to us, intravenously, through a boob tube. Unscripted sports drama is why coaching salaries keep escalating and ESPN executives drive Escalades. What unfolded in college football could never be predicted, or duplicated. You can only sit there with the remote and pray you don't get carpal tunnel syndrome."

Can't get this excitement in professional wrestling.

Web heads

Headlines from the website Fark.com:

• "Jets player Muhammad Wilkerson throws a punch. Since it wasn't directed at a woman or child, the NFL immediately ejects him."

• "Minnesota Vikings and NFL decide to allow running back Adrian Peterson to play despite being indicted on child injury charges on news there is no video of the incident."

Sports quiz

When was the last time the New York Jets won a divisional title?

Answer

2002, when they went 9-7.

Sports on 09/16/2014

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