It’s time for unexpected edition of “Only When We Win” – the column where I try and cover the angles that nobody else is (probably because they never needed covering in the first place).

This week’s owww touches on “Titanic”, Thanksgiving Day and what actually happened in the tunnel at Tennessee as it analyzes the shocking win over the Titans and looks ahead to Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Does that sound like something you might be interested in? If not, don’t click here to

Since the Last Time…

Following the Jets’ overtime win over the Patriots, any Jets player that subscribes to Coach Mangini’s “five second rule” will have diligently spent 9 days, 13 hours, 15 minutes and 55 seconds of the next 9 days, 13 hours and 16 minutes preparing for the Tennessee clash and only five seconds basking in the success of the win over New England.

So, the Jets win-streak (and Bassett’s streak of not having to write an “Only When We Lose” column) is extended to five. And we didn’t even need a series of “Streaking” posts from Prince to get there.

Giving Thanks

To mark Thanksgiving Day, a tradition I don’t really understand, but enjoy anyway since my friend and his wife cook us a traditional Thanksgiving meal every year (and because of the midweek football), I thought I would give special thanks to some of the teams who have traded with us over the last few years.

Thanks to the Panthers, who traded Kris Jenkins for two draft picks, which became cornerback Charles Godfrey and tight end Gary Barnidge. Those two guys weigh a combined 452, not far off what Jenkins weighs himself when he leaves the dinner table, and if the trade had never happened I’m pretty sure the two of them couldn’t have been nearly as disruptive on Sunday if they had both played in place of the Jenkyard Dawg. Not to mention all the twelve men on the field penalties that would have arisen.

Thanks to the Bears, for giving up Thomas Jones in exchange for the right to move up in the second round of the 2007 draft. The Jets are now 9-0 when Jones scores and 3-15 when he doesn’t. Maybe they should let him kick the extra points. The pick the Bears moved up for was traded to the Chargers, who took Eric Weddle (a decent player) and the Jets used the pick they got along with their own pick to get their own secret-weapon-that-everyone-has-forgotten-about…the DH! Lineman Ryan Kalil (who is most famous for dating the USC Song Girl that erroneously celebrated a Texas TD in the 2006 Rose Bowl) and Brandon Jackson (a running back significantly less productive at this stage of his career than Mr Jones) were the two guys selected with the picks that were traded for Harris.

Thanks to the Falcons, who agreed to trade the Jets a first round pick for free agent DE John Abraham, who would otherwise have left for nothing. The pick was used to select Nick Mangold, who has only missed a few snaps in his career, unlike Abraham, who is having a career year, but is apparently starting to break down physically (and is not known for putting his “livelihood” at risk by playing through pain). It’s unlikely Abraham would have handled the potential AFC Defensive Player of the Year as well as Mangold, considering he ended his day flat on his face with yet another injury.

Thanks to the Chiefs. Herm for Leon Washington? Seriously? How come the 1997 Jets weren’t able to trade Rich Kotite for Barry Sanders? Could Herm have scored the four TDs that Leon did in the wins over Tennessee and New England? One can only assume that his running style would have been similar to his coaching: mostly sideways, with a deliberate kneel down thrown in here and there and the occasional ill-advised redzone option pass.

Thanks to the Redskins, Saints and Broncos for the picks we may or may not end up with for Pete Kendall, Jonathan Vilma and DeWayne Robertson. We clearly don’t need these guys, so anything we can get for them is a bonus. It remains to be seen who the Jets end up with, but based on what has happened so far, it’s likely they will make a contribution in the next few years.

Jets Gone Wild II

Following the unprecedented popularity of the youtube clip from last week of the Jets celebrating the win over the Pats in the tunnel, we were unable to get footage from the tunnel after the Titans game. However, we were “there” and can report on how the players reacted to the big win:

Nick Mangold: Sprinted down the tunnel at top speed to get in the shower. Have you any idea what the deep south humidity can do to a guy’s flowing locks?

Chris Baker: Was just about to enter the tunnel but fell over at the crucial moment.

Kellen Clemens: Displayed good “zip” on his high fives, but only completed just under 50% of them.

Brett Favre: Slapped so many butts that anyone overhearing the scene from outside the tunnel could have been forgiven for thinking they were at a Bavarian Folk Dancing Festival.

Vernon Gholston: I think he was there, but I didn’t notice him.

Leon Washington: Went all the way down the tunnel untouched.

James Ihedigbo: Like last week, he ran down the tunnel yelling “Hell yeah, Woody”.

Damien Woody: Got a bit confused and ran down the tunnel yelling “Hell yeah, me”.

Tony Richardson: Didn’t actually go down the tunnel himself, but made sure everyone else had a clear path to go down it.

Brandon Moore: Accidentally went down the tunnel too early.

Dustin Keller: Somehow managed to draw three pass interference penalties on his way down the tunnel.

Abram Elam: Tried to give Woody Johnson a high-five, but inadvertently high-fived the guy next to him instead, then ran out of steam ten yards before the end of the tunnel.

Drew Coleman: Got lost.

David Barrett: Tried to give Woody Johnson a high-five, but left too much of a gap and missed him completely.

Brad Smith: Showed his versatility by walking, then sauntering, then strolling, then moseying, then jogging, then wandering down the tunnel.

Sione Pouha: Devoured two sandwiches en route.

Jay Feely: Missed several close-range high fives, but completed all of his long-distance ones.

Jericho Cotchery: Completed a spectacular diving, sprawling, one-handed high five on Woody Johnson.

Laveranues Coles: Complained about the conditions within the tunnel including the lack of space, oxygen deficiency, noise level and temperature, all the while having a big smile on his face and doing the Penguin Dance.

Football Fantasy Part VI – A Titanic Struggle

In a long awaited match-up, the 10-0 Titans faced off with the 2-0 Titans, knowing that the teams would leave the battlefield with a combined 13-1 record. It was to be a clash of Titanic proportions as the indestructible force would collide with the immovable object.

Much like the celebrated tale, the first few hours would be slow-paced and dull, with most of the excitement packed into the last hour or so. And, as with the famous legend, half of the people would love what they saw and half would hate it. This time it would be Jets fans, rather than the female half of the audience that were the ones who enjoyed it.

It would be an inspirational tale of a chance meeting between someone who belonged in the upper echelons of society and someone regarded as not being in the same class. But, this time, the hero would be Leon, not Leo. And once the indestructible force crashed into the immovable object, a lone Penguin would look on symbolically and the Jets would become “king of the world”…for one week at least.

For Tennessee, they may have looked good at first glance, but on further inspection, perhaps they weren’t that great after all. Much like Kate Winslet in the controversial portrait scene, they were completely exposed (although it was actually the Jets who were showcasing their mildly impressive bust).

Finally, as Tennessee was sunk, the whining of Lendale White was reminiscent of Celine Dion’s singing. But based on the evidence of this game, it looked like it would be “the Jets” that “will go on and on”. How far remains to be seen. In the film, happiness proves to be tantalizingly just out of reach, but for the Jets, this journey looks set to continue.

To be continued…

(See? I told you it would continue…)

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