NFL Feature Capsules - AFC: Young auditioning to determine future with Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vince Young says the year of watching Kerry Collins from the bench helped him grow and mature. One stat from his first start since the beginning of the 2008 season appears to back that up.

It was his first NFL game without being sacked or intercepted.

Young helped the Titans (1-6) win their first game of 2009, a 30-13 rout of Jacksonville on Sunday that snapped an eight-game skid dating back to Dec. 21.

Now the 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year, the quarterback repeatedly called Tennessee’s future at the position, has the final nine games to show how much he’s really grown and whether he’s worth keeping past this season. Young currently is slated to count $14.2 million against Tennessee’s salary cap in 2010 with a $4.25 million roster bonus due in March.

Owner Bud Adams wanted Young starting so the Titans could see what the quarterback could do.

"We’ve got to find out how he’s developed over the last two years," Adams said after the game. "He hasn’t played that much. We’ve got to get him in and find out what he can do. Otherwise we’re going to have a high draft choice, and we’re going to be looking for another quarterback."

Adams liked what he saw as Young was 15 of 18 for 125 yards with 10 runs for 32 yards before two kneel downs to run out the clock. Young also threw a touchdown pass.

"I was really anxious to see him play at a 100 percent, and I think he did a great job. He handled himself very well and showed he can do it," the owner said.

Coach Jeff Fisher isn’t looking past Sunday’s visit to San Francisco (3-4) when asked how much sway the rest of this season holds on Young’s future.

"That’s not an issue of his nor of ours. What’s important for us and for Vince is just to improve and play well this week. That’s all. We’re not looking at how many games we’ve got left or anything. Just improve and play well this week. Play with some consistency," Fisher said Monday.

Young was helped greatly by the Titans running more than throwing. Tennessee ran 49 times for a season-high 305 yards, and Chris Johnson set a franchise-record with 228 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Receivers that had struggled holding onto the ball didn’t drop any this time around.

Fisher, who said last week he remained in Collins’ corner, complimented Young for managing the win over Jacksonville well, the same thing Collins did so well in helping Tennessee go 13-3 last season.

"He’s learned to just take what’s there, take the check-down, get rid of the ball or take off when it’s time to go take off," Fisher said. "So, we said all along that he’s developing. Even though we were watching Kerry, Vince was developing. I’m hopeful that the work he’s put in will translate over to success in the game."

Young did get lucky a couple times.

Jaguars rookie cornerback Derek Cox dropped an interception in the end zone on the opening series, and he avoided a sack by scrambling for a 1-yard gain late in the second quarter. He also missed what could have been a big gain when he bounced a pass to Johnson on third-and-1.

Questions still remain. How does Young react after a bad game or a couple interceptions? Or when fans boo?

Young wasn’t available with Fisher giving the Titans the day off — their first Victory Monday of 2009. Young said Sunday night he had thought through a variety of scenarios during his year spent on the bench. He hadn’t started since fans booed him for his second interception of the 2008 season opener, a game in which Fisher had to yell at him to join his teammates on the field.

But Young also had a full offseason to study with the coordinator who worked here when the late Steve McNair, Young’s mentor, was the league’s co-MVP in 2003. Young split time between college courses at Texas and cram sessions with Heimerdinger after the coordinator was re-hired in the 2008 offseason.

The two talked at the end of the game, and Young said Heimerdinger knows everything he has been through.

"He sees me making the right throws and the right reads, calling the plays in the huddle and getting the guys out of the huddle on time for the play clock and things like that. He basically has seen me grow up a little bit," Young said.

Colts trying to get running game off the ground

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis spent the entire offseason trying to improve its stagnant ground game.

The Colts took Donald Brown with their first-round pick in April. They switched left tackles. They cut a 2008 draft choice in favor of a lineman who played Arena League football. They heard owner Jim Irsay call for improvement when offensive line coach Howard Mudd came out of his brief retirement.

Seven games into the season, little has changed.

"It’s not like all is lost," coach Jim Caldwell said Monday. "We just don’t have the numbers we’d like to see."

The stats certainly illustrate how tough things have been for Indy.

—The Colts ran 21 times in Sunday’s 18-14 victory over San Francisco, with just five going as long as 4 yards, generally the average measuring stick for NFL teams. They finished with 61 yards rushing and a per carry average of 2.9.

—The biggest contributions from a running back came from former Pro Bowler Joseph Addai, who used a 10-yarder to close the third quarter to set up his 22-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne. Brown missed the game with a bruised left shoulder and Caldwell isn’t sure if the rookie will play this week against Houston.

—Indy ranks 30th in the NFL in total yards rushing (611) and only six teams have a yards per carry average lower than Indy’s 3.7. The Colts have only three runs of 20 yards or more this season, with one coming from backup Chad Simpson late in the blowout victory at St. Louis.

—And for the first time since 1992-93, the Colts are in danger of failing to have a 1,000-yard runner in back-to-back seasons. Addai has a team-high 336 yards this year.

The Colts (7-0) insist it’s not time to panic. Hey,they haven’t lost a game.

"It’s just being positive, going with it, staying with it, knowing it’s a long season," Addai said after Sunday’s win. "We know what we can do. We just have to correct the mistakes we made and move forward."

So far, the struggles have not cost the Colts.

They have opened with seven straight wins for the fourth time in five years and once again are the AFC’s last remaining unbeaten team. Caldwell is the first rookie coach since the 1970 merger to start 7-0. Indy has won a franchise-record 16 straight regular-season games, and a victory at home Sunday over Houston (5-3) would give the Colts a four-game lead in the loss column, a first-half sweep of their AFC South foes and an early chip in the head-to-head tiebreaker with the second-place Texans.

But those in the organization know to be successful in the playoffs, the running game must improve.

"We’ve got to play better," Mudd said during training camp, referring to the offensive line. "We’re not used to having mediocre performances like last year. Until we play and perform like we used to perform, we’re not going to go any place and we know that."

The Colts’ track record proves it.

When Manning threw a then-league record 49 TD passes in 2004, the Colts were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. The next year, when the Colts started 13-0, they averaged 3.7 yards on the ground and again went out in the divisional round. Last year, they lost in overtime at San Diego because they couldn’t convert on third-and-short twice.

But in the 2006 postseason, Manning threw seven interceptions and only three TDs yet won his first Super Bowl in large part because of the Colts’ ability to run. Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for four straight 100-yard rushing games in the playoffs, including 191 yards against the Bears in rainy Miami.

The Colts need to get that efficiency back or other teams are likely to follow the 49ers’ script.

San Francisco spent Sunday trying to take away Manning’s deep throws by keeping everything in front of them. When Manning couldn’t convert long, he exploited the underneath routes. But with little help from the ground game, the Colts were clearly out of sync.

The offensive line allowed three sacks after giving up just two in the first six weeks, and the Colts had four three-and-outs after having only 10 all season.

To avoid a repeat, Manning needs a rushing attack that gives him the kind of balance players, coaches and team officials have been talking about since last winter.

"We have to continue to work on it," Caldwell said. "You can’t get to the point where we stop trying to become effective in that area."

-- Michael Marot

Del Rio chides Jacksonville’s defensive effort

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Insulting, ugly and embarrassing.

Those were the words Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio used to describe his team’s defensive effort in a 30-13 loss at Tennessee on Sunday.

The Titans ran for 305 yards, held the ball for nearly 40 minutes and didn’t allow a sack. Had it not been for Maurice Jones-Drew’s long touchdown runs, the Jaguars (3-4) probably would have spent Monday reviewing a second straight shutout on the road.

Seattle thumped Jacksonville 41-0 three weeks ago. The Jaguars rebounded with a 23-20 victory over St. Louis, taking advantage of a coin flip in overtime to eke out a win against a team that had lost 15 in row. But after a bye week, the Jaguars found themselves trying to solve more defensive lapses.

"I don’t know if any explanation will make anybody feel better," Del Rio said Monday. "When you see it on film, it is insulting, ugly and embarrassing."

Del Rio was so upset about missed tackles that he considered having live tackling drills this week. He reconsidered, but only because he was fearful of injury.

Chris Johnson ran 24 times for 228 yards and two touchdowns, breaking off scoring runs of 52 and 89 yards. LenDale White and quarterback Vince Young another 77 yards on the ground. With little pass rush, Young also completed 15 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.

"There’s no secret. What we put on the field was not good at all," Jaguars defensive lineman Derek Landri said. "We missed a lot of tackles and didn’t do the fundamentals that we had worked on all week."

Jacksonville has struggled to stop opponents in just about every game this season. Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Matt Schaub and Matt Hasselbeck picked apart the secondary, but the defense had been somewhat solid against the run.

Until Sunday.

"I don’t think it’s time for a head hunt or a witch hunt by any means," Landri said. "I think a lot of guys are (ticked) off, and I like that. I’m upset, and for the most part, everybody in this locker room is upset by what happened and nobody is taking it lightly."

The defense seemed off from the opening possession, when Young floated a pass to the end zone that slipped through rookie Derek Cox’s hands. What should have been an interception — and maybe a blow to Young’s confidence in his first meaningful start in 14 months — ended up one of Young’s few incompletions.

Jacksonville’s offense didn’t really bail the defense out, either.

Sure, Jones-Drew finished with 177 yards rushing and had touchdown runs of 80 and 79 yards. But the Jaguars did little else.

David Garrard completed 14 of 27 passes for 139 yards. He threw two interceptions, fumbled once and was sacked three times. His best play was a downfield block on Jones-Drew’s second TD run. Mike Sims-Walker, who averaged nearly 100 yards receiving in his last four games, caught two passes. Torry Holt also finished with just two receptions.

"I don’t have an answer, but we’ve got to find a way to fix it," Jones-Drew said. "It’s not a mentality issue. Everything can be fixed. It’s what you want to do to fix it. It’s the little things."

Those little things have caused some big problems, especially in the area of consistency.

"We’re going to have some games where we go out and show flashes and being good, then some games we go out there and show flashes of being bad," fullback Greg Jones said. "We just have to be consistent. It’s the little things really. It comes down to the little things and being focused. The details. Football is a game of details and inches. If you don’t take those things for granted, I think we’ll be fine."

-- Mark Long

Broncos coach says loss holds plenty of lessons

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Now, that’s how most of their fans feared the Denver Broncos would play this season: dominated on defense, overpowered on offense, squelched on special teams.

It took two months for it to happen.

So rookie coach Josh McDaniels has some fixing to do as the Broncos (6-1) try to bounce back from their beatdown in Baltimore, and they’ll have to do it without one of their best offensive linemen.

McDaniels said right tackle Ryan Harris won’t play against Pittsburgh next week after sustaining a toe injury in the Broncos’ 30-7 loss at Baltimore.

Harris, a third-year pro from Notre Dame, has started 22 consecutive games for one of the league’s best offensive lines. He was replaced in the first half Sunday by second-year pro Tyler Polumbus, who is in line to make his first NFL start against the Steelers next Monday night.

Polumbus, an undrafted second-year pro from the University of Colorado, also spelled Harris in Week 3 when he went out with a shoulder injury in the second half against Oakland.

"Tyler went in and did a decent job, hung in there. Again, they’ve got some really good pass-rushers off the edge. He was matched up on (Ravens linebacker Terrell) Suggs on more than a few plays and handled the bull rush and speed rushers and those kinds of things," McDaniels said.

"But Tyler’s been in this system as long as anybody else has this year, so he’s familiar with what we’re doing. We always give him plenty of reps in practice. He handled himself well in the preseason. We’ll expect him to go in there and play well."

And he expects the rest of the Broncos to play a whole lot better than in Baltimore, where they were outscored 24-7 after halftime, gave up a touchdown on special teams for the second straight week, and couldn’t move the ball much, resulting in eight punts for newly signed Mitch Berger.

"You always hear players say, ‘We’ll have to look at the film,’ but most of us know where we messed up," safety Brian Dawkins said. "Now, we just go back to practice and work on correcting our mistakes. I’ve lost games before. Everyone on this team has lost before. The goal is to learn from this game and move forward."

McDaniels pointed the finger of blame at everybody, from coaches to players — starting with the man in the mirror.

"They were coached better, played better, more physical, played faster basically in every area of the game. And we certainly didn’t do nearly enough in any phase to win the game," McDaniels said.

McDaniels was noticeably subdued Monday following the first loss of his head coaching career.

"I think we always learn things that we need to do better no matter if we win or lose," he said. "... I think that obviously losing a game really makes the mistakes that much more glaring and the need to fix things more urgent."

Slow starters all season, the Broncos felt pretty good about themselves trailing just 6-0 at halftime. After all, they had outscored their opponents 76-10 after the break.

But Lardarius Webb returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown and after that, the Broncos did little right and nothing well.

"Our plan didn’t come together as we thought it would," McDaniels said.

Even with more fast, physical defenses on the horizon, McDaniels said he won’t be tempted to change his offensive approach, which has been described by outsiders as only slightly less conservative than Fox commentator Sean Hannity.

"Nope, I mean I’ve game-planned a lot of years against a lot of good defenses and we need to have a good plan each week that certainly gives your team the best chance to win, and then we need to get our players to execute that plan ... better," McDaniels said.

"If we have a good plan and we execute it, then we win. And if we have a bad plan or we don’t execute a good one — it doesn’t really make any difference — the other team’s going to usually come out with an advantage."

So, was the blowout in Baltimore a case of an inadequate game plan or poor execution?

"It’s both," McDaniels said.

The more pertinent questions are whether the Ravens exposed the Broncos’ warts and provided a blueprint on how to defeat Denver and its brash young coach. Other teams will watch the film and gather clues, so McDaniels knows the mistakes have to be fixed fast.

-- Arnie Stapleton

Rivers gets first shot against Eli, Giants

SAN DIEGO — Philip Rivers calls it one of "those little sidebars."

Really, though, it’ll be the featured event when Rivers and his San Diego Chargers face Eli Manning and the struggling New York Giants on Sunday at the Meadowlands.

Manning was drafted by the Chargers in 2004, then traded to the Giants within an hour for Rivers and a handful of picks that San Diego ended up spending on kicker Nate Kaeding and outside linebacker Shawne Merriman.

Manning went on to lead the Giants to a Super Bowl upset of the Patriots two seasons ago. Rivers is still trying to get to his first Super Bowl.

The Chargers (4-3) are rejuvenated after wins over AFC doormats Kansas City and Oakland. The Giants (5-3) have lost three straight, including Sunday’s 40-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

"It’s fun," Rivers said Monday. "The one thing I know and I know Eli knows, all the quarterbacks know, we’re not playing one another out there. We’ve got plenty of other things to worry about on the defensive side of the ball we have to go against.

"But it is fun competing against another team led by a quarterback that you are linked to in many ways, especially being the same draft class."

This will be Rivers’ first start against the Giants. Drew Brees was still the Chargers’ starter when Manning and the Giants came to San Diego in September 2005.

The Chargers won 45-23 that night and their fans booed and heckled Manning, still angry he had spurned San Diego 17 months earlier. Days before the 2004 draft, Manning’s family asked the Chargers not to draft Eli. The Chargers did anyway, then pulled off a blockbuster trade that helped both teams.

Rivers said he sent congratulations two seasons ago after Manning led the Giants to a thrilling Super Bowl win over the previously undefeated Patriots.

"I don’t know him real well, but certainly enjoy watching him play. It’ll be fun competing against those guys this weekend," Rivers said.

The Chargers have popped above .500 thanks to Sunday’s 24-16 home win over Oakland and a 37-7 win at Kansas City a week earlier.

"Every week is a treat to play in the NFL, to play in an NFL game," Rivers said. "But these are the kind of games, the reason why you play. You get to go right in the thick of all the action in the East Coast, being in New York, and play, obviously, a team that won the championship two years ago and is a very capable one and thought of highly this year. It’s a tough place to go on the road, in a game I think that will say a lot about us."

San Diego’s win, coupled with Denver’s loss at Baltimore, pulled the Chargers within two games of the Broncos in the AFC West race. San Diego is trying to win its fourth straight division title.

"I think we’ve put two together that many expected us to win, as did we, but you’ve still got to go do it, and now this one here will be the toughest challenge we’ve had in three weeks," Rivers said.

On Monday, the Chargers released wide receiver Chris Chambers a day after he had a key catch against the Raiders. Coach Norv Turner said they waived Chambers because of the emergence of Malcom Floyd and the need to sign a linebacker due to a knee injury to Tim Dobbins on Sunday. Dobbins could be out for two weeks.

Chambers was demoted Sunday in favor of Floyd, yet still had a big catch in the win. Chambers was obtained at the trading deadline in 2007 from Miami for a second-round draft pick, and helped the Chargers reach the AFC championship game that season.

His production dropped off dramatically this season, with just nine catches for 122 yards and one touchdown.

-- Bernie Wilson

Ravens eager to get another winning streak going

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — For the first time in a month, the Baltimore Ravens had a win to savor. And the timing couldn’t have been any better.

After losing three straight and then fidgeting through a bye, the Ravens ripped apart the previously unbeaten Denver Broncos in a 30-7 victory Sunday. The players insisted it wasn’t a must-win situation, yet knew a defeat would have dropped them two games behind Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the AFC North.

"Pressure? No," wide receiver Derrick Mason said Monday. "But we understood that in order to keep ground with the two teams in front of us, we had to win this game."

The Ravens opened the season with three consecutive wins, then dropped three in a row by a combined 11 points before ambushing the Broncos. While it would seem that Baltimore (4-3) now has some momentum to bring into this Sunday’s rematch with the Bengals, coach John Harbaugh sacked that notion in the same fashion linebacker Jarret Johnson flattened Denver quarterback Kyle Orton on the opening play from scrimmage.

"Every game stands on its own. Every game is its own entity," Harbaugh said. "Whatever success or failure you have one week does not guarantee or ensure anything for the next week. Our guys are excited about the fact that they played well against a very effective offense, but we’re going to line up against a really effective offense on Sunday. That presents a challenge for us."

The goal against the Broncos was to erase the sinking feeling created by a winless October that included a 17-14 defeat at home against the Bengals. The Ravens didn’t alter their schedule during the bye week that preceded the Denver matchup, but Harbaugh acknowledged that the coaches and players might have worked overtime on their own to get things fixed.

The result made the effort worthwhile.

"We got off of that skid, now maybe we’ve got to get this thing to snowball," linebacker Terrell Suggs said.

"It definitely feels much better to get a win," said quarterback Joe Flacco, who completed 20 of 25 passes — including the final 14 — against the No. 1 defense in the NFL. "The last three weeks, even though we were close and we felt like we really played well, it’s tough when you have to go back on Monday and watch yourself lose."

The film session of the Denver game featured a wide list of feel-good moments, including a 95-yard kickoff return by rookie Lardarius Webb, an 84-yard rushing performance by Ray Rice and a redemptive effort by a defense that had come under fire for surrendering fourth-quarter leads in losses to Cincinnati and Minnesota.

Denver managed only 200 yards, went 3 for 13 on third-down tries and scored a season-low seven points.

It all started with Johnson’s sack of Orton.

"It’s good to hit the quarterback on the first play when they drop back to pass," Harbaugh said. "If they’re throwing the ball on the first play of the game, we sure want to hit him because it’s going to set the tone for the rest of the game."

The Ravens finally played defense under first-year coordinator Greg Mattison as they did when Rex Ryan was in charge of the unit.

"We talked all week about getting better in every area," Harbaugh said. "There were no new calls, there were no new inventions. It was all part of the package that Greg and his staff put together. But I thought they did a really good job of putting together a plan for Denver and going after it. And the guys executed it well."

Suggs said, "For all the heat coach (Mattison) has been getting, he put together a really good package for the Broncos. You got to give credit where credit is due. I think coach Mattison did a good job of putting all of us in the right places."

-- David Ginsburg

Bengals RBs feeling better after bye

CINCINNATI — Jeremi Johnson had his left leg perched on a wooden stool, a bag of ice draped across his sore knee. Bernard Scott walked around without bandage or brace — a good sign. Cedric Benson? Moving slowly, just like always.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ three banged-up running backs were back at it Monday, a little fresher after a four-day weekend. The bye gave them a chance to regroup for a two-game stretch that will go a long way in deciding the AFC North championship.

The Bengals are tied with Pittsburgh for first place at 5-2, with Baltimore a game back at 4-3. Cincinnati is 3-0 in the division, giving it an important tiebreaker edge.

Baltimore comes to town next Sunday, and the Bengals go to Pittsburgh a week later. If Cincinnati wins both games, it will be in control of the division with only one AFC North game left — against the lowly Browns.

For a franchise that has been to the playoffs only one time in the last 18 years, there’s a lot riding on the next two games.

"We’re in a good spot right now," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "Being 5-2 and tied for first in the division — it’s ours to lose, really. We just need to hang on for as long as we can and finish the season with a bunch of wins and see what happens as far as the playoff picture’s concerned.

"But that’s a little far down the road for us right now. It’s about Baltimore, and then it’s about Pittsburgh. I don’t even know who we play after that, honestly."

The focus during the bye week was to get their injured running backs and defensive linemen healed. The running back position was a particular concern — Benson was the only healthy one on the active roster during the fourth quarter of a 45-10 win over the Bears that sent them into the bye.

Benson had a career day against the Bears team that let him go, running for 189 yards and a touchdown. Johnson, a fullback, and Scott, a rookie backup, got hurt in the second half, forcing Benson to stay in the game and carry 37 times.

Despite having a week off, Benson still ranks second in the league with 164 carries. He’s fourth overall in yards with 720. He set his career highs with Cincinnati last season when he ran 214 times for 747 yards.

Benson went home to Texas and relaxed over the weekend. Asked if he felt better after a few days off, he said, "Naw, not at all. It’s good to have the rest mentally, but physically you probably would need more time than that."

Scott, a sixth-round draft pick from Abilene Christian, won the backup spot and was starting to get more playing time until he hurt his right knee against the Bears. Scott worked out Monday and said the knee felt much better — apparently, nothing more severe than a bruise.

He stayed in Cincinnati over the weekend and got treatment every day to eliminate the inflammation.

"That’s the main thing," Scott said. "I got a lot of treatment, and it felt real good today."

Johnson, a seventh-year fullback who has struggled with weight problems throughout his career, was expected to have an expanded role this season — more than blocking out of the backfield. He has two carries and three catches, and has been lined up in different spots.

The knee injury leaves him uncertain for now. He said it was better on Monday, but he was still limited in what he could do. He’s hoping to get back soon to his new role in an offense that has been redesigned to emphasize the running game.

"I was going to do a lot of different things, things I’ve never done," Johnson said. "It would be a chance to show my versatility. I’d block as a tight end, go in motion, do tight end things. I’ll be a true fullback. I’m enjoying it."

Running back Brian Leonard was inactive for the last two games after hurting his groin, but has recovered and is expected to be ready to play against the Ravens.

-- Joe Kay

Mangini pushing forward with Browns

BEREA, Ohio — The owner is sick about the state of his sorry NFL team. The fans are in an uproar. The starting quarterback is historically inefficient and may be about to lose his job. The star running back may retire with one year left on his contract.

The Cleveland Browns are beyond bad. Their coach doesn’t believe it will last.

Eric Mangini believes his plan for turning around the brutal Browns will work despite a horrid first half of the season. On Monday, Mangini said he spoke by phone with Randy Lerner and has the owner’s support despite Cleveland’s 1-7 start to a season growing worse.

"I never got a feeling otherwise in all my conversations with Randy," Mangini said.

The bye week arrived just in time for the Browns, who were thumped 30-6 on Sunday in Chicago, Cleveland’s latest lopsided loss. After the game, an upset and frustrated Lerner told reporters he was "sick about" the team’s slide but that he would not fire Mangini.

Mangini, too, is dismayed by the losing but remains confident the Browns will improve.

"This is a process," Mangini said. "We talked about that quite a bit, and that doesn’t change. There’s things that go along with that and that doesn’t mean we’re not looking to win every game, it doesn’t mean we’re not looking to improve each week. On the contrary, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

"Randy and I share the same vision and that’s something that we talked about and what we do talk about quite a bit is what’s the best way to achieve that. I’ve always had good conversations with him and always will."

Mangini said he shared Lerner’s distaste for the Browns’ putrid performance so far.

"But I also believe in the things that we’re doing and I understand it doesn’t happen overnight," he said. "There’s not one formula in terms of specific ingredients, but there is a very specific approach that you have to take and I believe in that. It has been successful. It will be successful here."

Mangini and his coaching staff will spend the next week — the Browns don’t play again until Nov. 16 — evaluating and analyzing every aspect of the team. Despite Cleveland’s offense being ranked 31st overall and scoring just five touchdowns, Mangini has no plans to change offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s duties.

However, he may rely more on quarterbacks coach Carl Smith, a former offensive coordinator with New Orleans and Jacksonville.

Mangini’s also holding off on making a decision at quarterback. Derek Anderson posted a 10.5 rating in Sunday’s debacle before he was yanked in the final minutes for Brady Quinn, who began the season as Cleveland’s starter but was benched after just 10 quarters.

Mangini lamented Cleveland’s five turnovers, including two fumbles — one by rookie wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, the other by tight end Steve Heiden — following completions by Anderson that sabotaged potential scoring chances. Mangini felt the Browns were moving the ball and Anderson can’t be judged solely on his atrocious statistics.

"You never just want to look at the numbers, you want to always look at it in the context of the game," Mangini said.

Anderson’s numbers are impossible to ignore.

According to STATS LLC, his 36.2 QB rating is the lowest of any player through eight weeks since Oakland’s Marc Wilson in 1981. Also, Anderson’s 320 yards passing in the past four games are the fewest by any quarterback with a minimum of 80 attempts since Chicago’s Vince Evans in ‘81.

Lerner expressed a desire to bring in a reputable football adviser, "a person that can provide leadership and clarity regarding decisions and direction."

Mangini said he would be open to such a hire.

"If you can add quality people that can help you get better, then you do that," Mangini said. "You’re always searching for those opportunities."

Mangini’s job security was not a topic in Cleveland’s locker room, which was mostly vacant Monday.

Linebacker David Bowens, who played for Mangini in New York, feels the coach’s system may not take hold until the team starts winning.

"Part of the problem is we have a lot of guys on this team that have been used to losing, been used to being on teams that have won a lot of games and don’t understand the process," Bowens said. "I think just selling out and buying in. I firmly believe in just hard work and execution. The coaches can coach their tails off, they can get two hours sleep a week, but they’re not playing the game.

"A lot of mistakes are made by us as players. Once we assess that and just buy in, commit ourselves to each other, I think things will change."

-- Tom Withers

Rex Ryan, Jets ‘sick’ over 4-4 start

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Rex Ryan is giving his players six days off, and he’s pushing his assistant coaches out of the New York Jets’ facility by Thursday.

He wants his entire team to use the bye week to get away from football and put what went from a promising start to a disappointing downhill spiral behind them.

"We’re definitely sick about it," Ryan said Monday.

The rookie head coach insists his confidence has not wavered at 4-4, but thinks the Jets should have been at least 6-2 at this point. After all, they started 3-0 and the defense is ranked second in the league and the running game is No. 1.

"We haven’t put a complete game together," right tackle Damien Woody said. "That’s one thing we need to do moving forward with the season."

The closest the Jets have come was last weekend, when they routed Oakland 38-0. But that victory seems like a distant memory after a 30-25 loss to Miami on Sunday.

"We lost a couple of these games, just nail biters," quarterback Mark Sanchez said. "We just need to figure out a way to start winning these games instead of losing them. We need to show up in all three phases to do that."

The Jets’ special teams unit, solid all year, allowed Ted Ginn Jr. to return two kickoffs for touchdowns — one for 100 yards and another for 101. Special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said it was "the absolute worst" performance by any of his units in his 27 NFL seasons.

"It’s just a bitter taste," Westhoff said. "It’ll go away ... when they’re lowering me in the grave."

Yep, the Jets took this one particularly hard, especially after dominating the Dolphins in every statistical category. They outgained Miami 378-104 and had 23 first downs compared to the Dolphins’ 10.

"We’re sick (about) the fact we’re 4-4 when we’ve played better than that statistically," Ryan said. "Again, you don’t win through statistics. You win on the field and you’ve got to play for 60 minutes and find ways to win. Right now, seems like we’re snakebit a bit."

It certainly seemed that way Sunday, when Ginn had his two long returns and Jason Taylor returned a fumble by Shonn Greene for a touchdown. The Jets have allowed six touchdowns without their defense on the field.

"It makes it tough because we know that we’ve beaten ourselves a lot," safety Kerry Rhodes said.

Ryan was particularly angry about some of presnap penalties, including two on tight end Ben Hartsock. One was a false start on a 2-point conversion that forced the Jets into kicking an extra point. The other was an illegal shift in the fourth quarter that negated a successful conversion and kept it a five-point game instead of a three-point deficit for the Jets.

"We’ve got to better," Ryan said. "If that’s benching somebody, that’s maybe what we have to do."

Linebacker Bart Scott was asked what can be done to correct things.

"Let me look into my crystal ball," Scott said with his usual sarcasm. "If I knew that, I would’ve won the lottery by now and retired."

Ryan has taken blame for what has transpired, saying there’s room for improvement everywhere, including his coaching. He has also taken some criticism for being too cocky and having an oversized ego. Former Colts coach Tony Dungy was critical of Ryan and Scott for not giving the Dolphins enough credit in their postgame comments.

On NBC’s NFL show, Dungy said: "My mother used to say, ‘When you win, say very little. When you lose, say less."’

"I was brought up differently," Ryan said defiantly. "I respect everybody, but I fear nobody. My thing is we’re not going to get anywhere by tiptoeing. That’s how I feel about it. People can take offense to it. That’s fine and dandy. I’m not going to change who I am and how I coach because Tony Dungy said something. I respect him, he’s a great man and a great coach, but I’m going to be who I am. I’ve said that from Day 1 because I know I’ll be successful that way."

For now, the Jets will go back home to their families and take their long break, which Ryan planned months ago.

"Being able to get away from football and just get a lot of stuff out of the system is going to be good for us, especially with the situation we’re in right now," wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "We can refresh our minds and come back ready to roll" against Jacksonville.

NOTES: Rhodes said he was throwing balls into the stands at fans wearing his jersey Sunday, as he always does before games, when he and several Dolphins players got into a shoving match. "I guess they took a little exception to it," he said. "It wasn’t meant to mess with them in the beginning, but as the situation evolved, it escalated a little bit."

-- Dennis Waszak Jr.

Despite win, Dolphins offense needs jump start

DAVIE, Fla. — With one kickoff return, Ted Ginn Jr. nearly matched the Miami Dolphins’ offensive yardage total for the entire day.

Good for Ginn. Bad for the offense.

In a 30-25 victory Sunday over the New York Jets, the Dolphins netted only 104 yards rushing and passing, the third-lowest total in franchise history and the worst since 1999.

Ginn totaled about as much in a 14-second span, returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Then he returned the Jets’ next kickoff 101 yards for another score.

"He has that kind of strike ability," coach Tony Sparano said Monday.

Ginn provided the kind of big-play impact that has been missing from the Dolphins’ offense.

The deficiency is easy to overlook, because Miami has scored at least 30 points in the past four games, matching the franchise’s longest such streak. The Dan Marino-led Dolphins never scored at such a pace.

But the offense generated only 10 points against the Jets and has slipped to 23rd in the NFL in yards. Miami ranks last at 9.6 yards per completion. Only five teams are giving up sacks at a faster rate, and the five wide receivers on the roster have combined to score two touchdowns.

The Dolphins (3-4) know they’ll need more punch to stay in the AFC East race. Kickoff returns won’t be enough Sunday at division leader New England (5-2).

"We’ve got to find some more chunk yardage," Sparano said. "We’ve got to find ways to advance the ball down the field a little bit more."

It may not come from the speedy Ginn, who lost his job as a starting receiver last week and has five catches in the past five games — none Sunday. His replacement in the lineup, rookie Brian Hartline, was also shut out by the Jets.

Passing has been a problem for the Dolphins all season. They lost quarterback Chad Pennington to a season-ending shoulder injury in the third game, and while second-year pro Chad Henne is 3-1 as a starter, Miami has netted more than 200 yards through the air only once all season.

The offense has relied heavily on running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, but opponents have lately stymied the Dolphins with eight-man fronts, daring them to throw.

That tactic worked against the Jets. The Dolphins were only 4 for 15 on third- and fourth-down conversions, and six times they went three-and-out.

"We just need to get better overall against an eight-man front," Henne said. "I don’t think overall we executed — the running game or the passing game. We weren’t converting on third down. We got ourselves with third-and-longs that we didn’t want to get ourselves into."

Third-and-longs came about in part because the Jets sacked Henne six times for 60 yards in losses. Henne has been sacked 14 times since taking over in Week 3, and Sparano said his young quarterback needs to learn to throw the ball away.

"Sometimes you try to keep the play alive just a split second too long," Sparano said. "Sometimes throwing it into the 13th row is a good play."

While wideouts totaled only five catches for 33 yards, Sparano estimated they were open downfield about five times when Henne was unable to get the ball to them. Twice he was sacked on sprintouts, and once he overthrew Hartline when the rookie was a step behind the secondary.

Ginn played only 16 snaps but worked himself open deep too, Sparano said.

"He ran by those people two times, and we just couldn’t get him the ball," the coach said.

The much-maligned Ginn answered his critics with the kickoff returns, but it’s unclear how much of a role he’ll have in the offense in the weeks to come. The Dolphins projected him as a No. 1 receiver when they took him in the first round of the 2007 draft, but he has yet to fill that role.

He may instead become a situational receiver — which would leave Miami still looking for a go-to guy for Henne.

"You have to understand what the player can do well, and let him only do what he can do well," Sparano said.

The sputtering offense goes beyond the receivers and Henne. Perhaps the biggest problem against the Jets was in the line, where there were plenty of blocking breakdowns in both the passing and running game.

"We were trying some different things protection-wise, and we couldn’t hold up against their defense," guard Justin Smiley said. "They did an awesome job of bringing it to us. They game-planned us on third down and brought the heat. They harassed Chad Henne, and we have to do a better job this week."

-- Steven Wine

Bills get 2 weeks to address anemic offense

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t sure whether he’ll remain the Bills starter once Buffalo comes off its two-week break.

A bigger concern for the backup is for the Bills to use the bye week to start fixing their anemic offense.

"We’re glad that there’s a bye week, because we’ve got a lot of stuff to figure out," Fitzpatrick said Monday, a day after the Bills stumbled through a 31-10 loss to Houston. "It was a tough one to sleep on."

The sputtering output has been a seasonlong nightmare for the Bills no matter who’s started: Fitzpatrick or Trent Edwards, who missed the past two starts after a concussion in a 16-13 overtime win against the New York Jets.

Edwards has been cleared to practice this week, but coach Dick Jauron has yet to indicate who’ll start when Buffalo (3-5) plays at Tennessee on Nov. 15.

What’s evident is that if the Bills intend to make a second-half push to climb back into playoff contention, the team must improve an offense that ranks among the NFL’s worst.

Against Houston the Bills generated 204 yards of offense, the fourth time they’ve been limited to under 250 this season. For the second straight game, Buffalo managed just nine first downs. On their first four series of the second half, the Bills failed to register a first down and wound up losing the time-of-possession battle by a little over 18 minutes.

"It’s not just one thing," Jauron said, when asked to pinpoint what’s gone wrong. "It’s always something. And we’ve got to stop doing the somethings and make the plays."

Buffalo’s offense has scored nine touchdowns this season, not including punter Brian Moorman’s pass to Ryan Denney on a fake field goal in a 27-7 loss to New Orleans in Week 3.

The passing attack has been mostly grounded, despite the presence of Terrell Owens, who ranks 51st in the NFL with 281 yards receiving, with one touchdown receiving and another rushing. Lee Evans has 331 yards and three scores. And forget the running attack, which hasn’t broken 100 yards five times this year.

"I couldn’t tell you exactly what it is," running back Fred Jackson said. "As a unit, we’re just not functioning the way we need to be."

An inexperienced and injury-depleted offensive line is taking much of the blame. The Bills opened the season with three of five linemen who hadn’t previously appeared in an NFL game. That number increased to four the past two weeks after rookie Jamon Meredith started at right tackle in place of injured Jonathan Scott.

The Bills’ no-huddle attack also proved ineffective and was scrapped two weeks ago. And the Bills opened the season with a rookie coordinator, Alex Van Pelt, after Turk Schonert was abruptly fired in September.

"Offensively, we’re not getting it done," Owens said.

The offensive troubles also have affected Buffalo’s defense, an injury-depleted unit that’s wearing down. That was evident against the Texans, who scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. A similar breakdown happened in the loss to New Orleans, when the Saints scored 17 points in the final 10 minutes.

-- John Wawrow