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Jets squander lead with lack of discipline

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FLORHAM PARK, N.Y. — New York Jets coach Rex Ryan struck a pair of familiar tones — optimism and defiance — as he stepped to the podium Monday afternoon for his usual day-after press conference.

“We finally get to put this game behind us,” Ryan said. “Right after this press conference, or whatever. Then it will finally be behind us.”

Ryan better hope so.

The Jets endured one of the most “same ol’ Jets” losses in franchise history Sunday, when they blew an 18-point lead in a 31-24 defeat to the Green Bay Packers.

Simply squandering such a big lead against one of the NFL’s perennial powers would be bad enough. However, there were several additional layers of misery on Sunday for the Jets, who were on the verge of going up 28-9 when quarterback Geno Smith was picked off inside the Green Bay 5-yard line with 1:52 left in the first half.

The Packers marched 97 yards for a touchdown that narrowed the gap to 21-16 and seized from the Jets whatever momentum they had left from their fast start.

Green Bay took the lead for good on a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to wide receiver Randall Cobb with 5:45 left in the third quarter.

The Jets melted down during the subsequent two-point conversion, when defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and Wilkerson was ejected following a fracas that reportedly began when a Packers player grabbed Jets safety Dawan Landry by the throat.

Untimely interceptions and ejections were just the warm-up act for the fourth quarter, when the game-tying, 36-yard touchdown pass from Smith to wide receiver Jeremy Kerley was nullified when Richardson called timeout from the sideline just before the snap. Only a head coach may call for time from the sideline, and defensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was trying to get Ryan’s attention to signal the refs.

Mornhinweg took responsibility for the miscommunication Monday.

“I think I’ve seen some teams that when you have a game like this, it can turn your season on a positive note,” Ryan said. “That is certainly the way I hope we respond to this game.”

Ryan will have his hands full not only regrouping the Jets after such an agonizing near-miss but also getting them to play more disciplined football. The Jets committed a total of 18 penalties in their first two games.

Then, of course, there is the issue of the tattered secondary, which was exposed by wide receiver Jordy Nelson to the tune of 209 yards. Up next: The Bears and their 1-2 wide receiver punch of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.

“We have to figure out why it is not getting done to the way we expected it to, especially when your players are as committed the way ours are,” Ryan said. “If you’re worth a darn as a coach, you look at yourself first. And that is certainly what we’re doing.”

NOTES, QUOTES

–“Timeoutgate” may have reached a conclusion Monday, when offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg took the blame for the timeout that wasn’t that cost the Jets the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 31-24 loss to the Packers.

“I want to make it crystal clear everything that goes on offensively is my responsibility, period,” Mornhinweg said.

Mornhinweg wanted to use the Jets’ final timeout because he didn’t like the alignment the Jets had on a fourth-and-4 from the Packers’ 36-yard-line. Mornhinweg was barking at head coach Rex Ryan to call a timeout, but Ryan had his headset tuned to the defensive channel. Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson heard Mornhinweg yelling and asked the nearest official for the timeout.

“Sheldon needs to take no accountability for that,” Mornhinweg said Monday. “He was only trying to help.”

Making things doubly rueful for Mornhinweg and the Jets is that quarterback Geno Smith noticed the misalignment — running back Bilal Powell was on Smith’s left instead of his right — and calmly motioned for Powell to switch. Smith then threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremy Kerley that was overturned.

“I’ve got to do a better job of communicating and trusting ‘Big Geno,'” Mornhinweg said. “I’ve got to trust Geno to get everything fixed before the 40-second clock. That’s the scenario.”

–In sticking up for a teammate Sunday afternoon, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson cost the Jets the services of their best player.

Wilkerson was ejected with 5:45 left in the third quarter Sunday after he took a swing at a Packers player during a free-for-all following a successful two-point conversion by Green Bay.

“I lost my cool and I let my emotions get the best of me,” Wilkerson said. “I can’t do that. I let my teammates down. I apologized to everybody in the locker room. My actions, I can’t do that. I’m a leader on this team. That’s just not the way I’m supposed to act.”

Wilkerson and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson were jumping to the defense of safety Dawan Landry, who had his throat grabbed by a Packers player. Richardson was also flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct but was not ejected.

“Mo threw a punch, you can’t do that, but you have to protect your own players,” Richardson said. “I know Mo. We don’t go for that at all. You put your hands on our teammates, we’ll most definitely put our hands on you. I know he feels bad about it.

“He means well. We let them down. It can’t happen.”

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

PLAYER NOTES

–WR Eric Decker (right hamstring) left in the third quarter of the Jets’ 31-24 loss to the Packers. Decker also battled a right hamstring injury during the preseason, when he played in just two of the Jets’ four exhibition games. Coach Rex Ryan said he hoped Decker would be able to play next Monday against the Bears. Decker had four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown Sunday.

–CB Ellis Lankster was signed by the Jets on Friday and played in Sunday’s 31-24 loss to the Packers. Lankster was among the Jets’ final cuts, but his return was no surprise given his experience with the Jets, whom he has played for since 2011, and the versatility he offers on defense and special teams. He had three tackles Sunday.

–CB Leon McFadden, released by the Jets on Friday, was signed to the 49ers’ practice squad Monday. McFadden was claimed off waivers by the Jets on Aug. 31 but was inactive for the season opener against the Raiders on Sept. 7. He was a second-round pick of the Browns in the 2013 draft.

REPORT CARD VS. RAIDERS

PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus — The biggest gaffes of the day weren’t the fault of QB Geno Smith (16-for-32, 176 yards, one touchdown, one interception). G Brian Winters missed a block to begin the chain of events that resulted in the game-turning interception late in the second quarter. Smith was hit while he threw, and TE Zach Sudfeld had a chance to deflect the ball away from CB Tramon Williams but failed to do so. The Packers, down 21-9 at the time, took over at their own 3-yard line and needed just 10 plays and 1:47 to score a touchdown and steal the momentum. In the fourth quarter, Smith’s perfect, game-tying, 36-yard touchdown pass to WR Jeremy Kerley was nullified because offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg — and not Rex Ryan — tried calling timeout just before the snap. Still, Smith must bear some of the blame for the Jets’ offense stalling out after opening the game with three consecutive touchdown drives. Smith was 8-for-10 for 89 yards and a touchdown on those drives and 8-for-22 for 87 yards the rest of the way. He also overthrew WR Eric Decker on a potential touchdown pass. Smith’s 16 completions went to nine receivers.

RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus — The Jets actually had three more carries against the Packers (37) than they did against the Raiders a week earlier, yet only rushed for 109 yards, 103 yards fewer than they collected in the season opener. RB Chris Ivory (13 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown) looked solid, and Smith (seven carries for 26 yards) was once again a weapon with his legs, but RB Chris Johnson (12 carries for 21 yards) looked as bad as he did the last couple seasons in Tennessee. It might already be time to ponder giving the younger, more ferocious and arguably more explosive Ivory a larger share of the running back by committee. RBs Bilal Powell and Tommy Bohanon combined for five carries.

PASS DEFENSE: F — The bend-but-don’t-break approach officially snapped late in the third quarter, when a clearly hobbled CB Dee Milliner was deked out of his cleats by Jordy Nelson on the wide receiver’s 80-yard touchdown catch that put the Packers up 31-21. It was a matter of when, not if, the Jets would be badly beaten deep. Even before the long touchdown pass to Nelson, the all-world Aaron Rodgers (25-for-42, 346 yards, three touchdowns) was in the midst of feasting on an overwhelmed and undermanned secondary. Nelson finished with a whopping 209 yards on nine catches. Hey, it could have been worse: He was targeted 16 times. Milliner deserves credit for gutting it out, but he wasn’t ready to play 40 snaps a month removed from sustaining a high ankle sprain. Converted safety Antonio Allen led Jets cornerbacks in snaps, which says it all. Things won’t get any better anytime soon for the Jets, who have the Bears, Lions, Chargers, Broncos and Patriots next up on the docket. Gulp.

RUSH DEFENSE: B — Statistically, the Packers actually fared decently by rushing 22 times for 80 yards. However, RB Eddie Lacy (13 carries for 43 yards) was a non-factor, and Green Bay’s longest rush of the day was an 11-yard scramble by Rodgers. Still, the piecemeal state of the Jets’ secondary may render their dominant rush defense irrelevant before long.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B — PK Nick Folk nailed a 52-yard field goal and sent three of his five kickoffs into the end zone. WR Greg Salas recovered an onside kick to momentarily stall the Packers’ momentum late in the first half. Jalen Saunders gained 11 yards on three punt returns and fumbled once, though he recovered it. Saalim Hakim took back two kickoffs for 29 yards. P Ryan Quigley likely continued to cement his grip on the job by averaging 46.6 yards on five kicks.

COACHING: F — What else can you say? The Jets’ undisciplined, penalty-ridden ways reflect poorly on head coach Rex Ryan. The Jets racked up another seven penalties for 82 yards on Sunday, and they have committed 18 penalties for 187 yards in two games. The most costly penalty of the season — so far, anyway — was committed by DE Muhammad Wilkerson, who was ejected for his role in the fracas that broke out following a two-point conversion by the Packers in the third quarter. Wilkerson and the Jets can say all they want about sticking up for each other, but they won’t win games with him in the locker room. Worse than the Jets’ lack of discipline was the apparent lack of communication on the sideline that led to DT Sheldon Richardson calling a timeout for offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, which negated a game-tying touchdown pass. On Monday, Mornhinweg acknowledged it was his fault and said he needs to trust Smith more. He can begin doing that by cutting out the gimmicky Wildcat plays involving QB Michael Vick. At least he only dialed up one of those plays against the Packers.

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