Several key Jets veterans said yesterday that, despite a defensive meltdown in Monday night’s loss to the Dolphins, panic has not set in.
“It’s not in-case-of-emergency-break-glass time, but it’s definitely time to get a win,” linebacker Bart Scott said. “Hopefully we’ll be 4-2 [after beating Buffalo], which ain’t the worst thing in the world.”
Nose tackle Kris Jenkins said, “I don’t think there’s a depressed state here. I don’t think people are unraveling where they’re giving up hope and throwing in the towel.”
Scott agreed with coach Rex Ryan, who called Sunday a “must win,” that there is an urgency to this week.
“Damn straight,” Scott said. “We just had an opportunity to show the world what we were — the one time we had this year to show the world what type of team we are — and now they believe we’re something else.
“I wish we could play today. I can’t wait to hit somebody. I can’t wait to step out there and see somebody in another jersey, so I can take all this pain and all this embarrassment that I’m feeling and inflict it on somebody else.”
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CB Lito Sheppard, a former teammate of Terrell Owens with the Eagles, somewhat unwittingly tweaked the Bills about their use of Owens, who has 12 catches in five games.
“They’re just not focusing their offense with him, that’s where they’re messing up,” Sheppard said. “You’ve got to be creative and let him do what he does best — and that’s run after the catch. If you can’t be creative and learn how to get him the ball in open space, he’s not going to be effective for them.
“I still respect him as a player and know he can make plays, but he’s just in a tough situation right now.”
The Bills have scored just six offensive touchdown this season, and Owens only has one. There have been many rumors of the Bills trading away Owens.
“It’s out of his control as far as the stats, but he’s still more than able to play this game,” Sheppard said.
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WR Jerricho Cotchery (hamstring) was among four players who did not practice yesterday, and his status is shaping up similar to what it was last week — day-to-day monitoring to see whether he can play Sunday. Ryan said he didn’t expect Cotchery, who did not practice all last week but played hurt, to practice today.
“I’m concerned about it,” Ryan said. “We’ll see later in the week if he can go a little bit. We’ll see how he feels.”
The other players who didn’t practice yesterday were RT Damien Woody (foot), DE Shaun Ellis (bruised knee) and WR Brad Smith (quad).
CBs Sheppard (quad) and Donald Strickland (ankle), who have missed the past three games, practiced on a limited basis, but Sheppard said yesterday he would definitely start Sunday.