09/25 – In the middle of the New York City borough of Queens stands Benjamin Cardozo High School, a place where soccer has been the main attraction for local sports fans. But Monday was the dawn of a new day for the school. The Jets and executive vice president Matt Higgins, along with players Jerricho Cotchery and Rob Turner, presented a $12,500 check to Cardozo to start a football team and announced the creation of a $5,000 college scholarship for a Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) athlete. “Benjamin Cardozo High School is recognized for its academic achievements, its ability to serve all students, and with this donation we also hope to be known for our prowess on the gridiron,” said Cardozo principal Gerald Martori. “Our school is overjoyed to receive such a generous donation from the Jets to start our own football team.” The team also announced its annual donation of $100,000 to the PSAL's the Heads Up! helmet grant, and C.H.A.M.P.S. middle school flag football program. The grant was matched by the NFL’s Youth Football Fund and has helped to create nine new and developmental football teams and expand the C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Flag Football League to over 75 programs throughout the NYC public school system. “This is really big,” said PSAL executive director Donald Douglas. “It’s only fitting that Cardozo has a great facility open to all the kids on the street.” After the presentation, Cotchery and Turner worked with the excited and energetic kids on some football fundamentals — catching the ball and throwing a proper block — grabbing the attention of some locals passing by the school fences on the sidewalk. “I remember my first year playing football, I was just happy to be out on the field,” said J-Co. “Look at me now. I’m playing wide receiver. My first year playing football, I played right guard and defensive end. I had a blast out there playing football and I’m quite sure these guys are going to have a great time this year.” Having the Jets on hand was a big honor for the students of Cardozo. “I think just by them being here it proves to the kids that they think this is important,” said Santiago Taveras, the NYC Schools deputy chancellor for teaching and learning. “I think that they can also see that they are human beings, that they're actually able to talk to them, touch them, and play some football with them, so they know that they're regular guys. That is awesome. Those kids are going to remember that for the rest of their lives.” A few days before being presented with the check, the kids were invited by the Jets to watch the home-opening victory against the Patriots. The group is composed of all freshman, some who have never even seen a football game other than Madden. But when they heard there was an opportunity to play, the kids were overjoyed. “We have tremendous interest, almost 50 freshmen,” said head coach Joe Kaso, a former five-year quarterback at St. Johns. “As far as the experience level, they’ll gain it now. There are some kids with experience but nobody even knew we had a team this year. These kids just showed up not even knowing, and this is the result.” Also having a big hand in the creation of the Cardozo football program is PENCIL, which inspires innovative solutions to the challenges facing New York City public schools by building and supporting customized relationships between business leaders and principals. Higgins, a former Cardozo student, is a PENCIL board member and partner. “We are excited to partner with Cardozo on a number of levels,” said Higgins. “Not only are we helping to grow the athletic program with the creation of this football team, but the scholarship is awarded on both academic and athletic excellence, a balance that we stress in all of our youth efforts throughout the tristate area.” “It’s a great opportunity,” said Turner, the Jets offensive lineman. “It’s a chance for kids to do something they enjoy. Coming from where I came from in Texas, we had those opportunities. It was something that went without question. We had the land, we had fields, and we had the availability of it. Getting the chance to have the opportunity and contribute to it, I think that’s great.” Cardozo's all-freshman team will play scrimmages this year and a full junior varsity schedule next season. Then they will have the opportunity to play in a cup championship as a varsity team their senior year. “It’s going to be a great start for them,” said J-Co. “They’ll be able to look back in history and be the first team ever and set the standard here at this high school.”

Jets Help Kick Off Cardozo HS Football Program

11/19 – D’Brickashaw Ferguson reflected Tuesday on his team's start and the keys to being successful the rest of the year when talking to a full auditorium at Harrison High School, the prize-winning school of the four-year-old Eat Right, Move More program. “When the season isn’t going as well as you’d hope, this is when you really have to pull together as a team,” the Jets tackle told the Harrison students. “This is when you rely on the people right next to you because outside sources will look at you and say, ‘Well, you guys don’t have it,’ and try and take shots at you.” The fourth-year left tackle has faced a lot of doubters in his life so far. At 9 years old he had to have heart surgery and was unsure if he’d be able to play any sport let alone one of the most violent. He was embarrassed to be the only boy in his school who had to wear a chest protector while boxing in gym class. “Don’t pity me,” he would say, and he held onto his “goals” and “desires” deciding to play football because “it was one of the hardest things I could think of to do. I would tell people, ‘Don’t put limits on me. I’m bigger than that.’ ” His college offensive line coach at Virginia used to give him a hard time to the point where Brick thought he was being “attacked” and singled out. “The same things I dealt with in college, ridicule and all those things, I’ve dealt with tenfold in the league,” he replied. When he got to the Jets and the NFL, some questioned if he was a justifiable first-round pick and counted him out after every bad game. “A lot of times you think of a person that you can’t get away from. They make your life hard for whatever reason,” he told the students. “It’s usually in preparation for what you’re going to deal with in the future. "I carry that chip on my shoulder at every game for every play. One thing about football is there is no running away.” Despite losing five of the last six, the Jets’ season is far from over, and Brick and his teammates are not going to stop fighting. “This is an important part, where you have to really recognize that it starts here, it’s going to end here,” he said. “We’re going to do it together. When things get rough, it’s not that it's over, it’s just that you have to pull in a little bit tighter and really get it going.” Brick was asked why the Jets lose games they should win. “At the end of the day, it’s all about execution," he said. "You can be prepared, you can have the game plan ready, but if you don’t execute in all three phases of the game, you’re going to lose. It’s a real thing. It’s the National Football League. You can’t look at any one team and say, ‘Well, look at their record, we're going to beat them,’ because every Sunday the team that executes the best will be successful.” Former Jets QB Ray Lucas, a Harrison alumnus who also spoke Tuesday, said the 6’6", 310-pound Ferguson is in great shape because "he takes care of his body, he takes his profession very seriously.” The Jets presented the school with a $5,000 check, which it plans to use to purchase a refrigerated salad bar stocked with local produce to encourage the students to eat better. The students were not too excited at first about upgrading to more healthy food choices. But after hearing him speak, they seemed willing to give Brick's advice — “It’s more than just fruits and vegetables. It’s more of a mindset" — a try. Members of the football team were honored to sit in the front two rows to be up close to Brick and will use his words to help motivate them to finish the season, regardless of their 2-7 record. “How he never gave up and at a point he wanted to quit but he just kept going and he ended up where he wanted to be,” said Harrison WR Ricky Touzet. “I don’t eat too good, but after hearing this, it makes me want to eat better to get bigger and stronger and faster.” Standing in front of an auditorium of seniors, juniors and select sophomores, Brick shared some healthful eating tips for the youngsters as they go out and accomplish their goals. Nick Landry, the Blue Tide’s head coach, was happy to hear the message come from someone else. “Despite our record, you learn other things in life. You learn how to persevere, you make friendships, you build relationships,” Landry said. “In your life you learn how to overcome adversity by what happens on the football field.” “No matter what area you come from, I don’t care if you’re an athlete, I don’t care if you’re just content with doing your studies,” said Brick. “It’s all going to start with eating right and moving more.”

Brick Delivers a Few Messages to Harrison HS

10/09 – Football requires a unique amount of passion from its participants who put in all the hard work to achieve success. Similarly, so does teaching. Several members of the New York Jets got a glimpse into the lives of some special teachers and staff members Tuesday while taking part in the NFL’s annual Hometown Huddle, a league-wide day of service with numerous United Way chapters across the nation. “When we go out every Sunday and try and have a great game and we're trying to win the Super Bowl, every day these people are winning the Super Bowl,” said quarterback Mark Sanchez. “It’s been a joy to be here today.” The Jets participated in their Hometown Huddle at P.G. Chambers School in the New Jersey town of Cedar Knolls, located 10 minutes from the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park. Dave Szott, a former Jets guard, twice winner of the Ed Block Courage Award in his 14 NFL seasons and now Jets director of player development, knows the school well. His son used to go there. Szott, the team chaplain for two seasons, currently oversees a number of NFL-mandated programs for the Jets. “It starts at the top with our ownership and Mr. [Woody] Johnson's feeling about community first,” said Szott. “That’s something actually he learned from the culture of J & J [Johnson & Johnson] that his grandfather started. It’s very, very important to be involved in the community.” Matt Higgins, the Jets' executive vice president of business operations, began Tuesday's event with an introduction during which a $50,000 check was presented to the school for the "Huddle" project, which includes the donation of a state-of-the-art treadmill and the installations of a multisport court and new fitness equipment in the play area. “Play 60 is the NFL’s commitment and campaign to ensure that every individual in the country spends 60 minutes a day being physically active,” said Higgins. “None of us have the same abilities. We all face certain challenges. We all want to be active, we all want to run, we all want to play.” One child named Alex was excited just to be out of his wheelchair and walk around in his walker. He was very humorous on this day. “I’m going to try and get some autographs,” Alex said to one reporter. “If I don’t get any, that’s OK. ... Hey, I might get one for you.” “In our class we have nine children. Six are in wheelchairs. Some kids get two-to-one aides,” said teacher’s assistant Elisabete Barreto. “But they’re funny. They will joke around about everything. I mean everything.” Finding joy in tough times is something the players can relate to, since they do the same when faced with an injury or a tough loss. But these children's difficult circumstances limit their physical activity every day. That’s why the equipment was installed: to help these children with special needs that are typically less active and less fit. And the players love it, spending their day off with a bunch of underprivileged children on a beautiful, sunny day. They encouraged them to be fit while helping them to use the newly installed equipment. “These kids out here, they’re overcoming, and with all the stuff that they have, they’re still out here having fun. You just have to enjoy life,” said LB Jamaal Westerman. "Just to see the smiles on their faces, they’re having a good time out here being fit.” One of the kids, Henry, whom the school's teachers and staff members call the “spokesman” for the kids because of his willingness to get on the mic, expressed his happiness, on behalf of the group, of course. “I think the students will appreciate playing with the Jets," Henry said. "And after they play with us, then they’re going to do the team cheer.” “J-E-T-S” Henry said, and all the children joined in unison. “It’s great for them to be able to do something they don’t get to do all that much,” said RB Shonn Greene. “You can see the excitement, them jumping around and moving around a lot. They‘re ready to do stuff even before we are.” Hollister Construction Services set up the new equipment and donated the demolition and removal of the old equipment, coordinated and managed by United Way of Morris County. But the final touches were done by the Jets players — Sanchez, Greene, Westerman, Keith Fitzhugh, Matt Kroul, Ryan McKee and Matt Slauson — leaving their mark on P.G. Chambers when they put down the multisport court. “It was a sandpit before,” said Sanchez. “They had a concrete surface over there and we put down a safe plastic surface with a big Jets logo on it. These kids will be Jets fans and they’ll be safer, so it’s great.” Edee Levey, the school's principal and assistant director, has seen a lot of changes to the school in the 23 years she’s been there. “Back then, we were a staff of 35. Now we're about 120. So it’s grown,” said Levey. “Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech — we have an average of 13 or 14 therapists in the department. We’re a big, happy group.”

Jets 'Huddle,' Bring Joy to Chambers School