11/18 – The Jets might line up against the Patriots Sunday in Foxboro, Mass., without their quarterback — their defensive QB, that is. Safety Jim Leonhard suffered a broken right thumb against the Jaguars on Sunday, had surgery on Monday, and had a large black cast covering his hand today. “I think he’s got three screws in there,” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. “If they can tighten ‘em up for gametime, we’ll see. But he’s a tough kid, I’m telling you. An average guy, no way he plays. But Jim Leonhard’s not an average guy.” The 5’8”, 186-pound Leonhard is third on the defense with 58 tackles and he also has 1.5 sacks and one interception this season. If he can’t go, the Green & White will likely turn to fourth-year pro Eric Smith. Playing predominantly in the “Spartan” package when the Jets go to six DBs, Smith has totaled 16 tackles, one interception and four PDs. “You know Smitty’s going to come in there and do his job,” said S Kerry Rhodes. “He’s a smart guy and a heady guy, a guy who’s played well for us. We’re confident in him. He’s played with me before, so I know he’ll get the job done.” Leonhard, who lined up in Ryan’ s defensive system last year in Baltimore, has been impressed with Smith’s knowledge of the D. “He’s been very comfortable from day one,” Leonhard said. “You can tell he gets it, he understands football and he understands what we’re trying to do. I think sometimes in the situation he is in, he’s been able to sit back, watch and pick up a lot of the core things we’re doing in case he plays. He is a guy who doesn’t have to make a mistake to learn.” If Leonhard is forced out of action, LB David Harris will don the green dot on his helmet and receive the play calls. Ryan also indicated that S James Ihedigbo, a physical 6’1”, 210-pounder in his third season with the Jets, could be used more. But Smith figures to get the bulk of the snaps if Leonhard can’t find a way to go. “I feel really comfortable with it [the defense],” Smitty said. “I pretty much know all the checks, the different looks we’re going to give, things that I need to get communicated to the corners and the linebackers.” After limiting the Patriots to just three field goals in their first meeting, the Jets have observed that the prolific Pats are attacking teams differently. “They’re trying to run the ball more a little bit more and they’re running a lot more personnel groups,” Leonhard said of the NFL’s second-ranked offense. “We mainly saw three wide receivers and one tight end the first time. They’ve gone away from that — they’re switching their personnel groups and giving you different looks.” “They’ve incorporated [Randy]Moss more, trying to get him the ball more on every down, not just on certain downs,” added Rhodes of the star wideout coming off his nine-catch, 179-yard, two-TD effort against the Colts. “They’re trying to get the ball deep.” Fortunately, New York’s AFC representative has Darrelle Revis to stick on Moss. Revis held Moss to just four catches in their Week 2 meeting and the league’s top cornerback also hauled in an interception during the victory. “Sometimes that situation will dictate where he's going to be 1-on-1," Smith said, "and with somebody like Revis out there, you have a lot of confidence that he’s going to be able to cover him or make the quarterback go somewhere else with the ball." The Patriots should be a much more difficult team to defend this time around as the Jets are without NT Kris Jenkins and they’ll also see dangerous WR Wes Welker, who missed their first matchup but leads the Pats with 64 receptions. Leonhard hopes that he’ll have the opportunity to face Tom Brady once more as they look to complete a season sweep and move to within one game of the AFC East leaders. “When I get a chance to go out there and find out just what I can and cannot do with this hand, then we’ll go from there,” Leonhard said. “It’s a tough decision, obviously. You want to put our team in the best position to win and I feel like that’s with me out there. But if it’s something I can’t do, I have to realize that. We’ll see.”

Smith's Ready if Leonhard Can't Lend a Hand

11/20 – Dustin Keller is ready to rock and roll again at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. "I love it. It's definitely a hostile environment," said Keller, the second-year tight end who had one of his career games at the Patriots' home about 53 weeks ago. "It's a huge game when the Jets and Patriots get together. We know the crowd's going to be real loud at the end of the game, so it's going to be a challenging atmosphere." You get the impression Keller would be at home as a pro wrestling villain or the cowboy in the black hat. Indeed, he was one of the reasons the Jets were able to come away from the stadium in the Massachusetts woods with their 34-31 overtime win in the 10th game of the 2008 season. He had eight receptions on Brett Favre passes that night, for 87 yards. Both totals are still the best of his NFL career in a road game. And of those eight grabs, seven went for first downs and five converted third downs — fine totals for any receiver and for a tight end, well, they're almost the best a man can get. "That was one of my first big games last year," he recalled. "I didn't know I was going to be as big a part of the game as I was. But you always have to be ready for that. I'm not sure how it's going to go this game but I'll be ready for it." It's not just that game that tells him he's in the Jets' downfield plans. This season, despite a slow period in Games 5-7, DK is in position to improve on last year's numbers. With 29 catches for 347 yards and two TDs, he's on pace to eclipse last year's line of 48-335-3. He had the go-ahead TD catch from Mark Sanchez in Game 2 against the Patriots at the Meadowlands, and he's made 14 catches the last two weeks in the losses to Miami and Jacksonville. "I think it's more that Mark and I are getting on the same page now. We're able to feel each other a lot better," Keller explained. "We knew it was going to take a little bit of time developing that chemistry. So hopefully from here on out it just gets even better." Rex Report Ryan's news conference today may have set a record for his shortest stint with reporters since he took the Jets' head-coaching job in January: six minutes. The hottest topic was Jim Leonhard practicing less than five full days after undergoing surgery on his thumb — much to the surprise of a reporter or two who was writing him off for Sunday. "Jim was limited in practice but he was out there today," said Ryan, who is listing his tough safety as questionable for the Pats. "He went through individual drills and we actually put him through some team things. We'll see how he feels in the training room and after. Like I said before, he's a tough kid, he really is." Asked if Leonhard will be honest with his coaches about how he feels Sunday morning, Ryan said yes. "He'll definitely want to be out there, there's no doubt about that," he said. "He also knows how important this game is. If he doesn't think he can be up to it, he knows what we need, he'll be honest. Again, I would not be shocked to see him out there." Leonhard was not in the locker room during media availability immediately after today's practice, but it's possible he'll talk with reporters later today, and we'll bring you an update if that happens. LB Vernon Gholston (hamstring) will sit out for a second game. DE Shaun Ellis, LB Bryan Thomas and WR Brad Smith are probable. Before Ryan signed off for the week, he explained the lack of probing Friday questions here and perhaps up in Foxboro, Mass., as well: "You know they're tired of talking about that fourth-and-2. And we're tired of talking about the last six games we've played. So let's get it on."

Keller Eager for His 2nd Go-Round at Gillette

11/20 – Linebacker Kenwin Cummings spent 1½ seasons on the Jets' practice squad before being signed to their active roster Monday. “I’m glad that they pulled me up,” said the 6'3", 250-pounder. “I’m looking forward to helping the team in any way they can use me. I’ll be glad to step in and fill that spot.” Whatever spot that is right now is uncertain, but Cummings didn’t spend any extra time pondering. Instead he put in extra work the first two practices this week before the pivotal game against the Patriots on Sunday. With the Green & White’s margin for error shrinking each week, their attention every day must be spent on outworking their opponent. “That’s how our focus has to be from here on out,” he said. “We’re pushing it. We don’t have time to step back and relax. We have to stay focused and just push forward every day from here on out.” That’s nothing new to the Pembroke, N.C., native, who’s been "a real physical presence” as a member of the scout team, according to head coach Rex Ryan. “The real good thing about being on the practice squad," Cummings said, "is you’re going against our No. 1 offense. You’re going against the best. You’re getting the best practice you can get, you’re getting the best look you can get. That helps so when you do get pulled up, you’ve been doing it every day, going against the No. 1 offense every day. It’s not going to be that big of a deal.” Cummings’ last game action was in the final preseason game against the Eagles when he grabbed seven tackles and a sack of speedy quarterback Michael Vick. A workhorse since training camp, No. 54 feels he’s continued to improve on several areas of his game. “I feel like overall I’ve gotten better, better on my feet. I’m able to move and cover guys better,” he said. “I feel a lot lighter on my feet. I like to bring it, so that helps some, too.” With all four starting linebackers on the squad quality players — Bart Scott, David Harris, Calvin Pace, and Bryan Thomas — Cummings has a great group to learn from. “We have some really good linebackers right now,” he said. “I’m trying to step in on special teams and make some plays there and go from there and see how it goes.” A young Scott excelled on special teams coming into the league with the Ravens in 2002. When it comes to teams on the Jets under coordinator Mike Westhoff, Cummings knows he has some competition in regards to playing on Sundays. Deciding who or who not to activate each Sunday is one of the most challenging tasks the coaches deal with week after week.  “Based on different teams you play, they may be a very good run team so you may need to have some bigger guys out there. That’s going to change how we play on special teams,” Cummings said. “Are we going to have more big guys or are we going to have more smaller guys?" Some want to count the Jets out of the playoff race after losing five of the last six. But Cummings, who’s “been in a situation like this before” as a member of a “borderline playoff team each year” while at Wingate University, knows the mindset in the Jets' locker room is what it needs to be for them to get out of their slump. “We just have faith in each other," he said. "We all believe in each other, believe in the team."

Cummings Brings Can-Win Attitude to Roster