FanHouse MikeNugent

Remember when Joey Porter's pregame shtick used to be funny? Or at the very least, not embarrassing? (No? Wait, everybody outside Pittsburgh hated that guy? Weird.) He almost made Kellen Winslow cry two years ago, and during his Steelers career, he'd routinely stand at midfield, identify his "huckleberry", and then spend the next 60 minutes flapping his gums. Good times.

But since landing in Miami last season, Porter's been marginalized (which is what happens when you play for a team that wins one whopping game), both on the field and in terms of bluster. That doesn't mean he's not still working the pre-kickoff Jedi Mind Tricks, just that they're, inconceivably, more annoying than ever. In fact, former linebackers-turned-Jets assistant coach Brian Cox almost put a midfield whuppin'* on Porter yesterday.

It was not specifically clear what led to the argument, and Porter declined to talk about it after the game. But Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis said, according to what he heard from teammates and what he saw on a TV replay in the Jets' locker room, Porter intentionally disrupted kicker Mike Nugent during warmups.

''I think Nugent was trying to kick a field goal, and [Porter] went and kicked the ball or knocked it away,'' Ellis said. ``You know how Joey is, trying to tease everybody.''

Wow, it's come to that; Porter's been relegated to harassing kickers. Who knows, maybe he's onto something; although actually winning the game would be nice. Baby steps, I guess.

* slight exaggeration

With the a Jets drive stalling in the redzone, kicker Mike Nugent came on and missed a short field goal.

That was the least of their worries as Nugent ... immediately after kicking the ball ... started hopping up and down in pain.

I know that injured kickers rate low on the "breaking news" chart ... but it does greatly affect how a team gameplans drives. Long field goal attempts turn into punts. Fourth-and-short turns into the offense going for it.

If Nugent can't go ... punter Ben Graham may be put into action.

UPDATE: It has made an impact. On a 4th-and-13 ... the Jets are going for it instead of attempting a 40-yd field goal. Nugent has kicked into a net on the sideline so he could be ready for shorter FGs and extra points. However, it is obvious they don't believe he's healthy enough for any mid-to-long range attempts.

UPDATE, PART 2: Nugent may not be able to do anything. On that 4th-and-13 play ... Favre throws a jump ball that is caught for a TD (Jets lead 13-7). On the ensuing PAT, the Jets elected to go for two instead of the kick. Nugent may be done for the day.

UPDATE, PART 3: Nugent did kick an extra point in the second half.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Chad Pennington enters 2008 trying to prove yet again that he -- wait, what? Who? Really? Didn't he retire? Oh. I see. It doesn't seem like Brett Favre wants to play in New York this year, he's basically said so much in the most diplomatic way possible, which means this is the year where Favre stops having fun. This is the year he stops looking like a kid again, to support the cliche. And it can be argued that that magic has perpetuated itself, and has been the reason Favre is still considered -- rightfully or not -- one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Without it, I can imagine 2008 being a disaster for Favre -- bad play and missed games. And then the New York media jumps in and the misery just compounds. That's how I see 2008 rolling. Oh, plus, they don't have a decent backup quarterback. Heat Index: 6

Once upon a time the New York Jets had a coach who preached that "you play to win the game." I wonder what Herman Edwards would have done on fourth and 10 from the Browns 20 with just under two minutes to play in today's game.

The score was 17-12 Jets and the home team had all of their time outs left when Eric Mangini sent Mike Nugent in to kick a 37-yard field goal. That set up an onside kick, something the Jets had pulled off moments earlier to set up the field goal, but Joe Jurevicius recovered the kick and returned it into Jets territory. When Jamal Lewis scampered 31 yards for a touchdown three plays later the game was over.

Last year the Jets returned from their bye week with a brand new defense. They cut their points allowed in half and became one of the stingiest teams in the league. That propelled them from the middle of the AFC pack to the playoffs. This year there's no chance of a playoff berth but, after today's 19-16 win over the Steelers, there's reason to believe that Eric Mangini and company may have pulled off a similar defensive resurrection.

The Jets had nine sacks through their first nine games. They dropped Ben Roethlisberger seven times today. They've been giving up more than 150 yards per game on the ground but held the Steelers to 112 through four-plus quarters. They forced two turnovers and limited the Steelers to three second half field goals when a touchdown would have made their chances at victory quite slim indeed.

The Jets were much more aggressive than they've been up to this point and the Steeler line looked like it was stuck in (nonexistent) mud. Dewayne Robertson, who's been more of a rumor than an actual player this year, had two and a half sacks by shooting past Sean Mahan, Alan Faneca and Kendall Simmons like he was John Randle circa '97. Shaun Ellis, another much malinged defensive lineman, ran through Willie Colon like bad clams. They wore green and white but in no way resembled the 2007 Jets.

The New York Jets rounded out their preseason with a 13-11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, which concluded on a game winning field goal off the foot of Mike Nugent.

Marques Tuiasosopo led the Jets in passing, going 9 of 16 for 78 yards. And while the statistics aren't that impressive, he was the catalyst on the Jets final drive. He showed some good poise and leadership ability on that series, possibly winning him the third quarterback job over Brad Smith.

The rushing attack was also something to behold tonight for New York. Even with Leon Washington and Thomas Jones sitting out, the Jets were able to gain 113 yards on the ground. Stacy Tutt led the way with 48 yards, while Danny Ware added 33 of his own.

Defensively, things weren't quite as positive. While the Jets did manage to hold the Eagles to 11 points, quarterback Kevin Kolb was able to pick their secondary apart. He ended the night going 22 of 33 (33 passes in a preseason game, are you kidding me?) for 220 yards and a touchdown -- obviously not a positive thing for the Jets second and third team secondaries.