JET NOTES
The red zone continues to be a black hole for the Jets.
After entering yesterday with just one touchdown in six chances from inside the 20-yard line, the Jets went 0-for-4 yesterday, leaving them an unthinkable 1-of-10.
Their first chance ended in a Doug Brien field goal. Their second chance ended when Curtis Martin fumbled the ball at the 10-yard line after gaining 10 yards on a running play. Their third chance ended in another Brien field goal.
“We’ve been in scoring position and we just turned the ball over,” coach Herman Edwards said.
The Jets have now scored only three touchdowns in four games this season. They’ve had 41 offensive possessions, not including a kneel-down possession to end the first half yesterday.
* Cowboy Defensive lineman Eric Ogbogu, who wasn’t exactly a big-play machine in his days as a Jet, forced a Santana Moss fumble on the first play of the second quarter yesterday, a turnover that led to a Dallas TD and a 7-3 lead.
On the play, Moss caught an inside screen and was stripped of the ball, which was recovered by Dallas LB Al Singleton on the Jets’ 48-yard line.
* Jet special-teamer Michael Bates had an outstanding start to yesterday’s game, returning the opening kickoff 38 yards to give the Jets great field position on the 45-yard line. From there, the Jets took a 3-0 lead with a Brien field goal.
Later in the first quarter, Bates made an acrobatic diving save of a Dan Stryzinski punt near the Dallas goal line. It was downed at the Cowboys’ two yard line by Jets’ LB Khary Campbell.
Bates, however, was called for interfering with the Cowboys’ opportunity to return a punt, a 15-yard penalty, in the third quarter. That gives him two bad penalties as a Jet.
* The Jets were victims of a killer penalty on WR Kevin Swayne, who was called for roughing the kicker on Dallas P Toby Gowin deep in Dallas territory. The penalty gave the Cowboys a first down and allowed them to move the ball out of their territory. Had the penalty not been called, the Jets would have had the ball inside the Dallas 40.
* Brien’s two FGs, a 34-yarder and a 38-yarder, made him eight of nine this season. . . . DE Shaun Ellis recorded his fifth sack of the season, one more than he had all last year. DE John Abraham and NT Jason Ferguson shared a sack of Quincy Carter in the second quarter, giving Abraham 2 ½ for the season. LB Sam Cowart got his second sack of the season. . . .
SS Sam Garnes, who was critical of himself for dropping a key INT last week in New England, picked off a Carter pass in the end zone in the third quarter. . . . Because of the right hamstring injury he’s been nursing, Abraham was used sparingly compared to his usual playing time. That meant more playing time for DE Bryan Thomas and some use of DT Chester McGlockton at DE. McGlockton had a batted pass in the third quarter.