Kerry Rhodes

Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan met with the Buffalo Bills to discuss their head coaching vacancy, according to a published report. ESPN.com yesterday reported that Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon traveled to Denver and spent seven hours meeting with Shanahan on Monday night and Tuesday morning. Shanahan was quoted as saying he had “an excellent meeting.’’ Shanahan, however, added the sides agreed to stay in touch to see what develops.

It took less than a half for Tarvaris Jackson to hear a chorus of boos and for Larry Fitzgerald to once again torment the Seattle Seahawks. Then Fitzgerald disappeared and Jackson did just enough to silence those boos and get Seattle its first victory. Jackson put the Seahawks ahead with a bulldozing 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the secondary shut down Fitzgerald for the final 32 minutes, and Kam Chancellor had an interception with 1:04 left to seal a 13-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Darrelle Revis and his teammates in the New York Jets’ secondary got together earlier this week and discussed what they could do better. Being ranked second in the NFL in passing defense apparently isn’t good enough. “We need to make more plays,’’ Revis said. “That’s just the bottom line. We just need to be more aggressive in the secondary and make more plays.’’ That’s actually the running theme this week off the bye for the entire defense, not just the secondary.

Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan met with the Buffalo Bills to discuss their head coaching vacancy, according to a published report. ESPN.com yesterday reported that Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon traveled to Denver and spent seven hours meeting with Shanahan on Monday night and Tuesday morning. Shanahan was quoted as saying he had “an excellent meeting.’’ Shanahan, however, added the sides agreed to stay in touch to see what develops.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Ted Ginn Jr. was angry, his ego bruised by an embarrassing benching. The Miami wide receiver took out his frustration on the New York Jets, returning two long kickoffs for touchdowns in the third quarter, and the Dolphins’ defense held on for a 30-25 victory yesterday. “Not being in that starting lineup hurt me deep down inside,’’ Ginn said. “I just wanted to make plays. You don’t always have to be a starter to make plays.’’ Ginn certainly made that point loud and clear.

It took less than a half for Tarvaris Jackson to hear a chorus of boos and for Larry Fitzgerald to once again torment the Seattle Seahawks. Then Fitzgerald disappeared and Jackson did just enough to silence those boos and get Seattle its first victory. Jackson put the Seahawks ahead with a bulldozing 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the secondary shut down Fitzgerald for the final 32 minutes, and Kam Chancellor had an interception with 1:04 left to seal a 13-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

FOXBOROUGH - Here's a shock: Eric Mangini wasn't going anywhere near Spygate. Just a tough division game against a quality foe, you know? "My emotions are related to the fact that the players prepared hard and fought hard and put themselves in a position to win against a very good football team," deadpanned the Jets mentor. "To me, it was a disappointment because of the opportunities we had today. " Four Jets trips inside the red zone generated zero touchdowns. That made for a very unpleasant trip back to Long Island.

The Philadelphia Eagles faced a New York Jets team wearing throwback uniforms and looking for some new results. Navy and gold or green and white, it didn't matter in the end. "Our personality shows when we win a football game," running back Brian Westbrook said. Donovan McNabb threw for 278 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis, and the Eagles' defense stopped the Jets on fourth down with just over 3 1/2 minutes remaining for a 16-9 victory yesterday in East Rutherford, N.J. The Eagles (2-3)

FOXBOROUGH - Disaster always had stayed foreign to these Patriots, some evil force that only other teams needed to worry about. They might not win. They never would collapse and embarrass themselves. They never would let five minutes unravel their entire season. And then yesterday came, and the Baltimore Ravens swaggered into Gillette Stadium, and disaster struck. The Patriots allowed a touchdown on the first snap. Their crowd booed them. Tom Brady crumbled. In their first playoff game of the new decade, the Patriots may have lost the final bit of the dynastic mystique they...

The New York Jets have another problem in their unsettled secondary. Safety Eric Smith , competing with Erik Coleman for a starting spot opposite Kerry Rhodes , was carted off the field yesterday in Hempstead, N.Y., during the morning practice with an injured right leg. The team was working on the muddy grass field when Smith, who has looked good in training camp, went down after apparently slipping. The second-year player was at the night practice doing individual stretching, but his right thigh was wrapped and he limped noticeably.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Darrelle Revis and his teammates in the New York Jets’ secondary got together earlier this week and discussed what they could do better. Being ranked second in the NFL in passing defense apparently isn’t good enough. “We need to make more plays,’’ Revis said. “That’s just the bottom line. We just need to be more aggressive in the secondary and make more plays.’’ That’s actually the running theme this week off the bye for the entire defense, not just the secondary.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Ted Ginn Jr. was angry, his ego bruised by an embarrassing benching. The Miami wide receiver took out his frustration on the New York Jets, returning two long kickoffs for touchdowns in the third quarter, and the Dolphins’ defense held on for a 30-25 victory yesterday. “Not being in that starting lineup hurt me deep down inside,’’ Ginn said. “I just wanted to make plays. You don’t always have to be a starter to make plays.’’ Ginn certainly made that point loud and clear.

FOXBOROUGH - Here's a shock: Eric Mangini wasn't going anywhere near Spygate. Just a tough division game against a quality foe, you know? "My emotions are related to the fact that the players prepared hard and fought hard and put themselves in a position to win against a very good football team," deadpanned the Jets mentor. "To me, it was a disappointment because of the opportunities we had today. " Four Jets trips inside the red zone generated zero touchdowns. That made for a very unpleasant trip back to Long Island.

The Philadelphia Eagles faced a New York Jets team wearing throwback uniforms and looking for some new results. Navy and gold or green and white, it didn't matter in the end. "Our personality shows when we win a football game," running back Brian Westbrook said. Donovan McNabb threw for 278 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis, and the Eagles' defense stopped the Jets on fourth down with just over 3 1/2 minutes remaining for a 16-9 victory yesterday in East Rutherford, N.J. The Eagles (2-3)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The New York Jets were facing a stinging loss that would've knocked them out of first place in the AFC East and severely damaged their playoff hopes. A bad play call, a big hit, and a lucky bounce changed all that in an instant. Abram Elam sacked Bills quarterback J.P. Losman from behind and caused a fumble, and Shaun Ellis picked up the ball and rumbled 11 yards into the end zone with 1:54 left to give the Jets the go-ahead score in a 31-27 victory yesterday.