Clemens, Washington Lead Jets Past Falcons

The New York Jets started their preseason with a bang. Led by back-up quarterback Kellen Clemens (16 of 22 for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns) and running back Leon Washington (127 total yards), they were able to ground the Atlanta Falcons in a 31-16 victory.

One of the more sparkling plays of the game came courtesy of cornerback Drew Coleman, who made an excellent read on a Chris Redman pass and was able to tip it away. Unfortunately, he missed an easy interception only a few plays later.

Jets back-up tight end Sean Ryan (4 receptions for 29 yards) also had a an excellent game, grabbing two touchdown -- one of which came on a brilliant diving catch in the back of the endzone.

Finally, cornerback Alphonso Hodge had a very impressive open field tackle on the Falcons' Laurent Robinson that saved a first down and ended Atlanta's drive. Little things like this go unnoticed in the box score, but you can bet Eric Mangini gives him a pat on the back tomorrow when they watch the film.

For the Falcons, nothing really seemed to go according to plan. Joey Harrington (6 of 9 for 88 yards) seemed a bit inconsistent; making two brilliant throws, only to follow them up with a terrible one. That theme continued when D.J. Shockley (5 of 12 for 77 yards and 1 interception) entered the game following Chris Redman's stint. I found myself wondering how good this kid could be if he had better accuracy. He clearly has a big arm, but tends to make bad decision and terribly inaccurate throws.

On the plus side, Joe Horn made a spectacular 22-yard catch in the first quarter. Unfortunately, I saw him grab his lower back briefly and that seemed to spell the end of his night.

Sixth-round pick David Irons (cornerback - Auburn) appears to have some good game speed. He ran down Leon Washington on an 86-yard kick return that saved a touchdown. He also collected two other tackles.

One positive Falcons fans can take from this game was the run-blocking on their 82-yard touchdown drive early in the game. They did a great job creating holes and blocking down field. When they finally got into scoring range, Jerious Norwood went in untouched.