Rookie Jeremy Kerley, who fumbled away his punt-returning job to sure-handed Jim Leonhard, is hoping to reclaim the gig some day soon.
"I'll keep catching balls (in practice), keep working hard and hopefully I can take back the job," he said.
Kerley muffed a punt last Sunday against the Redskins, and that was all she wrote. It was the sixth turnover by the Jets' special teams, which leads the league. On Monday, Rex Ryan declared that they'll go back to Leonhard even though Kerley was drafted, in part, because of his punt-returning expertise.
"It's very frustrating," Kerley said. "I see myself as one of the most surehanded guys on the team, so when I dropped the punt, it hurt."
There's been a whole lot of hurting going on. Consider the fumble comparison between the special teams and the offense:
Special teams -- 6 lost fumbles in 92 "touches" (punt returns, fair catches and kickoff return). Average: One fumble for every 15.3 touches.
Offense -- 6 lost fumbles in 753 plays. (Mark Sanchez had five, Dustin Keller one). Average: One fumble for every 120.5 plays.