The Jets will have major changes on offense next year. If they can't get into position to draft Southern Cal QB Matt Leinart or make a trade for San Diego's Philip Rivers or Drew Brees, then Leinart's teammate, RB Reggie Bush, would inject a spark if he decides not to return for his senior season. There was no way the Jets could have kept LaMont Jordan with Curtis Martin coming off a rushing title, but Martin looks like he's hit the wall this year. His offensive line isn't helping.

Already struggling against the run, the New York Jets defense took another hit Tuesday, as starting weakside linebacker Eric Barton was lost for the 2005 season, the result of a torn left triceps suffered in Monday night's loss at Atlanta. The injury will require surgery and Barton will be placed on injured reserve. Barton, 28, was the Jets' leading tackler in 2004, with 125 stops, and he also led the team in fumble recoveries, with three. In four games this season, he had 21 tackles.

Ronde Barber admittedly lost his composure last Sunday and, as a result, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback could lose $30,000 because of an uncharacteristic indiscretion. Barber was fined $30,000 by the league office Wednesday as a result of his inadvertent swipe of umpire Butch Hannah during last Sunday's loss to the New York Jets. Barber, who was swinging at Jets center Kevin Mawae but missed and hit Hannah, likely will appeal the fine. The incident occurred midway through the second quarter following an interception by Jets cornerback Ty Law that gave New York possession at the Bucs' eight-yard line.

With Chad Pennington's future as the starting quarterback in doubt, it seems that everybody has a crystal ball, trying to predict the '06 starter. Here's one to put in the rumor mill - the Titans' Steve McNair. Unless his contract is renegotiated after the season - a prohibitive $50 million bonus will force the two sides to the bargaining table - McNair will be looking for a team. McNair, 32, is the Brett Favre of Tennessee, always talking about retirement, but if he wants to play in 2006 and needs a team, the Jets could be an interesting option. He played for Mike Heimerdinger in Tennessee, so he knows the offense. The Texans' David Carr, the human pi?ata, also could shake free. The looming QB search is going to be fascinating, and it will say plenty about how the organization feels about Pennington's chances for a full recovery.

Jets backup running back Derrick Blaylock is out for the year after breaking his foot against the Buccaneers. Blaylock had three carries for 1 yard and one catch for 3 yards in the game. It was unclear when he got hurt, and coach Herman Edwards was unsure which foot was broken. The Jets signed Blaylock to back up Curtis Martin after LaMont Jordan left for the Raiders as a free agent. Blaylock spent the first four seasons of his career in Kansas City as the backup to Priest Holmes. In five games this season, Blaylock had 10 carries for 19 yards. Rookie Cedric Houston is the only other running back on the Jets roster. Martin has also been banged up, playing with a sore knee since the second week of the season.

Cornerback Ronde Barber inadvertently punched umpire Butch Hannah in the eye when he swung at Jets center Kevin Mawae during an altercation in the second quarter of their game. After the Jets got the ball on the Buccaneers' 8 on Ty Law's second interception of the season, Curtis Martin rushed for 3 yards. After the play, Mawae and Barber got into it. While the two were yelling at each other, Barber took a swing at Mawae with his right hand -- but missed and landed a punch to Hannah's right eye. Hannah was sent sprawling to the field, holding his face, but he got up quickly. Hannah appeared to be OK and stayed in the game but was rubbing the eye afterward. Barber was flagged for unnecessary roughness but not ejected, giving the Jets the ball on the 2. Martin ran it in on the next play for his first touchdown of the season, giving New York a 7-6 lead with 7:32 left in the half. "It was two guys with their triple testosterone running high, acting like idiots," Barber said. "I'm a feisty dude and he's a feisty dude."

Coach Jon Gruden told The St. Peterburg Times that if Carnell "Cadillac" Williams is cleared to play Sunday, he'll play against the Jets. "If he's OK to play, if he's cleared by our doctors and trainers, he'll play," Gruden told the newspaper. "If he isn't, he won't. I can't tell you we're going to take any precautionary measures. This isn't the preseason. These are regular-season games and we have got to win, we have to find ways to win and we need our best players to win games." Williams has been bothered by a sore left foot for three weeks and a left hamstring strain that forced him out of last week's game.

Quarterback Chad Pennington underwent Thursday surgery to repair a small tear in his right rotator cuff, and the Jets announced Friday that they "remain optimistic" that he will be ready for the 2006 season. The surgery, performed by noted Birmingham, Ala.-based orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, was an arthroscopic procedure. Andrews performed a far more invasive surgery in February to repair the torn rotator cuff. In the Thursday procedure, Andrews repaired rotator cuff damage, which sources said was far less severe than the original tear, and the anterior capsule and labrum. Pennington will immediately begin a rehabilitation program, the Jets said in a news release, under the supervision of the team medical staff and Andrews. According to the team's statement, the Jets "remain optimistic that with proper rehabilitation and time for healing, Pennington will be ready for the 2006 season." "I think he thinks in his mind that whatever it takes to come back, he is going to do," coach Herman Edwards said. "So, that's his mind-set. It has always been his mind-set. That's what makes him so special."

The venerable Vinny Testaverde, with just three practices and after an offseason spent ferrying his kids to their summertime activities, will start at quarterback on Sunday for a stumbling New York Jets team in dire need of an offensive jump-start. Head coach Herm Edwards, who made up his mind on Tuesday to elevate Testaverde to the starting perch ahead of Brooks Bollinger, will make the move official later Wednesday. Edwards held off making an announcement Tuesday because he wanted to first tell the team about the switch. Testaverde, 41, will become the third different starter this year for the Jets, who have lost No. 1 quarterback Chad Pennington for the season to a rotator cuff injury. Bollinger was the starter in last week's 13-3 loss at Baltimore, a defeat that dropped the team to 1-3, and a game in which the offense struggled for a fourth straight outing. In his first career start, Bollinger, a third-year veteran, completed 14 of 28 passes for 149 yards, with no touchdown passes or interceptions, and was sacked five times.