Veteran wide receiver Laveranues Coles, who has battled through a high ankle sprain that has affected his productivity for the past month, was placed on injured reserve by the New York Jets on Saturday afternoon, ending his season with two games remaining. To fill Coles' roster spot, the Jets elevated punter Jeremy Kapinos from the practice squad. One of the toughest players in the league and blessed with a high threshold for pain, Coles, nonetheless, struggled after spraining his left ankle in a Nov. 18 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite a noticeable limp at times, one that forced him to miss practice time, Coles stayed in the lineup. He aggravated the injury last week when he fell off the training table on Saturday night at the team hotel then attempted to play against the New England Patriots. Coles lasted only one offensive snap before he was forced to the sideline.

Given the cryptic nature of the New York Jets when it comes to discussing injuries, nothing is official yet. But barring an unexpectedly quick recovery by Kellen Clemens from rib and shoulder injuries, eight-year veteran quarterback Chad Pennington will return to the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. Pennington has not started since an Oct. 28 loss to Buffalo but despite five sacks played well at times in relief of the injured Clemens during last Sunday's 20-10 loss at New England. In that game, Pennington completed 25 of 38 passes for 186 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. "I certainly feel that I'm a starter, absolutely," Pennington said. "There's no question in my mind. I can always help someone win." The injury to Clemens, who has started the last six contests and has seven overall starts for the season, occurred on his first pass attempt against the Patriots.

Titans' C Kevin Mawae knows why he was released last year by Eric Mangini: he's outspoken and probably would've clashed with the new coach. "The last thing you want is a guy that knows all the rules in there, and I definitely would've been one of the guys to call him out on it," Mawae, formerly the Jets' union rep, said Wednesday on a conference call. "It all boils down to accountability. You want a player to be accountable, and the player wants the coaches to be accountable. And, I think that may have been an issue there." Mawae, 36, who made six Pro Bowls with the Jets, believes left guard Pete Kendall was jettisoned for the same reason. "They wanted to get young and get guys that weren't going to speak out against the staff, and obviously Pete didn't fit that mold," said Mawae, adding that he's heard second-hand that certain veterans on the Jets are unhappy under Mangini.

Patriots' Coach Bill Belichick said Friday the Jets never requested permission to use an extra video camera in last season's playoff game in Foxborough, directly contradicting Eric Mangini's explanation of the events. "I was never asked for permission nor was anyone in our video department asked for permission for a second end-zone camera," Belichick told NBCSports.com. Evidently, someone isn't telling the truth. Mangini, responding to published reports Wednesday that said a Jets' cameraman was stopped from taping, said the team received approval from the Patriots to shoot from both end zones. The Patriots never filed a complaint with the NFL about last January's incident, and the league isn't investigating the matter. Spokesman Greg Aiello said this week there are "no restrictions on shooting from both end-zone positions as long as the opportunity is provided to both teams." Mangini said the Jets haven't requested a second end-zone camera for tomorrow's game in New England because he "didn't think it would be granted."

The Jets will take all the help they can get heading into Sunday's game against the unbeaten Patriots. The weather forecast for this weekend's game at Gillette Stadium is calling for a mix of snow, sleet and rain with gusty winds - conditions which could potentially slow down the Patriots' high-octane passing game. Considering the Jets are three-touchdown underdogs against the Patriots, the presence of "Old Man Winter" may be a blessing. "If you look at (the weather), it could be more of a pound-it game," Jets safety Kerry Rhodes told the New York Daily News.

There's a new wrinkle in the Spygate controversy between the Patriots and the Jets. According to a published report, a Jets' employee was asked to stop videotaping the Patriots' sideline during the first quarter of a game in Foxborough last season. Jets' officials claim everything was above board. "All filming at last year's Patriots' game was done with pre-approval from the Patriots and in accordance with NFL rules," Bruce Speight, the Jets' senior director of media relations, told Newsday. The Jets' employee at the stadium was removed, but the camera was not confiscated, according to the report. The employee's filming took place on the mezzanine level of the stadium. The newspaper also said there was some confusion as to which Patriots' home game the videotaping occurred. New York played at New England twice, including a playoff game.