Kellen Clemens might be without his top two targets when the New York Jets take on the winless Miami Dolphins. Jerricho Cotchery has missed practice all week with an injured right index finger, while Laveranues Coles has been limited by an ankle injury that caused him to miss New York's game against Dallas on Thanksgiving. "We'll look at all those guys and evaluate at the end of the week and see how it is," coach Eric Mangini said Thursday. Mangini revealed that Cotchery's injury occurred Monday during practice but wouldn't go into specifics, as is the Jets' policy. In fact, it was a bit surprising Mangini acknowledged which finger was injured; it was weeks before he revealed which knee linebacker Jonathan Vilma needed season-ending surgery on earlier this month.

Joe Namath was larger than life. He was a highly-touted high school prospect who starred for Bear Bryant at Alabama, took New York City by storm and led the Jets of the upstart AFL to a Super Bowl victory he had brashly guaranteed. Sounds like a good idea for a movie. Good enough that Universal Studios will make a movie about the Hall of Fame quarterback, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing Broadway Joe, according to reports.

Of all the great players and great teams the Cowboys have had, Tony Romo, Terrell Owens and the 2007 club are the first to start 10-1. And if 10-1 Green Bay wasn't up next, the Cowboys might be able to savor such an accomplishment. "We're grateful for it and we made history, but it doesn't end there," Owens said. "We know there's more football left this season." Dallas kept the stakes up for the next big matchup next Thursday night with a 34-3 victory over the Jets on Thursday that was as lopsided as it seems.

One game away was long enough for Laveranues Coles. The New York Jets' wide receiver has been practicing with the team since last week after missing a game with a concussion and hopes to play Sunday against Pittsburgh. Coles also intends to play with the same intensity he always does, despite suffering what was believed to be his second concussion in 10 months. "I can't play with hesitation," he said Thursday. "I mean, whatever happens, it doesn't slow you down. If you know anything about the game, you'll understand that you can't do that. When you play tentative, that's when things start to happen to you. You always have to go full speed." Coles, who doesn't appear on the team's injury report, was hurt on a hard tackle during the Jets' 13-3 loss to Buffalo on Oct. 28. He sat out the Jets' game against Washington the following Sunday, ending his streaks of 104 starts and 107 straight games played.

Jonathan Vilma will undergo surgery to repair his injured knee on Wednesday, and according to one orthopedic surgeon, it could be two years before he's back to full-speed. Dr. Johnny Benjamin, chief of orthopedic surgery at Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Fla., and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, said the Jets likely wouldn't have placed Vilma on season-ending IR if he were to simply have an arthroscopic procedure to clean out fragments called "bone mice." "It makes me believe it's a full thickness injury," Benjamin said of the move, adding that the simple cleaning would normally sideline a player for only a few weeks. That would require either micro fracture surgery or the insertion of a bio-absorbable screw into the knee to hold the ligament to the bone.

Jets' linebacker Jonathan Vilma will have surgery to repair his injured knee on Wednesday. Coach Eric Mangini said Tuesday that the procedure will be performed in Florida, where Vilma is from. Mangini was typically tightlipped about the operation and wouldn't reveal the nature of the surgery. "It's just surgery," Mangini said. Vilma, out for the season after being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 27, said last week that he was mulling surgery for what he described only as "a regular knee injury." He and the team have also refused to specify which knee is affected.

Laveranues Coles felt left out as he saw his New York Jets' teammates getting ready for their game against Washington. After a few minutes, the wide receiver couldn't take it anymore. "It brings tears to your eyes," Coles said Monday. "I had to actually get up and walk out of the locker room while the guys were getting dressed because, generally, that's me getting dressed." Coles missed the game Sunday with a concussion, ending his streaks of 104 starts and 107 straight games played. He'll be back on the field Tuesday, though, after being cleared by doctors to resume practicing. "It's one of those decisions I just have to deal with," Coles said. "I'm sure they made the decision based on the long term and not something short term, which was probably what I was looking at. It's a decision I'm glad they made."

Some think if the Jets get rid of coach Eric Mangini, the team could turn to Long Island native Mike Tice who interviewed before Mangini was hired. Tice is having success as an assistant with Jacksonville. However, it's very likely Mangini will get a third season on the strength of a strong rookie year in 2006.