Jets hoping to start quickly for a change

Dustin Keller thought back to the first time he lined up against the Chargers, a day in his 2008 rookie season that left a particularly nasty aftertaste.

"That was my first touchdown catch in that game," the tight end said, recalling the 13-yard pass he caught from Brett Favre in the fourth quarter of the Jets' 48-29 loss. "I couldn't even celebrate because we were getting whupped."

The Jets (3-3) meet San Diego (4-1) at MetLife Stadium Sunday and surely are hoping the results will be similar to their 2009-10 postseason win over the Chargers, not the nightmarish pounding that conjured up Keller's flashbacks.

It's the next game in a series of crucial matchups for the Jets, a chance to string two consecutive wins together heading into their bye week before dates against AFC East rivals Buffalo and New England.

"We're playing against an outstanding opponent, a team that's a playoff-caliber team," said Rex Ryan, who's giving running back LaDainian Tomlinson the starting nod against his old team. "We're playing at home. We want to keep our win streak at home, playing in front of our fans, knowing we have the bye week next week to recharge our batteries.

"We have to put everything we have into this one. Obviously, we'll see if that's good enough. We think it will be, but we know it's going to be a heck of a challenge. Their punter has punted 12 times this season."

"It's a big challenge," right guard Brandon Moore said. "We've got to get back on a winning streak here. We've got a little bit of a hole and it's a big challenge this week. We're going up against a team that, when it's all said and done, is going to be vying for the playoffs."

San Diego, a winner of three straight, ranks sixth in total offense and is fourth in total defense, making the Chargers one of four teams listed in the league's top 10 in both categories. Philip Rivers has thrown for an average of 307 yards per game, engineering the league's sixth-ranked passing attack for a team that has converted 56.5 percent of its third downs.

And the Chargers could have All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates back after he sat out their entire winning streak with a nagging ankle injury.

So the Jets would be wise not to fall into the typical cavernous holes they've repeatedly found themselves in at the outset of games. They've been outscored 44-30 in the first quarter, forcing them to play catch-up.

Ryan has been perplexed by the issue, and in an effort to help the team snap out of its constant early-game funks, he met with some members of the offensive staff throughout the week, including quarterback Mark Sanchez and assistant head coach/offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

"Whatever it takes," Sanchez said of finding ways to get off to quicker starts offensively. "Don't tell ourselves, 'We start slow.' Just think fast. Think fast. We know our plays. Prepare fast. Start every practice off fast, start every drill off fast. Don't take time to warm up, just go. That's kind of been my mentality.

"The big thing about starting fast is sustaining drives,'' he added, "and we've got to convert on those third downs early. If we don't hit them early, we've got to hit a bunch late, and we did. So it all worked out."

It has at home, where the Jets are 3-0 this season.

"This is where it starts at, man," wideout Santonio Holmes said. "Any team that steps feet in those doors, to that green [turf], is our meat and we have to be the [predator] that's ready to jump on top of those guys and not let anybody jump out on us first."