Mangini smiled and said, "Historically, when (the Raiders) have lost games with a big margin, they're very difficult to beat the next week. Just in case you're wondering."

He added he isn't worried about his team taking the game lightly.

"No. Just throw on the tape," he said. "The easiest thing for me any time we play somebody is just put on the tape. There are plenty of examples of all the things I talked about. You see them play the two teams they lost to deep into the fourth quarter (Buffalo and San Diego), and we've been there. ... There are a lot of explosive players on this team."

--Free safety Eric Smith will return at Oakland after serving his one-game suspension against Cincinnati on Sunday. The NFL denied his appeal of the suspension and $50,000 fine for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin on Sept. 28. It is believed Smith suffered a concussion himself on that hit, although the Jets have been mum on that subject.

"I anticipate that he should be ready to go (at Oakland)," Mangini said of Smith. "With any head injury, we monitor it, but we've been doing that. We have a format in place for that. That's something we spend a lot of time on. I feel good about where he is now. We'll definitely keep an eye on it throughout the week of practice and make sure it's fine going into the game."

--The Jets will be back in their trademark green and white for the first time since their loss to San Diego on Sept. 22. The Jets are 3-1 over the last two seasons in their throwback New York Titans uniforms, but will not wear them again this season.

--After the Jets' loss to New England last month, Patriots coach Bill Belichick went up to strong safety Kerry Rhodes.

"He told me I was the best he's faced," Rhodes recalled Wednesday. "It's good to hear that."

Rhodes has been paid plenty of more tacit compliments this season. Rhodes has no interceptions, and hasn't had one since last Dec. 9 against Cleveland, mostly because teams usually have avoided throwing to receivers covered by Rhodes.

"They're not really challenging me (deep)," he said.

BY THE NUMBERS: 9 -- Consecutive road games the Jets have lost, including a defeat against New England in the 2006 AFC playoffs, at away venues other than Miami, where they have won two straight. Their last road win against a team other than the Dolphins was at Minnesota on Dec. 17, 2006.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I really haven't talked in those terms whatsoever. The playoffs might as well be two years from now in terms of how many games have to be played to get there. There's really been no discussion along those lines. (I) would never advocate discussions because there's so much football left. The only thing that really matters is Oakland." -- Coach Eric Mangini, on whether his team can make a "statement" in the AFC by beating Oakland.