09/30 — The Jets' latest NFL award-winner isn't receiving his honor from Pepsi or FedEx but directly from the NFL and didn't play for the team's offense or defense on Sunday against Tennessee.

Jason Trusnik today has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Trusnik, whom we profiled in our Special Teams Saturday Radar entry before the New England game, of course had the fumble force and recovery on Titans returner Ryan Mouton that set the Jets up for their second touchdown of the game. He added another first-quarter tackle on KO coverage, and he again supplied the punt-block pressure up the middle on former Jets punter Reggie Hodges, who had a 30.3-yard net on seven punts.

Several Jets have won Special Teams Player of the Week and Month awards over the years — most recently Leon Washington after last year's Game 10 at New England. But Trusnik is the first Jets specialist who doesn't kick or return kicks to gain this honor since Corwin Brown, who got his recognition in 1997 after Game 4 vs. Oakland.

Head coach Rex Ryan gave Trusnik his second ST game ball of the season this week, but as is his habit, when a player wins a league award, he doesn't get the game ball originally presented to him.

But on Monday the coach praised Trusnik and Larry Izzo for their special contributions vs. the Titans — "Izzo and Trusnik are playing as well on special teams as anybody in this league," he said. And today at the top of  his news conference he announced Trusnik's award and said, "We're proud of him."

By the way, Ryan and his staff have now awarded Trusnik's game ball to LB Vernon Gholston. More on that shortly.

We'll bring you more on Trusnik and the Jets as they prepare for New Orleans this week. The team is practicing now and we'll have stories from the locker room and from Ryan's news conference later this afternoon.