Jets vs. Texans Postgame

24-7
1-0

Feels good to start the season with a win on the road. Overall, this was one of the best called Jets games I have watched in recent years. With a rookie QB at the helm and a largely ineffective running game (until the 4th quarter) Brain Schottenheimer mixed up the play calls and really exposed weaknesses in the Texans defense. There will be very few "thumbs down" for today with the excellent effort all around but here are the positives and negatives:

Game Ball:

• This was a tough decision because so many guys on the defense deserved it. However, this has to go to Mark Sanchez making his first NFL start on the road and coming away with the win. Sanchez showed me that he is the quarterback of the future. He has an uncanny ability to move around the pocket and even out of the pocket and still keep his eyes down field to find an open receiver. He sustained a few big hits today and stood in there and got off a good throw which was very impressive. Game ball has to go to the rookie QB who wins his first start on the road.
  

Thumbs Up:

1. Darelle Revis. Revis played an amazing game and held Andre Johnson (one of the NFL's top receivers) to 4 catches for 35 yards. The 4 balls he did catch he worked extremely hard for because he was so well covered. Revis will have to face up against Moss, Owens, Colston and others throughout the season and I am confident he will do the same against them.
2. Kris Jenkins. Jenkins is the key to the Jets defense and he showed why today. He cannot be covered by one person and this opens up avenues for the linebackers to get in and pressure the QB. The few times Jenkins was left 1 v. 1 he managed to completely embarrass the opposing player. He helped hold the Texans to under 50 yards rushing on the day and even got in a few hits on Schaub.
3. The Rest of the Defense. I could continue to point out the stars on defense today 1 by 1 but it would get too long and tiresome. Bart Scott and David Harris form an absolutely lethal tandem in the middle and will continue to get pressure all season long. Bart Scott plays with a speed and intensity that seems to have rubbed off on Harris and has made both of them tenacious defenders. Lito Shephard played a great game and made a few tackles in the open field as well as a game clinching interception. The rest of the defense doesn't need to be named but they all played great games. The Texans averaged 26 points a game at home last year and today scored just 7 (and none on offense).
4. Brian Schottenheimer. The best called game I have seen in a long time. It may have been Mangini holding him back in the past but Schotty came out today with a ton of different looks for a sometimes confused Texans defense. The "seminole" offense (Jets form of the wildcat) was explosive and the counter play to Leon that got them to the 1 yard line was extremely well run. He got Sanchez out of the pocket whenever he needed to get him back on track (after the interception) which narrowed the field. He stuck with the run and Thomas Jones rewarded him and ended up with over 100 yards rushing. Great game.

Thumbs Down:

1. Penalties. 10 Penalties for 80 yards is something that is overlooked in this game because it was such a dominant win. However, if we expect to beat New England next week giving away 80 yards will not help accomplish that. Penalties need to be cut down.
2. Running Game. Although the final stats look good (Jones ran for over 100 and Washington for over 60) this was not a great performance for the Jets running game. Jones was completely shut down in the first half and on his first 15 carries only had around 16 yards. Thankfully, he picked it up when it mattered and allowed the Jets to kill clock and put away the game with a few big runs.

Notes:

• Jamal Westerman, the undrafted rookie from Rutgers picked up his first sack today.
• Vernon Gholston recorded 3 solo tackles, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.